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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Sorry. Should read: MIBs get big games……
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/rangers-agree-to-mike-ashley-showdown-meeting-but-want-support-for-re-examination-of-.127215051
http://www.rangers.co.uk/news/headlines/item/9377-company-statement
Interesting wee spat developing over at RIFC plc.
Quite funny actually if you like that sort of thing: http://rangersinternationalfootballclub.com/images/staticcontent/documents/GM%20Notice%2025_5_15.pdf
mike
You’re then only an 8 hour drive down to “Paradise” -)))
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJzFz62SXm8
For those who haven’t read the RIFC response to Uncle Mike’s EGM requisition, it goes like this:
“I’ll scweam and scweam and I’ll make mythelf thick”
Mike in Toronto
If you win the lottery why don’t you buy a music venue, a recording studio and a record label as well?
… and get the Trashcans in!
Among others of course.
HH!!
mike in toronto
Izmir is lovely but the Bul is never a waste of time. Whilst I love the James Joyce – and now you can actually stay there – you should base yourself in Sultanhammet so you have the main sights on your doorstep – Topkapi, Aya Sophia, the Blue Mosque, and the Grand Bazaar.
Fly to Capadoccia – I stayed in Goreme and there are plenty of hotels there that offer cave accommodation. Visit an underground city, the Ilhara Valley and take a balloon ride through the fairy chimneys.
Don’t know anything about diving.
You will be no where near the Syria/Iraq border
Morrissey …. so basically, the BoD thiink they will be able to use this as a chance to crap on Ashley in front of an audience, then refuse to answer any of his questions ‘on the grounds of the confidentiality provisions’… and then he will let them renegotiate their contracts?! That lot really do like in cloudcookooland!
Tallybhoy …Sounds like I’m going to be busy, but I like the way you think.
the last time they were in TO, it was at a house party …. a guy sold 30-40 tickets for $100 each, and the band came and played in his living room and the fella and his lady cooked dinner for everyone. It was a brilliant night, and the band seem like just really nice lads. The kind of guys I would be happy to have as pals.
Feyenoord…………
Pumped out in the first round of the 71 EC by some Bulgarian oufit
floridaghirl …. thanks for that. Sounds brilliant! I’ve saved your post to show it to KT later.
and it sounds like I am going to need a longer holiday to fit it all in!
One of my favourite parts of travelling is the planning and anticipation. …. I am not going until the fall, but am already starting to get excited by the possibilities!
Jerry,
I wouldn’t gloat too much neebs.
Celtic
Pumped out in the first round of the 68 EC by some Ukrainian oufit.
Antipodean Red
Agreed on both points.
I just took the mention of Malmo as an opportunity to set out the risk RFC took with Scottish football to stay alive and the negligence of the SFA not to realise or check that no risk was present. One phone call using the powers FFP gave them would have done it followed by written confirmation as the rules required.
That negligence is why there was no investigation and why Res12 is as welcome as a fart in a spacesuit.
TBB
They can survive ok but it will not be RFC as we knew them.
Sevco the new Kilmarnock..
i reckon in my prime i could have done that straight in the back of a honda challenge.
like all players of a certain vintage, i attempted to chip the goalkeeper from the half way line at least once a game.
nearly all clearing the park somewhere around the corner flags.
yip practice practice practice
Wish I could find my post from the beginning of the season when I used the analogy of learning to drive with regard to Ronnie educating our players.
Never mind, I’m one of those who predicted he would be a success.
Now, for readers of this blog, you will know that my criteria for success is different from most. It’s not about winning but how you play. Playing the right way will lead to more success than failure.
One of the criteria I have now added is something which Ronnie has brought to the fore. Improving individuals as well as the team.
With a few exceptions, every player is better now than before Ronnie joined. Those that are not are not in the picture. I would concede that Kris Commons is not as good as last year but would contend that the reason for this is more down to Kris being so good last year that it would be impossible to improve or indeed stay at that level.
And of course there are some players who are way much better than last year that make up for any down turn in others.
VVD, Denayer, Bitton, Izzy, Brown, Johansen, Griff. Much better.
And of course the new guys. Gordon, Armstrong, Mackay-Steven (faded a bit after brilliant start).
Even Forrest has stopped throwing his hands up when dispossessed / fouled and gets motoring back.
Efe, Matthews, and some others have stood still.
Can’t comment on Lustig and Mulgrew due to injury.
Petethebeat.
From the BBC match report.
“O’Neill signalled his attacking intentions by bringing Scotland under-21 striker Shaun Maloney into midfield in place of Paul Lambert.
But the strategy was upset by an early crashing challenge by Alan Mahood after only 2 minutes that eventually forced Maloney to be withdrawn through injury after only 12 minutes”
I hope they televise the hun egm. The last one in the wee tent was so funny.
Plus, it would be nice to see one of Mr Ashley’s henchmen boot auld squinty full square in the plums.
Stan and Stefan
Disagree.
Matthews’ throw-ins have got worse!
ACGR
Might no’ be able tae call him ‘Squinty’ after that!
beatbhoy
19:16 on 26 May, 2015
Stan and Stefan
Disagree.
Matthews’ throw-ins have got worse!
——–
Fair point. Smiley.
Bada
Is that the first time you’ve been called wee man …..got to laugh sometimes
whooo hun on clyde, big rumour that paul murray was talking to scott allan after the game.
er go ……….. they must be signing him.
probably went more like
“scott, do you want to play for rangers”
“naw, i want to play for celtic way broony”
Stan and Stefan.
You considering reverting to your original moniker after seeing the earlier post about Big Sutty’s interview with Danny Kelly?
pfayr-aye :) how you getting on?
A Ceiler Gonof Rust
19:14 on
26 May, 2015
I hope they televise the hun egm. The last one in the wee tent was so funny.
-))) All the last one was missing was the barbwire.
Hamiltontim good result for the Accies fan. Hope same happens on Friday.
HH
KTF
Utlr
Beatbhoy, ha ha. Aye right enough. Might sort him oot.
He’s like yon snake in jungle book, “trust in me, just in me” wi the twirley gig boogley peeper.
Petethebeat
If you had seen both games it is blatant.
Marshall made several top saves from good Celtic efforts. We ran our socks off to get goals against determined and regularly dirty tackling.
The goals trickled in for the Huns with no significant effort or skill. The keeper let them in as far as I could see.
We were the best team in the day, Killie second, Huns third.
Our lack of squad players let us down that season. Resting players lost points, not resting lost points, same reason.
What if we had EBTs? Would have cleaned up. Might have a UEFA cup in the cabinet
Petethe beat
Are you on some kind of fishing trip,raising a subject so sensitive as our 2003 game at Kilmarnock.
The Kilmarnock team that day aided in no small way by the treacherous time wasting ex Celtic goalkeeper Marshall,kicked us off the park, first casualty was Maloney after about 10 mins.
Meanwhile Calderwood took off 2 Celtic minded players,Noel Hunt and the left back who was causing all sorts of bother,add to that Dougal with a late penalty and you have as big a rigged game as your are ever likely to see,now recently eclipsed by the Semi Final.
burgas …
fixed that …
https://www.google.ca/search?q=pamela+anderson+as+barb+wire&biw=1280&bih=866&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=yrtkVY3NHIW2yATCnIPADQ&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ
have to admit that I didn’t realize she was a sevconian? she doesn’t look like one.
:)
TomMcLaughlin @ 17.51
Somebody needed to be taken round the back….oh wait a minute..
That didn’t come as I expected it….oh wait a minute..
Can I stop now before I’m in too deep…oh wait a minute..
Too late now…oh wait a minute
HH
MT
Sean?
HT Friday morning mate
excathedra44-the penalty Oldco got v Dunfermline that day, is up there with as bad as you’ve ever seen, among some stiff competition obviously
RWE
19:34 on
26 May, 2015
Is that this Craic they all refer to.?
ACGR
Lyrics spot-on, fizzog spot-on!