We’re close enough to the English psyche to intimately understand their hopes and fears ahead of a tournament like the World Cup, but the M74 provides enough space for those of us based within a short distance of Celtic Park to have the kind of perspective that’s not possible for most fans immersed in the moment.
For long enough, England, along with Spain and France, were the perennial underachievers of European international football, which was dominated by “skilful” Italians and “efficient” Germans, while even the Dutch and Czechs have managed vastly more major final appearances than England.
France, then Spain, got the monkey off their backs, but England still relive their regular tournament nightmare, although this time it looks likely they will bow out before troubling any of their players in a penalty kick competition.
So cut England open and what bleeds out? After the game last night Danny Murphy on BBC Radio 5Live tried to offer objective resistance to the idea that England lacked passion from a tidal wave of calls, asking “Where is the Terry Butcher with a blood soaked bandage around his head?”, “Where is the crying Gascoigne?”
Fans often confuse sporting defeat with a lack of will to win. This notion was expressed last August when Celtic lost to Shakhter Karagandy, aided and abetted by an ITV commentator who proposed the notion during live broadcast. I’m pretty sure upwards of 95% of us have played the game at some level, but time seems to remove the memories of what it’s like to be losing in a team sport, and importantly, just how difficult it can be to reverse momentum.
Suggesting professional footballers don’t try during some of the most important games of their season is an embarrassing failure to think from another’s perspective.
Listening to the radio last night and again this morning, there was no dispute to the claim that what England needed was a manager who could lose his temper in the dressing room.
Even Murphy didn’t feel comfortable enough to take on the nation on this one, instead assuring listeners that Roy Hodgson was capable of losing his temper. This was mean to be supportive. It was surely viewed as such by many. This morning, Kevin Phillips trotted out the hoary old “lacked passion” line.
Is there any other field of human endeavour where losing control of your emotions is viewed as an attribute? Football managers exist in a highly competitive, technically exacting environment. At the top level they have to communicate subtle instructions to highly skilled professionals who have heard it all before from lippy managers. By the 30th rant they are all immune and it’s highly unlikely that intimidation led to an increase in performance first time out.
Despite this, managers are supposed to demonstrate a primitive human weakness to an audience who can often scarcely tell the difference between a football match and a pantomime.
We have to be different. We have to be cleverer; let the rest satisfy their need for an alpha-male role model – because make no mistake about it – this is what they’re really craving, while Celtic show uncompromising adherence to getting the best people for the job. On a side, note, can you imagine what appointing Roy Keane would have said about our strategy?
Roy Hodgson has done enough in the game to prove he’s a good manager but he’s more Euro-sophisticate than an archetypal alpha-male. Best of luck to him.
The Celtic Graves Society are having a fundraising raffle to generate funds. 50% will go towards their excellent work and 50% will go to the Northern Ireland Childrens’ Hospice, who looked after Wee Oscar recently. For the cost of a £5 raffle ticket, you can win a singed boot from Scott Brown or from Virgil van Dijk.
To buy your ticket go to Paypal and send £5 to donate@celticgraves.com
Don’t worry if you don’t have a Paypal account, you can still work through Paypal with a debit or credit card. Please add the phrase “Boots Raffle” to the Paypal subject line, and they have asked if you could alert them to which site you picked the message up from, so “CQN” will do.
Good luck
Visit the CQN Bookstore to get Tommy Gemmell to sign your personal copy of his book, All the Best.
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CRC brilliant….smaller population than oor big hoose and Italia pure pants
What an amazing result for Costa Rica. This will live long in World Cup memory.
Fabulous! Well done Costa Rica! Totally deserved. What a great World Cup this is!
England’s hunesque ‘sense of entitlement’ is their downfall. On only 4 occasions they’ve been among the favourites to reach the World cup semis, and only once among the favourites to win it (66).
They are a Pot 2 nation, along with the Portugals, Swedens and Russias, their real status being behind Brazil, Germany, Italy and four or five others.
They will be savaged yet again by the English media, who have already set their sights on Hodgson ( talksport tore him a new one today), but its the same repetitive tale every two years.
England are THE biggest myth in international football. They know it too, but seem to be caught in a 1966 time warp.
…and out they go again.
Cmon get back to the studio:))
leftclicktic We are all Neil Lennon
Aye right snuff poor donkey it’s ears would be bleeding..
8 days and out…
Just think how great it’ll be for the lad that swaps jersey with Pirlo, to have it hanging on his wall and tell his grandchildren about the day he got it
Well done, Rich Coast. Thanks for listening.
Line aker’s going to lookeven more stupid now in his Italian top
Linnekerquickshirtchanege:)
Twitter erupts in a storm of mirth.
Last call for flight no. 1966 to Heathrow.
GL changed his top,why ;)))
HH
The Singing Detective Demands The Resignation Of Campbell Ogilvie
18:38 on
20 June, 2014
A broken clock is right twice a day…..once mare than
you !!!
Linaker is a crisp packet chasing plonker
well done Costa Rica ……respect ….awfy braw
Margaret McGill
Costa Fortune
I like it.
Btw what was Lineker about with that strip?
margaret mcgill
18:28 on 20 June, 2014
Maybe if We didn’t use western tax
dollars to murder destroy de-educate
thwart and frustrate so many
Muslims around the world for the
benefit of corporations they”d read
more than one book
——–
My Eight-Eyed Hairy Beastie..
More Books Are Translated Into Spanish Or Greek…..
In A Single Year……
Than ALL Of The Books Translated Into Arabic……
Since OUR LORD Walked The Earth..
Dontcha Know ?
Ron Bacardi
Excelente!
Don’t think the players will need it when they come home to face the press!
Lol ! Lineker changes his shirt then bemoans how poor Italy were !
Nae joy ya numpty !!!
Ole ole ole ole Chile… Chile !!!
Great choice to take an extra day off work! The country that has no military storms the World Cup battlements.
LameMetaphorsCSC
the singing detective demands the resignation of campbell ogilvie
18:59 on 20 June, 2014
That’s a good suggestion on how to spend tax dollars. Never thought of it. Thanks!
I think Costa Rica will play their B team against England.
Henri rubbishes Line Acres puerile gash. Their WC hyped up telethon has been sunk without trace.
Don’tyejustluv’emCSC
My dear,dear,dear,friend..The Singing Detective..
Excellent Reasoning.. pal. As Ah wid hiv Expected.
Virginia n Kojo. Baith Heartily Agree with Yer Very Reasonable.. well.. Reason.. as tae Why. England and n Scotland dae so Poorly..
NOOADAYS!
whilst Playing Agin ….International Competitiors..
Ah Note the Mr. Lennon…. disnae Agree Wi YOUR Excellent REASONING… PAL..
According, tae Today’s News..
Mr.Lennon , clains that the Reason why England diz so Poorly while Facing International Teams..
is
That
The English FITBA’ Clubs..
DISNAE HAE ENUFF EXPERIENCE of playin in the
wait fur it,folks~~
THE EUROPEAN CUP~
Noo. Ah know Why Ah alwiz Suspected… that Neil.
Wiznae Playing wi a Full Deck!
Nice Chatting ,Pally…as Alwiz
Kojo
Still,Laughin’
Hah
Breakfast time 20 6 14
Mrs S of T –
” Who are Italia playing tonight ? ”
Me ——” Costa Rica ”
Mrs S of T –
” Oh -I remember you won money when Costa Rica Scotland in the World Cup which was played in Italy ———-you should put money on them again ”
Me ——–Mmmm
Mrs S of T –
” Go on ! ”
I did —–thanks Costa Rica ( twice )
Gerry Goffin RIP
Locomotion CSC -way down south
Gotta Leave,Steve
Seeya
Kojo
Still. Laughin’
Small Country Run By Mafia…
Defeats Big Country Run By Mafia…
Entire Season’s Crop Of Marchin’ Powder….
Heading O’er ‘The Pond’….
Tae SofaTunis’ Gairden Hut…
Right..? Damned Right..!
Dan Roan @danroan · 3h
Players’ union @FIFPro accuses FIFA of failing to protect Uruguay’s Alvaro Pereira after he appeared concussed in England game & played on
Tuneless and Clueless .
Recreation time in the Rubber Room ?
Tell Nurse to check your butt plug -it seems to be leaking ( again )
Big Fraser can get a run out on Tuesday and a couple of weeks holiday then fresh for the champs league
My guess is that we have seen the last of Gerrard and Rooney in an England jersey,
not quite sure who all the talented youngsters they talk about are either
When the Celts go up
Tae lift the European Cup
We’ll no be there
We’ll no be there
Shirley I need my ears syringed
That guy dan on the bbc news just said Woy is on £3,5m a year wages …
Canny be right
The England post mortem on talk sport is compulsive listening….
Roy Hodgson job is safe says head of F.A ……………braw ….
its a pity they never took the bloke from the Mars bar commercial with them,
he would have better tactics than Roy
I think we’re going to need a bigger gloat!
Luckily the plane that took England to Brazil still has it’s engines running