Brendan Rodgers resigned in February 2019, a day before a crucial league game at Tynecastle and four days before a Scottish Cup quarterfinal at Easter Road. Celtic had around 24 hours’ notice that he could be moving, that was crucial in planning how to cope with two visits to Edinburgh that could have seen us out of a cup for the first time in almost three years and facing a crisis in the league.
I know there are a lot of raw memories from last season, but Neil Lennon stepped up big time then, and in the months that followed Rodgers’ departure, taking the next available five domestic trophies.
Neil wanted the job permanently, Celtic only wanted him on an interim basis, so they agreed that he would take the job until the end of the season on condition he was considered for the permanent role.
I spoke to ‘sources close to Celtic’ when those events were unfolding. It is fair to say that in late February 2019, few at Celtic expected Neil Lennon to get the gig come the end of the season. Having appointed footballing and commercial success in Rodgers, they hoped to be able to snag an equally qualified candidate.
What became evident over the three months that followed, is that Rodgers was an exception to the rule – he came because he was an actual Celtic fan, he moved on because he was also a football man, and that’s what 99% of the games’ heroes do, folks. There would be no box office manager this time.
Appetite for another over-achieving young European, like Ronny, was low. The spectre of the most intense person to walk the earth (from Cork) lurked, as ever. There were candidates who took small English clubs for a brief moment into the sun that is the Premier League, but none had managed a club of our size, with our challenges and expectation to win.
Unlike the deliberations in 2016, when Rodgers was appointed, no one felt hopeful at the direction of travel the recruitment process was going. No one at Celtic would ever say, “We ended up with Neil”, but it’s how I viewed it.
Despite how Eddie Howe is viewed in the rear view mirror, 99% of us were delighted at the prospect of him taking over in the summer, I wrote, “the best English manager in the game” at the time. When we return to the market after Howe’s rejection, it was roulette time. There was no indication Ange Postecoglou would be more successful than Ronny Deila or Neil Lennon, but as in February 2019, a second ‘Rodgers-type’ appointment was not going to happen.
Five months in, I cannot believe how well Ange has done. We are on a path I have faith in, recruiting talented players who excite and are within our budget. The crucial difference between Ange and Pedro Caixinha, who before coming to Glasgow took his club to the CONCACAF Champions League Final, is hard to spot.
They were both roulette wheel appointments, sometimes the ball lands on your number, more often it doesn’t. On the positive side, you get to spin the wheel, maybe there’s a Pep 2008 waiting for you, but that transition from Rodgers to Lennon, seven consecutive trophies to five consecutive trophies, was one for the ages. Replacing an entire management team midseason is a business interruption even an Ulster medical testing lab cannot whitewash.
554 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- ...
- 15
- »
PPB 1.43pm
Superb, enjoy!
What I find really unsettling and a bit uncomfortable with Gerrard leaving is the amount of grown men that had full size cardboard cut outs of him 😂
PAUL THE SPARK
I saw on their media one chap complaining about his “Gerrard 55” tattoo and that his wife warned him at the time. Poor wee soul.
Them
It is impossible to think that this uncertainty will not cause a problem or two – whats important is that we double down in every way to make sure we are there to take advantage.
They do have a system and they do have some decent, if not spectacular players so it is not unreasonable to assume that someone can do a NL interim job for them.
Cleary they have feck all budget but likely may sell a couple in Jan. Normal clubs in their position would use that to help the finances of the business – they won’t – they will invest it again, at least in part, to try for title and CL dosh.
We would be very foolish to underestimate what lengths they will go to for that payday so eyes on the prize bhoys and Ange……don’t let the feckers upstairs talk you out of your January plans
I think Sevco board will be content with Gerrard going, and not just the hard cash injection.
1. They now have an excuse not to win the league
2. obvious blamehound
3. if they appoint an interim, they can legitimately not spend in Jan; then give the interim the job in June
Had my say on certain circumstances around Brendan Rodgers leaving the other day in a reply to a CQN comment by JHB.
Bringing things up to date though, as others have said, the problems that arose then have not been dealt with, it suggests they weren’t a priority then and they are not a priority now.
Organisational wise our football Club resembles a large doughnut – the football department being the hole~in~the~middle.
Ange & Co seem to have been left to there own devices, all things considered its being going OK.
Yet the honeymoon will be well and truly over for Ange after Christmas though.
Knockout European Football
Winter Transfer Window
Winning a cup and a league.
He won’t get through the business end of the season without proper, professional support.
Hail Hail
Congratulations Prestonpans bhoy.
D :)
Prestonpans bhoy
Congratulations.well done
=========
Chairbhoy
Debate with someone who backs his tosh with evidence.not someone who bolts and plays victim as soon as his views are questioned..
Hope your well.
HH
McInnes would be a better appointment for them for now. But the fans won’t have it, they want the bling
prestonpans bhoys on 12th November 2021 1:43 pm
Congratulations Mate!! I hope to join you next summer.
PB- enjoy, you’ve earned it
‘roulette wheel appointments, sometimes the ball lands on your number, more often it doesn’t.’
###
The January transfer window will show where the Board were hoping where the ball would land.
The ball is now in their court, as the saying goes.
Win the league, damn the huns and deal with whatever ensues.
Congratulations PPB – Enjoy!!
AN TEARMANN @ 3:15 PM,
Fine, hope all is well with you and yours…
Yes, very illusive, never managed to develop a debate or get a clear answer yet.
For someone who seems to wish to promote an agenda it is very odd.
Hail Hail
so, he has went from not being allowed to bring his own backroom staff (doomed to failure form the start then) to having to work with celtics shambolic non-organisational structure.
ahem.
mibbies he is just making this up and he is a board patsy.
—————————–
Ange Postecoglou shares Celtic acclaim as manager of the month raves about coaching staff
The Celtic boss was undefeated in October as his side’s impressive life breathed new life into their title aspirations.
Modest Ange Postecoglou has heaped praise upon his coach team after he was named Glen’s Premiership Manager of the Mont.
The Celtic boss was undefeated in October as his side’s impressive form breathed new life into their title aspirations.
Postecoglou’s side won against Aberdeen, Motherwell, St Johnstone and Hibs as they found their feet in the wake of a sticky start.
But the 56-year-old was mindful to share the adulation with his coaching team made up of John Kennedy, Gavin Strachan, Stephen McManus and Stevie Woods.
He said: “It’s great to be recognised in this way as the Glen’s Premiership Manager of the Month but I’d like to thank the players, coaches and backroom staff for all of their efforts because, as ever, whatever we achieve we do it together.
“Our football has been good and delivered some really positive results and will give us something to build on.
“We are grateful for the award but realise fully that we have only just started and now need to keep working hard and hopefully continue to progress and get better right across this season and beyond.”
Celtic are currently four points behind Rangers in the Scottish Premiership but supporters believe their attacking style will reap rewards.
PRESTONPANS BHOYS
Congratulations on your retirement 👍
PRESTONPANS BHOYS on 12TH NOVEMBER 2021 1:43 PM
That article Paul puts the board in very bad light!
Anyway I have a meeting at 2 pm and then at 3 pm I retire, yippee👏👍🍺🍷🍸bye bye work hello retirement!
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Wow, congratulations! I’m sooo jealous, I only have another 10 years to go or if my employers want to make me an offer….
Happy and healthy retirement for many years ahead PPBhoys!
PRESTONPANS BHOYS
Congratulations. Have a long, healthy and happy retirement.
We got rid off Lennon and Lawell,now all we need to do is to get rid off Desmond and a few others,who really are well past retirement age,need some young men or women who have the club and especially the ordinary fans at heart .
Hmmmm?
https://celtic.vitalfootball.co.uk/sports-journalist-takes-incredible-swipe-at-celtic-fans-after-his-kyogo-tweet/
TIMBHOY163 on 12TH NOVEMBER 2021 4:13 PM
We got rid off Lennon and Lawell,now all we need to do is to get rid off Desmond and a few others,who really are well past retirement age,need some young men or women who have the club and especially the ordinary fans at heart .
••••••••••••••••••
The unchallengeable George Galloway and an iron crow bar could be the new board.
The Green Brigade, educated by Galloway, could by the new Celtic executive provisional wing.
Better than what we already have?
Yup, imho. ✌ 👍
How do we get there?
Financially starve the PLC out with a promise of not having your ticket renewed, by the new ass kicking take shit from nobody, Galloway driven, Green Brigade provisional wing executive, if you continue to be a coward and back the OF PLC.
So simple.
hh
Ange Postecoglou: Tommy Burns play honours a great Celt and a great man
https://www.celticfc.com/news/2021/november/12/ange-postecoglou–/
who are these sport scientists, analysts, medical teams that ange talks about ?
were we not told that these things dont exist at the football club ?
https://youtu.be/vGkUMagdUkA
No doubt the first thing thst slippy will do after a Villa match is ask what was the rangers score.
Just scanned the DR ( I know I know ) and their money problems can be solved easily. The valuations on half the first team are in excess of £85 million.!
No wonder their accounts are questionable !
Hail Hail
Stay Safe
But not for long
Congratulations PPB.
Welcome to the Happy Club, I’m retired 17 years never regretted a single day of it.
Don’t think of yourself as ex anything,
You are now a reborn Free Man, enjoy yourself.
https://twitter.com/CelticIg/status/1459126914694660104?s=08
naw right first time, it is the blue bin that goes out tomorrow
https://twitter.com/i/status/1459099095461732369
It’s a cast iron certainty that, if Scotland qualify for a play off spot tonight, the commentator will use the line:- “They think it’s Modova….”
BACK TO BASICS – GLASS HALF FULL on 11TH NOVEMBER 2021 11:59 PM
Great post last night. Thanks for that.
Paul makes good observations today and I believe what he writes.
If we are being honest, both the Rodgers & Gerrard appointments were freak occurrences, for different reasons. Any serious contender from ‘down south’ will only come into Scottish football for extraordinary & personal reasons; Rodgers to kick-start a promising/respected early career and because he had Celtic leanings, Gerrard, with the backing of influential Liverpool people, looking to ‘cut his teeth’ on an badly underperforming, but giant brand, in Scotland, who would take him for his name, rather than experience.
In a perfect world Celtic should have been able to uncover another ‘Rodgers-type’ to take over in the summer of 2019. It wasn’t possible because “the’ candidate was just not available. Neil stayed in the job basically by default and managed reasonably uncontroversially, until the Covid-ravaged ’20/’21 season rolled-out. His winning squad was kept intact & strengthened, but surrendered spectacularly, for reasons still to be evidenced.
The bold move for Eddie Howe broke down, not due to lack of effort on our part, or it seems, lack of enthusiasm on EH’s part; but because Scotland is what Scotland is, and his backroom team did not like it – to say that seeing the CEO of your perspective club’s house being torched, and the display of bigotry & sectarianism by your perspective biggest opponent’s fan-base in George Square happening almost back to back, were not factors in their decision not to expose their young families to the vagaries of West of Scotland life, would be naive in the extreme.
I reserve judgement on Ange – maybe he is a jewel. He has had a mixed start to his tenure, but there have been some encouraging signs flashing intermittently – I wish him well & wait and see.
thanks for the article pul67
a couple of auld ones
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PcuGnNdCzo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9T7OaDDR7i8
Enjoy ppb, I’m now 10 year retired on Halloween, I recall when younger on hearing an oul yin retiring, younger than I am now lol, that if you can survive your first year then you’ll be ok, didnae understand that at the time I do now.
I got off the 85 bus at Bellsmyre roundabout and started walking up a hill tae a brand new housing scheme called Glenside.
A voice behind me said “first day son”, it was my neighbour who was a heavy machine operator, “aye Mr xxxxx”, oh well he replied you’ve only 50 year tae go.
He wisnae far wrong as it was 48 years. However, after all that time between work and college I found it really hard tae change pace.
The first year was a nightmare, there are only so many books you can read, Law and Order/ CSI you can watch, that is until I found something else tae do, coaching minor soccer and volunteering to help the less fortunate.
Now I’m loving it, still work during elections, censuses etc but that’s just gravy now.
After the euphoria is over don’t sit around, make yersell useful, you’ve still got plenty of years left tae live.
PrestonPansBhoy: Enjoy your retirement.
PRESTONPANS BHOYS
A verrrrry long and happy retirement mate,hh
PPB
Enjoy your retirement,sleep in.relax.
Sevco crash and burn just like Rainjurz, few come close to liquidation only they could get beaten by Malmo, and lose the CL money before they got it. After the George Square massacres the poisonous support couldn’t save them and their no spend in summer.
The writing was on the wall Gerrard signposted he was off, and the fake outrage doesn’t disguise they need the alleged £4M compensation, to keep the lights on and maybe get their rented lawnmower back.
Happy Days CSC