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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Natknow- yes but they pick up a lot of easy peasy ranking points through having the hapless cash strapped Sevconians in the same qualifying group.
KevJungle,who misses, Murdo Macleod’s – ball-winning,hun-skelping,title-winning,net-bursting,Jungle-party-inducing-displays,in the hoops
10:34 on 29 May, 2014
FWIW….
I’d be happy(like Pharrell) if any of the following four names
got the Celtic managers gig.
1. John Collins
2. Roy Keane
3. Mark McGhee
4. Owen Coyle
In particular, in Owen Coyle’s case it has to be recognised that he dissed Celtic’s job offer the last time for exactly the same reasons that, Neil & BJM left.
The two main challenges for the in-coming manager will be, to successfully negotiate the historic anti-Celtic establishment and, the increasing snobbery that is now so evident amongst large swathes of the Celtic support at the minute. imho
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Snobbery? I’d have thought negotiating the Champs League Qualifiers would have been his main challenge?
What were the reasons Neil left? Must be different from Tony – he was sacked.
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS 10:26 on 29 May, 2014
Just trying to ruin everybody’s morning.
The plot thickens.
Or in the case of the huns – the thick plot.
HH!!
Is Madonna with the big Boopies high on the list yet?
STEINREIGNEDSUPREME
Evil,that’s what you are.
The one day I canny drink,and you come out wi something that would drive me tae it!
so it’s Moyes and McClair then….
Miodrag Krivokapic, now there’s a name! I remember on his debut for Dundee Utd., he was pulled over by the ref, (cant remember which one), to receive a yellow card, and asked for his name, after 3 attempts to understand it, then try and spell it, the ref let him off with a warning! Pretty hilarious as I recall.
HH
NatKnow
10:39 on 29 May, 2014
___________________
What’s Tony got to do with it?
How do we know Neil wasn’t sacked?
I’m being a ‘lazy journalist’ and guessing that he left for the same reasons as BJM.
Moyes and Stubbs?
Just been to Ladbrokes, Dan Petrescu is 25/1 having not been on the betting list five minutes ago.
Look at the dafties that The Scotsman describes as “Unionist ” supporters (around 50 secs into the report)
Unionists???
Dan Pet Rescue…? Have we had any other Celts named after TV programmes?
swindonbhoy
I am awaiting an email from Paddy power for odds regarding Dan the Man. William Hill doesn`t list him yet. Lhadbrokes obviously reads CQN.
JJ
Animal “Magic” Zurawski……………..
Celtic support’s major demographic
KevJungle,who misses, Murdo Macleod’s – ball-winning,hun-skelping,title-winning,net-bursting,Jungle-party-inducing-displays,in the hoops
10:45 on 29 May, 2014
NatKnow
10:39 on 29 May, 2014
___________________
What’s Tony got to do with it?
How do we know Neil wasn’t sacked?
I’m being a ‘lazy journalist’ and guessing that he left for the same reasons as BJM.
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Sorry Kev – misread BJM as BTM. Who is BJM?!
How do we know Neil wasn’t sacked? Well, in the face of that kind of scepticism, how do we know anything? How do you know life isn;t just a big illusion eh?
Let me know when you want your brain released from the jar!
Blue Peter Lawell
Darius Jackanory
DONTBRATTBAKKINANGER
Remarkable similarity to Paul Baxendale Walker.
Was he a plant after all?
NatKnow
10:39 on 29 May, 2014
‘What were the reasons Neil left?’
###
One notion doing the rounds is that he was mutually consented because he refused to commit to Celtic (ie wouldn’t give an undertaking to stay in the event that he got an offer from another club).
Fair enough, but you then have to wonder why he wasn’t prepared to stay.
Big Stubbs and Dr Hurrugghhaffur
Jungle,
He wasnt listed, they had to ring head office for a price, I was expecting at least 100-1 but was suprised at 25’s, put a tenner on it.
Charlie “Nicholas Nickleby”……
…………although no known “English” version is recorded.
Ah ha!!
NatKnow
10:56 on 29 May, 2014
__________________
Ha :)
Cheap.
But still – Ha :)
Lessons for picking a Manager?
We need one with cojones and a natural belligerence to the lickspittle Scottish Mainstream Media.
One who tells it how it is.
One who will stand up to Pistol Pete and tell him to stick his prawn sandwiches where the sun don’t shine.
One who knows we are Celtic and bow or kneel to no fecka in Scotland.
I’m warming to ex Manchester United hardman ( a proper hard bassa too) Roy Keane.Lord…. how I would have loved him in a Liverpool shirt.
Would love to have seen the sleekit whisperer try what he did to Oor Lenny on Keano.
Sorry Anto Stokes……I Like you but get yer coat son.
Roy Keane…..step forward……You’re the man.
Would the prospective candidates be aware of the reasons (the real ones) for NFL’s departure and would that knowledge encourage or discourage them?
Bobby “Murdoch Mysteries”…..
Overheard phone conversation:
“Oh, hi Dave. It’s … it’s just Chris again … from the Union of Fans? Anyway, I know you’re probably busy but if you get the chance, give me a call back. Obviously, in your own time, when you can spare a minute or two and whenever it suits you, of course. But no rush, obviously … although it would be good to hear from you.
“We haven’t heard from you in a couple of weeks, eh … a month actually. But that’s no problem. I was just hoping to fill you in on things at this end. Erm … which is all great, going really well … better than expected to be honest.
“I’d just like to run a couple of things past you. Don’t worry about the previous messages though. Nothing important. There are a few … uh, about 50 … well, maybe 150 … no more than 500.
“Anyway, it’s Chris, can’t remember if I said.
“Bye.
“Love you.”
ernie lynch
10:57 on 29 May, 2014
NatKnow
10:39 on 29 May, 2014
‘What were the reasons Neil left?’
###
One notion doing the rounds is that he was mutually consented because he refused to commit to Celtic (ie wouldn’t give an undertaking to stay in the event that he got an offer from another club).
Fair enough, but you then have to wonder why he wasn’t prepared to stay.
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Maybe. Maybe not. There’s lots of stories going round. Kev is stating that :
“In particular, in Owen Coyle’s case it has to be recognised that he dissed Celtic’s job offer the last time for exactly the same reasons that, Neil & BJM left.”
I’m scratching my head at that possibility. Coyle wasn’t employed by the club. Seems like a tenuius comparison based on little or no hard information.
Stories – as you say.
SFTB
I can only assume they all attended Fernhill School.
KevJungle,who misses, Murdo Macleod’s – ball-winning,hun-skelping,title-winning,net-bursting,Jungle-party-inducing-displays,in the hoops
11:00 on 29 May, 2014
NatKnow
10:56 on 29 May, 2014
__________________
Ha :)
Cheap.
But still – Ha :)
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No need to get snobbish with me! :-)
‘Frasier’ Forster.
ernie lynch 11:01 on 29 May, 2014
“Would the prospective candidates be aware of the reasons (the real ones) for NFL’s departure and would that knowledge encourage or discourage them?”
Are prospective candidates ever told the reason why the previous incumbent left the position they are applying for?
I wouldn’t have thought that was commonplace.
Sorry ryecatcher, actually I think more that all that we need someone who understands football.
Wheel of Marc Antoine Fortune
Steinreignedsupreme
11:07 on 29 May, 2014
I was thinking more about managers talking to each other on their own grapevine.
I assume that goes on.
Donnie “Murdo McLeod”
……………………………………..a kids cartoon programme screened exclusively on BBC Alba.