Former Bristol Rovers and MK Dons boss set for big role at Champions League club

Paul Tisdale was manager of Bristol Rovers for a three-month period. (Image: Getty Images)Paul Tisdale was manager of Bristol Rovers for a three-month period. (Image: Getty Images)
Paul Tisdale was manager of Bristol Rovers for a three-month period. (Image: Getty Images) | Getty Images
The former Gas manager could play a huge part in the running of the Scottish Premiership champions.

Former Bristol Rovers manager Paul Tisdale looks set for a role with a UEFA Champions League club.

According to the Daily Mail, and other outlets such as The Athletic, Celtic are hoping to give Tisdale a role which will oversee their football operations. The Scottish club are in the league phase of the UEFA Champions League, and were recently on the end of a 7-1 hammering at the hands of last season’s runners-up Borussia Dortmund.

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The 51-year-old has been working as a self-employed consultant since his sacking at Stevenage in 2022. He describes himself as a ‘football doctor’ and his proposed role would see him work closely with the coaching aspect of the club, as well as their recruitment. 

Explaining his current role, he said on a podcast: “I go into football clubs and I try to find performance-improvement solutions using data and also my experience as a coach.

‘I can translate very well from the boardroom to the pitch, and from the pitch to the boardroom, and also deliver CPD (continuous professional development) or coach mentoring.

‘I’m currently into a period where I am doing a bit of a lot of things, waiting for one thing really to take off. 

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‘(It’s) keeping me busy and I am self-employed with my own business and really enjoying it.’

He was credited with developing Ollie Watkins after giving him his first chance in professional football. Watkins came through the academy of Exeter City and was sold for a reported £1.8m, but the club earned just under £5m when he was sold to Aston Villa for £28m in September 2020.

Tisdale who played for the Gas’ youth team in the 1980s, and later featured for Bristol City, had a short spell in charge of Rovers. He was appointed on a two-and-a-half-year deal but was sacked just three months in, and was replaced by Joey Barton.

In the same season, he took an advisory role up at Colchester United, helping Hayden Mullins keep the club in the Football League. He took over at Stevenage in November 2021, but could only manage three wins in his 21 games in charge at the Lamex Stadium.

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