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.
[calameo code=00039017193b8a8bbd612 lang=en page=126 hidelinks=1 width=100% height=500]
1,238 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- ...
- 25
- 26
- 27
- 28
- 29
- 30
- 31
- 32
- 33
- »
I’m in the PF camp..
Gordon J-Good stuff from Sally,the guy who twice knocked them back to sign for thems.
Parkhead, i agree with you about Charlie Gallagher and often argue that his ability to drop a ball on a “tanner” far outshone anything David Beckham could do
ianinascoli
Another home game and hopefully a performance to warm the cockles of the fans who turn out today. Wish I could be there – I’ll be watching on Ch67. Next best thing I suppose.
Agree about the white socks!
;o)
ClareIsland67:
I went and found it and I replied, if you could check your account. Oh and btw thanks for supporting Martin and his pride the biggeswt compliment I can possibly pay you is you don’t profess the ethos… you are it.
Kitalba, I concur he is a pwick
Hail Hail keep up the good work
moonbeams wd. kano 1000 \o/ supporting neil lennon 100%. champions. c’mon wee oscar.
10:40 on
15 December, 2012
Gordon_J
It’s definitely the money only and, like murray / whyte before him, he will do anything that is necessary to get the bhuns to dip into their pockets………what he doesn’t appreciate is the level of vengeance the bhuns are capable of……..
I initially thought his rushing the share issue was to get out, with his booty, as quickly as possible, but am starting to get the impression he wants out before the Liquidator gets down to retrieving the assets…… they have been very quiet, but they will be working away in the background…..
Hi Sixtaeseven,
have a great day and I hope your team wins!
Morning all,
Apologies for dragging up a discussion from yesterday but I can personally attest to the fact that Paul Masson wine, in the funny bottle, is available in the oneOone on ruglen main street.
Photo evidence is available if necessary.
S
67Heaven…,
Turns out BDO are not squeaky clean, I wouldn’t be relying on them for anything sadly
Looking forward to the game 3.00pm k.o. on a Saturday.
I think we’ll see a different approach to this game with the CL on ice.
Lassad and Hooper will forge a partnership, and Matthews and Izzy will cement
a midfield five.
Any victory will do, and Celtic should be patient and not get agitated if the early goal
doesn’t arrive against opponents where the statistics are embarrassingly one sided.
PCS
I will try to arrange a wee meet with Charlie, not going today though as working.
shouldn’t be a problem as Charlie continues to be quiet and unassuming, gent as always
Some Zombies starting to see the Forrest in those trees.
http://www.gersnet.co.uk/index.php/latest-news/106-a-sceptical-review-of-the-prospectus
MWD
* fix spacing *
Very serious allegation from Kenny Shiels against Dallas Son Of Dallas. Let’s hope that it at least keeps this very much ‘one to watch’ MIB away from Celtic for a bit longer, in the sense of MIB handlers having a quiet word and suggesting it’s not a good idea to thrust baby Dallas into the limelight … yet.
Obviously it’s only a matter of time before he benights a Celtic match, but the longer we are spared that moment, the better.
Deidco fan, son of Shug, bearing a grudge over the ignominy his da was made to suffer just for being, allegedly, a manipulating, bigoted liar, fast-tracked by the master MIBs …
… what’s to like?
The only change we should make from last week’s starting 11 at Kilmarnock is a more attacking midfielder (McGeouch) in for either Brown or Ledley (whoever is the least fit). Give young Dylan a run in his best position rather than sticking him out on the wing.
Only problem today will be which support turn up
Vmhan:
I knew you would be too. When it comes to you mate a wee song always springs to mind…
We’re on the one road, sharing the one load
We’re on the road to God knows where
We’re on the one road, it may be the wrong road
But we’re together now who cares?
Northmen, Southmen, comrades all!
Dublin, Belfast, Cork or Donegal!
We’re on the one road, swinging along
Singin’ a soldier’s song!
Though we’ve had our troubles now and then
Now’s the time to make them up again
Sure aren’t we all Irish anyhow?
Now is the time to step together now
I’ve buried both my Dad and my Mum now and there are days when it hurts like hell, but then I see the children and I smile. My hurt doesn’t evaporate but I know my purpose on this earth and helping the kids is way up top of my being.
There’ll be a lot of people there today who are not regular attendees.
There always are at this time of year.
What kind of supporter are you NilCan?
Big thank you to Hebcelt who arranged to meet me this morning to pass a full Stornoway Black Pudding & a pack of Beef & Black Pudding sausages to me this morning. Best birthday gift a Bhoy could receive.
Cheers buddy.
MWD
Ntassoolla,
Liverpool supporters caused the hillsborough disaster, I take it you stand by that claim ?
Eh
TootingTim:
If you’re going to do the 125 days without booze then you can suffer with me but at the end of the day we’ll make a child somewhere in the world smile in Kano and Celtic’s name.
Good to have you on the same road as Kano and Vmhan.
Would like to see us start with
==========Forster=============
=====Ambrose Wilson Mulgrew====
Matthews Brown Wanyama Izzaguirre
========McGeouch============
=======Hooper Lassad==========
Subs Zaluska Lustig Kayal Ledley Samaras Watt Miku
I think today will be the day we put all of our poor home form behind us and take 5 or 6 off St Mirren.
Afternoon Bhoys from a cold Airdrie. Playing Santa today dropping off presents but will be on to shout on the Hoops later, Hoping for a more comfortable game than mid week. Have a good one. Hail Hail.
KLV
Looking forward to a good win today and plentiful updates. Why for the last few games have there been no links to viewing goals,haven’t seen any goals since Eurosport – Spartak??
An item for those who find fault in other’s posts and relief for the humiliated!
Wow! I’ve seen this with the letters out of order, but this is the first time I’ve seen it with numbers .
Good example of a Brain Study: If you can read this OUT LOUD you have a strong mind.
And better than that: Alzheimer’s is a long, long, way down the road before it ever gets anywhere near you.
7H15 M3554G3
53RV35 7O PR0V3
H0W 0UR M1ND5 C4N
D0 4M4Z1NG 7H1NG5!
1MPR3551V3 7H1NG5!
1N 7H3 B3G1NN1NG
17 WA5 H4RD BU7
N0W, 0N 7H15 LIN3
Y0UR M1ND 1S
R34D1NG 17
4U70M471C4LLY
W17H 0U7 3V3N
7H1NK1NG 4B0U7 17,
B3 PROUD! 0NLY
C3R741N P30PL3 C4N
R3AD 7H15.
PL3453 F0RW4RD 1F
U C4N R34D 7H15.
To my ‘selected’ strange-minded friends:
If you can read the following paragraph, forward it on to your friends and the person that sent it to you with ‘yes’ in the subject line. Only great minds can read this. This is weird, but interesting!
If you can raed this, you have a sgtrane mnid, too.
Can you raed this? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can. I cdnuolt blveiee that I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd what I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno’t mtaetr in what oerdr the ltteres in a word are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is that the frsit and last ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can still raed it whotuit a pboerlm. This is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the word as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? Yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! If you can raed this forwrad it
FORWARD ONLY IF YOU CAN READ IT. Forward it & put ‘YES’ in the Subject Line
Even if you are not old, you will find this interesting …
No virus found in
I have no idea if they are good wines but Sweeney Kincaid have a few bottles on auction at the moment
http://www.sweeney-kincaid.com/Sales/CatalogLots.aspx?SaleId=1976
More CQN ANNUALS on their way to the following locations. Thanks to all who have ordered so far. A girl has just posted on Facebook that she got her copy yesterday and sat up until 2am reading it, it was so good! If you are off to the match today, you can pick up your copy at TIMLAND in Gallowgate, opposite the Barrowlands. Any copies posted to
Rutherglen
Prestwick
Woking
Glasgow
Winchburgh
Greenock
Castlemilk
Uddingston
Hamilton
Westhill
Mauchline
Bromsgrove
Glenrothes
Nottingham
Gourock
Barrhead
Kilmarnock
Mossman
Sydney
Letterkenny
Cork
You can still order direct from CQN and receive your copy before Christmas. Here is the link – http://www.eklektik.co.uk/
CQN Magazine will be out on Monday – biggest and best issue yet.
See you at Paradise…
CQN should not be used for circulars.
Ntassoolla,
Liverpool supporters caused the hillsborough disaster, I take it you stand by that claim ?
Eh eh
As a player, Charlie Gallagher was way ahead of his time.
Before the days of the midfielder or linkman, we had wing halfs and inside forwards.
The wing halfs were the driving force of the team, ploughing up and down the middle third of the pitch, tackling everything in sight.
The inside forwards took over from the half way line, in an overlapping way from the WHs.
Their function was to be creative and supply the wingers and CF.
They too, had the responsibility to get “stuck in”.
Charlie was not a “stuck in ” type of player, which led to a certain amount of derision from the faithful.
“Hit him wae yer handbag” was an oft heard cry from the terraces.
At that time, Spurs had a Scottish lad called John White playing for them. He was known as The Ghost, not only due to his pallor, but for his ability to quietly move around the field unnoticed.
He was therefore very difficult to mark and was the main creative player in a very good Spurs team.
Charlie was a similar player, drifting across the midfield, always in space, with a deadly ability to play the killer pass and have a strike at goal.
It wasn’t till Big Jock introduced his version of 4-2-4 that CG’s talent came to the fore and he gained the recognition that he was due.
bsr
Agree a victory by any means will do today. With ICT away at DU + Hibs playing Motherwell we could increase our lead by 2/3 points. The bigger the points gap the more we can take chances in an attacking sense.
Aside from CL games, today should see our biggest home crowd of the season
Its a paradise day today
Looking fwd to see the tic play in what could be an historic season
Hope we get the stadium above the 50,000 today
Whatever you doing today enjoy even its tossing grenades at the Celtic support on the blog
Hail Hail
PS
John White was tragically killed after being struck by lightening on a golf course.
mwd said it when chuck first appeared he is a dangerous wee man and shouldn’t be taken lightly. Add the media backing and providing him with a stage and add the thugs and militant side of the buns support and yes scotland should be worried. He isnt questioned or sanction and now believes he is untouchable and feared, not far wrong already by the looks.
KLV
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 place 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).
I see ” The Roll Of Honour” has been deemed offensive by the Lord Advocate,and you can be arrested for singing it.Maybe the police actions against the GB is being orchestrated from the stand at Celtic Park?
Fanad..,
This is where the legal fighting fund comes into play, this law will be taken to the cleaners
good morning from the north east bhoys….
a strange darkness is cast over a small seaside town today….
the stench of zombie flesh is foul and rancid….
there are polis everywhere……
what on earth can be away to manifest itself????
wait for it……
sevco’s orcs are in town….. thought it was the apocolypse :))))))