Keane ‘earmarked’ as future Celtic manager…it appears Desmond isn’t willing to let this one go…

Well, it couldn’t just be left at that , could it?

As I predicted several times last week, it looks like Robbie Keane was always going to be plan B for Celtic if Martin O’Neill somehow decided he didn’t want the job.

When the announcement was made on Friday evening that O’Neill would continue on as manager, the majority of Celtic supporters drew a sigh of relief.

Many naively thought that common sense had prevailed.

People thought that the board had somehow convinced Dermot Desmond that it certainly wasn’t in Celtic’s best interest to hire Robbie Keane.

Anybody who thought that, should think again.

The spectre of Robbie Keane ending up at Celtic still looms large over our club.

He has been ‘earmarked’ as a future Celtic manager, according to Irish newspaper, the Irish Independent.

Below is the Independent’s take on it:

Robbie Keane was fully aware that Martin O’Neill had first refusal on the Celtic manager’s job during his discussions with major shareholder Dermot Desmond, and there remains a strong chance he could become the club’s manager in the future, the Irish Independent understands. 

The Independent is newspaper Desmond has a long history with.

His connection to the Irish Independent stems from both regular coverage of his business dealings, and his past status as a major shareholder of the newspaper’s parent company, Independent News & Media.

That is to say, if Desmond wants to get a message across, the Independent is always on hand.

Desmond certainly wasn’t going to want to give anyone the impression he caved to fan pressure on Robbie Keane.

Nobody, and I mean nobody, tells Desmond what to do.

That’s just not how he rolls.

After supporters objections, Desmond is letting it be known that Keane is still in the picture.

In doing so, he wants the Celtic support to stew for another year on this subject.

He wants us to feel that this particular subject could rear its ugly head again a year from now.

The reality is that after what Martin O’Neill achieved last season, he was always going to be given first refusal on the job.

The big question was going to be whether he saw himself doing it for another year at his age.

Well, it appears as if he’s caught the bug again, and who could blame him after the way last season finished?

As for Keane?

We have to pray he gets a managerial role at another club, and that a year from now he isn’t a free agent again.

Because if he is, then you can be sure that Dermot Desmond will start rattling our cage with him again.

Just because he can.

Desmond will always get his way in the end.

He didn’t get to be a double billionaire by not getting his way.

But the fact the Irish Independent ran with this story is a heavy indication that he wanted it known that he was not intimidated by the Celtic support.

When all of this was going on last week, as I said, I was pretty sure that Keane was plan B.

This confirms I was on the money.

What this tells us is that Keane was told the job was his if Martin O’Neill decided to call it a day.

And that’s the prospect that scares me.

Best hope that in a year from now that Keane is not a free agent.

Even if he isn’t, and he’s found a new role he’s doing well in, does any one think that would stop Desmond from going after him?

That’s the scary thought, isn’t it?

We can park this one for a year.

But I somehow don’t think we’ve seen the end of it.

We all know what happens when Desmond bears a grudge.

Don’t we?

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