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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Some equaliser!!
Pcs
Yes
Sparta equalise with 30 yarder – 1-1 after 24 minutes.
Zaluska can go anytime, hopeless
Sign him in the absence of Soal asking
Nice attack from the tic
timaloy29
15:44 on
13 January, 2015
Is anybody else fed up seeing this HITC clickbait on the newsnow site? Stop clicking their links please. You are only encouraging them.
Got suckered in a couple of times but don’t read it now. As anti- Celtic as anything you’ll read on newsnow
100% solid guff.
livibhoy
Summer football. I know you’re against it but have you looked out the window recently?
Off the top of my head I can’t really recall any games that I have enjoyed where the weather has been torrential.
2-1 to Sparta.
1-2
Sold the jerseys there at least three of them
2-1 Sparta after 30 mins. Simple ball over the top and 1 on 1 with keeper. Celtic defence a bit naive
Zaluska, wake up its 2-1 now
Very easy goal. Wide space between CBs
Kittoch
What does the keeper do in a situation like that?
themaestro72
I have enjoyed plenty and some in stadiums with no roof.
As I have said to mates who are for it.
What do you do in the winter if there is no football to go to???
Do you book your holidays in the summer around key fixtures?
When the weather is blinding do you sack the game because you don;t want to spend a couple of hours on the bus to and from the game so you can sit in the garden and soak up the nice weather?
All these Bhoys who play golf in the summer, do we lose their support?
Will kids want to play with their mates or go see Celtic play Hamilton?
I don;t see it as sustainable at all we also won;t attract many star players. Even if we do attract them we would be without them when WC’s and Euro champs come around.
We could sign a team of Africans. We would be fine for the ACN’s.
LB
Emdi hear from Frantic07?
just wondering how he is keeping.Thinkin about ye Fran hope alls well mhate:-)
—————————
izzat Waltuh wishing them every success again?
HH
Totally agree!
Árd Macha
16:09 on 13 January, 2015
Cue demand for Griffiths to start every game.
=================================
…like that.
Yes!
Kayal??????
Geordie Munro,
Very droll:-)
Árd Macha
Sandman,
Horses for courses I think. There will be occasions when he is our best option up front.
Árd Macha
Penalty to Sparta
1-3 pen
3-1. Soft penalty.
And they score
1-3
3-1 Sparta -pen for hand ball
Is it just me or do the look uninterested?
HT 1-3
An t…..,
Think I saw a post earlier from Frantic, hope he’s farming well too
Meanwhile a wee bit of official cheating just to make us feel at home
Bigmike,
It’s more like a kick aboot in the park.
This “tournament” is an embarrassment. 3-1 down to nobody. Better we stayed at home and played league football.
LiviBhoy
16:16 on
13 January, 2015
themaestro72
I am against summer football. Not playing in the winter would encourage more people to watch English fitba and the league would lose more fans.
The summer is for holidays, family time, golfing, all day drinking, festivals, the olympics and world cups.
LB
————
I think fans would rather go to the football in the summer than in weather like we’ve had the last week. Attendances in the summer months backs this up.
We should start the season on or around the 1st July. Have a 4 week shutdown after the new year fixtures to compensate. This should help our teams in Europe by playing a competitive game before the qualifiers start.
Scottish teams doing better in Europe raises the co-efficient, raises the profile of our game, increases money coming into the clubs which would help increase competition. Scottish clubs always get higher attendances for big European matches
Starting in July gives us a key selling point in a new TV deal, almost 6 weeks of coverage where there is virtually no other football on TV.
Increased profile + increased exposure + increased crowds = better sponsorship deals.
It also gives the players a winter break, which I’ve never heard of a manager argue isn’t beneficial.
Scottish football needs some out of box thinking. This isn’t it. This is common sense.
SP will score around 6 and then ease up -))))
Jamesgang. What train do you normally get and do you go through Edinburgh park. Occasionally see a big chap resembling you on the 16 47 from ep.
Sann a
I know I shouldn’t post a link to them ,at least not without a NSFW warning, but now and again (through a Newsnow link) I come across something that reminds me why I never buy the Record any more , even apart from it’s general red top gutter nonsense.
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-transfer-news/pictures-worst-celtic-xi-regi-4971793
Complete with a picture of us playing you know who.
The mega hype of the “Old Firm” tie begins in earnest.
Seriously , would they ever print a similar story about The Rangers?
I know it’s probably their 1st team against our development squad but there is a gulf in class. Kayal is not having influence on the game. Only Henderson seems able to compete at this level.
but we made 50 grand…..