The Art of Winning an Unfair Game
After Neil Lennon resigned we discussed how Celtic have recently appointed managers to address the most glaring deficiency of the previous boss. Gordon Strachan bought in value markets, whereas Martin O’Neill pretty much bought players who appeared on Match of the Day or Sportscene.
Despite his success, Gordon was manager of Celtic, not the leader of the club; there was always some distance between him and a section of the support. As a consequence, we next appointed the guy who ‘invented’ the Celtic huddle.
Tony Mowbray was close to our hearts, but he was also a flop of a Celtic manager. People inside the club knew this from the first week he was there when he asked to spend close to £4m on Marc-Antoine Fortune.
Tony was out of sync with scouts and coaches. How do you fix that? You appoint one of the coaches who saw it all happen.
Neil Lennon didn’t have many obvious deficiencies. If we were to ask what his weakness was, there would be a range of answers.
Perhaps as a consequence, we’ve gone out with a clear remit: our manager should be intelligent, technically capable, insightful, and have a progressive and modern approach to the game. He must dovetail with the infrastructure we have worked so hard to build up, and be in tune with strategy.
All we know today is that the criteria for the job was correct and our man matches that criteria.
Ronny is one of the scientific innovators in the game who has had the ‘Moneyball’ tag applied. Back in 2009 I wrote about the books, Moneyball, and the football spin-off, Why England Lose (now re-launched as Soccernomics). I also put a copy of Why England Lose into the hands of a senior decision maker at the club.
The point about Moneyball and this type of analysis cannot be abbreviated in few short sentences, and it is certainly not as prosaic as ‘buying low and selling high’ – that’s old news now, which makes it a dead topic as far as Moneyball is concerned. The Michael Lewis book which did so much to publicise ‘sports economics’ was actually titled, Moneyball – The Art of Winning an Unfair Game.
The Art of Winning an Unfair Game
The game is unfair because others have more money, or more experience, or more sympathy with officials, or whatever your circumstances dictate. But most sports are also full of enormous inefficiencies.
Football clubs are hostages to ridiculous forces, just listen to the names within the game who urged Celtic to appoint a well-known name in order to put bums on seats. Some clubs do this – put a ‘name’ in, in the hope they sell some tickets, without realising there are enormously difficult football games ahead.
The football industry is top-heavy with fools with big budgets who don’t know what they are doing. Celtic’s job is to build a team who can compete at an ever-higher level in the Champions League. To get there we need a ruthless conviction against the inefficient nonsense which paralyses the rest of the game.
In 10 years I’ve never once agreed with a Celtic managerial appointment. I welcomed Gordon, Tony and Neil while saying the board have made the wrong decision. All of these appointments are risky, there are no guarantees – for short-term or long-term success. Guru managers don’t exist and Ronny has years of work ahead of him to build Celtic ever-higher, but I couldn’t be happier at his appointment. Eye on the prize…. it’s all about winning.
Welcome to Celtic, Ronny, you’re going to love it here, but keep your kilt on.
All of this and 300 Celtic fans at the CQN the Lisbon Lions gig in Greenock tonight! Hold me back!
Lladro replica World Cup trophy
My thanks to Liam, from East Kilbride, who donated his prize memento, a Lladro replica World Cup trophy, commissioned by the Spanish FA in 1978, and acquired by Liam in 1982. It will be auctioned on Saturday with proceeds going to our Mary’s Meals school kitchen appeal. You can get involved in the auction, or keep an eye on it as it happens, here. The auction takes place at Great Western Auctions, on Dumbarton Road.
Visit the CQN Bookstore to get Tommy Gemmell to sign your personal copy of his tome, All the Best.
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St Margaret’s Airdire, eh?
Here goes…
My Grandfather was the Headmaster of St Margaret’s for 20 years until he retired in the 60s. Interesting guy Eddie, although he died when I was quite young so I have only memories of an old laughing gentleman in a starched shirt and waistcoat.
He was born in Edinburgh in 1901. In 1915, aged 14 he enlisted. When his father found out, (his father was a teacher btw) he ran down to the barracks, managed to get him released and took him home, much against Eddie’s wishes!
The following year Eddie did it again; enlisted. This father this time said… to hang with him. He was invalided out of the Somme later that year with one of his brothers. Their older brother Peter wasn’t so fortunate and his remains were never identified.
Being a ‘veteran’ at age 17, Eddie qualified for grant support and went on to university, History, and then teacher training, where he met Sissie. They married and had 4 children, the youngest of which my mother. When Eddie got the heidie job at St Margaret’s, the family moved to Airdrie and Sissie taught at the school too.
Eddie’s interest in History remained though, and he continued to research and write in his own time. His research was widely published, winning the Queens Medal amongst other awards.
Eddie’s father, as I mentioned, was a teacher. So was his father. His grandfather was… also a teacher. This was Edinburgh in the mid 1800s, Cowgate, and a small but growing Irish community, displaced by the famine, found focus around the Church and its activities. A football team was formed, and Eddie’s grandfather was one of the original members. You’ll find his name on the list of the founders of Hibernian FC.
So far, we have Eddie, his father and his grandfather all teachers, and Eddie’s wife Sissie, also a teacher. Eddie and Sissie’s children studied medicine and became doctors, all of them except the youngest, my mother, who became… a teacher.
Anyone who went to St Francis primary in the Gorbals in the 70s would probably have been taught by her. Later she took the Headteacher role at St Pats in Stra’ven where rumour has it, she so inspired a young Weefra to the virtues of academic studies that he took up farming.
She had met my father at a church dance in St Anthony’s Govan. He was studying engineering and following graduation, became… a teacher. If you studied Science at Holyrood in the 60’s, my father doubtless belted you. He was quite handy with the tawse by his own account. (He later went back to Uni, took his PhD and made a distinguished career in engineering research).
And here I am, on this blog in 2014, the product of 5 generations of teachers, one of whom formed Hibernian FC.
What hope have I got?
At least I can cling onto Ronny Deila.
Up the teachers.
prosinecki
Just on the McClair chit chat first time I saw him in the flesh was at hampen against the souness XI in league cup final he scored a screamer that day into the celtic end and tony shepherd was shown a red card and wasn’t sent off but that disgrace to gingers was
a quick question for those with a better memory than me…
The game before the lou macari testimonial against dundee utd(I think)….I remember Murdo slamming a free kick from 35 yards- did it go in or hit the bar? (a very sunny day I remember but not the goals!)
HH
There are a few very well informed football bhoys in this site
A few would be anoraks
Most of us try our best
However
Is there a more ill informed individual than Ryecatcher
Constant inaccurate disinformation .. It must be intentional .. No one can be that bad surely
Dallas Dallas where the heck is Dallas
still can’t believe he was dropped :)
Cowiebhoy
we’d have gubbed your Maggies at fitba :)
Read a lot of on line articles-catching up from yesterday-and in the main a lot of positivity about Ronny Bhoy. It’s a pity some of our ex players continue to carp and moan and attempt to spread negativity…you’d think some posted on here!
HH
Ian Robertson on 5live doing a Rob McClean impersonation as New Zealand score a try against England
The Battered Bunnet
10:17 on
7 June, 2014
Mrs 67ECW is a teacher – you have my respect
However I will say one thing – I have tried over the near 30 years of marriage to “teach” her that I am not one of her pupils – she often talks to me like Im 12 – I swear that if I get home too late and full of exuberance she tries to give me 100 lines(I know old school)
67ECW
67 heaven
There probably three or four areas of that last post which could be actionable :-))
Though big suttons comments about ronny gettin the job are a bit disrespectful. He reckons larsson or Keane should have got it as they would put bums on seats for league games if we failed to get into champions league and ronny will be under severe pressure if we fail to make it. Ffs give the man a chance. Strachan failed in his first season to get champions league as did Lenny.
Jose Mourinho wouldn’t fill the stadium for league games in the current climate.
Lets hope ole Ronny makes all the pundits eat their words
Remember these are the same guys talking up McCoist
As for Walker .., never any better than a tosser .., his masters voice
Sutton is skint … Anything for a pound .. Shame
Tbb- I enjoyed that.
We now know who to blame for kafflikk skools
My friends in Celtic,
Reading back this morning I think this post covers my thoughts perfectly :-
Colour Blind Bhoy @ 07.24hrs.
“Very impressed with Ronny’s press conference, intelligent, articulate, streetwise, humour, ambition, class and humility.
Off to work with a spring in my step and an even higher sense of excitement for the season ahead.
Welcome to Celtic Ronny and Hail Hail”
—————————————————–
For myself, my initial scepticism has given way to excitement and anticipation. I doubt any of the “favourites ” could have given me this feeling.
PL may just have pulled a rabbit out the hat.
Time will be the judge, but the signs are extremely positive.
Goodbye NFL you will always get Celtic, and we the Celtic supporters will always get you, but roll on a fresh dawn
HH to all.
TBB – uplifting stuff – thanks for that.
Your mum will have taught Owen Coyle then? What do you make of the abuse he gets on here?
The Battered Bunnet
10:17 on
7 June, 2014
braw post …aye awfy braw
“when i went to school we also said …up the teachers…. :) braw
I wonder if big Sutton even sees ‘his article’ before publishing, smacks of Jackson’s negativity.
TBB
Brilliant story; a few of my uncles will know your grandfather. I’ll be asking about him :)
The old school was on the site that is now St Andrew’s hospice.
HH
I don’t kno how the hero of telemark will work out, but it’s only June and i’m lookin forward to the ole new season.
What’s Norwegian for hunguffery?
ol’tim:
If you’re about send me that number.
roy croppie
10:30 on 7 June, 2014
Were you there when Batman aka Derek Fowles was Headmaster?
He sadly passed away a few months back.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
The Battered Bunnet @ 10.17 hrs.
Respect.
….PFayr supports WeeOscar @ 10.21 hrs.
Spot on.
HH.
Its with gratitude to our parents and grandparents that we can still send our kids to faith schools, they stood their ground in the face of bigotry and hostility.
PL yesterday talking up the Celtic Strategy and why Ronny fits the bill etc (for clarity I support the Celtic Strategy)
Under normal circumstances Celtic will sell our best player’s depending on length remaining on contract and price (amongst other things) and I get that
But given our man is new to just about everything he is about to embark on should we not hold FF VVD in particular for at least one more year
Simply to help Ronny settle adjust and learn
Common Sense – it will probably never catch on ??
67ECW
Red Star banned from CL
Serbian SuperLiga champions Red Star Belgrade have been excluded from next season’s Champions League after falling foul of Uefa’s Financial Fair Play regulations.
It was announced on 11 April that the club were to be referred to Uefa’s Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) after it was discovered a number of overdue payments to employees and other clubs.
Now Red Star have paid the price after the CFCB confirmed their expulsion from the 2014/15 Champions League campaign, pending a possible appeal to the court of arbitration for sport.
“Serbian champions FK Crvena Zvezda [Red Star] have been excluded from the 2014/15 Uefa Champions League for breaching Uefa Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations,” a statement on UEFA’s website read.
“The CFCB Adjudicatory Chamber determined that the club were in breach of a number of provisions of the Uefa Club Licencing and Financial Fair Play Regulations.
“Accordingly Crvena Zvezda are excluded from participating in the 2014/15 Uefa Champions League for which they had qualified on sporting merit.
“The club have 10 days to appeal this decision before the court of arbitration for sport.”
Slavisa Stojanovic’s side would have entered the competition at the second qualifying round stage after pipping city rivals Partizan Belgrade to the title by just one point.
They failed to reach the Europa League group stages in the last campaign after falling in the third qualifying round to Chornomorets Odessa of Ukraine and it now looks as though there will be no European competition at the Red Star Stadium next season.
!!bada bing!!
10:11 on 7 June, 2014
WC question, who is the only player to play for and score for two countries at a WC final.
::::::
De Stefano
I’m off to meet up with some Tim Tweeters in Glasgow’s West end. If you want to meet up with us while we get pashed and talk mince, give me a call. If you don’t know my number. Ask someone you know on here to give you it. HH
Jobo,
You still watching that bbc2, see all those bottles being thrown on at Italy’s 4th goal :-)
….pfayr supports weeoscar
10:21 on 7 June, 2014
There are a few very well informed football bhoys in this site
A few would be anoraks
Most of us try our best
However
Is there a more ill informed individual than Ryecatcher
Constant inaccurate disinformation .. It must be intentional .. No one can be that bad surely
::::::::
Agree entirely!
Lennybhoy
sad news. I was (79-85) he was my ‘headie.’
He suspended me for a day once…a misunderstanding concerning a cup game against a school from EK :)
HH
Wher is the Chris Sutton piece ?
A copy and pate possibly !!!
HH
Red Star Belgrade have been banned from next season’s Champions League for failing to pay their debts.
The Serbian champions were “in breach of a number of provisions of the Uefa Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play regulations,” Uefa said in a statement.
The club was told in April “of the existence of overdue payables as a result of a complaint,” added Uefa.
Bbc
saw this a few times
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bpegc9qIEAEefq-.jpg:large
HH
We can’t have football clubs failing to pay their debts, can we? Where would that end?
Rumour has it that Red Star are looking for a way out and are being advised by a consultant called Craigski Bijel.
Roy
Who are we playing in that game ?
givehimthemoneypetercsc
10:17 on 7 June, 2014
prosinecki
Correct
cowiebhoy –
yes, noticed that. Was watching whilst doin’ the ole ironing but not so easy to multi task as I’ve now been (ahem) ordered to cut the grass. Will catch the semis and final later so don’t give the game away ;-)
By the way, Mrs Jobo started a phased return to work this week. Still very early days but sincere thanks for your earlier prayers and wishes.
where’sthatshedkeyCSC
I miss black and white football boots; physios with buckets; rattling the number boards for subs and the wee women with the teddy
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bpeqi1bIYAED_Q8.jpg:large
HH