FORMER Celtic caretaker and assistant manager Billy Stark reckons the first thing that the new manager at the club must do is ship out the deadwood from Ronny Deila’s bloated squad.

Despite claims from some disgruntled fans that Deila had ‘lost the dressing room’ this season, Stark believes that the simple reality was that there was no way Deila could keep every individual happy when carrying such a large amount of players.

After clearing the decks in the summer, Stark has urged whoever the new man in the dugout at Celtic Park may be to focus on refining the club’s 
recent scattergun approach to recruitment.

Glasgow Times: John Kennedy reckons Ronny Deila's Celtic will be much better prepared for the Champions League qualifiers this time round

“For me, to have 30-odd players I’d be waking up in the middle of the night wondering how you’d control that amount,” he said. “It’s impossible to have over 30 players and keep everyone happy.

“An experienced manager wouldn’t have that number of players to control because that’s what management is about these days.

“I would guess the first thing they’ll do is cut the numbers back. I don’t think I’d be in the minority having the view that Celtic have far too many players so I’d expect the new manager to address that.

“It’s about recruiting the right players and motivating them, if you do that then you should achieve what you set out to achieve. A big part of that is managing them on a day-to-day basis and getting the best out of them.

Glasgow Times: The Celtic players celebrate after Gary Mackay-Steven (hidden) levels the game at 1-1.

“I always laugh at the phrase ‘they’ve lost the dressing-room’ because it’s absolute nonsense.

“Back in my day there were people who didn’t like the manager because they were not playing and that’s the way it will always be.

“A manager’s skill is to accept that people will feel that way but talk to them in a manner to keep them feeling part of it.

“You have to keep people motivated to work properly. But having 30-odd players makes that impossible.”

Current Celtic manager Deila raised some eyebrows when he backed his assistant John Collins and coach John Kennedy as potential candidates to succeed him last week.

Stark took charge of the side for three games back in 1997 after the departure of his friend Tommy Burns, so he knows at least a little of what it is like to make that transition.

Glasgow Times: Billy Stark has named the squad for Scotland's friendly against Luxembourg

In his opinion though, the club would be better going for a more experienced man to take the helm.

“I’d been at Kilmarnock with Tommy and he brought me to Celtic with him,” he said.

“There’s no right or wrong, I took the last three games after Tommy went and had made my mind up that he brought me so I was leaving with him.

“It was a bit of a gamble, but it can be a gamble staying on as well because you don’t know what the hierarchy are thinking.

“If Ronny feels that way and has pitched for the two Johns then they’ll feel good about that and might put their hat in the ring. But it would be up to them as individuals what they do.

“There is a risk with any managerial appointment, it’s getting madder and madder. You win two games and you’re a genius, lose two and you’re a dud.

"It’s a bizarre situation right now where Celtic are all-powerful in terms of resources. So that can be a great thing as the manager, but also not so great because you are judged more harshly. People think you should be winning every game but that’s difficult.

“I think Celtic need an established manager, the size of the club means they need an experienced man who knows how to handle a dressing-room.

“There are guys who I’ve worked with like Malky McKay, for example, who has done really well.

“He’s a great guy but has suffered a bit, as we know, so I don’t know whether he’s in the running or not.

Glasgow Times: David Moyes, tipped to be the next Celtic manager, was at the recent Motherwell-Aberdeen game

“I don’t know if a Davie Moyes would be interested or not. He’s definitely got the pedigree, without a doubt, but whether he wants to come to Celtic we’ll have to wait and see.”

"Whoever it is that Celtic are targeting to take over, Stark has urged them to act quickly so that the new man can begin his preparations for the crucial Champions League qualifiers."

He added: “The Champions League brings enormous pressure because you have your biggest game of the season having not played competitive games.

“To go into a game of that magnitude having to hit the ground running is a big, big thing.

“So I don’t think Celtic will hang about too long before making an appointment. The Champions League is where the judgement has come in recent years.

“Some people will say Celtic are a Champions League club but it has been proven differently at times.

“It’s not a piece of cake to just walk through those qualifiers into the group stages. Clubs from other countries provide stiff opposition and while people are probably right saying that Celtic should have beaten the teams they’ve played against.

“But when you watch the games you see they’ve got quality and a few of them have been at a better stage of the season in terms of preparation.

“Those factors make it more difficult.”