Looking back it’s easy to spot; that moment when an imperious manager peaks before tumbling over the edge, but at the time this moment is almost impossible to see. The moment Jock Stein peered over the mountain was absolutely impossible to identify at the time.
Celtic qualified for the 1970 European Cup final by beating English champions, Leeds United, home and away, and were hot favourites to lift the trophy for the second time in four seasons. They were about to win their fifth consecutive league title and would go on to make record a world record nine-in-a-row, meaning there was a mountain of ‘evidence’ obscuring the peak from view.
We were the most feared side in football in April 1970 but that team’s time as a European heavyweight was over. Stein remained a further eight seasons but he never beat another team from one of the large European leagues. A 1975 win over a relatively obscure Boavista was his best result* in the period before he was replaced in 1978.
The reverence Jock is rightly held in by all Celtic fans now was tested during the 70s when I remember tactics and even minor decisions, like substitutions, were being questioned by large sections of the support. It all ended in ignominy in 1978, fifth in the league and sacked in a clumsy and misleading fashion.
Jock was still a good manager and did well with Scotland but he should have moved on from Celtic years earlier.
Fans of other clubs will always see the moment of inflection before those too close to the event, but even Arsenal fans are now politely making the case that their once-supreme manager is no longer suitable for purpose. Anyone suggesting that Arsene Wenger was finished in 2004 would have been certified. His team had just won the league undefeated, the first team to do so since the 19th century. They won the FA Cup on penalties the following season and reached the Champions League final a year after that, but they have not lifted a trophy since 2005. Wenger was a fine 2004 vintage but has disappointed since.
After a slow start at Manchester United, Alex Ferguson has managed to remain at the top for 20 years. His most important ability appears to be to know when to change coaches, players and tactics. It has long been said that the best managers were not great players as they needed to acquire a conscious insight on the game which gifted players inherently knew. Perhaps enduringly great managers are not even tactical geniuses, it’s more important that they can just spot a few.
Ordered the CQN Annual yet? Get it here in time for Christmas!
Remember being a teenager?** The excitement of waiting for news of the latest pop charts was big news for some. You can relive your youth buy BUYING ROD STEWART’S single before Sunday.
* In European competition, between beating Leeds and when Jock left in 1978, Celtic eliminated Kokkola, Waterford, B1903 Copenhagen, Sliema Wanderers, Ujpest Doza, Rosenborg, Turku, Vejle, Basel, Valur, Boavista and Jeunesse d’Esch. They lost to Ajax, Inter Milan, Ujpest Doza, Atletico Madrid, Olympiakos, Sachsenring Zwickau and Wisla Krakow. And Feyenoord, of course.
** CQN demographics suggest for most of you, your teenage years are now a distant memory.
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Clark, former MIB, trying to defend the indefensible on BBC Scotland. Dallas jnr been found out. Clark feels Kenny Shiels, having won his case, should leave things there. Shiels seems to agree for some reason. I wonder if Clark would have been so concerned if it was a particular manager who was found fabricating stories about an official. Disgusting stuff.
Spelling police…..get tae.
Tallybhoy
The diesel nozzles bigger than the petrol .. So you cant put diesel in a petrol… But you can put petrol in a diesel.
As long as its less than 30% and you top up with diesel it will still run ..
Tallybhoy
18:45 on 14 December, 2012
Remember the 1970 SC Final well. Davidson was a bloody disgrace – as he always was when he refereed one of our matches.
Went on to become a director and then chairman of the now defunct Airdrieonians FC.
HH!!
________________________________________________________
There was talk that – when Daniel Fergus McGrain applied for the managers job of that club – it’s rumored that BD put the block on Danny’s chances when, Danny was asked
“What would your plans be for recruitment of players ?”
Danny replied – “I was quite impressed with the kids already at the club and, some of the younger one’s on trial from the local high school(St Margarets High).”
Needless to say – Danny’s fate was sealed when he mentioned the local school kids.
What a place we live in !!!
HH
KevJungle.
I know we moan about refs constantly and I’ve never known a year like 2010 for ‘honest mistakes’ but there really was something about those guys from the seventies and eighties that seemed almost ludicrously biased.
I don’t think even the clowns in what was then the Typewriter Loyal dared describe Davidson , Foote etc as merely making ‘honest mistakes’
H x 2
By The By….
Excellent Wee Movie On Film4(and Film4+1) At The Minute….
“Storm Over The Nile”….A Gripping Account From The Nineteenth Century..
Of Our Gallant Boys In Khaki…….
And Solar Topis…
Putting Down The Madhi-Led Jihadist Insurrection…..
Which Was Threatening Egypt And The Rest Of North Africa….
Young Winston, General Kitchener…
And Brave Harry Faversham…
Sure Kicked A**…..
And Freed Black Africans From Brutal Arab Slavery…..
Leastways Until The End Of Empire….
Ah Suppose It Gets A Wee Bit Confusing For The Poor Arabs…
When The Word ‘Ibd’ Means Both ‘Slave’ And ‘Black African’…
In Their Ain Lingo……
So It’s Easy Tae See How Mistakes Can Get Made…..?
[Cannot Disagree,TSD….Bold Canamalar Will Be Beside Himself ]
http://m.cnsnews.com/news/article/democracies-silent-un-human-rights-council-elects-country-where-slavery-exists
NotKitalbaNewsCSC…
Jobo Baldie
If you don’t mind could please post the link to the Spartak game as I messed my recording up? Ta, if possible.
If you look at the view that the ref had , it’s clear there were fans behind the goal with Irish linls and the goal should have stood !
*links – sorry absolutely out of it on cocodamol
The last ten minutes of Tremendous Tuesday….
Naka goal and swallex ferguson, rooney, rondado and the rest try to beat Celtic and Fail.
Good video, despite the commentator.
http://vimeo.com/37327625
Team That night.
Boruc,
Telfer, Balde, McManus, Naylor,
Nakamura (Miller 85), Gravesen, Lennon, Sno (Jarosik 46),
Vennegoor of Hesselink, Zurawski (Maloney 46).
Subs Not Used: Marshall, Wilson, McGeady, O’Dea.
The team from That Brilliant performance doesnt stack up too well to the current team, but, but the thoughts of ‘but..’ are freekin amazing, and why not.
WembeleeCSC
Anyone know what the European Club Association is? Never heard of it?
bsr
Bob Kelly was a despot – enlightened or otherwise, depending on your opinion while at the helm of CFC.
… but one thing that is not in discussion was his devotion to the club, and his steadfast refusal to kow tow to the blazers ‘running’ the game in Scotland.
His refusal to remove the flag of Eire which proudly flew from the roof of the Jungle in the 50s – the blazers backed down.
Refusing to play Ferencvaros of Hungary in the EC in 1968, after the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia – his objection was upheld by UEFA.
On becoming President of the SFL sometime in the early 60s – telling the Secretary (I think) of that body to resign immediately due to financial irregularities or the police would be called in.
The Rapid Vienna fiasco would never have occurred under him – we are not going to play them again: ban us from European competitions for however long you want.
HH!!
stubbornauldbassaCSC
Gerard Butler…If you want Zombies, you don’t need to go further than Glasgow,,…..Brilliant
Just now on the one show. lol
Any Clydebank Bhoys on?
No.2 son is hosting a team of similar placed officials from Dan Sarf next week and his boss wants him to organise (a) a good palce to eat (price not really a problem as it’s on the company),and (b) something ‘interesting’ to do pm (they’ve done paintballing to death).
Has to be in the Clydebank area. Any suggestions will be passed on with thanks.
En
The problem with the msm is the majority of punters still read listen or watch and believe its true
EC67 and Sannabhoy – email sent
Gretnabhoy
19:08 on
14 December, 2012
Gerard Butler…If you want Zombies, you don’t need to go further than Glasgow,,…..Brilliant
Just now on the one show. lol
—————————————————————-
surely the bold Gerry was merely talking of Brad Pitt’s movie?
nah, i dont think so either! :D
gretnabhoy
Is he drunk?
jimbo67
18:58 on 14 December, 2012
________________________
The MIB’s from the – 70’s/80’s – didny have the same tv coverage to expose them as there is today. Not that that would have stopped them right enough.
What folk have realize is that – as soon as a player pulls on the green & white hoops – natural justice goes out the window.
That is not being paranoid – it’s being ALIVE to the situation. imo
HH
Gerard butler on one show. Glasgow best place to make a zombie movie. If you need extras for zombies you have loads of them available for nothing. Even the lady of the house got that one.
I’m chuffed to have scored 273 times in 589 appearances as a winger for the club, especially since I had about 400 good goals ruled out for offside.
bobby lennox
Snyde’s been p#sh since – Terry O’Neill – was banned. imo
If the ban O’Neill…they ban us ALL – CSC
HH
Charle K. He said that he doesn’t drink but the wife and I thought the same thing !
With so much of today’s football on television, refereeing performances are open to scrutiny.
Even with this, they still persist in exercising their prejudices.
However, a lot of their stuff is edited out of highlights programmes.
Back in the 60s and 70s, there was much less live football on television.
Those of us who attended games then, only saw what went on in games involving Celtic.
By extension, then, we never knew the extent of the cheating involving them and other teams.
We, or at least, me, thought that they only performed their tricks in our games.
The standard of reporting then was just as bad, almost.
How naive.
bsr
Bobby Lennox was so fast and had so many goals wrongly ruled off-side, that Leo Messi would have just broken his record for a calendar year and not Gerd Muller!
HH!!
bournesouprecipe
19:17 on 14 December, 2012
__________________________________________
James Edward McGrory apart – I would say that
The Buzz-Bomb – was Celtic’s best player.
Only giving an opinion.
HH
The boy jinky.
The younger ones in the work don’t buy papers they seem to think only the oldies do.
Doesn’t stop them asking for a read at mine.
Proper auld Charlie’s, mind him?
We can`t complain about refs when we see how often the team gets to play the advantage especially when a Celt has been felled and the man on the ball is on his own.:-)
Wee trip down memory lane.
Bringing Martin Home Race Night Pics
http://www.flickr.com/photos/dannybhoy67/sets/72157622806440656/
MWD
flip. hope I was sober.. emailed u mwd
Watching the great Celtic side(s) of the 60s/early 70s was bloody marvellous.
They were so good that it was difficult for the masonic mibs of that era to influence a game – although they tried their best!
Their present day equivalents are carrying on the tradition!
HH!!
Tally,
took the words snap
Willie Wallace was quoted as saying ” when I played for Hearts I knew that I could get away with a lot of things against Celtic,but it was only when I played for Celtic I realised I could have got away with a lot more” then and now,nothing changes.
messi’s goal tally
At a smoker , cum q & a with MacAvennie & McGarvey.
MacAvennie just arrived with his Mrs and one of the Bhoys has just spilled a bevvy right doon her!
Happy days, hail hail
Tally hoy 18.30. Nooooo. Believe me!!!
The Boy Jinky 19:09
Agree, like you Im the same mate.
EN
The Celtic View was set up in 1965 at a cost of £600 and the first edition sold 31,000 copies
at four old pence each.