Haphazard and Wasteful football management

1037

Appointing a manager is an incredible gamble but the risks can be mitigated, especially at a club which is successful or even pointing in the right direction.  In this case, clubs should look to build upon whatever platform they have.  Bringing in a new guy with a team development strategy which is completely different from the existing plan accentuates the risks.

This is why the boot room strategy is successful over any extended period.  Build on what you have, sign players needed by the squad and who have been scouted extensively.  The new man may or may not prove to be the world’s best coach but at least he’ll have a successful infrastructure to insulate the club from lurching into oblivion.

When Gordon Strachan succeeded Martin O’Neill, Gordon picked up a scouting folder, flew to Poland and got on with the development project, much as Martin would have, had he stayed.  Celtic were technically no less successful when Tony Mowbray took over in 2009 but the team, and strategy, were tired.  A change of direction was appealing, we couldn’t continue to sign Hibs players, although the execution of the new strategy was flawed.  The writing was on the wall from the moment we signed £3.9m Marc-Antoine Fortune.

Neil Lennon was an enormous gamble when he was appointed in 2010.  He was a rookie, had never signed a player, won a trophy (as manager), or deployed a game plan in anger.  There were a few facts in his favour.  He’d worked with the other coaches at the club, as well as chief scout, John Park, and Peter Lawwell.  For years, they shared a development vision.  Celtic retreated into a strategy closely aligned to the vision of the remaining technical staff.

Despite the Scottish Cup semi-final debacle against Ross County Neil got the job, spent much of the next year learning a few painful lessons and hasn’t looked back since.  The club gambled on the guy with ultimate responsibility, but they knew he was not about the step out on a ledge.

The time to have a root-and-branch clear-out is following a John Barnes-type season.  The manager was wrong, as was tactics, scouting and team development plan.  Martin O’Neill brought with him radical and necessary change.  This worked at Celtic but, if anything, it is even more risky than appointing a rookie.  The lower leagues of England are full of clubs who have gambled unsustainable money on a manager only to come a cropper.

There are gems out there, Pochettino and Simeone, for example, but finding them is a challenge.  Pochettino pitched up at Southampton after being sacked by a hugely underperforming Espanyol, and Simeone got the Atletico Madrid job after several years of average-to-poor returns.

Big Davie Moyes was a good manager at Everton but watching him at Manchester United was a bit like watching him 30 years ago in a Celtic shirt.  He started by dismantling whatever platforms were in place and served notice he would be following a Haphazard and Wasteful player recruitment policy on the final day of last summer’s transfer window by blowing all his pocket money on a guy he didn’t need and refused to sign for less money a few weeks earlier. He had to go.

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1,037 Comments

  1. iPaddy McCourt Supports Wee Oscar on

    Ernie

     

     

    Juries come up with utterly bizarre verdicts all the time. What the jury did in this case was bizarre but I don’t happen to think it was down to anti-Celtic or anti-Neil Lennon prejudice. Can you not accept that there may have been confusion in the minds of some of the jurors resulting in the not proven verdict?

     

     

    I’m sure if an intellectual heavyweight such as yourself had been on the jury giving the benefit of your wisdom to fellow jurors then there would’ve been a different outcome. Unfortunately, not all jurors are as clever as you.

  2. Hamiltontim is praying for Oscar on

    Cowiebhoy

     

     

    I take your point about JPT and his previous role in the TO.

     

     

    However, I have some sympathy in his current position. He’s been put in place simply to act as a buffer between the board and the support.

     

     

    He won’t be saying anything that hasn’t been cleared from above.

  3. Billy Bhoy

     

     

    23:10 on 22 April, 2014

     

     

    Does it occur to you that he might have his own reasons for being so vehement?

     

     

    Not everyone sees the world the same way.

  4. ernie lynch

     

     

    “II think the fact that all the coaching staff were defenders/midfielders is likely to be a contributory factor.”

     

     

     

    It remains a logical fallacy, I am afraid, no matter how many ex midfielders we had.

     

     

    The Lisbon Lions had a former centre half and a Left back as his assistant. The team before them had our top scoring Centre forward in charge. Which produced the more attacking teams?

     

     

    How good at attacking were Larsson’s Landskrona or Sutton’s Lincoln? How good defensively were Clough’s Forest and Derby. Man City and Liverpool are managed by centre backs. Cardiff and Stoke by former free scoring forwards.

     

     

    If only it were that easy, eh?

  5. iPaddy McCourt Supports Wee Oscar

     

     

    23:11 on 22 April, 2014

     

     

     

     

    ‘Juries come up with utterly bizarre verdicts all the time.’

     

     

    ####

     

     

    No they don’t.

     

     

    Not as perverse as this one.

     

     

    They normally only happen where there’s a political element about the prosecution.

  6. derbyshirebhoy

     

     

    I am thinking on you . Maybe being open and talking about can somehow be helpful.

  7. setting free the bears supports Res. 12 & Oscar Knox

     

     

    23:14 on 22 April, 2014

     

     

    Your attempted rebuttal suffers from the same logical flaw that you accuse me of.

  8. Craigellachie10 on

    Nice to see videocelts setting the standard on reporting references to the successors of the deid club. I can’t do the link thing but their report of the young bhoys title challenge ticks most of the boxes.

  9. Celticrollercoaster luvs his luminious lime boots on

    iPaddy McCourt Supports Wee Oscar

     

     

     

    23:11 on 22 April, 2014

     

     

     

    Ernie

     

     

    Juries come up with utterly bizarre verdicts all the time. What the jury did in this case was bizarre but I don’t happen to think it was down to anti-Celtic or anti-Neil Lennon prejudice. Can you not accept that there may have been confusion in the minds of some of the jurors resulting in the not proven verdict?

     

    ——————————————-

     

     

    Having been part of a bizarre jury decision ( to me anyway) I can agree with that!

     

     

    I was shaking my head in disbelief when they came out with the decision and not because me and a couple of others disagreed with it and voted the other way.

     

     

    It is the luck of the draw and I sometimes I wonder if we are asking too much of jurors to make some big decisions without any training or proper guidance at times!

     

     

    HH

     

     

    CRC

  10. hamiltontim is praying for oscar

     

     

    23:11 on 22 April, 2014

     

     

    Cowiebhoy

     

     

    I take your point about JPT and his previous role in the TO.

     

     

    However, I have some sympathy in his current position. He’s been put in place simply to act as a buffer between the board and the support.

     

     

    He won’t be saying anything that hasn’t been cleared from above.

     

     

    And it won’t be anything different to what we expect .

  11. Ernie

     

     

    Perhaps.

     

     

    But look, it was uncalled for, inappropriate and I – and others – were appalled at it.

     

     

    Goodnight all

  12. arranmores assessment of my post does not bother me in the least. I totally understand that Faith can seem illogical and that anyone advocating it can be portrayed as speaking garbage. I do not wish to use these pages to try and indoctrinate anybody. My sole motive was to offer some solace to derbyshirebhoy. He asked me to pray for him and I will and if arranmore wishes to ridicule me then I will take it as a compliment. Anyways this is my last post on the subject, the important person is derbyshirebhoy. Goodnight & God Bless All.

  13. iPaddy McCourt Supports Wee Oscar on

    Ernie

     

     

    Thank you once again for stating your opinion as though it were fact.

     

     

    The truth is that many judicial systems have given up on juries as they are so prone to ridiculous and Ill- thought out decisions. Whatever happens to Oscar Pistorius, he’ll know that the evidence was thoroughly assessed and a verdict reached in accordance with a proper application of the law.

  14. Celticrollercoaster luvs his luminious lime boots on

    ernie lynch

     

     

    23:16 on 22 April, 2014

     

     

    From what evidence do you base these comments upon? Whilst I do not particularly disagree with your comments re NL case, your comments are rather sweeping in respect of juries being rationale and logical, unless politically influenced.

     

     

    I can only speak from my own experience of sitting on juries, but it is a wheel of fortune or rather misfortune at times.

     

     

    HH

     

     

    CRC

  15. Celticrollercoaster luvs his luminious lime boots on

    Anyway onto important things… 2 weeks to go and it is close!

     

     

    CQN Predictor (week 38)

     

     

    Position Lst Week Team Manager Week 38 pts Apr Pts Total Pts

     

    1 (1) Gohome Yahuns stevenagebhoy 39 39 1633

     

    2 (2) Norfolk Enchants Sponsored by Cheetah 54 54 1633

     

    3 (3) Dougies Donkeys DougC 31 31 1612

     

    4 (4) Bayern Bru Twists n turns 49 49 1606

     

    5 (5) 7-1 4-2 6-2 Travelbhoy 44 44 1582

     

    6 (6) Koln Hoops Kolncelt 30 30 1565

     

    7 (7) Set Phasers to Malky Jeez_I_thought_blinker_was_pants 39 39 1565

     

    8 (8) Hopeful Hoops Bobby Evans Superstar 33 33 1561

     

    9 (9) Setting Free the Bears Setting Free the Bears 39 39 1558

     

    10 (10) ColleensBhoys Leftclicktic 23 23 1558

     

    11 (11) celtic 67 Deccyrollercoaster 24 24 1553

     

    12 (12) The Exiled Tim The Exiled Tim 37 37 1551

     

    13 (13) Imran’s Maw Dick Byrne 33 33 1550

     

    14 (14) epl overated hmack 46 46 1550

     

    15 (15) Hurdles Huddlers bognorbhoyle 41 41 1541

     

    16 (16) Kikinthenakas Kikinthenakas 45 45 1532

     

    17 (17) Roughrigg Brushers GG 47 47 1527

     

    18 (18) Thom’s Sellick Thommybhoy 35 35 1526

     

    19 (19) Belfast Celtic cliftonville celt 53 53 1509

     

    20 (20) Bannockburn Bhoys Doc is Neil Lennon 40 40 1507

     

    21 (21) Frank’s Frantic Eleven Celtic Soul Brother 0 0 1504

     

    22 (22) Kayal33 Kayal33 44 44 1497

     

    23 (23) Del Monte Shamrock jammabhoy 34 34 1489

     

    24 (24) Hail Hail Rain or Shine FC Jobo Baldie 36 36 1488

     

    25 (25) Meiklehill Rovers Mayanman 48 48 1487

     

    26 (26) Were on the one road Colts Cowiebhoy 43 43 1486

     

    27 (27) Athenry bhoys stpatricksbhoy 46 46 1485

     

    28 (28) Looney Tunes Celticrollercoaster 31 31 1483

     

    29 (29) FC Pasch(ing) praecepta 31 31 1478

     

    30 (30) Googys Globetrotters Googy Bhoy 42 42 1467

     

    31 (31) Lennys Lions The Lizard King 48 48 1466

     

    32 (32) Jessica Rabbit Mrs CRC 25 25 1464

     

    33 (33) The Dukes of Montrose Celtic Mac 33 33 1463

     

    34 (34) Donny Gaels Bradbhoy 36 36 1462

     

    35 (35) The NoNames Kingoh 0 0 1449

     

    36 (36) Hillend Rockies Slabhoy 49 49 1446

     

    37 (37) Lennys Bhoys Lennybhoy 15 15 1445

     

    38 (38) Rossini Sammi the Hun Skelper 41 41 1445

     

    39 (39) EK Green & White Army Kelvinbhoy 0 0 1442

     

    40 (40) Celtic Under Ninety Team Paddy Turner 0 0 1432

     

    41 (41) MARCELONACELTIC F C Mhark67 0 0 1426

     

    42 (42) Minx 1888 Minx 1888 41 41 1421

     

    43 (43) Dim Sam’s Tims Dim Sam 31 31 1420

     

    44 (44) Angola CSC thecelt45 25 25 1417

     

    45 (45) lubosleftpeg castlebhoy 44 44 1406

     

    46 (46) Weißbier X Pogmathonyahun 0 0 1402

     

    47 (47) Green and Whiteley Murdoch, McGrain and Larsson 7 7 1394

     

    48 (48) Glasgow Brazilian Mouldy67 0 0 1393

     

    49 (49) Death or Wamba? Ard Ri 0 0 1383

     

    50 (50) Kiwinning Dangers BMCUWP 44 44 1377

     

    51 (51) Bada Bing Bada Bing 43 43 1369

     

    52 (52) Dreamchester Athletic Blantyre Tim 33 33 1368

     

    53 (53) Jonny the Tim Jonny the Tim 38 38 1368

     

    54 (54) Acacia Milan Doubting Thomas 0 0 1365

     

    55 (55) Evergreen The Lurker 31 31 1344

     

    56 (56) Nitrams 11 ncmjc 0 0 1338

     

    57 (57) Port Brigade Saint Stivs 35 35 1311

     

    58 (58) celtic1888 Murdoch, Auld and Hay 5 5 1291

     

    59 (59) Giffnock Old Bhoys gscbhoy 0 0 1272

     

    60 (60) Mcdowells Bhoys mcdowellcelt 0 0 1269

     

    61 (61) Celtic rose Caityrollercoaster 18 18 1204

     

    62 (62) Dan City Dan 0 0 1197

     

    63 (63) Maybe Next Year…………… Penfold 0 0 1002

     

    64 (64) Berocca Juniors The Pips XI 40 40 986

     

    65 (65) thebhoyfromoz thebhoyfromoz 0 0 976

     

    66 (66) Billys Boots Lionsroar67 0 0 818

     

    67 (67) Diamonds B-Boy 0 0 793

     

    68 (68) Sipsini Sipsini 0 0 775

     

    69 (69) Real Ale Madrid The Token Tim 0 0 773

     

    70 (70) Dark Horse FC Stephen Black 0 0 770

     

    71 (71) Chocolate Bhoys McFudge 0 0 733

     

    72 (72) Patrick Missal Patrick27 0 0 611

     

    73 (73) micktic 3mick3 0 0 582

     

    74 (74) Somerset Harp Gherrybhoy57 0 0 522

     

    75 (75) RalphWaldoEllison X1 RalphWaldoEllison 0 0 490

     

    76 (76) iPaddys Plodders iPaddyMcCourt 0 0 443

     

    77 (77) Jinky’s Giants Johnbud78 0 0 435

     

    78 (78) Heaven Albert Kidd 0 0 429

     

    79 (79) Gordybhoy Rovers Gordy Bhoy 64 0 0 350

     

    80 (80) ruggyvogue c.s.c. voguepunter 0 0 288

  16. Craigellachie10 on

    TSOAL

     

     

    Thanks for that. My excuse is I am on the kindle tonight! Great for lots of tasks but I am still struggling with cut and paste.

  17. Really sad news that Johan Mjallby is to leave.

     

     

    When he played for us he gave everything and I always knew he would do the same in his management role.

     

     

    Celtic need to move forward and improve from a good but not a great season. Our two main objectives achieved – league and cl group stage but we didn’t really set the place on fire like we did in 12/13.

     

     

    First Thommo, now Johan hopefully we can someone to fill their shoes that will help Neil take us forward.

  18. Celticrollercoaster luvs his luminious lime boots

     

     

    23:29 on 22 April, 2014

     

     

    ‘ your comments are rather sweeping in respect of juries being rationale and logical, unless politically influenced.’

     

     

     

    ###

     

     

     

    I didn’t post anything to that effect.

     

     

    In most cases where juries acquit in spite of overwhelming evidence and no realistic defence there is a political element to the prosecution eg the Clive Pointing case (breach of the official secrets act) and the Pottle and Randle case (they sprung George Blake the spy).

     

     

    The verdicts are generally regarded as the citizenry giving the state two fingers.

  19. derbyshirebhoy on

    So many to thank.

     

     

    COWIE Bhoy

     

     

    When I, m over the stent insertion tomorrow I’ll scroll back for contact details for your daughter.

     

     

    Jungle Jim

     

     

    A place called Heage near Belper

     

     

    Mullet and co 2

     

    Will do thanks

     

     

    big CUP winner

     

     

    I’ll do that. Kind of you..

     

     

     

    Celtic rollercoaster

     

     

    Many thank I, ll seek it out

     

     

    Must get off now. Night all

  20. Derbyshirebhoy.

     

    Good night. God bless.

     

     

    Corkcelt.

     

    You’re a good Mhan.

     

     

    Night all.

     

    HH jamesgang

  21. Celticrollercoaster luvs his luminious lime boots on

    Ernie

     

     

    …and you wonder why people think will you are paid for comment and based in London. ha, ha.

     

     

    Hope you are paid well mind for the grief you get? :-)

     

     

    HH

     

     

    CRC

  22. hamiltontim is praying for oscar

     

     

    23:05 on 22 April, 2014

     

    Vmhan

     

     

    Did you take up the offer of relocation from Celtic?

     

     

    Also, have you had a renewal form through?.

     

    ………

     

    Ht

     

    No my letter in reply to JPT, was that I did not wish to be relocated, I wasn’t happy with the plc decision to disband the GB.

     

    This was in August, no reply ….nowt.

     

    V HH

  23. thomthethim for oscar ok

     

     

    23:07 on 22 April, 2014

     

    Vmhan.

     

     

    “I think we need our club back.”

     

     

    I have followed Celtic for over 60 years and never remember when we ” had” our club, so I wonder what your comment actually means.

     

     

    Honest, straight question. No guile or Smartarseness.

     

     

    I was thinking the exact same thing, supported Celtic since the early 60s and never felt we had our club, was run by a bunch of chancers then who treated the players and fans with disdain, only difference is the current lot have more business acumen, we have never had our club. There seems to be some kind of false romance attached to the way the club was run before it became a PLC. Look around you the top end of professional football is what it is the world over. It wasn’t, that long ago that Barca were held up by some on here as what we should aspire to, that club has now been exposed as tax cheats and liars, so what now ?maybe we should follow the Queens Park model as this is the only way we will break free from the clutches of those terrible men of PLC board.

  24. Thomthetim

     

     

    I believe we have lost our club to business types who are out to earn money from our club and a new reborn fabric of our society club, the big deal for DD was CFC joining the epl, it never happened and I think we have a major shareholder who couldn’t care less. Perhaps that’s why we as a club have not pursued the millions we lost by the sfa negligence.

     

    This is all just my opinion Thom, what’s yours?

     

    I suspect it’s more aligned to the club you and I support minus the …….or maybe not?

     

    V

     

    HH

  25. ernie

     

     

    Sorry, I was called away.

     

     

    “By their very nature these things aren’t capable of proof. It’s all speculation. Such is social science.”

     

     

    I am surprised at this assertion. There are, of course, proofs in social science, just as in physical sciences. The disciplines operate on the same principles of measuring the effects of interventions or imposed variables on a control group and an experiment group. These effects are measured for their degrees of significance (reliability) and if they are repeated over time, they become the accepted theory. Science advances on the case of best-fit hypothesis and disprovability, not on the basis of proofs and facts.

     

     

    It is, of course, harder to control all the variables in a social science experiment but, believe me, if it were not possible to establish hypotheses that have stood the test of time, then many people have wasted many years in filling many libraries the world over, believing the opposite to be true. It is harder and less reliable but it is far from being at a position whereby every opinion and mad theory has equality of merit.

     

     

     

     

     

    “Your attempted rebuttal suffers from the same logical flaw that you accuse me of.”

     

     

     

    Nice try but I am not trying to establish a position or hypothesis just blowing apart your assertion that teams reflect their manager’s playing experience in some rigid deterministic way.

     

     

    I have advanced supporting evidence to show that coaches who are ex-forwards do not create attacking teams and ex-defenders or defensive mids do not create defensive teams. I can cite numerous other examples. The two most eye-pleasing coaching styles in Scotland are John Hughes’s Falkirk and Kenny Shiels’ Kilmarnock. Yogi was a very limited centre half and Kenny a journeyman midfielder I believe.

     

     

    The defensive midfielder Simeone manages an attacking Atletico, though tonight they were poor.

     

     

    All you have advanced as evidence is that Neil was a defensive midfielder and you believe we are a defensive cautious side. But we, believed the same when we had a former creative and skilful midfielder (WGS) in charge.

     

     

    So, I can claim to have disproved the merits of the hypothesis that teams will reflect the playing style of their manager.

     

    I have not attempted to prove what does make the playing style of a team. If I were to attempt such a task, I would be looking to gather more input information than “What position did the manager used to play?”. Questions, such as, what are his thoughts and philosophy on how football should be played?, are more likely to lead to testable data.

  26. Margaret McGill – 00:03

     

     

    Indeed, I’d imagine he must be struggling to make ends meet right enough.

     

     

    Anyway, time to hit the hay to hopefully dream about PL’s bonus and pay rise and bonus shares and pay bonus and bonus bonanza…

  27. Celticrollercoaster luvs his luminious lime boots on

    SFTB

     

     

    I hope Thursday went well both on and off the pitch

     

     

    HH

     

     

    CRC

  28. martybhoy59

     

     

    00:11 on 23 April, 2014

     

    thomthethim for oscar ok

     

    …………

     

    That’s a good post and I hear you.

     

     

    Celtic means everything to me and I see a change/ a difference which I’m not happy with.

     

    The support is the strength and the very heart and soul of Celtic, I’m not convinced the plc have the same feelings/ goals.

     

    Off to bed, up early.

     

    HH Celts

  29. BRTH 18.51

     

     

    Yup. Game set and match to the SPFL and Celtic.

     

     

    Do you think we helped?

  30. FAO any CQNers who were able to stay awake during the CL semi final.

     

    I have written to Celtic TV requesting them to show live the final three games of the U20 league.

     

    If anyone is still awake and around please also do the same and let’s see if we get a reaction.

     

    Thanks in advance

  31. Margaret McGill on

    blooter it!

     

     

    00:18 on 23 April, 2014

     

     

    Mjallby’s pay raise request has been answered is my guess

  32. Margaret McGill on

    Actually he is probably in the minority of Celtic employees that is paid a living wage …….. Is my guess