Anyone who’s seen my last few articles on Gordon Strachan knows exactly how I feel about the man and about his new found “position” at Celtic Park.
He served this club faithfully and with great loyalty. He maintains that loyalty to this day; you never hear of Strachan putting the boot into us.
For all that I think his thinking is antiquated and it doesn’t impress me one bit that he is the best the club can do in terms of “consulting.” It’s a joke.
It’s narrow thinking and a lack of imagination.
I don’t see any merit in the idea at all, none whatsoever. But the suggestion that we are breaking some kind of regulation in having him in the role is manifestly ridiculous, no matter how many times tired hacks point you at the SFA’s Article 13.
Let’s be honest; it’s great to see the media taking an interest in football regulations.
It’s nice that they appear to care.
Notice that in the present hour of danger across the city that none of them ever bothers to go through UEFA’s financial fair play rules, or explore the SFA’s responsibilities under them. There have been times in the past when not only has the media not cared about regulations but has actively dismissed them in the interests of the game “moving on.”
So yes, it’s nice that they are awake and paying attention, even if they’ve either misunderstood the rule in question or simply overlooked the obvious fact that it does not apply in this case. Strachan is not working at Celtic. He’s an independent consultant, offering guidance and advice. I wrote about it right here on the blog earlier in the week.
The role is both short term and part time.
It carries no influence whatsoever, being pegged as advisory only which means that anything he suggests can be summarily dismissed.
If that’s a conflict of interest someone should explain why Harper McLeod representing the league and various clubs in it doesn’t cause the same problem.
There are clubs up and down the land who share employees and services ….
Are they all breaking the rules?
My disregard for this whole idea stems in part from it being pointless and wasteful of resources; with Strachan possessing no actual authority it seems like a big waste of time.
That very issue is why there’s no conflict; Article 13 is only trigged when someone is “involved in any capacity whatsoever in the management or administration of a club, or has any power whatsoever to influence the management or administration of a club.”
He won’t be either managing or administrating.
He will not have any authority whatsoever to do so in even the smallest, tiniest way as Celtic’s statement makes abundantly clear.
He is being hired – no laughing please – for his expertise. Nothing more.
But still, it amuses me.
It’s as if the governing bodies – facing off with Ibrox – need to look as if they are doing a little balancing act.
The media is happy to help, if it gives the impression that those who run Celtic are still engaged in self-sabotage.
Yet for all the blood and thunder, there is nothing to see here at all.
I might find this move to be a classic example of our thinking not stretching further than the names in Dermot Desmond’s Filofax but the idea that Celtic has broken the rules is for the birds.
The media will just have to find another drum to bang on.