Two years ago, current Inverness manager, John Hughes, was guest of honour at the CQN Golf Day. For around two hours during the meal he spoke privately to me about John Collins.
Hughes worked alongside Collins at Livingston and regarded our new assistant manager as the most insightful, tactically aware and innovative person he’d met in the game. According to Hughes, Collins could see things hidden to others, including himself. He could spot weaknesses in opposition teams and make telling observations about his own players and formations.
When recruiting anyone to the management team we want to hear endorsements like this. Most of the CQN demographic are old enough to remember times when managers’ and assistants’ most important attribute was their ability to bang his first on a table and yell “Get stuck right intae them” with a legendary level of authority.
This model of the desirable manager is still valued by British clubs, it’s a superstition which has been fed by famous and successful table bangers like Sir Alex Ferguson, but Ferguson’s Fist was not the source of his magic touch. More than anything else, Ferguson’s successful longevity was his insistence on appointing insightful, tactically aware innovators as assistants, who were often more switched-on than he was.
I wanted a student of the game as manager but I also want another strong tactical head as assistant. The last thing a manager actually needs as his assistant is his pal, or someone who is good at shouting, or even someone to be a buffer between him and the players. Whoever puts the cones out at Lennoxtown, like the Scottish physio at Chelsea, can be the players’ pal, cum-go-between, cum-nag.
One of football’s many inefficiencies is the managerial structure. Unlike other industries, the responsibility and wage gaps between the man with the top job and his assistant are huge. There is no reason for this, in fact, it’s mad. You always need a hierarchy but the no. 2 should have duties, responsibilities and pay only a fraction less than his immediate superior. The huge disparities in authority which are common do not give you a functioning team, at best you have a less efficient autocracy.
As we’ve said for years, guru managers don’t exist, but good, properly constituted, management teams do.
Those in the management team, responsible for spending millions of pounds of our money each year, of making tactical decisions against the best teams in Europe, need to be oracles of the game. Anything less and we’re indulging in one of football’s glaring and costly inefficiencies.
John Collins fits the profile. He also doesn’t suffer fools, with strong ideas on training, fitness, laxity, drinking, diet and off-field behaviour. For Celtic, all of this is necessary. Footballers are elite athletes but there is enormous variation in how dedicated they are to their personal development. This doesn’t exist in elite participants in sports like athletics, where you don’t get near the podium without a puritanical level of commitment to your development, and to your coach’s instructions.
You can also forget any concerns about Scott Brown. The Scott Brown of 2014, who as Neil Lennon’s captain was responsible for imposing misdemeanor fines on players, is more like John Collins than he is like the Scott Brown of 2007.
Over the last seven years we have built the sports science, medical, technical analysis and scouting capacity, all of which are particularly impressive, but the management team has always had a homespun feel about it. In 10 years of CQN I’ve never backed a Celtic management appointment, but with the appointment of Ronny Deila and John Collins we have a new type of management team. There are no guarantees of immediate success in any walk of life, and Champions League qualification this season will still be exposed to the vagaries of sport, but I’m delighted we finally have what looks like a properly constituted team in the dug out.
Visit the CQN Bookstore to get Tommy Gemmell to sign your personal copy of his book, All the Best.
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Danny Murphy
MWD- Burd/bird is a common term of endearment ,for one of the human female species
Mlopp
Bada bing
I was not concerning myself with the bird/burd bit it was the reference to News that upset me. You need a diversity course.
MWD says AYE
My second grass of the last 2 days. Not only have a I met young Master Watt, I have also met the Sharp Suited Man. I was the representative of a partner of the club. Weirdly, I was more impressed with his knowledge of the club than his commercial acumen.
That said, I was happy with Barnes/KK, reasonably relaxed about Mowbray, liked O’Neill, was frustrated with WGS, loved Lenny, wanted Roy Keane, but am happier with Ronny/JC. i.e. I form opinions and am regularly wrong.
Anyone else posting using an iPhone right now?
MWD says AYE
“I think it’s a foul” Is this plonker for real?
MWD- You’ve lost me
MWD says AYE
Aye me bro
Did pitbull hang around after the opening ceremony to manage chile
Posted fae ma aye phone.
MWD:
Aye, me.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Bada
MWD wasn’t digging you…don’t worry I got it….Chile score
Brill goal Chile
John Collins can count himself unlucky to have played at Celtic
under a host of bad managerial appointments….
1.Billy McNeill, who’s stock was on the wane and especially having just recruited,
Martin Hayes.
2.Liam Brady – Never was, never will be a manager.
3.Lou Macari who, funnily enough…made JC the captain when he led us out at
an ibrox with no Celtic fans present and was by the looks of things, going to break-up the
failed midfield axis of McStay & Grant and, looked like he had the ‘myths’ number which was to play him at his own game and – park the bus!
4.Tommy Burns(RIP) who, failed to deal with the failed midfield axis of McSay & Grant.
Canny wait until JC’s fingerprints are all over the football format at CP.
Off oot.
Try telling Multi-millionaires to get their fingers oot.
MWD-Penny has dropped…..eventually
Help!
:-)
MWD says AYE
The way my bets are going …if I lay off Cameroon win and draw to cover my line Croatia will win 5-0
Keep doing correct scores…..waste of F’in time
Kev-J
Away back to your Dandy ya walloper.
voguepunter
20:23 on 18 June, 2014
___________________
Aye, after you.
Shorties take on the wee bhoys letter………………….
…………………….
“Shortbread understands that Peter Lawwell is once again at the centre of a scandal that will rock scoddish fooo’ball.
Reporting exclusively on this evolving situation in Glasgow’s east end – Awwy Wamont has uncovered a letter from Celtic’s current controversial Chief Exec that purports to condone underage labour.
The offending letter sent only a matter of days ago has been reviewed by the Sports dept and unanimously condemned.
Commenting on this damning and sinister revelation professional pundit and Celtic critic Murder McLoud has called for the head of the hapless Chief Exec.
With more on this furore we pass over live to “Parkhead where Chic is eagerly waiting to ask some loaded questions to carefully chosen rockets………… “
Kev-J
The astute Lou Macari said before the game it was Frank Connors team….
changed his mind after game.
How much are Celtic charging for hosting the Tiddlywink games that are disrupting the start of our season ?
voguepunter
20:29 on 18 June, 2014
___________________
Yer talking about the wrong game.
You mean the 2-1 victory, I’m talking about the 1-1 draw when
the Celtic fans were banned.
Frank Connor was long gone by then, but that widny stop you
fae being twisted, eh?
It’s great on here without all that independence malarkey hail hail
Kev-J
Sorry Kev I get mixed up with this pish instead of last weeks. awrabest
Just had a salesman in the house giving me a quote for some work we need done.It’s the first time I’ve splurted out a laugh when getting the price.Don’t think he’s really going to be waiting for the call.
voguepunter
20:35 on 18 June, 2014
___________________
U2
Off oot.
:)))
In an Independent Scotland malarkey will be a requirement or your oot!
MWD says AYE
Chile are currently a bigger price than Engerland to win the WC
Come in you Catalan Independence Spain players. Job done!
MWD says AYE
Twisty’s Genny Wren in to 5/1 they bookies don’t take many chances…was thinking
33/1 shot :O(
….pfayr supports weeoscar
I have bet Chile, first of a double tonight…:)
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Evening Bhoys
Espana struggling, could be doomed .
Out
Spain look REALLY tired … Oops 2-0