Rewind to June 2014.
Neil Lennon had just left his post as Celtic manager and Peter Lawwell was tasked with finding the club a new manager.
Within a couple of weeks, it was clear who Celtic’s majority shareholder Dermot Desmond wanted Lawwel to secure – Roy Keane.
Speculation became so intense it was reported the Manchester United legend was just days away from becoming Celtic’s new gaffer,
This backed up by Roy Keane’s own account in his book.
He said:”Celtic wanted me but they weren’t showing how much they wanted me,” writes Keane in his new autobiography, The Second Half.
“I got a call: would I go and have a chat with Dermot Desmond? I’d met him once before, in 2005, when I was signing to play for Celtic.
“I met him for a cup of tea. It was in the middle of an international week, in Dublin.
“At the end of the chat, he said: ‘The job is yours’.
Roy would go onto say the restrictions Celtic were putting on him with regards to staff and Peter Lawwell’s unwillingness to negotiate in terms of wages was the downfall of the deal.
It was pretty much widely reported that Lawwell did not want anything to do with a firey Keane in charge and he did his best to put the Irishman off.
In the end, he did just that with many fans up in arms at the time about how it all went down.
Celtic would put Ronny Deila in place – the man who was supposed to be coming in as Keane’s number 2.
While many believe Keane was the correct way to go at the time – it’s instances like the one below which would have made Keane a volatile and polarizing figure in the goldfish bowl of Glasgow.
He’s old school, yes but sometimes we have seen this man fly off the handle when the situation has not needed it.
The row with Jonathan Walters and Harry Arter are a great example of why Roy should never be near the Celtic job. The former midfielder has managed to alienate a whole dressing room with his antics.
Stephen Ward's account on the bust up between Harry Arter & Roy Keane is absolutely shocking.
Initially tensions rised between Walters & Keane. Walters stood up to him & even tried fixing things for the dressing room.
Shocking, it says it all, Keane has lost the dressing room. pic.twitter.com/EOzUS3hpjb
— Domestic Ireland (@DomesticIreland) September 10, 2018
It was a lucky escape for Celtic. Ronny Deila came in and done well without setting the world alight.
When the Norwegian moved on Celtic brought in a first class manager in Brendan Rodgers who can get his point across to most of his players without screaming obscenities at them.
