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.
[calameo code=000390171873c910154bd lang=en page=106 hidelinks=1 width=100% height=500]
1,434 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- ...
- 30
- 31
- 32
- 33
- 34
- 35
- 36
- 37
- 38
- »
Greenpinata:
Did he mention that they stood alone because the USA employed an ‘isolationist’ policy (Neutral) just like Eire whom they tried to bully into the war.
Sounds like a fine Father to me.
What about my combat darts suggestion tho? It’ll be on Channel 5 within 18 months. Wait you see!!!
HH jamesgang
oldtim67:
If you’d rather skip the typing just send me your home number when you get home and I’ll give you a call.
RogueLeader
From the comments it would appear he wasn’t quitting until the day he held his meeting with Peter Lawwell.
I suspect that Roy Keane may have been asked to take Ronny as No2 and said no.
We can only make assumptions though.
LB
Tallybhoy
Mines will get there 1st
“daft Scots git,
Fae kilwinning
now living in
Swindon”
Mornin All,
DB, condolences… Hope things take a turn for the better for you and your family.
On Deila, I’ve no idea whether the main motivation is cost, or whether hes viewed as a real potential gem. The story so far is a bit confusing, moving from Keane – big name, questionable record – to Delia, the opposite, although his record is small team in a poor league.
Of the names being touted, he excites me the most. Theres always massive risk with these appointments but, from what Ive read, he seems to offer the best chance of real change of playing style. It might not work, but Im lookin forward to watchin him try it
RogueLeader:
Then surely you’ve got to ask the question – why is Neil Lennon speaking out now?
jamesgang
He is not a fan of freak sports. He used to enjoy the GAA games when they were on C4 though and the mighty sport of Kabbadi.
LB
Good morning all from the platform at Gilsochill
So today is the today we announce our new manager.
The one indisputably good thing is that – should it be true- we will have our boss in place before the World Cup and therefore in place for the players’ return from their holidays and in time for the qualifiers.
I’d also like to think that he will work on having a more ‘scientific’ approach to teamwork, tactics and above all fitness than all his predecessors since Dr Jo ( WGS possibly excepted) . What little I know of him he seems to have a detailed interest
in how the game is played and that must be a good thing.
But everything else is imponderable. How will he settle in Scotland? How will he dill with some of the highly paid egos at Celtic Parl, how will he cope with his every utterance being twisted and sneered at by many in the old and new media and also amongst his own new club’s following? Were his successes in Norway a fluke or the Real Deal?
Like many Celtic supporters I have my suspicions that his chief attraction for our club’s hierarchy is that, relatively speaking, he will be cheap but who knows? As usual Celtic has been reluctant to say anything meaningful and the announcement of the new manager will not be accompanied by the announcement from the Chairman or his Chief
Executive of something akin to a ‘Mission Statement’ confirming that not only will we have a new manager but an amendment of our approach
and a refocussing on real team
building I would predict . Maybe we
shall though.
I’m a bit grumpy this close season and in morose moments wonder why Celtic – after 17 years of average crowds above 45000 , 8 Champions League campaigns and 5 post – New Year European Campaigns , 10 League titles and a European final we are looking to pick a manager who I’ve never heard of until the beginning of the week and who – it will be,widely if quite feasibly incorrectly assumed will be on a salary lower than any of his predecessor this century.
But it’s a beautiful day as the train pulls into Partick and I think I shall choose to be optimistic . There’s no point in assuming the worst.
Oh and a daft wee thought – here’s my team of players from before I was born who , on what I have read , heard and even occasionally seen – were our greatest players pre Lisbon
Thomson
McNair
Doyle
Young
Loney
Evans
Delaney
Gallagher
McGrory
McMenemy
Tully
Next stop Anderston!
Jimbo67 praying to Oscar Knox and for Thomas Worth
The SNP’s comments on Obama’s remarks are typically opportunistic. Like all situations they will turn it whichever way it goes. Anyone think his views would have been seen as irrelevant had he even hinted at supporting independence?
Similarly, I saw Angus Robertson talking about how wrong it was that the Queen’s Speech had no Scottish legislation. Imagine if it did – they would instead have been up in arms about a government attempting to prejudge the referendum result.
RogueLeader
10:30 on 6 June, 2014
Have to say I think that is pretty poor stuff from Lenny today. He knows how difficult a job a young manager is going to have at Celtic. Those comments will do nothing but undermine him and Lenny isn’t daft, he knew what he was doing.
well said that man and you are the only one with the balls to say it…………
JUST LIKE US MY ASS!!!!!!!!
yorkbhoy
10:07 on 6 June, 2014
I haven’t read mother tongue. Ever since changing to a book reader, I have stopped rooting around in 2nd hand/ charity shop bookshelves. My reading is now much less diverse. Also I miss that musty old book smell. Do they sell it in aerosols I wonder? Beside new car and baked bread?
Lenny’s comments seem a bit odd to me. To say that Roy Keane being appointed manager would have given the club a big lift sounds to me a bit out of touch with supporter feeling, if this blog at in any way representitive of the supports views.
Further, if Lenny wanted the club to get a lift, I don’t think this revelation does it.
Maybe he’s at war withh Peter Lawell and is sticking the knife in to the whole amicable departure story, a little at a time.
HH
Kitalba – that is exactly what I would like to know. What does Neil Lennon think is going to be achieved by undermining the new manager before he is even unveiled? Lenny didn’t have to say a single word about Ronny replacing big Johann but he chose to.
Considering the amount of work that had to be done to persuade fans to take to a former club captain, who was very well respected, when he took over the job, Lenny knows Ronny is already facing an uphill slog on top of a mighty difficult job.
So why make it any harder for the guy?
skyisalandfill
I was thinking the very same thing.
Anybody mentioned Davie Hay being involved in the new set up?
I’m sure he managed in Norway. Could be a decent link to the new boss and the club. A Celtic man so to speak.
Just throwing it out there.
LB
The MSM will feast on that one.
Bertie is on the blog NEXT Friday not today…
LB- Good shout
Sorry to hear of your sad loss Jim.
Thoughts and prayers with you and your family.
God bless.
Anyone got a link to Lenny’s comments please?
Jamesgang@10.26
As usual pal a laugh out loud moment. To be followed of course with “well do ya, do ya”?
HH
Hopefully Big Ronny isn’t a Norwegian Blue.
glendalystonsils
They’ll always find something to pick at but this is a bit of an open sore, so to speak
HH
Philbhoy – http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/other-soccer/neil-lennon-im-disappointed-roy-keane-turned-down-celtic-30333535.html
NEIL Lennon has revealed Ronny Deila was originally set to replace Johan Mjallby as his number two at Celtic.
The Stromsgodset boss flew into Glasgow on Thursday night after he became the surprise candidate to replace Lennon, who left the Parkhead club two weeks ago after four years in charge.
Lennon’s departure came after assistant Mjallby announced in April that he would be leaving at the end of the season to seek new challenges.
Deila could be confirmed as Hoops boss on Friday, with reports claiming former Celtic and Scotland midfielder John Collins is in the frame for the assistant’s role, but Lennon claimed it the 38-year-old Norwegian could have been involved in a different set-up at the Glasgow club .
“He was going to be brought in as number two when Johan Mjallby left,” the former Celtic skipper was quoted as saying in the Irish Independent.
“He came highly recommended, he’s highly thought of.
“I don’t know if it’s confirmed with Celtic yet, but I know from contacts in the game that he is well respected as a coach.
“We recruited Stefan Johansen from Stromsgodset, so we were aware of his work. It’ll be interesting to see if Ronny gets the job.”
Lennon was “surprised and a little bit disappointed” that former Celtic and Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane had asked not to be considered for the Parkhead post.
The Irishman opted to stay on as Republic of Ireland assistant to Martin O’Neill, although he has been linked with the number two job at Aston Villa under Paul Lambert.
“I think he’s ready for it,” said the Northern Irishman. “He’s had, what, three years since he was out of the game as a manager and he’s been watching a lot of games, he’s been at Champions League games, and he’s got vast experience.
“He fits the identikit of a Celtic manager. I can totally understand his situation, that it’s a personal decision, but I was hoping he would take it.
“He would have given the club a big lift.”
Livibhoy- you’re right,
accordin’ to Wiki/EWTB/EWLM hoopslegend Davie Hay managed Lillestrom SK in 1989, after he left Celtic.
Kit
It sure does, they are surprisingly quiet just now >}
Must admit being a bit disappointed in what Lenny said, but he is obviously, imo, feeling a tad bitter.
HH
Doc @ 23:56 & Awe_Naw_No_Annoni_Oan_Anaw_Noo @ 23:58
I wont be there but Saba and I do hope to go to Germany sometime this summer.
RogueLeader
Many thanks!
kitalba,
You are absolutely correct regarding the USA and its apparent isolationist policy. It should be pointed out however that the USA had large vocal communities of recent German and Italian decent..
Regarding Eire . I do not want to get involved in another drawn out debate. but I will briefly say that many, many thousands of her citizens without being bullied, along with the Poles etc. joined the British to fight the fascists.
Did neutrality stop bombs falling on Dublin.? Did Taoiseach Éamon de Valera then sign the book of condolence on Adolf Hitler’s death on 2 May 1945. ??.
Lets not go down that road.
HH to you.
rt rev david hay
09:46 on 6 June, 2014
Oh naw! Looks like we are getting Neil McCann as manager.
My wife’s suggestion on how to make football sexy at Celtic – a makeover for all the players to look like Andrea Pirlo (none of those daftie Neymar haircuts)
skyisalandfill
Thanks to you too!
I don’t normally post adverts but thought you guy will like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaSXn7XoaiI
James gang
It was a no brainier, they paid for my taxi home, and they are paying for the one to pick me up at 6 pm, so no problem ;)
Big RB has tweeted.
@STVRaman: Ronny Deila will be presented as new Celtic manager this lunchtime. Expect John Collins to be named in the new coaching set-up.
It’s friday, and that means our weekly excursion for shopping in the big town.
Laters, no fighting now >}
HH
The glorious weather down here has just been shattered by the BBC coverage of D-Day. The old ditty “No surrender” is being belted out ion the background! What is that all about??