Sometimes I look at the trajectory of Martin O’Neill’s career and wonder why he didn’t land another top job after leaving Celtic. He was the hottest property in football while he was in Glasgow, almost joined Leeds United (then a top side), while he was short odds for the Liverpool manager’s job at each annual crisis on Merseyside. At the time Ferguson at Manchester was talking about retiring, had he gone, Martin would have moved to Old Trafford.
In 2003 he met Mourinho in the Uefa Cup final. The Portuguese had some of the finest footballers of that generation at his disposal, unquestionably a better collection of players than Celtic, as their Champions League win 12 months later would prove, but Porto were pinned-in for long spells in the second half and required (literally) every trick in the book to prevail.
Despite losing, O’Neill did better with the resources available to him than Mourinho.
After a few meritocratic years at Aston Villa, where he spent more than the club could afford, but delivered a better team than they would otherwise expect, he left a day before the season kicked off, apparently unhappy Villa’s budget was being curtailed.
Without meaning offence to Sunderland, I was disappointed when he pitched up there. Martin O’Neill was surely a manager who should be competing for league titles and in the Champions League. His early form at Sunderland was transformational but it was a transformation built on fragile foundations.
Those founds’ have now disappeared, Sunderland sit two places above relegation. Their play is recognisable from how Celtic played a decade ago, and how Leicester played in the 90s. Opponents know what they get from Martin’s teams, so they know how to prepare for them.
Martin’s former players talk about his inspirational qualities not his tactical incision. It’s hard, if not impossible, for a manager of a major club to master all the attributes required in the job. The successful ones realise this and delegate.
One of the frustrations we had with Martin when he was at Celtic is his reluctance to indulge the scouts. We signed former Leicester players, players who featured on Match of the Day, or players from other SPL clubs. The Wanyama, Izaguirre, Kayal-recruitment model, players signed with greater trust in the scouts and limited supervision from the man at the top, would never have happened under O’Neill.
The technical side of the game is perhaps even more important than recruitment. Great football systems, clubs and countries develop from one coach doing something sensational. Successful tactical changes are then studied and copied, but how do you study and learn from a system that’s not utilised against you, or on TV, when you are manager of a large club? You can’t, on your own.
Instead you have to deploy the systems you already trust and used to get yourself the big job in the first place. Or you can tinker a little, or use what, for the want of a better term, we’ll call a technical research team. People who can say to the manager, “A club in Romania is doing something really clever, we should try it”, without being frog-marched off the premises.
The lesson of evolution is that it is not the biggest, strongest or healthiest who thrive, it’s those who can adapt to a changing environment. The list of great managers who end their career in humiliating relegation is longer than the list of greats who regularly discard their tried and tested formations and become early-adopters of successful new systems.
‘By any means necessary, Journey with Celtic Bampots’ by Paul Larkin, is now available at Lulu and other outlets. Paul charts the remarkable events the Internet Bampots became embroiled in since 2008.
As well as reading for FREE here (don’t try to read through the graphic below), you can subscribe for £10 or £20, and our sponsor, Executive Shaving, who offer an enormous range of grooming products, are offering readers a £20 voucher for all £30 CQN Magazine subscribers.
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Joe Filippis Haircut
12:49 on 5 November, 2012
How many CQN posters would today swop Neil Lennon for MON if they had the chance?
Lenny for me
paulsatim is neil lennon
:)))
I’ve just text
I see Griffiths at Hibs has a £150k price tag. Emdae fancy it? To me its a steal. Go get him Neil.
Neil – WGS then MON for me.
jude2005 is Neil Lennon \o/
12:57 on
5 November, 2012
I see Griffiths at Hibs has a £150k price tag. Emdae fancy it? To me its a steal. Go get him Neil
………..
What did Axel Foley used to say?
Get the *&^% out of here!
Griffiths for Celtic?!
Is he any better than what we have now?!
Give me Tony Watt, Dylan McGeough, Filip Twardzik…any day of the week!!
HH!!
greenjedi
£150k + Mc Court. Wee nark but a clever wee player and 5 goals to boot!! What do you *&$%”! make of that then? lol
Griffiths would need to come with his own lawyer,and birth control.
Im comparing him with Paddy done nowt! Flash in the pan Forrest. Griffiths is very good player and getting better every game. Watt must start v Barca btw.
Paul67
I wasn’t expecting to read that article when I popped in for a wee lunchtime catch up.
Hard to accurately describe how it made me feel. Deep down I see the truth in it but it makes me a wee bit sad admitting it.
Glad to see your plug for Paul Larkin’s excellent book. I picked my copy up from the sorting office on Saturday morning and am now halway through it. But for a wedding on Saturday night and a wee trip to Tannadice on Sunday it would be finished by now. An terrific read and well worth the cover price.
SwanseaBhoy
!!Bada Bing!!
13:03 on 5 November, 2012
Griffiths would need to come with his own lawyer,and birth control.
and a proper barber!
“Thomas went off with a calf strain very early in the game and he is a doubt,” he said.
“He has been looking very good in training and I am pretty sure if he had been playing at the end of the game those things wouldn’t have happened ”
Neil Lennon
Re GB display…………..
FAO Mince/Twitter users – Urgent
Some idiot has tweeted/FB that GB need help urgently setting up & to sign in at the security office. We don’t need anyone, got a feeling its huns at the wind up can fOlk please tweet we dont want anyone turning up. Anyone who does will be turned away.
B B
Neil wd sort that out no prob. Have you saw the goals he’s scored lately? Ps Neil has some wild oats out there too.
Sneak preview of GB display for Barca just been released!!!
http://img547.imageshack.us/img547/8941/4945137.jpg
***Green Brigade display v Barca – Important***
125th anniversary display v Barca IMPORTANT INFO
On the 7th of November, 125 years and one day from Celtic’s founding meeting in St Mary’s in the Calton, we take on Barcelona in the Champions League.
With brilliant financial backing from the Celtic support, we have organised a fantastic full-stadium display to mark the occasion and celebrate our incredible history and we need EVERY fan to play their part in making it a success. For that to happen, we need everyone to make a big effort to get in early and to follow these instructions.
Do NOT raise the material at your seat during You’ll Never Walk Alone. Instead, wait for the cue from the Green Brigade corner at section 111 to do so before the teams come out. With your continued support we can, 125 years on from the founding of our club, continue to show the world just what the great Celtic support can do.
I just hope they spell legned properly on the night.
.
BlantyreKev
11:53 on
5 November, 2012
Big Pierres 2 front teeth
My favourite boozer on all the earth! Sunday afternoons in the beer garden, BBQ, live music, freezing cold schooners of New. Outstanding. We were on Oberon Street up the hill, near the chapel. Sunday morning 8am mass. Beach for a swim, Randwick for the shopping then Coogee Bay Hotel. Man, I am getting itchy feet.
..
BK..
I’m No Stalking ye Honest..
Did you ever go to The Big Tomato..(Pub) Loosely Described..
First time l went..Mate (Maori) Said “You Look Hungry Jock..”..
Buy ANY Drink get a FREE Breakfast..”I’ll have a Pint”..
6:30 am on a Monday Morning..Topless Barmaids and Sure Enough a FREE Brekkie with EVRY Drink bought..(Toast was Extra..)..:O)
Summa
Ps..Why did Yous have to Mention The Googee Bay Hotel..Gave Away a Near New Landcruiser there..:O(((((((
Pps..Had to hire a Car to get back to Melbourne..:O)
paulsatim
Good mhan!!
Keep putting the message out!
HH!!
bournesouprecipe
Interesting comment from neil. Begs the question does he rate
rogne a better defender than ambrose? Is Wilson and rogne his preferred
central pairing? Does he see ambrose other than a centre back, maybe playing
in front of the centre halfs?
Or does it mean nothing at all.
I see Paul67 is cunningly lobbing in a MON discussion as a blog deflection from poppy debates in the buildup to next weekend.
I assume Paul that your Friday leader this week will be about the pros and cons of song ‘add ons’?… :))
Barca or Celtic? @marccrosas says:’That’s like asking who do you love more – your mum or dad.’
Tallybhoy, LOL!! You seen the sneak preview?
Sneak preview of GB display for Barca just been released!!!
http://img547.imageshack.us/img547/8941/4945137.jpg
Jude-I liked him when he was at Livingston,very lively and can score goals.Will judge him when he plays against us.HH
Martin O’Neill,
Was a terrific manager for Celtic.
The fact that we can look back at his time as if Celtic being the best tea in Scotlnd was a norm.
When MO’N came it had been twenty years since Celtic were considered the best team in Scotland and a force in Europe, sure we had our moments but Martin gave us consistency at that level.
His Celtic team exuded quality, leadership and purpose throughout and brought a real pride back to the Celtic support world wide.
The Jerseys he handed out did not shrink…
praecepta
11:44 on
5 November, 2012
AS Roma substitute Mattia Destro scored a goal and was sent off in 60 eventful seconds on Sunday in his erratic team’s 4-1 win over Palermo in Serie A.
Destro came on in the 73rd minute. He was quickly booked, added the fourth goal six minutes later and was promptly sent off for taking his shirt off as he celebrated his first goal for the club.
He will miss next week’s derby against Lazio.
praecepta – I’m sure I can remember Tony Cascarino doing the same thing against Hearts in the 90s
tim malone will tell
I thought the agreement with Poppy Scotland had ended and it is up to individual clubs if they wish to mark the occasion or not.
Celtic have already given a donation, I dont think we as a club need to do any more.
Paulsatim just tweeted and included Mince and Eddie Pearson.
person sending the tweet looks like a tim!!
Bizarre
Why does the badge say 1888 instead of 1887?
imaginger
13:30 on
5 November, 2012
Good man, or woman!
paulsatim
Yes – saw it last night!
Looks good!
HH!!
Buonaserra,
Currently plying my trade (or more correctly, trying to) in Rovigo, N.Italy.
Been scanning Celticbars for likely destinations for Weds game.
Seems like Finnegans in Florence is the best option for me (travel distance, work restrictions, etc, etc). There is a place in Verona (The Black Brew) but can’t seem to find too much about the place. The CSC at Barga looks like it’ll be too far to drive, considering work finishing time.
So………….
………….Anybody any comments about the place or other options. Or, failing that, which TV channel to get the game on (just so’s I can wake up my wee barman pal in Rovigo and tell him which channel he needs to see some REAL fitba).
Grazi
paulsatim i’m a man, last time i checked!!
Maybe put a (m) after my name to help people out!!
good luck with the display
I think what Neil meant to say about Rogne was –
Not another injury!!!!
Paul67
Clever, Intuitive post……… Naw bad fur an Internet bampot.
Those oldco hacks haven’t a clue………..
Long live the Internet bampots like our Paul67CSC
Maybe the G B could learn this for Wed night. Paradise wd really be bouncing!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQbXO828Vio
Got a preview of the banner display. Jock Stein is mosaic of Craig Whyte.
North Stand is Che Guevara.
Lisbon Lions stand hard to make out, but it’s either Mother Theresa or Farrah Fawcett.
imaginger
13:37 on
5 November, 2012
LOL! I’ve nothing to do with the great guys and gals of the GB, just helping spread the word so that display isnt ruined, like some previous ones have!
Better aff with Terry Griffiths