I’m delighted for Alex Neil at achieving promotion for Norwich City just a few months after joining and transforming them. Alex was groomed for the Hamilton Accies job by former boss Billy Hamilton for years before being given the position as a 31-year-old two years ago. Billy would talk him through training games, “Reds are being overrun, would you do to change things?” I listened into some of this, but in football it’s never apparent what’s being absorbed and what’s slipping through the cracks.
Lots of credit has to go to our former commercial head, David McNally, who took as Norwich chief exec six years ago, in the wake of departing Neil Doncaster. McNally spent much of season 2013-14 dangling the Sword of Damocles over Chris Hughton, before sacking him with relegation looming, then sacking his replacement, Neil Adams, whose only previous coaching role was as a Norwich youth coach.
Fresh from having to admit a mistake in appointing an inexperienced manager, it was unfathomable that McNally gambled on Alex Neil. Last season Neil got Accies into the play-off final against Hibs, where they lost the first leg 0-2 at home. At that stage his achievements were no better than could be expected, but Terry Butcher was master tactician at opponents Hibs.
Ahead of the second leg Butcher spoke to his players about post-match celebrations. The only thing anyone at Hibs could celebrate after the game was Butcher’s resignation. Six months of spectacular overachieving with Accies this season was enough for McNally to see something special in Alex Neil. It was a breath-taking gamble which worked.
Norwich’s gamble has echoes in our own, in appointing Ronny Deila, but Celtic had a bit more form to judge. When I asked a Norwegian journalist about Ronny last summer he actually compared Stromsgodset wining the league to Hamilton Accies winning the SPFL. Ronny had six years, not six months, of pretty spectacular form to study before Celtic made their offer.
Ronny and Celtic know they are working to a medium-term plan and that short-termism isn’t going to get in the way. Such planning is a luxury in football, and isn’t something Celtic enjoyed when they were caught in an arms race with a liquidation-bound opponent. Norwich might just have learned enough self-awareness to know that next season’s target shouldn’t be survival, it should be medium-term development, even if that means accepting the short-term pain of relegation.
I read yesterday that Real Madrid have sacked a manager every season they failed to win a major trophy since Alfredo Di Stefano’s side finished second in La Liga, and were losing finalists in the Copa’ Liga, Copa del Rey and Cup Winners’ Cup, the latter to Aberdeen. Medium-termism at Real is counted in weeks, not seasons. Being intolerant of short-term failure is incredibly wasteful.
Alfredo was sacked a year later.
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Hamiltontim
21:30 on
26 May, 2015
Sorry for long post but this is why it’s worth the effort.
glad he got justice just hope for same result Friday
HH
Police lying in court under oath. ….an appalling vista
On the topic of dodgy matches, while Celtic were throwing the title away at Motherwell Hibs and Rangers were conspiring not to compete at all at Easter Road. This was because the 0-1 score suited both. The Scottish press had been outraged years before when Germany and Austria had pulled the same trick. So, did the outrage persist?
Almore, once again, thanks for the gifts, you are a Star. The CD is going in the car but not had a chance to listen to it yet as work and a car pool stops me, I’ll give it a listen at the weekend. Glad you, and all the United Irish lads and lassies enjoyed the long trip to Celtic Park and all the Celebrations.
Hail Hail
Hamiltontim
21:37 on
26 May, 2015
Dena
If you need anymore sheets let me know and I’ll post them over. Alternatively you can print them off from the Celtic Trust website.
Still have some will copy them ………..just let me know when petition due to be sent
HH
HT 21:30
Can I C&P that and put it on my FB page?
Morrissey the 23rd
21:40 on
26 May, 2015
dena29 @ 21:06
It is worth watching every minute of it.
Bookmarked it
HH
Wits,
“Police lying in court under oath…..an appalling vista”
——————————————————————-
Is that not perjury? However I am the first to admit that I am no legal eagle.
HH.
dena29
21:47 on
26 May, 2015
Morrissey the 23rd
21:40 on
26 May, 2015
dena29 @ 21:06
It is worth watching every minute of it.
Bookmarked it
HH
Liar Liar etc
uploaded not boookmarked
HH
Petec: you are always welcome. The music may not be to your taste. It’s very different to what you post but listen to it a couple of times and it might grow on you (or not):)
Leftie
Of course, get it shared mate.
Strathclydes finest just being strathclydes finest,
greenpinata
21:49 on 26 May, 2015
Wits,
“Police lying in court under oath…..an appalling vista”
——————————————————————-
Is that not perjury? However I am the first to admit that I am no legal eagle.
——
There are currently 3 cases of police perjury being investigated as a result of OBaF arrests and trials.
Old men grooving doing a huddle as they go through on BGT…thought I recognised them from the CQN corner ;))
Greenpinata
If proved yes
HT
keep up the good fight mate
Well done on the accies fan in taking his case all the way
despite strathclydes finest “honest mistakes in court”
——————————————————————-
Onerous Contracts get out of that :)
pic.twitter.com/NiPKUWiYeU
OOps
https://twitter.com/tedermeatballs/status/603301432507379713/photo/1
Almore
Your gift for Wee BGFC was lovely.
The wee man was well chuffed. :)
Night night all. KTF.
Weefra HH praying to Wee Oscar.
HT,
Many thanks for that,
The whole thing is an absolute shambles.
I received an e- mail yesterday saying 6009 had signed the online petition,although there is still plenty of time ,hopefully the paper copies will be much greater.
You guys are doing an excellent job putting the message over, I just can’t understand the apathy of the footballing and the greater public on this blatant attack against justice, equality and democracy, especially our and football’s younger fans.
I have been asking Sheep fans at work who were moaning that their buses were getting stoped outside of Montrose when going to Dundee why they had not signed the petition. They just shrugged their shoulders.
HH.
What is the Stars,
Many of the young one’s don’t know about the United Irishmen, that will come in time.
They did however turn out in their droves last week to vote for what they feel is equality.
Irrespective of anyone’s view on the issue. The fact that they came back, knocked on doors and asked people to vote to say that their neighbours in the towns, villages and townlands deserved equality was a powerful thing.
Hello this is WEE BGFC. Just being sent up to bed and I woukd just like to thank almore for the very kind gifts. They are awesome!!!!!!! Game on Sunday was great, capped off a great season, played brilliant!!!!!!!
HH
WEE BGFC
As Sir Malcolm Bruce appears to believe that lying is no big deal for our democratically elected representatives, it is perhaps unsurprising that their law enforcers take a similar view.
WeefratheTim
22:06 on
26 May, 2015
Night night all. KTF.
Weefra HH praying to Wee Oscar.
Goodnight Weefra KTF
HH
Hello this is WEE BGFC. Just being sent up to bed and I woukd just like to thank almore for the very kind gifts. They are awesome!!!!!!! Game on Sunday was great, capped off a great season, played brilliant!!!!!!!
HH
WEE BGFC
Enjoy the good times young man
HH
Pfayr
Thanks for clearing that up
HH.
Geordie Munro
20:42 on
26 May, 2015
Geordie, ref your reply,I posted a reply but it seems to have gone missing
( like Noel Hunt!! )
The player I could not remember was McGroarty.
Did not want you to think I ignored your reply.
Regards.
greenpinata
Sadly, the ‘it doesn’t affect me’ attitude is all too apparent. However, the bigger issue is the numbers who aren’t even aware of it.
We got close to 1,300 signatures on Sunday which wasn’t bad considering there were only 13 people collecting them. We could have got many more had there been more additional helpers.
Greenpinata
Police lying in court under oath….an appalling vista
Judges tend to turn a blind eye/ear to the regular lying by the police when giving evidence,even in the most trivial cases..If they were to admit to themselves that police witnesses constantly tell big and little fibs to boost the prosecution case….well as Lord Denning famously said ,,that would be an appalling vista
HT
Thanks for posting this lad’s account. I admire his sheer willingness not to give in.
What struck me was the similarity between police attitudes in Scotland and those that prevailed amongst the Police in Baltimore, Maryland for the last few years and culminating in recent civil disorder there.
Attached is the David Simon (writer of The Wire) interview as part of the Marshall project. It was sent to me by a poster on here (ACGR or An Tearmann sorry guys my failing memory).
The comparison is that instead of inner city urban blacks, the group that Baltimore Police “occupied”, Police Scotland “occupy” football fans. The attitudes, the creeping or just blatant collusion and falsifying of evidence are the same, because the police in both locations didn’t care at all about their targeted group. In the eyes of Police Scotland, football fans are expendable and don’t even count as citizens with rights, or even as human beings frankly.
https://www.themarshallproject.org/2015/04/29/david-simon-on-baltimore-s-anguish
Kill the Bill.
Clogher Celt
I was pleased with the turnout and the outcome of the referendum …but there is too much talk now of it being great for equality and we now have an Ireland that cherishes equality,politicians and celebrities waffling and clapping each other on the back….A lot of serious poverty to be tackled before we can start clapping ourselves on the back
WeefratheTim
Delighted yer feeling on the mend sir,
Big haunds Green gets a 7 year ROLLING contract with Mash & Sports direct along with everything else for £5:5million that the deluded paid for him
BRILLIANT I have got to say,
Weebgfc: You are most welcome. You light up this blog with your love of Celtic. Now, off to sleep- I hope your homework is done, bag packed, uniform out and sweet dreams of many Celtic victories to come:)
ClogherCelt: Very good point re young people and referendum. It’s a pity that so many Irish people who emigrate for economic, political and social reasons lose their vote. Maybe that should be the subject of the next referendum.
Almore
People like you make proud to be a Tim.
Your wee act of kindness to my wee Bhoy when we met a while back was the generosity of a gentleman.
And a fine counterpoint to the rest of the mob @ CQN Corner who are mainly mentolmen (with a few sensible ladies added to the mix!)
;-)
HH jamesgang
I wonder if Ashley will bring out another T-shirt for the huns massive double header v Murderwell?
HH CQN
just renewed my two season books – hopefully next season I might actually get to use mine!
Hamiltontim
can I get some petition forms from you as I’m sure we can get a few signatures out here. You can contact me via leftclicktic, CRC or Lennybhoy
HH
Almore: I know you are educating when giving me that CD.
I dinnae ken the Song Titles.
Music is Music though.
Here we go, to 10 in a row.
I post techno on here because there were literally 10s of thousands of Celtic Supporters who were into Techno back in the day, not many post on here, they were probably from the poorer ends of society as well, the techno I post is probably snobbish compared to the good olde local and excellent dance music that came out of Scotland in the early 90s.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The CD wouldn’t register on my PC, Looks like I will have to get back in and mess about with the cables again. I put it on the Bhoys PC – a lot newer, and it is currently playing, not for long though as his Headphones are for a small heid, decent stuff musically so far (up to track 7) , quite diverse, I wasn’t sure what it was going to be like.
HH
jamesgang
Theres a few mentolwomen too :-))
HH