I’ve never treated the Ballon d’Or seriously, but would you be alarmed if your manager overlooked two of the most outstanding footballers of all time, to vote for one of the poor relations in an outstanding, if waning, Barcelona team.
England manager, Roy Hodgson, is entitled to his opinion but in nominating Javier Mascherano, he’s started a debate which will not reflect kindly on him.
I remember when Martin O’Neill was in charge of Celtic, he could do or say anything and no matter how incongruous it seemed, we all looked for hidden wisdom. Martin knew much more about the game than all of us but this authority was uniquely evident. I don’t remember any other Celtic manager being regarded with such awe, and I go back to the latter Stein days.
Whether Mascherano is fit to pass the ball to Leonel Messi is beside the point, Roy’s opinion is a prisoner of fortune. He’s dead meat to his critics.
For all of Martin’s brilliance he wasn’t one for cutting edge tactics. He knew what worked for him and stuck to it. So when Gordon Strachan came along with some new, ‘ideas’, the reaction was not appreciative.
Gordon’s early days (years) were remarkably hostile but it’s what I’ve regarded as The Ross Wallace Deployment which remains in the mind as an unfinished debate.
Ross was a left winger. But, five goals down after a first leg capitulation in Bratislava, Gordon deployed him on the right. The outcry was palpable. We’d never heard of playing a left footed player ‘out of position’ like this. What is now commonplace – to mix a left and fight footed full back and winger on the same side – was both new and proof positive that Gordon Strachan was a deluded simpleton.
There’s value in the opinions of the outliers, so my vote for the Ballon d’Or would have gone to Efe Ambrose. Gordon Strachan was a better manager than any of us knew at the time.
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Frantic07
Good to see you’re kicking the big C all over the place. Keep up the fight and stay strong.
HH
CRC
Tonev (the player banned for racially abusing Shay Logan) is replaced.
SMSM csc
Maybe covered heated stadia (retractable roof) is the answer in Scotland. I was at a few games last year where even with three jumpers, hat, scarf, gloves, two pairs of trousers etc it was still absolutely freezing – too cold to fully enjoy it. Try to get something to eat at half time and give up due to big queues.
The facilities are behind the times now. Kids don’t suffer hardship these days with the same willingness as us. Oh to sit with a beer in the Nou Camp in 28 degrees every night….how easy is that compared to what scottish fans suffer. Probably some fan of Iceland league berating us as soft southern pansies compared to what they endure.
Estadio
Is that a true story ????
Gullible CSC
PS its so good it deserves to be true
Livibhoy. Nope unless he’s changed shirt since lunchtime or someone fed him
Please ref blow the whistle.mi think I’ll read the Ross Wallace article again.
JJ
what would you expect to notice as the benefit from warm weather training and team bonding during a winter break? Would you expect to see anything in two training games with two vastly different teams?
The Lions constantly referred to the team bonding elements secured by the North American Tour of the mid-60s.
Just of the top of my head, here are the things I have experienced from taking sports tours abroad:-
A good time and the positive effects of a feel good atmosphere
A chance for warm weather training escaping the training restrictions which a Scottish Winter brings
A chance to blood youngsters in a first team structure in an uncompetitive game where the result does not matter.
A chance to use rolling subs to help players who are having a hard time or avoid injury.
A chance to try variations in tactics and team set up
A chance to practice dead ball drills in a match situation.
Being with the lads in social situations after the match
Giving the WAGs a break with their partners to keep the boys off the ran dan at night.
Re-charging batteries away from the rigour of competitive games.
The benefits will not be seen immediately and are unlikely to be obvious on screen. Only the run-in will show if it has helped or not.
The aim is to train and bond and become more of a Unit. Of course, if the whole experience is a miserable one, it could have the opposite effect. But, it won’t be affected too much by whether we win, draw or lose these training matches. Footballers lose training matches every day at Lennoxtown. If those were on TV, we would be dissecting them for runes of what we could see but , when we watch a football match, we are watching only the tip of the iceberg that is a football club.
coolmore mafia
It’s not as cold if the stadium is full. You reckon it’s colder in Germany in February/March? Their stadiums are full. Why? Their games are cheaper. Slash the prices. The league should enforce it. Third off all tickets. If the clubs sell double their normal season tickets they make more next season than they did this season and they have a better home backing.
LB
To get fans back to the games:
Put a roof on the stadium.
Play entertaining football.
Have dancing girls at half-time.
Free pies.
Improve the traffic flow.
Or maybe just one of the above :-)
Irish commentator in positive Celtic comments shock.
This game really is just a kick-about….like a training session……. Nevertheless…away back to it (never heard of one or two of the Celtic players… :)
mike in toronto,
If we are to fare better in Europe, we NEED to learn the ole pass and move. We must improve. I think the manager deserves at least this season.
excathedra44-agree,the lack of forward planning for CLQ’s is gross negligence IMO
BT
He can sweep, be more alert, be awake, close down the forward, he was well off the ball there, the forward had time to gather himself and take a touch and look up and Zaluska was still three feet from him, poor keeping in my opinion
sftb
A chance to hear a semi neutral commentary
WITS
Most of it.
Not sure if they were Bilslands or Mothers pride. But I remember the three and in and OK she didn’t score….but she did shoot ….everything else is spot on.
Hail hail
Estadio
SP hooking their best player -)))
Mike in Toronto
I can understand the Scottish players’ lack of technique and fitness, but the foreign guys we sign soon drop down to their level too.
And for the last 15 years, or so we’ve generally had more foreign than British/Irish players in the squad.
bournesouprecipe
And I thought Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink had a long name!
Scepovic.Thomson on .LG ,Henderson off
Fiver for kids, tenner for adults seems fair. We’d have to multiply our commercial revenue for it to be viable though.
A bearded, moustachioed Scep now on for Griffiths.
Tosb
Or is it?
Hail hail
Estadio
Sad negatev
I’ll take the free dancing girls
McMullan could be a player.
Maybe RD is showing PL and others just how bad the quality[outwith loanees] in the squad really is?.
Re summer football it could attract better sponsorship as the only football being played in the UK at that time-attractive to betting companies and possible TV exposure.
coolmore mafia
A third off would work out around £18-£20 a game for a Celtic match. I think that would be very reasonable for a game at Paradise. Other clubs have a teir system for categorised games. This should be scrapped immediatley and outlawed. Why should we pay more than a St Mirren fan to go to Killie? Why do you think some fans avoid the games against the bigger clubs? It’s dearer. The key is season tickets. Slash the prices.
£350 for a Celtic season ticket or thereabouts is value for money.
If the prices don;t come down the crowds will just keep dropping.
LB
3-2!
3-2
Winter would be even more miserable without football to keep us going.
3-2 thompson
Joe Thomson goAl son
We’ve pulled a goal back 2-3
3-2. Lovely goal from Thompson.
Joe thomson with great strike just after SP hit our bar from free kick.
COYBIG!
Goal celtic
Great goal……. Thomson.
Thompson pulls one back with a great drive from edge of box – 2-3 after 70 mins