I loved the Leicester City story as much as any of you. Well, maybe not just as much. Leicester’s title win was astonishing, but it was no fairy story. They outperformed far wealthier clubs, sure, but this was achieved by spending the kind of money Celtic couldn’t dream of parting with.
Apart from their league win, Project Leicester was typical of the financial chicanery which has been prevalent in English football for so long, and which Financial Fair Play seeks to end.
Right now they are in freefall. If they go down, loaded with an underperforming squad on eye-wateringly high salaries, they will find it impossible to downsize sufficiently to give anyone sitting around the King Power Stadium boardroom table that they will be able to achieve stability in the Championship.
Once you drop out of the Enland and Wales Premier League, the biggest parachute in the world simply isn’t big enough. Two of the three Championship relegation places are currently occupied by recent Premier League clubs. Aston Villa, twice the size of Leicester but with a far smaller wage bill, are currently 17th. Leicester will look ominously at Blackpool, 14th in League Two, and appreciate how rapidly a Premier League relegation fight can turn into something altogether more serious.
Claudio Ranieri is a football hero, but even from the outside it has been plain to see that something has been seriously wrong under his control in recent months. His comments before the Sevilla game, “we know they are the better team”, spoke of a man who didn’t believe in himself or his players anymore.
It is never easy to spot when a managerial hero should move on from a club where he’s loved, exect in hindsight. Clough was the greatest English manager, but stayed on far too long at Nottingham Forest. Relegation was his reward.
Jock Stein’s sacking as Celtic manager in 1978 was shabbily handled, as was the way at the club back then. I was too young to know the best of Jock’s years at Celtic, but I remember the grief he got from the terraces during his last four seasons, when Rangers (remember them?) won three titles and two trebles.
No one will tell you they got on Jock’s case back then, but it happened. Football fans in the 1970s took no prisoners.
Looking back, Jock stayed too long at Celtic. He produced miracles for five years then managed decline for eight. He should have taken the Manchester United job when offered. Clough squeezed two League Cups out of his squad in 1989 and 1990 and should have headed for this hills right then.
As for Claudio, he should have bowed out a champion in May. He didn’t have managerial alchemy after all, it was inevitable that performances would return to his normal trend this season. Someone at Leicester had to take responsibility. That’s football – and it’s not even a modern aspect of it.
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Good Evening.
Here is a new blog about something very controversial…
https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2017/02/24/controversy/
BUNDORANBHOY and FOURGREENFIELDS
My sincerest condolences to you both.
vfr800
with all this give away of nearly new gear can i suggest you may be
profligate
ˈprɒflɪɡət/
adjective
1.
recklessly extravagant or wasteful in the use of resources.
“profligate consumers of energy”
synonyms: wasteful, extravagant, spendthrift, improvident, prodigal, immoderate, excessive, thriftless, imprudent, reckless, irresponsible
“profligate local authorities”
:))
Not a box, a bmx!
And the TV stand will take up to a 46″ TV.
KTF
Very good Gene!
KTF
VFR800 IS NOW A MONSTER 821 on 24TH FEBRUARY 2017 6:23 PM
Another item free to a good home
After successfully passing on a box and games chair earlier, I have a 3-shelf glass TV stand in excellent condition free to a good home; £120 from Johne Lewis about 18 months ago and will fit up to a 46″ tae with room for DVD player, satellite box, router etc.
Let me know if anyone is interested in it: vfr@girfuy.co.uk
******
Do you deliver?
:)
The 1977/78 season , after the highs of the previous season, was horrific on the football front.
Kenny left before the season started, Pat Stanton and Alfie Conn were out for the season after injuries suffered in our first league game, Danny was injured from October onwards. Losing Kenny, Danny and Pat, in my opinion our three most influential players during 1976/77, was to big a blow we could ever recover from. No team could afford to lose three players like Danny, Kenny and Pat.
Ronnie Glavin and Joe Craig scored over forty goals between them the previous season but both scored far less the following season which may be down to our atacking threat being diminished with Kenny gone plus Danny out injured for about three quarters of the season.
Many of our support have dealt with our travails between 1946 to 1965 and from 1990 to 1997 seasons ( little did we know of Dodgy Dave’s devious ways then) but the 1977/78 season is the season that I have very few good memories of.
Dallas.
Good stuff, as ever.
I thought that season was rubbish too until it was pointed out to me, all these years later, that I attended all the homes games with Smashing milk bottles. Suffice to say the company was far superior to the football. :-))
VFR800 IS NOW A MONSTER 821 on 24TH FEBRUARY 2017 6:23 PM
Another item free to a good home
After successfully passing on a box and games chair earlier, I have a 3-shelf glass TV stand in excellent condition free to a good home; £120 from Johne Lewis about 18 months ago and will fit up to a 46″ tae with room for DVD player, satellite box, router etc.
Let me know if anyone is interested in it: vfr@girfuy.co.uk
——————
Is this your stuff or are you trying to get into the Guinness book of records for the slowest burglary in history?
Fgf bb thoughts and prayers with you at this particular time
BRTH
Your playing a blinder
Does anyone else think ICT will kick lumps out of Sevco like they do to us, Naw me neither
We talking about boxes now?
A mix I have not even heard yet.
Hardloor was obviously 303 extraordinaires bach then.
I had no Idea X-MIX got to the 10.
Here we go.
Jack in the Box – Full Mix
Jimmynotpaul, thanks .
I hope you are keeping well and haven’t had any attacks recently.
At least there was one good thing from that season, the company you were in at our games.
Another
positive from then was that Tommy Burns along with George McLuskey started playng regularly for us.
As Jobo posted earlier, if Caley try to kick sevco players like they did to ours , the same tolerance of them won’t be shown tonight.
Brother McLean reporting for duty.
Sincere condolences to Bundoran Bhoy & FourGreen Fields on their sad loss.
May ye’re Mam rest in peace and may Happy Memories of her sustain ye for the rest of ye’re lives.
HERE WE GO……
To 10 in a Row.
Anybody else quite like to see Leicester relegated now?
Seems obvious the British League is happening.
The LOVE of Celtic. it is over Powering.
Women’s Rugby? Jist naw!
Foxes and boxes.
Saw a proud Evertonian saying earlier that he would be roaring on Liverpool on Monday night. Me too, hope Leicester get stuffed and by the way, they will. Mane will torment them.
Tommie20 @ 4:49
Re the bond warehouse on Carlisle Road Airdrie
I think the Angels’ share was enough to spill over into hades
3/1 any penalty …..it’s getting to that time now…
corkcelt on 24th February 2017 6:53 pm
Sincere condolences to Bundoran Bhoy & FourGreen Fields on their sad loss.
May ye’re Mam rest in peace and may Happy Memories of her sustain ye for the rest of ye’re lives.
………………………………………………………………………..
Elvis was a massive Sinner
Rolling it on that played automatically
For those who travel to our home games along Cambuslang Road towards Dalmarnock Road , the road is shut at the railway bridge , just along from Lidl, for the next three months.
The off ramp from the M74 onto Cambuslang Road is still open thankfully. I expect the diversion heading for Rutherglen then turning onto Farme Road toward Dalmarnock Road , will be busier than usual tomorrow .
Come on the Richie Foran Bad Lads.
BT Sports Panel……………Chris Sutton verse all comers.
Seems About Right CSC
Put the huns game on as I have had a punt on them getting pumped….you just can’t beat the Fenian smirk big Sutty has adopted. ;))
A quick Friday night pop in. Two things; ICGAF about events in Inverness tonight, two pathetic football clubs kicking the shit out of each other? No thanks.
More important, I have some family issues to sort out tomorrow but still hope to get to Celtic Park tomorrow. I am looking for a ticket but it will be around noon before I know if I am good to go, anyone with a spare who is looking to offload can let me know? All the best to you all. HH
Dallas.
Health been rubbish lately.
I didn’t want to say too much,as so many are worse off than me, sadly some may be on this blog.
I’m going down to working 28 hours from 3rd April it would have been April fools day but that’s a Sat. Not working a Wed anymore to try and get more rest and then 4×7 the other days. It’s not what I had planned but life kinda boots you in the bum like that. Mentally still strong, my wife has been a rock. If you had said to be two years ago that I would mediate any day, never mind most days, I wouldn’t have believed you, but hey, I find it really helps. Hopefully somewhere some really clever person is trying to find a cure. If not I can be grateful that it’s not terminal.
P.S. I don’t know if you have met Smashing milk bottles, if you haven’t, I guarantee you and him could talk about music all night, never mind Celtic.
Hail Hail and thanks for asking about my health.
Re BRT&H post on Lisbon,has anyone visited the Estadio Nacional on a Saturday/Sunday?
Going to Algarve in
I checked the information on the UEFA website regarding the delegate who was at CP for the BMG game, he was Swiss , so it rests with him to report the flares on the night from our visitors, very much double standards at play here.
……And going to drive up to Lisboa for 1 night stay,would like to do this at weekend
quieter roads etc…..
Thanks in advance.hh
VP- thete’s a boundary charge mate…:))
Bundoran Bhoy and Four Green Fields
Commiserations – thoughts with you and your family.
HH
BGFC
County Cork
The Best of Luck to Mr Murty.
More Green Boots is Good.
What is Really Happening?
Hate is Never Good.
VOGUEPUNTER
Hello , re Lisbon , my lhad was there last month on a Saturday morning. No issues with access, a local athletics club were in training and the guy at the gate was well aware of the Hoops. He wandered all over pitch and up to trophy presentation area with no issues. Enjoy.