It’s not even Easter, and with the league already gone, the work behind the scenes at Celtic Park continues to erase the memory of what , when taken into historical context, was an almighty balls up.<\/p>\n
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The biggest single shareholder, Dermot Desmond, sent his men in to have a look at what went wrong, and so far, the fallout has been astonishing in both its speed and it’s ruthlessness.<\/p>\n
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Gone are the CEO, the manager and the long serving captain.<\/p>\n
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You get the feeling that someone was a little bit pissed off with the way things have gone this season, and the main man isn;t even hanging around to see if there’s a consolation cup to be paraded.<\/p>\n
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Whatever excuses were offered up haven’t washed, and heads have rolled.<\/p>\n
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Peter Lawwell had his own way of doing things, a way which had kept the club stable financially, successful on the pitch and , under his watchful eye, very watchful eye, navigated some of the storms that had come the way of the game in general.<\/p>\n
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If you don’t count the demise of Rangers, that is.<\/p>\n
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Well respected by his peers, he holds positions throughout Europe and his opinion is sought by those in positions of power and influence. In fairness, though, Hugh Dallas and Campbell Ogilvie have also wormed their way into such positions, and they seem to have done a little more for their club than Lawwell did for ours.<\/p>\n
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Rumours of clashes with managers over budgets and other issues refused to go away, and there may be yet more on the head to head that saw Brendan Rodgers leave for Leicester a couple of years ago, which at the time surprised everyone at the club, even though there were signs the Irishman wasn’t overly happy in his working relationship with the CEO.<\/p>\n
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On that occasion, Desmond went with Lawwell when it came down to it, and thats how things work in business. Lawwell wanted ad got the backing of his gaffer, and because by and large Desmond was happy with his CEO, he got his way.<\/p>\n
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But the cracks had appeared, and were prised apart when Lawwell vetoed Roy Keane as a replacement for the underperforming Neil Lennon, and from that moment Lawwell started to look at retirement brochures.<\/p>\n
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Which were sent to him from Dublin…<\/p>\n
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All of this , of course, is speculation, but it does kind of make sense, (that’s a first-Ed )<\/p>\n
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With Lawwell out of the way, the scene is set for Keane to take up the job of manager, a scenario that dawned at Lennoxtown when the players and staff saw him mildly declare on Sky tv that “Celtic are a great club and will bounce back “.<\/p>\n
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In itself, not a revealing moment, but when you consider Keane once raged at Celtic players for celebrating qualification to the Champions League group stages , those at the ranch saw it as confirmation that anything else you hear about Eddie Howe, Geoffrey Howe or Geoffrey from Rainbow, is complete bollocks.<\/p>\n
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Keane is coming, and Desmond has, as ever, got his way.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Scott Brown is a modern day legend, there’s no disputing that. indeed, he should be lauded for his commitment and achievements as Celtic captain, and rightly so.<\/p>\n
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Along with another modern day legend, Neil Lennon, these two have decided that their futures lie elsewhere.<\/p>\n
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Both have proven that they are winners, both have earned their status among the great names to have served and graced the hoops.<\/p>\n
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But both of them found last season, which in reality was little more than a tv show with added studio applause, a step too far. Neither could adapt, and mistakes, costly mistakes , were made.<\/p>\n
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The biggest mistake was in repeating tactics with players that clearly weren;t working, and the stubborn refusal to make the necessary changes when they had to be made.<\/p>\n
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Yes, there were some pretty serious mitigating factors, the plague took its toll, and whilst most clubs adhered to the rukes, one in particular ignored them, and has been seen to reap the benefits.<\/p>\n
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Lennon did speak out, but his voice isn’t loud enough to be heard where it needs to be heard, and even having said that, he spoke too late, as the damage was already done.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Brown could have played a bigger part on the field, and as to whether it’s simply down to the restrictions of Father Time or other circumstances that are to blame, we’ll have to wait and see. Both seem likely, but again, with his experience and influence, we expected more.<\/p>\n
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He’s leaving though, with his reputation intact, and that is the least he deserves.<\/p>\n
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He’ll never be on the list of McGrory, McNeill, Lennox, Johnstone , McStay or Larsson, but then again, the list of those who have seen such players is growing smaller by the day, and for many Brown is as close to that status\u00a0 as they’ll ever see.<\/p>\n
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The unusual circumstances of last season have allowed the decade old basket of assets to win their first major trophy, a scenario that the law of averages said was always going to happen, but thats not how things are seen from a business point of view.<\/p>\n
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Celtic invested heavily, if not wisely in players last summer, and the accusations of mismanagement won;t go away. not only was money spent, key players were retained and there can be no excuse for the collapse that followed. Even with several players absent\u00a0 at different periods for one reason or another, there should have been enough strength in depth to at least take the season to the wire.<\/p>\n
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We couldn’t even take it to Easter, and thats unacceptable to a billionaire businessman.<\/p>\n
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The first steps have been taken, the old guard has gone.<\/p>\n
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And , if the pish stained drunks are right, the new man has already been appointed.<\/p>\n
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Roy Keane has no equal as a “big name ” player.<\/p>\n
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He was the heartbeat of a very successful Manchester United side under Alex Ferguson that will pribably be the last footballing empire to be built from within.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Although under Solskjaer, youth was beginning to get a chance again, with Nicky Butt, a former Keane team mate developing youngsters such as Marcus Rashford, and it’s significant that Butt has now left Old Trafford, and may well join Keane in the new set up.<\/p>\n
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Damien Duff is no longer coaching Ireland, and he , too, might be a part of what we have been told is a major revolution in not only the way things are being done, but who is doing them at Lennoxtown.<\/p>\n
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A return to the standards set by Brendan ridgers is deemed essential, as some see the lack of professionalism tolerated by Lennon as a major factor this season, and the lack of sharpness on the field is an obvious indicator.<\/p>\n
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Factor in that its a couple of months since Celtic scored in the second half of a match, and it doesn;t take a sports scientist to see what the problem is.<\/p>\n
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Butt and Duff could be the men to put Celtic back into the 21st century, and Butt’s success with youngsters fits the model of attracting ambitious kids to Celtic , who can then be sold on….<\/p>\n
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Duff is a more modern coach than the three laps of the track and off to the pub mentality that had crept back in recently, and the players will greet his arrival, should that come around, with enthusiasm.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
But hang on, Roy Keane as manager ? He’s a dinosaur,\u00a0 right ?<\/p>\n
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Shout, shout and shout some more ?<\/p>\n
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He;s won nothing at Middlesborough and wherever else he went, though the clubs he was at, barring Ipswich under Bobby Robson and Alf Ramsay won nothing under any of their managers.<\/p>\n
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Hardly a failure, but he isn’t being hired for his tactical genius….that will be the job of his coaching staff.<\/p>\n
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Keane is being hired to call out those in Scottish football who interpret the rules in their own novel and refreshing way.<\/p>\n
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“rangers ” are getting away with flouting the rules again, and the SFA are letting them do it.<\/p>\n
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And they will keep leting them do it unless someone stands up to them.<\/p>\n
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Keane is not one for doffing his cap.<\/p>\n
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He keeps razor blades in his……<\/p>\n
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The failures of those who have left will be addressed.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
And if those who drink super strength lager whilst walking their devil dogs are to be believed, this is how we are going to address them.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
One thing is certain, it won’t be dull, and I wouldn’t give that season book up just yet.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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