Managerial merry-go-round spins out of control
When you lose two battles, for you the war is over.
Gordon Strachan had no chance of carrying on at Celtic the moment Rangers embraced the championship. He had already lost huge swathes of the club's support.
Two falls, a submission or a knock-out will do it every time.
In truth, he was a heartbeat from chucking it all in 12 months earlier amid the frenzy of clinching his third consecutive title.
By the time Celtic had slumped on to the Champions League floor on a winter's night in the Danish town of Aalborg, I suspect he was already regretting his decision not to head over the horizon in a blaze of summer glory.
History will hopefully be kinder to him than the immediate reaction to his departure. Football can be an awfully cruel business.
I do not accept that the majority of Celtic fans wanted him removed, but in truth it was more than a tiny minority. He won them titles, but he never won their hearts. I'm not sure I will ever understand why.
Was it the comments about the Alsatian dogs and cans of Kestrel? Or was it because they didn't like the way he spoke to the media?
Maybe it was that, right enough, because the world knows we are precious wee souls and fans of the club have always been so kindly concerned about my welfare.
The wise old owl that is Walter Smith sussed him in the end but with the support of his club's fans he was entitled to the right to fight another day.
In the end, though, he just reckoned that it wasn't worth the hassle.
Of course there were blunders: the price tag on Adam Virgo, the wages of Thomas Gravesen, the decision not to start with Aiden McGeady in the most recent Old Firm match.
But he inherited the Bobo Balde situation which tied up wages of £30,000 a week and one hand behind his back.
There were confusing signals too from his man management. He massaged the Aiden McGeady strop brilliantly, but never seemed quite capable of giving Artur Boruc the necessary clip across the ear.
But I like him a lot. And his bark - Alsatian or otherwise - was always worse than his bite.
And I don't really comprehend the two fingers being flicked behind his back as he disappeared in the direction of a Spanish golf course.
The glint in your eye is the glare from six trophies being dragged in his wake.
For all that, life moves on as it always does. And as crazily as ever.
For Strachan read Calderwood. Jimmy would have been as nervous as an MP reading the Telegraph if he scanned Aberdeen fans' websites over the last couple of years, not that he ever did.
This was another exercise in the defying of logic. They gurgled with delight at Ebbe Skovdahl's pantomime performance as manager of the club, but Calderwood's achievement in taking them into Europe again wasn't good enough.
I suspect they might not realise what they had until long after he is gone.
And so the managerial merry-go-round spins out of control. I had a dream on Sunday night that two-thirds of the SPL clubs will have new men in charge for next season.
Sad, isn't it? Not the changes, but the fact that my dreams, once full of the most wonderful fantasies, have now been reduced to this.
But it could happen, which says much about the stability of our game.
Walter Smith won't leave, but he thought about it, Csaba Laslo is having much more trouble with the blessed Vladimir than most people know, Mark McGhee is being linked with more outfits than Twiggy and John Hughes seems constantly on the threshold of organising his farewell night-out.
Merry-go-round? It's a ghost train they're all on.
Hughes had talks with his board on Sunday and I can't sit here and predict that he will be in charge by this time next week, win or lose the cup final.
If they want to speak to his number two Brian Rice then they better find the dialling code for Magaluf. He is already five days late for his annual pilgrimage.
And that is where we should all be. Taking the waters, the beers and the wines, soaking up the sun and reflecting on another astonishing season which was far from Manchester United or Barcelona-esque but which ripped at the emotions in the good old-fashioned way.
In the short term, I'll see you at check-in. Come August I'll meet you at the far post.
And calm down. It's only a game.
Aye, right.
"Tell them who you are and what you are about," they said. To be honest, there are days when I struggle to remember myself. Forty years toiling at the coalface of football journalism does that to you. But I have reason to believe that I have reached the heady heights of the title of Football Correspondent of BBC Scotland which gives me a renown, in Scottish terms, of somewhere between Alex Salmond and the deep fried Mars Bar.
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~33~RS~)
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Yes, Strachan should have gone last year, but I thought he was a fantastic manager for Celtic. Martin O'Neill was a saviour, but Strachan was a miracle worker on a fraction of the budget. He lost the heart for the battle in the end, though I feel.
I would be delighted with Bilic. I genuinely believe his claim that we could move to the next level with him in charge.
And the wise old owl didn't work him out, he just got lucky that the players ran horribly out of steam, despite an early European exit. The new managers fitness demands should be significantly higher if we are to progress.
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Suspect they might not realise what they had until long after he is gone.
oh~ what does it mean~
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just do it
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I suspect Mr Strachan felt he'd taken Celtic as far as he could. I suspect he wasn't Martin O'Neill. Who is? Maybe Mr Dalglish going to work for Liverpool took away a valued ear?? Maybe big 2 vs the rest lost its charm?
If you're a belligerent little soul, as Mr Strachan is, maybe longer term he needs real competition every week?
Back in the Premier League??
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All these articles wondering why the celtic fans wanted rid of Strachan shows the old boys network of scottish football ganging together to support one of its own.
Did any of these supposed experts actually watch the absolute dross played by strachans celtic ? Thats why we wanted him gone.
I personally think any spl manager given equal resources could have done a better job.Who is strachan gonna get relegated from the epl i wonder ?
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Aye, fair comment re. Gordon Strachan. You're quite right, the majority of Celtic fans didn't hate the man. I liked him. He brought us 3 championships in a row. As at any club, a vocal minority will always rant against the incumbent that doesn't deliver a 5-0 win at every home game and the European Cup during their tenure. If they feel like it, the media will latch onto that and pursue whatever their personal agendas are (I'm looking at you Keevins). As regards the media it wasn't his potential for upsetting you guys that some fans didn't like either, it was the 'cheeky-chappy' flippancy he seemed to display following some dire performances. I'm sure he was hurting as much as the rest of us, possibly more, but it didn't always look like it. Some gravitas was needed. His disdain for the media (entirely justified in my opinion) meant that he, and therefore the club and fans, were up against it with you guys from the off. The 'not Celtic-minded' nonsense was trotted out with monotonous regularity until it was accepted as truth.
On the one hand there were awful performances, bizarre tactics and the occasional disastrous signing (which the media crucified him for) and on the other hand the media told us the fans were only disgruntled because he wasn't 'Celtic-minded'. Make up your mind.
I see Strachan as a man of principle who demanded that fans and media behaved with restraint and self-respect, in that sense he was always going to be disappointed. At the end of the day he had a thankless task. He took a job with financial constraints and a mandate that meant standards would have to drop, and they did. Its a testament to the man that he delivered all that silverware while doing it. But for those of us who had got used to watching Larsson, Sutton, Moravcik etc. at Parkhead it wasnt always pretty.
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How many Aberdeen games has Chick seen this season to feel qualified to comment on what was or wasn't achieved at Pittodrie this season?
It's all well and good for JC's media chums to snipe about how unfairly he was treated and how he'd done wonders on a low budget (that just happened to be larger than 8 other SPL clubs) but none of them actually had to suffer, and worse still PAY for the pleasure of, watching Stuart Duff, Ricky Foster, Darren Mackie, Derek Young et al.
As for the comments on Ebbe, one can only presume since he isn't one of the drinking buddies of the press and since he isn't hear to read it they feel its OK to snipe at a man who won more in his career than JC, Chick or any of his other cronies could ever hope to achieve.
Best stick to pretending to be a St Mirren fan, Chick. Leave the comments on Aberdeen to people who know what they are talking about.
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Aye Chic it is easy on the outside to wonder about Jimmy's dismissal. As a season ticket holder who has had to watch the turgid fare on offer I'm delighted he has gone. No matter what happens next I will never regret the club ridding itself of a manager who was terrified of the opposition (St Mirren at home, what on earth is there to fear?) and who was hosed frequently in cup competitions by teams who should have been put to the sword. Some clubs may have been happy with what was on offer, thankfully mine said "enough is enough."
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Why are there no journalists out there willing to delve into the actual reasons why a large number of Aberdeen fans wanted Calderwood out. It's not as simple as you're making out Chick and as for Ebbe being revered, that just isn't true. Mind you he did get us into Europe twice (same as Jimmy) and two cup finals (we know JC's record there) with a smaller budget than even the likes of Dundee!!
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Craziness....you Celtic lot are impossible. Strachan, a perfect manager for you, but never good enough....for no reason!
Good luck for your next punching bag is more than you deserve!
-from a totally 100% neutral (leeds fan lol!)
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Absolute blithing twaddle, Chick.
As usual, you are peddling the same lazy, ill-informed and ignorant line your fellow colleagues in the west coast-besotted media about Jimmy Calderwood's brand of champagne soccer.
I have had no truck with the baying, mindless mob who could see no good in anything Calderwood did and constantly looked for excuses to spout nonsense about his perceived failings. I defended the man through thick and thin, but my patience, along with just about everyone I know, eventually ran out after one humiliation too many.
Cups shouldn't get managers the sack, but when the team is handed draws so good they couldn't have picked them better themselves two seasons in a row and they still can't make a final, then something's rotten in Denmark.
Only people who never bothered watching Aberdeen (I'm looking at you, Mr Young) and only looked at the bold statistics could express surprise that Calderwood's time had come. Yes, we're in a better place than we were in the late 90s and early 00s. But the club was at such a ridiculously - and artificially - low ebb (no pun intended) at the time, anyone with even an ounce of savvy could perform wonders there.
As I said, I'm grateful for everything Mr Calderwood has done for Aberdeen. But it was clear he had reached the glass ceiling with the club and things had began to go stale. A change was necessary and the time is right.
My concern is that the club don't appear to have a plan B and that they've given Calderwood the bullet without thinking about what to do next. Should they land McGhee this week, then fine. But if the hotseat stays vacant all summer, I'll have grave concerns we'll end up a rudderless shambles once again. Or, worse, with Jim Jeffries.
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Chic, remember the SCQF 1-1 v Celtic at Pittodrie? It was a great game. remember how the Sky lassies avoided you. That was FAF. In fact, no-one spoke to you at all the whole game, neither at HT or beforehand. I felt sorry for you.
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Gordon Strachan did a great job at Celtic, taking over from a legend in Martin O'Neill, without the services of the best players at Celtic Park in more than 30 years in Larsson, Sutton and Co. He will be missed and any manager that replaces him may well find that an ageing team with low funds competing in the shadow of Rangers.
I hope that Celtic fans will give any man that comes in better backing than Strachan got. There are quite a few talented managers in Scotland at the moment so there may well be a few in demand over the border in the Premier League and Championship. This could prove to be a turbulent summer for Scotlands top teams
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I sometimes wonder if you know what you're talking about.....
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Chick, your ignorance astounds me. The only time I gurgled with delight was when Ebbe led us to two cup finals in one season (take note Jimmy). While I'm sure the majority of fans are grateful to Calderwood for restoring some pride and respectability to the Dons, it was the right time for him to leave for reasons that you and the rest of the west coast media completely fail to understand. While the usual nonsense of unrealistic expectations and him being a Rangers man are trotted out, if you had the nous to actually read the message boards to which you refer you would find the real feelings of fans, who are far better qualified than you to comment. But I guess 'rent-a-quote' Calderwood was a dream come true for a lazy journalist such as yourself so you stick the boot into the supporters. In future I suggest you avoid passing comment on teams you clearly know nothing about. Stick to Rangers.
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Calderwood was slated by his own fans due to the nonsense seen on the pitch and the what at times is nothing short of tactical stupidity. Football fans are fickle people but is it wrong for them to want to watch good football and make cup finals? Because that is something that has been missing under the Jimmys.
AFC scraped into Europe because of the appalling form of Utd not because of JC. The performances in the cups in recent years are what have really annoyed AFC fans and if Aberdeen want any cup success in the future then change was def needed. Not even a sniff of a final in 5 years says it all.
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"I suspect they might not realise what they had until long after he is gone."
Aye Chick and when was the last time you came up Pittodrie way? It will only have been to watch the Old Firm, whereby the only time we put in a performance all season.
The rest of the time we watched absolute dross. Calderwood received more money for wages and transfer fees than any of his predecessors and came up with cup defeats against quuens park, queen of the south and dunfermline to name a few, and a sub standard brand of football.
He got us into Europe this season by default in what has been a very poor SPL season for all teams.
We should not settle for this, hence he has gone. Away to annoy Preston I here, to them I can only apologise in advance for his bluster of excuses and sidesteps.
But a message to them, when you have a Thursday night replay in a cup which is TELEVISED and a higher than average gate turn up against lower league opposition, don't be surprised when Calderwood blames, the rain, the pitch, the media, the crowd noise or the fact it 'was a bitterly cold evening' (all used excuses)
Furthermore if you are lucky enough to get to a cup semi final at the national stadium against lower league opposition, don't book your hotel for the final....
Bye calderwood
Poor from you chick
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Come on Chic,you know what's happening at Parkhead,it's the old story,Liewell will spin the usual to the easily led/bled,big signings of manager and players,as I said oh wise one,we bow to your superior inside info,speak to us mere mortals...info....info.
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Chick, it is very telling for you not understand why Celtic supporters wanted Strachan's head. We got tired of poor results at home and abroad, underachiving players with high wages, and dreadful football which dulled the atmosphere at Celtic Park. Are these not good enough reasons without even mentioning the title capitulation? But I imagine you would have preferred to let Strachan hang around for 5 more years while the club rotted, the squad festered, and the support boycotted Celtic Park. Who are you trying to kid? I couldn't care less if William of Orange or Oliver Cromwell was appointed next manager, as long as the squad and the quality of their work was to improve, which following Strachan wouldn't be so hard.
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chick, give up journalism.
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Aye right Chick. If you had any story on Csaba you have printed it. Stop trying to stir the sh!t and crawl back under your stone.
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Whilst not being a huge Strachan fan I had no real problem with him not being "Celtic minded", I thought that this was desperately unfair on him. I consider that he has had an excellent record at the club, easily the equal to Martin O'Neil's.
However, I was mystified by his performances at press conferences considering how expertly he could talk as a TV pundit. He seemed to be quite happy commenting on other managers' teams and tactics but became prickly when questioned on his own. He must have been perfectly aware of what the pressures would be when he accepted the position but appears to have been instantly riled at being in the Auld Firm goldfish bowl.
I was initially disappointed at his decision to go but it seems it was planned, and to flee on holiday without facing the press verges on the cowardly.
The bottom line is that his side virtually fell apart in the second half of the season and has handed Rangers a lifeline when Celtic should have been taking advantage of their stronger position. Strachan contributed greatly to the club's financial position by reducing the wage bill but many of his signings were questionable.
Roll on new times.
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Any news on what the big changes at St Mirren (exclusively revealed by Chic Young at the beginning of May) are going to be?
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Football fans are indeed fickle. Strachan is the most successful celtic manager since Jock Stein, yet is hated by the club's supporters, and hounded out of his job due to his religious beliefs. Calderwood has been ridiculously successful with Aberdeen in Europe, and has reached the top 6 every season. Look at where the Dons were before he came in. Look at where Dunfermline are now.. yet the Dons fans hate him because he was brought up a Rangers fan in Govan.
But the one that really gets me is John Hughes. You would think 10th place, qualifying for Europe and getting to Hampden 3 times would possibly constitute the greatest season in the Bairns' history. And he is even a legendary former player at the club to boot. Yet self-appointed supporters' spokesmen still want him out. The problem is your modern foootball fan, at least those who think popularity on an internet message board somehow gives them influence in the real world, would never be happy unless they were picking the team themselves.
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The problem with Strachan is that he is an insufferable smart ass who didn't seem to understand that talking to the media is a major part of his job. His contempt for the intelligence of the reporters and fans is incredible.
Footballers aren't renowned for their intellect and a quick glance at most football forums (including the Guardian) shows that a lot of supporters nowadays are pretty smart. The Kestrel lager and shell suit remarks could only have come from a complete idiot, believe me. :-)
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The main reason Celtic fans did not want WGS was the fact he not Martin O'Neill. Even after winning the league the first time they wanted MON back. They just don't know when they are well off.
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Chick in 'I can't believe they've sacked the manager' dros shockeroonie. Last seen when ICT dumped Craig Brewster (that was a mistake eh?).
Still, no Alex Smith reference so loses points for that.
Exclusive after exclusive, blog after blog, Chick reminds us all he is the most turgid of reads. Please Chick, go now. We've all had enough of this driveil.
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"...yet is hated by the club's supporters, and hounded out of his job due to his religious beliefs."
Ludicrously wrong on both counts. No doubt there are some supporters who might actually hate him, but far more are grateful for three in a row and twice reaching the CL last 16; a more vocal (and growing) number were simply fed up of watching increasingly uninspiring football and a lack of tactical flair when needed (witness the last two 0-0 draws that sealed the title's fate), as well as Strachan's persistent refusal to give straight answers even to sincere questions. Personally I liked him but even so his time was up: he'd run out of ideas I think and the team have looked flat since the new year.
i think the whole 'Celtic-minded'/religious beliefs angle to this story is a media creation. No-one seemed to mind Jock Stein being Protestant... Most football fans are far more likely to be at the ground on Saturday than at either church or chapel on Sunday.
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Calderwood was sacked because he is a talentless nonentity. Something quite a few of the BBC's Scottish football team should relate to.
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No 26. what century are you living in? In no way was WGS hounded out of celtic park for religous beliefs. Its not celtic that had a policy of not signing players due to their religion. If that was the case why is Lou Macari not still in the job?
I firmly believe that WGS was not hounded out of celtic at all. I feel he knows that he had taken the team as far as he possibly could. I am gratefull for the things he did at celtic, 3 on the bounce last 16 twice.
I do however, feel he got lucky by coming up against possibly the worst rangers team since the 80's and also a poor spl.
the football that was dished out on most occasions was generally very poor and the majority of his signings were also very poor.
I wish him all the best for the future
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"Jimmy would have been as nervous as an MP reading the Telegraph if he scanned Aberdeen fans' websites over the last couple of years" - it's fairly apparent that you don't scan your own readers' comments. How often do you find a comment that actually praises you for writing whatever pops into your head, regardless of whether it's actually backed by any of those annoying facts...
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drivel Chick, on both accounts
I don't know a single Celtic fan who thinks the issue with WGS was based around religion.
I don't know a single Aberdeen fan who thinks that it wasn't time for JC to go.
Both had done as much as they could at their respective clubs. Only Strachan realised that the the produce wasn't good enough though. Calderwood actually believes he is a tactical genius. The law of averages says he'll get one or two random half-time switches correct in a season but the bulk of the time the players could not even fathom what was going on. In fact, when he had no squad to choose from and couldn't mess about he tended to get more out of the players.
Strachan will pick up another club soon enough I expect. I don't think he will do wonders and will leave after 3 years. Europe, where they have a greater tendency to serve a contract then leave, might suit him more. Calderwood will drop to a smaller club and once again bluster and spout the same nonsense excuses and blame everyone and everything rather than take responsibility for his shortcomings.
I wish them both well in what they do next and I long for the day when your standard of journalism improves. There is plenty of scope for it to do so.
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Celtic fans had it in for Wee Gordon long before he went to Parkheid. There is a big bit of history involved.
When Wee Gordon was an Aberdeen player he took great delight in sticking one up Celtic. He did it on numerous occasions (one famous time being a 3-1 Dons win at Parkheid which more or less guaranteed the championship in season 1979-1980 and at the same time wrestling it from Celtic's grasp). I was witness on at least 2 occasions when, after Wee Gordon again rattled Celtic, he was attacked by Celtic fans for celebrating.
Since these days he has never been forgiven by that generation of Celtic fan. And, of course, bad feeling gets passed down the generations (especially down Parkheid way).
It's almost an identical situation as to why Roy Aitken was never accepted at Aberdeen and eventually had to go. He always liked sticking one up us as a Celtic player and, although he wasn't a complete disaster of a manager, was never accepted by the vast majority of Aberdeen fans.
Good luck to Wee Gordon. Great player and great manager for Celtic. Pity the fans were so bitter about him.
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what a horrible feeling to just scrape into europe! JC let us down in the cups but how can we forget the euro run from 2007/08 or was that a fluke as well. 2-2 at home to bayern munich!! Why concentrate on the lows?
What matters at abz is how much cash the manager gets from wee baldy, his track record is not the best on that front.
I wait with baited breath to see who the next poor sod is who has to operate under the 80's spotlight.
As for agent strachan, it must be awful winning only 3 titles in a row, how my heart bleeds for those poor supporters!!
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There alot Factors sited here to explain the departure of both JC and WGS, while both were shocking at speaking with media in rather different ways, also neither were ever consider club men by there fans. These problems servered to make life difficult but ultimately they both fell viticim to same thing not pleasings the fans with the football on display, granted both were fairly sucessful results wise, but when the fans stopped renewing season tickets both men had to from the broads point of view also.
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i take it u dont have setanta chick!...
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There are alot of the above comments I can happily agree with in terms of why Strachan left when he did and why that was the right decision for every one concerned - primarily, it was obvious to everyone who watches Celtic on a regular basis that things had run their course under his leadership. He had done a great job up until the last 18 months or so and there is obviously no way you can argue with his record in terms of tophies won in his time in charge and for that he should be whole-heartedly congratulated by all Celtic fans regardless of how they percieve WGS on their own personal level.
However, a few basic truths are totally and utterly inescapable. Firstly, the quality of play has slowly but sureley deteriorated in the last year or so and if Rangers hadn't went to the UEFA Cup final last year we could easily have been having this debate a year ago. Secondly, in terms of this season, European exit at the hands of a Scandinavian pub team is wholey unacceptable considering the strides the club had made in Europe in previous years. Couple this with a Scottish Cup defeat at the hands of a very poor St.Mirren side and the fact that we surrendered a sizable lead on several occasions in the league this season and I personally feels WGS's position would have been untenable in just about any league you care to mention.
As for his attitude to the media - Celtic fans have come to expect no favours from the scottish hacks so WGS's attitude towards them doesn't concern me in the slightest, however a club of Celtic's stature has media coverage on a worldwide scale, especially when you consider guys like Nakamura having press gaggles from their own country at parkhead on a regular basis and in that sense he should have been more aware of his responsibilities as an ambassaor for the club.
On the whole I thank him for his service and wish him well - we have a resonably good, fairly young squad with plenty of potential to improve under the right man going forward, lets just hope we get the right man, 'Celtic-minded or not'
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Ah now Chick, I doubt you've been watching Aberdeen *too* closely over the last two seasons. I'm certainly not one of those knee-jerk "Calderwood out" people but it's become plain that his first decent side peaked in 2006/07 on a creditable 65 points and third place ... He then lost Russell Anderson, but the first few months of the 2007/08 season had a little bit of fairy dust thanks to the UEFA Cup. Once Chris Clark and Michael Hart left as well in January 2008, form nosedived and we had a dreadful couple of months (poor second half performance in the CIS semi v Dundee United, very few league points and only the Bayern Munich game at Pittodrie providing a high). League form did pick up towards the end of the season but that was offset by the QOS disaster (three goals conceded in around ten minutes to a lower division side at Hampden directly after the half time team talk).
Then Barry Nicholson left.
The start of 2008/09 season at Pittodrie provided more food for thought (1 point from 15 in three months) and although things got better at home, we were really playing catch up all season with a team that was taking time to gel (Kerr, McDonald, Aluko, Mulgrew) - and we messed up another decent cup draw by failing to score against Dunfermline at Pittodrie in 120 minutes.
Being charitable, you could say that no one should be expected to instantly replace players like Anderson or Nicholson and that team rebuilding takes time - so finishing top six and sneaking a European place isn't bad. What's more, Aberdeen have been the most consistent SPL side outside Glasgow in the last five years Hearts and their overdraft excepted.
Being candid however, Dons fans have had two seasons of generally poor football, questionable tactics, bizarre cup disappointments and (sorry to say) sheer boredom at times. The time had come for Calderwood to either galvanise himself and the team for another serious push for third, or to go. I'm not even sure he would have wanted to stay medium term anyway so the situation is now glass half full or half empty. Either Calderwood was the best we could get and a grim few years are coming in the Granite City OR an ambitious manager, a commanding centre half and a goalscorer - if we can find these guys - could easily complete a half decent squad and see us finish third next season.
Hey, we might even make a cup final. Wouldn't expect to *win it* of course - that would be just evidence of provincial kookiness and "expectation gone mad"...
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Strachan had a superior domestic and European record than the Celtic fans hero Martin O'Neill, yet was despised. O'Neill's route-one Wimbledon style football was also immune from the criticism Strachan has received from these same Celtic supporters. I'd have more respect for those who hounded out Strachan if they gave the simple reason why he could never be tolerated.
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Chick, Calderwood's perceived success with Aberdeen is based on a time not so long ago when Aberdeen were at one of the lowest points in their history. For wages, money spent etc. Aberdeen should at least hope for 3rd / 4th / 5th every year, just as with the money spent by the OF they should expect to obtain 1st / 2nd spot every year.
Jimmy has achieved nothing exceptional as an Aberdeen manager (a massive Euro run with 1 win perhaps?) and continually flashed his wares around whenever a 3 game winning run came along or a Championship team lost their manager. Perhaps the Aberdeen board were correct in their decision to get rid of a manager obviously not committed to the club long term as his ambition is so much higher than a club like Aberdeen anyway?
I appreciate the job Jimmy did in stabilising the club but it realistically could not have gotten any worse, now we need a manager that can take us that little bit further, finish 6th and take a trophy would do me, for the 2 games in Europe we will get, is the league worth it?
I also note Hibs performance over the last 5 years. Top 6? check, trophy? check, player sales?, check (over £10M more taken in for sales than Aberdeen, youth system Jimmy?)
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Nice blog Chick
An awful lot of people seem to come here for "a read and a rant" but they still come eh?
I think a lot of fans are delusional about the capacity of their teams.
At Celtic, Strachan was the girl you went out with after you had broken up with the one your Mum really wanted you to marry...never quite accepted.
Keep up the good work Chic.
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Maybe Strachan could go to Aberdeen?
PS, those who say he was "despised at" or "hounded out of" Parkhead are obviously advancing an agenda so clear it can be sen from the moon.
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chick, give up journalism.
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I think the main reason why Gordon Strachan didn't win the hearts of the Celtic supporters is because the team never gave convincing performances.
They should have walked the title race this season, but they fell short of the mark too many times. Also coupled with the fact that he doesn't really have the eye for a striker, as too many of his signings underperformed or just weren't good enough in the first place.
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Chic, unlike a lot of my Aberdeen friends I think your a pretty decent journo but you, the media and especially the west coast hacks are so far off the mark when it comes to JC it is unbelievable. There are several reasons a lot of Aberdeen fans have had enough of JC, his brand of football was meant to be attacking - long balls punted from keeper to striker dont really count as an attacking move in my book. His inability to put out a settled team cost us 15 points a season for the last 2 seasons, we are not Liverpool nor have their playing resources so why switch players about in some attempt to use squad rotation systems (we have a squad of 22 not 35) and dump others to suit the opposition tactics, they should be taking the way we play into consideration and not the other way about. He never once took responsibility for the team or defeats, he blames the wind, the rain, the pitch, the rugby, the opposition not playing a Scottish game, Langfield, Foster, Diamond, Sevy, Aluko, Miller, they've all been hung out to dry in the local press by JC. He lies through his teeth and still is, take the latest incident in regards to his departure, he claims that players were ready to walk out with him. They are all now having to give interviews while on holidays to clear all this up. The list goes on Chic but it has nothing to do with his place of birth or his team allegiance. He gave us 3 good years and 2 full of excuses, he was lucky not to get punted last year after the 2 heavy simi final cup defeats. Finally this has nothing to do with Aberdeen fans thinking we have a right to win the league or be at all the cup finals. No one in Aberdeen expects that, what we do expect is a manager who is open and honest and a team that plays for the shirt, Mark Mcghee can give us that.
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Great Rangers story on the Chris Charles "Review of the Week" blog. And a couple of funny responses. Recommended.
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And now Mixu Paatelainen's gone as well?! We'll have no SPL managers left by the time pre-season begins at this rate!
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Nice to see you congratulating Walter and everyone at Ibrox for winning the League. Probably choke you to utter anything complementary about Rangers.
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JOHN COLLINS
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Who would want the Celtic job ?
Win the SPL - it's expected.Come second - you're a bum
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Wee Gordon has taken Celtic back 10yrs. I have never seen them play such negitive football. Good riddens to an arrogant ignorant man such as the wee man Strachan. He did not cover himself in glory or sell the club to the media. He treated the fans with total disrespect. We are after all the people who pay thier wages. Bring in Slaven Billic, with Henrik Larsson as number 2 and Neil Lennon to instill the Celtic way in the dressing room. That would be my dream team. I believe Billic can take Celtic to the next level.
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Those Celtic fans who wanted Strachan out, for whatever reason, may just come to regret getting what they wished for. Strachan was highly successful in a relatively difficult financial situation. The club appear to be struggling to find someone to replace him - but time will tell.
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As an American, I don't quite understand the mindset that he isn't one of us so he isn't good enough. My other favorite football team the "Green Bay Packers" were on top of the world at the same time the Lisbon Lions were at the top. The Packers kept trying to bring back legends from that time as head coaches - it never worked. Only when they brought in fresh ideas did they flourish once again.
I supported Strachan because he was a pro and he got a team to win that wasn't quite the talent level as St. Martin's teams. True they dropped out of Scottish cup competition twice but players should perform against lesser teams.
Good Luck Gordon, I'll always be greatful and I will watch you whereever you end up.
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Have you ever scanned a rangers website?
Walter out, super sally out, even after a uefa cup final and now a spl title.
Rangers fans who speak football, want the two of them to go! no mention of this in your blog, why would that be??
Lets focus on celtic and aberdeen fans against Gordon and Jimmy!
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I doubt if Chick Young will read this comment but he has unwittingly written the very reason why Strachan had to go as opposed to walking out. Gordon Strachan has been patronising to the Celtic fans from day one. His attitude to the media is a reflection of how he treats people - with contempt and no respect whatsoever as does the media. I have no sympathy for the media - you treat the fans in the same way - listen to 'loudmouth' Traynor on a Saturday afternoon treating fans as idiots. What is happening with politicians will rebound too on the smart alecs who think they know better in football and its environs and that includes the football reporting media printed and otherwise. The fans are sick to the teeth of paying large amounts of money for season tickets only to have their views and love of their clubs rubbished by football managers and the media alike. You lot all need to show a bit more respect. Fans have every right to vent their anger and frustraton on forums and use their rights to with-hold money from season ticket sales. I have seen Strachan's ned attitude close up and it was not a pretty sight and I am glad he's gone. Well rid I say, well rid!
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If you qualify for the champions league in England it is an amazing success. In Scotland it's failure. Only winning the league is good enough for OF supporters. I think Celtic will lament Strachan leaving. I don't think the job has the draw it used to. The issues with Santanta could just make things worse.
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See our take of Scotland's chances to qualify for the World Cup.
http://www.footballiscominghome.net/tag/scotland/
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