I listened to Neil Lennon speak after our last two games with some regret. He has been drawn into justifying the form of a team on the verge of 8-in-a-row, not having lost a goal in 8 hours of football, but who are struggling to put the ball in the net at their usual rate.
Neil was given a great opportunity, having fallen out with Hibernian, he could scarcely imagine being Celtic manager a few weeks later. But the old adage, Never follow Sinatra, holds true. Better to become Celtic manager after Tony Mowbry, or John Barnes, than Martin O’Neill or Brendan Rodgers.
Gordon Strachan will attest that it is hard to live up to the standards of a legend, no matter how many times you out-perform him in the Champions League or in the rate you accumulate domestic titles. Neil is going through a bit of the same.
A team which looked listless before transformational halftime changes at Murrayfield in October, is struggling to spark. The case for changes in the squad is evident, the fact that a manager who took over on 26th February had nothing to do with this situation, should be crystal clear.
Making the right decisions in the summer is a multi-layered question. We want the best manager we can get, but we also have to make the squad as ready as possible for the qualifiers. We want to qualify for the Champions League and we must – must – win 9 and then 10-in-a-row.
This is not a normal summer where we appoint a new manager. The history books will prominently record what happens over the next two seasons. I am sure everyone at Celtic is acutely aware they need to avoid what happened across the city in season 1997-98.
All of these questions need to be parked for the time being. We have a manager and squad who are within a point of winning the league, and a Cup Final of delivering the treble treble. Neil is doing very well wearing another man’s overalls and does not need to answer for the fact that they are torn.
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Tonight’s Glasgow Cup Final is a closed door event.
Lots of tickets going to schools. There was a big school’s event in Toryglen yesterday, Glasgow School Cup Festival, all about responsible supporting and being friends. Trying to educate kids on friendship and fun while supporting opposing teams.
“FANtastic Fans” Workshops. Will it work when they are at the game tonight with their parents?!
Don’t think football has changed that much. Still need a good keeper, two centre halves that compliment each other, full backs who can get forward, a midfielder who likes a tackle another who sees a pass , a winger who can get a cross in and most importantly goalscorers. What certainly has changed is the mentality of the players, no more hair dryer treatment or mental torture they are too brittle for that now . They love the guru coaches and buy into their cult like natures. Neil isn’t like that , I’d run through a brick wall for him not sure the new breed of player would.
Can I again thank Fool Time for his excellent post on dementia at 02:39 am today – https://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/the-magnificent-stevie-chalmers/comment-page-6/#comment-3365303
Very well worth a read !!!
I would like to know why Lenny and big Johann left the last time
Does anybody know?
Can you tell me ?
https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/english-soccer/ken-early-football-s-new-age-neutralises-philosophies-of-the-past-1.3874358
A good insight
Penalty to Rainjurz
Sid @3:43PM
Sorry Sid if it looked that way. Rangers won their trophies within 140 years. We have won ours in 131 years. As I see it we have 9 years to win 8 trophies providing we secure this season’s treble by winning the League and Cup.
‘Gordon Strachan will attest that it is hard to live up to the standards of a legend….. Neil is going through a bit of the same.’
****
In the immediate aftermath of the loss of two genuine Celtic legends, even the suggestion that a narcissistic mountebank like Brendan Rodgers might merit the accolade is both offensive and ridiculous.
ughAye on 30th April 2019 5:21 pm
No and yes (in that order).
The story was that The Great Desmondo asked NFL what he would do if an EPL club came in for him, and NFL gave the wrong answer.
The Board avoided a repetition of that scenario by appointing RD as his replacement. And, to be fair, it worked in that regard.
EL
mountebank
a person who deceives others, especially in order to trick them out of their money; a charlatan.
synonyms swindler, charlatan, confidence trickster, confidence man, fraud, fraudster, impostor, trickster, racketeer, hoaxer, sharper, quack, rogue, villain, scoundrel;
Oooooooofffffffttttttttttt CSC
I think we can forget all the names being banded about for our next manager, the job is Lenny’s, he ticks all the PLC’s boxes, the main one he is only going to cost the PLC small change.
What I will say is I bet there are hundreds of CV’s on Pedro’s desk, when Hamilton needed a manager a month or so back there was more than sixty applicants, I would wager there will be ten times that on Pedro’s desk,
I noticed Jobo has said a couple of times that had BR left in the summer Lenny probably wouldn’t be getting mentioned, I said the same thing in the days after BR left, Lenny is/was a convenient stand in, no more than that imo.
BSR
https://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/17416062.stats-show-rangers-get-twice-as-many-penalties-as-celtic/
Does anyone have the long terms statistics, say since 1945 on which clubs get the most penalties / least against them? Although I am not a betting man, I think that i might have a teensie-weensie notion of which club (past or present) that might be but hard numbers would be useful.
Thanks Ernie Lynch for your answer.at the time I thought it was strange announcing big Johann was leaving before the season was over.
HRVATSKI JIM
Interesting.
As we teeter towards ten it’ll get worse.
Albertz Pen the well known original Rainjur, and Johnny Hubbard of the same club was known as
wait for it………………………The Penalty King.
I see SFTB looked into it the other day and said the stats were random. I’m sure a Celtic statto could do it for Sevco, given its only seven years worth.
The Tavernier statue can’t be far away now.
HH
.
AN TEARMANN on 30TH APRIL 2019 4:03 PM
TOSB 3.24
We just keep tryin to get a wee bit better,improving all the time,working for it and getting return.
I would break out Sir Cheat of Realms whole tenure and influence til liquidation.:-))
Hope your good :-)
……………………..
Yes, the only fallow period really was their Nine in a Row. The Murray years have been thoroughly scrutinised and I think the verdict is that the cheating was of an industrial scale. Although many of their trophies should be discounted the authorities haven’t done so. It makes our task more difficult but even more satisfying in my opinion that we are overcoming all the hostility and cheating to overtake their trophy haul. I just want to leave them with nothing. It’s only a matter of time before the media start spouting that their WW2 titles should be counted. I think they are soiling themselves.
I’m great thanks and getting very excited about the Treble Treble (fingers crossed. I never take it as a done deal) and who will be our manager next season. Hope you’re keeping well.
:-))
FOOL TIME WHISTLE on 30TH APRIL 2019 4:30 PM
Fully agree.
Used to coach kids from. Took both my sons teams from when they were in P1 until 11, 12 year old (which outgrew my competence and badges as a coach).
Heading the ball was not part of our training until the latter years. If it happened as part of the game (4, 5, 7 aside) then so be it. But that would be few and far between. Everything was on the deck and play out from the back. It was club policy / doctrine to which I fully subscribed.
As a a side. Looking back (the sons are now 28 and 23) I would say that playing non-competetive football was a bad thing – based on the fact that when the going got tough during the later teen years, both boys and many of their team mates never went on to play the full sized game regularly. Despite every individual having been empowered with oodles of skills.
U20 Glasgow Cup final tonight, Celtic v Sevco. Celtic’s starting line up includes Ewan Henderson, Mikely Johnston, Jack Aitchison, Karamok Dembele and Armstrong Oko-Flex
Jobo,
Glad you mentioned the game tonight.
I thought everyone was just ignoring it, or my post from earlier!!! lol
Jimmy Bones
Appreciate it.
Very few of us don’t have experience of dealing with loved ones suffering from it.
Neil Lennon is the obvious choice for manager and a safe pair of hands to get us 10 In A Row and Der Huns squirming throat under his boot is too good an opportunity to pass up.
SUPERSUTTON on 30TH APRIL 2019 6:08 PM
I wish I’d done so many things differently as a father.
Do thers have this feeling at times?
The other day my elder son & I were watching his son play (9 a side on smaller ptiches with smaller goals and a size 4 ball) when he remarked how it used to be for him and his brother –
Fullsize pitches, goals & ball.
He then made me feel better when he said he remembered me saying to him & his brother as children that I thought it was daft to have kids play on the same size pitches, goals etc as men. There should be smaller goals, pitches & ball – is what he says he remembers me saying.
Thankfully, those things have come to pass where we live anyway.
To your point about how the more physical aspects of the game put you son & his friends off playing competitively – the league my grandson plays in has loads of physicality in some games. So far it seems that the balance is about right. Time will tell as he’s only nine.
Stay well.
HH
http://www.hesgoal.com/news/45313/Rangers_vs_Celtic.html
WITS/ALMORE/ANY OTHER DUBS
Hi Bhoys
I’ll be in Dublin with my 15 year old niece on 18th of May for the day. We really hoped to get into Kilmainham gaol but I can’t find anywhere that has any tickets available on that date any help greatly appreciated. Flight due to arrive at 9.40am. Only there for the day.
KEEP THE FAITH
No reception on my Celtic TV, anybody else having problems
https://i.redd.it/8k3kzlnv7ev21.png
Link to spending of Dutch clubs this season, although unsure where figures find their genesis.
Ajax have spent £45m and PSV £19m. Both teams are flying in the Dutch league (111 and 95 goals scored respectively!). Everyone is familiar with Ajax CL exploits and PSV were knocked out in the group stage from the group of death (Barca, Spurs, Inter).
If only we could have the same ambition to spend a bit of the vast sums in our bank account. I find it instructive as well that Ajax have Van Der Sar and Overmars as their CEO and technical director.
TIMALOY29
“Also, Celtic should sign Birger Meling of Rosenborg as backup LB. Really impressed me when he played against us.”
Great shout! por cierto
Tonyrome
They release cancellations on the day online if booked out. In my opinion it takes a chunk of your day if only in town for one day and is pretty depressing
Collins Barracks is on the other side of the river , is free, and has loads of 1916/war of independence stuff and much more.
Brilliant museum
The 1916 museum in the GPO is also excellent and less likely to be booked out. And you are in town there as well
Just my tuppence worth
La Grande Inter:
1. Giuliano Sarti.
Cup Winners’ Cup winner with Fiorentina in 1961. European Cup winner with Inter in 1964 and 1965. Retired from the game in 1970. Regarded as one of his country’s best goalkeepers of all time, he had only eight caps for Italy. One of his sons, Riccardo, died of a heart attack in 2006 at the age of 46. Died in 2017, aged 84.
2. Tarcisio Burgnich
European Championship winner with Italy in 1968. Losing World Cup finalist in 1970. European Cup winner with Inter in 1964 and 1965. Played against Celtic in both legs of the European Cup semi-final in 1972. He has 66 caps for Italy and is 80 years old.
3. Giacinto Facchetti
European Championship winner with Italy in 1968. Losing World Cup finalist in 1970. European Cup winner with Inter in 1964 and 1965. Captain of his national team, he was capped 94 times by Italy. One of the best full-backs of all time, his attacking style and desire to overlap ran contrary to the philosophy of Helenio Herrera. Jock Stein is said to have used him as the model for his own number 3, Tommy Gemmell. Played against Celtic in both legs of the European Cup semi-final in 1972 and scored the second in the penalty shoot-out. A man who epitomised gentlemanly conduct, he died of pancreatic cancer in 2006 at the age of 64.
4. Gianfranco Bedin
Europen Cup winner in 1965. Played against Celtic in the second leg of the European Cup semi-final in 1972. He has 6 international caps and is 73 years old.
5. Aristide Guarneri
Another who has winner’s medals from Italy’s European Championship win in 1968 and from Inter’s European Cup wins of 1964 and 1965. He has 21 international caps. Another gentleman of the game, he was never sent off. He is 81 years old.
6. Armando Picchi (c)
Captain of La Grande Inter, with European Cup winner’s medals from 1964 and 1965. Having 12 international caps, he was ruled out of the 1968 Euro finals as a result of suffering a broken pelvis in a match against Bulgaria. He died of cancer on 27th May 1971 at the age of 35. 27th of May was the anniversary of both of Inter’s European Cup wins against Real Madrid and Benfica.
7. Angelo Domenghini
A European Cup winner in 1965 with Inter and a Euro 1968 winner with Italy, he was a losing finalist in Mexico in 1970. He has 33 caps and is 77 years old.
8. Alessandro Mazzola
One of Italy’s finest players of all time, he has European cup winner’s medals from 1964 and 1965 together with one from Euro 1968. He played 70 times for Italy and has a runner’s up medal from Mexico ’70. Played in both legs against Celtic in 1972 and scored the first in the penalty shoot-out. He was 6 years old in 1949 when his father died in the air disaster which claimed the lives of the entire Torino team. Currently a football commentator, he is 76 years old.
9. Renato Cappellini
Went on to play with Roma in 1969 and has 2 caps. Scored 18 goals for inter and 23 for Roma. He is 75 years old.
10. Mauro Bicicli
The 1966-67 season was his third spell with Inter. Died of liver cancer in 2001, aged 66.
11. Mario Corso
“Mariolino” or “God’s Left Foot” has winner’s medals from ’64 and ’65. He has 23 caps and is considered one of the best ever Italian wingers. Together with Sarti, Picchi and Bedin, he is one of the most successful Inter players never to be selected to play at a World Cup finals. Didn’t play against Celtic in ’72 and left for Genoa in ’73. He is 77 years old.
Yes, same here Cork Celt, audio only. I have sent 2 messages to the Studio so far, no response as yet.
Very frustrating. HH
Cork Celt, just got video on back up!
I pay a subscription to a site, Scotthfitbaw.com . Top quality coverage of just about every game I want to watch. Watching the U20 final but it’s via RangersTV rather than CelticTV – same visuals but it’s Tom the Commentator, which actually isn’t that bad! ;-) Still no goals, 13 played.
All this talk of 10 in a row. !! It ain’t gonna happen, sorry.
Does anyone really think the hun and their sicophants will ever allow it, if so , dream on.
Sad but true
KINGLuBO
Goooaaalllll – MIkey Johnston. Decent move. Light show on, ha ha!
1 up
1 nil to the young hoops por cierto
Thanks Friesdorfer, watching it on Bada’s link which is top class, Celtic just scored. one nil to the good ghuys.
JOBO BALDIE on 30TH APRIL 2019 7:15 PM
Has there been a ‘ whits he doin….’ moment yet ???
U20s game on Celtic TV.
Great picture & Them kicking us all over the park.
Still 1-0