Political machinations at Barcelona, Henrik Larsson's long route back to Celtic Park

Winning Captains

Winning Captains

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Great article, Niall, and also begs the question about the key ingredients required to make a top manager/coach?

There's a 101 different theories and while some may point to successful managers without a great footballing pedigree (Ferguson, Wenger, Klopp, Mourinho etc), there is a counter-argument that can be made for players like: Pep, Zidane, Diego Simeone, Gotdon Strachan and, of course, Billy McNeil.

I don't believe there is any type of prototype. I feel that some folk just have that knack and know-how. It also helps when you have good men around you and while the Manager enjoyed some success at Hibs and Dunfermline, would he have been AS successful at Paradise without the greatest private investigator in world football, Sean Fallon (that man made Columbo look like DCI Robertson of the Strathclyde cunstabulary).

I'd have never pegged Lenny as a boss when he played, but I would have bet my fur on Henrik and Lubo to be successful coaches, then again - if it's over 33/1, I usually have a punt on it.
 
Spherical Planet said:
Great article, Niall, and also begs the question about the key ingredients required to make a top manager/coach?

There's a 101 different theories and while some may point to successful managers without a great footballing pedigree (Ferguson, Wenger, Klopp, Mourinho etc), there is a counter-argument that can be made for players like: Pep, Zidane, Diego Simeone, Gotdon Strachan and, of course, Billy McNeil.

I don't believe there is any type of prototype. I feel that some folk just have that knack and know-how. It also helps when you have good men around you and while the Manager enjoyed some success at Hibs and Dunfermline, would he have been AS successful at Paradise without the greatest private investigator in world football, Sean Fallon (that man made Columbo look like DCI Robertson of the Strathclyde cunstabulary).

I'd have never pegged Lenny as a boss when he played, but I would have bet my fur on Henrik and Lubo to be successful coaches, then again - if it's over 33/1, I usually have a punt on it.
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Thanks SP, that's a question without an answer i guess but I like trying to find out. I love sporting biographies an autobiographies - the house is full of them - and it's amazing how different coaches with such different personalities end up succesful. Mike Calvin wrote a book a fewyears back - Living on a volcano and tried to find the ingedients the seperate some coaches from others and he set aside a chapter to each he spent time with, at all levels of the game. It's well worth a read and it also prepared me for the narcisistic tendencies of a certain Mr Rodgers before he came to us. Calvin tried to hide his dislike but couldn't.
 
Niall J said:
Thanks SP, that's a question without an answer i guess but I like trying to find out. I love sporting biographies an autobiographies - the house is full of them - and it's amazing how different coaches with such different personalities end up succesful. Mike Calvin wrote a book a fewyears back - Living on a volcano and tried to find the ingedients the seperate some coaches from others and he set aside a chapter to each he spent time with, at all levels of the game. It's well worth a read and it also prepared me for the narcisistic tendencies of a certain Mr Rodgers before he came to us. Calvin tried to hide his dislike but couldn't.
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I read that book a few years ago too. You were right about Rodgers, but to be fair also he seemed to be very supportive to others as well. I seem to remember Monk (then at Swansea) and a certain Warburton were also highly praised in it!

There is no magic formula - it relies on a mix of mental strength, intelligence, the ability to get across your ideas and passion, identifying talent and how best to use it, enthusiasm and shear good luck with regards opportunities, injuries, opponents, etc.
 
I think embracing new ideas and surrounding yourself with people who challenge you plays a part too. Ferguson's and queiroz and McLaren then take a bit if a back seat. Some managers get bogged down with one philosophy. Look at Domenech at France south Africa world up. Best group of players you could have, wouldn't budge on his beliefs. Whole squad imploded. Took him 8 years to admit it!
Was lucky to see warburton at close quarters when I lived in London. Changed Brentford and what a team he built but it was all about being on the ball practiced nothing without it. When it started to go wrong no plan B just more of plan A. The best ones adapt and develop.
 
Niall J said:
I think embracing new ideas and surrounding yourself with people who challenge you plays a part too. Ferguson's and queiroz and McLaren then take a bit if a back seat. Some managers get bogged down with one philosophy. Look at Domenech at France south Africa world up. Best group of players you could have, wouldn't budge on his beliefs. Whole squad imploded. Took him 8 years to admit it!
Was lucky to see warburton at close quarters when I lived in London. Changed Brentford and what a team he built but it was all about being on the ball practiced nothing without it. When it started to go wrong no plan B just more of plan A. The best ones adapt and develop.
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Got the same feeling with Brendan, Niall. Plan A worked a treat in season one, but it started to show flaws in season two and season two point five. There wasn't a real sense that Brendan had a back up plan and that was probably most evident in Europe where there was just complete surrender (feckin hate that word) in quite a few games.

It was great while it worked, but there was no secondary option when it didn't.
 
Spherical Planet said:
Got the same feeling with Brendan, Niall. Plan A worked a treat in season one, but it started to show flaws in season two and season two point five. There wasn't a real sense that Brendan had a back up plan and that was probably most evident in Europe where there was just complete surrender (feckin hate that word) in quite a few games.

It was great while it worked, but there was no secondary option when it didn't.
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Absolutely SP. There is an argument managers have a shelf life of say 3- 4 years before players get tired of the same voice. Well theres an element to that but a big part is they get bored of going to their work and doing the same thing every day.
Players stop feeling challenged, a malaise sets in and they don't do what the did with the same belief and gusto.
Guys like Rodgers will always have to keep moving as time catches up and players catch on.
Warburton was much the same except he usually get worked out even quicker. Philosophies are interesting when they are new, once they've been worked out and theres no alternative it's an excuse to fall back on for not being arsed trying to reinvent so as to re-inspire.
 
Niall J said:
Absolutely SP. There is an argument managers have a shelf life of say 3- 4 years before players get tired of the same voice. Well theres an element to that but a big part is they get bored of going to their work and doing the same thing every day.
Players stop feeling challenged, a malaise sets in and they don't do what the did with the same belief and gusto.
Guys like Rodgers will always have to keep moving as time catches up and players catch on.
Warburton was much the same except he usually get worked out even quicker. Philosophies are interesting when they are new, once they've been worked out and theres no alternative it's an excuse to fall back on for not being arsed trying to reinvent so as to re-inspire.
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Brendan has a lot of excellent positives - he prepares his team well, instills a huge amount of belief in his players and wants to play exciting attacking football.

But as you say, he has a short shelf life as his tactics are one dimensional, he has his group of favourites that he plays into the ground, his ability to spot transfer targets is awful and his huge ego means he is always trying to be over-elaborate to demonstrate to everyone how clever he is with his unexpected team selections (see pissing off Rahim Sterling by playing him at full back for Liverpool - a complete failure which he repeated by playing CalMac as LB against Sevco).

He did give us some phenomenal memories with jaw dropping exciting football, but he managed us to a couple of humiliations and was on the vain before he sneaked away for his midnight flit.
 
Niall J said:
Absolutely SP. There is an argument managers have a shelf life of say 3- 4 years before players get tired of the same voice. Well theres an element to that but a big part is they get bored of going to their work and doing the same thing every day.
Players stop feeling challenged, a malaise sets in and they don't do what the did with the same belief and gusto.
Guys like Rodgers will always have to keep moving as time catches up and players catch on.
Warburton was much the same except he usually get worked out even quicker. Philosophies are interesting when they are new, once they've been worked out and theres no alternative it's an excuse to fall back on for not being arsed trying to reinvent so as to re-inspire.
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It's interesting to note that both Brendan and Warburton were quite smooth operators when it came to the media too. You can imagine both having the power to charm the players during that honeymoon period, but you can also imagine seasoned professionals seeing through that insincerity pretty quickly as well.

Big season coming up for Brendan, 18-months of smarm has probably run its course in the dressing room and star players are already on their way and others making noises.

I'll give him till Christmas.........
 
Bridie Bhoy said:
Brendan has a lot of excellent positives - he prepares his team well, instills a huge amount of belief in his players and wants to play exciting attacking football.

But as you say, he has a short shelf life as his tactics are one dimensional, he has his group of favourites that he plays into the ground, his ability to spot transfer targets is awful and his huge ego means he is always trying to be over-elaborate to demonstrate to everyone how clever he is with his unexpected team selections (see pissing off Rahim Sterling by playing him at full back for Liverpool - a complete failure which he repeated by playing CalMac as LB against Sevco).

He did give us some phenomenal memories with jaw dropping exciting football, but he managed us to a couple of humiliations and was on the vain before he sneaked away for his midnight flit.
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I hadn"t realised he'd tried sterling at full back prior to Calmac BB. That's unbelievable..well it's not actually is it🤔
There are a lot of positives to Brendan and I can see especially with the impressionable players and young coaches why he does do well. I think the thing that drives me and is that in a team game it always comes back to being about Brendan. Can't be doing with that.
 
Spherical Planet said:
It's interesting to note that both Brendan and Warburton were quite smooth operators when it came to the media too. You can imagine both having the power to charm the players during that honeymoon period, but you can also imagine seasoned professionals seeing through that insincerity pretty quickly as well.

Big season coming up for Brendan, 18-months of smarm has probably run its course in the dressing room and star players are already on their way and others making noises.

I'll give him till Christmas.........
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Think so SP. If that. The owners at the king Power are no fools.
 
Niall J said:
I hadn"t realised he'd tried sterling at full back prior to Calmac BB. That's unbelievable..well it's not actually is it🤔
There are a lot of positives to Brendan and I can see especially with the impressionable players and young coaches why he does do well. I think the thing that drives me and is that in a team game it always comes back to being about Brendan. Can't be doing with that.
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Everywhere he's been he's been short term,2 seasons at best,think that's why did the moon light flit. 🍺 🥳
 
Spherical Planet said:
Got the same feeling with Brendan, Niall. Plan A worked a treat in season one, but it started to show flaws in season two and season two point five. There wasn't a real sense that Brendan had a back up plan and that was probably most evident in Europe where there was just complete surrender (feckin hate that word) in quite a few games.

It was great while it worked, but there was no secondary option when it didn't.
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And I think we are seeing the same thing at Leicester!
HH
 
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