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| Celtic’s limp Champions League exit highlights grim lack of ambition | Celtic’s limp Champions League exit highlights grim lack of ambition |
| (12 days later) | |
| A curious thing happens when British clubs appoint an unknown foreign manager. Supporters who had never heard of said coach before adopt an immediate defence mechanism against anyone who raises an eyebrow at the appointment. | A curious thing happens when British clubs appoint an unknown foreign manager. Supporters who had never heard of said coach before adopt an immediate defence mechanism against anyone who raises an eyebrow at the appointment. |
| This happened in Glasgow when Celtic unveiled Ronny Deila. Within hours of his name entering the public domain, the 38-year-old was being heralded as a Norwegian coaching genius. | This happened in Glasgow when Celtic unveiled Ronny Deila. Within hours of his name entering the public domain, the 38-year-old was being heralded as a Norwegian coaching genius. |
| A blunt reality was ignored: no player worthy of the top level would last even close to six-and-a-half years in the Norwegian league without being snapped up. The same applies to managers and Deila spent that period in charge of Stromsgodset. | A blunt reality was ignored: no player worthy of the top level would last even close to six-and-a-half years in the Norwegian league without being snapped up. The same applies to managers and Deila spent that period in charge of Stromsgodset. |
| In their wisdom, Celtic teamed up Deila with John Collins in replacing Neil Lennon and his coaching staff. Deila was known in British football circles having studied Manchester City’s training. He was linked with the Crystal Palace job once. He enjoyed success in Norway at a club nowhere near the scale of Celtic while making no inroads at all in Europe. Given that Celtic have been reduced to taking chances on players, there is no surprise the same approach eventually applying to managers. First impressions of the Norwegian have been of a dreamy managerial idealist and discontent in the training ground were rumoured from the early days of Deila’s tenure, a matter that can be overplayed and occasionally reflects badly on the players themselves. Deila bemoaned the performances of other Scottish clubs in Europe as holding Celtic back by virtue of the country’s co-efficient. On Wednesday night those comments came back to haunt him when Celtic exited the Champions League in the qualifying stage 6-1 on aggregate to Legia Warsaw. | In their wisdom, Celtic teamed up Deila with John Collins in replacing Neil Lennon and his coaching staff. Deila was known in British football circles having studied Manchester City’s training. He was linked with the Crystal Palace job once. He enjoyed success in Norway at a club nowhere near the scale of Celtic while making no inroads at all in Europe. Given that Celtic have been reduced to taking chances on players, there is no surprise the same approach eventually applying to managers. First impressions of the Norwegian have been of a dreamy managerial idealist and discontent in the training ground were rumoured from the early days of Deila’s tenure, a matter that can be overplayed and occasionally reflects badly on the players themselves. Deila bemoaned the performances of other Scottish clubs in Europe as holding Celtic back by virtue of the country’s co-efficient. On Wednesday night those comments came back to haunt him when Celtic exited the Champions League in the qualifying stage 6-1 on aggregate to Legia Warsaw. |
| Marriages of coaching convenience seldom work. Collins was a fine Celtic player and one of precious few Scots to forge a successful career abroad. His coaching career, though, has been somewhat erratic. There is also the not insignificant issue of negative previous with the Celtic captain Scott Brown when the pair were at Hibernian. | Marriages of coaching convenience seldom work. Collins was a fine Celtic player and one of precious few Scots to forge a successful career abroad. His coaching career, though, has been somewhat erratic. There is also the not insignificant issue of negative previous with the Celtic captain Scott Brown when the pair were at Hibernian. |
| It would be unfair to blame Deila and Collins entirely for Celtic’s humiliating exit from the Champions League. The manager is indicative of a wider decline and problem. It could be reasonably argued that Harry Houdini would have had trouble taking Celtic’s team to the promised land of the group stages for a third year in succession. In the first leg against Legia, Celtic were shockingly ragged and tactically inept; match two was arguably worse. Deila was hardly helped by the ridiculous agreement of the Celtic hierarchy to play European qualifying fixtures at Murrayfield, as Celtic Park was handed over for a Commonwealth Games jamboree. This is supposedly a prominent football club, not a venue hirer. | It would be unfair to blame Deila and Collins entirely for Celtic’s humiliating exit from the Champions League. The manager is indicative of a wider decline and problem. It could be reasonably argued that Harry Houdini would have had trouble taking Celtic’s team to the promised land of the group stages for a third year in succession. In the first leg against Legia, Celtic were shockingly ragged and tactically inept; match two was arguably worse. Deila was hardly helped by the ridiculous agreement of the Celtic hierarchy to play European qualifying fixtures at Murrayfield, as Celtic Park was handed over for a Commonwealth Games jamboree. This is supposedly a prominent football club, not a venue hirer. |
| Deila already looks a soft and cheap option. Specific qualities are required to manage at either half of the Old Firm because of the intensity associated with the positions. Yet it is already costly is in the eyes of supporters, who are rightly disenchanted. Yes, Deila should probably be allowed to build his own team but pointers towards how much resource would be pushed towards that do not bode well. | Deila already looks a soft and cheap option. Specific qualities are required to manage at either half of the Old Firm because of the intensity associated with the positions. Yet it is already costly is in the eyes of supporters, who are rightly disenchanted. Yes, Deila should probably be allowed to build his own team but pointers towards how much resource would be pushed towards that do not bode well. |
| In November 2012, Celtic were in a formidable position. A 2-1 defeat of Barcelona set them on the path to qualification to the Champions League’s last 16. Lennon was in charge of a young, vibrant side who had been built relatively cheaply from scratch following the disastrous managerial spell of Tony Mowbray. Domestic dominance was assured courtesy of Rangers’ demise and Celtic were well-placed to establish themselves as a regular European force. | |
| This has not transpired. The club have developed an apparent obsession with signing projects rather than first-team football players. The side who so meekly surrendered to Legia – who are no more than European also-rans – typified the slow undoing of Lennon’s work. Those who feel sorry for Deila given the downsized circumstances he has been placed in should remember it is those very circumstances which led to his appointment. | This has not transpired. The club have developed an apparent obsession with signing projects rather than first-team football players. The side who so meekly surrendered to Legia – who are no more than European also-rans – typified the slow undoing of Lennon’s work. Those who feel sorry for Deila given the downsized circumstances he has been placed in should remember it is those very circumstances which led to his appointment. |
| Gary Hooper, a striker of quality, was allowed to leave for Norwich City as a string of almost mediocre players – Amido Baldé, Teemu Pukki, Derk Boerrigter to name but three – arrived. Celtic would balk at offering Hooper his true worth of close to £30,000 a week, instead taking gambles on players from abroad who only might come good. It is a scatter-gun policy and one that would always rebound at some stage. This business plan makes little sense. | Gary Hooper, a striker of quality, was allowed to leave for Norwich City as a string of almost mediocre players – Amido Baldé, Teemu Pukki, Derk Boerrigter to name but three – arrived. Celtic would balk at offering Hooper his true worth of close to £30,000 a week, instead taking gambles on players from abroad who only might come good. It is a scatter-gun policy and one that would always rebound at some stage. This business plan makes little sense. |
| Lennon had generated millions of pounds for the club via back-to-back Champions League involvement, added to the sales of Hooper, Ki Sung-yueng and Victor Wanyama. There was a solid foundation from which Celtic could prove their standing; as a vibrant business with aspirations beyond a Scottish domestic set-up that seems of little interest to stay-away season ticket holders. | Lennon had generated millions of pounds for the club via back-to-back Champions League involvement, added to the sales of Hooper, Ki Sung-yueng and Victor Wanyama. There was a solid foundation from which Celtic could prove their standing; as a vibrant business with aspirations beyond a Scottish domestic set-up that seems of little interest to stay-away season ticket holders. |
| The notion that Lennon departed Celtic in the summer because of a lack of transfer funding is a flawed one. The Northern Irishman was essentially tired of the Scottish scene. Still, it is inconceivable that an ambitious and successful manager with such a love for the club would opt for unemployment if they were convinced they could take Celtic on a fresh, exciting journey as a reward for previous success. That opportunity clearly was not available. | The notion that Lennon departed Celtic in the summer because of a lack of transfer funding is a flawed one. The Northern Irishman was essentially tired of the Scottish scene. Still, it is inconceivable that an ambitious and successful manager with such a love for the club would opt for unemployment if they were convinced they could take Celtic on a fresh, exciting journey as a reward for previous success. That opportunity clearly was not available. |
| Rangers are far from irrelevant in all of this. Celtic’s board have used their wrecked city rivals as a “be careful what you wish for” comparison whenever it is pointed out that further squad investment and ambition was required. It is a totally spurious point; nobody could reasonably suggest the fiscal basketcase model which proved so ruinous at Ibrox should be followed. | Rangers are far from irrelevant in all of this. Celtic’s board have used their wrecked city rivals as a “be careful what you wish for” comparison whenever it is pointed out that further squad investment and ambition was required. It is a totally spurious point; nobody could reasonably suggest the fiscal basketcase model which proved so ruinous at Ibrox should be followed. |
| It is legitimate to ask Celtic to invest in experienced talent for assaults on the Champions League when already in a position of unquestionable strength. If you do not build when at the top, the potential for a tumble increases. | It is legitimate to ask Celtic to invest in experienced talent for assaults on the Champions League when already in a position of unquestionable strength. If you do not build when at the top, the potential for a tumble increases. |
| That does not mean spending £9m on transfer fees but it does suggest when Georgios Samaras and Joe Ledley walk out of the door, saving around £40,000 a week on salaries, perhaps a chunk of that should be put back into the team at the first available opportunity. | That does not mean spending £9m on transfer fees but it does suggest when Georgios Samaras and Joe Ledley walk out of the door, saving around £40,000 a week on salaries, perhaps a chunk of that should be put back into the team at the first available opportunity. |
| Instead, Deila has been handed a loanee from Cardiff City, a goalkeeper who was lined up before his arrival and an otherwise impoverished squad who will be worse off when Fraser Forster and Virgil van Dijk move on. If Celtic had a superb youth model that offset such circumstances, there would be less of an issue. They do not. | Instead, Deila has been handed a loanee from Cardiff City, a goalkeeper who was lined up before his arrival and an otherwise impoverished squad who will be worse off when Fraser Forster and Virgil van Dijk move on. If Celtic had a superb youth model that offset such circumstances, there would be less of an issue. They do not. |
| Swift conclusions are never wise after wounding results but the Legia debacle was in the post for Celtic. A year ago, they scraped past Shakhter Karagandy in a qualifying tie. Alarm bells should have rung out amid the celebration; they did not, Celtic ploughed on and have suddenly suffered an embarrassing crash into the buffers. | Swift conclusions are never wise after wounding results but the Legia debacle was in the post for Celtic. A year ago, they scraped past Shakhter Karagandy in a qualifying tie. Alarm bells should have rung out amid the celebration; they did not, Celtic ploughed on and have suddenly suffered an embarrassing crash into the buffers. |