Speaking exclusively with BOYLE Sports , Kevin Doyle who was capped 62 times for the Republic of Ireland has given his assessment of two former teammates and whether they could be perfectly suited to replace Martin O'Neill as Celtic Manager in the summer.
Doyle who started his career in the League of Ireland with St Patrick's Athletic and Cork City, gives his assessment of what we can expect from new Tottenham signing Mason Melia and he predicts the destination of the 2026 Premier Division with a former teammate predicted as a game changing signing.
The striker who scored over one hundred career goals, offers his insight into the Evan Ferguson situation and speaks candidly about whether he should drop a level to gain more confidence with Wrexham or Celtic.
Next Celtic Manager
Duff or Keane To Parkhead?
I think Celtic would love to stick with Martin O’Neill, but age probably isn't on his side. He has spoken about it not being a long-term thing, but he's doing extremely well so far. Damien Duff or Robbie Keane stand out, as both have had success and gone down a different route to Keith Andrews, who has started instantly in the Premier League. The two lads, Damien and Robbie , have gone out and worked from the bottom up, which I admire.
I didn't know either of them were actually interested in being coaches. Especially Damien , playing with him, I wouldn't have thought of it. He was always quiet in the dressing room, but on the sideline, he certainly is not. Being quiet in the dressing room doesn't mean you can't be a manager, though. Probably the best ones were quiet.
Both of them are a success, and both of them, I think, are ready for their next job. Celtic , while being a massive club, is not the Premier League , so it's a nice step up from where they were. Robbie is probably more experienced than Damien , as he's been at a few clubs now, and bigger clubs, I suppose, than Shelbourne and the League of Ireland. But for Damien to do what he did there, to win a league with a club who wouldn't have been expected to, it probably took a lot out of him.
You could see how much he was putting into the job: emotionally on the touchline, in his interviews. He really put everything into it. And he's been very quiet since. I'm sure he's not done, he's probably just having a break and getting ready to go again, whether that's in the League of Ireland or not. I think his ambition is to be a manager; he'll probably move. It could be international again, maybe Ireland, or back to England , but Celtic stands out to me as a great option for either of those.
Who Would Suit Celtic Better?
League Of Ireland
What's Next For Mason Melia?
I would say move out on loan somewhere in England , maybe go on loan to the Dutch League or the Belgian League , follow in the footsteps of Troy Parrott . Personally, if I were him, I'd stay where I am in January, get to know the place, get to know living in London and the club that signed him, and then in the summer, look to go on loan. I don't think he's an instant starter for Spurs . I think he's a project, but he could be a fabulous player. I've seen him playing in Ireland , seen the goals he's scored.
He's really talented and a first-team player. It's great going over to England as a first-team player. He can instantly go out on loan to a club and play first-team football. If he'd have gone a few years ago, that wouldn't have been the case. So he has that option now, but I'd just like him to stay at Spurs . Let them have a look at him for a few months. Let him settle in there. Get your life sorted at the club and then go on loan in the summer.
I wouldn't come back to the [Irish] League. He's been here, and he's proved himself, and he's scored goals here. Now it's time to move to a slightly bigger league, because I don't think he's going to play for Spurs anytime soon. Maybe that's wrong. Maybe they'll get a couple of injuries, and they'll have no choice, and he'll prove us wrong. But I think it's more of a longer-term project. I see that being a League One club, maybe in England , maybe a Championship club.”
The League of Ireland Winner Will Be....
Derry City have just brought James McClean back, so I'm looking forward to seeing him back in Ireland . I'm sure he'll be really excited. And they have a good budget, Derry . They're a very good club, so they'll probably be one to watch. Shamrock Rovers would financially be stronger than every club in the league, a decent bit stronger, but they've been very successful. And in a way, they've earned that financial strength. They have a rich owner and everything, but they've earned it.
They've won their leagues. Stephen Bradley's been there in charge for I don't know how long now. He's only a young manager, but he seems to have been there forever, and he seems to be able to pull it out of the bag year after year. Having said that, Derry have a little bit of financial muscle and just having James back there, I'm sure it'll be an interesting watch.
Evan Ferguson
Fergie To Wrexham?
It wasn't going great at Roma for Evan Ferguson , but he's turned it around. The one thing about Evan, he seems to pick up little knocks. He got another injury, and it just stopped his momentum there in the last couple of weeks. For him to get a move back to the Premier League , or just maybe stay in Italy , there's nothing wrong with that. But if he does get a move back, that would be interesting.
Two players to be excited about, alongside Troy Parrott , two who have more to come, I think. I was just so impressed with Troy Parrott, not just in the last few months with his goals, but in the last six months to a year, just how he's turned his career around. I think Evan as well, going out on loan, it's not easy going on loan to Roma , a lot of pressure, and he was getting a little bit of stick from their manager. He stuck at it, and he got his few goals in recent weeks.
I'd love to see Evan get a proper full run, 30 or 40 games, not get injured, and start to look really, really, really fit. Sometimes I think he's just a couple of games away from being properly, fully match fit, and he seems to get injured again.
I think he has so much untapped potential. If he can figure it out, he's got everything. He's got speed, strength, height, and physicality. He seems like a good lad as well, which is a big thing to have a good head on your shoulders. Both of those players seem to have good heads on their shoulders and should be top players for Ireland for a long time. It's a big move for both of them now.
Celtic Choice
There's a lot to be said for scoring goals and being confident. Not that Evan Ferguson instantly goes up there and scores goals, but you'd imagine he would get plenty of opportunities to score at Celtic . They're always going to be top of the league or there or thereabouts in the top two or three. There'd be nothing wrong with the move. At the end of the day, it's hard to turn down Serie A or the Premier League over the Scottish League, as much as it's a big draw to play for Celtic , and they're a fabulous football club.
When he's his age, he can still play in the Premier League and build his career. Listen, he could also think about going to Celtic for a couple of years and then moving again. There'd be nothing wrong with that either. So it's a good option to have if he does have the option. It would put a smile on his face, getting to figure that one out.
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