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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NilCan I’d sooner be dipped in hun shit.
.
@JimmyQuinnsBits
superb
http://www.ikhwanweb.com/faq.php
The official website of Muslim Brotherhood.
I offer this as an opportunity to confirm, deny, or obtain further information.
It’s not in any way an endorsement, merely a source.
God, or indeed Allah, forbid that any agenda-hogging poster be allowed to post polemic, propaganda, or uninformed turdage on the hallowed grounds of CQN.
canamalar
Me and Bobby would love to see you and any/many other CQNers to talk about the dark subjects and who knows we will probably progress on to Celtic subjects.
I think you are just a Persian cat, prove me wrong!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okR_DHGKqvo
Ntass..,
see you at lunch, unless yer doing the same as last night and running away again like the snivelling little coward you are
back to reality
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-f1APnWRAMo
HH
Ah for cryin out loud… whose got the biggest wullie!
“slapped down”… wtf
Down With this sort of thing L.S.I
Ntass…,
doubt anyone would know the difference
canamalar
Stop battering out nonsense and talk to me via email.
I sense something very sad has happened in your life.
The Celtic Family is a very good family and they are supportive rather than destructive, as I said earlier, I’m fighting my own demons, and they are demons no matter what anyone says.
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:”
Now stop lashing out at your friends, please.
One of the last songs on the album I made for Aidan, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okR_DHGKqvo
petec, 2.42
not your argument.Make sure you’re doing the right thing, leave them to sort it themselves. Not always the easiest thingm to do, but usually the best. If they need your ehlp they can ask you foir it.
After hearing that the boss and Neil young are touring next year I now hear that jimmy page is touring too.some serious overtime will have to be done…so its fag out and back to work..the only thing worse than a 12 hour Fri nite shift is the 12 hour sat nite shift i’ve got coming.
petec,
the last time we done this drivel my problems didnt amount to a hill of beans compared to yous ffs
I am relatively problem free, hence I’m doing a bertie, taking no crap from wind up merchants
tarrent,
great advice
boot fsck out each other and let the rest of us get a night’s sleep.. ffs
petec,
ntass is scum who blames the liverpool support still, even after the inquiery result, now he’s looking to stir, to deflect from his scum opinion.
Rasc,
Geeza pome
Time for bed
big day supporting Celtic tomorrow
night night n
hail hail
A Song For The Lovers
Way Back In 1998…
Two US Traffic Cops…..
Doing Their Jobs……..
Questioning Two Individuals….
Who Had Stopped Their Car On A Suspension Bridge…..
To Take Photos Of The Support Structures….
Arousing Suspicion…
A Search Of Their Home…..
Revealed A Secret Basement…..
Containing Documumentary Evidence…
Of The Muslim Brotherhood’s Plan To Infiltrate The US Administration At The Highest Levels……
Using A Multitude Of Front Organisations
Vying For Influence…….
And Also Raising Funds For Terrorist Organisations In The ME…….
Especially HAMAS….
Which Became The Basis For The ‘Holy Land Foundation Trials’……
Which Saw Many Miscreants Jailed…
And ‘Front ‘ Organisations Outlawed…..
However,Many Other ‘Front’ Organisations….
Such As CAIR…Were Deemed To Be Unidicted Co-Conspirators In The Case…
And Were Due To Be Dealt With In The Second Phase Of The HolyLand foundation Trials…..
Which Were Due To Begin In The Spring Of 2009…..
But The Obama Adminstration…….
Has Kicked That Particular Can…
Way Down The Road……..
The Bushes Got Far Too Close To The Saudis…..
And Opened The Door To The Muslim Brotherhood Infiltration….
Good Catholic Bhoy Frank Gaffney…..
Former Asst Defence Secy In The Reagan Administration….
And Pentagon Operative….
Goes Into Exhaustive And Painstaking Detail On The Methods Used By The MB. To Infiltrate The US…..And Their Objectives…
In This Series Of Ten Videos…..
Which Can. Be Viewed By ‘Taking The Course’
Look And LEARN…
NotKitalbaTV
http://muslimbrotherhoodinamerica.com/
I hope we can keep Victor. He is a Messiah figure. I have a feeling that Victor will lead us into the valley of £. Eventually.
to all oln the nightshift…good night, and rejoice in the beautifulclub that brings us all together.
Hail Hail.
http://youtu.be/b49YfsjXw5E
Vespacide
nice, but I think this is more romantic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yn4yynXwgwc
‘Homeland’
Paranoia tv.
Ye nivvir know.
is maith liom CQN
#eagy
B-)
TSD,
man with a beard… ominous music… bogey men
Ahm convinced, how do we sort this brother?
… err, I mean, comrade…. err, buddy?
Wow, just wow! ;-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&hl=en-GB&v=6JEdf7XsV5g
Awesome stuff Jimmy.
Back In June,Michelle Bachman And Five Of Her Fellow-Republican Congressmen..
Tried To Have Congress Launch An Investigation…..
Into The Claims Made By Frank Gaffney..
And Others….
On The Aims And Objectives Of The MB In The US….(And The West In General)..
Unfortunately…..That Close To The Election….Her Own Party Did Not Want To Risk Muddying The Water…..
And ….Of Course,There Was No Cooperation From The Obama Admin..
http://mobile.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/07/19/the-man-behind-michele-bachmanns-muslim-brotherhood-search
Twinbhoy
03:22 on
15 December, 2012
loved the comment from Absurd Herif “I’m a muslim. Don’t Panic.”
Twinbhoy
some more Cuba
Omara sings like… well… listen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4r6HV3FfwI
hate to kill the mood but I really just can’t come to terms with what happened in America yesterday. it really angers me that the right to own a gun is seemingly held above the sanctity of human life. utterly despicable.
TSD,
that’s all very good
no, thats a lie, forgive me Allah
tell me when I need to get scared
Even the president of the United States must sometimes have to stand naked.
A Christmas Prayer
Dear Jesus,
It’s a good thing you were born at night. This world sure seems dark. I have a good eye for silver linings. But they seem dimmer lately.
These killings, Lord. These children, Lord. Innocence violated. Raw evil demonstrated.
The whole world seems on edge. Trigger-happy. Ticked off. We hear threats of chemical weapons and nuclear bombs. Are we one button-push away from annihilation?
Your world seems a bit darker this Christmas. But you were born in the dark, right? You came at night. The shepherds were nightshift workers. The Wise Men followed a star. Your first cries were heard in the shadows. To see your face, Mary and Joseph needed a candle flame. It was dark. Dark with Herod’s jealousy. Dark with Roman oppression. Dark with poverty. Dark with violence.
Herod went on a rampage, killing babies. Joseph took you and your mom into Egypt. You were an immigrant before you were a Nazarene.
Oh, Lord Jesus, you entered the dark world of your day. Won’t you enter ours? We are weary of bloodshed. We, like the wise men, are looking for a star. We, like the shepherds, are kneeling at a manger.
This Christmas, we ask you, heal us, help us, be born anew in us.
Hopefully,
Your Children
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/max-lucado/a-christmas-prayer_2_b_2302548.html
Retrovertigo
obonfanti1888
not accordin to ole TSD, as long as you’ve got a bible in your other hand. The imagery of pulling the trigger with a bible is rich, don’t you think?
@obonfanti1888
Celtic connection?