By his own admission, Martin O’Neill has had a lot of learning to do since returning to Celtic, so different has football – and the way it is coached – become.
Back in management after a lengthy absence, the 74-year-old has had to lean heavily on his backroom staff, which was boosted yesterday by an intriguing arrival.
Recognising perhaps that they will need to modernise their approach if they are to stay ahead of their rivals, Celtic announced that set-piece coach Ross Grant had joined the club from Hearts.
A boyhood Celtic fan, Grant became the first dedicated set-piece coach in the Scottish top flight when he took on the role at Tynecastle last summer following four years as an academy coach at Dundee United.
While fans would have preferred to welcome a new player to Celtic Park, they should not underestimate the importance of an assistant who will ‘focus on set-piece analysis and coaching’.
Grant was credited with playing a significant role in Hearts’ title challenge last season, making them one of the most prolific teams in the league from set-pieces as well as one of the best at defending them.
Ross Grant was credited with playing a significant role in Hearts’ title challenge last season
Shaun Maloney will remain at Celtic as part of manager Martin O’Neill’s backroom staff
When O’Neill was in his prime, there were fewer coaches, and almost none with such a specialised remit, but Celtic’s manager is moving with the times.
‘I am really pleased to welcome Ross to our backroom staff, I know he is a highly-rated coach and look forward to working with him,’ said O’Neill who recently became Celtic’s permanent boss after two interim spells last season.
Grant’s move to Celtic Park comes just days after it was confirmed that O’Neill will continue working with coaches Shaun Maloney, Mark Fotheringham and Stephen McManus, who were by his side last term. First-team coach Gavin Strachan, however, left last week to take on a new role at West Brom.
‘I thought that was very important really, because we kind of gelled together really,’ O’Neill said of tying down most of the assistants with whom he won a league-and-cup double. ‘It’s nice to have the staff back.
‘Gavin is a very important cog in all proceedings, so I’m disappointed that he’s leaving, but I can understand why, he gets closer to home, he’s working at a very good football club, and so we wish him well.’
Celtic began their pre-season preparations at the end of last week, although those who have been on World Cup duty will be phased back into training once they have had a suitable break.
Scotland pair Anthony Ralston and Kieran Tierney, Tunisia’s Sebastian Tounekti and South Korea’s Yang Hyun-jun have all been eliminated from the tournament, while Sweden’s Benjamin Nygren, Japan’s Daizen Maeda, USA’s Auston Trusty and Canada’s Alistair Johnston are still involved in the global showpiece.
Celtic kick off their Premiership title defence at home to Dundee on August 3 and then face the first leg of their Champions League play-off a fortnight later.
‘Of course players who are out in the World Cup have had no break whatsoever,’ said O’Neill.
Kieran Tierney is among several Celtic stars who need a break after playing at the World Cup
‘The Scottish players haven’t, they’ve gone straight from our final games just to joining up with the squad, so they’ve had no holiday.
‘Holidays seem to get shorter and shorter. Way back in my time as a player, you might get two months off and you’re thinking, ‘gosh, I can’t wait to get back’.
‘These players definitely need a break, but the staggering is right, depending on how far you go. We’ve got players out there and they need a break, it’s as simple as that.
‘We’re trying to put all of that together to try and get ready for the beginning of the season, which is not that far away, and trying to think towards the latter part of August for the Champions League game.’
