The Ross Wallace Deployment

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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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1,125 Comments

  1. DD

     

     

    On ye go ya screwball. Hahaha. How’s things buddy? :-)))

     

     

    Weefra HH praying to Wee Oscar.

  2. Judester

     

     

    Sean Quinn has just walked away from 1.2bn of debt that I am paying off for him

     

     

    But sure he is great craic, bought a tray of beer and whiskey for the Ulster fellas and us Leinster lads pick up the tab.

     

     

    Murray is small fry when it comes to mega fraud, greed and bull. Come to Ireland for real corporate crime and lack of retribution

     

     

    450 jobs going today at AIB due to past excesses of bankers, politicians and developers who all played rugger together

  3. Richie

     

     

    Feel as though Western,Yorkhill and Gartnaval have become second homes for my family recently. Staff at all three are excellent at their job of care. :)

  4. Weefra

     

     

    Canny wait to cheer our Bonny Bhoys at Hamilton on Saturday. Pity ye canny make it. I will give them a shout fae you though! :))

  5. Hope when its time to change the home strip, there is a return to the proper hoops. Really dislike the present abomination.

  6. Delaney

     

     

    Sorry for your family’s health issues but I always think NHS workers are the best people to have on your side

     

     

    Hail hail

  7. Richie #RIP Kano on

    DD

     

    Same here. I’m in next week for a wee op (fiirst ever overnighter!) so I’ll get a first-hand chance to thank them.

  8. ulysses mcghee - a demographic of one on

    Fred

     

     

    Maybe

     

     

    But I remain uncertain about this one

     

     

    All I know in my heart is that any other club, every other club, would have been left to wither and die.

     

     

    We’re left feeding them with integrity they have no right to and no ownership of…

     

     

    Yet, they’ll come good.

     

     

    And I still can’t settle where I am with this advert.

     

     

    U

  9. Rummybhoy

     

     

    I saw a pic of the new strip

     

     

    If accurate, it looks great. Solid hoops and round collar

  10. DD

     

     

    Wid love to be there, never been to DP. I’ll be watching for yersell and HT, Minx etc on sky. Ye know wit a sky star he is. Lol. Cheers bud, cot for me. :-))

     

     

    Weefra HH praying to Wee Oscar.

  11. Saw a clip of cardigan today in 92 talking about his pre match ritual… at the end ….

     

    Once we put in extra seats the stadium will hold 50,000.

     

    Releasing funds for when the best players in the world become available … we will be at forefront to sign them….

     

     

    Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ha ha ha

     

     

    Never laughed so hard in weeks….

     

     

    Looking the orcs on sky and hearing them on ssb…

     

     

    I absolutely love hearing their pain .

     

     

    So if we ever feel it’s bad over here…..

     

     

    Think of them and their despair …. coupled with being an orc too.

     

     

    Fivers and tenners

     

     

    HH

  12. Ps

     

    I was bought the crappy current one at Christmas by my daughter

     

     

    Too small and not one I like

     

     

    I liked the fact I was smaller!!! Don’t care on the style

  13. Loved that btw…….

     

     

    pauloantony

     

     

    00:45 on 14 January, 2015

     

    Saw a clip of cardigan today in 92 talking about his pre match ritual… at the end ….

     

    Once we put in extra seats the stadium will hold 50,000.

     

    Releasing funds for when the best players in the world become available … we will be at forefront to sign them….

     

     

    Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ha ha ha

     

     

    Never laughed so hard in weeks….

     

     

    Looking the orcs on sky and hearing them on ssb…

     

     

    I absolutely love hearing their pain .

     

     

    So if we ever feel it’s bad over here…..

     

     

    Think of them and their despair …. coupled with being an orc too.

     

     

    Fivers and tenners

     

     

    HH

  14. saltires en sevilla on

    pedrocaravanachio67

     

     

    20:33 on 13 January, 2015

     

    Saltires en Sevilla

     

     

    Non Celtic question, have you heard any arrangements for Barry’s funeral? I know it’s at St Aidens, but father David didn’t have the date yet.

     

    Any info on this would be appreciated.

     

     

    HH PC67

     

     

    ——–

     

    I don’t know mate. Will get in touch with you via Catman.

     

     

    HH

  15. Pauloantony

     

     

    20 years later he had acquired some wisdom, though.

     

     

    “We wish the NEW Rangers Football CLUB every good fortune”.

  16. Coneybhoy

     

     

    Thanks bud. You are right. NHS is a treasure.

     

    Would rather my family had no need for it though! :))

  17. Pauloantony

     

     

    They had in their sights:

     

     

    Ronaldo

     

    Del Piero

     

    Gascoigne(fair enough)

     

     

    They did have the cash(debt) at the time but who wanted to come to Glasgow

     

     

    Put a limit on their hubris

     

     

    Picked fading stars and paid salaries

     

     

    Seemed to work

     

     

    MON followed the same formula which is what we needed to do

     

     

    WGS bought, sold and deployed well

     

     

    Neil steadied a sinking ship with a lot of help (park)

     

     

    Ronnie had a great platform if wd let him rub

     

     

    I think Ronnie detractors are scared or sevco when they should enjoy the current team

  18. Anyone fancy a ‘best walk on’ list?(yes I am tipsy)

     

     

    Rapid Vienna 84

     

     

    92 Aberdeen at home; 2-1 first in ages

     

     

    Liverpool 2003

     

     

    Charity game in 89 vs Liverpool post Hillsborough

  19. Delaneys Dunky on

    Pauloantony

     

     

    I think of my two Grandads and two Grandmas. What racism and sectarianism they endured in post war Glasgow. The 4 chose Celtic as their team. Why would Polish and Irish immigrants pick Celtic as our team?

  20. Delaneys Dunky on

    AT

     

     

    They are gone. I have bid for the contract of being the guy who operates the wrecking ball that ends the Victorian lavvys life.

  21. 67Heaven .. CHALLENGING THE LIE ..I am wee Oscar / Neil Lennon.. Ipox belongs to the creditors on

    Rm is off the air for maintenance ……. That’s why they need the £6.5m

  22. 67Heaven .. CHALLENGING THE LIE ..I am wee Oscar / Neil Lennon.. Ipox belongs to the creditors on

    delaneys dunky

     

     

    01:22 on 14 January, 2015

     

     

    I’ll do it for nothing……

  23. Saltires en Sevilla

     

     

    Great call on 83; I wasn’t there but ‘glued’ to the radio

     

     

    Loved McAdam goal. The most under adulated player of my time.

  24. saltires en sevilla on

    Coneybhoy

     

     

    I was in their main stand enclosure – superb crowd of bhoys at that game -as always

     

     

    Big Tam was the hammer of the auld Hun in those days

     

     

    Though I preferred Tam McAdam in the opponents box :-)

  25. Delaneys Dunky on

    Coneybhoy

     

     

    Agree. Loved Tom McAdam. My fave player for at least 2 seasons. Made friends with his bro Colin R.I.P. lately. Two good men.

  26. skyisalandfill on

    Great news TET.

     

     

    I’m looking fowards to two games. Away to Hamilton on Saturday and the home game against Inter Milan, which I am taking young skyisarecyclingskip and my workmates. Drive to aviemore, train, dump gear at hotel worryingly near ibrox and head to BV. Then the game.

     

    I’m really sorry that the game against deidco is taking place. Naively, I hoped that the undead would have been finally put out of everybodies misery before we had to play them. I’m actually surprised an opportunity hasn’t been engineered before now.

     

    Notwithstanding the immediate requirement for £6.5 to £10m to stay on business, it seems that we will face a football team that should have been wiped from the face of the earth long ago.

     

    It’s a lose lose scenario for Celtic. Unless we beat them 6-0, the arse licking cowards in the press will make any form of old firm capital they can. Even if we do hump them, they’ll still find some way of dragging our wonderful, beautiful club and more importantly, support onto the cesspit that is the Huns.

     

     

    Sickening

     

     

    Hope we hump them.

     

     

    HH