We spoke about Stale Solbakken here as an option during one of our recent management vacancies. At the time he was manager of Copenhagen, who were playing monopoly with the Danish game and had become the first regular Champions League competitor from that country. Yesterday he was sacked as manager of Wolves, who are 18th in the second tier of English football.
Mick McCarthy led Wolves to promotion into the FA Premier League in 2009 but was sacked in February after slipping into a relegation place. The club were relegated and Solbakken was appointed in July. Solbakken, still only 44, won five leagues in six seasons at Copenhagen and competed well with a tiny budget in the Champions League. He is a good manager but his failure at Wolves presents more evidence that the fabled guru football manager doesn’t exist.
Managers are cogs in a management system which involves players, scouts, technical experts, coaches, youth development staff and administrators. If a club gets all the other components right, as Copenhagen unquestionably did, the guy with ultimate control over team matters will appear to over-perform. Conversely, if you have a genuinely talented manager but he doesn’t work with a crucial part of the football structure, progress will stall. Martin O’Neill taught us more about football tactics in his first season than we had learned in the previous 20 years, but he was not known to sign players he hadn’t identified when playing against his teams.
Wolves chance of recruiting a manager as good as Mick McCarthy is slight. They could do worse than look at how Celtic stemmed the flow of failure by taking a guy who was already working with the scouts, coaches, technical experts, youth development staff and administrators. Don’t look for a guru, get the system right and find someone who will work within it.
Have you ordered your CQN Annual yet? Get it here!
You can read the latest edition of CQN Magazine free online by clicking on the double headed arrow at the bottom right of the graphic below.
[calameo code=000390171cc0c3617c8cc lang=en page=24 hidelinks=1 width=100% height=500]
654 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- ...
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- ...
- 18
- »
BT
as long as we are putting our hand in our pocket for charitable causes or Celtic FC and Celtic are winning. DD wants to castrate every other social injustice aspect of the club support so that we are mindless sheep. I think he will manage it as well as long as he can keep us winning 50% of the time. CQN illustrates this very will IMHO
HH
TET
“You’re sentance sounds to me like you are condoning their anti Celtic bias, I know you probably don’t mean that, but ffs, just cos they perceive we were to blame we have to suffer their backlash.
That is not in my world, we should be fighting that at ever turn.”
You know that I do not condone it no matter how my words are interpreted.
I, too, would like to see a well chosen fight. I am under no illusions, however, about the likelihood of us “winning” that fight
Going by what I’ve witnessed this season, we are still being cheated by biased/incompetent referees/officials. I’m genuinely surprised by this, as everyone within and outwith the game knows we will win the SPL by ten points plus….and there’s no Rankers to contend with !
What is the point of the blatantly biased performances from Calum Murray and others? Is it so ingrained within the SFA, is it part of the career progression for Scottish match officials?
Even with the demise of the bigot Dallas, it would appear that this is still the case.
If that is so, then our board have not sufficiently taken advantage of the demise of our city neighbours, the Dougiegate affair and the alledged dual contract issue.
I sincerely hope that they are doing more behind the scenes, but ultimately we will not see completely un-biased officiating until we are free of the auspices of the Sectarian Football Association.
I live in hope!
T4
I don’t believe Celtic are colluding with police against certain sections of our support.
I believe they are orchestrating the efforts to rid the club of certain sections of our support.
MWD IMO.
SFTB
I agree with all of that.
We just wanted a regime change.
The chip on both shoulder tim that will keep turning up at the turnstyle no matter what sh*t is heaped upon his head is a golden cash cow.
along with the Old Firm …. scottish football is based on sectarianism. Take that away and the profits slump.
Very sad that in 2013 that is the type of environment we Celtic plc are unwilling to fight against …unless Heaven67 knows something I dont.
Printing lies about how the board acted in the past would seem to me that there is nothing been done behind closed doors and that we will accept it all as long as we can win a few meaningless tin pots along the way
HH
MWD
Looks that way to me too
But why ?
T4
shows how bad they are, if they had been honest we would be running away with the league and making their arguement that without them the league is easy.. they just cant help it, they are bigots, cheats and incapable of being honest…
MWD
yup anybody they consider politically motivated and particularly if they are on the left.
HH
MWD
rid us of a voice or just rid Celtic of fans?
PFayr
Google Celts for change
HH
Step Aside,Green Brigade…
The ‘Philvis Phalangistas’ Are Where It’s At….
Viva La Revolution…!
sftb
I probably shouldn’t have used the probably word “>)
But ffs, if as you say we can’t win the fight, in reality, what is the point of going on, seriously.
I don’t think we can win the fight, the hatred is so ingrained, it will take a few generations to shift, it it can ever be shifted.
All I can see is the downward spiral of the game.
maybes KevJ is right, the days of 25/30k crowds are just around the corner.
I just hope the suits have a few alternatve plans tucked up their sleves.
Bt
“do you believe we are being unfairly treated by being filmed? the GB are just the start of it.
do you believe the police are doing a good job at Celtic park and the most important thing in my opinion is, do you believe that Celtic PLC are colluding in this injustice?”
I’ve already said no to all those points except the last one.
Our Board are co-operating with the police and are not publicly criticising any aspects of their work. If that is enough to constitute collusion, then they are guilty.
However, I feel they are being threatened on two fronts. One, from the safety certificate angle, where we can be commercially damaged by an adverse police or Local Authority report. Two, from the one and only aspect of GB activity which does concern me; their desire to make their section a no:go area for Police and Stewards. It may now be a chicken and egg situation, as they are rightly resentful of police provocation, but I do not think they welcome any supervision or authority from stewards, Police or Board. They do not wish to accept censorship of their song list, their movements which do damage seats (a minor point IMO), or their use of flares or bangers, as they wish to self police.
The authorities will never allow them such free reign so there needs to be a dialogue to establish agreed boundaries. I know many in the GB would be willing to have a dialogue with the Board and the Police as they have done so already but I see no sign of common ground emerging soon. I know the Board are not wholly opposed to the GB as they helped set up the Section and are actively looking to re-establish a standing section for that. However, neither the Board nor the police will accept self policing as they do not believe the GB can deliver on this.
It should go without saying but I’ll say it anyway. I am in favour of the GB, 99% rather than 100% in favour. Without them CP would be a morgue and we would not be able to attract young fans. The colour and wit of The Jungle cast a spell on me and my mates growing up as much as the Lions did. However, I have cause to be critical of many aspects of behaviour from inhabitants of the Jungle too. I don’t want the GB to be castrated neither do I want them to replicate some of the relationships seen between ultra fans and their clubs on the continent.
Sorry if already been posted,just having a wee catch-up.
STARRY HOPE 2018
First part of this has been hilariously got at!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mladen_Petri%C4%87
paulsatim is neil lennon
21:01 on
6 January, 2013
It was announced at the start of the season that all Sevco Division 3 matches would be handled by Grade 1 refs, and also uniquely in Division 3, they would have fourth officials as well.
Again just my opinion.
Poppy Bannergate was the catalyst. Not standing up to UEFA when stadium controller reported fans for singing political songs (first orchestrated effort by Celtic IMO). Things been ongoing since then with allowing FOCUS to film in faces inside stadium. Latterly I think someone got a fright after Barca display and the credit a certain group got from that. Frightened the life out of them. Now it is very personal IMO.
I even believe that our manager is being pupeteered on this topic, sadly.
MWD IMO
SFTB
agree on the self policing aspect and also agree that many of the people on here over the last few weeks bemoaning the behaviour of the fans are those self same men who stood drinking on the slopes of Celtic park peeing into cans etc..
let he who is without sin cast the first stone…
we need comman ground and it seems that out board are not willing to move toward this whislt our manager makes a point of going over to the GB with the trophy…
there needs to be dialogue not distain.. as I believe the GB has more grass roots support than the board does, rightly or wrongly…
I don’t believe our club are colluding with anyone to rid us of any section of support !
That is complete and utter nonsense!!
The more we roll this crap out the more others start to believe it !
I would go as far as saying the the orcs through media and through disguise have infiltrated our online groups and are working away tirelessly to disrupt our success and bring disharmony amount our support.
Get a grip !
Neil placing the SPL trophy in front of that section of support that some lead us to believe are being sanctioned against says it all to me !
Wake up and give yourselves a shake
TET
“But ffs, if as you say we can’t win the fight, in reality, what is the point of going on, seriously.”
Sometimes a fight is worth it just to show that you will not be forelock tugging and craven but you will still get a beating.
I was serious about my threat to walk away from paying money into Scottish football if the misdeeds of the former Rangers are swept under the carpet.
I will live up to that threat, if the outcome is as bleak as I fear.
I will never stop Supporting Celtic but, as you know, I have been a long term advocate of us getting out of this dying league. I would prefer some UEFA administered set up to straight move to EPL but I’d accept any change to allow me to continue active support of Celtic.
I am not going to argue any more on the issues tonight. I hope that Lord Nimmo Smith;s report is more damning than I predicted and I hope that some of the unjustly targeted GB young fellas get their justice when they get to Court.
MWD
Peter Lawwell could give Jim Henson a run for his money.
I agree that its personal thats why they have to go. They have lost the plot.
If they think that Celtic fans leanings towards justice and fairness is entirely due left leaning republicans then they are of the same mindset as those that protected the police for 23 years after Hilsboro and they should go before another Glasgow football institution is destroyed
HH
PF AYR
With respect,by the time the St Mirren game came along-after which even I said he had to go-Tony Mowbray had had enough.
He was,frankly,a broken man,a decent man who simply could not believe what was happening to him.
On top of that,the players were no longer mentally capable of playing at their best. They spent more time worrying about a career-threatening challenge than a killer pass when they saw a ball coming their way.
Tony Mowbray very nearly had his career taken away from him by the events of that year. It is to his credit that he has recovered.
MWD
Agree that the poppygate banner was the start of the divide between the GB and the club.
I personally agreed with the banner, cos I thought it was true, but it created an own goal at the same time.
HH
Moonbeams: sorry but your poppy gate view is utter nonsense .
Why were the GB unfairly maligned and fingered due to the Dens park disturbances by our own board. If they have been infiltrated by sevcopaths it would explain a lot.
HH
Just on twitter
A very revealing and thought provoking statement tobe published tomorrow on behalf of the GB via The Celtic Journal at 0930 . Stay tuned.
Weefra HH
sftb
HH
SFTB
2 points from your last post.
Why is it sitting in JS upper I have not seen a uniformed police officer presence all season. Is JS a police no go area. Why am I not being filmed every week. What the police are doing to the GB is crimininal. This is being allowed to happen within our ground by our board because someone, or all of our board members want it that way. They could stop it in an instant if they so wished to do so.
With regards seats being bent and broken. This has been the case for six years in that section. Why only now has it become an issue that the club wish to raise.
As I posted the other evening in a response I made to Phil MacG there is currently a campaign being stirred to conquer and divide the hearts and minds of the Celtic Support against The GB. IMO that is being orchastrated from within our club.
For your benefit here is my reply to Phil that I posted on his blog.
——-
While I agree with one or two points of your article, namely that supporters are 100% responsible for their own behaviour, the state they turn up to football stadia in and how their behaviour reflects on our club I am disappointed by the general tone of your article and the language you have chosen to use alluding to a particular group of Celtic supporters you appear to have an issue with.
Before I go into what comes across strongly in your article as an apparent dislike of the Green Brigade there are a couple of points I would like to take issue with within your article first. Not being at Dens myself, I asked a close friend his opinion of what went on at Dens Park. From his position he was not aware of any fighting or behaviour that was out with the norm for an away game except that a few more than usual supporters were a little more intoxicated than was usual, but not in the extreme. He stated that there were bangers going off and that was about the only thing he would take issue with. My friend is an Assistant Head teacher at a Glasgow Catholic School. 4 arrests pretty much supports his view. That said I don’t believe I would write an article based on my friends experience of the game and hearsay. Pretty much every article I have read from within the Celtic family has been based on hearsay of others. On another point I find it disturbing that Dundee Officials and Senior Police Officers decided to assist supporters in breaking the laws of the land by publically stating that they took the decision to allow drunken supporters to enter a football ground. That decision alone was criminal, stupid and could have resulted in a far worse outcome than that evidenced by your friends. With regards the use of bangers/smoke bombs by Celtic supporters I am 100% against their use and believe the position of the DCSA is of paramount importance.
Back to the gist of your article and what appears to to me to be an article attacking the Green Brigade I feel you have taken up a worrying position with regards this group. From your article it is obvious that you have the ear of someone within the walls of Celtic Park, how high up only you will know, but the language used such as “summoned” and the extremely crass statement about your friend paying for The Barcelona display demonstrates the position you have taken with The GB. Over this last few months there has been a campaign to divide and conquer the hearts and minds of the Celtic support against The Green Brigade. Whether this has been orchastrated by public bodies/officials or from within our club I will reserve judgement for now. Over this last few years you have built a well deserve reputation amongst the Celtic family with your stance and fine work on the Sevco situation. If as it seems you do have the ear of officials within Celtic Park would it not be better to use this to the advantage of The Celtic family to heal the wounds that are getting wider by the day rather than inflict another. I’m sure with your contacts you could arrange a a discreet meeting out of the public/media eye between Neil Lennon and Green Brigade members that both parties I am sure want and would be grateful for. If it turns out that divide and conquer of our hearts and minds is being orchestrated from within our club I feel you will need to be very careful with your articles and the language you incorporate in them, not to become that which you loath most. By that I mean a Celtic version of Scotland’s main stream media! I would hate to see you ruin your reputation with sections of our family by being viewed as a puppet for our club and the first member of the Laptop Brigade! :-)
Hail! Hail!
MWD
pauloantony
Is that official or just in your opinion.
MWD
Our board would commit suicide if it were to turn against the GB .
The leaders of our club are not stupid and know full well of how our support would view a colluded campaign against this very group .
We need to calm doon … And instead of our constant whataboutery how about the leaders of all supporters groups engage in a meeting with the police and our club???
Is that crazy talk?
Awe_Naw
I heard Tom English rip into the GB after the Dens game, he had not a clue who was involved, but he firmly laid the blame at their door, tell the lie often enough……………….
What are they scared of, fairness and equality………..
I have spoken to a few mates who were at the game, not on any blog, but by phone and e mail, and to a man they said it was locals who were acting the goat, and they used that word intentionally.
Paulanthony
Why did the board finger the GB when they were more culpable than the GB with the Dens park disturbances. Well thats what the Government thinks ?
HH
MWD
My opinion of course
Aw naw…
Show me were the board pointed the finger of blame towards the GB
MWD
Sorry, I am off this topic for the night. I’m away to have a cup of tea and then bed.
Some other time.
Damo Lennon
22:40 on
6 January, 2013
Cheers Damo, dont suppose you have a link to that and what, if any, was the reaction of other div 3 clubs?
awe_naw_no_annoni_oan_anaw_noo
22:05 on 6 January, 2013
22:07 on 6 January, 2013
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Same old, same old ….. from you …..sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, in particular when you don’t understand what someone is actually saying,…. picking out a couple of words and going in the ‘wrong direction’ all together….I’m sure I’m wrong, but you givevthe impression of wanting to create controversy, for controversy’s sake …..
There are 2 areas we need to monitor…
1) The dual contracts….and
2) The league reorg.
We (CQN) were successful in contributing greatly to the demise of that sick Club, and you (personally) contributed greatly to that effort………I am simply anxious to ensure we don’t take our eye off the ball on the 2 main areas above…..if there is any ‘nonsense’, we need to be prepared, and ready to pounce…..my post (earlier today) ended with “be VERY careful, SFA”
Of course there are other areas to address, like the disgusting treatment of the GB but, in my opinion, the critical above areas must be monitored very careful……… I believe there is to be a meeting between the GB leaders and PL …… and, when we know the outcome / agreement from that meeting, the way forward in that area will be clearer…..
and, just for your information, having been born in the Gorbals, and brought up in Castlemilk, I could write a book on my experiences with the anti-Irish / Catholic / Celtic HATE-FILLED BIGOTS in the West of Scotland, (believe me)…..
MWD
Tell how our board can immediately end the police presence around the GB ?
IF the police decide to have a presence around any section of our ground then they will do so … And our board can do NOTHING about it .
67H
Glad you liked it. Here’s another Haggard classic!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=aILGaYsv_bc&NR=1