Dom McKay is well polished in dealing with the media.
We have had one conversation with the man himself since he took over at Celtic and he comes across very well. I think a term I used at the time was politically minded; by that I mean he chooses his words very carefully not to be caught out further down the line.
Vagueness is key, especially when you’re not sure what your next move is.
When it comes to Gordon Strachan coming into the club on a reported ‘advisory role’ as SunSport is now reporting.
Some are looking back at Dom’s first media press conference and claiming the CEO said Strachan wouldn’t be back.
However, that’s not at all what he said; Dom chose his words wisely.
He was asked by STV’s Raman Bhardwaj if Gordon Strachan would be heading into the club as a Director of Football – Mckay said ‘no’ the former Hoops boss would not be returning as ‘Director of football’.
That covers the CEO and reinforces my idea of Dom’s political savvy nature where he has wiggle room to manoeuvre. The devil is in the detail, as they say.
Dom’s response to the DOF question to Celtic TV is below:
“No. I want to make my own mark and part of that is looking at how we might want to modernise and evolve. Whether that is in the business side, the football side or the engagement side.
“I am completely open-minded. I think your suggestion was that Gordon was coming in to do a director of football role, that is not my intention. My plan is to have a look around and find out what the right structure is.”
Dom has deniability and he can point to these comments with confidence if Gordon Strachan does come in the door under an advisory role.
However, while he’s kept himself right, I don’t think you’ll find many fans who appreciate this kind of wordplay too often.
If the former Celtic gaffer comes in to help the club, Dom must be transparent in what process has gone into hiring Strachan, how many candidates there were and who signed off on the move.
The sceptic in me says we won’t get a clear answer.
Strachan could be useful in certain ways but when you think about modernising Celtic – you will be hard-pressed to find someone who would immediately think of Gordon Strachan as a top candidate in that quest.
This isn’t “The West Wing” for God’s sake, so how about less “politcal nous” and more “straight talking”? Be more like Ange and less like your predecessor if you want to keep the fans onside Mr. McKay…
Very bad move by CELTIC, there’s no way Strachan will be able to keep out of team matters especially when his son is a first team coach and this is a recipe for disaster.