Martin O'Neill eventually passed on him. In 2001 the controversial then-Bradford City striker was being eyed up in a rumoured swap deal involving Tommy Johnson going the other way - but it fell through because because the Irish boss felt Collymore wouldn't handle the Glaswegian spotlight.Now long retired, he finds it hard to disagree.That a renowned man-manager in O'Neill didn't fancy rehabilitating him at Celtic is a sure sign.
In his Daily Mirror column, Collymore wrote: "A lot of my issues and trusting the wrong people came a bit later, between 27 and 30. "And I know they cost me because I was told by a number of scouts and managers that they’d be looking at me but the question marks stopped them taking a chance.Get all the latest Celtic.
Read more on dailyrecord.co.uk