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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ernie lynch
10:29 on
6 November, 2012
BIG-CUP-WINNERS
10:20 on 6 November, 2012
‘The club is not a weapon for some to promote their agendas.
If it’s the former, the whole point is that others were using the club to promote their agenda by imposing the poppy issue on us.
obtuse, most definitely. Same question to you.
Why did the weapon need to be picked up ? Afterwards it was used to beat the club.
The swastika, as used by the Nazis, was a reversed symbol . They put it up there for the whole world to see.
The same sort of mindwarp is being applied to the poppy.
It is right not to buy into that. And that is not a crime.
….only he would have said it with one `m` !
imbalance,even
Ernie,
I fail to understand why there is hostility towards people commemorating those who gave up their lives (innocents also) during the 2 World Wars……….there were a few atrocities on all sides, but the vast majority were good young men and women, who gave up their lives ……..
If people want to wear poppies, (including myself, for as long back as I can remember) what’s the problem with that..? …… The poppy is worn for the ‘good’, not for the ‘bad’ people (who committed atrocities) ………. We need to move on ……. We are better than those few who wave the union jack as an aggressive / sectarian ‘symbol’ …….
The Poppy thing yet again….it’s becoming like Christmas.
It is an absolute disgrace and an affront to the poor souls who paid the ultimate price in various wars that this is an issue which those who want to do our club wrong can use against us.
Poppy fascism …..
These pricks have no shame.
…..6 minutes gone and some intricate play between Xavi, Messi and iniesta sees the latters shot from the edge of the box crash off Big Frasers right hand post and spin out to Lustig on the right. Big man slides a lively ball up the line to Broony. Skoosh carries the ball for two or three strides then cuts inside. He overhits his pass to Wanyama who has the vision to step over it and lets it run across to Sammi. The big man skins the first defender then turns inside and whips the ball across goal for the advancing Tony Watt. Leaning back as he shoots young tony crashes a thunderbolt off the underside of the bar and the ball whacks off the back of Valdes’s napper and into the net…..
!!bada bing!!
Fireworks!
on 2morro @ glasgow university,some culture from Catalonia,VISCA BARCELONA except 2morro nite,when we’re gonna gub yies pic.twitter.com/Ne7M0s4o
In order to appease the dissenters maybe Celtic could give an equal donation to the Catholic Church and call it the Popey fund.
Ibleedgreenandwhite. Superb
Headtheball. Quite
Folk can wear Poppies on the telly or, wherever they want but
if the directors of Celtic FC decree that – Poppies to be worn
on our beloved hoops then…..
I like FC Barcelona.
But a word to the wise.
They are not good losers.
bunburybhoy at 10:37
No offence, but if that’s what Christmas is like in your house, I hope you never invite me.
KevJungle – Murdo.. 25yds out..YEEeeeesssss..10 men Championees! 1979!
10:36 on 6 November, 2012
Both Rod and I would prefer that henceforth you keep such intelligence to yourself.
ernie lynch
10:33 on 6 November, 2012
Do you honestly believe it’s a political statement ? ……. Sorry, but I find that incredible ……. It is an indictment of failed politics that wars start in the first place….
ernie lynch
10:41 on 6 November, 2012
___________________________________
You got it !
Hail Hail
I don’t seem to recall any Poppy debates before – Dr War was our chairman
BIG-CUP-WINNERS
10:37 on 6 November, 2012
‘Why did the weapon need to be picked up ?’
It’s what you do. If something you consider to be wrong is being done in your name you do something about it.
‘Afterwards it was used to beat the club.’
And?
….the game is brought to a temporary halt as the match officials try to get substitute Boaby Lennox back from the crowd….Boaby’s overt celebrations at the goal, throwing himself into the crowd, was passed around the entire crowd above their heads as they sang “Passin the parcel in the Champions League”…..(Somebody help me oot here, I don’t know where I’m going with this)
ernie lynch
10:33 on
6 November, 2012
greenjedi
10:28 on 6 November, 2012
‘You seem to be trying to find a loophole that isn’t there. It doesn’t have to be abusive, poltical statements are banned by the club’
Putting a poppy on the shirt is a political statement.
It may be a political statement the majority endorse, but it’s a political statement.
……….
I agree 100%, but two wrongs don’t make a right
33 Hours…
Remembrance ?
It can be complicated in Italy .
My nearest neighbor was conscripted [ by having a gun waved in his face ] by The Italian Fascist Government in 1943 .
He deserted and fought [ and killed ] for the Co Belligerent Army ..
He has nothing to do with any of the various Remembrance Days in Italy. .. Why not ?
I paraphrase-
I remember it every day of my life — Stuff them , stuff their wars.
.
Poppy Debate..
Bad Pope Type..
Summa
Some’dys pint got spillt?
SOUTH OF TUNIS
Your neighbour is a very intelligent and perceptive man.
Concise too….
ernie lynch
10:45 on
6 November, 2012
It’s what you do. If something you consider to be wrong is being done in your name you do something about it.
So the club was used.
And………
Don’t know if you are being obtuse this time ?
I’ll try and spell it out: the club made a decision to participate; the GB decide that countered publicly and at Celtic park; We are pilloried.
Sounds great eh ?
Sometimes I’d like to crack open a bottle of Budvar and puff on my briar pipe inside Celtic park, but I know it’s not on. That’s why I save my beer and briar till later.
Happy birthday to us,
Stevi Wonder style,
Sway your head,
and multi-coloured beeds !!!!
Apparently, as part of implenting the Donaldson Report, Scottish Government is going to introduce tests in reading, writing and maths for trainee teachers as a way of driving up standards in Scotland’s schools.
Eh?
You need AAAB in Highers at first sitting to get into Teacher Training. How can you obtain AAAB at higher level and be unable to read or write to the relevant standard?
Does this need not highlight a bit of a problem with the Highers syllabus?
67Heaven … I am Neil Lennon..!!.. Ibrox belongs to the creditors
10:42 on 6 November, 2012
ernie lynch
10:33 on 6 November, 2012
‘Do you honestly believe it’s a political statement ? ……. Sorry, but I find that incredible ……. It is an indictment of failed politics that wars start in the first place….’
Check back.
See when the campaign started to have poppy displays at football grounds.
It was a few months before the invasion of Iraq. When the army had severe problems with recruitment.
We managed to get along quite well before then without having the poppy issue imposed on us at football clubs.
Ask yourself why there was a concerted campaign at that time to have public poppy displays at football grounds. What purpose did it serve? Who benefited? Would it have aided or hindered army recruitment?
The perverse irony in all of this is that those insisting on such public displays to commemorate the dead are helping to continue the cycle.
If someone wants to wear a poppy or attend a Remembrance day ceremony that’s fine. But let’s keep it a private and personal matter and keep it out of the public sphere.
Just watched the EPL Highlight show from the weekend and couldn’t help but notice that after scoring for QPR, Cisse celebrating his goal – in the crowd – and NO yellow card.
The only difference I could see, from the Miku and Watt situation was that the referee wasn’t Scottish.
Hail Hail
Teuchter ár lá
Well thats the poppy debate ticked off the ole CQN calendar..whats next?.is it songs or xmas?…though “Dougiegate” did come from leftfield that year
[Bt ..I know…should be Christmas :)]
Paul67
I have to disagree with a lot of what you have said about one dimensional MON.
I seen some of the best celtic sides and players that I have ever seen under MON and to those of you who come out with the old “aye but he had all the money” tosh should realise the amount of money that rangers oldco spent around that time. The huns were spending double the amount that we were spending.
I seen a celtic side that had lost the league by 20 odd points the season before, win the league by 20 odd points the following season.
I seen a celtic side in a European Final
I seen a celtic side in the CL for the very first time and I seen rangers get no CL money for once. The tide was turning in that sense too.
When he left we has a European co efficient worth talking about
I seen a Club continue the level of ambition that Fergus started
And as for questioning MON tactics, we had a team that
scored more goals than any team has ever scored in the SPL
Conceded less goals than any other team ever in the SPL
Won more points than any team has ever won in the SPL
Contained players like Sutton, Larsson, Hartson, Petrov and Lennon and made ordinary players very good, like Agathe, Jackie and one or two others. I think that trying to pigeon hole a side like this as one dimensional is a tad in accurate.
Our Lennie would kill for a home CL record like MON. (and I hope he achieves it!)
When he went to Villa, he eventually finished 5th or 6th. I cant imagine that any of the sides above him had spent less than Villa. Last season he took a relegation haunted Sunderland and led them to safety This season as you pointed out, he sits 2 places above relegation. It’s a bit early days to claim he has been sussed out. Personally I don’t put that down to MONs one sidedness, I put that down to Sunderlands spending with respect to the rest of the EPL. It’s a fact that if you want some EPL success you better spend some cash.
We should also remember that MON bought 15 players in 5 years. Subsequent Celtic managers signed three times this amount of players for the same amount of money.
Paul, it’s great to see players like Victor, Izzy and Kayal, long may it continue but be honest, we both know that for every one of them we have also had a bangura, Rasmussen and Murphy to go along with them. Lets not pretend.
For me there was Jock Stein, but I was just a bhoy then until MON.
NL might get there too, heres hoping.
The Battered Bunnet
11:14 on 6 November, 2012
‘Does this need not highlight a bit of a problem with the Highers syllabus?’
Probably more of a problem with the grading than with the syllabus.
But yes there is a problem.
I think one of the presenters on Radio 4 this morning must be a good ghuy.
He was interviewing a voice-over artiste (yon booming voiced cove who does X-Factor) at about 7:45 this morning about his job. The guy said that one week he could be playing a zombie in a video game, the next reading out the chairmans report for a PLC. The conclusion of the interview went something like this.
‘So yes, I could be a zombie one week and a chairman the next’
Presenter ‘Or even a zombie chairman?’
Coincidence? Well, yes probably. But it did make me laugh in the shower.
Not everybody on here is a veteran of several songs or poppy debates. They have something to say which they believe is pertinent. If you don’t like what they have to say why don’t you just scroll by. They are allowed a voice too; whether you like the sound of it or not.
Or are wee all becoming wee fascist censors.
BIG-CUP-WINNERS
11:05 on 6 November, 2012
‘I’ll try and spell it out: the club made a decision to participate;’
Not the club.
The board.