Celtic assistant manager, Chris Davies, met Harry Brady of Celtic Underground, PaulT from ByTheMinute Celtic and myself in dressing room at Lennoxtown on Monday. Harry recorded the interview for podcasting, which you can access here.
The overreaching observation from the conversation is that Chris Davies is not an assistant manager who is there just to put the cones out, or be some kind of go-between, sorting out frictions between manager and players. His primary responsibility is to get tactical aspects of the team plan right.
You don’t stroll into a dressing room and expect your subject to tell you he has learned from Professor Steve Peters, author of The Chimp Paradox, but Chris explained this is where he, and his mentor, Brendan Rodgers, have been in their quest to put players on the field in the best possible condition, physically and mentally.
He talks about building a player and about the team collective, “11 players, one brain”. How this approach gives the coaching staff a structure to rehabilitate a player who is out of form, something we have seen markedly with Dedryck Boyata and Craig Gordon.
Player feedback is also an important aspect of management at Lennoxtown. Every training session is videoed and the coaches are in before 7am to get the day’s preparation underway. In the afternoons they discuss each player, his metrics and what they should speak to him about. Players are expected to “be their best every single day in training”.
I got the feeling that the Shankly adage that players need their brains to be in their feet doesn’t apply to this Celtic team. A big part of what players are asked to do is improve their decision-making.
There are lots of gems in the inverview, “The (5-1) game against Rangers was a statement game; we blew them away”.
One of the critical parts of the season was the second half away to Hapoel Be’re Shiva. Celtic were 2-0 down on the night, playing poorly and a single goal away from elimination from the Champions League qualfiers.
Chris talked about the pressure of that occasion, how the players and he fed off Brendan Rodgers’ experience and got the job done.
The interview (available here) gives a great and rare insight into what’s going on behind the scenes at Celtic, you’ll enjoy it.
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Best of luck to the Bhoys tonight. Here’s hoping for another comprehsive victory with a goal for Griff thrown in for good measure.
HH from rainy Éire
Personally I can’t see GMS starting tonight, even with both Roberts and Forrest unavailable.
Think BR will go with McGregor starting, and possibly Gamboa to provide width on the right.
Possible line-up.
Gordon
Gamboa Boyata Sviatchenko Tierney
Brown Bitton Armstrong McGregor
Dembele Sinclair
HH!!
RON67
It’s funny I’ve posted (probably boringly) often, over the years on here about left sided players playing on the right, and right sided players playing on the left.
James Forrest IMHO plays best on his natural side on the right whereas Patrick Roberts is the opposite, and plays best coming inside onto his left foot from the right. KC was another.
GMS was injured when BR arrived and he’s is getting his fair chance nowadays because he is naturally wide, more so than Callum McGregor whom he’s overtaken for a starting berth.
Unless, Brendan changes it all around again.
Tonight’s team v ICT
Gordon, Lustig, Boyata, Sviatchenko, Tierney; Brown, Bitton; Mackay-Steven, Armstrong, Sinclair; Dembele
GMS will start I think with Mikel replacing Gamboa
Subs: De Vrie, Gamboa, Izaguirre, Toure, Henderson, McGregor, Griffiths
VFR,
aye, but now i think about it the guy talking to you, actually called you by your first name, i should have known then,
will say hello when i see you.
rare inclusion for toure.
JFH
Glad to hear your wife’s home & on the mend ! VFR/ BABASONICOS
thoughts & prayers
No surprises tonight.
Gms was the man to replace James on Saturday so naturally he’s to do likewise tonight.
The big surprise I spose is JJ and BT calling it right ;p
HH
Paul67,
Thank You very much for the link to the Chris and Brendan interviews.
Tremendous.
Efe – Legend.
Whoever gets that Player…. they are a VERY LUCKY Club.
Not missed one day of Training. Astonishing.
Bhardwaj was getting so excited about the prospect of the Portuguese guy managing sevco that you would have thought Judith had been brought in as a late sub for Sean Batty to do the weather.
bournesouprecipe on 1st March 2017 4:47 pm
Interesting team selection tonight with Wee Jamesie out, reckon GMS likely to start to provide the width
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Not so keen on GMS on the right. Think him and Jamesie are both better on their “wide” side. Roberts and Sinclair better on their inside side.
Maybe need Mikel to get forward. Hopefully not at the expense of defensive duties!
new article posted.
I was hoping the fitba would be on BT. It is on Sky.
I’ll start watching just before the game kicks off then.
Not having a retrospective go at Ronny but this year there is little or no angst at team selections, substitutes or timing of substitutions.
It was a never ending saga last year.