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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Holy Lampard what a goal!
Hola senyor Osses!
Campbell aqui!
How’d tu like to referee in the greatest league in the world next year??
I like Jason Roberts – always thought he talks sense. He probably talks sense even when he’s pished.
Am now turning sound down on computer and getting 5Live commentary on iPad.
See the things you have to do to avoid listening to that walloper Savage.
I really can’t understand why people get so annoyed with the English commentators. They show emotion. So what? Why be a killjoy?
My dear,dear,dear,friend.. The Singing Detective..
Speakin aboot . Folk Like..
Setting Free the Bears .. n his Ilk..
Let Me Mention.. this..
Quotation…
“Liberalism, is the Ideology .. of WESTERN SUICIDE!”
Who Said That.. Na.. It wiznae Kojo..
it wiz His .. Favourite.. Modern American Philosopher..
Mr. James Burnham.
Who He?
Look Him Up..
Nice Chatting,Pally.. as ever.
Kojo
Still,Laughin’
Hopefully the anti English p#sh will disappear sooner than later in Scotland.
How embarrassing should Gary Lineker be for hosting the show in an Italy shirt? Absolutely rock bottom for the BBC to allow that. How low can they stoop?
Half time here in Germany. They have just shown line acre in an Italian football top. Was that just a wind up?
Robbie Savage is the ole English vuvuzela.
Jason Roberts knows his stuff would be great for him to play in the Maestro game as he never hid his admiration for the hoops
Captain Beefheart killed Marxist dreams… Keane ate my courage… Formerly JO’N… Just say no to the clique.
I reckon once we’re independent and successful that will happen.
Margot MacDonald said she’d like to live in Scotland on the day where people actually said England won, oh that’s good (with no sarcasm). Once we reach that stage, we are not measuring ourselves by false measurement.
I agree with Margo.
Cap’n Beef
I don’t think opining that Robbie Savage is a walloper who might be pished is ‘anti-English’.
Not least since he is Welsh.
Savage is welsh
captain beefheart killed marxist dreams… keane ate my courage… formerly jo’n… just say no to the clique.
18:02 on 20 June, 2014
Hopefully the anti English p#sh will disappear sooner than later in Scotland
————————
in the main its nothing more than a rivalry. thats just a natural state of affairs between neighbouring countries, and even less of a surprise given the history of the countries
however if you are referring to openly racist stuff then i would agree but wouldnt know specifically what you would be referring to
Tom McLaughlin
BBC need to restore some effin decorum
Costa Rica controlling Pirlo far better than England did. Note how deep he’s playing to get any of the ball, against England he had the run of the middle third.
To be fair the anti English stuff on here and in Scotland in general got old a long time ago but don’t think some people will be changing their attitudes anytime soon. Shame really.
Alan Hansen is Scottish.
Beefheart – the antiEnglish pish is much more to do with their own arrogance than anything else. Did you hear them booing Suarez last might in the first half? Why? Cos he plays for Liverpool. I was so happy to see him sending England home cos the media and the fan mentality reminds of a certain deidco and their “entitled” attitude. England bring the dislike of them on themselves. England seem to believe they are a top football nation, and its only a matter of time before they get to win the WC again. They are shite, and the sooner they realise it the better it will be for them and everyone else who has to suffer their “ones are the persons” attitude. Huns.
It’s not the England team so much, nor the fans.
It’s the overkill by the panel…eg..’so halftime here in the match Brazil 7 Argentina 6. Anyway let’s go over to the England camp to see how Rooney injured eyebrow is doing’….etc etc till ye puke….
Snake, afternoon. It shouldn’t take a yes vote to help people refrain from being anti English. Yes I get the point about rivalry but sometimes it is more than mere rivalry.
Green, hi. Of course. My point is more general.
When will the BBC commentators realise the flag only goes up when the assistant referee deems a player becomes active?
It’s not a late flag.
LicenceMoney CSC
lineker wearing that strip working for the beeb, hmm not sure if thats right
Malc – I assume you feel the same about our own fans that sing that 10 in a row pish?
I fear that Italian histrionics in and around the box will combine with this ref.to be the undoing of Costa Rica.
Another goal needed.
Captain Beefheart killed Marxist dreams… Keane ate my courage… Formerly JO’N… Just say no to the clique.
I get that but in a footballing context especially we in Scotland and Celtic specifically have had our achievements knocked for years by many of those who get a platform to talk about our game.
I think that comes into it.
The English commentators will never change and until they do, forget people in the smaller nations of the islands actually getting behind them en masse.
greeninbingley
17:47 on 20 June, 2014
Is Robbie Savage pished?
No, but his wife was when she married him. Erse of a man
The Italians do look like they’ve up the gears
In only Thirteen Mair Days..n.. Ten Meenites Mair,
We wull Be Watchin oor Favourite Team!
But, We miss ’em Sae Much..n Pine fur an Such…
that,,,
A Whole Year n A Day,,,,
it .. Wull. Seem!
Kojo
Still,Laughin…
iki
18:13 on 20 June, 2014
I fear that Italian histrionics in and around the box will combine with this ref.to be the undoing of Costa Rica.
Another goal needed.
Correct, got both teams to score and a draw
Huddle – yes, I do. If we win 10 in a row, then we will sing our songs about it. Until then, them who indulge are no better than, IMHO.
If I lost my temper at work with my colleagues, particularly my subordinates, I would be oot of a joab. I’m not sure this applies to a national teams dressing room, or does it?
I see Ronny and John met over two lengthy dinners in Glesga and Embra, where they discussed football philosophy and tactics for hours. This was long before John was offered the position. So much for the conspiracy theorists John was a foisted PL appointment. A Norwegian journalist also mentioned that Ronny and Celtic would have been in contact long before even Roy Keane was mentioned making the pilgrimage to Paradise. It seems that the two appointments have been conducted in a very professional manner.
In John’s latest interview I see he emphasizes “self-improvement” with regards to the present squad. The holiday is over at Lennoxtown.
This Costa Rica side is really impressive. Tactics spot on. They could surprise a lot of people and go far.
The fact that I drew them in the works sweep is of course neither here nor there.
the_huddle
Can’t see pasta comeback
and without wanting to drift onto another argument, if we think the club are trying to sanitise the support and the GB in particular, we cant turn round and say havin a rivalry with england is out of order because that would count as sanitisation as well
TSD – There are a lot of intelligent posters on this site, and SFTB is one of the most intelligent.
I have a lot of respect for the fella, he takes the time to offer up an alternative viewpoint.
All you can do is to read and try to learn.
Genocide and ethnic cleansing has been taking place from the year dot.
The present day ethnic cleansing of Christians by Muslims in the middle East,seems to be just an inconvenient truth though.
Some people refuse to acknowledge or understand that this is happening right now.
The Vatican could be doing a lot more to highlight this crime against humanity,in my humble opinion.
The likes of BBC and the Guardian are apologists at best, or complicit at worst.
HH.
why the hoo haa about the ten in a row song.
aye its hardly lennon and mccartney stuff but i think people are attaching too many labels to it saying its arrogant and hun like
its just a stupid ditty. nothin more nothin less
Costa Rica fans with the ole’s