Derek Rae has given a fascinating insight into Lucien Favre who is reported to be interested in the Celtic manager’s job.
The 63-year-old was sacked by Borussia Dortmund in December despite taking them to the top of their Champions League group ahead of Lazio, Zenit and Club Brugge. Next week Dortmund take on Manchester City for a place in the semi-finals.
With his long record in the game and taste of working at the very highest level any interest from Favre should be something that is followed up by Celtic but the exact dynamics of the recruitment process isn’t known. In normal circumstances it is difficult to image where Dermot Desmond would come into contact with an experienced Bundesliga boss.
Favre has a similar background to Jesse Marsch but with an extra 20 years on the clock which covers the complete range of managerial experiences.
Rae has commented on and observed German football for decades, unlike many in the Scottish media he has no dependency or allegiances to any club in Glasgow with most fans respecting his style of putting substance ahead of image- which seems very similar to the way that Favre has build his own coaching career.
1/ Whether or not this ends up happening, it makes more sense than some of the younger, rising star coaching names like Marsch & Seoane who are outwith Celtic‘s reach. Favre is in the autumn of his career & doesn’t have an English language stop on his CV.https://t.co/uAORTpXksq
— Derek Rae (@RaeComm) March 30, 2021
2/ A few things about Favre:
– Quiet, likeable but at BVB, personality seemed not to match the passionate & emotional nature of the club.
– Football is possession based with a lot of passing, sometimes overdone if anything
– People I know at BVB, raved about his training— Derek Rae (@RaeComm) March 30, 2021
3/ – Favre is someone who likes working & coaching. Not ready to retire into the shadows
– Oft criticised (unfairly in my view) for falling short against Bayern. Oft overlooked is his points average which is the best of any BVB coach (better even than Klopp.)— Derek Rae (@RaeComm) March 30, 2021
4/ Worth bearing in mind, he’s a coach not a British style manager. At least that has been Favre until now. In Dortmund he had Michael Zorc & co. looking after the sporting side of things. In Gladbach, Max Eberl.
— Derek Rae (@RaeComm) March 30, 2021
5/ So it still comes back to some of the points I raised the other week. Celtic need a fully fledged sporting structure in place. Then they can begin identifying & attracting coaches on the way up & maybe people like Favre. One all powerful manager will only get you so far.
— Derek Rae (@RaeComm) March 30, 2021
Tell me more about your experiences with him. I’m curious. He always seems to me to be a professor hidden in the body of a Football Trainer.
— Derek Rae (@RaeComm) March 30, 2021