McNamara: A Journey Backwards

Every Celtic fan has gone through spells of liking, then disliking, certain players.

At times it goes beyond that. I went off Craig Burley the second his self-loving backside was hit by the door on his way out of Parkhead, and over time that feeling escalated to loathing as he ingratiated himself into the media and became a professional Celtic baiter.

There are some for whom my feelings veer back and forward, like John Hartson, who’s criticism of Ronny Deila at the start of the season made me furious because it was so ill-judged and seemingly spiteful, but who has, along with Chris Sutton, had the good grace to hold up his hands and say “You know what? I got it wrong.”

I remember the day Jackie McNamara left Celtic Park.

I was bitterly disappointed in him, because, at the time, there was a perception that he’d left the club for more money.

He has long denied that, and indeed, looking back, it seems pretty clear that someone inside Parkhead made a judgement call he had no business making.

The manager wanted the player to stay. According to Jackie, he wanted to end his career at Celtic … yet he left, under that big, black cloud.

It’s been a while since Jackie started his managerial career – he went to Thistle in 2011 – and at 41 he still ticks the “young up and comer” box much more readily than did a certain Sevconian now busily pruning his plants.

He has been at Dundee Utd now since January 2013 … and until recently I would have said he matched the template for “future Celtic boss.”

Not anymore. I think he’s blown it.

This was a guy who I thought was forging his reputation on very good, attacking football, the kind of football that you’d pay to go and watch. I also thought he was the kind of manager who did things with courtesy and a certain amount of class.

He started out that way, you know; a coach who would credit opponents, who would act with a certain dignity.

Something has happened to him this season. The attractive football has been replaced by something else, something uglier. His team has become an undisciplined rabble, with Cifiti and Paton in particular revealing the nasty side of McNamara’s developing football philosophy.

His defence of their various indiscretions is equally ridiculous.

Paul Paton, in particular, has gained a reputation as a thuggish ned. He’s been shouting his mouth off this week, saying Celtic “influence referees”, but this is merely one of many instances of this guy behaving like a complete numpty. He is, after all, a player who was found guilty of spitting at a rival this season, in addition to his flying elbows and raised boots … not to mention being due up in court on an assault charge against Celtic’s number two keeper Lukas Zaluska.

Managers stand up for their players all the time; indeed, Ronny Deila has continued to defend Alexander Tonev and has been calm in the face of allegations against other Celtic players … but Ronny has done this in a calm, composed, largely private fashion.

He hasn’t played the Victim Card or anything like it, which is part of what makes McNamara’s attitude towards him – and towards Celtic recently – almost unbelievable.

This seems to have started with Ronny moving for Gary Mackay Steven on a free transfer.

The Celtic boss apologised for this after McNamara had a min-meltdown in the media over the matter. To this day I still have no idea at all what the Celtic boss was apologising for, but he chose to do it anyway as a mark of respect to the other manager and his club.

McNamara has not shown him the same courtesy. In fact, he has actually been very disrespectful of Deila, and Celtic. When he accused the Norwegian of reacting because he was “under pressure” I couldn’t help laugh. With one trophy already in the bag, a league lead and a cup semi final to look forward to, Ronny looks like the calmest man in the world, as he should be. He is the boss of the biggest club in the land and we are playing damned well.

Jackie McNamara, on the other hand, is a manager under pressure, in my view.

They finished fourth in the table last year, and they’re back there again this season, apparently having made no progress at all.

They reached a cup final then too, but unlike Delia the pressure did prove too much for Jackie, and they lost it to St Johnstone.

Two appearances in finals, two defeats. Ronny’s been in one … and he went home with the trophy.

McNamara has had a bad reaction to his teams lack of forward motion.

He is the one cracking, and if he can’t take the pressure at a club like Dundee Utd, with little in the way of expectations, he is not cut out for the bigger stage.

In short, I don’t like what I’ve seen of him lately. I don’t like the kind of players he depends on.

I don’t like the aggressive, vicious style of much of their play in the last few months. I don’t like his snarking, bitchty attitude in front of the media, so reminiscent of McCoist.

I don’t like the way he lacks class and the good grace to accept that, over the last few games, his team has been completely outplayed.

McNamara once looked like he had the stuff to aspire to the manager’s office at Celtic Park.

He’s blown in recent months.

If we wanted an arrogant, underachieving, aggressive blowhard in that job we’d have hired Roy Keane.