Steven Gerrard went on the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month. It is as though he was trolling those who yesterday were his comrades. No matter what we think of the other lot, you or I would have more taste than to do that to them. He could have waited another hour.
To Celtic fans, he will forever be the man who clung on after a curtailed season and then stopped 10-in-a-row, but we will lament today, as Gerrard leaves Glasgow. He was a walking UB40 manager, one League Cup semi-final defeat away from being able to sing, “I am the one in 10…. a statistic, a reminder”, of nine failed campaigns.
For months, I wrote here that I wanted him to stay. Celtic’s complete collapse last season made the league a non-event. Gerrard oversaw another year of massive and unsustainable overspend, and coasted to the title. Despite this, his squad was unmarketable, planning was all about consumption today, to hell with tomorrow.
The main reason I wanted him to stay, however, turns out to be false. Gerrard’s current contract was signed after it became public knowledge that Brendan Rodgers had a £9m release clause in his Celtic contract. Surely, I assumed, those sharp minds at Ibrox would tie Gerrard down on nothing less than the same terms. Newco need £9m more than they need a manager who can only win when there is no opposition.
However, Villa will pay £4.5m compensation to deprive Newco of their management team. Lots of things in football are out of your control, but the figure required to adequately compensate a club to allow their manager to break his contract? Someone slipped up here, and on this occasion, it was not Gerrard.
£4.5m will keep the lights on for another three weeks, if they don’t need to pay compensation for the next guy. Anyone in a job is likely to cost as much, if not more. Now comes the work of attracting a quality candidate to a club in the 10th year of living beyond its means. Some sort of miracle worker, would be ideal.
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McPhail Bhoy
Feel free to see them as rivals. I certainly don’t, but each to their own.
“the only team (currently) who can stop Celtic winning the league.”
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The only team (or rather, club) who has stopped Celtic winning the league in recent times is Celtic. If we were properly run it wouldn’t even be a contest.
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” It is our business”
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Well of course as our partner club we should probably give them a hand to find a replacement. Maybe we could dig out the CVs from Lowball’s drawer and pass them on!
Chairbhoy 9:54
Spot on.
Have they not suffered enough
Coneybhoy,
Rodgers got 30 million to spend.
I’m not unhappy to see the back of Gerrard. He is an iconic figure in world football and brings a credibility by association. His presence at Ibrox papered over a lot of cracks.
he also has had our number in head to head and that’s something Ange will look forward to putting right with the replacement.
Any manager with choices wont choose Rangers, the tank is empty. A McInnes or Van Bronkhurst type who will just be gratefull for the gig is a certainity
“Someone slipped up here, and on this occasion, it was not Gerrard.”
:)
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Call 0141 2012-2021
Will probably be McInnes and Ferguson as his assistant , less than a Million in wages for both, doubt very much they will off load any players to the EPL but you never know, Souness done them a favour with Boumsong when money was scare at the Liquidated club.
Crush them Celtic, keep the wins going up to the next meeting with them, then pummel them at Celtic Park.
Rumour The Queen is dead
Happy Friday eve all.
I had some schadenfreude for breakfast today. Slippy news broke just as I was getting up and had to dip into thems media. Wow. Nothing we didn’t know but how quickly the sectarian comments arrived.
For those saying we cannot discuss thems on here that is nonsense.
St Stivs,
Yep,I agree the defending looked none too clever,but probably no worse than our league.Not sure if it was not Madeas presence that had the m in a panic.He is a bit of a fearsome sight in full flow,and tough as old boots.
A NY defences woul d have nightmare with that pace.
Let’s hope we get him,and the talk has not alerted other teams.
I am glad Steven Gerrard and his management team have gone. They managed 102 points in winning the SPL last year. That total has been surpassed only twice in the last 23 years, Celtic both times – 2001/02, 103 pts with Martin O’Neill and 2016/17, 106 pts with Brendan Rodgers (the Invincibles season). This season has seen a downturn in their performance, but they still have everything to play for.
Enough about them.
Over to the Celtic Board. Opportunity knocks.
Interesting times indeed.
Gerrard might just do a Rodgers and not return to his former employer for players. Difference is, Rodgers left in February so transfer window for that season already closed. If Gerrard were to chap the Ibrox door in January, then the likes of Kent, Aribo, Kamara, and Paterson might just put their hands up and be happy to be Villa squad players on considerably higher wages.
Our AGM next week will now, probably, be a pity tame affair.
Like others, I see this as an opportunity.
I agree with Coney Boy on backroom staff – despite all our dysfunction, bad luck, shenanigans last season from covid inequities and honest mistakes; they were too consistent for anybody. Not great to watch but effective.
We are starting to look like a good unit because Ange is an exceptional leader – lucky, rather than prescient form our board.
The odds of Sevco replicating that in short order, are simply too long – our focus to win this league and consequent CL $$$ needs to be even more laser-like. Screw anything else but that.
And on remembrance day too.
Bolteed
Lest yi ask
HH
FYI 10:01 is in the 11th hour
As long as Beale has gone too, I couldn’t be bothered what Gerrard does.
The consensus in England, and not just among people who might not think too hard about these things, is that Gerrard did a great job at them.
Took them from nowhere to winning the league, reestablished them, made them a force in Europe, left them in a good place. In the binary world of football, it’s not the most ridiculous take from people who don’t understand the subtleties at play.
Fanadpatriot –
Technically, 10am is the 11th hour. 00.00 (midnight) to 00.59 is the first hour, 1.00 to 1.59am is the second hour, etc…..
Watched a few interviews this morning with guys like Carragher, Heskey and Dunne.
Comments like
“He’s done an amazing job in Glasgow”
“Made Rangers a force in Europe”
“Took the club back to the great days”
These guys actually get paid for this garbage.
Villa will find out soon enough how brilliant Stevie G actually is.
Just reading,out of curiosity,News now Hibs.I think Hibs will come out of this Covid break in a lot better shape.Christian Doidge is again fit,and a couple more should be ready for Hampden.
Not sure if its a cert they will get through.
But
4 points ahead of a Celtic team who have made their worst start in about 50 years
4 points from 4 games sitting in 3rd place in a crap Europa league group
Never sold a player
Had a squad who were paid the same amount as ours
And never won a thing in front of fans, or when there was any pressure.
He and his team were good enough to win the league by a canter last season, lead the league table this season and show a level of progress in Europe. I think some are splitting hairs about whether that’s good or bad.
For me, imprtance is ‘what impact will it have going forward’? The team, well drilled, might have some sort of memory muscle to continue playing the same way. The successor might go for continuity or impose their own style and finally the players might get restless (as ours did post-Rodgers) and not play for the new man.
They’ve introduced a massive risk and the appointment next will be vital.
HH
then again …………. imagine if he does go on to be the imaginery “elite manager” , becomes a success elsewhere, wins things.
they would be even more beelin
Needless to say I think Gerrard has baled at the right time – a new gaffer now has an aging squad, an unsettled squad and the most difficult part of their season in front of him.
Never has a solitary Scottish Premiership success held such weight as the one, yes the one, Gerrard won.
When you look at how even Rafa has struggled at Everton and he is a top class manager, doesn’t bode well for him.
Some great stuff on a well known Sevco blog.
Linked with Sean Dyche
Comment
“From a manager named Gerrard to a manager named Sean…..?
I know these are enlightened times Troops but c’mon….!”
Does that not just sum these idiots up……
Paul says,
“Celtic’s complete collapse last season made the league a non-event”.
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In the most extraordinary season since WW2, we at Celtic, with help and hindrance from others outside football, gift-wrapped the title and hand-delivered it to Ibrox.
Gerrard, as manager, must take credit for an unbeaten campaign and also for some decent results and progress in the Europa League.
His remit was to stop the ten, so therefore even though he leaves with a record of one prize out of nine, he will be lauded as a success in Govan for a long time to come.
Given his profile and his obvious & understandable desire to be closer to the family home, there were very few EPL jobs in his eye-line at this moment in time – probably only Villa, Leeds & Wolves fitted the criteria- luckily for him the best of the three became available and he jumped at the chance.
I wish him no ill-will. We made it easy for him to win the league and subsequently get this move back to EPL, where he longed to be.
After the devastation of last season and the turmoil of the close-season, we are now in a position to deliver a challenge to secure the title this season. The changing of the Ibrox guard should favour us. However it requires complete resolve by us on and off the park – are we up to it? Time will tell!
Never has a solitary Scottish Premiership success held such weight as the one, yes the one, Gerrard won.
yip , the only 1 that happened to stop our 10
Glad that Barrowfield is to be upgraded,not before time ,Lawell and company should be made to pay for the Barrowfield project,they have done well with bonuses etc,just for clarity who or whom will pay for the redevelopment,pity we couldn’t claw back all the bonuses these charlatans have took out our club,to build a new Front Stand.
A manager/Head Coach at any club has a shelf life, SG’s time was up, por cierto.
TIMBHOY163 on 11TH NOVEMBER 2021 2:29 PM
It is probably, I’m typing this with gritted teeth, the way they handled the financial side of the business,
why there is money to build at Barrowfield, por cierto.
Glad that Barrowfield is to be upgraded,
is there a agm coming up.
Russell Grant,being touted as their next manger
Maybe its Grant Russell,or even Jack Russell anyway,current duff manager of Swansea
MarkieBhoy ,Gerrards coaching staff aren’t that much better than most coaches in the SPL ,grant it better players,We lost the 10 last season to an incompetent manager who thought we could only turn up an win the league,but when things started to go wrong Champions League etc,and him throwing players under the bus ,the players downed tools and that was the end of 10 in a row ,
the PLC will pay for the redevelopment, maybe through borrowing the finance and paying back over time.
why would people on the board pay for anything ?
why would a former employee pay for it ?
take the seats out the front stand and make it a new standing area.
RC,
Been in the works awaiting approval from GCC for a while.