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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Got an email from my pal, big Joe. He works in the oil industry in Nigeria.
Last night he was tuned in to Radio Lagos Sports News.
Announcer said, ” …today’s racing results will be followed by tomorrow’s football results. ”
So get your tank on Nigeria 1 v Scotland 1.
Lord Oakeshott enters left field…
Paul67:
“Forget looking for a guru, it’s all about the strategy.”
Can I be so bold as to ask what strategy are you referring to?
Is it to win the SPL?
To qualify for the group stages?
To increase our clubs bank balance?
What strategy? And after we determine the strategy, what tactics are better than useless if the strategy doesn’t go to plan and you don’t have competent employees who are equal to the task that required a strategy in the first place
Sandman 13:21
This is from the Guardian after Garcia resigned from Brighton
If this is in any way close to the truth, coming to us should be like jumping from the frying pan into the fire.
Brighton manager Óscar García offers resignation after play-off defeat
• Frustrated García tells club he wants to leave
• Brighton lost play-off 6-2 on aggregate to Derby
Jacob Steinberg
theguardian.com, Sunday 11 May 2014 23.34 BST
Brighton manager Oscar Garcia offered to resign after their Championship play-off defeat against Derby County
Óscar García has offered his resignation following Brighton & Hove Albion’s defeat in their play-off semi-final against Derby County, with the Spaniard likely to leave this week, despite being given time to mull over his decision.
The Brighton manager has had an uneasy relationship with the club’s board since he was appointed last summer and a parting of the ways seems inevitable after he informed them of his desire to leave in the aftermath of the defeat to Steve McLaren’s side.
Although Brighton remain supportive of García, who sought assurances that funds will be made available this summer, and stressed that they want him to stay, he is unlikely to change his mind and has already told his players that he may not be there next season.
García’s desire to find a new challenge will not come as a surprise to Brighton, who have been aware of his dissatisfaction for a while. He believes that they were held back this season by a lack of investment in both transfer windows and the situation was not helped when Ashley Barnes was sold to Burnley and Liam Bridcutt moved to Sunderland in January.
Barnes and Bridcutt were both key members of García’s squad and the 41-year-old’s concern about the direction in which the club was heading grew after they were not adequately replaced.
An extensive injury list added to García’s problems but after a difficult start to the season, he helped Brighton finish sixth and snatch the last play-off spot after they beat Nottingham Forest on the final day of the Championship season. Yet the manner of the defeat to Derby, who beat Brighton 6-2 on aggregate, forced him to evaluate his position.
However Brighton may justifiably argue that they are a club on the rise. The move to The Amex Stadium in 2011 has enabled them to compete at a higher level and they will also move to a new £29m training ground this summer, which will enable them to improve their infrastructure and their youth academy.
If García leaves, then he is unlikely to be short of potential suitors. His youth, association with Barcelona and commitment to attacking, possession-based football makes him an attractive candidate.
García, who led Maccabi Tel Aviv to the Israeli title in the 2012-13 season after a spell coaching Barcelona’s Under-19s, favours a move to the Premier League or La Liga and it is understood that West Ham, who may sack Sam Allardyce this week, and Aston Villa have both been watching his progress with interest.
Here Nat…. IF you want a loan of it….all you need to do is say so…..ok?
Same goes for the rest of you guys.
I haven’t done toooo many squats in it.
http://brandirectory.com/league_tables/table/top-50-football-club-brands-2014
Top 50 Football Brands
We are rated 37th up from 44th last year.
But
Teams like Sunderland, West Ham, Aston Villa, Everton and, God forbid, Newcastle are rated above us.
Strangely we are just above Benfica, who I believe have the biggest world wide support
well apart from an undead lower league side
I blame the board. Everyone else does, so why not?
After all. it’s not like we’re manning up to reach the group stages… or is winning the league our accepted ambitious limit?
BT
Sorry for late reply ( bloody work )
Very good :-))
Paddy Scam update:
My dear friend Paddy, I’ve spent much of the early part of the afternoon on the phone to Duncan the Nationwide bank online international transfers manager getting advice on how to get the money to you to pay for your sister’s liver treatment. Duncan assures me that once the transfer is made the money will register in your account within the day of the transfer. He’s a really nice guy Duncan and he was telling me all about his holiday in the Cotswalds while we engaged about the transfer of the funds to you. Duncan and his wife Marjory spent most of their time pony trekking and the kids, Margaret-Anne and Timothy were happy just to play on the beach. He’s a really interesting bloke and I think it would be nice if you and I met him for a few beers some time.
Anyway, Duncan took me through the procedure for making the transaction to your Portuguese account and it all sounds reasonably straight forward but there’s a bit of a small but not insurmountable obstacle. Because this is an international transfer there is a nominal administration fee of 2.5% that needs to be paid. To transfer the full 1800 euros over two transactions this would amount to 45 euros. The admin charge needs to be paid separately from the transfer and at the moment I’m not in a good position to manage to pay the admin charge. It’s kind of work related and I’d rather not go into it right now but I’ll explain fully when we meet at the golf day next month. I’ve asked Duncan to prepare the two transactions and I’ll get back to him once I’ve sorted out how to pay the admin charge. Now I know this isn’t really normal and I hate to ask this of you, but would you be able to help with the payment of the admin charge so we can get the larger funding released to you. The quicker we get this sorted out the quicker Louise can get on the operating table.
Please Pat, get back to my just as quickly as possible as I’d never forgive myself if any delay to Louise’s treatment caused lasting damage to her health. She’s always so full of life and enjoys a good sing song and a party. In fact she’s a bit of a raver which I’ve always liked in a woman.
Let me know when you’re coming home and I’ll ask Duncan when he’s free and we’ll get that beer with him. He say’s Marjory has some great video and photos of the holiday. Maybe we can make a night of it if you want to bring Mary-Beth and the twins along? Anyway, let me know and I’ll get the ball rolling.
Keep up the good fight for the sake of Louise and don’t cry in her presence as that may have a negative effect on her treatment.
Your friend
Michael
P.S. I was talking to provo Joe Sipsini and he was asking after you. I told him about Louise and he was visibly stunned. He said to pass on his best wishes to you both. If I remember rightly Joe went out with Louise for a short spell before he turned gay and married that butchers bhoy. They seem quite happy together.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………..
From: Pat Mcginley
To: acgr
Sent: Wednesday, 28 May 2014, 11:56
Subject: Re: Urgent Request
OK. Thank you so much for the information, I will be waiting for your email.
Thanks and God bless,
Pat
Winning Captains – while yer on………
You’d kindly offered to send me a copy of the printed flier…….
Nowts appeared yet……should I be worried?
;)
a ceiler gonof rust
Brilliant mate :-))
Oops. I see CQN Magazine on Facebook has beaten me to the punch on the brand finance story.
O me miserum. I need to go on a self imposed CQN absence for a few hours.
Anyway it’s time for a wee nap.
Awe_Naw_No_Annoni_Oan_Anaw_Noo
12:46 on 28 May, 2014
TBB
I am not as suicidal as most are regards Owen Coyle but would prefer Moyes as long as he keeps radio silent over thems.
What worries me the most is
MON became disillusioned eventually
But luckily WGS came in and ditto him too. Board where nowhere with regards transition.
Tony.
Luckily for board Neil Lennon stepped in.
Ditto Neil Lennon
In all that time the team has not progressed. Credit where its due it is not that far away either. This year was bad comparatively in CL. That has to be down to the strategy imho. I don’t believe Neil stalled as a manager.
Not a good pattern for anyone with ambition. 3 successful managers all went the same way after success. Any new manager will have to buy into THE STRATEGY. I don’t think anyone of Moyes calibre will.
The trap that is Celtic. What is success ?
Lets put it this way our next manager will not be in demand.
I expect a two tier implementation now. A firewall who will hang around and a coach to freshen things up every three years.
I hope both are foreign.
HH
————————————————————————
Martin was a success but resigned when his wife became ill – I believe him completely with regard to that. Disillusioned too? Who knows.
Gordon resigned after 4 years and has stated that “I just did what I thought was the right thing for my family at the time”. He was a success but had failed to win the league in his last season.
Tony was not a success and was dismissed after 9 months.
Neil was a success and resigned. All sorts of speculation as to why.
I’m not sure there is a pattern there – or if there is then perhaps it is that the job can be stressful and it might be difficult for any manager to maintain enthusiasm etc. However, I would tend to agree that on each occasion there seems to be no plan in place when a resignation happens. I also agree that Moyes would be a good Celtic manager, but if he is being asked to be simply a 1st team coach then I don’t think he would be interested in the job.
Inishcolly
You make an interesting first point but the second sounds like, damned if they do and damned if they don’t :-
“secondly, at this time of season ticket renewal in days gone by , as fans, we were enticed into parting with our well earned spondoolies by tantelizing stories of robbie keane, requilme and ahem jimmy bullard. this year …………………… nothing. the board havent even been arsed to play the game with us. their attitude towards us all is at an all time low. 34 years of age and im finally at the end of my tether at been taken for a mug”
If you operate on the assumption that most of the paper rumours and internet rumours on signings are planted there by the Board, then they would deserve to be attacked. In my experience, the people quickest to attack are the most productive in trailing signing rumours themselves. I now a poster who regularly trailed the Riquelme signing and can assure he he was not a Board member.
Great article, Paul. Of course if you have a wonderful player (a Larsson, a Maradona), or an exceptional manager, then it can make a difference. If you have 11 hammer throwers that can also make a difference up to a point, but at that point I stop following Celtic. However, you need to be very, very lucky with these exceptional individuals. The manager, and everything else, needs to be part of the whole strategy. Jock Stein would never have taken Hibs to the position he took Celtic, because with Celtic he came into a situation where the rest of the keys were falling into place. Jock Stein at Leeds (and Brian Clough for that matter), just didn’t fit. The great managers in British football have largely built teams based on an overall strategy – and luck, of course (pace N. Bonaparte, esq.).
Unlike UKIP, our strategy needs to include success in Europe. If we won the SPL every year, but didn’t have any European competition, how long do we think the crowds would last? The days when we measured ourselves against Rangers should be gone (and don’t forget that it’s nearly 30 years since someone outside Celtic or Rangers won the League -30 years!!).
How do we succeed in Europe? The answer is, get out of the SPL. We can’t build a team capable of playing Bayern or Real, or even Benfica or Inter, where we mostly park the bus and get 20% possession, when we spend almost all of our domestic games struggling to break down opponents who themselves park the bus. The only way is to run 2 teams and 2 systems, and that’s no answer at all.
Over the last 15 years, only Porto and Atletico have reached the top without spending hundreds of millions. Porto and Atletico were built sides, not bought.
How do we get out of the SPL – I wish I knew, but it has to happen.
I’m going to miss the paddy scam when it ends. I’m now caught up in the characters and keen to hear details of the night out with Duncan from The Nationwide.
I enjoy The Archers, but I think the paddy scam characters are better; somehow more rounded; more realistic.
Inishcolly
now = know
TinyTim – 12:24
“Too much emphasis is given to tactics.
If i am bigger ,stronger ,faster ,more skilful and more intelligent ,then you can ram your tactics.
If I have another 10 just like me ,and another 15 in reserve ,then all the tactics in the world won’t stop me.
The Barca team of recent vintage beat plenty who were bigger, stronger and faster…
everyone on the celtic board that want rangers back should be forwarded this clip to show them what we are missing
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmGjiokfQ2A
as usual rangers fans act like simpletons
this is actually funny in a sad way
Paul
What is the strategy is the question we are all asking so lets hope someone tells the new manager so he can align with it.
I think the days of Ferguson are over most managers now are like players now and are moving on for money after a few years.
We have to be realistic whoever we appoint will only be looking for a stepping stone to better things if they are any good.
I do not really care if the guy is only here for a few years as long as during that time we play attractive attacking football and can perform in the CL group stages. That is the platform we need to be judged on now as anyone could manage the team to the title at this point given our resources.
We need someone who can get us to the group stages each year and be able to get performances on the European stage.
Never Mind The Strategy Feel The Width.
The strategy should be aimed at staying in Europe for as long as possible every year until someone finally allows us to move from Scotland.
I keep banging on about this but Neil Lennons tactics last season in Europe where abysmal. We simply do not have the players to retain possession and win games in Europe. This apparent zeal to come out and play attacking football was there from the Karagandy away match right through Ajax away, Barca home and away and Milan at home.
Granted we could have taken something away from home in Milan but for Adam Matthews being able to perform two bread and butter through balls.
The apparent every player has their price strategy has to stop. We heard from Tommy Gemmel that Jock Stein stopped him from leaving why not Apply this to a named group of players every transfer window. We have potential suitors for Ambrose Forster, Van Dyke, Izzy, Brown, Forrest, Commons. Would we allow them all to go or do we see any positives in retaining a core?
The scouting has to be dead on. No looking at Wanyama thinking we could get 11 of those in. We got lucky with Wanyama. Last seasons signings to replace the backbone of the team were scanalous. We also signed Boeerigter as a replacement for Samaras and disrupted the chemistry as a result. Samaras was the quick lefty we had him and didn’t need another one, never mind an injury prone dud.
Balde sold to us as a future holding striker but actually has less ball control than Kenny Miller. Pukki £2m forward that doesn’t score goals but for some reason was sold to the support as a replacement for Hooper. Neil Lennon was clearly after a goals corer and Pukki was never one of those so why did Neil come out and say he was?
I would not be looking at the most skilful players but those who can graft, play within a system and have the power and weight ratio, vo2 max to be able to maintain high tempo for 90 odd minutes.
Oh and play Scott Brown at right midfield and work on James Forrest transition. Apparently that’s the name for standing still after making a run or pass.
Earn the money and big crowds in Europe and keep the Spl to develop talent.
Natknow
aye memberships are £5 each;
just let me know how may you require….. 8-)
Tactics are substitutes when the strategy runs out of credibility.
DONTBRATTBAKKINANGER 1306
I read about that earlier,bloody disgusting.
It reminded me of similar that I saw about five years ago when a mob attacked a young lass,beat her brutally and finished it off by dropping a paving stone on her head.
In the name of religion,just like the one you mentioned.
I won’t post it here,same as you didn’t. But sometimes,increasingly frequently now,I truly despair.
i have no inside information or privileged position that tells me why NL quit the job at this particular time.
If he was thinking about it for a while I would have thought he would have made his announcement after the last league game (or even in the week leading up to that)
The paranoid tim in me wonders why Mjallby quit just a few weeks earlier
It seems however that the board didnt know in advance either and didnt make any plans and since the club were slow to make any announcement, probably it came out of the “blue” as it were
Anyway, (just like the words that fat salary whispered to him,) I guess we will never know.
Lenny wasnt a fitba genius by any stretch, he won an excellent victory vs barca that held him in good stead and won a few titles when the huns/sevco/ whoever they are nowadays were on their knees (yeehah)
He was however held in higher regard by me because he stood tall against the bombs, bullets and boots of the bigots and he refused to bow to lesser men with secret agendas.
In terms of fitba, i think we can win the next SPFL with Tony Mowbray and john Barnes and Liam Brady. In terms of galvanising and uniting the support he will be hard to equal.
blantyretim is praying for the Knox family
13:57 on 28 May, 2014
Natknow
aye memberships are £5 each;
just let me know how may you require….. 8-)
——————————————————————-
Just myself. The wife is interested – but rules is rules etc! :-)))
Apricale, the SPL is nothing but access to Europe. We should approach the SPL as nothing more than access and when that psychological barrier is breached we should then think off Europe as the Germans approach a World Cup.
Of course you then have the problem of selling the SPL to fans but there should be a method of charging for Europe that pays for a league with no competition.
I would be happy to pay much much more for a European match than an SPL one.
Applogies if this has been discussed before, but I am not convinced Neil did not give the board plenty of notice of his resignation.
Here is a guy who loves Celtic, been through verbal and physical attacks. His family have been deemed to be at risk and in need of protection but depite this he stuck with Celtic. I am not sure I would have put up with what Neil put up with. But one thing I am sure I would have done through is given Celtic plenty of time to arrange for a replacement if I was to leave. Why do we not think Neil has done the same?
Given that Johan Mjallby’s resignation was soon followed by Neil’s it is not beyond the realms of possibility that these two events are linked. I think Celtic have had time to find a new manager and I think Neil and his team gave them that time. We should expect a new manager in place when the players come back from holiday.
After all he went through, why would Neil walk away from Celtic and leave them rushing to find a successor. I believe he would put Celtic first, as you are I might do.
Just an opinion
Hail Hail
ACGR-Best laugh i’ve had in a while mate,try and get him jailed too.HH
EXCLUSIVE
Daily Record
28 May 2014
In a sensational development late last night, Pep Guardiola, current head coach at Bayern Munich and former manager at Barcelona, issued Celtic supremo Peter Lawell with a ‘come and get me’ plea.
Guardiola explained to our extremely reliable source that “whilst I have been fortunate to have played for and managed some of the biggest clubs in the world, nothing prepared me for the Champions League nights in Glasgow. The ambition of every manager should be to manage in Glasgow- the passion, the history, the rivalry, the fans. As a footballing trainee at La Masia, myself and the other lads would watch the Rangers games on television. I just loved Terry Hurlock and Mark Hateley.
Some people in Glasgow may think it unusual for me to seek to manage Celtic in the first instance. However , I believe it would give me exposure in the Scottish game to put me in the running for the Rangers job in the future after Ally McCoist completes the job of returning the Teddy Bears to their rightful place in the SPFL.
I always regret missing out on the chance to play for Rangers, however the closest I came was when the club opted for Bob Malcolm instead.
Clearly Ally is doing a great job right now but I would see myself perhaps working at Celtic for a few seasons in order to prepare me for the honour of climbing the marble stairway at Edminston Road.
I know that other managers such as Jose (Mourinho) and Carlo (Ancelotti) will be in the frame, however I hope that the fact that I am a lifelong Rangers fan might give me an edge with the board (whoever they are)”
setting free the bears supports Res. 12 & Oscar Knox
cheers bud. good point well made. season ticket renewals at a time when we have no manager, a stragegy where every time a gem comes along who we idolize………… theyre sold, and a board who seem to be in cryofreeze until ‘THEMS ‘ return. the board are offering us absolutley nothing. sustainable strategy is just a fancy way of saying that anything that can be sold will be sold. thus we as fans will find ourselves in a groundhog day situation of having to watch the rubbish players who nobody will buy. etc 2 years ago stokes was 4 choice striker………….now he is 1st chioce. its very very grim
If any manager depended on tactics, rather than pre-planned strategy, SUPPORTED to the hilt with all available resources, to prove him and his subordinates a success, General George Armstrong Custer would spring to mind.
Tony Mowbray, 7TH Calvary. Put on your bow tie, smile, and Roll the dice, every ones a loser CSC
Maybe Celtic know they can’t ever win in a European competition, at the moment, so all they need is a manager capable of guiding Celtic to the Scottish title. No wonder nobody knows who our next manager is going to be because there are 99% of the worlds population who could do the job. The other 1% are train spotters and huns.
If emdaes wae Henrik its got to be Lubo imo!!!
a ceiler gonof rust @13:39
Nobel Prize for Contributions to Bullshi&&ing a Bullshi88er must be being engraved with your name as we speak.
Class!
HH jamesgang
You could easily find a train spotter to win the Scottish title.
They’ll even provide their own flask and sandwiches.
jamabhoy:
If Neil Lennon had spoken out, would he have been paid out on his rolling contract.
I don’t know.
I don’t know what his contract was, but I see a lot of similarities between his departure and that of Gordon Strachan’s.
Maybe I’m just paranoid, but I’m told it’s in my DNA.