MARTIN O'Neill is Manchester City's number one target to replace departed Kevin Keegan.
The Celtic boss can expect an approach in the summer if caretaker boss Stuart Pearce fails to impress or is deemed to be to inexperienced by the Blues board.
M.E.N. Sport revealed on Monday that O'Neill, who had a brief playing spell with City and was once seen as a potential replacement for Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, has been identified as a perfect candidate for the '1million-a-year post.
Crystal Palace's young boss Iain Dowie, Bolton's wily manager Sam Allardyce and ex-Southampton boss and former United midfielder Gordon Strachan would make up the four-strong short list.
The man with the final say is John Wardle, the millionaire chairman who remained loyal to Keegan after he and his business partner David Makin identified himas the natural manager to replace Joe Royal.
Wardle will give Pearce, who has been busy ensuring he has the necessary training qualifications for the post, a fair chance before the board implements its strategy to start interviewing big name managers in the summer.
Pearce's dilemma now is whether to bow to fans wishes, and disregard the inconsistent old guard in the team that failed to play to potential for Keegan, and introduce the promising crop of youngsters.
He is likely to give fringe players who have come up through the successful academy and reserve sides such as Willo Flood and Lee Croft a run as there is little to lose with City virtually safe from relegation from the Premiership and a Euro place a tall order with the team so inconsistent.
Wardle will today go out of his way to praise Keegan's contribution and, indeed, the former England manager has left something of a dynasty with Pearce - who first threw his hat into the ring to take over earlier this year - a natural caretaker replacement.
Keegan brought great excitement to City during his four-year tenure, but, like the majority of his predecessors, failed to inject any degree of consistency with the Blues, maintaining their tag as the nation's most unpredictable team.
Pearce, popular with the squad, is credited, along with Keegan's coach Derek Fazakerley, with boosting the defence. He will have to prove to fans he's capable of keeping up their tradition of exciting attacking play.
Would O'Neill be your choice to replace Keegan? Have your say.
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There is no way MON will leave a Club the size of Celtic to go to a sleepy backwater like Man City. He gets earmarked for every Premiership post that becomes available but will be unlikely to jump ship from Celtic unless the Chelsea, Man Utd, or Arsenal posts become available. To take charge at City would be like tunnelling into the Alamo. It ain't gonna happen, dream on!
Personally I wouldn't be happy with anyone other than O'neil - but can we get him?
What about Gerard Houlier??
I FIRMLY BELIEVE THE FUTURE MANAGER OF CITY HAS STARTED TODAY, GOOD LUCK TO STUART AND ASA.
Shaunboy, all you people who keep piping on that Martin Oneil will never leave Celtic because they are so huge forget that they might as well be playing in the Vauxhall conference as thats the equivalent to the SPL in England. Celtic are a big club but City would be a more challenging job. What makes you think Oneil has done enough to tempts Scum , Arsenal etc. I could manage celtic to the SPL title.
O'Neill for Man City? Not a chance. Would you take a 50% pay cut to change jobs? Nah, didn't think so, and neither would O'Neill. He won't swop regular champions league football for mid-table mediocrity in the most over hyped league in the world. In the last 12 months he's been linked with Liverpool, Spurs, Manchester Utd, Man City and even England. Lazy journalists filling space is what it's all about.
No surprise that Keegan has gone, as he was only treading water.
Pearce could bea good manager, so we must give him a chance. Look at Peter Reid when he took over from Judas.
I'd be amazed if Martin O'Neill came to city. It's almost like expecting Fergusson or Wenger to come.
Gordon Strachan could be a useful manager. Lots of passion for the game, but he hasn't won anything.
Hang on, let's get real, is there anyone who has won something available and going to come to City?
Gerard Houlier doesn't fill me with any excitement... but why is that, as he won the treble with Liverpool?
Ranieri? Could he cope without the stacks of cash? Nice bloke, a bit mad.
Hopefully it will not be the clown show of some past managerial appointments.
Remember, we haven't got any money, so who's going to come here without a pot of cash for their own players?
At least we've got the B#500000 Royle robbed us of back!
Rob
No surprise that Keegan has gone, as he was only treading water.
Pearce could bea good manager, so we must give him a chance. Look at Peter Reid when he took over from Judas.
I'd be amazed if Martin O'Neill came to city. It's almost like expecting Fergusson or Wenger to come.
Gordon Strachan could be a useful manager. Lots of passion for the game, but he hasn't won anything.
Hang on, let's get real, is there anyone who has won something available and going to come to City?
Gerard Houlier doesn't fill me with any excitement... but why is that, as he won the treble with Liverpool?
Ranieri? Could he cope without the stacks of cash? Nice bloke, a bit mad.
Hopefully it will not be the clown show of some past managerial appointments.
Remember, we haven't got any money, so who's going to come here without a pot of cash for their own players?
At least we've got the B#500000 Royle robbed us of back!
Rob
Its only right to give Stuart Pearce a chance first.
If for any reason it does not work out then Martin O'Neill is the only choice, he has the experience of playing in Europe.
It's incredible. An english club with a flaky bank account (B#60 million in the red isn't it?), with no immediate prospect of winning anything, think they can snap their fingers and Martin O'Neil will come running. Of course the english press help to stir this up. After all who are Celtic? Well, inferior league apart, they're a team with a damn sight bigger support than any english club apart from Man Utd, a better bank balance, and European football every year. Let's be honest, it's time the english press stopped looking at their premiership teams through rose tinted glasses. The English have looked at Scottish league for years and commented (quite rightly) that there were only ever 2 teams in Scotland. Well wake up. In England there are only now 5 teams. Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Everton. There is a huge gap to the rest, and it's a gap that is widening. But every time there is a managerial vacancy with these mid to bottom of the league models of mediocrity, the english press immediately assume Martin o'Neil is going to pack his bags. It's time you all came into real world. Stories linking MON with clubs like Man City are maybe good press, but the reality is MON is astute enough to go where he has a chance of winning. Man City are a long way from that.
Thanks for memories Keegan but time to go has been long overdue. Hope you enjoy your retirement as a geniune bloke, you do deserve it. As for successors, my personal choice would be either Le Guen or Koeman with Pearce as Assistant Manager and a new first team coaching staff. I fancy a French or Dutch coach as they generally speak good English, are tactically very aware, good at producing young players. The Dutch are light years ahead of us with youth coaching. A Le Guen/Pearce or Koeman/Pearce team would be a good mix and replicate Wenger/Rice or Tosspot/Clarke at Chelski. As far as O'Neill is concerned, why the hell would he come to us? No money, generally poor overall squad quality, no European football. Celtic = trophies, Champs League, money etc. He's waiting for Ferguson to retire to go to ManUre and I couldn't stand the smugness of the Utd fans when O'Neill just upped a left us to join them when it suited him. It was bad enough when Kendall cleared off back to Everton years ago. O'Neill is red who's biding his time for Taggart to retire whilst keeping his trophy cabinet and ego full by only having to try to beat Rangers every year. As usual everyone is ranting about O'Neill -am I the only one who doesn't want him?
Good luck Kev, you left some great memories (beating the Reds - several times) and the club is in a much better state than it was 4 years ago. Hopefully we wont re-live the scenario when Reidy left and go downhill from here. Fact is who has the balls to come and take over the enigma that is Man City!!
Thanks for memories Keegan but time to go has been long overdue. Hope you enjoy your retirement as a genuine bloke, you do deserve it.
As for successors, my personal choice would be either Le Guen from Lyon or Koeman with Pearce as Assistant Manager and a new first team coaching staff. I fancy a French or Dutch coach as they generally speak good English, are tactically very aware, good at producing young players. The Dutch are light years ahead of us with youth coaching. A Le Guen/Pearce or Koeman/Pearce team would be good mix and replicate Wenger/Rice or Tosspot/Clarke at Chelski.
As far as O'Neill is concerned its all paper talk. Why the hell would he come to us? No money, very poor overall squad quality, no European football. Celtic = trophies, Champs League, money etc. He's waiting for Ferguson to retire to go to ManUre and I couldn't stand the smugness of the Utd fans when O'Neill just upped and left us to join them when it suited him. It was bad enough when Kendall cleared off back to Everton years ago. O'Neill is red who's biding his time for Taggart to retire whilst keeping his trophy cabinet and ego full by only having to try and beat Rangers every year. As usual everyone is raving about O'Neill -am I the only one who doesn't want him?
are some of you lot radio rental. Fair enough celtic might be in europe every year but for fuc*s sake so would stockport or rochdale if they played in the SPL (its the worst & most boring league in the world). And as for europe have you ever progressed any where in the champs league??? nah didnt think so if city want oneill (which personally i dont anyway) they will get him.
Stuart Pearce will be a great manager one day. He had a great little spell at forest several years ago, and he hs been the architect behind city's ever improving defence.
Just hope that the City board are sensible enough to keep hold of him.
Keegan turned us into a team that could beat united again. Thank you kevin. But I think he had taken us as far as he could.
keegan will be very much missed at city...especially by me but now we have to luk forward. of course MON would be ideal, but im not completely sure that wud happen. WE MUST NOT GET STRACHAN...he is a very gud manager but not rite for our club. WE SHOULD GET PEARCE, or at least giv him a fair chance, and if not he must be involved in deciding who takes over. i think its a shame that we wont get to say goodbye to kk officially, ie lap of homour, he thouroghly deserves one. a foreign coach would defanatley be an interesting choice. however i remain on the same side of the fence as sturat pearce, he's a premiership manager in waiting! THANKS KK
"The B#1m post" so not only would Martin be going to a much smaller club he would be taking a pay cut!
Seems unlikely.
I'm fed up of O'Neil being mentioned with every job that comes up in England. In all honesty is he that good. He has a 50/50 chance of winning the title every year up there & if he does not win the league he is still in europe regardless. Plus his football is not the most eyecatching either. For me it has to be Paul Le Guen or Ronald Koeman. Please not the same old names being mentioned, thats one the reasons why the premiership is becoming dour & predictable outside the top 3.
We need a manager that can continue where KK has taken us to with attractive football. A manager that is hungry and ambitious. A manager that will bring through the youth. That manager is Iain Dowie and by the same measure rules out Big Sam who would be a disaster changing the style of play shipping out attractive players and shipping in hoofers. It also rules out Gordon Strachan who has achieved nothing and was constantly in the bottom half of the table with Coventry. Iain Dowie also has Manchester roots.
Celtic supporters have seen all this before: O'Neill leaving, English club to click fingers and O'Neill to run back to England.
Fact of the matter is that O'Neill is the longest serving manager in the Scottish Permier League, which might suggest that, shock, horror, he actually enjoys where he is.
And despite the fact that, yes, we play in a weak domestic league, he still gets the chance to pit his wits against the strongest teams in Europe via the Champions league.
O'Neill, in fact, loves playing in Europe, for the simple reason that there is no other place to be than the Champions League. With the way your league is heading (hint - look north of the border) there's no chance of clubs like Man City ever seeing it.
better let big joe keep the money and hope he forgives
I would love to see ex-City player Martin O'Neill come home to City. Everything is in place, the best stadium in europe, the best fans (48,000) we now need the missing piece of the jigsaw, a top manager. If Martin O'Neill joined City and turned things around on the pitch, the new stadium wouldn't be big enough, thats a fact!!!
John Graham, Stockport, if Everton can be in the top 5 after one season so can we. Its all down to a good manager motivating average players that has put them where they are this season. Last year they finished below us, so if we can get the right manager who can organise and motivate the team when we play the likes of West Brom, then we can make the the next step up - challenging for euorpean places
John Graham, Stockport, am i right in assuming you are scottish? If so, then everything you say makes me think you are nothing but a bitter jock. If you're not scottish then you are obviously a bitter rag who, with that disgusting arrogance, think they can have who they want. Ronaldhino ring any bells? How you have the lack of intelligence to suggest Everton are now amongst the countries elite after one season, reverts me back to my first assumption, bitter jock.
The SPL is a 2 horse race and has been for some time. The EPL is a one horse race this season and if the Russian continues to spend will be for some time. MON comes up against Barca, Juve, AC Milan, Porto and the like year after year. Next season it is highly likely that Celtic will emerge from pot 2 of the CL seedings meaning we have the best chance of progression yet. I would very much doubt MON would leave Celtic for City, proud club though they are, when CL football is pretty much guaranteed. As for comments about the SPL being the conference equivalent in England, were you at the Bolton game? I have seen better Scottish Div 2 games!
Surprised Bobby Robson hasnt been mentioned yet do we want a gerryatric 70 year old! ( idont think his old ticker could hack the blue life) Do we really want Oniell a team of hartsons, eliiots, savages, taggarts, suttons?playing the type of football we had to witness on monday?from another no go Allardyce no wonder Bolton dont sell tickets! as for Strachan name another manger who is a tv pundit and had a good managerial career? get my drift! Id like to see Psycho Have a chance it is blatanly obvious he is behind our new solid defence he has worked wonders with it considering what he has available in that department. I think he would have the courage to kick the likes of French Toni, Mcmanaman up the backside and have players wanting to play in that blue shirt. Whilst he does we have plenty of time for plan B to find a replacement if he doesnt succeed!