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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The Battered Bunnet
Cheers mate.
LB aka MTM
can I say that if anyone could get the green brigade to slow down songs might last a little longer , by the time I.ve finished my version of a song I’m a line behind and if I try to keep up I’m out of breath
quandarycsc
HH
gary67
13:26 on 26 May, 2015
Play off final refs are the one who refereed their Scottish Cup exit to Raith Rovers and the one who refereed their League Cup exit to us. Here’s to a treble.
Correct, but let’s have a closer look at these performances
Celtics LC semi ref Craig Thompson blew for a Celtic free kick with Griffiths clean through on goal, missed a red card for McCullogh for an elbow, and a stamp by McCullogh on Guidetti.
Sevco s exit in the Scottish Cup ref Madden missed an elbow again by McCullogh and a stamp, then while on a booking, McCullogh committed another booking offence again no action taken. McCulloch was banned for 2 matches retrospectively by compliance officer for stamp.
I know Jason has gone back to City but that doesn’t necessarily mean he won’t be back. His loan contract has expired but at the end of the transfer window, City will review their situation vis-a-vis players in and players out and may decide to loan him out for a second season.
That doesn’t guarantee he would be loaned back to Celtic, but it could happen.
Never say never.
COYBIG
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqUhNIJ_tus
Celtic v Aberdeen 2015
Come on over to my place.
Hey you! We’re having a party.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-uMKu7xdk8
Jamesgang
I am blessed to have two amazing young ladies in my life (my niece and KT) who are such incredible amazing active people, so I have to stay young so that I can keep up with them!
and I’m not always so serious … at family dinners, (admittedly after a few irn brus), I have been known to stand on a table and sing ‘dont you wish you boyfriend was hot like me?” …; and yes, with all the Pussycat Dolls moves!
I was going to look back at CTV when I get home tonight, but, what the hell?! I’m back from court for the day, and after the comments on here, I think I’ll have to go and give it a listen just now. My assistant already thinks I’m a bit mad, so she’ll just shake her head and laugh!
Jobo
How many sleeps????
HH jamesgang
jamesgang
17:13 on
26 May, 2015
Jobo
How many sleeps????
HH jamesgang
Too many :-((((((((((((((((
HH
Sevco Stew back on Pointless…
Was the YNWA at the beginning of the game spontaneous ; I.e. without the Gerry Marsden lead in?
Oh that the Soldier’s Song could be sung with similar reverence and respect, as it is at Irish sporting events.
It would be much more meaningful and in tune with the Irish people.
I
Tiny Tim
You’re a business man. Do me a favour and sketch out the business model that delivers football success and financial sustainability for Sevco over the next 5 years.
I tried, pretty hard actually, and struck out. My fag packet says they need around £80M to cover the costs of getting 2 shots at qualifying for the Champions League over the next 5 years, and that assumes they qualify once.
£80M down to gain a 50:50 chance of £20M additional revenue, while backfilling £10M annual losses and needing a £30M pump primed.
That £80M doesn’t include the cost to buy their merchandising operation back from Ashley btw.
I’m not saying Sevco, when they get into the top league (as surely they will) won’t have a puncher’s chance of winning the title, or that Celtic won’t suffer an unexpected disintegration, or that Sevco won’t go for broke in their first season in the Premiership, but it’ll likely end up broke if they do.
Mind: The last time they used a front loaded model they went bust the first time they failed to get into the Champions League. This time around they have less income to play with, and a higher bar to reach.
If you can show me a business model that buys a first team squad capable of beating Aberdeen 4/4 and taking more than 6 points from 4 games against Celtic, that pays back £8.5M debt, repairs the stadium and infrastructure, recruits a scouting and coaching team to recruit and train the required first team, one that wages the new football department and covers the business’s overheads, while losing £5M per year in potential merchandising sales and paying £3M each year to ‘overseas onerous contract holders’, I’ll invest!
Weefra if your still about
got scan results back
all’s good ………………….:-))
HH
On the “sticking the ball in the boot” as opposed to “sticking the boot in the ball” correspondence…
Practice will make permanent rather than perfect.
The Beard, unlucky:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kElVHQOQmhk
HH.
Sevco played Pointless through most of the McDowall era. They were very good at it.
For anyone who has forgotten what it’s like when they first came onto CQN…you know when you were called a “hun”….
Come to the Carolinas and try and get a haircut and wait for the southern lassie to ask you the question guaranteed to turn your head..
“What’ll it be hun?”
Actually, her “hun” is “hon” and is the diminutive of “honey”.
It still didn’t prevent me from asking her to please not call me that again, ever.
A cultural exchange then took place as I tried to find an equivalent in her world.
HairtodayGonetoday CSC
Til later bhoys
HH
On that day in 2003, we beat Kilmarnock 4-0 and missed a penalty (as we usually do in important games).
Rangers beat Dunfermline 6 1 – they of course scored their penalty.
Given that both games could have had the same margin, it’s hard to say who was lying down.
I did hear that Killie players were taunting the Celtic guys and Calderwood made remarks about ‘If Rangers need goals’, but apart from that where is the real evidence that they tried and the Pars didn’t ?
The Battered Bunnet
17:18 on
26 May, 2015
I wonder if in part they’re depending on a revamp of the CL giving us back the two places. If that came into play they might just get somewhere. Otherwise I’m totally with you.
Stew livin it up on Pointless
Auldheid,
My point was more about the fact that had they beaten either Malmo or Maribor then they would have got a financial injection that may have kept their cheating hidden (in Scotland) for a while longer. Your point about what may have happened had either Malmo or Maribor lost is indeed valid. Once the cheating agenda was out of the bag however, a full and proper investigation by the relevant authorities should have been undertaken and it shouldn’t have mattered whether Malmo or Maribor had won or lost.
AR
weeminger
Yip, given the constraints imposed by the football environment we are locked into, there’s no room for 2 snouts in this trough.
Plenty room though for puns on pig/boar/hog/sow etc etc
Has Stew got 5088 after his name this time?
We are even appearing on the Antiques Road Show. Bystander wearing a jersey bearing the Celtic crest.
Interesting article in today’s Gazzetta dello Sport re the birth of Total Football .Game used to illustrate the point – Celtic 1 – Feyenoord 2..Painful reading – even 45 years on .
https://twitter.com/football_oranje/status/602952203612123136
davidopoulos
16:56 on 26 May, 2015
I haven’t seen a second of the last 3 or 4 games, so I’ve got no idea what you are all on about, and nothing of value to add.
I assure that when I next see a game I shall continue to have nothing of value to add…
—–
I resemble that (self) accusation.
The old CQN goat curry debate would be a mere shadow of itself without your input.
HH jamesgang
rwe –
Reminds me of my first visit to the barber in Australia.
“Would you like it cut round the back?” said the hairdresser.
“No thanks,” I said. “I’d rather just sit in here.”
Goodnight.
Is there a more apt name for a programme than Pointless ?
@FACKilltheBill: Accies fan gets a Not Guilty this morning. Police evidence left a ‘reasonable doubt’. 5 court dates & 5 months away from games. Justice?
mike in toronto
15:57 on
26 May, 2015
I know there are a few bhoys on here who either are or were in Turkey, and wondering if I could pick their brains.
Turning 50 in the fall, and thinking of spending a few weeks in Turkey to celebrate … thinking a few days in Istanbul, a few days in Cappadocia, and, if possible, a few days diving (if someone can recommend some place that is decent for diving and not too remote).
KT’s family are a bit concerned and would like us to avoid the lebanon/syria part ….
any thoughts would be most appreciated.
__________________________________
The Bul is a waste of time if your only doing a couple of days, far to big and far to much to see. But if your determined to go then The James Joyce Irish Pub is the only authentic Irish bar in Istanbul and you would be in a decent area if you could find a small pension (family run hotel) which are reasonably priced.
Me, i just drive through it as fast as i can to get out of the place-)
No problem with the infrastructure in Turkiye now and the roads are excellent.
It’s a vast country and it all depends which airport your flying into. A nice road trip would be either Troy/Samsun or Trabson if your based in the Bul.
Cappadocia i dont know much about but it’s kinda just stuck in the middle of the country.
Hope that helps a little.
Petethebeat
The bruises on the Celtic players’ legs?
Burgas …. thanks. that helps alot. As you say, trying to pick a place is a bit overwhelming …. there seems to be so much to see in do in any one city, let alone any one country. But, it is a nice problem to have ….
I think I’m going to have to win the lottery ….. first priorities, buy Celtic, buy the SPFL and SFA, fire the numpties ….spend part of the year watching the bhoys play, and the rest of the year travelling round…. think we might have to think about switching the season to the summer … think January and February in Bahamas might be a bit nice than a cold wet winter day in Scotland.
Well done to newco steve , not all their supporters are huns
mike in toronto
IF it was me i’d fly into Izmir that way you are a little bit closer to some good attractions and Izmir is a far nicer city than the Bul.
Burgas …. thanks for that. I’ll be honest … I had never heard of Izmir until your post … but I just googled it. Looks beautifu!l… and says there is some diving there. You may be onto something here!
Collum saying that the MIBs big games in Europe partly on their performances in Scotland. That says it all, if Dallas has a hand in things.