Why Celtic’s Eddie Howe wait makes a lot of sense

BURNLEY, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 22: Eddie Howe, Manager of AFC Bournemouth applauds fans after the Premier League match between Burnley FC and AFC Bournemouth at Turf Moor on February 22, 2020 in Burnley, United Kingdom. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
BURNLEY, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 22: Eddie Howe, Manager of AFC Bournemouth applauds fans after the Premier League match between Burnley FC and AFC Bournemouth at Turf Moor on February 22, 2020 in Burnley, United Kingdom. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)

It has been quite a few weeks since it was rumoured that Eddie Howe was set to be appointed as the new manager of Celtic. Not only has that not happened but since then, there have not been many updates regarding the situation either.

Now, there are two ways to look at the situation. Some might say that no news is good news. But on the other hand, it is also very possible that not much new has been reported in recent weeks because there is not much new to report about as things have not progressed.

Let us take a look at the entire thing from a positive viewpoint though. First of all, would it have been a good thing if Howe had taken over a few weeks ago? Very possibly not. At the end of the day, there was not much left to play for at that point of time except for the Scottish Cup.

And any incoming manager would like to have his preferred players at the club. At that point though, Howe would have had to work with a squad Neil Lennon had assembled, a number of whose players look set to depart in the summer.

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It might have been smart for Howe to not take the Celtic job immediately

Now, let’s take a look at another point. We know that there are no free games at Celtic and you are always expected to win. While Howe is a good manager, he is no magician. It would be wrong to expect him to come in and immediately start producing wins. And starting out on losses could have had an adverse effect.

It would have led to questions amongst the fans about whether he was the right man for the job. And a bad start might have only added to the pressure on his shoulders to deliver.

Instead, if he arrives at the end of the season, he will have an entire pre-season to get to know the squad that he will have while also making signings to improve in positions of need.

Now, this does not mean that he will be the one to take over at Parkhead at the end. But it is not hard to see why Howe arriving near the end of the season would not have been a good idea.