Master-class in subversion, Very successful managers

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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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  1. My favourite memory of Dens was during Martin O’Neill era, when Celtic received allocation for stand directly across from main stand. It was during the time Sara played for them and he was always showing his Jesus saves t.shirt off.

     

    Sara was taking a throw in right in front off us, when a guy in front of us starting shouting Sara ,Sara at the top of his voice, unbelievably Sara turned around. The guy shouted Jesus says your a fan*y. The whole stand erupted with laughter. Magic moment I’m sure we won the game but bizarrely I can’t remember the score. Maybe 3 or 4 nil.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Jesus saves t.shirt. About 5 minutes later

  2. RoyCroppie Thanks again for the pictures. I was staring at that last one trying to figure out who those Celtic players were. Thought I was cracking up. Then I recognised Harry Hood :)

  3. macjay1 for Neil Lennon on

    roy croppie 20.33

     

     

    Looks like Hampden.

     

    Perhaps the night Harry got three against brother hun.

     

    Marvellous night that was.

  4. prestonpans bhoys on

    hun skelper

     

    20:04 on

     

    15 October, 2014

     

     

    I’ve not got a problem with that, its their ground and they are not there to provide an advantage to the opposition. Hertz have done a similar thing to the deed ones.

  5. Tom McG

     

    The game at Dens was in 1975 I think, I was there and so too was Rod Stewart. Earlier that day he opened a record store in Reform Street Dundee, that evening he performed in the Caird Hall. I was there with a good buddy who is still a good buddy to me.

  6. I stayed over after a game at Dens, which we won well, in the early ’80s.

     

     

    Mate and I went to a club after a few jars, and noticed the disparity in the gender balance, in our favour.

     

     

    Next thing, a lovely girl taps me on the shoulder and asks if I want to dance.

     

     

    The fact that the phrase ‘there’s no accounting for taste’ had obviously originated in Dundee was great news for me, a simple frequenter of Lanarkshire discos, and for whom this could mean only one thing. . . .I had pulled!

     

     

    I was swiftly disabused of this notion, and later found out from a local that, due to the lack of males, the wummin’ would simply do the asking, rather than wait around for a dance.

     

     

    At least the hoops had won, and my mates had a good laugh as they shouted the ’80s equivalent of “should’ve gone to specsavers!”

  7. Tom

     

     

    I managed to speak to a groundsman in my pretty poor Portuguese, and the minute he heard Celtic, he smiled and said he remembered the game well. He cut me a corner of the turf from the sideline, which, I am ashamed to say, I managed to lose during some house-flitting or other.

     

     

    When I brought it home back then, and took it to the pub, my mood was quickly deflated by the general consensus that it was from my back garden!

     

     

    Jealous bar stewards!

  8. Went to Lisbon 93 (i think) for Sporting game,some guy Cadete scored 2 :(.Big Billy was on our flight and we went from airport to stadium for a guided tour.He had about 200 of us in the palm of his hand,as we all walked round the stadium,describing incidents in the game ,truly emotional.

  9. mild mannered Pedro delgado on

    Blantyre Tim

     

    Maria the cook read a revue in the herald awhile back.supposed to be good “angels share ” refers to the whiskey that evaporates so going to watch

     

    Thanks for that

  10. What is the Stars on

    Blantyre, just watching now, seems ok but I like ken loach, aactually he would make a good manager

  11. Bada

     

     

    It was a fantastic experience just to be there on a beautiful summer’s day. . .

     

     

    But if Carlsberg did stadium visits. . . .

  12. So the hun are to be saved again.

     

     

    Was always gonna happen, they were never going to die for good.

     

     

    I wonder what the talk in our boardroom will be ?

     

     

    HH

     

    ………………………………………………

     

     

    Need a wee bit of help re scammers.

     

     

    Mrs TET was scammed out of 100 brit pounds by a company who took the money, then cancelled the transaction, and never refunded the money.

     

     

    Their e maill addy is

     

     

    info@coastalsoftware.co.uk

     

     

    Can you please all mail them telling them that they are doing wrong re scamming people.

     

     

    Going through the proper channels will get the wife her cash back, but it will take months according to the bank, 100 quid feeds the animals for a month, just as well we have a spare 100 quid.

     

     

    HH

  13. Dontbrattbakkinanger on

    You’re missin’ the hunt for the Higgs boson, and other clever cloggery, on BBC4.

  14. Dontbrattbakkinanger on

    “Angels’ share” is a term for the portion (share) of a wine or distilled spirit’s volume that is lost to evaporation during aging in oak barrels. In low humidity conditions, the loss to evaporation may be primarily water. However, in higher humidities, more alcohol than water will evaporate, therefore reducing the alcoholic strength of the product. In humid climates, this loss of ethanol is associated with the growth of a darkly colored fungus, the angels’ share fungus, Baudoinia compniacensis, on the exterior surfaces of buildings, trees and other vegetation, and anything else that happens to be nearby

     

     

    -lifted from Wiki/EWLM/EWTB.

  15. Big challenge for RD on Saturday.

     

    Jim McIntyre has had 10 days ( to date ) to prepare his team.

     

    RD will be lucky to get 24 hours.

     

     

    I suspect some of our players are still travelling back, and will be jumping off a plane, and onto a bus to Dingwall.

     

    Starting to look like a team on Saturday, could be difficult

  16. Just been told by the cardiac nurse that I could make a come back for the game on the 1st November as long as I sit quietly and do not interact too much. Need to practise climbing

     

    24 seats as I sit in row X in the North Stand. Hope I make it.Missing the chat etc during games and it will be great to see the ghuys and ghalls that sit beside me normally.

  17. The Spirit of Arthur Lee on

    connaire12

     

    21:27 on

     

    15 October, 2014

     

    Just been told by the cardiac nurse that I could make a come back for the game on the 1st November as long as I sit quietly and do not interact too much.

     

     

    RD will make sure you are fine mucker

     

     

    And well done and look after yourself

  18. DBBIA

     

    Talking about clever cloggery.

     

    Currently in the land of the Pharoahs.

     

     

    Mrs. EC67 laid low with a dose of what ST and KevJ talk.

     

     

    I’ve been advised, fizzy juice and bananas by locals,(lovely folk), but any advice.

     

    Plenty water taken.

     

     

    EC67

  19. connaire12

     

     

    21:27 on 15 October, 2014

     

     

    Absolutely brilliant – nice to have you back :-)

     

    Only BT’s leg to get sorted now

     

     

    Hail Hail

  20. roy croppie

     

     

    Thanks for the superb pics my mhan.

     

    We should remember that Jinky was up against Burgnich, who at the time was regarded as the best man marker in the world. We are truly blessed to have seen one of the best players EVER.

     

    HH

  21. The best manager in history said that his best achievement was to keep Jinky playing for years longer than anyone had a right to expect.