da 888casino： Celtic have two weeks during the last international break of the calendar year to finally find a long-term successor to former head coach Brendan Rodgers.
da lvbet： The Northern Irish manager tendered his resignation after the 3-1 defeat to Hearts in the Scottish Premiership last month, ending his second spell in the dugout at Parkhead.
Rodgers, as shown in the graphic above, enjoyed a largely successful second stint with the Hoops, as he won the Premiership title in both of his full seasons in charge.
Experienced manager Martin O’Neill was brought in to take charge of the Scottish giants for an interim period, having been out of club management since the 2018/19 campaign.
Now, the Hoops need to finalise their search for their long-term successor to Rodgers to lead the team after the international break and, hopefully, into future seasons.
One of the managers who has been linked with a potential move to Parkhead is Wales national team head coach Craig Bellamy, who had a stint as a player in Glasgow.
What Craig Bellamy has said about a move to Celtic
It was reported at the end of last month that the Scottish giants were planning to make contact with the former Manchester City and Liverpool forward about the possibility of taking the job.
Unfortunately, for Celtic, though, Bellamy all-but-quashed speculation over his future by reaffirming his commitment to Wales, ahead of the World Cup next summer.
When asked about a move to Parkhead recently, the Welsh boss said: “I can understand the links. I played there. But to me, I love what I’m doing at the present time. I’m completely focused on what’s set to come. That’s all I’m focused on. It’s cliched but I couldn’t want anything else. It isn’t on my radar and it won’t be on my radar.”
Those comments suggest that Celtic will not be able to persuade him to ditch his country to be Rodgers’ replacement, which is understandable given that he has the chance to lead his country out at the World Cup in America next summer.
That is a possible blow for the Scottish giants because Bellamy could have been an intriguing appointment for the club, as he has done some brilliant work since taking over from Rob Page for Wales.
Games managed
45
14
Goals scored
55
22
Goals scored per game
1.22
1.57
Points per game
1.33
1.57
Games without a goal scored
14
4
Games per goalless game
3.2
3.5
That mentality and way of coaching his team, the former Celtic forward has improved his country’s national team in his time in charge. They are scoring more goals and winning more points than they were before.
Whilst Bellamy may not be available for the Hoops in the international break, the club are reportedly keen on a manager who would be a dream alternative.
Celtic battling English side to land 4-2-3-1 manager
According to journalist Alan Nixon, via his Patreon, Celtic are one of the teams battling it out to land Cardiff City head coach Brian Barry-Murphy in the coming days or weeks.
The reporter claims that the Hoops have placed the former Manchester City U21 tactician on their shortlist of candidates, as they look to find their replacement for Rodgers.
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Nixon adds that English Championship side Middlesbrough are also eyeing a possible move for the Irish tactician, who typically deploys a 4-2-3-1 formation, as they are in the process of losing Rob Edwards to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The journalist reveals that Celtic use their connections with the City Football Group to do background on possible manager targets, and Barry-Murphy worked with Manchester City’s U21s for several seasons, which may be why they are keen on a move for him.
Whilst it remains to be seen whether or not the Hoops will make contact with Cardiff to discuss a deal for the 47-year-old coach, the League One boss could be a brilliant alternative to Craig Bellamy.
Why Barry-Murphy would be a dream alternative to Bellamy for Celtic
The Cardiff manager would be the dream alternative to the Wales national team manager because he has a similar style of play and way of working, with his 4-2-3-1 formation that sees his team play out from the back and take risks.
In fact, as you can hear in the clip above, Bellamy sees a lot of similarities between the way he wants Wales to play and the way that Barry-Murphy has Cardiff playing in League One, which he believes benefits him with the national side.
The Wales boss says that it is a “dream” for him that the Irishman plays a similar style, which is exactly why he would be a “dream” alternative to Bellamy for the Hoops this month.
On top of being similar to Bellamy in style, Barry-Murphy has done an impressive job at Cardiff. The Bluebirds were relegated from the Championship last season, finishing bottom, and he had to come in and turn the club around.
They are currently fourth in League One after 14 matches. Meanwhile, the two teams that came down from the Championship alongside them are below Cardiff in the table, with Luton in ninth and Plymouth in 24th.
25/26 (League One)
1.86
4th
23/24 (Premier League 2)
0.90
23rd
22/23 (Premier League 2)
2.27
1st
21/22 (Premier League 2)
2.08
1st
As you can see in the table above, Barry-Murphy also has experience managing a side to win matches consistently, as he won two Premier League 2 titles in charge of Manchester City’s U21s.
Whilst that was at U21 level, it does show that he is used to playing a style that leads to consistent wins, which has carried over to his time in charge of Cardiff so far, as they sit in the play-off places in League One.
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Therefore, Barry-Murphy would be an intriguing appointment for Celtic as a dream alternative to Bellamy if they decide to press ahead with a move for his services.