ANDY WALKER, the former Celtic player, believes his old club’s success is the result of Dermot Desmond rediscovering his interest in what happens at Parkhead.
The majority shareholder was behind the appointment of Brendan Rodgers, who became Scottish football’s best pair manager of all time, just as he was when Martin O’Neill came on board back in 2000.
Desmond’s influence over the most important factors at Celtic Park should never be under-estimated and it felt over the past two seasons that he and the board allowed things to drift.
Not anymore and Walker, a Celtic supporter, hopes his fellow fans realise that this is a special time which they should cherish.
“The gap is really big,” said the Sky Sports pundit. “I think the Celtic supporters should enjoy this because it won’t last forever. I’m sure Brendan will look at it as doing a couple of years in Scotland then getting back to the Premier League in England.
“If you talk about Celtic being Dermot Desmond, I am glad that he is taking his club seriously again. Because for a couple of years there, I think they took their eye off the ball and you saw that with the supporters drifting away.
“They have a serious manager in now who knows what he is doing. He is having a great effect on Tom Rogic and James Forrest.
“I saw the picture of Dermot in the dressing room. It was an interesting one. He is the man who makes all the decisions. The fans invest their money and this is a great time to be a Celtic supporter. My boys are going back to see Celtic because they are really enjoying their football on a weekly basis.”
Walker was a vocal critic of Ronny Deila towards the end of the Norwegian’s time and while the former manager was hardly to blame for everything, the football by the end of his two seasons was pretty turgid.
“Whatever Rodgers is doing on the training ground is working,” said the man who was Celtic’s top scorer in the club’s double winning centenary season.
“Whenever you hear a Celtic player speak, they feel it is fresh and they believe what is being said to them. Forrest is a totally different player. Rogic always had the potential but is really delivering now. I thought he was great against Rangers in the first game of the season.
“Again, I would say that Celtic supporters should enjoy this season and the next one. Because they can really load up on trophies.
“If and when Brendan comes back to England, it will be interesting to see how Dermot reacts and what type of manager he gets in then, because there is a level of excitement around Celtic at the moment.
‘I went with my son to the League Cup tie against Motherwell early in the season. The football they played that night was sparkling. I seem to remember going at some point last season with my son and it was turgid, really hard work. It was painful viewing. Now they are an exciting with a strong squad.”
Walker believes that there would have been at least a whisper within the club of winning what would be a record ten titles in a row, although he felt there were more pressing matters.
“The biggest thing for me is the Champions League and for Celtic to be a more competitive team in Europe,” he said. “Ten in a row would be great for the Celtic fans and the historical significance.
“But for Celtic to be in the Champions League creates a level of cash that pushes them further away from Aberdeen, Rangers and the rest. That’s where I think Celtic really need to make their mark. But right now I can’t see anyone challenging them domestically.
“The next big change for Celtic will when one of the English clubs comes in for Brendan, I’d imagine in a couple of years. By then, he will have racked up some trophies and had notable successes in the development of individuals. That is what will eventually take Brendan back.
“What do Celtic do then? Hopefully, they will still take the fans and the club seriously and invest in a really good manager again – and not go down the road of a couple of years ago.”
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