Today, Thistle’s chairman was busy promoting Alun Archibald for the manager of the year award.
Some media pundits pricked up their ears at this. Some have been pushing other names around the board for months, but they like the sound of this one in particular now that their favourite Jim Duffy isn’t garnering the support they’d hoped.
I understand why the board at Thistle wants to promote their man, and their club. It not unreasonable for him to try to make such a case, but let’s be realistic and tell it straight. It’s a top six place finish, that’s all. It’s a modest accomplishment.
Celtic secured the title without losing a game. We’ve already won the League Cup. We may yet win the treble, in an unbeaten season. I don’t care what the budget disparity looks like; that is an astounding achievement which will probably never be better by a Scottish team.
If they hide behind the garbage excuse that Brendan has only done what is “expected of him” and he is not worthy of being Manager of the Year then no manager of Celtic can, or should, win the award again. If they’re going to rig the deck they better do it right.
That’s what it will be; it will a con-job. It will be a joke.
The manager who does stand up on the night to win the award will know, himself, that he’s a fraud. He will know it’s not legitimate. He will look at a room full of charlatans and know he’s only the candidate of choice because some of them simply could not stomach putting a cross beside Brendan’s name.
What our manager has done is exceptional. Consider that this is, but for a few players, the same team Ronny Deila had last year. The idea that he’s only done what people knew he would is frankly insulting to our intelligence. Will those hacks who picked Sevco to win the league say they expected this? Will they have the brass neck? Not one of them said we’d win the treble … not one. If we manage it where’s the validity in any other nomination?
Look at how they’ve done the Manager of the Month awards; no matter how much Brendan deserves them he gets one month off and one month on; it’s a travesty.
If Brendan doesn’t get this award in the biggest landslide since Reagan’s it will be a disgrace.
If he loses it then the award itself is not devalued as much as it’s destroyed. The vote will have been rigged by biased little men who cannot look at the success Brendan has achieved without it sticking in their throats. It will be the ultimate tainted title.
Today Brendan was talking up the team, saying that our players deserve to win the respective awards for their own endeavours. He is correct in this, but he is equally entitled to the respect of his peers and the media. The hunt for another nominee is a desperate sham.
This is the easiest choice any of them will ever have to make in the voting booth.