HOWE TO CELTS CLOSER AFTER CHERRIES FLUFF LINES
Eddie Howe is closing in on becoming the next manager of Celtic after Bournemouth fell apart in their Championship play-off semi-final.
Our sister paper the Daily Record revealed last week that the 43-year-old was in line for a bumper pay- off if the Cherries secured promotion back to the Premier League while he was still on gardening leave.
It looked good for them as they took the lead at Brentford yesterday through Arnaut Danjuma to go 2- 0 up on aggregate.
But former Hoops target Ivan Toney quickly levelled from the spots.
A top-flight return appeared an impossible dream for Bournemouth from the moment Chris Mepham was shown a straight red card after he upended Bryan Mbuemo following his own slapstick defending.
Vitaly Janelt and Marcus For rs then st ruck to secure a 3-2 aggregate win for Brentford.
Now all roads lead to
Parkhead for Howe, who is poised to bring Richard Hughes in as his technical director alongside coaches Stephen Purches and Simon Weatherstone.
Former Parkhead star Peter Grant is another name in the frame for a coaching role as the Englishman looks to put his own stamp on the big rebuild.
Howe’s old club must now spend another year in the second tier and the defeat was a bitter blow for boss Jonathan Woodgate.
But Brentford can now look forward to the play-off final as they blaze a trail towards the top flight.
Top scorer Toney, who joined the Bees f rom Peterborough last summer after Celtic failed to secure a deal, was lifted by having fans instead the stadium.
He said: “The fans made a massive difference. They are the 12th man, and it’ll give us a great chance in the final.
“The main thing was bel ieving, and we kept believing even when they got the goal.”