James Forrest
The Emperor of Ice Cream
So Keane is now the frontrunner. Wow.
When you do this job, it is always worth keeping an eye on what other people are saying. Not because you should take your lead from them, but because it helps you know whether you are becoming a one-person echo chamber, shrieking into the void and pushing ideas that bear no resemblance to what the rest of the world thinks.
Let me be clear first: I do not particularly care what other people write. I am going to write my stuff no matter what. Even if it flies in the face of everything being said everywhere else, I will still write it.
But on an issue like the Celtic manager, you don’t want to make claims about how other people feel unless you actually know how other people feel.
And from looking around, reading comments online, checking other blogs and websites, and listening to podcasts, there is pretty much zero enthusiasm for the idea of Robbie Keane.
Not everybody thinks it is a gross insult to Celtic supporters. Not everybody thinks he lacks a CV which merits being on a list. Not everybody thinks it is, in itself, a terrible idea. But enthusiasm? People actually saying, “Yes, we’ve arrived at the right choice”?
There is very little of that. If any at all.
And this is not normal. It is not normal at all.
I was almost alone in mustering up any enthusiasm for Ronny Deila and Wilfried Nancy, but the operative word there is “almost” because I was not completely alone. There were one or two others out there who said they were excited by the idea of bringing in coaches who might change everything.
Now, I may not like the way the Nancy appointment turned out, and a lot of people may not like the way the Deila appointment turned out, but I can still see the merits in Deila’s appointment even now. Ronny professionalised the operation and Europeanised it in a way that was of huge benefit to Brendan Rodgers when he came in.
But those two appointments aside, there have been vocal constituencies in favour of almost every Celtic managerial appointment I can remember since the turn of the century.
The two Rodgers appointments were greeted with wide acclaim, even if there was some division among parts of the support. Martin’s two appointments, Lennon’s two, these were acclaimed. Ange was different but he didn’t have adherents as much as fanatical fans and they were overwhelmingly positive about his coming here. There was a constituency who knew his work and were ecstatic.
Nobody is ecstatic about this. This is a “meh” possibility even among people who do not have a fundamental problem with it.
That deepens the malaise around Celtic. It deepens the sense that those who run the club and those who support it are pulling in two completely different directions.
You will never get broad consensus on who the manager should be. That is impossible among such a huge support. That is why those on social media who ask the moronic question, “Who do you think should get it then?” don’t deserve an answer. My view is no more valid than yours. Your view is no more valid than the next guy’s.
But we know mediocrity when we see it. We know lack of effort when we see it.
We know a lazy appointment when we see it.
And even if you do not see this as an appointment calculated to offend people, it is certainly not being done to inspire anybody. It is certainly not being done in pursuit of absolute excellence.
Considering how last season went, this appointment had to ring all the bells. It had to inspire people. It had to be the kind of hiring for which at least some supporters were loudly delighted, because those people would then spread that enthusiasm to others.
That is how it usually works.
Nobody wants to be the person standing up and saying Robbie Keane would be a good appointment. Nobody wants to make the positive argument.
That is not because people are timid.
It is because nobody cares to.
The only people who are vocal about this are those who are vocally, venomously and aggressively opposed to it. There is no serious counter-argument on the other side.
When I wrote my piece the other day saying Keane could do this club a service by turning the job down, I was not kidding.
He could do himself a service too. Because the lack of enthusiasm for this idea is obvious. Nobody really wants him.
There is a section of the fan base that will settle for it, of course.
There is always a section that will support anyone Celtic hire, come what may. But they are not getting into X spats or Facebook arguments with those who don’t want this guy anywhere near the building.
When voices rise up against him, these people will not defend him.
Some are not even bothered about the name itself. This is what they expected: a low-key, low-impact, low-ambition appointment from Dermot Desmond’s little black book.
Their view is just an apathetic shrug of the shoulders.
“Aye, that’s about what we thought was going to happen.”
That is dangerous.
That kind of apathy leads people to stay away from games altogether. It leads to empty seats. It leads to people gradually losing the habit because they just cannot be bothered anymore.
This club made a mistake when it started treating the purchase of a season ticket as a vote of confidence. It is not one. It never has been.
I think we can safely say this would not be a popular appointment. The only thing stopping it from being universally unpopular is that a large section of our fan base simply does not care enough to fight it.
They view it as more of the same. Business as usual.
About what they expected.
They had no higher hopes for this process than something like this, and they will get by it because they see no other option.
I am telling you now, that is the most dangerous section of the support for this board of directors. Apathy is far more dangerous than anger.
Anger means people still care. Anger means they are still emotionally invested. Anger means they believe something better is possible and are furious that the club refuses to reach for it.
Apathy is different. Apathy is when people stop expecting better. Apathy is when people stop believing change is coming. Apathy is when people renew, turn up, sit down, watch, leave and feel less every year.
That is what this board is feeding.
They have already done their damnedest to sever the connection between supporters and the club. This appointment would only make matters worse.
If Celtic do this, the consequences will last for years, whatever Keane achieves in the dugout. Because those consequences will go to the heart of what it means to follow this club at all in the future. And they have not grasped that yet.
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The post Not a single Celtic site can muster enthusiasm for Robbie Keane. appeared first on The Celtic Blog.
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When you do this job, it is always worth keeping an eye on what other people are saying. Not because you should take your lead from them, but because it helps you know whether you are becoming a one-person echo chamber, shrieking into the void and pushing ideas that bear no resemblance to what the rest of the world thinks.
Let me be clear first: I do not particularly care what other people write. I am going to write my stuff no matter what. Even if it flies in the face of everything being said everywhere else, I will still write it.
But on an issue like the Celtic manager, you don’t want to make claims about how other people feel unless you actually know how other people feel.
And from looking around, reading comments online, checking other blogs and websites, and listening to podcasts, there is pretty much zero enthusiasm for the idea of Robbie Keane.
Not everybody thinks it is a gross insult to Celtic supporters. Not everybody thinks he lacks a CV which merits being on a list. Not everybody thinks it is, in itself, a terrible idea. But enthusiasm? People actually saying, “Yes, we’ve arrived at the right choice”?
There is very little of that. If any at all.
And this is not normal. It is not normal at all.
I was almost alone in mustering up any enthusiasm for Ronny Deila and Wilfried Nancy, but the operative word there is “almost” because I was not completely alone. There were one or two others out there who said they were excited by the idea of bringing in coaches who might change everything.
Now, I may not like the way the Nancy appointment turned out, and a lot of people may not like the way the Deila appointment turned out, but I can still see the merits in Deila’s appointment even now. Ronny professionalised the operation and Europeanised it in a way that was of huge benefit to Brendan Rodgers when he came in.
But those two appointments aside, there have been vocal constituencies in favour of almost every Celtic managerial appointment I can remember since the turn of the century.
The two Rodgers appointments were greeted with wide acclaim, even if there was some division among parts of the support. Martin’s two appointments, Lennon’s two, these were acclaimed. Ange was different but he didn’t have adherents as much as fanatical fans and they were overwhelmingly positive about his coming here. There was a constituency who knew his work and were ecstatic.
Nobody is ecstatic about this. This is a “meh” possibility even among people who do not have a fundamental problem with it.
That deepens the malaise around Celtic. It deepens the sense that those who run the club and those who support it are pulling in two completely different directions.
You will never get broad consensus on who the manager should be. That is impossible among such a huge support. That is why those on social media who ask the moronic question, “Who do you think should get it then?” don’t deserve an answer. My view is no more valid than yours. Your view is no more valid than the next guy’s.
But we know mediocrity when we see it. We know lack of effort when we see it.
We know a lazy appointment when we see it.
And even if you do not see this as an appointment calculated to offend people, it is certainly not being done to inspire anybody. It is certainly not being done in pursuit of absolute excellence.
Considering how last season went, this appointment had to ring all the bells. It had to inspire people. It had to be the kind of hiring for which at least some supporters were loudly delighted, because those people would then spread that enthusiasm to others.
That is how it usually works.
Nobody wants to be the person standing up and saying Robbie Keane would be a good appointment. Nobody wants to make the positive argument.
That is not because people are timid.
It is because nobody cares to.
The only people who are vocal about this are those who are vocally, venomously and aggressively opposed to it. There is no serious counter-argument on the other side.
When I wrote my piece the other day saying Keane could do this club a service by turning the job down, I was not kidding.
He could do himself a service too. Because the lack of enthusiasm for this idea is obvious. Nobody really wants him.
There is a section of the fan base that will settle for it, of course.
There is always a section that will support anyone Celtic hire, come what may. But they are not getting into X spats or Facebook arguments with those who don’t want this guy anywhere near the building.
When voices rise up against him, these people will not defend him.
Some are not even bothered about the name itself. This is what they expected: a low-key, low-impact, low-ambition appointment from Dermot Desmond’s little black book.
Their view is just an apathetic shrug of the shoulders.
“Aye, that’s about what we thought was going to happen.”
That is dangerous.
That kind of apathy leads people to stay away from games altogether. It leads to empty seats. It leads to people gradually losing the habit because they just cannot be bothered anymore.
This club made a mistake when it started treating the purchase of a season ticket as a vote of confidence. It is not one. It never has been.
I think we can safely say this would not be a popular appointment. The only thing stopping it from being universally unpopular is that a large section of our fan base simply does not care enough to fight it.
They view it as more of the same. Business as usual.
About what they expected.
They had no higher hopes for this process than something like this, and they will get by it because they see no other option.
I am telling you now, that is the most dangerous section of the support for this board of directors. Apathy is far more dangerous than anger.
Anger means people still care. Anger means they are still emotionally invested. Anger means they believe something better is possible and are furious that the club refuses to reach for it.
Apathy is different. Apathy is when people stop expecting better. Apathy is when people stop believing change is coming. Apathy is when people renew, turn up, sit down, watch, leave and feel less every year.
That is what this board is feeding.
They have already done their damnedest to sever the connection between supporters and the club. This appointment would only make matters worse.
If Celtic do this, the consequences will last for years, whatever Keane achieves in the dugout. Because those consequences will go to the heart of what it means to follow this club at all in the future. And they have not grasped that yet.
Choose The CelticBlog as a ‘Preferred Source’ on Google News for quick access to the news you value.
The post Not a single Celtic site can muster enthusiasm for Robbie Keane. appeared first on The Celtic Blog.
Continue reading...
