Login Form
| Gordon Strachan - The Man Who Knew Too Much |
 |
 |
 |
| Written by The Dutchbhoy |
| Saturday, 26 February 2011 16:16 |
|
“Dougiegate” is a prime example of such a conspiracy. We have clear evidence that the referee lied and then attempted to compound his deceit by attempting to bully lesser officials so as to cover up his dishonesty and incompetence. All of this means nothing to Gordon Strachan, a little man so sure of his own certainty in life that mere facts or tangible evidence play no part. Then there is Strachan’s bizarre and offensive defence of the bigoted behaviour of Hugh Dallas. No sane Celtic supporter could conclude that through his actions and words down the years, that Dallas is anything other than a foe of Celtic. Gordon Strachan begs to differ and in so doing condemns himself to the label of idiot. There were some generous minded Celtic supporters who up until recently sought to fight Strachan’s corner, citing his league triumphs as evidence of his commitment to the Celtic cause. Even they have had to concede that mini-mouth has gone too far in his latest obsequious attempt to court the Rangers media. After his disastrous spell at Middlesborough, the discredited manager is again on the lookout for a new challenge. Since his sacking in England, he has popped up with alarming regularity in the newspapers and on television in Scotland. There has been an unspoken agreement that former Celtic employees do not comment upon the club, until at least a decent period of time has transpired since their departure. Strachan has no such inhibitions. After propelling ‘Boro to the relegation zone with alarming speed resulting in his sacking, you would have thought that he would have kept a very low profile. Some hope. Following Celtic’s brilliant victory at Ibrox in the New Year, Strachan couldn’t resist informing all who would listen, that his pre-match advice to Neil Lennon regarding the selection and deployment of Samaras was pivotal in Celtic securing victory. The conclusion was simple; Strachan the old fox had guided young Lenny to success. Samaras role was indeed vital, but the balance that Lennon achieved that day with a depleted squad would seem to suggest that the man from Lurgan managed to get quite a few of his own decisions right. But modesty has never been Strachan’s trademark, neither has his inability to keep his big mouth shut especially when silence was the best and only option. Strachan has never restricted himself to solely football matters. He has ventured into areas where he really should not have gone. I can’t recall Jock Stein or Martin O’Neill venture opinions about society at large, lecturing others about their personal failings. By so doing, Strachan gives the impression of being impeccable and beyond reproach. His sense of self-righteousness began to irritate a large section of the Celtic support especially towards the end of his tenure, just at the point when his managerial frailties were becoming all too apparent. It was no surprise that his arrogant and petulant demeanour alienated several Celtic players, most notably Aiden McGeady. McGeady may have said and done a few daft things, but handled properly with the right man-management skills, Aiden has shown that he will knuckle down and be a team player. Under the soulless, pseudo-scientific approach characterized by the ubiquitous clipboard and copious note taking, Strachan sucked the life and soul out of Celtic. His tenure may have delivered a certain amount of fortuitous success (given Ranger’s parlous state under Le Guen and others), but in the process it ceased to be fun watching Celtic. Inflexible, predictable and boring, it was inevitable therefore that the master of this particular genre of football, Walter Smith, saw off his protégée with consummate ease at the first time of asking. Last Sunday I had the privilege of watching a vibrant Celtic dismember the Smith/Strachan style of football. Neil Lennon understands the Celtic fans intuitively in a way that Strachan never could. The mind numbing percentage game of side passing, slow build up has given way to what is euphemistically known as the “Celtic way’. Under Neil Lennon, there is pace, passion and movement, there is also evidence of a young manager who is ready to learn and be flexible, admit he has made mistakes and move on. These are the very traits that Strachan never had. Despite his claim to be open to all and broad minded, Strachan is trapped by his background. He set his faith in what he regarded as tried and tested Scottish players; McManus, Robson, MacDonald and yes Kevin Thompson and Kris Boyd.
These signings at Middlesborough sum him up perfectly, over cautious and afraid. Under a Strachan regime Hondurans and Israelis simply would never have featured. Youth was also abandoned as Strachan persisted with older players coming to the end of their careers. There is now clear evidence that John Park and the scouting system is being put to full use, something which did not happen under Strachan. |
| Last Updated on Saturday, 26 February 2011 16:41 |
Comments
His successor ws at the opposite end of the Heart monitor spectrum but we'll leave that particular critique for another day.
Strachan knows his time in Football management is at an end. He'll prob end up going back to the media work he did prior to taking over the reigns with us.All he is doing is keeping the Meedja up here sweet and if that means muddying our name, so be it.
Now they(The Media) now know why Strachan was never taken to heart by all the support. There was always an uneasy alliance.
1 It was Neil Lennon who informed the media that WGS said it would be a good idea to play Samaras @ Ibrox.
2 Walter Smith Lost 4 games against Celtic under WGS & one league title, he won the league in WGS last season on the last day of the season hardly with consummate ease.
PS not the first time you have been economical with the truth Dutchbhoy looking for a job @ the daily retard???????????????????????
Wee Strach is trying to curry favour with the establishment to get the next gig as Scotland manager.
Levein hasn't long to go and the ginger one will be next in line.
I think he done a great job, under very difficult circumstances.
Henke off, and an old team or players who were going to be offered contracts that the board knew would be unacceptable, to get them off the wage list, Strachan can't be blamed for that.
Lets remember, we were in the last 16 of the CL (since the comp has moved to the CL format) two years running.
Something MO'N couldn't do in 5.
Naka against Man U!?
AC Milan!?
Boruc!?
The reference about Le Guen and his 'stint' at the huns is merited, but you can't say that about every team we played in Europe.
The sad thing for me is that for a guy who fought so hard to convince the Faithful that he was always really one of us, a Celt, would sell that for a slim chance of a job at the SFA, best case scenario, or to cozy himself back into the fold of the LL and their comrades on the box.
His Celtic credentials are in tatters.
As you say, he's got a big tip for himself.
If Neil is anywhere near as successful I will be over the moon, and a bit surprised.
Re-writing history just because you did not like the guy is poor my friend.
I don't think his latest pronouncements are in any way bizarre, although they did seem a tad self promoting.
There is no conspiracy dutchboy and there never has been. We know that decisions have largely gone against us in the last three years or so in an unprecedented fashion, and this is undoubtedly strange and extremely irritating.
Neil Lennon has used this to create the old seige mentality thing, something which the present Man U incumbent has been doing for the past 30 odd years. If it helps performances and determination, then good luck to him. But we can't afford to give real credence to conspiracy theories. In my many years of following Celtic, we have been good enough on so many occasions to take the top prizes in this myopic little country of ours. I would like us to be good enough again many, many more times.
'nuff said.
Some just lap this nonsense up, which is sad.
So if he got lucky with signing Naka and Boruc did he get unlucky with the signings which were not so great? Or does the door only swing one way.
'Was fortunate to have Maloney and McGeady around.....'
As opposed to Martin who only had players like Larsson, Lubo, Lambert and Mjallby around when he arrived eh?
Also it was WGS who gave those 2 a run in the team and outside of 1 season Maloney was conspicuous with his absence.
"The rest of his era should be deleted from the history books."
You would seriously give back the 3 consecutive league titles, cup final win over Rangers and the two last 16 finishes just because you didn't like him?
You remind me of the head of the CSC back in the mid 90's when Fergus arrived on his white horse. He said he feared that new owners would jeopardise the future of the club and we should stick by the Kelly's and their traditions. That would have appeared to have included the then most recent tradition of putting the club into liquidation and it not existing anymore.
Total insanity.
patricks
Can't really argue with you as your jsut talking inane pish. Also if you use words like 'fail' then I presume you use words like 'epic' which automatically disqualifies you from an adult conversation.
BTW I never liked Strachan as manager. However, at this critical time the last thing we need as ANOTHER strachan debate!
However back in the real world, 10 minutes after the final whistle in the Sky Studio "I spoke to Gordon yesterday about him playing that lone striker (position]." Did anyone hear Strachan in the 10 minutes in between? Maybe I missed that....
"His tenure may have delivered a certain amount of fortuitous success"
3 League Titles on the spin and back to back last 16 appearances in the Champions League were all fortuitous? Aye right.
Strachan bashers tend to have two things in common; they loved O'Neill and more than likely McGeady in equal measures and could see no fault in either.
I recall the day we were beaten 1-0 at home by Motherwell and in my seat along from where the Green Brigade are and it was a day I hung my head in disbelief as the final whistle went and clowns were coming down the stairs shouting "Strachan, Strachan get tae f...", 7 games later Strachan had won the League.
How quickly some forget....
Not really true. Most enlightened souls could see the flaws in both McGeady and O'Neill. Which are irrelevant when analysing the dubious behaviour, character and decision making of Gordon Strachan.
Factually correct, but omits one vital statistic. Both times Strachan managed 9 points out of 9 at home and 0 out of 9 away. That was EXACTLY the same as O'Neill's first crack at the Champions League. The only reason O'Neill didn't take us through that year and Strachan did on both occasions was PURELY down to the teams that finished 4th in the group.
Rosenborg took just 4 points (3 of them from us) and so Juventus and Porto managed to get 11 and 10 points, sending us into the UEFA Cup. Copenhagen took 7 points in Strachan's first season, while Shahktar took 6. In fact, had Benfica not beaten Shahktar on match day 6 then Strachan's team would have dropped into the UEFA Cup just as O'Neill's did.
Throw in the injustice in Turin of that last minute dive and penalty and you can see just how close we were that season.
It all comes down to one simple thing. O'Neill had less luck than Strachan in the Champions League. That doesn't take away from what Strachan did, but if you must compare the two of them, at least compare it accurately.
Personally, I think it's a real shame we never made the last 16 under O'Neill. Mainly because I think we'd have had a real shot of going even further. Because unlike Strachan, O'Neill knew how to win ties over two legs. The best Strachan ever managed on that front was a tie settled on the penalties.
I see what you mean however I would suggest the groups Strachan qualified from were more difficult because they never had that "weak" 4th team. Out of curiosity I note you mention O'Neills first season on the CL, what were the stats from the others? Or are we only comparing one season?
Incidentally I have not seen it mentioned about the injustices Strachan suffered in his last League campaign where there was a perception everything possible was manufactured to make sure Rangers won the league that year.
They both had to deal with perceived injustice, not just O'Neill. MON was unlucky in the CL, we came so close at times but just were not good enough on the night. Lyon springs to mind where we were unlucky and not good enough in equal measures maybe.
Factually correct, but omits one vital statistic. Both times Strachan managed 9 points out of 9 at home and 0 out of 9 away. That was EXACTLY the same as O'Neill's first crack at the Champions League. The only reason O'Neill didn't take us through that year and Strachan did on both occasions was PURELY down to the teams that finished 4th in the group.
Rosenborg took just 4 points (3 of them from us) and so Juventus and Porto managed to get 11 and 10 points, sending us into the UEFA Cup. Copenhagen took 7 points in Strachan's first season, while Shahktar took 6. In fact, had Benfica not beaten Shahktar on match day 6 then Strachan's team would have dropped into the UEFA Cup just as O'Neill's did.
Throw in the injustice in Turin of that last minute dive and penalty and you can see just how close we were that season.”
Psychoheart,
On both occasions Strachan had it in the bag with one game to spare. Yes in the first season MON’s final champs league game against Juve was a home game , but Juve were already through and we were depending on results elsewhere to do us favours.
Also 3 of the measly 4 points accrued by Rosenborg were against us when we were beaten quite convincingly 2-0 away. Our defence also failed to keep Brattbakk out TWICE which in itself is an embarrassment.
People talk a lot about the injustice of Turin. I remember watching that game in a bar in Santa Ponsa. The thing is that it’s somewhat selective memory on our part. Juve were all over us in the first 45 mins. I remember how shocked I was at the time at how much better than us they looked. David Trézéguet ,Marcelo Salas and Del Piero laid siege to the goal in the first half. After 55 we were 2 down and hoping to keep the score down. We then mounted a great comeback and yes Amoruso’s late pen was soft but so was Sutton’s. To be honest if we’d got out of there with a point then that would have been luck personified.
I always thought WGS’s luck deserted him when we had 2 stonewallers turned down in the San Siro in the away leg the first last 16 appearance to AC. That was one of those games were a big decision or moment of inspiration was going to decide. Sadly for us it was the latter in the form of Kaka’s sensational sol effort aided and abetted by the knackered legs of our exhausted defenders.
As for our next foray into the champs league under Martin when we were also denied in the last game , we should have had it in the bag long before then. We were brilliant in all 3 of our home games but away were pitiful at time. Getting beat 1-0 against a poor Anderlecht team down to ten men for most of the game was a poor show but even worse was completely pissing away 3 points in Munich in a game we controlled thanks to that useless tit Hedman. Similarly it was the self destruct button again which did us in the final minutes of the Lyon game.
Martin had superior players at his disposal (Mjallby, Sutton, Hartson, Lambert, Lubo, Petrov and of course Henrik were on a different planet to Caldwell, McManus, Miller, Maloney, Skippy, Robson, JVOH, and even Naka and McGeady etc) but he failed to invest in a quality keeper unlike WGS did with Boruc and where as his predecessors had cost us in Europe, Artur saved us and won us games ie; Spartak, Man U home, to name 2.
Was a huge fan of Martin and his 5 years in charge were the best I have ever experienced but what Strachan achieved , especially in Europe, with that group of players was near miraculous and there was nothing lucky about it.
By the way, Strachsn only wrapped it up with a game to spare once - the Man United win. When we went to Milan we still needed something if Shakhtar had won. I even stuck a bet on the double of Milan and Shakhtar winning knowing I had a horrific betting history back then! More than happy to take one for the team there.
But if Strachan is going to bring up his time at Celtic - and talk the nonsense he's been talking of late in order to curry favour with the hordes in the media here - we all have a right to reply.
Strangely of all the comments posted Dutchboy has said nothing to defend himself on any of the points challenged within his article.
I note Dutchboy says in his 2nd sentence and only 12 words into the article that "many fans would like his era to be consigned to the dustbin of history" A frankly unbelievable statement, I should have stopped reading there. There's only one thing that should be in the dustbin and its the article above because it is nothing but utter garbage.
Personally, while I always had serious reservations about Strachan, the level and content of debate when his record, et al is discussed, is always stays the same, the respective sides retreat to their respective positions, the world turns and things stay as they are. Ultimately I get very weary about the whole thing(I find I get weary about a lot of things since I left my 20's and entered my 30's but thats another matter...).
'Not really true. Most enlightened souls could see the flaws in both McGeady and O'Neill. Which are irrelevant when analysing the dubious behaviour, character and decision making of Gordon Strachan'.
I don't consider myself un-enlightened, even with regards to Celtic F.C., but while the latter days of Strachan's regime were not the best of times, I think the use of the term 'dubious' is over the top. Controversial he may have been and questions might be asked about the team selections towards the end, but apart from taking a few numpty journalists to task what else did he do that was so bad?
Tony, sorry the reason they are relevant is because a significant amount of people who hated Strachan, loved McGeady and O'Neill and the relevance is that in both cases they were misguided for their reasons in doing so, Ireland. One went hand in hand with the other. Strachan was not seen as "Celtic Minded" everything McGeady and O'Neill were considered to be. They could not shake off their hatred for Strachan because he dared to take on their player hero and at the outset looked like he was not going to live up to O'Neill. Well he did and more.
Lachie, spot on.
RSS feed for comments to this post.