By universal consent, Celtic appointed the best possible manager when Ange Postecoglou took over last summer. Views at the time varied significantly. Practically none of us had heard of him, some immediately took the view that he was some cheap fodder (reflecting their general world view), the best the rest of us could hope for is that he had talents we were unaware of. The Aussies know, though.
Getting a managerial appointment right is notoriously difficult. Today, Manchester United, the club formerly known as the richest in the world, appointed their fifth permanent manager since Alex Ferguson left nine years ago. Two of the most successful names in the game, Louis van Gaal and Jose Mourinho came and went without issue. Davie Moyes, who continues to impress at West Ham, was laughed out of town within a year.
For three years until November, they were in the hands of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who achieved merit in three years at Molde, but ready for such a task? Never.
Even when you have every agent on the planet touting their wares, when you can snap your fingers and get anyone’s ear, fitting the right person to the most important job is remarkably difficult.
After five years at Ajax, Erik ten Hag will take over at Old Trafford in June. He enjoyed two exceptional Champions League campaigns, won two titles and leads this season. He also lost home and away to Rosenborg in the Europa League qualifiers after Celtic eliminated Rosenborg from the Champions League.
I put his chances of success in Manchester at no more than 25%. If the fundamentals of a football club are right, it will recover from setbacks, it not, all it can do it apply lipstick to some bacon. For all our season of angst, Celtic’s fundamentals were just fine. The evidence can be found on the pitch and by consulting the league table.
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Who would win in a fight between Dorus de Vries and Vassilas Barkas?
We are apprehensive about a trip to Dingwall and Ross County…..it has come to this! Mind you the Ibrox brand would be likewise in our position. Let’s hope we can secure the title, take a deep breath and plan for next season…..with a good manager making good decisions, in good time.
79CAPS on 21ST APRIL 2022 3:55 PM
JHB
Why? I suspect Gerrard got in touch with him.
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I thought so too at the time. Gerrard is a huge figure with huge influence at Liverpool, even more so than Dalglish – no doubt the heir apparent.
Marvin Compper
Cost: £1million.
Appearances: 1.
JHB on 21ST APRIL 2022 4:10 PM
79CAPS on 21ST APRIL 2022 3:55 PM
JHB
Why? I suspect Gerrard got in touch with him.
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I thought so too at the time. Gerrard is a huge figure with huge influence at Liverpool, even more so than Dalglish – no doubt the heir apparent.
* the heir apparent that was getting the bums rush fae Mellwood to tea boy at Anfield until clarence came calling
GREENPINATA @1:47 PM
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Agree with all you say…..and let’s forget Ibrox meantime – but why are clubs like Bodo so much better than us, as witnessed earlier this season? They taught us a serious lesson – if we get their standard next season it will be progress.
TONTINE TIM @ 4:18
* the heir apparent that was getting the bums rush fae Mellwood to tea boy at Anfield until clarence came calling
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Is that just your opinion, or, is there evidence to substantiate? I have never heard that story from any Liverpool supporter – I know a good few.
Tontine.
‘Until Clarence came calling’
Your a wordsmith.
🤣🤣🤣
HH
Top teams in England sign players hoping they will make it but if not sell them on at a big profit….see Kent.
AT
I don’t think we are that fit,we tire a lot in the second half especially against “rangers”.
Non specific point
Some excellent posts today. Good debate, differences of opinion.
When CQN is good it is very, very good
The Villa aren’t doing great – 15th- 4 loses in the last 4 games : what you’d give for a penalty, eh?
JACKIEMAC
Or a Scottish referee .
dearie me, scared to go to dingwall on a fine spring afternoon,
G Mak back in full training
UNCLE JIMMY @ 4:38
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Hear hear!!!
The best blog around – room and respect for all……most of the time.
Google is your friend.
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Google “Scottish Premiership Champions”. You’ll be amazed, I tell ya! #GoingFor55 😜
https://twitter.com/hunskelper__/status/1516785829917741056
Don’t think anyone is “scared to go to Dingwall”. I, and I’m sure the overwhelming number of the Celtic family, would have given their right arm to be in this position at the end of August ’21.
Apprehensive? Yes! The game means so much, we go off the back of a disappointing result & performance,the hosts are in fine form…and we have come unstuck in the Highlands in the past….. so yes, in my opinion, rightly wary.
68 yellows and 3 red cards in 31 games this season GDT compared to 26 yellows, zero reds in 33 games last year in the spfl. SG must be in absolute shock.
TIMHORTON on 21ST APRIL 2022 4:32 PM
Top teams in England sign players hoping they will make it but if not sell them on at a big profit….see Kent.
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Indeed they can Tom,and the money they get solely from the sky TV deal means they can suck in talent through well financed scouting and transfer operation on a global scale.
Their champions receipt from TV deals (£100m+)
Is greater than ours by a factor of fifty(50)
Then the added bonus of CL monies
Sometimes,with being next door to the richest and best financed league in the world we forget that imo.
In Scotland here,it would be like asking how the Canadian basketball league is doing next door to
the hugely successful NBA which takes in all talent.
As clubs it’s buy,loan and sell players as asset management,all along the tightrope of the length of a players contract.i would suggest epl affects every club ex real,barca and psg
The historical comparisons will always be there,but the
Financial ones are now like lookin at Earth from Pluto and its getting further.
HH
CONEYBHOY I would put Bain and Mc Carthy on the transfer window this summer ,Dembele will probably leave as he hasn’t been given up till now a new contract,Liam Scales along with the 2 Lads from Sheffield Wednesday and a few from the development squad who aren’t going to make it into the first team .
BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 21ST APRIL 2022 4:06 PM
Who would win in a fight between Dorus de Vries and Vassilas Barkas?
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well, barkas would stand his ground as he never dives and de Vries wouldn’t throw a punch
Mexican stand off!
With 5 games left, every game will have us on the edge until we are mathematically safe,
There is no shame in that, you could be knocking in 2 or 3 ft putts for fun all year round but now you are in contention for the Captain’s Prize you are leading 5 holes to play and you are standing over a 3 footer, bloody sure you would be nervous.
TIMBHOY163 on 21ST APRIL 2022 5:20 PM
CONEYBHOY I would put Bain and Mc Carthy on the transfer window this summer ,Dembele will probably leave as he hasn’t been given up till now a new contract,Liam Scales along with the 2 Lads from Sheffield Wednesday and a few from the development squad who aren’t going to make it into the first team .
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i left McCarthy out purely as he would cost a fortune to pay off. Will be interesting to see what happens there.
i was touch and go on Dembele but you are probably right. Scales has just arrived and got games; Urhoghide (yes I googled the spelling) seems to be doing well on loan so i sat on the fence there too
Hear hear!!!
The best blog around – room and respect for all……most of the time.
I wiz gonnae but a’ll no, no this time.
CORKCELT@5:54
Team sport a bit different imo.
TIMHORTON on 21ST APRIL 2022 4:38 PM
AT
I don’t think we are that fit,we tire a lot in the second half especially against “rangers”.
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I was at the game on Sunday,got in quite early,the warm up looked quite intense.but I don’t have the knowledge of where that prematch schedule fits in the whole sports science schedule.overtraining can be as much a problem as not training enough
Yeh players did tire mare,to many were off form and we did not react to the cluggers tactically
It was a bad day,augmented by it being.so any queries or problems are magnified.
We are improving,we are using every method possible to gain advantage,and we didn’t in the past.I am sure Sunday will be reviewed and the results will get better.
Alas too,sometimes we loose,it’s flow we learn from it.
HH
By being them Tim,should read
Tim, I’m talking from the perspective of the individual fan, not the Team.
You are playing Ross County mid season you are relatively relaxed but playing them now with games running out and the big Prize within touching distance is a much more nerve wracking situation.
I can only talk for myself but that is how I feel anyway.
G-mack was hopeless and a dud according to some of the roasters on here.judged him after two games.now he is the saviour.a guy that scores 30 goals in the dutch league is obviously a good player.some on here had him as the new cascarino.they are the duds
the way to rationalise the prize is to stop dwelling on 5 games to go, or 3 wins from 5, the approach has to be, must be, should only be, WIN THE NEXT GAME, nothing else, everything else is distraction, tactics by others to unsettle, get into anyones heads. sow a seed of doubt.
train to get ready for the next game, plot the team for the next opponent, know who is ready, even who might be knackered. pick the team accordingly, dont go changins systems just because.
its another 3 point closer, nothing else is relevant.
on REO.
caught up on his real interview today, and translated by a japanese colleague (we finally got an employee that speaks english and likes football).
So her interpretation was –
he is emotionally fatigued NOT BY THE SCHEDULE here alone, it was going from Scotland to AUSTRALIA, back to JAPAN, then back to Scotland that had his head spinning, first time ever he had represented his country while playing oversease , and effectively the other side of the world. never travelled that far before in such a short period of time, but he had to go as not going would not be an option for him or anyother of the players.
In Japan, to reset between games, he had his own routine that allowed him to step away, but has not got that so far in scotland (I am guessing it the meditation type of thing)
also talks about not having a break in 17 MONTHS, BUT BUT BUT he accepts this, that is what he accpets to be at the top in football.
so somehow that is intepretted as emotionally and physically knackered, readt to go home (on hun blogs) and not happy.
he never said he was unhappy, unsettled or needing a rest, he did actually say ready to go again.
i bet he scores or assists IF PICKED on sunday.
oh and he is 24 by the way, and never lvied anywhere else.
A Scottish Tory council election candidate has been dumped by his party after he was linked to a series of bigoted posts made on an online forum.
Greg Turner, who is standing to become a councillor for the Barrhead ward on East Renfrewshire Council, referred to a local Catholic high school as a “bigot factory” in a discussion about catchment areas.
The Tory was behind a profile known as “MearnsUnionist” on an online discussion board.
In one post, he described what he viewed as a change in the Stamperland neighbourhood in Clarkston following the opening of St Ninian’s high school in nearby Giffnock.
He said: “A lot of pape families moved in so they could get their kids to the best performing bigot factory in Scotland.”
He added: “Obviously there’s still a decent amount of good guys in that area too, but there’s definitely been an infiltration over time.”
In another post, the MearnsUnionist account posted: “Barrhead has by far the biggest population of mentally challengeds in East Renfrewshire.”
Turner was tonight dropped by the Tories after the Record presented the party with details of its investigation.
A spokesman for the Conservatives said: “This candidate has been suspended after a number of completely unacceptable posts emerged.”
The Record understands the party will no longer support Turner’s campaign – but his name will still appear on ballot papers as the deadline for nominations has passed.
Turner will be referred to the Conservatives’ disciplinary panel for further action.
The candidate had previously been pictured out on the campaign trail in East Renfrewshire with former Scottish Conservatives leader Jackson Carlaw.
Nil By Mouth, a leading charity against sectarianism, said: “Correct that this individual dropped as a candidate for such hateful remarks.
“But he remains on ballot as they are printed/posted out already.
“Strong argument for party to leaflet all voters in ward prior to May 5 outlining why he’s suspended and asking them not to vote for him.”
Turner said: “I apologise unreservedly for my comments. I completely regret them and apologise for any offence caused.”
SAINT STIVS on 21ST APRIL 2022 4:47 PM
dearie me, scared to go to dingwall on a fine spring afternoon,
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Me and Da might have procured two tickets for the Home end (shhhhhh….)
HH
WeeBGFC
IncognitoCSC
One positive about missing out on the treble this season, it will delay Ange’s move to the Premier League :-)
thatd fine and dandy and glad for youse both.
as Garry was always telling us, one of the safer venues, and a not so rabid support,
go get us them 3 points young fella.
I am not in India.
I have never been in India.
I dont know why the opposition think I was in India, or why I would even go to India when everyone knows I am leading a resistant movement in the Donbas. And I am the only hope for a peaceful Europe.
At moments like this I worry that the democratic will of the British people is being ignored.
And to clarify again, no I am not in India
https://i.inews.co.uk/content/uploads/2016/12/GettyImages-494163529.jpg