Surprised at the success our former (very successful) managers, Martin O’Neill and Gordon Strachan, are having on the international stage? Perhaps a bit surprised they’ve figures out how to collect points away from home in Europe.
Martin O’Neill will always be royalty at Celtic but after a couple of well-financed seasons at Aston Villa his star fell, eventually leading to an ignominious departure from Sunderland, who managed to replace him, and improve, under Paulo DiCanio.
A decade earlier Martin was the hottest property in management in the UK. Campaigns were run by Liverpool fans to tempt him, he was tipped for the Manchester United job when Alex Ferguson retired, but the absurd reality that Di Canio was able to stop the decline of O’Neill’s Sunderland team damaged his brand considerablty.
Gordon Strachan had a claustrophobic four years at Celtic. He became only the third manager in our history to win three consecutive league titles, and broke new ground in the Champions League, but Celtic’s commercial competitiveness declined during this era, making Gordon’s life harder than it would otherwise have been.
The Ireland and Scotland jobs both looked like poisoned chalices. Ireland reached Euro 2012 but came home pointless, looking like a team in decline. Scotland had fallen so low they were hardly in decline when Gordon Strachan took over from Craig Levein last year, but it seemed shifting demographics had consigned our interest to club football only.
Martin may have found his niche. His teams have always known how to defend and how to score goals, issues like ball retention always appeared trivial to him. Gordon is an example of a manager who is always learning. He was an excellent Celtic manager but it should surprise no one that he is a better manager now than he was when he left five years ago.
I’ve absolutely no idea which side is going to win the bun fight for control over Newco Rangers, but, there is some interesting form to consider……
Just when people with money and a plan (on this occasion Ashley with the Easdales) look to have things sorted, the cabal, previously known as the Blue Knights, pitch up without the wherewithal to take control and drive a poisoned wedge between fans and club.
It’s a master-class in subversion. Based on his previous exploits my money’s not on the tax crook (the one convicted in South Africa, that is) succeeding.
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Awe_Naw
I remember turning to my mate as we left after another victory at Paradise in Martin’s time, and saying:
“I honestly can’t remember the last time we lost a league game here”. And that after the horrors (1998 excepted) of the 90s.
It’ll be a while till I say that again, I fear.
Hope I’m wrong.
I loved Martin O’Neill and Gordon Strachan as Celtic managers; they both brought us success against a corrupt and loaded hand; of course there were disappointments but that’s football. Well done to both of them and alongside big Jock they buried the huns.
HH
RD stated that he saw loans, where you brought a player on only for him to return to the team, as no being ideal. A loan where you can buy the player at the end of the loan period is a different matter….
Ruggyman,
I preferred the referendum chat to the deadybears talk on here ;)
Only just.
!!Bada Bing!! –
I firmly believe that RD will spend in January in preparation for next summer’s CL qualifiers, and again in the summer.
As for the Ibrox mob, I am still not convinced they will be in the top flight next season.
yorkbhoy
19:33 on 15 October, 2014
Ziggydoc
I just remember him running amok against us a few times. A great player in a very good Aberdeen side…
He sure was. The 3-3 game I think I remember was when he was with Dundee in the 70s.
I think big Billy took him to Aberdeen soon after.
by STEPHEN HALLIDAY
Updated on the
21 July
2014
23:58
Published 21/07/2014 20:45
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111 comments
Have your say!
RONNY Deila is preparing to forage for quality off-cuts in the summer transfer window as he bides his time in reshaping the Celtic squad.
So far, the Scottish champions’ new manager, who will lead his side out at BT Murrayfield for tonight’s second qualifying round tie against Icelandic champions KR Reykjavik, has made just one signing with the acquisition of previously unattached goalkeeper Craig Gordon.
But Deila is relaxed about the player recruitment budget at his disposal and accepts Celtic have to take their place in a lengthy queue behind clubs with far greater spending power. The Norwegian is also confident his existing squad are capable of taking Celtic into the lucrative group stage of the Champions League for a third consecutive season. They take a 1-0 lead into tonight’s second leg at the home of Scottish rugby in Edinburgh, with the winners facing either Legia Warsaw of Poland or League of Ireland champions St Patrick’s Athletic in the next phase. “The players who are here now are the ones who are going to take us through,” said Deila. “Maybe we can get two or three in, but the main players are here now. Nothing revolutionary is going to happen.
“We are looking for quality and that’s very hard just now, when a lot of the big clubs in the rest of the world haven’t even started pre-season.
“You have to beat clubs like Manchester City who can just buy the ones they want when they want. The biggest get their food first – then the rest of us come after. That’s the challenge we have. The longer the window goes, the bigger the opportunities get. There is more pressure on every club and they have to take decisions. So for me, quality is the word – that means someone who can go in and do something at once. But there is also quality in those who can be longer-term prospects.
“Of course, qualifying for the Champions League is very important when it comes to attracting players. That’s a huge thing and it is a big target for us.
“We work together at Celtic. I talk with [chief executive] Peter [Lawwell] and he has the same task as me – to make Celtic as good as possible without putting the club out of order economically. There’s no problem at all. It’s very easy. But you know what kind of money there is. It doesn’t compete with the biggest clubs in Europe. But it is big in Scottish terms. Of course, Celtic is a club who buys not very expensive players but wants them to progress and sell for more money.”
That is a scenario Celtic may yet face with England international goalkeeper Fraser Forster and Dutch defender Virgil van Dijk, both of whom have been linked with moves south of the border. Celtic managed to negotiate the Champions League qualifiers last year despite the sales of key players Gary Hooper and Victor Wanyama during the process.
“Yes, if we sold any of our bigger players, I would expect some of the money to be made available to me,” added Deila. “That’s the way the club has been. If players go out, we get money to do something else. It’s hard to do it right away, to go in and get your target in an hour or whatever. You have to take your time and find the right prospect. We are working hard.
“We have players we have identified and we will see if we can get the ones we want.
“I’m confident the current squad can get us to the group stage. A lot of them have been there and done it before. But it’s not exactly the same, because we have lost Georgios Samaras, while Scott Brown and James Forrest are out injured for these big games.
“But other players have to take steps and get us into the Champions League.”
Celtic have been linked with a loan move for Villarreal’s Mexican winger Javier Aquino. But Deila, who declined to comment on individual names, would prefer more permanent signings.
“Loan deals are a possibility but they are not ideal,” he said. “You don’t want to develop other clubs’ talent and not get any money for it. The important thing is to get someone who will make the team much better. So it could be older players who there is no future value in but who can use their experience and skills to help us. So that’s another opportunity.”
Irish striker Anthony Stokes will be absent tonight because of a pulled muscle sustained in Saturday’s friendly away to Dynamo Dresden, but Deila expects first leg scorer Kris Commons to recover from a thigh injury in time.
GM- He said it was pointless getting players on loan fit for other clubs.Instead he got Park’s targets from the last 18 months.HH
Martin O’Neill (not happy about him described as royalty) put us on the front foot with the hun; they blinked!
HH
Maybe I’m wrong but I’m not convinced we should see the Polish team as a potential scalp.
They are about our level, Lewandowski apart they are nothing special.
bgx
If you are lurking apologies for not getting back to you last night, fell asleep just caught your post when I read back earlier today. I can certainly confirm your recollections on the annual damage inflicted on St Theresa’s prior to the big walk, particularly the statue of the Virgin Mary. You also reminded of fr McKinnon my god what a frightening man and gave the longest sermons I think I have ever had.
Does anyone know what channel next weeks Uefa Cup game is being shown on?
Thanks in advance.
MON spotted the used car salesman persona immediatley and said no thanks. It took WGS and NL three years. MON predicted ten years ago what was going to happen. That was well before any banking crash, or the huns going breast up. That is why he is so disliked by PL.
WELCOME TO THE SLOW LANE
HH
Gordon Strachan gets us and knows how to win; I hope he comes back to Paradise some day.
HH
AWE NAW
A top class gambler who got away with it last year and cocked it up this year.
If he is off to Vegas next year for the do,I’m going too.
It’s the only way ant of us are going to see our money back. Green baize rather than grass.
Likewise…. I dodged the independence debate on here. Although thank some posters for the education.
Bada,
There’s the quote now.
Not what you said at all. Hard to argue against most of your other points though.
Roy C@19:37
Nail on head.
Peter Barlow getting a break on corrie.
Zico,
What is it with them Barlows? :)
Porridge fixation.
Zico-Maltese Bhoy –
Thon Elsie Tanner’s a stoatir whit?
Two strikers; four men in midfield; players in their natural position; back your fans against Government and police intimidation; pay the living wage; state the huns are deid; sign Scottish players (Provan, McClair, McLeod etc someone gave them a chance).
Mt first day as C.E.O.
Oh and invite KevJ in for a chat….
HH
We need to re-engage the fans and get them behind something. Waiting on the deidco to get their act together is like taking out a pilot’s license for a Kamakazi squadron…
wakeupCELTICcsc
geordie munro VG
Tom-thanks for replies,a lot of subjects that have been done to death included !! I really hope RD can get his ideas on to the park,in a way the players understand,January transfer window is another matter :)
tom mclaughlin
Elsie was my type of woman.
Would not go home to her with an open pay poke.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bz8BmTzIMAEZyHG.jpg:large
Anyway, Jinky in the European Cup Final (looks like a public park)
Hail hail wee Mhan
ziggydoc1
The game you may be thinking of:
January 3rd 1976, Celtic 3 Dundee 3. GS played but didn’t score although he certainly scored plenty for Aberdeen against us.
This mhan got a good mention yesterday:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BznDfdvIcAAZFg4.jpg:large
HH
Nice of Aberdeen to cut our allocation for the game at pittodrie to 2000, hopefully it’s remembered when there playing pish and try to up it again.
GM-the quotes are there.HH
stringer bell-BT Sport i think.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BzNTLnYIcAAbnQh.jpg:large
I’d even have taken this Bhoy on loan…
HH
Roy C
Nice headline, too.
“the King of Lisbon”
O Estadio Nacional is the most beautifully situated stadium I’ve ever seen.
Made the pilgrimage in 1976.
Always amazed me how all those bevvied Celtic fans found it, as I walked through the surrounding woods!
A unique setting, for a unique achievement.
My favourite memory of Dens Park was a game in the early 70s when Kenny Dalglish ran riot and contributed a hat-trick to a 6-0 Celtic triumph. It was one of the best individual performances I had even seen on a football pitch. Kenny was unplayable that day. Truly world class.
Bada bing
Many thanks man!
Tom McLaughlin
What a player, total quality and we were lucky to see him. HH
beatbhoy
on my bucket list HH.
beatbhoy –
I was there in 1969 while on a cruise with my school.
The 2 teachers organized two separate excursions during our 2 day stay in Lisbon. One was to the Catholic shrine in Fatima and the other to the Celtic shrine at the Estadio Nacional.
Around a dozen of us went to the stadium while one pupil elected to accompany the other teacher to Fatima.
It was a great experience being on the pitch. It was only 2 years after the game so the stadium hadn’t changed much.