Back in January we discussed Mauricio Pochettino, who yesterday left Southampton to become manager of Tottenham Hotspur. He is without question the hottest management property in the most bloated league in football.
He was also an unemployed flop a little over a year ago.
In reality, Pochettino is a good manager but he is also the latest in a long line of faux guru-managers, the aura of divinity around him is illusionary. He was sacked by Espanyol in December 2012 with the club bottom of La Liga after 13 games, after propelling them up the league from a similar position two years earlier. Espanyol’s problems were not Pochettino’s problems. The club strategy had been failing for years, Pochettino was not the first manager to suffer as a consequence, in fact, he was the club’s third manager in a season when he took over.
He joined Southampton, who were on a different trajectory. Southampton have been producing some of the best youth talent in the UK for a decade but a series of self-harming boardroom battles saw the club competing in the third tier of English football. In Nigel Adkins the found a man who won two consecutive promotions and had them comfortable in the Premier League.
Then, in January last year, Southampton made one of the ballsy-est decisions in football history. They sacked the successful Adkins and replaced him with the aforementioned unemployed flop.
Chairman Nicola Cortese, who was an outsider to the football industry, figured that Adkins could only take the club so far and that, with the appointment of a man in-tune with the new strategy, Southampton could make a real breakthrough at the top of the Premiership.
Pochettino did what Cortese wanted, not through obligation, but through instinct. Unfortunately for Southampton, Markus Liebharr, who appointed Cortese, died, and his daughter-and-heir, Katharine, figured the family had spent enough of their fortune on an English football club. With strategy tending towards a breakeven point, Cortese resigned. It was inevitable that Pochettino would follow.
What are the lessons for us?
Forget looking for a guru, it’s all about the strategy. Get the strategy right, only employ people who are instinctively aligned to it, and employ an intelligent, tactical student, even if he can’t speak the language.
CQN Event in London
Lisbon Lion John Hughes is joining Brogan Rogan, Auldheid and Angela Haggerty for a CQN Question and Answer evening at the Manor Club, Wimbledon, on 21 June. The event is ticket only, so let me know if you would like to attend, celticquicknews@gmail.com
Visit the CQN Bookstore to get Tommy Gemmell to sign your personal copy of his tome, All the Best.
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Greensideup is also Neil Lennon and supports Wee Oscar
19:23 on 28 May, 2014
Why was the sharp suited man in Holland on the weekend, signing Virgil to a new contract or seeing one of the deBoer’s, hmmmm
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Is that rhyming slang?
TOSB
“Heard on Radio 4 yesterday that Farage is from German Hugeonot stock.”
You are correct. I would not believe TSDs assertion that Nigel is a Pape or a Tim of any shade that we could recognise. He is not renowned for his accuracy.
greensideup is also neil lennon and supports wee oscar
19:23 on 28 May, 2014
Why was the sharp suited man in Holland on the weekend, signing Virgil to a new contract or seeing one of the deBoer’s, hmmmm
HH
gsu
Trying to get the charges against the Dam Bhoys dropped?
Good evening friends.
Tell me I’m not the only one settling down in front of the telly with a Scotland jersey on. Scotland at minus 1, 7/1. Brown and Mulgrew start with Leigh on the bench. I assume Big Efe’s in Nigeria’s starting line up unless he’s currently responding to ACGR’s last email…
http://www.fifpro.org/en/news/new-guide-to-tackle-match-fixing-in-football
This is a real issue in the professional game in Scotland.
Just as England are about to tighten the rules on players betting on matches (http://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/may/21/footballers-betting-worldwide-ban-football-association), the Scottish msm, following on from the Ian Black cheating, were suggesting the rules were too tight in Scotland.
“The relatively large number of players (32% – 27) who have knowingly bet against the rules is a cause for concern, especially as this may be an under-reported figure. More work needs to be done to address this issue.”
I don’t think so. There should be no betting by those involved in professional football in Scotland. There are plenty of other outlets for them to lose their money.
U21 s v Holland on SS1,McGinn,Armstrong,and May start
Boyd ,who refused to play for Scotland,co-commentator on BBC1 @ 7.55,another hun in the media,just what we need…….
bbc Scotland suggest Roy Keane is the new Celtic manager
At this stage I am not looking to be overwhelmed by the new managerial appointment. I do not want to be underwhelmed. I will settled for being simply whelmed when he arrives.
Off topic
Anyone feel we’ve let ourselves down with goalkeepers down the years ?
In my time
Simpson I wasn’t quite old enough, but obviously a legend
Fallon Same as above, without the legendary status
Williams Seemed ok, but again, I was young
Connaghan Remember him saving pens v them in Dryburgh Cup Final, thought he was a good keeper
Hunter Wasnt the worst but think he fecked up for Scotland
Latchford Loved the big man, always remember him and Conroy at end of 77 Final
Bonnar No doubt have a lot of fans on here, cost us too many big games (84 Cup Final for one) and couldnt manage one save in 90 Final v aberdeen yet got hero status with Ireland v Romania. Sorry Im still trying to get over that one
Mcnight(mare) enough said
Ian Andrews even worse than above
Alan Rough If we could have got him sooner ?
Gordon Marshall never a great keeper and proved his true colours in 2003
Carl Muggleton Surely someone was noising us up
Stewart Kerr ordinary at best
Jonathan Gould Didnt mind Gould , thought he was ok
Tony Warner Big guy had one really good season
Rab Douglas 2003, cost us the league and the uefa, I know he has a lot of apologists on here but if you think of the 3-3 game at CP and the Final in Seville, to name just two then I think you have to admit that he cost us big time
Magnuss Hedman Bayern Munich
Broto Still think we’d have won in Seville, and won the League if MON hadnt taken the hump with him, for whatever reason it was. I love MON but I feel his biggest mistake was sticking with RD
David Marshall £15m ?
Boruc Love the Holy Goalie
Sorry for the boring goalies post
HH
Roy Keane? Not totally overjoyed if that is the case but I wasn’t delighted either when Lennon was appointed.
7.04pm
Cowie ‘You Heard it Here First’ Bhoy strikes an early blow in the CQN Telt Yeez stakes.
;-)))
HH jamesgang
21051967
shay given too?
My take on this – I’m confused. I can’t make my mind up
The trouble with any young, ‘foreign’ coach is that they will be destroyed by the dark forces at work here – media, SFA, refs, Sevco etc.
Rules out Morten et al, sadly. I also think it rules out the Quiet Man, Steve Clarke, who I think is the best coach. What we need is a manager with balls as big as Lenny’s and going by the way DD does business, someone who he knows the bones of. MON, WGS etc. Malky would understand the lie of the land, but he will wait for the EPL. £1m + salary at Cardiff (guessing here) to £300,000 with us up the road? Dunno.
Enter Roy Keane. Never takes a backward step, and someone who DD will be able to control. Would he relocate his brood (and Trigger) to Glasgow? Doubtful.
Therefore, I conclude, I have no idea who it will be….
Does anyone think Neil will be left on the shelf in the current merry-go-round? Possibly. West Brom say no, and I doubt he’ll get Southampton. Shame really, as I think he’s a good manager and a good guy
This Lhads closing off some options in terms of getting a selfie with Keano or Owen’s granny! Big time!
https://twitter.com/jordanleonard7/status/471723086103187456
HH jamesgang
21stMay
MON didn’t take the hump with Broto …he wasn’t allowed to sign him …financial reasons
How much will Keano demand in wages??
twentyfirstofmaynineteenseventynine
Boruc was the most talented goalie I’ve seen
playing for the hoops…..still in utter shock and
disbelief he never made it into the CQteN side.
Jamesgang
Believe me, nothing but a pure guess,
Now how is our friend ACGR doing in the £5 gamble :-)
Hail Hail
Efe not in the starting XI as he’s been up all night trying to Google ACGR’s mother’s maiden name
Add Brad Friedel and Brad Guzan to the list
Jobo
Up all night to get lucky. ..
Nigeria have a better strip than Scotland. They also don’t have a Hutton. What a plonker.
Stewart kerr was another keeper who came through the ranks
Charlie
Mulgrew thinks he’s a Brazillian
1-0 Scotland
Charlie Mulgrew
woooooooooooooohooooooooooooooooooocharlie Mulgroooooooooooooooooooo
Charlie Mulgrew!!!!!!!!!!!
But Scotland do have a Messi: Charlie Mulgrew. What a goal.
Mulgrew
Given that DD will ultimately decide who the next manager is Roy Keane would seem the most likely candidate.
As far as being a Celtic / Manchester utd fan it’s irrelevant but , at the same time , perfectly possible that he’s both.
He did speak highly of us in his autobiography and chose to play for us when he could have gone pretty much anywhere he wanted.
Whether it was a success for us and or him is another matter but , personally , I loved seeing him in the hoops , especially at Ibrox when he took the entire rangers midfield to school.
And he was at Seville. I saw him myself after the game right outside the ground. He looked as gutted as the rest of us.
Valentinesday
Boruc…me too
Cowiebhoy
He’s been stung by his son!
That would be the perfect end to this hilarious tale!
Reckon the big ghuy’s radio silence means he’s taken it to new level and had gone Rambo to find him!
Jobo. When you come onto CQN and say hello to everyone it’s a bit like norm arriving in Cheers. Albeit a far slimmer, meteorlogically-aware version!
HH jamesgang
CelticRay knew I’d forget some and he’s definitely one I’d have liked us to hang on to
PF Ive always been under the impression that MON had a fall out with him, I’m glad to hear its not the case
valentinesday He could still come back (Celtic or CQteN) ?
HH
Bada
you did know Celtic let Given leave and kept Stewart Kerr?
I think that was definitely a case of letting ourselves down on GK position.
Is that Jamsie Cotter doing the co-commentary?
He would have never got away with that
if eff was playing.