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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macjay,
Leeds were indeed a good team and we defeated them comfortably over two legs.
It still annoys me we didn’t defeat Feyenoord in the final.
Really annoys me.
Wimbledon do :-
Marvellous night. Left early and just got in. They are probably still blethering. Shook Yogi’s hand. Good enough for me!! Must get to bed, but thanks to all concerned.
TCR
I grew up wi Dallas in Knightswood. He is one of the the real good Tims that Knightswood seems to produce in abundance. :))
That’s concerned with organising the event. I don’t expect too many to be concerned about my bedtime.
Off in. V.
Tricoloured Ribbon
01:22 on
22 June, 2014
Me too.
I was at both legs.
Celtic in Leeds were superb.All over them on their own ground.
A very happy drive home.
G64
Horse or Hibs club, would be my pleasure. :)
DD,
You and the gordybhoy must meet..
Tom McLaughlin
00:17 on
22 June, 2014
Wee pangs of jealousy,mate.
My day will come,god willing.
For the moment,I still have needs to be met.
The old Tim work ethic.
macjay1,
Second leg only for me pal.
The memory of that packed Hampden will live forever.
Fantastic.
TCR
We will, our respective Godson’s are best pals fae St Peter the Apostle. :)
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6YXhmBB80x0
macjay,
Sorry, that wee clip from Elland Rd very brief.
BTW, wtf was up with that disallowed goal as well?
Scottish officials?
DD,
Make arrangements.He’s top drawer.
Hi Fholks,
Just in from a Fantastic CQN Night
Tricoloured Ribbon
01:32 on
22 June, 2014
I had a Rangers supporting mate who was at Hampden that night roaring on Celtic.
That taught me that they`re not all huns.
`Fraid I have never been able to do likewise.
Never mind,we have an intriguing season to look forward to.
Macjay,
Indeed mo chara.
Take care.
Tricoloured Ribbon
01:39 on
22 June, 2014
macjay,
Sorry, that wee clip from Elland Rd very brief.
BTW, wtf was up with that disallowed goal as well?
Scottish officials?
—————————————————————————————————————
Wow.Thanks,pal.
Takes me back.As you can see ,all the Tims were packed into that area behind that goal.
My mate and I were surrounded by Leeds fans.
Fraid I had forgotten the disallowed goal in all the euphoria of taking a win from Elland road.
TCR
Planning a visit to Sligo to see ma family in Autumn. Will pop into Doire on the way.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6YXhmBB80x0
Love this.
What could George Connelly have become? He had it all in his feet. Sad
http://youtu.be/eFWTMUvNcyY
think thats it
DD,
Anytime pal.Anytime.
TCR
I love Doire and I feel safe there compared to Belfast.
macjay,
Not that it mattered.
Connelly looks exasperated in that clip though.
I am fecked if I can see anything up with that.
DD,
Ye’ll always be safe here pal.Ye never know wae that 16 Roads character in Belfast.hahahahahaha
macjay,,
Now that you are on the subject of Celtic being cheated,
ffs, it went on in a bigger scale as much in England as in did elsewhere.
1966, Liverpool at Anfield.The most blatant decision against Celtic possibly in our European history and very likely cost us the Cup Winners Cup..
Ryecatcher will explain that wan..
Hi Fholks,
Just in from a Fantastic CQN Night at the Wimbledon CSC with John ‘Big Yogi’ Hughes as special guest! :-)
I just wanted to thank BRTH, Auldheid, Angela Hagerty, the organisers from Wimbledon CSC, the Celtic Staff for bringing along the SPFL Trophy, and of course our 7th highest goalscorer and Legend John Hughes! :-)
I remarked that in the same way that I always got up on my toes and expected something to happen when ‘Big Yogi’ got on the ball, I wanted Celtic to sign players who would get bums OFF seats! I then asked if there were any recent or current Celtic players, or any current International players who got him on his toes? No answer to the first part, and a forthright “I’m ONLY interested in the Celtic! ” for the 2nd part. YOGI IS A LEGEND! I am SO glad I got to meet him and shake his hand! (And of course get a signed copy of his book of course! :-) )
Q: Were you annoyed at Fans singing your ‘Feed the Bear!’ chant to big Roy Aitken?
A: “There’s ONLY ONE BEAR!”
Q: What do you make of comparisons with you and Giorgios Samaras?
A: He has not scored many goals in Europe and his goalscoring record is nowhere near as good as mine!
Yogi also expressed bemusement, sadness, and perhaps a little bitterness, that Big Jock let him go when he was in his goalscoring prime at 28 years old. He extrapolated that if he could have continued for another 3 or 4 seasons at 20 goals a season he might have ended up as Celtic’s 3rd and not 7th best goalscorer! :-)
Thanks again to all involved! :-)
Yours in Celtic,
TB&F.
Off to bed. Night Night Timland! :-)
G64
I was in the Kearney CSC before the Italy game in ’64. There was also a Celtic party at The Plaza Hotel, on the Friday night, which I attended prior to the Basketball World Series game at MSG. We had the Celtic tops with ‘Celts on tour USA 1994″ We also rented a big Cadillac and put tricolours on each of the front corners. PF came into the KCSC just before we all left for the game and sung a few ‘tunes’. I was at the opposite end for RH’s goal. Was it hot or what? No Italians to be seen after the game! Back to KCSC and met wee RF outside just before we left for the overnight drive to Orlando. Met some of the Philly CSC in a service café in New Jersey on the way down. Great guys who are still there and who I used to see regularly but unfortunately haven’t seen since the Real Madrid game.
Then had a great week in Orlando with some of the bhoys from Royston, GR and big S, before going back up to NY with them for the Norway game. Btw the Church Street Station was open at that time in Orlando and absolutely fantastic for the whole week. I always remember all the tricolours draped over the balconies of the hotels in Orlando.
Good memoriesof1994CSC
http://youtu.be/VVCEdi_q__8
Gerry Conlon RIP.
Goodnight to all Tims worldwide TAL
TCR
My late dad told me that their Partick bus windaes got smashed in Carlisle on the way to Anfield in 66. A long cold trip to get cheated he told me.
Tricoloured Ribbon
02:19 on
22 June, 2014
I wasn`t at the game in Liverpool but the B.B.C. evening news had a live cross to the final moments of the game ,just in time to see the disallowed goal and the bottles flying from the Cetic end.
Mate.My old uncle,pre -T.V., told me about seeing at the cinema,a Celtic goal which had been disallowed.On the cinema screen,it was obvious that the ball had crossed the line.
So,as you say,it`s been going on for a long time. :-)
MacJay
My dad drew his last breath last July. He was at Anfield 66. It was his biggest injustice in life. He spokd about that game just before he died. English cheats Masonic cheats.
Read all about it, sure:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iraq/10916613/Iraqs-beleaguered-Christians-make-final-stand-on-the-Mosul-frontline.html
D.D.
Been ducking in and out.
Bit of weed killing and back on the blog to restore my sanity.
Sorry to hear about your dad.If he was a parishioner of St. Paul`s,my family may well have known him.
I have been determined not to live my life bitter about past injustices as I know some of my family and friends did.
As I see the Celtic family and the impressions which I have gained on the blog ,I very strongly get the impression that our mob are crying all the way to the bank.
As for Celtic? I feel our predecessors would be delighted at our current situation.
Just one of the reasons I am distinctly unimpressed by the harsh and undeserved,I feel,criticism of our current custodians.
Having said that,I know that we all walk in different shoes and have different perspectives.
Broad and diverse church right enough,
Right….affoot for some whippersnippin`.
16 roads – Celtic über alles…
03:31 on
22 June, 2014
As far as Western countries are concerned,the enemy is within the stockade.
Affoot.
MacJay
He was a St Paul’s parishoner till we moved to Knightswood and Corpus Christi.
macjay1 for neil lennon
03:37 on 22 June, 2014
—————————————-
I am beginning to think that the Vatican is complicit in all of this.
Satanic this is.
Not even the Takfiri footsoldiers, but the Western powers,Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Israel whom created, armed, trained and supplied those demons.
I am a great believer in the power of prayer… but ffs!
The Pope and the Vatican have both the means and the power to prevent this carry on.
All it would take is a call to arms.
Norfolk enchants.
All you get is “pray for them,pray, pray, pray.”
Those poor people.
Sure the Church closed the gates on the starving, during the great hunger.
The Black Pope?
End of the world?
Black doesn’t mean skin colour.
Absolute joke.