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.
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Natknow
Have you got Sky??
Jrr is 33 now
jude2005 is Neil Lennon \o/
18:07 on
6 January, 2013
Natknow
Have you got Sky??
I do.
NK
So you help pay his wages.
Barca 1 up after 9 mins. The way they are pinging the ball about, no one in the World could stand up to them. Oh hold on a minute…….
The Boy Jinky
I thought he was older, at 33 there is still at least another couple years in him.
To Get An Insight Into The Managerial Qualities Of Mick McCarthy…..
One Has Only To Watch His Performance As TV Co-Commentator For Matches…
When He Was Between Clubs….
His Reading Of The Games/Tactics/Interpretation Of Incidents…..
Was Totally Divorced From The Actuallite..
Cannot Recall Any Other Football Pundit*
Who Ever Performed So Poorly…
On A Regular Basis…….
And Was Such A Boorish Twat Besides…
* (Not Including SPL Pundits)
I Can (Almost) Forgive Roy Keane Walking Out On The Eire Team…..
At The Korea World Cup…..
With A Manager Like McCarthy….
jude2005 is Neil Lennon \o/
18:13 on
6 January, 2013
NK
So you help pay his wages.
Ah! I thought we were talking about Craig Burley earlier? I don;t see him on telly because I don’t subscribe to the channel he’s on.
sipsini – during Dr Joe’s time, I also recall a game at Mordor where just about everyone was expecting us getting a right doing. “Boy Wonder”, young Barry Ferguson was going to run the show and we were wasting our time in even turning up.
I remember standing near the front of the lower Broomloan when the game kicked off and couldn’t believe that our manager had chosen to man-mark Ferguson with Simon feckin Donnelly!! We thought the auld yin had lost the plot, but Sid stuck to him all game and Barry wasn’t able to influence the game. (This was also the case during the rest of BF’s career!)
Talk about thinking outside the box…?!
T4
I asked the council could I have a skip on my driveway? They said its ur driveway skip where you like!!
Off out now. o))
Barcelona 1 Espanyol 0 (Xavi after 10 minutes)
Asithought
I have to fess up… The e mail was sent to daniel ( his agent ) by our own estadio nacional… From the dohar csc. He made an impassioned appeal for jrr to come to celtic
His agent did in fact e mail back asking what his proposal was and what his position at celtic was
Now en is JUST a big hoopster and an avid jrr fan … But the fact his agent didnt bomb it out off hand …. Maybe pl should follow it up ;)
NK
Thats ma point!!!!
Def off out now!!
2-0 to Barca. Did that Espanyol mob not watch our game to see how to defend against Barca….?! :-)
T4
T4
Since that day at mordor… How many times have you been out of your box ;).
Barcelona 2 Espanyol 0 (Pedro on 14) – great work from Messi and Fabregas.
Jinky – that is class! EN is a total zoomer….! :-))))
T4
The Boy Jinky
We can always hope.
Jude 2005
Thanks for the Merle Haggard. Generally more of a jazz/blues/ska with dashes of punk and early hm but a wee dash of Country ( or is it called Americana now?) never did me any harm. Unlike Malts
Jimbo
jude2005 is Neil Lennon \o/
18:19 on
6 January, 2013
NK
Thats ma point!!!!
Def off out now!!
I’m confused enough as it is mate!
Jinky – out my box way too many times to even contemplate, but my NY resolution is to avoid any dryathlons! :-)
T4
Tommytwiststommyturns 18:21
Thanks, the deal is almost in the bag…
EN
Two goals and Messi hasn’t scored yet? He’s lost it!
Boca Juniors’ new manager, Carlos Bianchi, is in the press in Argentina today explaining that he wasn’t able to persuade Juan Román Riquelme to change his mind about signing for them again. When Riquelme left Boca in July, after they were knocked out of the Libertadores, he said that was it, he wasn’t going back. This was his third departure from the club.
Carlos Bianchi said today that it was because Riquelme wants to keep his word that he couldn’t persuade him to come back. He said: “We wanted him. Who wouldn’t want him? Of all Argentinean players, he is the best playing in Argentina. I’m sure that in his heart, Román still has an enormous appetite to play football.”
EN – hope you’re on a cut mate! :-)
Would love to see him at CP!
T4
3-0 Barca….
Fabrigas at his diving again …..!!! …..LOL
4-0
Barcelona 3 Espanyol 0 (Pedro again on 26 mins) – great through ball from Busquets. Could be a cricket score this one.
27 mins (4-0) Messi (pen).
Stairheed – while we are at it why dpi people say ‘pair of underpants’?????
30 mins in barca 4-0 up in Barcelona derby.
Gordon j – he appears to be back….
tommytwiststommyturns 18:29
Think this counts as ‘Celtic open talks with Riquelme’
The original email.
Hello Daniel
Ive been a huge fan of Juan Roman since he signed for Barcelona and followed his career since, it was rumored while he was at Barcelona that he could be a signing target for Celtic but nothing happened. Always thought he would be perfect for Celtic, a club who share similarities with Boca in both the club’s history and the passion of the fans.
Since he ‘retired’ from Boca Ive been hoping he would sign for Celtic as he would still be a perfect signing for us, hearing today that he will not re-join has prompted me to send this email to tell you why this would be an amazing move for both the player and the club.
Celtic are currently lacking creativity in midfield, especially central midfield and need a No.10, someone who can produce magic and create things, be the focal point of the team, The Main Man.
The most recent players we had like this was Ľubomír “Lubo” Moravčík the Slovakian who signed for Celtic aged 33 (similar age to Juan Román) in 1998 and played 94 games scoring 29 goals, played in one Champions League game Celtic won 4-3 v Juventus, and was a hero in serveral derby wins v the now defunct rangers fc.
To date fans still talk of him as a Legend and is often the name that comes up in discussions on the type of player we need, where ever he goes he is still adored by Celtic fans world wide. Very similar to Juan Román in style, take this for example – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sBVBgjsIvE
Then there was Shunsuke Nakamura the Japanese player who scored a famous free kick winner in our 1-0 win against Manchester United in the Champions League in 2006, another who received hero worship where ever he goes. That goal v Manchester United – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLlfr4Ng8nU
Celtic’s tradition for attacking play needs a player like that, its in out football DNA but sadly its lacking just now in creativity and entertainment for the fans. Juan Román would easily provide this and become another hero to the 60,000 who attend Celtic games and the millions of fans world wide. At present we play with two non creative players in central midfield, they are great but dont provide the creativity needed for a step up to another level.
As you might know Celtic are a club with a world wide fan base, theres 1000s of Celtic supporters Clubs world wide, Im in Qatar and a member of the 30 strong Doha Celtic supporters Club, theres others in South America, Austrialia, North America and all over Europe. If Juan Román were to sign for Celtic he would probably never have to buy a meal or drink in a bar ever again, there would be a Celtic fan there to pay for it in tribute to a hero.
Only last night there was a reception for Henrik Larsson in Glasgow, 8 years after he left Celtic, hundreds of expensive tickets sold out in record time for a night of hero worship, theres another one tonight. Thats typical of Celtic and our admiration of true heros.
Then there’s Juventus….
The next round of the last 16 of the Champions League, Celtic v Juventus, after beating Barcelona in the group stages we are in the last 16 for the first time since 2008 and the focus on the Champions League is sky high with both the support and everybody in the club.
A tie thats ideally timed (Late February) for a January signing to have settled into the team and ready for the tie.
Riquleme v Pirlo a show down of two of The greatest play makers of recent times, and sure our man would come out on top in that one. How many other interested teams could offer a starting place as the main man and a platform like this Celtic v Juventus tie? The final is on 25th May at Wembley, the same date as the last time we won the European Cup, I firmly believe Juan Román would be the final part in us winning it, he is all we need, the final part of the jigsaw.
Celtic have a comfortable gap at the top of the Scottish League so it will be easy to settle and not a huge pressure to entertain, plus there would be a league winners medal on offer, plus we are still in the two domestic cups.
Scotland is also a great place for a player to come and stay, very nice housing in quiet areas where the players are left alone to relax, lots of stunning countryside, Lochs, golf courses and many more around Glasgow, theres not many players who have come to Celtic and couldnt settle, many have stayed in Scotland since they retired.
If Celtic have not already been in touch could you please run this past your man and see what he thinks, Celtic are already aware of todays news and I hope they give you a call but just incase they dont you should get together and discuss what would be Celtic’s greatest signing in years if not ever and also a brilliant move for both you and Juan Román.
Yours Sincerely
Me
The Doha Juan Román Riquleme Celtic Supporters Club.
The Reply
Hello EN how are you?
Thanks for your e-mail. You words sounds very Nice for Román.
I didn’t understand which is your real idea and which is your job or function in Celtics Club.
Please, let me know thats things.
Sincerely yours
Agent
Brendan Rogers says the 4th official told him Suarez’s goal was a handball. Why didn’t he tell the ref that? What are these guys for?
RobertTressell,
Anyone can score a pen …
Og Rafferty – haven’t heard that one before, chuckling all night
Lionel Messi has scored the same amount of goals Neil Alexander has scored this year.
I Think We Can Forget About Mr.Riquelme….
In View Of Our Rapidly Deteriorating Diplomatic Relations With Argentina…
It Would Be Most Unlikely That He Would Opt To Play In Our Sceptred Isles…..
Even For A King’s Ransom….
And Face Ostracism In His Native Land..
So Let’s Hear No More Fanciful Day-Dreams…..
About Bringing The Argentinian McCourt..
To ‘Paradise Oan The Clyde’…..
Such Thoughts Are Merely A Distraction.
When We Should Be Actively Seeking More Realistic Options…
Right..? Right..!