Kjetil Knutsen is now the favourite to become Celtic’s next manager…but is the job the right fit for him?

By the time we have completed our fixture against Kilmarnock this evening at Celtic Park, you would expect that the two week international break would be the perfect time to secure the club’s next manager.

For a club that proclaims it is “world class in everything it does”, you’d imagine this would be a given?

But, the level of predictability surrounding the people running our club would suggest otherwise.

I think it’s fair to say that there few of us fans out there who would trust the board to get this process right.

And who could blame us for thinking that way?

It all comes from past experiences.

Many of us believe right now that the board will take the easy way out and keep Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney in situ until the end of the season.

But is there a possibility that they might shock us?

Well, I could only see that happening for one reason, and it isn’t for footballing reasons.

We all know that Dermot Desmond is a spiteful and vindictive man when he chooses to be.

I guess you can choose to be whatever you want to be when you’re a double billionaire and you treat a football club as your own personal fiefdom.

But part of me believes that out of spite, and vindictiveness, Desmond will throw money at this to give Brendan Rodgers a GIRFUY.

Based on his deranged statement a couple of weeks ago, it’s clear there’s no love lost between him and Rodgers now.

And through petty spitefulness, Desmond could go all out to bring to Celtic the best possible candidate for the job.

Right now, Kjetil Knutsen is the bookie’s favourite for the job.

But, as we’ve learned from the managerial circus over at Ibrox, the bookie’s predictions never amount to much.

The same applies to the media.

These guys are clutching at straws, they really don’t have a clue when it comes to the who is going to be the next manager at Celtic.

In fact, I’m not quite sure the board themselves know.

Because ultimately, it will be down to Desmond.

They’ll just go along with whatever Desmond says or chooses.

That much is crystal clear considering what’s gone on over the past few weeks.

But let’s try and look at things hypothetically.

Let’s just say hypothetically that Desmond has identified Kjetil Knutsen as his man, right?

I personally believe that if Desmond gets Knutsen into a room to negotiate, he will find it very difficult to sell the Celtic job to the Norwegian manager.

Because Knutsen, as much as we’d love to have him at Celtic, does not fit into the way the club currently operates.

It is clear that Knutsen is a modern, and progressive manager.

Celtic, as a football club, is neither progressive nor modern.

So, is Desmond suddenly going to change the football club to adapt to someone like Knutsen, or will he expect Knutsen to adapt to the way Celtic operates?

Which, let’s be clear about it, is archaic and out of date.

The world has passed Celtic by when it comes to the way we do business.

If that wasn’t the case, then we wouldn’t be where we find ourselves today.

The majority of the fanbase would not be campaigning for change if Celtic was a modern and progressive football club.

Which begs the question, why would any modern, progressive manager want to come to Celtic?

It doesn’t just apply to Kjetil Knutsen, it applies to any potential managerial candidate who has his own ideas about the way he wants to manage a football team.

And then, of course, there are the pitfalls of not adhering to the dogma of Dermot Desmond and the way he believes his fiefdom should be run.

Woe betide anybody who fails to do that.

Because if you don’t, you can then expect a character assassination of the magnitude Brendan Rodgers received upon his departure from the club.

For two games after Rodgers’ departure, Desmond almost had the wool pulled over everyone’s eyes.

He came close to convincing everybody that Celtic’s problems were really all down to Brendan Rodgers.

Then we played Midtjylland, and that theory was completely ripped asunder.

I’m sure that Kjetil Knutsen is a smart man, and he’s aware of all of these pitfalls at Celtic.

A man who has managed a club to the level he has managed Bodø/Glimt would be very sure to do his due diligence on any potential suitiors, I’d imagine.

After all, he need only look at the Celtic website to get a snapshot of what’s going on at our club at the moment.

It wouldn’t make for pretty reading.

The Celtic fan in me would love to see Kjetil Knutsen coming to the club, but the pragmatist in me knows that there are too many obstacles for a manager like him to come to Celtic.

Unless the club was willing to alter it’s operational approach dramatically, it isn’t going to happen.

Because Knutsen does not strike me as a yes man.

He strikes me as someone who would wish to do things his way at the club, and we all know what happens to upstarts like that, don’t we?

Like Rodgers did, Knutsen utilises the 4-3-3 formation.

He uses a flexible 4-3-3 formation, but encourages players to interchange positions to create numerical advantages and maintain possession.

I think we’re all aware that Rodgers was inflexible when it came to the way he operated the 4-3-3 formation.

What is interesting about Knutsen, and again shows a willingness to be flexible, is how he changes his formation during games.

His teams focus on breaking down defences through dribbling and 1v1 situations, while also having a solid defensive structure (often a 5-4-1) when not in possession.

But similar to Rodgers, he needs players that fit into his system.

In that regard, he is very much a player-centric manager.

If the board is not willing to provide him with what he wants, then like Rodgers, his sides may struggle to tactically deliver what he requires.

He focuses on putting players in their best positions to maximise their individual skills and often uses a high defensive line to minimise the distance the defensive midfielder has to cover.

Tactically, that seems like manna from heaven, and if he was able to realise that approach with Celtic, then we would indeed be a pretty formidable opponent to come up against.

Just like Knutsen’s Bodø/Glimt sides.

But in order for Knutsen to be able to operate the way he wants to, he needs autonomy when it comes to signings.

He has a significant degree of autonomy over signings at Bodø/Glimt, reportedly due to a unique contract that gives him exceptional control over recruitment and player development.

This has contributed to the club’s success in producing and selling players.

The unfortunate reality is that this would be the major stumbling block if he were to enter negotiations with Desmond and Celtic.

The last time we saw a manager enjoy that kind of autonomy was when Ange Postecoglou arrived at the club.

We also saw the rewards it reaped.

Ange Postecoglou, in conjunction with Dom McKay, put together a fantastic side.

Both men are now gone, and the majority of the team they built has been sold off.

Once Ange Postecoglou had that autonomy rescinded, it was only going to be a matter of time before he left.

Look at the decline at Celtic since then.

It seems to me that the board worked extremely hard at ensuring we’d never see a manager get that kind of autonomy again.

The rise and fall of Brendan Rodgers is a perfect example of that.

This is why securing a manager like Kjetil Knutsen, right now anyway, is a pipe dream.

Celtic would have to change fundamentally to accommodate somebody like him.

Personally, I cannot see that happening until the Collective achieves all of it’s goals and this board is gone.

Which leaves me with a sense of dread when it comes to their managerial recruitment process right now.

Kjetil Knutsen is the benchmark they are incapable of reaching.

To acquire a manager like him would require a massive amount of work from them, and a willingness to adapt to change.

They are incapable of both.

So, my gut tells me they’ll choose the path of least resistance.

I’ll leave it to your imagination to figure out what that path is exactly.

Suffice it to say, it won’t be what you want…

 

 

 

Key Takeaways

• Celtic faces uncertainty in manager recruitment, with many fans doubting the board’s ability to make the right choice.
• Dermot Desmond’s influence looms large, but his past actions raise concerns about his commitment to progressive management.
• Kjetil Knutsen is seen as a top candidate, yet his modern approach may clash with Celtic’s outdated practices.
• The board’s reluctance to give managers autonomy has hindered previous successes, particularly after Postecoglou’s departure.
• Ultimately, if Celtic does not adapt, securing a manager like Knutsen remains an unlikely dream.