Keith Jackson’s piece this morning, on the Ibrox managerial hunt, is instructive for many reasons, not least of which is the notion he’s pushing that Walter Smith would have known what to do.
It is sheer nonsense, of course, because Walter Smith was involved in picking an Ibrox boss once upon a time, and the guy he gave the job to was so bad at it he never managed another club; I refer, of course, to McCoist, who was as disastrous in the role as it was possible to be.
But the mentioning of Walter Smith is no accident, and it forms a part of what he’s trying to say in the article. If he’s been briefed by those inside the club then we have a hint of their thinking, and what Jackson is telling us is that Derek McInnes is a lot higher up the list of candidates than people at Ibrox would have their fans believe.
Of equal interest is the spin being put on the Lampard story.
Now, it’s already been pointed out that sources in England say it was Lampard himself who pulled the plug on talks, and decided that the job wasn’t for him. Jackson, in playing the role of the useful idiot has been pushing the line that the club were the ones who pulled out … because of unhappiness in the stands.
Yet Jackson knows that this is rank madness and the thrust of his piece is that had Smith been involved in the process that he would have ignored what the mood in the stands was and simply appointed the best person he could, regardless of whether the fans backed the move or not. Because when you think about it, all the club has done in putting out their own version of the Lampard story, is make the job even more unattractive to outsiders.
If they are willing to ditch a high-profile candidate who they judged to be good enough just because the fans don’t like the idea, then that club is a basket case organisation where the lunatics are running the asylum.
Those of us with close proximity to Ibrox know that this is the case anyway, but you don’t, if you work there, want that freely advertised to the rest of the world in quite this fashion. The truth about why Lampard withdrew must be really bad if the club would rather paint a picture as dysfunctional as that.
But overall, Jackson’s piece is trying to sell the idea of Derek McInnes, and what I found intriguing is that he’s offered an alibi to the Kilmarnock boss which can only have come from someone close to the action here; that it was Smith himself who told McInnes not to take the job when it was offered to him in 2017. Jackson adds the further detail that McInnes didn’t trust Dave King after the South African tax crook changed the terms of the contract offer at the last minute.
Now, why hasn’t that story been in the public domain all these years? And why is Jackson writing it now with the caveat that McInnes was right not to trust Mr Glib and Shameless?
Jackson has been a King cheerleader as far back as a I can remember.
What this represents now is Jackson’s break with the previous board and his attempt to ingratiate himself with the current one. So, is he acting, here, on their behalf and trying to do spin prior to the appointment of McInnes, or is this him just flying a kite and putting in a little dig at King, just to show whose side he’s on? With this guy it could be anything.
But I’ll give Jackson credit where it’s due; he was dead-set against the appointment of The Mooch and said so right from the start. Whilst a lot of other journalists were banging that drum loud he not only didn’t like the idea but predicted that there were people inside Ibrox, including in the dressing room, who wouldn’t like the idea any more than he did.
Jackson does have some sources inside the Ibrox camp, and whilst I wonder if he’s ever going to really be on friendly terms with their board, especially after some of what he’s previously written about Bisgrove, he has put up the white flag and is doing his bit to get back in with their leadership as a whole. And maybe this is part of that.
But when the club is leaking to the media like this in an effort to head off a fan rebellion then it’s still being bullied by the loudest voices in the forums and in the stands, and as this blog has written several times that is the road to ruin for them.
They know they look utterly ridiculous in having sacked so many managers in so short a time, and that they can’t continue that. They know that they should be doing a long process to identify the correct candidate and they should even consider hiring the director of football first, allowing Davis and Rae to mind the team whilst they get this decision right … but the support won’t stand for that and made that perfectly clear in Paisley.
Three points does not change the mess that club is in, pulled hither, thither and yon by its most troublesome elements. The next manager will be on borrowed time from his first day in the job, and what has come across loud and clear over these past few years is that when – not if but when – he runs into trouble, he cannot rely on his bosses to have his back.
Only have to listen to that nonsense of an interview given by that bitter hairy hun eejit on Saturday James.
Certainly enough within it, along with his involvement with been see on TV for the scums europa loss.
The job with the scum is currently on par as the one at kille, with better wages available.
Only your thick hun eejit could buy into the nonsense he spouts, and currently drumming up support within the media, to try and get the dopey bear to buy into the plan’s for the scum, I would say.
No name within the game would go near that shit hole, especially the state they are in.
Options available are so limited that why would anyone want to take such a shite job under the current circumstances, especially if money isn’t a motivation for yourself?
Is the level of abuse faced, worthy of the wage packet?
Far to many questions remain, without a board with any answers to give, for any respected candidate to even be remotely interested in such a shite job.
The job is only fit for a horrible bitter hun thick eejit, which makes that hairy fuck top of the very limited shopping list imo.
The Ibrox board may not be as so dumb as it looks 8 days a week . They have asked Souness to ‘oversee ‘ the next managerial candidate ….no doubt for a hefty fee . Now , when that inevitably goes nipples up in time ,he will become the fall guy whose bad advice caused the newest calamity in downtown Govan leaving the board free from blame .You see , politics and sport do have a future together !
McInnes – or whoever they choose – should get his agent to secure a watertight
3 years deal – like Beale – so a nice pay-off helps soften the blow of getting punted early.
IMO, the sensible option is to take the time now:
appoint a Sporting Director first, who then assists with the manager selection,
and who is someone the SD can work well with.
That wouldn’t be a quick process, but it would better benefit sevco in the long-term.
However, if the Blue Room rushes to appoint a manager by the end of this / next week,
then I’ll be delighted! 🙂
Welcome back, I thought you had chucked it. It’s not for us to get to involved in what’s going on in bampots heads but I do believe that the club should cut the serpents head off before it takes the club down to a gutter level. Welcome back indeed
Haha 🙂 I had a bit of a weekned, let’s just say.
Aye well, yer talkin about a guy who in the past, has tried tae put Smith up there wi the likes of Jock Stein and although it wisnae Smith as manager, let’s no forget his attempt at makin a case, that if they had won the Uefa cup against EF, it would’ve been up there wi the Lisbon Lions achievement. He’s nothin but an ibrox fanboy and every bit as prone tae their delusion and superhype as the best (or worst) of them.k
A sevco propaganda rag pays money into his bank account to distort the facts that would make trump and the tory party blush. He is a disgrace to journalism.
IF McInnes is offered and takes it one thing is for sure… EVERY referee and VAR referee will put under the most pressure ever prior to Glasgow Derby Matchday’s for sure –
McInnes is ALWAYS flagging up ref issues that simply aren’t there and never were there when it comes to Celtic…
It’s the Protestant way though is that isn’t it – Twist The Lie to suit their own agenda rather than just be honest and face the world head on…
The Irish ones done it trying to frame The Provos in The Miami Showband atrocity of July 1975 and they also tried the same stint in The Silent Valley bombings of the early 70’s –
So they have previous in this behaviour why wouldn’t they aid and abet McInnes in something that he’s very very adept in (pressuring referees) and he will most definitely be absolutely in there first on 29th December press conference if he’s appointed (that said if it’s that imbecile of a writer say it then it probably needs taken with a pinch of salt)…
I’m glad that their board are under pressure from their Neanderthals and indeed hope that they Fcuk up on a monumental scale with this appointment –
Talking of pressure – I truly missed ma daily fix of The Celtic Blog yesterday James – of course you need a day off like everyone else but The Celtic Blog is so so addictive to read and post on that I missed it immensely yesterday !!!
Beat me to it John C. Souness is simply a board diversionary Shaggy action. They’ll happily blame anyone and everyone if it’s unsuccessful and hide behind “It wasn’t me”.
At some point, as with the end of BR part 1 and NL part 2, they will have a modicum of success again if our board and DD allow PL more authority to pick and select players to bring to our club. We may have more money but it needs to be spent wisely with a football knowledge unlike PL and NL part 2.
The start of this season started to feel like that again with the volume of project signings versus the lack of incoming experience as the manager desired and timidly stated. Those signings may well come to fruition in time but none the less and as a direct result, the rankers have a chance of picking up the first cup of the season.
Our board may be money savvy but that’s where it ends. I hope, and the signs are there, that BR part 2 can speak up loudly and louder, more than he did before and establish more of a say and more backing.
The scouting team have produced some encouraging project players and I have no issue there but Brendan needs to select the experience he needs, particularly for the European playing field.
BR is, imo opinion, a better more tactically aware manager than AP is but he could learn from AP’s no nonsense abrupt, straight to the point attitude. Brendan needs to develop a formidable back me or sack me approach. Every day’s a school day right, always learning, and I for one would back BR more if he can start to get a better tune out of this board to better meet his and the team’s immediate needs. HH
I am always wary of alternative news reporting. E.g. that absolute sham of a man, Russell Brand who has cast aside his socialist leanings to hop into bed with the Ultra Right Conspiracy Nazis all because he knew his sex pest past would catch up with him and he needed a shield. It weren’t me, guv. It’s all a conspiracy. They’re all out to get me.
I never feel that with the Celtic Blog. Not that you’re trying to demonise the “legacy media” (as Brand likes to now call them even though the legacy media was instrumental in him becoming famous) as an excuse to cover up a creepy lascivious past. God forbid, no! Lolz. I just mean, I and, I assume, many others, totally get what you say. It really is a breath of fresh air compared to the arseholes who are allowed a voice on screen and print.
Jackson is a sneaky prick. That’s all he is. I love that you tell us “this is why he is saying this …. “.
Don’t ever change.
Celtic fans would never be so lucky as to have McInnes appointed. It would be as joyful as winning the league. Aberdeen and Kilmarnock levels are his limit. As for WALTER: WALTER had to sit back like a wee boy while Advocaat ran the show by proxy for 6 months before his “official” appointment. Granny Smith, of apple fame, could have won as much, or more, as he did with all the thieving and tickly handshaking, breast-baring and the general lawbreaking that was going on at the time and is still ongoing.
And by the way, don`t anyone here worry whether they appoint McInnes, Souness or Pepsi Coca Cola
even. Just give them no ideas at all. Despite their hatred for us, they wouldn`t be above taking on board
any wee bit of help you could give them. Incidentally, I am talking about OLD FIRM SEVCO here.
They wont offer McInnes the job as he doesn’t fit their delusional fans idea of what their Club is, read their forums as the are full of over the top statements i.e. ” One of the greatest Intuitions in World Football” was one used a few days ago.
They call themselves the World’s Greatest Fans yet to my knowledge that’s a title they gave themselves when going on about the “famous” ” wonderful” ” worlds most successful “club, these clowns honestly believe they are up there with Man Utd, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern etc, they really do and they always have the best players in the league, latest is Cantwell ( seen that numerous times), I’ve never ever came across a more deluded set of fans, they inhabit a fantasy world and Jackson thinks they would accept McInnes????????????
These guys bang on about success of the defunct Club the bulk of who’s Trophies came before 99% of them were born, they still pump out Britannia Rules the waves FFS did somebody not tell them that ended 70 years ago or have they never heard about the American, Russian, Chinese and even the French Navies ( all bigger than the RN) and that a top American General recently classed the British Military as a 2nd tier fighting force who would struggle to field one division in any NATO conflict , that’s why we hang on to the USA’s coat tail as on our own we’re international nobodies.
It will be someone from the lower reaches of English football like the chap at Birmingham city or an old manager out of work.
Keith Jackson will print what he’s told to print by the “the rangers board” . As for the new manager at “the rangers” the usual suspects will tell us he is the bestest ever and “the rangers.” And Scottish football are lucky to have him. Or if it’s McInnes keep him up here…… As for Beale the same rats that allowed him to take the manager’s job the way he did…turned on him .I’ll bet Beale wasn’t surprised about that…. GIO Will be in football a hellevah lot longer than Beale will
A minor correction James – Smith nominated McCoist to succeed him as Rangers manager. The latter did then go on to manage another club when he became the first ever manager of Sevco!