Celtic have been searching for their next permanent head coach since Brendan Rodgers tendered his resignation early last week.
Martin O’Neill has been in charge of the Scottish giants’ two games since the Northern Irish manager arrived from Parkhead, overseeing wins over Falkirk and Rangers.
The immediate impact of an experienced manager at Parkhead has given the board a cushion of time to find the right person for the job, without having to rush into decisions to achieve short-term results.
One of the things the next coach needs to be able to do is guide the team to score goals consistently. Because that was the area where Rodgers’ performance was lacking the most this season.
brendan rodgers celtic | 23/24 | 24/25 | 25/26 |
|---|---|---|---|
managed match | 50 | 57 | 16 |
Number of points scored | 121 | 167 | twenty five |
Goals per game | 2.42 | 2.92 | 1.56 |
Points per game | 2.24 | 2.26 | 1.78 |
Games in which no goals were scored | 8 | 5 | 6 |
Number of games per goalless performance | 6.25 | 11.4 | 2.66 |
Statistics via Transfermarkt | |||
As you can see from the table above, Rodgers has failed to score in 16 games this season, compared to 57 games in 2025/26, which is a major cause for concern for Celtic.
The Hoops will need to find the next version of Australian head coach Ange Postecoglou, but his team had little trouble finding the back of the goal.
Why Celtic need to find the next Ange Postecoglou
During his two seasons at Celtic, the former Spurs and Nottingham Forest manager was instrumental in ensuring the Scottish giants became a goal machine in all competitions.
According to Transfermarkt, Postecoglou won five trophies in his two years at Parkhead, including three domestic cups and two Scottish Premiership titles, showing that he was not only able to coach exciting, attacking football, but was also successful.
The 60-year-old head coach has the perfect combination of performance and style, which is why he was the perfect manager for the club at the time before moving to Tottenham in 2023.
Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic | 21/22 | 22/23 |
|---|---|---|
managed match | 60 | 53 |
Number of points scored | 137 | 147 |
Goals per game | 2.28 | 2.77 |
Points per game | 2.22 | 2.42 |
Games in which no goals were scored | 7 | 4 |
Number of games per goalless performance | 8.6 | 13.3 |
Statistics via Transfermarkt | ||
As you can see from the table above, Celtic failed to score in just 11 of the 113 games that Postecoglou played as head coach in 2021/22 and 2022/23.
Meanwhile, the Hoops have failed to score in 11 of Rodgers’ last 73 games since the start of last season, suggesting the Australian has been far more successful at coaching a stable attacking unit.
That’s why the Celtic board should now be looking for the next version of Postecoglou to bring attacking football back to Parkhead this season.
The Scottish giants have been told by a former player to consider an international manager as the search for Rodgers’ permanent successor continues.
Celtic to hire attacking-minded international manager
Former Celtic central midfielder Joe Ledley has urged the Premiership champions to select Wales head coach Craig Bellamy as their next head coach.
He told Celtic Way: “There were a lot of links with Craig Bellamy. He had a great start to his managerial career in Wales.”
“There’s a lot of hype around him. He’s played well in Wales. He’s got a really attacking mind and is always up front. He would be the perfect option for Celtic.”
Ledley added: “I told the locals that he would be a great candidate for Celtic because of the way he plays. He is always attacking, passionate and full of life for his football.”
Sky Sports reported last week that Bellamy was one of the candidates for the role, suggesting the club could make a move for him.
Why Celtic should move to sign Craig Bellamy
The 46-year-old tactician is a very interesting managerial option as he has never managed a club at first-team level. This means he will be stepping into Celtic’s high-pressure environment for the first time as club manager.
This means it is difficult to say with any degree of certainty whether Bellamy, who, like Postecoglou, usually plays in a 4-2-3-1, will be successful at Parkhead. He has no experience coaching a first-team club, so he will be relied upon.
However, as Ledley suggested in his comments, his work with Wales at international level suggests he has the ability to coach teams to attack well.
Bellamy claimed on the High Performance Podcast in September that playing out from the back was a “risk” and said he didn’t feel it was a “risk” to play under pressure when you have numerical superiority near your own box.
wales national team | rob page | craig bellamy |
|---|---|---|
managed games | 45 | 14 |
Number of points scored | 55 | twenty two |
Goals per game | 1.22 | 1.57 |
Points per game | 1.33 | 1.57 |
Games in which no goals were scored | 14 | 4 |
Number of games per goalless match | 3.2 | 3.5 |
Statistics via Transfermarkt | ||
As shown in the table above, that mentality and the way the team is coached has seen Wales improve both in results and goals, winning more points and scoring more goals than under previous manager Rob Page.
This shows he is clearly having success in improving the team in attack, which Celtic need after struggling in front of goal at the start of the season under Rodgers.
Last year, Wales international forward Harry Wilson explained that Bellamy’s way of playing is to take more risks when playing from the back, which helps build an attacking style of play that creates more chances for the forwards.
Bellamy could therefore be Parkhead’s next postecoglou because of his desire to play front-foot, attack-oriented football full of ‘risks’, even if the manager does not see them as a risk.
However, it remains to be seen whether the former Celtic winger is willing to quit his job with Wales before next summer’s World Cup.
