Ferencvaros' Irish coach Robbie Keane grimaces before the UEFA Europa League last 16 second leg football match between SC Braga and Ferencvaros at Municipal stadium of Braga on March 18, 2026. (Photo by Miguel RIOPA / AFP via Getty Images)
The more Robbie Keane’s name appears with the Celtic job, the more this feels like it could be one of the most controversial managerial appointments in our history.
Not because he’s a terrible coach.
But because of the timing.
And because of who’s making the decision to appoint Mr Keane.
Michael Nicholson and the current board are hardly operating from a position of strength.
Supporters are already questioning the football structure.
They’re questioning recruitment.
The lack of a director of football.
And whether anybody at boardroom level actually has a long-term plan.
KEANE- Not A Serious Managerial Search
So seeing Keane’s name appearing feels less like a serious managerial search and more like somebody on the Celtic board trying to test the water.
The response hasn’t exactly been overwhelming enthusiasm.
Outside the usual board cheerleaders and green-tinted ultras who would probably applaud a Balikwisha contract extension, the reaction has largely been concern.
That’s because of Keane’s managerial history, which you can find lots about online.
More of my concerns are that this appointment reeks of “jobs for the bhoys”
Which is concerning because this summer could define the next five years of the club.
We’re potentially overseeing a turnover of £100 million.
Key players leaving…
Champions League qualification on the horizon.
This isn’t the moment to appoint somebody because they had a six-month spell here and can recite a few songs.
This is the moment to appoint somebody capable of winning the next five league titles.
Somebody capable of building a football department.
And dragging us back towards being a serious European club again.
Instead, it feels like we’re once again drifting towards another familiar Irish football figure with a connection to the club and a story supporters are expected to buy into.
Maybe Keane becomes a top manager.
Maybe he proves every doubter wrong.
But if the board genuinely believes the answer to one of the biggest managerial decisions in years is simply finding another former player, then they’re asking the wrong question entirely.
Celtic DNA Obsession
One thing our club has always loved is “Celtic DNA”.
Martin O’Neill.
Neil Lennon.
Brendan Rodgers.
And now Keane.
People who understand the club, understand the support, and fit the identity.
I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, but having a connection to the club doesn’t automatically make somebody the best candidate.
At times I feel as a club we use a lot of buzzwords to describe what we want in a manager or what we expect a Celtic manager to be. It feels less like a football strategy and more like a marketing campaign.
Very rarely will I hear someone say, ‘I’m looking for a manager who plays expansive 4-3-3 attacking football.’
It’s more – I want a manager who speaks like Ange, understand the club like O’Neill and he needs to be from Ireland or have a Scottish granny
Why, though?
Why do I feel like the appointment of Robbie Keane is something designed to sell a story rather than answer difficult football questions?
The club’s idea of “DNA” often seems to stop at nationality and nostalgia.
Irish.
Scottish.
Former player.
Job done.
The Predictable And Lazy Approach
Get the bloke to pose for a few photos of an Adidas launch every second week for a new training kit with a clover on it.
We are so much more but seem to market ourselves as so much less.
This job is one of the biggest in the world, and the best we can do is Robbie Keane?
I’m not sure about that…
Celtic DNA was never supposed to be heritage.
Where somebody was born.
Who they supported as a child.
Or whether they can recite the club’s history.
That’s why reducing “Celtic DNA” to another former player with Irish roots feels increasingly shallow.
The phrase should mean more than that.
Much more.
BREAKING: Celtic principal shareholder Dermot Desmond is due to meet with Martin O’Neill and Robbie Keane this week over the managerial vacancy. ? pic.twitter.com/wg7oaYImLr
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) June 1, 2026
If the board genuinely believes “DNA” simply means finding somebody who wore a top a few times fifteen years ago, then they’ve misunderstood the very thing they’re trying to sell.
What Does Celtic DNA Really Mean
The uncomfortable part is “Celtic DNA” doesn’t just stop at branding.
I feel it becomes something the board hides behind.
A safety net.
A justification when things go wrong to give people more time.
Neil Lennon was given huge patience during the COVID period because of his connection to the club and what he represented to us as a support.
And I’m not saying Wilfried Nancy would have succeeded here — far from it.
But you do have to ask the question honestly.
Would Nancy have been afforded the same patience if he came with a Scottish or Irish background and a stronger emotional link to the support?
That’s the problem with leaning too heavily on identity.
It can blur the line between football decisions and emotional protection.
And it creates a situation where “DNA” becomes less about standards and more about shielding decisions from scrutiny.
Which is why it matters so much in the next appointment.
What if Keane goes on a run of games like Nancy did? Could our board sack him? I don’t think they would.
And that’s when it stops helping the club… and starts limiting it.
The Manager or the Shield?
Playing devil’s advocate, if you look at Keane’s managerial record properly; without the noise, you can actually see why his name is in the conversation.
It’s not completely without logic.
At Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ferencváros, there’s a clear attacking identity running through his teams.
It’s structured.
His sides generally operate in a flexible 4-3-3, focused on midfield control, constant movement, and using width to stretch opponents.
That already ticks one of the biggest boxes here.
The board won’t do reinvented football again, like Nancy.
They’ll want someone who can impose an adaptation of a 4-3-3 system and get players functioning inside it.
There’s a balance between pressing and possession phases, and his teams are generally drilled in transitions and positioning.
That level of organisation would matter massively in a squad reset.
And then there’s Europe.
At Ferencváros, he guided them into the Europa League knockout stages, including that 4-3 win over AZ Alkmaar.
Across 12 European matches he posted 6 wins, 3 draws and 3 defeats.
That’s not elite-level dominance, but it is competitive and, more importantly, adaptable.
You can see a team capable of changing approach mid-game, managing momentum, and surviving against stronger opposition.
His league record also suggests consistency over a season.
Keane- The Record At Ferencvaros
Around 1.9 points per game in Hungary shows he can deliver results over time.
There are flaws, yes.
Home form dips.
Defensive control can wobble.
Games can become open when he loses control of rhythm.
And that’s where the fit argument comes in.
Because stepping into this job isn’t about starting from scratch tactically.
It’s about surviving pressure, organising quickly, and handling expectation from day one.
His background across multiple environments also helps his case.
Maccabi Tel Aviv.
Ferencváros.
Assistant experience in England.
Work with the Republic of Ireland setup.
Different cultures and pressures.
That’s not irrelevant when you’re walking into Celtic, it is good work.
So yes, there is a pathway where this works.
A coach with structure.
A clear system.
European experience.
And enough exposure to different football environments to handle the intensity.
On paper, it actually fits more than people want to admit.
The issue is whether that “on paper” translates when the pressure hits every single week here.
If This Fails, It’s Not Just The Manager
If Keane gets the job and it doesn’t work, this stops being just another failed appointment.
It becomes a problem for Nicholson and Desmond.
Because the pressure on both of them has been building for a while now.
Last season exposed plenty.
Recruitment doubts.
Lack of a clear football structure.
Growing frustration from supporters when things went wrong on the pitch.
And a feeling that decisions kept drifting without a clear long-term plan.
So this next call matters.
If it works, it buys them time and quiets the noise.
If it fails, the focus shifts away from the dugout and straight upstairs.
And once that happens, there’s nowhere left to hide behind “football decisions”.
That’s why this appointment feels so loaded.
They don’t just need it to be right.
They need it to work.
And to survive in reality.
Celtic- We Cannot Become A Finishing School
This is where I land.
Could Robbie Keane become a top manager?
Absolutely.
Could he eventually be the right fit?
Possibly.
Would players respect him immediately?
Most likely.
But we are not a finishing school for promising coaches.
We need somebody ready now.
Not somebody who might be ready in three years.
I don’t want another experiment.
We’ve already had enough of those.
The reality is Keane’s biggest selling point currently isn’t his managerial career.
It’s his name.
And if that’s the main reason he gets the job, then it shows everything wrong with this club.
The next appointment needs to be about evidence.
Not nostalgia and a name.
Not sure exactly how ‘Keane’ I am on this !
I think this is harsh on Keane, I’m not saying he is the answer but the article comes across as snobbish and well out of touch with who Celtic are, why don’t we just go and pry Carlo from Brazil or demand Pep with Klopp as his assistant!!! We are in a position where we need to get brilliant managers on the way up, not when they are established, regardless of our name or stature, we fawned over Jens at Motherwell, and Keane arguably has a better record.
I totally agree. Poor article. Keane won league and cup doubles at the two previous clubs he managed. If he had coached in any other country other than Israel, I guarantee the author would have written a far more positive and welcoming piece on Keane.
But the thing is he did coach in israel!
He played 6months Martin O’Neill age a concern might be fitter than some at fifty blus even though he win the double his football left a bit to desire but we know hes a winner Keane young not seen his style of football i dont know its tuff but why bring keane i dont think you need to interveiw O’Neill for the job might be two of them
Have you never thought about writing something positive about Celtic…I’m sick to the back teeth of so called Celtic experts talking one load of bollocks
To make your negativity even worse, the old daily ranger trick ” pick out the worst photo going to undermine anything
Celtic “
You can’t guarantee success. I take it the experiments were Barnes, Mowbray,Ange and Nancy. If you go down that road I guess Lennon was an experiment and he didn’t do badly. As for Ange well. Mowbray had connections and he was bumped.
Give us the evidence and name of a great appointment that will take us into total domination for years to come.
Tony Mowbray was completely out of his depth and should never have been near the Celtic job. He is well suited to the lower leagues in England, failed at Celtic because he couldn’t adapt, finished with one of the lowest points ever in the EPL, his appointment should have ended it for Lawell.
Gotta be honest, if we could be guaranteed suits that knew their job, who explored and exploited every single avenue of revenue stream and who then, season on season invested a decent percentage of said revenue stream into the squad, I don’t think we would necessarily need a top level manager to win us titles.
Celtic should be so far out of reach of every other club in Scotland that the league should be a given.
That’s not an elitist statement, it’s not entitlement, it’s just plain common sense.
But unfortunately, nothing will ever convince me otherwise that our board acts in a manner to keep the OF brand and Sevco relevant.
It might be the 5WA, it might be TV contracts, who knows, but there’s deffo something holds our custodians back, you just need to look at the total lack of fan engagement, nothing else makes any sense.
Bhoy4life
Well said,mate !
100%,nail on the head !
As you say,nothing else makes an iota of sense.
Last season just gone must have been like catnip to these parasites on the board in respect of how close we can get to the edge without falling over the cliff edge.
I hope we keep the “Not Another Penny” campaign going and ramp up the pressure on these lazy bastards until they can stand it no more.
Their only real concerns in life are about balance sheets and bank accounts.
Fuck them all to hell !!!
“World class in everything we do” according to CEO Nicholson.
…so, after a 5 months, global search for the best managerial candidates,
the [alleged] shortlist has been whittled down to just MON and Keane ???
Pathetic.
Nothing changes. Nothing improves. 🙁