Nicky Hayen to Celtic timeline could be a problem, or could it?

The Record are running with the story this afternoon that Nicky Hayen to Celtic is on.

Which is funny, considering that he is the 13th on the bookies list of prospective managers, at odds of 20/1.

Hayen is contracted at his current club, Brugge, until the end of the season.

So firstly, if Celtic are interested in the Belgian coach, then it looks like they’ll have to wait until the summer for him.

Or buy him out of the remainder of his contract.

Considering the Celtic hierarchy’s aversion to spending money, that’s unlikely.

Which leaves another option that would suit our board down to the ground.

But one that would cause the majority of us to break into a cold sweat.

This particular avenue is not one we really want to go down.

That would entail us retaining the services of Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney until the end of the season.

Now, don’t get me wrong, there’s a distinct possibility that Celtic could have a very successful domestic season under this dynamic duo.

As we discussed last night on the Trinity Tims podcast, domestic bliss, it seems, is what the board want us to accept as the way forward.

Forget about Europe, and forget about the Kairat Almaty debacle.

That’s in the rear view mirror now.

So, it’s not inconceivable that the current management team could deliver that for Celtic.

Now, if we remember the debacle that was the Covid season, and the “agreement in principle” with Eddie Howe, we fully understand the pitfalls. Waiting until the end of a season to secure a manager has risks.

We all know how that particular pursuit ended.

If we were really interested in Nicky Hayen, then an agreement would be in place before he finishes up his role at Club Brugge.

I have my doubts, though, that this is the case.

The media likes to run with certain stories. When you look at their story in the Record today on Hayen, you see that what they’re saying has no real basis in fact.

In fact, the story is written by Anthony Evans, the Record’s “Trainee Sports Writer”.

Loosely translated, this whole story is a load of bollocks.

Written by someone who is just playing a guessing game, and really hasn’t got a clue what’s going on behind the scenes at Celtic.

If he did his research, or knew anything at all about Celtic, Anthony Evans would know. “Waiting until the end of the season” managerial appointments for Celtic have been a disaster in the recent past.

While interim manager Neil Lennon held the fort, we waited until the end of the 2018/19 season. Well, to appoint…..you guessed it, interim manager Neil Lennon.

That decision was made off the back of him closing out the Treble-Treble for the club.

Most of us at the time knew that appointment was going to be a disaster, and so it transpired.

As we discussed last night on the podcast, many of us fear the same thing could happen with Maloney and O’Neill. If they were to deliver the domestic glory of a treble, concerns would arise again.

Well, the fear is that they’d either offer the job to both of them on a permanent basis. Alternatively, they might offer it to Maloney due to O’Neill’s advanced age.

The irony of the calamitous Lennon appointment was that when the board finally realised he was a busted flush in February 2021, they decided to wait until the end of the season to hire their next manager.

Who we all naively thought would be Eddie Howe.

We all know how that ended, but every cloud has a silver lining, as they say.

Our hapless board then lucked their way into an interview with a guy called Ange Postecoglou.

And the rest is history.

So, this whole concept that the Record has that Celtic might wait until the end of the season for Nicky Hayen?

They might wait, alright.

But that in itself has it’s pitfalls.

If Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney were to serve up domestic bliss and a treble, then who knows what could happen?

You never can tell with this board.

But one thing you can be always be sure of is that they will always take the path of least resistance.

Anything that saves the Celtic board money or effort is generally a runner.

As things currently stand, Wilfried Nancy is the bookies favourite.

So I’m not sure where the Record, and Trainee Sports Writer, Anthony Evans, are getting their Hayen story from.

Especially considering he’s way down the list in the bookies favourites.

In fact, I think it’s fair to say that nobody really has a clue who Celtic’s next manager will be.

The board, or more to the point, Dermot Desmond, will either do something very surprising, or something we totally expect.

It won’t be anywhere in between.