The phrase Poisoned Chalice could have been written with the Scotland national team manager’s job in mind. Even in the 80s when we had great players, and the likes of Stein and Ferguson in charge, a sense of under-achievement followed Scotland in tournament football.
In Gordon Strachan’s favour as he takes over at Hampden today, is the 14 years in the wilderness which has reset expectations to ‘Incredibly Modest’. This contrasts with his arrival at Celtic Park seven and a half years ago, a few weeks after the messianic Martin O’Neill left the premises. Then expectations were huge, but Gordon had to achieve put a winning team on the field while curtailing expenditure against rapidly increasing budgets in the English game.
The result was not always pretty but it was effective. He became only the third manager in our history to win three-in-a-row and took us to the knock out stages of the Champions League twice, eclipsing O’Neill’s achievement in Europe’s top tournament. Few could have measured up so well.
In 2006, when he won the league at the earliest date in the history of Scottish football, he took his players, backroom and support staff onto the field in a moving movement of triumph. The stoicism with which he clung onto the league campaign in 2008, when all seemed lost, was remarkable. There can be few more enjoyable ways to win the league than from a 15 point deficit in April – one of the great times to be a Celtic supporter. When his team ran out of steam in 2009 he left the scene with much less fanfare than he deserved.
Of all the former Celts working in the media Gordon is truest to the club. Celtic is his team and the joy he gets as a supporter is evident. Such comment will be tempered now he is Scotland manager, but we wish him every success.
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starry plough
09:18 on 16 January, 2013
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F#ck frogs !
Why not go oot and bring in some half-decent players and stop insulting us wi
all these – trialists/loans/bosmans etc….
FFSM…..no wonder the stadiums half-empty !?!?!
Starryplough,
It used to be a horse until, erm, recently when it stopped coming to work and now it’s a duck wearing baggy trousers.
Happy to help.csc
a ceiler gonof rust02:31 on16 January, 2013
>>>>
Coudnae reply coz I was asleep! Even CQN addicts like me have to take a break. After all, I’m only human…..I think.
HH!
Miami Vice,Scooby Doo,Duran Duran and all that there and all.
16 roads – Neil Lennon walks on water.
09:22 on 16 January, 2013
KevJungle – There are thousands of folk walking around the streets today whom are still trapped in the 80′s.
You are not alone.
_________________________________________________________
Ye see it’s this – Jungle thingy…CP – electric for 4 CL games a season
is NO substitute for the days of the Jungle. imo
Only saying like…..
Thought Bangura took his goal really well. Apart from that there was little to get excited about. Still, back to the real thing on Saturday.
http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRM_poi7zhNnxKqvQI00cUBLZ6qHOrEuOzOG5Cz91w2n8SwiBljKA
Good morning from a cold ( -4.5c ) sunny York. Hope young Rogic can do the business for us. It does look like we are searching everywhere for young players, finally we seem to have a decent scouting network…
Said it before……………
it’s the lack, total absence of love for The Club that gives ’em away……………….
…they can’t help it, cos they’ve never had it………..
genuinely.
Starry PLough
That image was in answer to your question about Jabba and Frogs
Steinreignedsupreme@09:28
Good to see Stokes back as well.
I’m led to believe that we have a years option on his contract which has to be activated (or not) by end of May hence the relaxed state over any discussions of a new deal
Some people may appear stuck in the 80’s because the politics are still the same, wages (in real terms) are just as meagre, ultra-thatcherism rules the roost, music is ripped off from the era, ‘fashion’ is a pale imitation thereof, and the royals are still pumped intae oor noggins like a mental fairy cake.
Apart from that, things are a lot worse, and Bigot F.C. is zombified.
Even Duran Duran are praised as ‘innovative’. Dear god awmighty.
Dharma Bam \o/ stands up for Neil Lennon,
Thanks for the reminder to copy my message in case it’s deleted. I’ll use ******* in future.
Again, apologies for the language violation, I’ll accept a yellow card should one be offered for my 09.04 post.
HH
Dharma Bam
My ears are burning. Let’s hear your duck jokes then. Come and have a go if you think you’re hard enough. Or are you chicken?
snake plissken 09:30 on 16 January, 2013:
>>>>>
Dearie me….is that a self portrait? Ugly, or what?
: > )
Ten Men Won The League 09:32 on 16 January, 2013
“Good to see Stokes back as well.
“I’m led to believe that we have a years option on his contract which has to be activated (or not) by end of May hence the relaxed state over any discussions of a new deal”
Hopefully we can sort something out. His domestic record is very impressive. We have missed him in certain games this season.
I don’t know much about Rogic, but he appears to have had quite a few suitors. Hopefully, we have unearthed another diamond.
Is he off oot… yet?
Anyone who misses hordes of Orcs turning up and bellowing at you telling you to go home and who likes to listen to the “electricity” of that kind of atmosphere needs to have a look at themselves.
Celtic vs Barcelona
OR
the last ever derby fixture?
There is no contest in atmosphere. Celtic’s European nights are the greatest nights of my life.
Celtic vs any team in Europe (even the lesser lights) has produced better and healthier atmosphere’s than anything we ever had when we played the perma-raging supremacist loons.
A CEILER GONOF RUST 0904
Sometimes beating about the bush joooooost disnae work,eh?
miki67
Not me. I’m no that skinny sadly.
Tom McLaughlin @ 3 45 .
Anna Karenina ?
For what it’s worth ——.
I have seen it [ dubbed Italian ]
Great to look at , A visual treat but I found it all style and very little substance . Vronsky really annoyed me . The Director seems to have been really intent on showing what a good Director he is .——he succeeds but very much to the detriment of any narrative .. Glossy , superficial and lacks depth.
The Greta Garbo version is way better [IMO]
Dharma……
……no.
He just changed hats.
KevJungle – That was your time.
Say 79-86?
It had to be exciting…some legendary Celtic sides,managers and players.
And the Jungle,obviously.
I can understand why you yearn for a return of those glory days,but it’s 2013 now.
You will always have the memories though,but there is no way of going back to the 80’s.
Well I take it the a l’orange jokes are out.
Chicken? Moi?!
I wouldn’t be surprised if you were the fake, in fact, I bet they could only make pate de fraud gras from you.
The troll would be oot his depth in a car park puddle…
If you had a duck as an alarm clock, could it wake you up at the quack of dawn?
oh and please nae mare horse puns!
Je suis le vrai canard pantalon!
A Ceiler Gonof Rust
09:37 on 16 January, 2013
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Let me say m8 that – there’s no falling-oot from me.
What you said is quite tame in comparison to what
most of the blog think when I’m on here…..
I didny mean to annoy you personally or, anyone on here
but, here’s the thing…I have devoutly/actively followed the tic since
the 71/72 season so…I would say that having amassed all of that experience
under my belt should, I would imagine, allow me to offer a certain angle on how I see Celtic FC being run – on and off the pitch – just like everyone else on here.
I can’t stand – DD or ANY of his hierarchy who run the club !
Surely I’m entitled to THAT angle ?
To cut a long story short – when we’re bringing in amounts of £50-60+mill per season then – surely it’s not seeking to bankrupt the club if I would expect at least – £5 mill of that money to be put back onto the pitch again – EVERY – season ?!?!?
HH
All the best m8
We move on – CSC
ACGR
So long as everyone has him sussed.
johann murdoch.
I’ll be at the game Saturday.I have your L&T to bring to you.
… and I get up at the quack of dawn every morning…
johann
re horses, have you spoken to the auld yin recently?
spoke last week and he hasn’t been in tip top form..
Ooh, page podium quack and dry foam!
Just watching doco of Queen: Days of Our Lives.
Sammi is a dead ringer for Freddy Mercury.
M
16 roads – Neil Lennon walks on water.
09:42 on 16 January, 2013
I can understand why you yearn for a return of those glory days,but it’s 2013 now.
You will always have the memories though,but there is no way of going back to the 80′s.
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Ah but – you can !
Look at the German leagues !!!
Re-introduced standing room ans – lift-off !!!
Only saying like….
HH
ans=and
sorry
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01pz8d4/Harry_and_Pauls_Magnificent_Sporting_Moments/
Some funny lines in a very good p*** take