The extent of Celtic’s pursuit of Ronny Deila can be seen from the fact that Peter Lawwell established a false identity before setting up a Norwegian football blog in early 2012 to allow him to pen this article titled, The Awesomeness of Ronny Deila. There is a chance the blog wasn’t written by our CEO, but the appreciation of Ronny’s talent is clear.
No deal has been concluded, so it would be a mistake to get too worked up yet, but the fact that we have got to this stage clarifies where we are, and are not, looking.
Neil Lennon resigned two weeks ago and a whole series of names, most of whom are freely available and would be delighted to accept the Celtic job, have been hotly tipped by media and bookies alike. Celtic will not be appointing the likes of Owen Coyle. Suggestions, by many who like to knock the club, that they will make a dash for season ticket cash by big name are also wrong.
Roy Keane was a serious contender, wanted by some within the club. He was in pole position a week ago, forcing those who only days earlier had proclaimed with great triumph that Neil resigned due to budget constraints (he didn’t) to re-write their script, but Roy had other plans. As did some at Celtic.
The club have been busy looking for an intelligent, technically gifted, coach. One who has a track record of innovation, improving players and improving teams. Ronny will not sell tickets on the basis of his own identity, become none of us knew him, but it was absurd to suggest Celtic would look for a short term fix with enormous Champions League qualifiers looming a few weeks away.
By any measure Ronny is a student of the game, a “Moneyball” candidate, according to the above ‘Awesomeness’ article. We don’t need the archetypal British shouter-manager, renowned for his inspirational abilities. You can get the guy who puts the cones out to do the shouting. We don’t need a media darling either. Someone already alerted me to the fact that surely ‘Ronny brings it on himself’, whatever the media decide ‘it’ is, and the manager doesn’t need an Irish granny.
I’ve not seen too much of Lennoxtown but what I have seen is a campus with talented coaches, fitness experts, nutritionists, sports scientists, scouts and analysts. We need a manager in tune with this approach to the game. Someone who will dovetail with this infrastructure, who intuitively recognises its value without needing to be told.
These appointments are always a risk, but if we’re looking for someone to fulfil this criteria, we’ll do very well. I’ve yet to back a managerial appointment by our board in 10 years writing this stuff. This could be about to change.
Lladro replica World Cup trophy
My thanks to Liam, from East Kilbride, who donated his prize memento, a Lladro replica World Cup trophy, commissioned by the Spanish FA in 1978, and acquired by Liam in 1982. It will be auctioned on Saturday with proceeds going to our Mary’s Meals school kitchen appeal. You can get involved in the auction, or keep an eye on it as it happens, here. The auction takes place at Great Western Auctions, on Dumbarton Road.
Visit the CQN Bookstore to get Tommy Gemmell to sign your personal copy of his tome, All the Best.
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TOSB,
I haven’t read back beyond your mention of Wiltshire. Imo, he has always acted the hard man and has been injured by coming off second best on occasion. A nyaff, imo, woh could still become a very good football player. Wenger never seems to try and sort out his wayward players. Strange, imo.
GG:
Tell me your having a laff. Which of them has any record of taking a ball with his back to goal and holding up play waiting for support?
Which of them can play against a CL central defender and beat them consistently in the air for a knock on or a knock down?
livibhoy – god bless wee oscar
16:35 on 5 June, 2014
TheOriginalSadiesBhoy
John Collins managed in Belgium and had a little success there. I think he left Tommy Craig in charge when he left. I believe it was always a short term agreement.
He has never stayed anywhere too long. In fairness I think if John done reasonably well at Celtic as No2 and got offered a big job elsewhere he would be off like a shot. He is an ambitious fella. Not short of confidence. I like confident people. They are good to have around.
LB
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Thanks for putting me right. Forgot it was Charleroi, he managed. I agree with everything else you say.
Wonder if they will wheel out Kenny Miller wearing an asbestos suit with his name on it…..
@Mouyokolo22: Looks like we have a new gaffer
parkheadcumsalford-going to switch over tomorrow mate,EK broadband is hopeless but currently being upgraded i believe.HH
GG we got Tony Watt from Airdrie. I know he scored against Barcelona but tell me, in his Celtic career, right off the top of your head, what else has he done to merit the adulation that some bestow upon him. He is a good player, so are lots of others.
ItaliaBhoy @ 16:03
“Obama says… Nope.”
US President in “I would rather stick some of our nuclear arsenal over 3,500 miles away from my gaff” shocker!!
; )
kitalba
14:36 on 5 June, 2014
Neganon:
Meant to also add that Moneyball has got nothing to do with buying low and selling big; not that you said it did.
Yeah, it was about maximising value
Charleroi is the worst city in Europe. A terrible place. Makes Middlesborough look like Barcelona.
Does tomorrow count as a Nike Friday?
LB
velkommen Ronnie, If he has signed , Great adventures await for good or ill. Misser will be a great drain on them, Well done Kenny, Closer to the edge. How can Wallace moan about having no money and then let sally sign a player. Fool me twice right enough. The Farce continues. Next week Wallace back to saying we need to be prudent and build for the future, he must be off this week and left sally in charge of the war chest. lolololololololol.
How is the news being greeted on ff and the likes?
KLV
Nice afternoon with Willie Wallace. Some interesting chatter too. Willie hadn’t heard of the blog until a couple of years ago when we interviewed him for the magazine. He said he’s increasingly impressed by the people he knows who read it all the time but never post anything! He said to me as he left that it’s important what you are doing on CQN so make sure you all keep doing it!
Bertie’s going to be late arriving in Greenock tomorrow night – he’s attending a charity function with John Clark in Clydebank then heading down to make an impression!
My wife joined us for lunch today. She missed Willie when he was over last summer as she was studying in France as part of her degree at Glasgow University. Just as Willie was leaving she got an email from the University to say she got a 2:1 Honours in French -so we’re absolutely delighted!
I promised her a night out to celebrate so she’s coming to Greenock tomorrow for the Lions night. Well – when do you get a chance to see so many Lions!
Sometimes I really dont know what some of the fans on here want.From what I have read on here,most fans say they want to see more of our younger,good players being given a chance.Most agree that we cannot compete in the transfer market,so rearing more of our own would be a refreshing idea.From what I have read on RD,that is exactly how he works.
We dabble in the transfer market looking for bright young things,who we can bring on,and then sell for a profit.Why not do the same with a manager.If he stayed for 4-5 years,raised his stock as a manager,then he would also have raised our stock as a club.
If he even brought through one young player per season,that would be a massive return for us.
What’s cooking?
The Naked Chef
Mrs WC-well done.
Quonno, Wee Minger and WMD
Thanks for replying – I am on a break til 5 – hence delay in thanking you.
So basically we are none the wiser.
Jimbo67 praying to Oscar Knox and for Thomas Worth
Italiabhoy –
‘Charleroi is the worst city in Europe. A terrible place. Makes Middlesborough look like Barcelona.’
Couldn’t agree more based on the 2 hours I spent in it.
It’s so ugly, it’s a must see.
Bertie’s going to be late arriving in Greenock tomorrow night – he’s attending a charity function with John Clark in Clydebank then heading down to make an impression!
has he ever done anything else.!!!!!!!
Kenny Miller is the latest spiv to move to the Govan area in an attempt to feed on a dead carcass and profit from their gullible fans.
His games to goals ratio was never great and no doubt at his age his pace will have slowed more than a little.
What kind of board would endorse this reckless gamble by an inept manager unproven at this level?
kdc:
I don’t get your point.
Here’s a thought, and it might sound bit radical… Our man likes a 4,3,3…. It’s 4,3,3 when attacking, but 1 up top leading the line and 5 in midfield when defending… My thinking is that our p.o.t.y Commons might be on to plums.. And why I say that, is the manager may want Johansen, Biton, and Brown as his midfield 3, and a good target man striker… But wide left and wide right are going to have to be guys with lots of energy, to supplement attack when we go forward, but that tuck into midfield when we are without the ball……. Pressing high, with energy etc is what this guy will be all about. Playing luxury players won’t be in his thinking…. Avoiding 6-1’s in the Nou Camp will be.
parkheadcumsalford
16:46 on 5 June, 2014
TOSB,
I haven’t read back beyond your mention of Wiltshire. Imo, he has always acted the hard man and has been injured by coming off second best on occasion. A nyaff, imo, woh could still become a very good football player. Wenger never seems to try and sort out his wayward players. Strange, imo.
………………………………………..
I’m glad you noticed it too. No one ever seems to mention it. You’re right about Wenger. You would think a wise old head would take Wilshire aside and tell him to avoid the rough stuff and leave it to guys who are equipped to do so. The approach he is taking will ensure that he has a short career.
PtB,
I was astonished, specially after seeing Ghent, Bruges, etc in the same country. It just seemed to be a giant collection of rusting train yards. Awful.
Looking more and more like a done deal?
No clue about Ronny Delia but I hope the reports of John Collins being his number 2 are accurate. Knew him personally and not only is he a top bloke but he’s the complete professional. No doubts he’ll have us as one of the fittest and well prepared squads around. JC will is a massive plus for me.
Now here comes the negative – While Delia is an interesting choice and one who could ultimately prove a master stroke. The fact is his appointment shows where we are as a club, it seem we are Downsizing with a capital D and that for me is very disappointing.
Good luck to Ronny and Johnny and may they bring us plenty of success on what will no doubt be a shoe string.
HH!
ruggygman
Deila is not averse to signing players in the 33 to 36 year age bracket including up front.
Now nobody is telling me they are all Speedy Gonzalez type players so there may be hope for Commons yet.
At the end of the day if he improved the speed of his passing he wouldn’t need to run at all, look at Gary McAllister when he was at Liverpool.
TimJim 16:46 on 5 June, 2014
Kenny Miller….. He did say it was good to be back after 3 1/2 years. Maybe nobody has told him, his old club is died, gone, fecked.
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Where’s McGregor and Davis?
When’s the Champions League qualifiers?
Heh heh
I know absolutely nothing about this guy Ronny, in truth I’d never heard of him. However, there’s a part of me that’s quite excited about his imminent arrival in Paradise.
Neil Lennon has gone and a new dawn awaits.
In truth I didn’t really want any of the names that had been branded about in the press or on CQN. Yer types like Mackay, Coyle, Keane, Houston et al didn’t excite me in the slightest.
The only one that stirred an emotion was Moyes who I happen to think could have been great for us. In all honesty I never thought that he would come though; If it hadn’t been the wages that he would have commanded it would be the strict financial parameters that he would have had to work within.
I believe that’s why Keane didn’t sign on. So maybe our fiscal policy has a silver lining after all :-)
We can’t afford a big name manager, that’s a simple fact and there’s nothing that can be done about that while we continue to play in Scotland under the current set up.
I don’t have a problem with that.
I wanted us to go and get someone who has a reputation for improving players, who knows coaching and tactics and has the ability to spot new talent.
From what I’ve read Ronny has done this. Yes, it’s not been with a big team in a big league but there’s evidence of it nonetheless.
I’m a wee bitty excited about his possible arrival.
Hail Hail Ronny, you’ll never walk alone now son.
ruggygman:
I thought that 6 -1 game was a meaningless game. A good few English friends were on the phone the next morning trying to rub it in but I never missed a heart-beat. Come the following weekend who was it in the EPL that got beat in a very meaningful game by six goals and then before a month was out another EPL team got thrashed by six in another very meaningful game. And if I remember rightly both EPL teams that got humped by six are both in Europe season approaching.
Flight due into Edinburgh @ 2040 from Oslo – We should know by then…
I have a sneaky feeling Houston will be Ronnys No2 if he has indeed got the job.
but We’ll see .
Kitalba
I admit my response was a wee bit tongue in cheek.
You did ask who could play the lone striker role.
You didn’t ask for someone to play it successfully.
But I do believe that with an attitude transplant and some delicate handling, a good kick up the erchie, that Watt has potential as a lone striker.
As for Amido I think his time has gone.
I haven’t seen enough of the Fridge to make a judgement.
I just hope this manager appointment goes thru, Deila that is. If it does not the msm are going to have a field day. Headlines like “Celtic knocked back AGAIN” ect ect. Then again if it does transpire they will be along the line. “Celtic appoint an unknown as their Manager” We cannie win.
Appointing Steve Clarke or Malky Mackay would have been too much of a risk,we would have had a manager who would probably be more challenging to the board than our last three managers,I couldn’t see them accepting such signings as Bangura,Balde,Puki or Boeriggter.If it has to be Ronny Diela I hope he can install a bit more professionalism on certain players on and off the park.
WC
Where was your wife studying? Younger daughter is off to Strasbourg in September from Glasgow to study Law and French.
Lennon had been playing a 4,3,3 since Griffiths was signed… Griffiths & Stokes up top with Commons supporting…….. Which is fair enough in Scottish premier, but in Champions league you need a good target man striker that can hold the ball up, bring others into play, and get on the end of crosses etc. you then need left and right sided forwards aka arjen robben and scar face at bayern Munich….. Obviously out with our price bracket… But we need good wide attacking players….
All in all, it renders our current attackers as nul & void, as neither of them fit into this remit.
kitalba
16:49 on 5 June, 2014
GG we got Tony Watt from Airdrie. I know he scored against Barcelona but tell me, in his Celtic career, right off the top of your head, what else has he done to merit the adulation that some bestow upon him. He is a good player, so are lots of others.
…………………………
One day we were struggling at Motherwell. On came a young Tony Watt as sub – it may have been his debut. Within minutes, he stuck the ball in their net twice to ensure the points. He didn’t do much for us last season because for some strange reason, known only to himself, Lenny persisted in playing the boy on the left wing where he got precious few chances to put the ball in the net.
livibhoy – god bless wee oscar
15:37 on 5 June, 2014
sid
This guy is either a master stroke or a huge mistake.
What if he’s somewhere in between, ‘awright’ if you will lol