Eddie brought in some fantastic signings but his reaction to one bad deal proved Howe great a boss he is
Burnley director has no doubt his former manager has what it takes to make Celts great again
Danny Ings, Ben Mee, Kieran Trippier and Charlie Austin.
All Eddie Howe signings for Burnley that proved to Turf Moor director Brendan Flood just how good a manager he is.
But it was his reaction to a player he got WRONG that showed him what type of man he is.
Flood was convinced by his manager to splash out £700k on Irish winger Keith Treacy, despite being warned off by others.
Howe was adamant he could hone his mercurial talent but a season of indifferent displays forced him to admit defeat. Instead of being annoyed at him, Flood was bowled over by Howe’s honesty. He realised then he’d someone unique at the helm.
It’s those characteristics that Flood believes makes Celtic’s prospective new boss special.
Howe is expected to be unveiled as Neil Lennon’s replacement at Parkhead this week.
But it’s not just Howe’s qualities as a manager that impressed Flood, also one of the co-founders of MLS side Orlando City, but also his attributes as a person, like when he apologised for failing to get a tune out of Treacy.
In an exclusive interview, Flood told MailSport: “Eddie wants to get the best out of people.
“We took Treacy f rom Preston. Keith was a George Best type of player, he could run round the whole team if he was up for it.
“But he was known to be a little wayward personally, he’d had a few issues.
Eddie thought he could manage that , even though I’d had a few warn ings before we signed him. I asked Eddie if he was sure and he was so we took him in.
“He was in the team for the first few games then he was on the bench.
“About six to nine months into the season, Eddie said to me: ‘ I need to apologise Brendan.’
“I said: ‘ What for?’ and Eddie said: ‘I made a mistake. I thought I could resolve the issues with Keith and make him a better man – but I can’t’.
“He was big enough to admit it. I’ve never heard of a manager doing that before or since.
“That tells you about Eddie’s character. He takes it personally if he gets it wrong but I’d say he rarely gets it wrong.
“Any signings he makes at Celtic will be done with a lot of care. “He made a number of good signings for us at Burnley. He got Trippier, Mee, Ings, Austin – his ability to spot strikers is excellent. “He has done that at Burnley and Bournemouth, so at Celtic I’d expect him to recruit forward players early on who he thinks will make a difference.”
Howe pulled off a miracle with the Cherries in taking them f rom the brink to t he
Premier
League.
But there is a perception he might not have the mental strength to cope with life in Glasgow, where he’ll be under huge pressure to topple Rangers and regain the Premiership title.
Flood insists we shouldn’t be fooled by his nice guy persona, insisting Howe has the passion, drive and winning mentality to fit in perfectly at Parkhead.
He said: “When you get people like Eddie whose careers end early and they don’t get all the success they want on the pitch – they bring that hunger into management.
“In my first conversations with him it hit me that he just wanted to win. That hunger was the big attraction. He also has a lot of emotional intelligence, which players warm to.
“His players would do anything for him.
“Eddie’s got a steeliness about him and winning mentality. Behind the scenes he’s very tough – in a demanding way.
“He’ll get the best out of players. He gets to understand their characteristics and what makes them tick. He’ll figure that out at Celtic.
“For Eddie going up against Stevie Gerrard, he won’t fear that for one moment.
“In terms of the Celtic-Rangers rivalry, I think that would spur him on – he’ll become part of it and will be desperate to succeed.
“If you look at his career, he doesn’t take decisions lightly. He’ll have looked at going to Celtic upside down, inside out. “He’ll have a very clear management plan already.”
When F lood is describing Howe’s
qua l it ies a s a manager, it’s impossible not to make comparisons to former Celtic boss, and his close pal, Brendan Rodgers.
The Burnley board member says that, just like Rodgers, he’ll make players and the people around him better.
He said: “Eddie’s a ver y committed guy.
“In no way will he be going to Celtic for the money. He’ll be doing it because he wants to win. He’s very processed and driven.
“When he wants to be somewhere, he’s as good as you’ll get. He keeps good company and he’s close to successful people like Brendan Rodgers.
“That might explain why Celtic have gone for him – because there will be a strong reference there.
“His mandate when we recruited him at Burnley was to bring in younger players and develop a squad over three years that could get us back to the Premier League.
“Eddie was real ly good at bringing players in and being part of the club’s vision. The squad that Sean Dyche inherited was capable of Premier League promotion. Sean was the finishing school for the players that Eddie brought in.
“He’ll raise the bar again at Celtic. I’d heard a rumour two months ago that he might be going there and I thought it would be perfect for Eddie.
“He’ll have all the data from Brendan’s experience there and will bring his own recipe to the table as well.
“That’s what Celtic will want to get ahead of Rangers again and do well in Europe.”
Eddie won't fear going up against Steven one bit