Eddie Howe and the deserved Celtic 'sniggering' as Kris Commons convinced a bullet was dodged amid Newcastle woe

The 44-year-old was the No.1 choice to usher in a new era at Parkhead but he walked away from protracted talks last May.

Insistent Kris Commons believes Newcastle's FA Cup defeat to Cambridge further adds to the case that Celtic dodged a bullet over Eddie Howe.

The 44-year-old was the No.1 choice to usher in a new era at Parkhead but he walked away from protracted talks last May.

That led to Celtic turning to Ange Postecoglou before Howe later ended his extended hiatus with cash-rich Newcastle.

And while the Austrlian is turning heads in Glasgow, the former Bournemouth boss is feeling the strain after watching his side lose 1-0 to the League One side in the FA Cup.

And Commons reckons Celtic supporters should be allowed a moment to raise a chuckle at the man who had cold feet about moving to the Scottish Premiership.

Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: "I'm sure there were plenty of Celtic supporters sniggering as they watched the highlights on Saturday night and who can blame them?

"Howe was offered the Celtic job on a plate. The club bent over backwards to try and accommodate him and provide him with all he needed.

"But he knocked it back largely on the basis that the make-up of his backroom and scouting team wasn't quite what he wanted. Or, in other words, he bottled it.

"Contrast that with the man who eventually took the job. Ange Postecoglou has gone in to Celtic without any of his own coaching or backroom staff and picked the club up off its knees.

"There are parallels to be drawn here. Some people will say that Howe inherited a basket case of a club and that he deserves more time to turn it around.

"They will argue that the squad left behind by Bruce was a mess and in dire need of improvement in near enough every department.

"Yet, you could say the exact same thing about Celtic last summer when Postecoglou walked through the door.

"In fact, I would actually argue that Celtic were in an even worse state last summer than Newcastle were when Howe took charge a couple of months ago.

"But Postecoglou has found a way of making it work. He has galvanised an entire football club and won the hearts of a fanbase which had become disillusioned."

And Commons is certain followers of Celtic wouldn't swap Postecoglou for the man, who at one point, appeared a unanimous choice to succeed Neil Lennon.

And the former Scotland international fears Howe is cast in the wrong movie as he desperately searches for a way to get results at the richest club in the world.

He added: "The accusation against Howe is that while he might be a gifted coach who can improve players from the lower leagues, he struggles to deal with big-time players.

"He struggles to manage players who have played at the very top level. That's not to say big-time Charlies or egos, but just players who maybe need a bit more man-management.

"In that respect, he's in the wrong job at Newcastle. They are looking to assemble a galaxy of footballing superstars under their new Saudi owners, so long as they don't get relegated first.

"But Celtic fans must now look back on the events of last year with a grin. As Howe toils to make any sort of impact at Newcastle, it looks like they dodged a bullet.

"And a very expensive bullet at that, given the size of the wage packet which I heard had been offered to Howe.

"Listen, maybe he would have done well in Glasgow. Ultimately, we'll never know. But, if he had taken the job, there would have been no Kyogo and no Angeball.

"Right now, if offered the choice between Howe and Postecoglou, there isn't a Celtic supporter in the land who wouldn't choose Big Ange all day long."

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