Celtic Racing to hire ‘dream’ 4-2-3-1 manager

Celtic have two weeks in the final international break of the calendar year to finally find a long-term successor to former head coach Brendan Rodgers.

The Northern Ireland manager tendered his resignation following the 3-1 defeat to Hearts in the Scottish Premiership last month, ending his second stint in the dugout at Parkhead.

Rodgers, as the graphic above shows, enjoyed a largely successful second spell with the Hoops, as he won the Premiership title during his two full seasons in charge.

Experienced manager Martin O’Neill has been appointed in charge of the Scottish giants on an interim basis, having left the club’s management since the 2018/19 campaign.

Now the Hoops must finalize their search for a long-term successor to Rodgers to lead the team after the international break and hopefully for seasons to come.

One of the managers who has been linked with a possible move to Parkhead is Wales national team head coach Craig Bellamy, who played in Glasgow.

What Craig Bellamy said about a move to Celtic

It was reported late last month that the Scottish giants were considering making contact with the former Manchester City and Liverpool striker over the possibility of taking the job.

Unfortunately for Celtic, Bellamy has all but quashed speculation about his future by reaffirming his commitment to Wales ahead of next summer’s World Cup.

Asked recently about a move to Parkhead, the Welsh boss said: “I can understand the links. I played there. But for me, I love what I’m doing at the moment. I’m completely focused on what’s to come. That’s all I’m focused on. It’s cliché but I can’t want anything else. It’s not on my radar and it won’t be on my radar.”

These comments suggest Celtic will not be able to persuade him to abandon his country to replace Rodgers, which is understandable given he has the chance to lead his country to the World Cup in America next summer.

This is a possible blow for the Scottish giants as Bellamy could have been an intriguing appointment for the club, as he has done a brilliant job since taking over from Rob Page for Wales.

This mentality and way of training his team allowed the former Celtic striker to improve his country’s national team under his tenure. They score more goals and win more points than before.

Although Bellamy may not be available for the Hoops during the international break, the club are said to be interested in a manager who would be a dream alternative.

Celtic face English team to land 4-2-3-1 manager

According to journalist Alan Nixon, via his Patreon, Celtic are among the teams battling to sign Cardiff City head coach Brian Barry-Murphy in the coming days or weeks.

The journalist claims the Hoops have placed the former Manchester City Under-21 tactician on their shortlist of candidates, as they look to find a replacement for Rodgers.

Nixon adds that English Championship side Middlesbrough are also considering a possible move for the Irish tactician, who usually deploys a 4-2-3-1 formation, as they are losing Rob Edwards to Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The journalist reveals that Celtic are using their connections with the City Football Group to investigate possible managerial targets, and that Barry-Murphy worked with Manchester City’s U21s for several seasons, which may be why they want a move for him.

While it remains to be seen whether or not the Hoops will make contact with Cardiff to discuss a deal for the 47-year-old manager, the League One boss could be a brilliant alternative to Craig Bellamy.

Why Barry-Murphy would be a dream Bellamy alternative for Celtic

The Cardiff manager would be the dream alternative to the Wales national team coach as he has a similar style of play and way of working, with his 4-2-3-1 formation which sees his team play from the back and take risks.

In fact, as you can hear in the clip above, Bellamy sees many similarities between the way he wants Wales to play and the way Barry-Murphy has Cardiff playing in League One, which he believes benefits him in the national team.

The Welsh boss says it’s a “dream” for him to have the Irishman play a similar style, which is exactly why he would be a “dream” alternative to Bellamy for the Hoops this month.

As well as being similar to Bellamy in his 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 who went down from the Championship alongside them are below Cardiff in the table, with Luton ninth and Plymouth 24th.

As you can see from the table above, Barry-Murphy also has experience managing a team to win games consistently, having won two Premier League 2 titles in charge of Manchester City’s U21s.

Even though it was at U21 level, it shows that he is used to playing a style that leads to consistent victories, which has continued during his tenure in charge of Cardiff so far as they occupy the play-off places in League One.

Therefore, Barry-Murphy would be an intriguing appointment for Celtic as a dream alternative to Bellamy if they decide to move forward with his services.