Crippy Cooke 
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Celtic are on the hunt for a permanent manager after Neil Lennon resigned on Wednesday.
John Kennedy, Eddie Howe, Martin O’Neill, and Roberto Martinez are among the contenders to replace him, but Frank McAvennie believes that Steve Clarke should get the gig.
The former Hoops striker told Football Insider: “I played with Stevie Clarke at St Mirren – he’s a very good manager. He is one of the best coaches in the world, I keep telling people. He has coached under Mourinho, Dalglish – some of the best.”
Celtic are second in the Premiership with 64 points from 30 games, 18 behind fierce rivals Rangers. The Hoops have lost twice as many games, won seven fewer and are 16 points worse off than last season (Transfermarkt).
Celtic’s next manager would need to make big changes to the squad to challenge their Glasgow rivals next season and McAvennie believes Clarke should be backed in the transfer market if he goes to Parkhead, adding: “He would bring in his own players and they would need to let him buy players. I think he’d take (the job).”
“One thing Stevie would do is sort the defence out. I think those at the club right now will be gone though because I don’t think any of them can defend – none of them. A lot of things have gone wrong, but one thing Stevie Clarke would sort out would be that defence.”
Clarke has been the Scotland head coach for two years and led the Tartan Army to their first European Championships since 1996 and first major tournament since the 1998 World Cup.
The 57-year-old has been the assistant manager at Newcastle, Chelsea, West Ham, Liverpool and Aston Villa (Transfermarkt), but he has impressed as a head coach. Clarke’s West Brom side finished eighth in the Premier League in 2013, his Kilmarnock side finished fifth and third in the Premiership, and he will lead Scotland in this summer’s Euros.
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Clarke has spent the last four years in Scotland, proving himself for club and country, so he might be a good option for Celtic.
The Hoops have already conceded more goals this season than in the three previous league campaigns, while they leaked 19 goals in just six games in a miserable Europa League group campaign, illustrating their defensive issues.
Scotland have been tight defensively during Clarke’s reign, so as McAvennie has suggested, he could be the right man to improve Celtic in this regard if he is given the chance to do so.
