The start of the Eddie Howe era at Celtic will have more than a few similarities to the scene which faced Martin O’Neill when he swept into Celtic Park 21 years ago.
A record points gap behind champions Rangers. A serious summer overhaul required. And an expectant support.
It appears to be a matter of when rather than if Howe is installed in the east end of Glasgow.
I can only hope – with 23 points separating them and Rangers after a disastrous campaign – he has the same clout as Martin did when he arrived on the back of a 21-point deficit in 2000.
What do I mean? Well, using myself as the example, it’s no secret Dermot Desmond didn’t want me when Martin moved to bring me north from Chelsea as one of his first signings.
You can’t really blame him – I’d been sh*t at Chelsea. No doubt about it
But Martin said ‘leave the signings to me’. The deal got over the line and the rest is history.
Martin knew what he wanted and got the players in that were required.
Joos Valgaeren was brought in early along with myself and Alan Thompson and Neil Lennon soon followed.
It was a different era in terms of the market Celtic were working in but the fundamentals remain the same – the manager has to be given the backing of those who employed him in the first place.
Eddie needs to make sure he has that backing.
Without the right calibre of players coming in, Celtic are not going to stand a chance of eating into the gap on Rangers.
Martin O’Neill was fearless. Inside the sanctuary of the dressing room he was always clear in his mind what he wanted to do.
He never had any doubts and that’s because he had the backing of those above him.
Eddie might not have the CV of Martin but he needs to carry the same sort of clout if he wants success.
He also needs help, time and patience. From those in command and from the supporters.
I’m certain he’ll have a few players earmarked to come in.
If that’s not happened and Celtic haven’t been in a position to get in touch with targets then they are in big trouble.
The new chief executive Dominic McKay has come in early so you’d wonder what he has been doing if that has not been the case.
Back in 2000 Martin signed players with a point to prove, players from a Premier League level.
They’ll be working to a different level this summer but Eddie has to be every bit as clever and target players that are hungry and ready to hit the round running.
Nobody expects Celtic to bring in the finished article. They’re not in the market to do that.
But hopefully enough work and due diligence has been done to bring in players who are hungry to succeed.
It’s going to be interesting to see how much Howe has to spend. How many players he gets to bring in.
They certainly need a keeper, a right back, a left back, at least one centre half, Mo Elyounoussi will go back to Southampton so they need a left sider, and a striker for when Odsonne Edouard leaves. That’s the minimum.
It’s not going to be easy though. Even the best players in the Championship down south – the likes of Teemu Pukki, Emiliano Buendia, Ismaila Sarr – are likely to be too costly.
Ironically Ivan Toney is the same now after a brilliant season with Brentford. He says he was up at the Celtic training ground last summer but they chose not to sign him.
That’s incredible if it’s true as he’s now worth five or six times what he was a year ago and Celtic can’t afford to make those mistakes.
I like the way Howe’s teams play and you have to say the job he did at Bournemouth was pretty remarkable.
I’ve mentioned before I was on the same coaching course as him in Ireland a few years ago.
He was already in charge at Bournemouth at the time and we struck up a decent relationship.
It’s not like we were going nightclubbing together but he struck me as someone who has a nice manner and a good presence about him.
I’ve heard punters claim he struggles to handle a big dressing room. I see no reason to go along with that.
He is an introvert in terms of his personality but he is extremely assured.
And with regards to that coaching course we were on he commanded respect through his ideas and the way he conducted himself.
Celtic is a totally different stratosphere to Bournemouth though in terms of the expectation, pressure and demands to win.
He will realise that when he turns up and sees thousands of fans outside the stadium to greet him.
At Bournemouth it was probably one man and his dog. But that doesn’t mean he won’t be able to cope.
He is a sharp thinker and a smart guy. He will have weighed things up and will back himself to succeed. He has to turn the team round from a side that has been soft and rolled over in games, a team of individuals, into a proper side who can challenge.
I don’t care what anyone says, 23 points is a hell of a lot to make up and they are going to have to do it having lost two or three of their best players.
There’s going to be turbulence along the way. But if he gets the backing of the board and has the authority of Martin then I’m sure good things will come to Parkhead.
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