‘Clever’ Celts have lots of alternatives, says Lambert

ASKING Celtic fans to keep the faith is certainly a very bold move, in the circumstances. At a time when many supporters wouldn’t trust the current board to pour water out of a boot if the instructions were printed on the heel, the lumpen masses can be forgiven for being just a touch sceptical about their club’s ability to locate and recruit an elite-level head coach.

The collapse of negotiations with Eddie Howe, especially after such a lengthy and dogged pursuit, cannot be spun as anything but a setback.

And, while former club captain Paul Lambert was on the airwaves calling for cool heads and measured responses yesterday, he sounded like a man shouting at the teeth of a tornado.

‘The Celtic board and the people at the top of Celtic will have somebody else in mind; I’m pretty sure that’s the case,’ said Lambert, who is not believed to be among those alternative candidates himself.

‘I don’t think there should be any alarm bells sounding and people saying: “Oh, we’ve not got the manager…”

‘They’ll get somebody in. They’ll have other options, a few irons in the fire — because they’re clever people.

‘The structure of the club is really strong. Financially it’s really strong. It’s got everything going for it. It just needs that manager to come in and really lead the club to success.’

The ‘clever people’ Lambert references have just spent over three months looking for someone to replace Neil Lennon. They thought they had Howe, whose reluctance to commit was frequently dismissed by those in the know as no cause for concern. And now? As is often the case when a club is known to have tried and failed to land a new boss, the guy who does get the job will always know that he wasn’t their first choice.

None of that matters, of course, if the new man wins games. But, for the moment, tens of thousands of diehard punters — having been starved of information and communication for much of this process — are entitled to feel sceptical about any message emanating from the inner circle at Celtic Park.

Lambert, for his part, has confidence in the leadership to make the right appointment, saying: ‘Like any club, there will be a back-up plan for what Celtic are going to do now.

‘It’s too big a club to rest on one guy. They’ll have a number of options to go and get.

‘Whether Eddie was their first pick or not, nobody will ever know. But he’s decided not to come.

‘You move on — because the club is bigger than anybody. And whoever walks into the job will be at a great club. If you get it right, it’s absolutely fabulous.

‘When you go into a club like Celtic, you have to realise you can’t draw. You have to win every game, including in Europe. I’m hoping whoever it is comes and embraces that.’

Adamant that Celtic finishing 25 points behind champions Rangers shouldn’t be a deterrent to any coach of ambition and wit, former Champions League winner Lambert pointed out: ‘Well, I was part of a Celtic team who finished 21 points behind Rangers before Martin O’Neill came in.

‘Martin turned it around in his first year, which shows it can be done, and we went on to win the treble.’

Former Celtic defender Gary Caldwell is already looking to the next step, advising his old club to go for someone with a deep understanding of the club.

‘Celtic need to get a manager in who knows the DNA of the football club,’ said Caldwell. ‘Someone who understands the club. Understands the supporters. And gets Celtic back to where they were only a season ago. It’s not long ago they won a quadruple Treble.

‘I don’t think it’s a major disaster. Yes, losing ten in a row was big. The rebuild has to be swift but the gap isn’t that big. The manager who comes in has to know Celtic and what they stand for.

‘The people who think they have an opportunity to be next Celtic manager will be doing their homework.

‘They should be ready in terms of recruitment, looking at players for that level.

‘They should know the Celtic squad inside out. The candidates on the shortlist will be ready should Celtic make that call — and they can act quickly, if they’ve done their job properly.’