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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Dushanbe Bhoy
Pal
His it no occurred tae ye..
Using…Occam’s Shaving Implement,,
That
There ur TWO o us.???
NO..
WAN, O US???
Kojo
Still Laughin’ even MAIR..Noo..
Game is on Bet365 if anyone is interested. Hail hail!
COYBIG
Weefra HH
Ernie Lynch
That was cryptic(:-)
TT
The question seems to be,…Are the Mynah Bird & his Obsequious Mimic, in effect, one & the same ?
Does it matter ?
Whatever they are is ANTI-Celtic.
McGinlay Ryder Cup captain
Gotta Scram.. Sam.
See U Folks.. Anon.
Gonna get the gang together tae Watch..
Oor Beloved , Celtic…dae the Transylvanian Polka.
Kojo
Still..Laughin.. like Heidi.
So….The Controversy Rages….
Were Celtic The Only Club To Win The European Cup….
Fielding Only Home-Grown Players ?
What About The Claims Of Steau B. …
In Their Campaign, Which Was Reminiscent Of The Huns Progress To Manchester…?
Possibly The Poorest Team Ever To Win The European Cup..?
Snoozeball…It Was…
And Real Madrid’s Triumph In 1966…
However,When One Considers The Squads Of Each Team…
Which Went Through The Various Ties…
Before Ultimately Lifting The Trophy….
Should We Consider Whether Any/And All Players Who Participated In The Competition….
Could Be Considered Home-Grown Players..?
For Starters…Hungarian-Born Ferenc Puskas Played In Real’s 2-2 Draw With Kilmarnock….
At Rugby Park…..
So Did Celtic Field Anything Other Than Homegrown Players In The ’67 Competition
Rather Than Just In The Final…?
Good man Paul McGinley
Should be a superb captain
Wee high point of today…
Went to meet a lady friend at lunch time for coffee (to go)
Was surprised to be handed a cup emblazoned with a green “union jack” with word “Welcome” in the centre
I liked it, so much I brought it back with me
Good evening friends.
Cannie beat a big European Night. Hope the ESPN commentators don’t spoil the game.
Big Mo for a hat trick!!
If you have an HMV gift card you are now a creditor. And so if there’s a CVA you may get a few pennies in the pound …
Gary Ralston on Snyde ,quite happy to see ” a few hundred bears” at Poundland for the DU beamback.The hundits on Snyde are like a Russian doll,get rid of King and another one appears with the same agenda.
Congratulations, PAUL McGINLEY.
Good Luck to Mag Fhionnghailes everywhere.
We have earned it.
Good news re Paul McGinley- well deserved award. Mind you does this mean we’ll have to endure Montgomerie commentating ?
H x 2
Congrats Paul, Gordon and Henr1k.
Gordon J-Ta,maybe Craigy Bhoy might take them over :}
Sad Servconian at work wondered aloud, when hearing we were playing a friendly tonight, if Bjorn Again were also playing tonight.
Just said, “no just the top teams got a winter break, Diddly teams and tribute acts cannae afford one”.
EC67
BrillianttoseethebhoysagainCSC
……….that’s another Tim in Europe………………..
CSS tonght worse than normal and switched off after 10 minutes. Hun barstewards the lot of them.
Bada Bing,
If they open as The HMV they might get to keep the records … not sure about the CDs and DVDs though.
Good Luck WGS..you’ll need it working with that shower in the SFA
A true CFC man…
where is Lenny?
An outing for ole Bang Bang chicken
Make that COYBIB
Weefra HH
BT
He’s away to a conference or summit.
Weefra HH
Ha ha! ESPN getting their pictures direct from romanian TV, the picture keeps reducing to show banners advertising upcoming romanian shows. This is like a bad internet feed.
Classy ESPN, real classy.
This doesn’t look like behind closed doors to me…..
The usual moaning about Snyde…simple don’t listen to the bawheids….
It is never entertaining and always infuriating
weefra
cheers…
Big mike – took me a long time to listen to the advive on here – make the break and cut them out of your life completely. Best thing I have done for my health sing giving up the old fagarettes when I was at Uni.
BGFC
Lenny is a guest at EPL Managers 2 day seminar along with Mourinho.Sally going to Braehead to see if a late night Greggs open.
Hooper trying like a bear ……wonder why ???
Ooops. advive = advice
Pfayr
I share you opinion on Sooper Hooper.
TT
Mysterious yellow card for Wilson for taking FK too quickly?
….pfayr
18:36 on
15 January, 2013
The usual moaning about Snyde…simple don’t listen to the bawheids….
It is never entertaining and always infuriating
***
That’s what always puzzles me too. Why listen?
It was Izzy apparently as per Gordon Rae