Celtic are set to confirm the appointment of Martin O'Neill, who now looks set to stay on following his interim stint and summer talks with the club.
O'Neill staved off competition from Robbie Keane, whose talks with the club led to backlash from sections of supporters, although O'Neill was always likely to have first dibs on the job if he wanted it.
The veteran boss had mentioned doubts over whether he could continue on a full-time basis, which is likely what triggered Celtic to hold talks with other candidates. But O'Neill appears to have signalled a willingness to stay on, at least for the coming season, and so the job is his following a league and cup double.
Lambert approves of O'Neill appointment
Former Celtic captain Paul Lambert has given his thoughts on the apparant O'Neill appointment in an interview with BBC Scotland, and he is on board with the decision.
“It’s a no-brainer. He knows the club, he knows what it is to win there. Celtic is not a development club. It’s a club that has to win and there’s nobody better to do that.”
Celtic fans will all be saying the same thing
Celtic fans will be singing from the same hymnsheet as Lambert, who knows the club well enought to reflect what will be being said around Glasgow amid O'Neill's likely appointment. The Bhoys managed to get away with a slow start this season thanks to O'Neill's effort, and no one wants to see the celtic board make another risky appointment given the damage that was almost done with the Wilfried Nancy saga.
As Lambert explains perfectly, this is not a club that needs to be taking wild swings on managers who may or may not succeed, and to the board's credit, they rarely have over recent years, aside from Nancy.
But that should serve as a reminder of what can go wrong when a proven manager is not appointed, and what Celtic have in O'Neill is a proven manager. Not only that, but he is proven with Celtic, offering a rare opportunity to hire a manager who does not need weeks or months to get his feet under the table.
He will hit the ground running having been here last season, and he knows he can command enough respect to grab issues by the horns and get things done without having to jump through hoops.
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