M
Maria
Guest
Yer too kind Maria
I admire straight up honest people Andy. I believe your traits did me a good turn and i won’t forget it. Thank you.
Yer too kind Maria
I genuinely don't think 50 million even gets you 2 Celtic quality finished articles who are champions league knock out quality. I think we have been put into sub market by the cartel that runs football.Appreciate you explaining your reasoning mate but it was just a wee joke
Will address your points though since you took the time to make them.
I'm not jumping on the Benitez Bus here (as I think it's pie in the sky) but Gerrard is a dullard who maybe has a bit of an axe to grind where Benitez is concerned so I wouldn't put too much stock in what that gimp has to say about the man.
Even if Benitez was a little distant it's not necessarily a bad thing. MON was a stand-offish type manager, he mostly left the day to day coaching to John Robertson and Steve Walford, that distance gave MON a kind of gravitas with the players which resulted in them being a bit in awe of him. They responded to his style with a mixture of respect, fear and wanting to please 'The Boss' and it worked out well for Celtic given his record. Also look at BR, he was Mr Hands-on but turned out to be a treacherous c*nt!
As for the sense of humour thing, well while I'm not saying he doesn't have one but a good sense of humour isn't necessarily something I'd associate with Lenny 'the manager' I don't doubt Lenny 'the person' may be a good laugh but it's not really his style as a manager. Not entirely a bad thing though as being all jokey and chummy with the players could lead to a blurring of the lines between boss and player and lead to a breakdown in the necessary respect being shown.
All in all I just want the best possible manager we can get, I don't agree with your good self and others that Lenny is that man but that's just my personal take on it. What I will say though is if they do go with Lenny then the board will need a massive change in attitude towards their transfer strategy, if they think they can bring in Lenny and just carry on with the 'project' type signings and not spending significant money then they're seriously deluding themselves in what's required and putting the 9 & 10 at serious risk.
HH mate
I admire straight up honest people Andy. I believe your traits did me a good turn and i won’t forget it. Thank you.
Apologies for the length of this post in advance. I started and then got carried away. Much respect and appreciation to anyone that ploughs on to the end!
With some of the speculation reaching almost Clinton Baptiste levels of clairvoyance (impeccable sources claiming that “the manager will be revealed on Monday” and not denying that “the circulated list of candidates may have been interviewed” are the equivalent of Sally Buxton asking if the name “Mason” rings a bell with anyone in a room full of Scottish referees) I wanted to explore the probabilities of what we (sort of) know to try and work out what is most likely to happen. This is all pure conjecture and I’d be happy to be corrected by anyone with an informed position. Up to two weeks ago I would have sworn that it would have been Lennon but I think the board will be aware of the build-up of opinion against this now and will be much more wary.
Budget: based on previous seasons, particularly those where a new manager is appointed I would guess that the budget for player additions will be in the region of £10m to £15m plus whatever can be generated from sales. The football operations budget is unlikely to extend beyond £2.5m per annum for the salary of a new manager and I doubt we’d pay more than £1m to £2m in compensation to secure a manager already in a post.
That probably rules out Mourinho, Villas Boas, Howe and Benitez. All of these “big names” will have multiple job offers and don’t need to take a post at Celtic on reduced wages and a restricted player transfer budget to prove anything. I appreciate that Brendan Rodgers would have been one of these names three years ago, but it’s difficult to say whether he arrived because of a connection to the club or because he saw it as an easy rehabilitation back to the EPL. I doubt any of the current crop would see it this way now, possibly Villas Boas at a pinch if he is harbouring a desire to return to the EPL.
The remaining pool of candidates could, for argument’s sake, be divided into the following three categories:
• Rising Stars: managers in roles with small to medium league sides who have achieved moderate success playing a relatively attractive style of football. Within this category I’d put Preudhomme, Cocu and van dem Brom.
• Rejects: former big names who have crashed and burned too badly to be allowed an easy route back to an elite club. This category would include Moyes, Garcia, Pulis, Pardew, Bilic and Martin O’Neill (sorry Martin, you are still a legend, nevertheless).
• Reconnects: managers on manageable wages that have a connection to the club, however tenuous, including Lennon, Michael O’Neill, Ross and Clarke.
In order to try and whittle down the larger pool, I’ve tried to guess the factors that might influence the decision making process of Celtic’s plc board.
Self-Preservation: I think it’s unlikely that anyone at Celtic wants to see the football operation fail simply to achieve one season’s worth of bonuses. Whilst Peter Lawwell could undoubtedly walk into a number of other highly paid senior corporate roles, his position at Celtic is one of almost unique privilege and glamour in Scotland and it would be surprising if he wanted to risk losing it. To extrapolate, if he takes what is seen as a cheap (Lennon or Clarke, before he became Scotland manager) or leftfield (Ronnie Deila) option and ended up losing the league next season, the effect on season ticket sales could be absolutely disastrous, with no 10 in a row to go for and a prevailing sense of negativity about the direction of the club. Given his general lack of popularity, there would certainly be a question over whether he could survive such a fallout. So I would expect that he is under severe personal pressure to get it right. As a result, I don’t think we’ll see anything other than a known quantity, which can only mean Lennon, Ross, Michael O’Neill, or one of the Rejects getting the position, unless there is a realistic suggestion for a Rising Star that I am unaware of at present - those already connected (by the bookies and bloggers) have very recent failures on their hands, otherwise they’d be on their way to La Liga, the Bundesliga, Serie A or the EPL.
Style: by appointing first Deila and then Rodgers it would seem that the general direction of travel that the Celtic plc board is in favour of is a high pressing (and therefore high fitness) and expansive passing game. Assuming that they don’t want to regress to practical, physical football (which would of course require a number of player sales and additions to balance our existing squad of lightweights) we need a manager who would play to that style. On the face of it, that would rule out Moyes, Pulis, Pardew (sort of), Martin O’Neill and, if we’re honest, Lennon.
That leaves Garcia and Bilic, who would both still represent a risk, Jack Ross, who’s probably going to require significant compensation to prise away from Sunderland, and… Michael O’Neill. He stated his commitment to Northern Ireland’s international team just a few days ago, so who better to continue Brendan Rodgers’ legacy of deceit and become the next full time manager of the world’s greatest football club.
The next Celtic manager will be Michael O’Neill. The spirits told me so.
Thought ye were gonnae "spill the beans" wi an "exclusive" there,Weedoc!!!!Excellent post. Logical and well thought out.
Only one problem though, there is one name missing. Dermot Desmond. No one will be appointed without this man's blessing.
My gut instinct is that Mr Desmond will pull a rabbit out of his hat ...... And the new manager will beeeeeeee......... None of the above.
I genuinely don't think 50 million even gets you 2 Celtic quality finished articles who are champions league knock out quality. I think we have been put into sub market by the cartel that runs football.
Depends what you mean by not being projects though.
But a Neil Lennon quality player from a Leicester City would cost around 25 million these days and instantly the max we would sell him for imo would be 20 million even if we made him better. Simply because we are trapped in a the second tier of the market.
That jump, even for likes of Ajax to top tier instantly adds the top tier market pressures.
Its pat of the Ponzi style market bubble that's being manipulated by tax dodging billionaires. Football is a drug and if you can corner the market you dictate the prices and all the brokers of the mega bucks deals who are hand picked get massive bank accounts at the expeneseof ordinary punters.
While we are top dogs in the lower market we have massive added value in the scam if we buy good projects from unknown teams then brand them with Celtic brand and add the massive value t the upper market.
Might not be the best added value on the pitch but off the pitch it is almost a arbitrage system. So as long as they add better value than second best team in our market and keep the operation cost proportions strong as possible then we have long term stability and short term massive advantage.
Pushing boat out to take excessive risks that jeopardise the long term growth for very short term gains might give you a nice high for couple seasons but it will allow the pack to catch yo as you hemourage cash and then need to downsize.
I would love a Martin oneil style manager with that kind of spending. But contrary to popular believe that board made error in not keeping up that spending, the board had to cut back to fit operations or faced certain death moonbeam style.
Celtic might have a massive brand but it has been exiled by Sky tv and the Fifa Eufa conmen. The value added of the celtic brand is excluded from the biggest market subsidisations.
The fully capable top tier players are in market that is beyond our spending.
50 million here is massive.
When talking proper recognised professional Celtic class players 50 million might get 2 or 3 fully first team ready Paul mcstay type players but then comes the wages. And sometimes these guys are massive wages.
Benitez couldn't make celtic better with 50 million. 50 million to him buys maybe 1 player in Benitez eyes. And he aint the type to scour lower leagues for quality. And dare I say MON was off the minute he was told to start adding value of the park.
He couldn't do it. Even getting to euro final and wages much closer to celtic strength. Mon couldn't add value off the pitch.
HH
Well personally I hope you are wrong in your stargazing. Only Desmond and Lawwell know and youll be pleased to know.... You will be informed!Apologies for the length of this post in advance. I started and then got carried away. Much respect and appreciation to anyone that ploughs on to the end!
With some of the speculation reaching almost Clinton Baptiste levels of clairvoyance (impeccable sources claiming that “the manager will be revealed on Monday” and not denying that “the circulated list of candidates may have been interviewed” are the equivalent of Sally Buxton asking if the name “Mason” rings a bell with anyone in a room full of Scottish referees) I wanted to explore the probabilities of what we (sort of) know to try and work out what is most likely to happen. This is all pure conjecture and I’d be happy to be corrected by anyone with an informed position. Up to two weeks ago I would have sworn that it would have been Lennon but I think the board will be aware of the build-up of opinion against this now and will be much more wary.
Budget: based on previous seasons, particularly those where a new manager is appointed I would guess that the budget for player additions will be in the region of £10m to £15m plus whatever can be generated from sales. The football operations budget is unlikely to extend beyond £2.5m per annum for the salary of a new manager and I doubt we’d pay more than £1m to £2m in compensation to secure a manager already in a post.
That probably rules out Mourinho, Villas Boas, Howe and Benitez. All of these “big names” will have multiple job offers and don’t need to take a post at Celtic on reduced wages and a restricted player transfer budget to prove anything. I appreciate that Brendan Rodgers would have been one of these names three years ago, but it’s difficult to say whether he arrived because of a connection to the club or because he saw it as an easy rehabilitation back to the EPL. I doubt any of the current crop would see it this way now, possibly Villas Boas at a pinch if he is harbouring a desire to return to the EPL.
The remaining pool of candidates could, for argument’s sake, be divided into the following three categories:
• Rising Stars: managers in roles with small to medium league sides who have achieved moderate success playing a relatively attractive style of football. Within this category I’d put Preudhomme, Cocu and van dem Brom.
• Rejects: former big names who have crashed and burned too badly to be allowed an easy route back to an elite club. This category would include Moyes, Garcia, Pulis, Pardew, Bilic and Martin O’Neill (sorry Martin, you are still a legend, nevertheless).
• Reconnects: managers on manageable wages that have a connection to the club, however tenuous, including Lennon, Michael O’Neill, Ross and Clarke.
In order to try and whittle down the larger pool, I’ve tried to guess the factors that might influence the decision making process of Celtic’s plc board.
Self-Preservation: I think it’s unlikely that anyone at Celtic wants to see the football operation fail simply to achieve one season’s worth of bonuses. Whilst Peter Lawwell could undoubtedly walk into a number of other highly paid senior corporate roles, his position at Celtic is one of almost unique privilege and glamour in Scotland and it would be surprising if he wanted to risk losing it. To extrapolate, if he takes what is seen as a cheap (Lennon or Clarke, before he became Scotland manager) or leftfield (Ronnie Deila) option and ended up losing the league next season, the effect on season ticket sales could be absolutely disastrous, with no 10 in a row to go for and a prevailing sense of negativity about the direction of the club. Given his general lack of popularity, there would certainly be a question over whether he could survive such a fallout. So I would expect that he is under severe personal pressure to get it right. As a result, I don’t think we’ll see anything other than a known quantity, which can only mean Lennon, Ross, Michael O’Neill, or one of the Rejects getting the position, unless there is a realistic suggestion for a Rising Star that I am unaware of at present - those already connected (by the bookies and bloggers) have very recent failures on their hands, otherwise they’d be on their way to La Liga, the Bundesliga, Serie A or the EPL.
Style: by appointing first Deila and then Rodgers it would seem that the general direction of travel that the Celtic plc board is in favour of is a high pressing (and therefore high fitness) and expansive passing game. Assuming that they don’t want to regress to practical, physical football (which would of course require a number of player sales and additions to balance our existing squad of lightweights) we need a manager who would play to that style. On the face of it, that would rule out Moyes, Pulis, Pardew (sort of), Martin O’Neill and, if we’re honest, Lennon.
That leaves Garcia and Bilic, who would both still represent a risk, Jack Ross, who’s probably going to require significant compensation to prise away from Sunderland, and… Michael O’Neill. He stated his commitment to Northern Ireland’s international team just a few days ago, so who better to continue Brendan Rodgers’ legacy of deceit and become the next full time manager of the world’s greatest football club.
The next Celtic manager will be Michael O’Neill. The spirits told me so.
HH TET
Happy birthday HHOh feck! it's ma birthday!!!! ah'm 66,look at aw they candles, bejeezus! Lenny ye know whit a want fur ma birthday,a wee belated present on the beautiful 25th would be lovely!!!! Slainthe BHOYS and GHIRLS! Hail Hail!!!!!
Hoopy birthday Michael. Health & Safety have asked if you'll hurry up and blow out all them candles as they're causing a fire risk. ???? I think you should have a cheeky Stella tonight, just as a special wee treat! ? All the best pal and we'll all be celebrating tomorrow. ?Oh feck! it's ma birthday!!!! ah'm 66,look at aw they candles, bejeezus! Lenny ye know whit a want fur ma birthday,a wee belated present on the beautiful 25th would be lovely!!!! Slainthe BHOYS and GHIRLS! Hail Hail!!!!!
Promised Mr Desmond that I would let him do the hounors. However, for a case of your lovely stella, I might tell you what a guy I met holiday told me. His brother knows a guy who's cousin met a baggage handler at Glasgow airport who said his supervisor saw a guy, in a suit, get off a plane the other day.Thought ye were gonnae "spill the beans" wi an "exclusive" there,Weedoc!!!!
I think I'll might have pancakes for breakfast. Just a thought.Anyone gave Arsene Wenger a thought?? Just read an interview in the paper down here where hes saying hes enjoyed not working but he'll be in the game "very soon".....
A guy who isn't looking for a way back to the prem.....been there done it.....gives young players a chance....enjoys attacking football
......bags of experience.
Thoughts please ????
Happy Birthday MichaelOh feck! it's ma birthday!!!! ah'm 66,look at aw they candles, bejeezus! Lenny ye know whit a want fur ma birthday,a wee belated present on the beautiful 25th would be lovely!!!! Slainthe BHOYS and GHIRLS! Hail Hail!!!!!
Interesting, can't see it. But maybe just maybe his philosophy of value added on off pitch is a good match. I think he is a great option if he fancies it.Anyone gave Arsene Wenger a thought?? Just read an interview in the paper down here where hes saying hes enjoyed not working but he'll be in the game "very soon".....
A guy who isn't looking for a way back to the prem.....been there done it.....gives young players a chance....enjoys attacking football
......bags of experience.
Thoughts please ????
Happy Biffday MD. Me and the Mrs were wondering how you're gonna celebrate ?Oh feck! it's ma birthday!!!! ah'm 66,look at aw they candles, bejeezus! Lenny ye know whit a want fur ma birthday,a wee belated present on the beautiful 25th would be lovely!!!! Slainthe BHOYS and GHIRLS! Hail Hail!!!!!
Many happy returns mo chara, have a great Friday and an even better Saturday?Oh feck! it's ma birthday!!!! ah'm 66,look at aw they candles, bejeezus! Lenny ye know whit a want fur ma birthday,a wee belated present on the beautiful 25th would be lovely!!!! Slainthe BHOYS and GHIRLS! Hail Hail!!!!!