We need a change of direction on and off the park and midweek’s result is further proof that the man who can help us achieve that is Kjetil Knudsen…
DK Bodo Glimt head coach Kjetil Knutsen reacts during the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 league stage MD6 match between Borussia Dortmund and FK Bodo/Glimt at the BVB Arena in Dortmund on December 10, 2025 in Dortmund, Germany. (Photo by Christoph Kopsel/Getty Images)
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It’s clear that we need an overhaul of the corridors of power at Celtic Park, but the park’s product needs to be modernized just as much. Thursday night’s shock defeat to Stuttgart further highlighted the harsh reality of both points.
I think those two areas go hand in hand, and we need capable leaders to restructure the areas that we all want to see significant improvements in, the areas that we all pay to watch, and that’s the product in the parks.
To achieve this, we need a new coach, someone with proven tactical ability, someone who can inject new blood into a team that is in serious decline.
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For me, that person is none other than Kjetil Knutsen. Some within the SMSM and our own supporters are vying for Jens Berthel Askou, but as impressive as the Dane has been against Motherwell, who has played some fantastic football while competing at the top of the table, his fellow Scandinavian is the more experienced and impressive candidate and, importantly, has the record to back it up.
Jens Bertel Asku. Motherwell 1-1 Rangers. Scottish Premier League. Fir Park, February 11, 2026. Photography by Vagelis Georgariou
Not only in domestic football, he has made Bodo/Glimt a dominant force in Norwegian football, but also in European competition, which is an area where we urgently need improvement.
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Knudsen guided Bodo into the Champions League play-offs on a modest budget, beating the likes of Manchester City and Atletico Madrid along the way and leading the side to a 3-1 first-leg home win over Inter Milan on Thursday night.
This form is more than just a blip as he has led the Norwegian side to some impressive European victories over the past few years, in fact last year he guided Bodo to the Europa League semi-finals and in doing so became the first Norwegian team to achieve such a feat in a European competition.
Nicolas Kuhn scores during the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League knockout second leg second leg match between Bayern Munich and Celtic at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Matthias Hanst/Getty Images)
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Europe is a region we have struggled with for a long time. Even under the dominant and successful leadership of Brendan Rodgers, and an equally impressive era under Ange Postecoglou, we achieved the odd decent result on the continent but suffered humiliating defeats along the way.
Having someone like Knutson leading us will change all that. Not just domestically, but at a level that we desperately need to improve on, certainly on the European side.
Knudsen, 57, is known for his team playmaking prowess and will undoubtedly make us a more capable and capable team at the next level, something we have long desired.
Of course, we need a change of direction off the pitch as well, but we need to take it one step at a time and hiring someone of Knutson’s caliber and knowledge would be a great start to the major rebuild the club desperately needs.
Celtic Chairman Peter Lawwell, Celtic Non-Executive Director Dermot Desmond and Celtic Chief Executive Michael Nicholson attend the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Rangers at Celtic Park on March 16, 2025. (Photo: Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
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An ambitious manager must have an equally ambitious board, not an old billionaire figurehead whose ego is greater than his own sizeable back-up and who simply wants to milk Celtic’s cash cow – support – to hoard cash for a rainy day.
Unless Parkhead changes its mindset, Knutson is unlikely to see the appeal. That’s why we might hire Jens Berthel Askou.
Just an ordinary guy
“Celtics in the Thirties” by Matt Cole. Click on the picture to order
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