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. jamesgang

     

     

    Prayers said for your Mum’s recovery!

     

     

    Give her a cuddle from me!

     

     

    Take care and God bless.

  2. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS .........Praying for our WEE HERO! on

    VMHAN

     

     

    She disnae drink,bud.

     

     

    That would mean I would have to drink her share of the rounds.

     

     

    Ffs,I canny handle that,I struggle to keep up wi the pros as it is!

  3. MWD…..

     

     

    Depends why it’s flaky!

     

     

    My psoriasis responds well to Elocon ointment. It is steroid based and prolonged use can “thin the skin”. Prescription only.

     

     

    If it’s just dandruff, get a decent shampoo and wash your hair regularily!

     

     

    And don’t sleep with your Celtic Beanie on!

     

     

    :-)

  4. BMCUW

     

     

    Can you repost the link to the fundraising for the cycling Celtic fan?

     

     

    Or anyone else who has it.

     

     

    Thanks

  5. bournesouprecipe on

    50% of the EPL clubs have changed managers this season *Fulham twice*

     

     

    Madness CSC

  6. Jamesgang

     

     

    I hope the doctors can work their magic and your Mums body responds well.

     

     

    TT

  7. With regards to Moyes, he was always onto a loser with this job.

     

     

    And with Mata – It wasn’t so much that he bought him, it was that he couldn’t play him where he needs to be played.

  8. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS .........Praying for our WEE HERO! on

    JAMESGANG

     

     

    I hope she gets through it,bud.

     

     

    Horrible disease,but medicine has progressed,thankfully,to the extent that most cases can be taken care of.

     

     

    I hope your Mum’s is one of them.

  9. bsr

     

     

    Guys like Sam Allerdyce walk in to well paid jobs and generally don’t achieve very much.

     

     

    He could get pumped at the end of the season by West Ham and clubs will be queuing up to give him more millions for more underachievement on a grand scale.

     

     

    Am gonny change ma joab!

     

     

    So a um..

  10. Libertadores Time

     

    +++++++++++++

     

     

    One match tonight. Remaining, last sixteen, first leg matches later this week

     

     

    Bolivar ( 2 ) v Léon ( 2 )

     

     

    For some reason this second leg is played before the other first round ties are finished this week. Oh well that’s CONMEBOL logic (or lack of) for ye.

     

     

    Bolivar treating this (and I guess it is) like their cup final. Despite going down 1-0 to city rivals, Strongest on Sunday they have a full strength squad available for this altitude assisted, home tie.

     

     

    Léon, 12th spot in the Liga-Mx, had a good (if meaningless) 3-0 at home to Toluca on Saturday, managed a surprise 1-1 draw when they visited La Paz in the group stage. So, at least, they know what to expect. Léon, also at full strength, fly in hours before kick-off to try and combat the effects of altitude.

     

     

    With all the odds in their favour, this match all about how well Bolivar handle the weight of expectation upon them. Léon literally have a mountain to climb, but have more experience in depth in their squad.

     

     

    Prediction : DRAW (60%)

  11. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS .........Praying for our WEE HERO! on

    PHILBHOY

     

     

    My MD wishes I would change mine!

     

     

    Thrawn,a word he disnae understand.

  12. Margaret McGill on

    I don’t agree.

     

    Moyes is as successful as Ferguson was at Man Utd at the beginning

     

    What we are witnessing is the ever increasing short term management outlook for the buck that has become paramount. How many EPL managers have been fired since August? 7 maybe? It’s all about money not the product. The footballing product takes time.

  13. 67Heaven ... I am Neil Lennon, supporting WEE OSCAR..!!.. Ibrox belongs to the creditors on

    Jamesgang

     

     

    So sorry to hear about your mum…

  14. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS .........Praying for our WEE HERO! on

    MWD

     

     

    If the psoriasis question was serious,I apologise for the facetious answer.

     

     

    Tea-tree oil is recommended by some.

     

     

    Hope that helps.

  15. 16 roads - Celtic über alles... on

    Davie Moyes to replace NFL like?

     

     

    Cracker.

     

     

    Moyes has won some trophies as a manager, and he always had his teams playing an entertaining brand of football.

     

     

    Lennon must go, anyone would be a better manager than Lennon,there’s at least six Scottish managers that have recently got the boot in England for being managerial geniuses – bring them all in.

     

     

    Then again, Moyes spent more money on Mata than Lenny would spend at Celtic in five lifetimes.

     

     

    JamesGang – Good luck and best wishes to your brave Mum.

     

     

    HH.

  16. Joe Filippis Haircut on

    Falkirkbhoy. Did it really cost 42 million ? I can hink of many better ways to spend that kind of cash. H.H.

  17. 16 roads - Celtic über alles... on

    I’m away to make myself a seaweed sandwich.

     

     

    Dulse.

     

     

    It’s said to be very good for the brain.

     

     

    Cheerio the noo.

  18. Mata has mostly been played out of position by Moyes, to suit Rooney. A bad decision and you could see that he really was not happy. Davy has got his cards as a result.

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

     

    13:29 on

     

    22 April, 2014

     

    Emerald Bee

     

     

    Like emerald bee have spent many a year involved with amateur/youth football and undoubtedly there are indeed so many unsung heroes in many towns and cities who give up hours to run the local team for the betterment of the local community

     

     

    Where i depart from you SFTB is the long term representatives on the SFA hierarchical structure, i encountered many of these and did not always feel they were acting in the best interests of the game, presidents/chairmen of associations who held down posts for decades in my experience usually became a huge block to bright smart new people into the game, it was very frustrating to observe

     

     

    Like Emerald i agree it is very significant who opposes the SPFL clubs new proposals and how they were leaked and the man and publication who did the leaking, as for those unsung heroes they never get any funding from the SFA in my experience so doubt they will see any change in funding, and as i understand it one of the rule changes might see some bright smart new people get involved deeper as a result of removing the ridiculous rules in how many years served to get a blazer

  20. Vmhan – YNWA Wee Oscar

     

    14:36 on

     

    22 April, 2014

     

     

    You are correct sir. Walking not Cycling.

     

     

    Had another ‘craft’ moment :o)

     

     

    Made more sense too as I left him a wee message which began and ended with

     

    ..YNWA.

  21. rwe

     

     

    15:12 on 22 April, 2014

     

    Vmhan – YNWA Wee Oscar

     

    14:36 on

     

    22 April, 2014

     

     

    You are correct sir. Walking not Cycling.

     

     

    Had another ‘craft’ moment :o)

     

     

    Made more sense too as I left him a wee message which began and ended with

     

    ..YNWA.

     

    …………..

     

    Ha ha very good my friend!

     

    I’ve just been on to his page and donated, awesome stuff (thumbs up)

     

    HH

  22. Again…a million thanks to you all. so much appreciated.

     

     

    RWE/Vmhan – at the risk of sounding like a poor, peely-wally version of MLF…I have a dream…..I dream that my children will grow up in a country where “Kraft Moments” happen only when baking with reasonably-priced butter substitutes!

     

     

    HH jamesgang

  23. So Paul 67, if I am reading you correctly, Man U should have appointed Neil Lennon.

     

     

    :–)

  24. lionroars

     

     

    Appreciate the insight from your experience.

     

     

    However, the lads in The Herald article were not insiders or placemen but they had worries about the SPFL record in player development.

     

     

    Hopefully, it will not upset things too much as we appear to be doing better, at long last, both at a Celtic and Scotland level.

     

     

    I hope the Pro-Youth set up has worked out better relationships with the Boys clubs that they depend upon to send the talent to be sifted. It was particularly poor when I was involved. So many young kids invited along for a few weeks and then told they had not made it.

  25. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS .........Praying for our WEE HERO! on

    MWD

     

     

    Whatcha mean,the current climate?

     

     

    Has it changed that much,seriously?

     

     

    Blinkin’ flip,I reckon we need fewer kelpies and more wind turbines if it is as bad as you suggest.

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