This morning, Keith Jackson turned in a typical Keith Jackson piece, full of allusions to Celtic’s impending collapse. The idea behind this belief is that Ange somehow took the rest of Scottish football by surprise last season by being a good manager. Now that clubs know that he is a good manager he will not find it as easy.
This is the most ridiculous theory yet, one that is pitiful.
One that truly finds the bottom of the barrel and scrapes the goo off it. That a journalist at a national title wrote that, and not some forum posting numpty, is an indictment on the outlet which pays him.
And yet, Jackson is not alone in holding this view. I’ve seen other hacks express it.
I’ve also written about how some of them have taken to suggesting that a manager’s second season is always harder than the first; this is, as I’ve pointed out, is a theory from television, not from sport, based on the belief that when a first series is successful that the writers are tempted simply to try to tell the same story in a slightly different way, with no real originality.
In football, that’s called bedding in your ideas. It usually results in a team that gets stronger the longer it plays together. This notion that the following up a successful campaign is harder than putting one together is never, you’ll notice, applied at Ibrox; there are people now saying that the team did so well last season they might not need signings.
The truth is, we know that Ange’s team will be even more formidable when the new campaign kicks off. With a summer of peace and calm, in which to get his ideas across, and the players raring to go from the first weekend of the season, the hacks should be a lot more afraid of this team and this manager than they appear to be.
Maybe that’s it though.
Maybe this is all designed to give off the impression of calm, whilst they panic in private.
For sure, I know that anyone who looked at our form after our early bad spell cannot be unimpressed or concerned that there might be no stopping us.
None of them expected Jota and Carter Vickers both to sign; they may say that we’ve not actually gotten much stronger, but they all know losing those guys would have made us much weaker and they had hoped for that, only to have their hopes dashed.
This window isn’t closed yet. My money is on this team being much stronger when it finally is, and this would be enough to make me very confident even without knowing what sort of state they were in across the city.
Jackson and others can cling to this “tricky second season” theory, this insulting idea that Ange was only successful because people underestimated him (they apparently don’t realise how much that idea underestimates him) as they will … but they are simply setting themselves up for major disappointment and embarrassment.
It is not going to be like that at all.
Have you read Ten Reasons Why Celtic Will Win The League Next Season? Do It here.
How much do you know about our wins over Sevco? Do the quiz and find out!
A combination of pishful thinking and stupidity is what’s behind this theory.
Indeed, if you apply it across the board, Celtic will be even more ready to face the rest of the league, particularly sevco, who have undoubtedly gone backwards.
The rest should be very afraid indeed.
It’s GvBs second season as well not a mention there.
Jackson has the monicker,Scotland’s most influential columnist,like a grand high exalted mystic ruler of words! Don’t forget he told the whole multiverse that Craig Whyte was a billionaire businessman,and as that was lying to the public in a national daily tabloid,the Daily Record promoted him to Chief Reporter. Few people buy the Record any more,yet their prices rise 3 time per year! By the way the head honchos at the Record decided it was a good idea to raise the cost of a daily paper,slap, bang in the middle of a Pandemic! Scotland’s Champion. Now you know why? To pay Jackson’s wages.
The only thing he influences is my bladder control when reading anything the fud writes, I just can’t help but pish masel’…
Whole I’m not defending Keech, he did say he couldn’t see past us for the title. Whether he’s just accepting reality I don’t know…
While. Ffs
Celtic should be in great shape for the campaign ahead, team bedded in and players not just in the door. Couple more first team options still to come in. Happy feel about the place. We had players come in last season after a full season and little break.
I think the league win margin will be well into double digits this season. I also predict rangers will hit panic buy mode again in the january sales. They never learn.
Keef really insults the other coaches of the SPFL, wee Tyrion included, when he says that they now know what to expect from Ange. The Big Man never wavered and stuck to his methodology from the off until the players started to get it, and by the end of the season everyone pretty much knew exactly how Celtic would play. The 10 other clubs and one klub played us at least three times last season and would have seen plenty of video of our system. If they hadn’t figured out a way to stop us (beyond 11 men in the box defending for 90 mins) by the end of the season I doubt an extra few weeks will make much difference. Still, you never know, someone might have a lightbulb moment and we’ll have a challenger perhaps…or maybe, and I think this is more likely, Ange will have made some tweaks and with a couple of new faces we’ll be even better than last time when we open the next campaign…
I think there is only 3 or possibly 4 managers who have been with their respective Clubs longer than Ange. So how does that fit into Jackson’s skewed view of next season’s managerial tussles?
Lol king of the BOOZE JOCKEYS Jackass Jackson you can just see him.sitting there typing away with that wee fat burst baw ALKIE burnt out face of his.
Sitting there typing away pished as a fart smoking a funny fag thinking he is writing and making some sense stoned out his nut and sniffing the glue in between drinking and smoking.
Why does anyone read that comic anyway? They are so desperate for a bad news story about us that they come up with this utter pish. They know we are going to inflict more pain and suffering on them and, like a runaway train, they can do f*ck all about it.
It’s all hun snide talk. I was introduced to this long ago, when Celtic were doing their centenary year double. “Celtic will hit a rough spot at some point” was the mantra of the media, ,”their luck will run out”. It didn’t. Celtic didn’t hit a rough spot and any preceived luck was not diminished. Not that season anyway. Ever since then I have always taken their views on Celtic to be nothing more than wishful thinking.
If Celtic had signed Vickers & Jota ‘out of the blue’ there’d have been apoplexy. The fact is these are excellent players who wanted a contract with Celtic. The club have committed substantial funds to assist a Title-Winning manager. Europe is further down the line and better to prepare for, particularly psychologically. However, our potential main rivals, Aberdeen, have also progressed.
The Huns have a good manager insofar as strategy is concerned but he can only pull so many rabbits out of a cloth cap.
Jackson obviously like the rest of THEM,doesn’t have a brain,no wonder the daily ranger is slowly going down the tubes is due to incompetence within the walls of their establishment 2012 rag,all brainless wonders,watch this space miss Jackson.
I always thought the term TRICKY SECOND came from music,always remembering musicians think they’ve put their best out already. There’s NO DOUBT in my mind we will blow that mob, and a lot of other teams,hopefully in Europe,from across the water out this season,their debts and loans from directors seem to be starting to constrict them like a Boa,fingers crossed we really get rid of them this time,as they cling unwavering, to the old firm brand,while we distance ourselves from them more and more.
Isn’t this the point of a pre Season at every Club.
That you will be ready and organised for any team?
Or does this only apply to the rich arrogant Clubs?