Could former Premier League manager do a job at Celtic?

It surely now has to be about exactly when and how Neil Lennon departs Celtic, not if. Could a former Premier League manager be a candidate to replace him?

Even if the Celtic board remain quiet and don’t offer a vote of confidence or anything similar, then it’s still hard to see a way forward with Lennon at the helm.

The loss against Ross County stoked the fire and added further pressure. Fair play to the opposition, who executed their plan and tactics very well and secured the win. Although results have been poor for Celtic recently, the expectation was of a win, hopefully some improvement and building confidence back up. In granting Lennon more time, the board will surely have expected to see some progress, most definitely not a loss.

Inevitably a cup loss was due at some point. That tremendous run couldn’t continue forever, but that was a poor, sad and embarrassing way to bring it to an end. Apart from some expected player changes and some tinkering with formations, there weren’t any real obvious differences. Laboured performances, unable to get chances on target, defensive errors, all the recent usual symptoms were there again.

There has to be change and at this point it looks like the only change which will have an impact that matters is of the manager. It’s not nice, it’s not pleasant, but football is a brutal business and the board are there to take the tough decisions. Or at least they should be doing so.

That ought to mean more focus on who can replace Lennon. Is it a stop gap until the end of the season when more alternatives might be available? Or can Celtic identify and secure a top manager who can start a long-term rebuild right here and now?

The usual suspects, Martin O’Neill and Gordon Strachan get plenty of mentions. Going back to a club rarely works in football, combine that with going back in time to managers with perhaps an older way of thinking doesn’t really help either.

If Peter Lawwell and Dermot Desmond took a brave step, of appointing with the season and the future in mind, does that raise the possibility of Sam Allardyce stepping forward? Allardyce has been referenced a few times on social media as a possibility. Stories reference Sammy Lee turning down interest in other roles based on him teaming up elsewhere soon with Allardyce in a new expected vacancy.

There are now roles in England they may prefer, Derby County and the newly vacated Sunderland for example. There is also plenty of competition for those roles. While we may have some concerns over footballing styles, both are tactically aware, work well together and can organise a defence and a team.

Could we see a gamble being taken? Has Lawwell sought them out? It’s not at all unlikely. Whether it’d be seen as a temporary or a long-term fixture remains to be seen. The tough part may be whether anyone might actually want to be in charge. The usual idea of a Celtic man in charge for that could well be very difficult to follow through at this point in time. Allardyce wouldn’t come cheap but perhaps there is room for negotiation.

We may have to trust the board to firstly draw an end to the current situation by changing the manager. We may then have to trust them to choose wisely. It’s a lot of trust to give while already wondering why they have taken so long without seemingly making a decision. But something’s gotta give here.