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When great managers tumble over the peak

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By on CQN BLOG & Comments

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.

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* 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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  1. Jobo Baldie on

    “I’ll even bring along a magic moon to make you feel all right

     

    So let me be the one who’s loving you tonight”

  2. Art of War on

    sftb – haha NICE ONE!

     

     

    Sorry for late reply as i was doing a pee out the back! Which makes me think….how many CQN-ers pee in the back garden so as not to annoy the missus who is upstairs in bed?

     

     

    Will get a poll up soon…..;-)

  4. JimmyQuinnsBits on

    A grand wee tune

     

     

    O’Sullivans March

     

     

    O’Sullivan Beare, and his people, the long march – 200 and odd miles in 14 days – to O’Rourke

     

     

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vffqnYUyFVQ

     

     

    Interestingly, or maybe no, this is played every Marches Day in Linlithgow under the title the Roke and the Row (spelling possibly wrong)

  5. Jobo Baldie on

    “GONNA USE MY ARMS

     

    GONNA USE MY LEGS

     

    GONNA USE MY STYLE

     

    GONNA USE MY SIDESTEP

     

    GONNA USE MY FINGERS

     

    GONNA USE MY, MY, MY IMAGINATION”

  7. 'crushed nuts?' 'Naw, Layringitis!' on

    Art of War

     

     

    It doesn’t annoy her but it gets right on the ground floor neighbour’s t1ts! ;-0

  12. Summa of Sammi.... on

    .

     

     

    The VinMiester aka VMhan..

     

     

    That is Your Pressie dispatched in Skippy’s Pouch.. Not to be Confused with ‘Skippys Ponch’ The Moaning Marsupial version of a Aussie icon..

     

     

    So don’t be Asking Ryan what it is.. Ha.

     

    And Don’t use it Too Mucho.. Ha

     

     

    Summa of SantaClawsCSC

  19. Summa of Sammi.... on

    .

     

     

    VMhan @ 22:09..

     

     

    After what seems like a Month of Moon Howling that was a Good read..

     

     

    Very Apt..

     

     

    Will KiK you Tomoz..

     

     

    001Bhoy Yir pal Who likes Ye a Awfy Loater.. (Not to be confused with.. Just a Loater)..;0)

  21. petec on

    Jobo Baldie

     

     

    00:34 on 15 December, 2012

     

     

    “GONNA USE MY ARMS

     

    GONNA USE MY LEGS

     

    GONNA USE MY STYLE

     

    GONNA USE MY SIDESTEP

     

    GONNA USE MY FINGERS

     

    GONNA USE MY, MY, MY IMAGINATION”

     

    ___________________________________________________

     

     

    I will expect to see you art the conspiracy conference.

     

     

    Bobby we might need a Bigger Boat. It Will end up being total Celtic patter if so many turn up.

     

     

    All I could, or ever would want to say is……..

     

     

    I wish Gerard (not Gerald) McClafferty could make that conference, he is always on my mind, I know I am on his, Symbiotic, I hope he emails me so he can start enjoying the excellent family he so dearly started.

  22. Twinbhoy on

    on the Champions League

     

     

    I don’t care who we get.

     

     

    We need to beat them.

     

     

    In my opinion, we need Moravcik to come back aged 23!

     

     

    Amen

  23. Summa of Sammi.... on

    .

     

     

    Moonbeams..

     

     

    I Noticed You like Charlize Theron.. Do You want some Pics of her when she was 18Yrs..;0)

     

     

    ‘Her Outdoors’ says she has the Best Legs she has ever Seen.. Ha

     

     

    Summa of BalletDancersCSC

  24. JimmyQuinnsBits on

    sannabhoy

     

    00:36 on

     

    15 December, 2012

     

    “nothing worth having comes without a fight”

     

     

    ahhh fightins over-rated… in my youth and in my cups, I would fight anybody smaller than my left one

     

     

    and they don’t call me Big Baw McGraw from the East Whitburn Pool Team for nuthin

     

     

    peace n love man, peace n love

  26. phildee1888 on

    I can’t get that song out of my head, have yourself a merry little christmas! Buy it now number 1 this chrimbo.

  30. Stiggers1888 on

    I’d just like everyone at this late hour to know that I love Neil Lennon. I felt from day 1 that he had that something (easy to say now but as i’m a relatively low poster Paul will be able to filter through my comments, and I said the same thing about Gary Hooper the day he signed). In the coming months or years he might prove to be the worst manager in our history (ok, doubtful, but no guarantee) but I think if we keep Lennon, his management/coaching team including Mjallby, Parker, McGrain, Woods and more importantly for me, John Park, then we have an extremely exciting future. Hail Hail!

  34. The Singing Detective Demands The Resignation Of Campbell Ogilvie on

    And Lo….

     

     

    In The Holy Book Of Americana…

     

     

    Uncle Tupelo Set Forth From Chilly Minnesota….

     

     

    And Begat Two Sturdy Sons….

     

     

    Wilco Of Tweedy…..

     

     

    And His More Gifted Sibling,Son Volt Of Farrar….

     

     

    And Together,They Toiled And They Laboured……

     

     

    To Show Neil Young & Crazy Horse…..

     

     

    How The Music Should Really Sound….

     

     

     

    Son Volt 1996 Austin City Limits (Full Concert ) Lots Of Peddle-Steel And Jangly Guit-ars…

     

     

     

     

    http://m.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&hl=en-GB&client=mv-google&v=6z-Be5Ut1Ck&fulldescription=1

     

     

     

    [Jobbo Rating *****]

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