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Writer's pictureTony McLaughlin

Celtic should appoint Eddie Howe as Head Coach (Part 1)


Eddie Howe is an outstanding candidate for the Celtic Head Coach position and in my opinion any Head Coach position.


I will explain further in 7 reasons why I believe this to be the case.


Part 1


Achievements


Eddie Howe got a phone call on Hogmanay 2008 from the Bournemouth Chairman, Jeff Mostyn, for Eddie to take the Bournemouth Manager role on an interim basis. Eddie was youth coach at the time and having just turned 31 the month before Eddie was now the youngest Manager in the whole Football League. Eddie was appointed permanent Manager a few weeks later in January 2009.


Minus 17 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wov49A2R04&t=51s is a documentary on Bournemouth’s 2008/2009 season and well worth viewing.


At the time of Eddie’s appointment Bournemouth were 2nd bottom of League 2 with only 7 points after starting the season on minus 17 points due to going into administration. They had a transfer embargo so couldn’t sign anyone in their aim to avoid dropping into the Conference League and possibly going out of business.


Bournemouth ended that season with 46 points and avoided relegation to the Conference League and possible extinction as a team & club.


The following season (2009/2010) Bournemouth came 2nd and gained automatic promotion to League 1.


Such was Eddie Howe’s success and reputation Championship team Burnley came in for him and he finished just outside the play offs in 8th in the 2010/2011 season and 13th in season 2011/2012. The 2011/2012 was a difficult one for Howe personally as his mother died in the March of 2012.


Howe was then approached later in 2012 by Bournemouth to return and was offered more money than he was on at Burnley. His personal circumstances (dealing with the death of his mother) meant that this was the right club at the right time for him to make the change.


At this time Bournemouth getting to the Championship was discussed as an almost impossible dream. Bournemouth in the Championship was just unthinkable. However, in his first season returned (2012/2013) the dream was delivered, and Bournemouth gained automatic promotion to the Championship.


In 2013/2014 the aim would be as a lower budget team to remain in the Championship. Sustaining their position as a Championship team would be a great achievement. They finished 10th that year.


The 2014/2015 season saw them with the 5th highest wage budget in the league and therefore an opportunity to progress. However their wage budget was still only 58% of the top spending club. As ever they overperformed, punching above their weight to win the Championship title with 90pts and 98 goals.


In 2015 at the LMA Awards Eddie Howe was given the award of Manager of the Decade.


The 2015/2016 season in the English Premier League Bournemouth had a wage budget of £25m which was 20th out of 20. Not only that it was only 52% of the wage budget of the 17th biggest spending club. So avoiding regulation was a major challenge. This would also include competing against clubs at the top of the league with 10 times the wage budget of Bournemouth.


That year they avoided relegation by coming 16th.


The following year (2016/2017) Bournemouth had the 17th biggest wage budget at £34m but this was only £9m above the 20th biggest wage budget and was less than half of the £75m the 9th biggest wage budget.


That year Bournemouth achieved 9th and a fantastic top 10 English Premier League finish.


2017/2018 again with the 17th biggest wage budget they finished 12th.


In 2018/2019 Eddie Howe again maintained Bournemouth’s position as a Premier League team finishing 14th. By this time their wage budget were on parity with clubs expected to stay in the league.


In Bournemouth’s 5th season in the top league (2019/2020) they unfortunately had a few injury problems and the finished 18th with 34pts and 1pt behind 17th consigning them to relegation to the Championship.


Eddie Howe had taken Bournemouth from 2nd bottom of League 2 and facing relegation to the Conference League to 5 seasons in the English Premier League and a top 10 finish. An unprecedented and unbelievable performance from a very talented young coach.


Parts 2 to 7 to follow ….


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5 Comments


Rod
Rod
Mar 14, 2021

So you still stand by him. He should have walked at exactly the same time as Lennon, whether it was after the RC game or what should have happened way before that. They were two in one. Liked his interview??? How many has he done? Incredible. Rogers must have rated him highly right enough ...by leaving him with us! Defence has been a disaster for a number of years and he is a common factor! No doubt Bitton will stroll back in again and the young lad Welsh will sit out. Shameful and clueless. Chasing the game against United, puts Rogic on takes a star off. Puts an unfit Forrest and LG on with minutes to go. Great ambition. Glad…

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Rod
Rod
Mar 14, 2021
Replying to

I'd have put Fran Alonso (women's team manager) instead of those two! Well if Kennedy (or Howe) get appointed I know who I'll suspect had a say in it. Take care, stay safe, keep the faith and hail Mary oops I mean hail hail!

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Rod
Rod
Mar 14, 2021

Aye you were a great fan of Kennedy and now this. Just wait and see. Celtic will be sure to disappoint. Need someone decent in order to get me to renew. This season was a slap in the face and those players who let me down should be in the starting 11 to face the consequences! Last game, how Rogic of all people comes on to replace the easy and absolutely wrong option Turnbull was the final straw for me. Kennedy should have held the door for NFL and the left too closing it firmly behind him. Thanks for your dossier on Howe!

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Tony McLaughlin
Tony McLaughlin
Mar 14, 2021
Replying to

When did I ever say I wanted Kennedy to be given the job permanently ? I haven't. I did say that he should have been given temporary charge at a time it was obvious Lennon wouldn't be here next season but was still in charge. I wanted Kennedy instead of Lennon until the new permanent Manager was appointed and I stand by that. Also where have I been a fan of Kennedy? I haven't. I defended him when people were criticising him saying that it was impossible to judge as a No.2. Good or bad. So giving the benefit of the doubt that he should have been given temporary role. I did like his interviews. We are allowed to change our minds at times however…

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