This morning I read, with no great astonishment, as the media wet its collective pants in anticipation of their first sit-down with Clement.
It will be excruciating to wade through the reports of how impressive he is.
Less excruciating, I grant you, than some of what has come before; Gerrard’s first presser was reported with such toe-curling, fan-boy squealing you’d have thought Samuel L. Jackson was being unveiled.
Still, I do love some of the stories already. I highlighted that Jack Hendry one earlier as proof that the media is not going to play this straight. The other glaring example, so far anyway, is the one about how he turned down Saudi Arabian big bucks to go to Ibrox.
Well wow. What a coup it is for them! Except … no, not so much.
The Saudis are trying to scoop up everyone who will go there. There are probably kit-men who have had offers. If you’ve stamped a form on a player registration you probably have an offer from a Saudi club to go and change your life. Reo Hatate had one.
Most importantly, and most specific to the subject, so did Brendan Rodgers.
You know who takes them? People like Jota, with greedy agents pushing them towards nothing but money. People like Gerrard, desperate, credibility shot, with nothing else on the table. Players nearing the end of their careers wanting one last pay day, and a big one, to pad their landing.
The headline acts aren’t the guys who have gone there. Many, many, many, many, many more people have had the opportunity and turned it down.
The Saudis are very good at banging their own drum. The money might be life-changing but it will need to be because the chance of coming back from there with any sort of career prospects is likely to be low.
But yeah, one of the people who has turned down the Saudi gold is Rodgers himself.
Not that you would know that from the breathless coverage of Clement having done it. Rodgers also turned down the last big megabucks league which thought spending money and being relevant was the same thing when he said no to a move to China during his first spell with us.
The thing about Clement, he’s just signed a multi-million-pound deal at Ibrox which he probably senses won’t run its course. If they have to sack him after eight months, he will get every single penny of that contract; it was part of the deal which netted him.
So Saudi Arabia will be waiting, if he wants to pursue the money on offer, after he’s emptied the Ibrox account first. Sacrifice? What sacrifice?
For all we know he looked at the average shelf-life of an Ibrox boss and told the Saudis “Wait a while and I’m all yours.”
Honestly, this guy isn’t even unveiled yet and they’ve started already. The transfer genius who has never signed a player.
The one man in all of football who turned down Saudi Arabia, except that he’s not and there’s another of them sitting in our dugout.
How ridiculous is it going to get over the course of the day? The week?
Up until actual games have to be played and the doubts start to emerge?
Excruciating. Yes. It will be grim.
But as with all these things it comes before the slapstick starts, before hilarity ensues, before the Peepul turn.
And then we’re right back to Fear and Loathing all over again.
Like everyone else I’ve had to make decisions in life…
On a personal level, some were very good, some not so very good –
But the VERY VERY BEST decision that I ever made and will ever make was to stop buying Scottish newspapers…
Jeez it just gets worse n’ worse n’ worse –
And I can find out all their Lies for FREE on The Celtic Blog !
Does anyone remember that in years past, any time Celtic was looking for a manager this French geezer “Philippe Troussier” was routinely linked, even though his track record suggested he was nae great shakes as a manager, and he certainly had no prior connection to the club? We used to call him ‘Phil Troosers’!
Well Sevco appear to have found their own ‘Phil Troosers’ this time out….
After the initial return and considerable dissing of Brendan I think he is earning that respect back amongst at least a large large majority of the fans. I think we have done well to overcome our own disappointment at his leaving in the first place, It was truly gutting but I believe PL was the instigator and was making Brendan feel like he was in a powerless position. I am grateful that we overcame our own shit, acquired his services again and believe he’ll bring us a good few years of success, if he continues to receive the board’s backing and maybe the best has yet to come.
Having to read that tosh in the press, media, etc, must be a nightmare for you. A friend of mine that listened to SSB last night said that they were gushing about the two big successes of the weekend; Clement the newest saviour to adorn the midden’s world class stadium and team of talent and Scotland qualifying for the Euros.
Clement I believe has been confused and blinded by the history of another club; Rangers. How long I wonder will it be before he realises the error of his ways, albeit with a good financial reward. How long I wonder will it be before he’ll be sent home by his apparently adoring fans and their supportive board on his favourite Belgian pastime, his bike.
Contrary to the opinion of, well at least one, I don’t begrudge people’s happiness at Scotland qualifying. Well done Scotland. Just for clarity, for anyone that doesn’t get the distinction, I don’t mean Scotland, I mean the SFA’s Scotland representative football team not the whole of Scotland. Only a fool would think that right?
As you may have noticed I agree wholeheartedly about your assessment of Jack Hendry at CB. Contrary to some reports, Clement’s non signing, seems an accident ever waiting to occur. I do however see a more solid rugged player at CB in Porteous. Maybe, just maybe, he would’ve been worth a punt by us though the refs had firmly placed a target on his back as wide as Goldson’s arms can spread. What he lacks in height he has in good pace, strength and fight. I wish him well and maybe the best thing for him was to move out of the country to progress but he’s no messiah, just a naughty boy. HH
I’ll need to have a closer look through my ‘snubbery’, I’m sure there’s world-beaters in there somewhere.