What a ridiculous headline in The Daily Mail this morning; “(Ibrox) boss Clement kicks off (derby) war of words by claiming rival Rodgers lacks respect.”
I’ve already written, at length, about what Rodgers did on Saturday and what it was that he was trying to achieve, and it’s been achieved and then some. That some foolish people, like McGowan, the writer of this nonsense, is talking about “a war of words” is basically Mission: Accomplished for the Celtic boss.
Because we’re not engaged in any such thing.
As many of you know, I’m a great West Wing fan and I have a particular favourite episode where Bartlet, in an attempt to throw his election rival off-balance, pretends he didn’t see a “green light” on a camera at the end of an interview, and then talks as if thinks he’s no longer “live” and in that moment basically calls his opponent an idiot.
For a whole week, the Republican Party fumes about it although it’s put the country in exactly the debate they’d wanted to avoid; is their main candidate stupid or what?
Bartlet trounces them that week, and it culminates in the minority leader demanding a floor vote in Congress about whether he’s broken some unwritten rule.
Bartlet realises that it’s much better to not even show up for the debate, and to let them argue with themselves in an otherwise empty chamber. “Tell them we yield all our time on the floor,” he says. “We’ll be caucusing on education and tax credits.”
In short, we’ll be doing serious work whilst they’re howling at the moon.
Let others fight the phony wars, and focus on the pointless soap opera stuff.
That’s just perfect as far as we’re concerned. Everyone at Celtic is focussed on the game. If anyone at Ibrox really believes that Clement projected strength yesterday in his hilarious over-reaction to what Brendan Rodgers said then they’re dafter than some of their supporters look.
Sun-Tzu said that “every battle is won or lost before it’s ever fought.”
You tell me who sounds focussed here. It isn’t them, that’s for damned sure.
He also said that “If your opponent is temperamental, seek to irritate him.”
Rodgers knows all this, and he’s so, so much better at it than Clement is, because Clement is basically a fool.
I said it yesterday; our manager played him like a fiddle.
After that game yesterday, Clement was like one of those wee wind-up toys that you let go and it goes clattering around the room bouncing off the walls. For a man who is supposed to be a sophisticate, he is very easily provoked to anger, and a good leader shouldn’t be.
Yet Rodgers got a rise out of him almost effortlessly.
I genuinely hope that McGowan has an insight into the way they’re thinking over there. I hope they spend the whole week smarting about this. I hope the media goes overboard on it, and you get the drum bangers demanding that they “shut Rodgers up” and all the rest of it.
Keep stoking the flames, guys. More, more, more.
I hope Clement’s club media interviews are dominated by it; I hope some of their players comment on it. By letting anger simmer they cease to be able to approach this with rational thought, which is exactly why Sun-Tzu urges great leaders to provoke anger in their opponents.
More than anything else, no-one from Celtic should even comment on this until Rodgers gets the inevitable question at his Friday presser, after everyone outside Parkhead has whinged about it for an entire week, and even then, he should play it down as an un-necessary irrelevance and something too silly even to take seriously.
They’ve opened up a “war of words.”
Ha! With who? The mirror?
We’re too busy for all that, we’ve got business to attend to here, and the soap opera just gets in the way of it. Celtic is working on the real stuff. We will not be distracted from the job at hand. Let them lose their discipline and approach Saturday unfocussed.
We’ll be more than ready if they do.
It’s just typical how they and their media work. Any means necessary tae gain an advantage. Even takin the slightest thing and twistin it tae benefit theirselves. Any rational minded person, would know BR was only tryin tae light heartedly, underplay the intensity these games bring. Tho of course, firstly clemmont ( and don’t kid yerself, knowin exactly the context in which BR meant it ), twists it tae use it as some sort of insult and his media eagerly jump right in as well. This already hugely over-rated, serial complainin, fly member, absolutely knows how tae manipulate his media sycophants. Whit a desperate, grovellin bunch they are.
He is clearly learning a lot from the little rat that is alex rae. Please please please give us a result and shut them up.
If we play to our capabilities and overcome the cheats with whistles, flags and monitors and prevail with the three points then certainly as far as The League goes we will more or less be on the beech – ie. Beech Boys…
And given the furore over Brendan and Clement and this ‘fun’ psychology – Just how bloody funny would it be if on the full time whistle (assuming we have been fortunate enough to win by fair means) The Parkhead DJ played loudly and proudly over The Tannoy…
FUN, FUN, FUN by The Beech Boys !
I’m not the most technologically astute fella James – But Perhaps a techhy whizz like yourself and / or plenty other Celtic supporters could contact or e-mail Celtic or specifically The DJ Division or perhaps supporters liaison officer to suggest this wee bit of FUN idea !!!
Mannekin PISS is heading the same way as EVERY Deedco Manager!!
It’s utter madness how this has been blown up but Baldermort has saw fit to make an issue of it. I mean, it is really obvious what Brendan was attempting to do. I suspect his mindset was “if they bite, great, if not then no biggie”. They bit. They are so predictable. I honestly don’t know why they think he is such a great manager. As far as I am concerned, he’s bordering on plain dumb.
Thank you, James, for articulating that better than I ever could.
Wee Johnathan Sutherland on the Sportscene highlights show last night called it ” sabre rattling ” ? Oh really big man ? ! How pathetic of a publicly funded biased organisation like the BBC to state that to ‘have some fun ‘ by the Celtic FC manager has an alternative meaning ? In other words it is totally taboo for any team to enjoy and savour their football and the spoils that accompany success . Limited ‘ Jonners ‘ of course is rather good at not enjoying his own work as his expressionless face portrays, especially when Celtic wins . He’ll have Brendan and Pip Clem- on swashbuckling in George Square such is his complete lies of Brendan’s sentiment very ,very soon ?
I’m sure clement was sane, measured and probably even sophisticated before he got to ibrox. But that club seems to work its way into brain like woodworm and turn even the most rational mind into a raving lunatic. Hopefully we’re all watching it completely implode come hampden! HH
This Celtic team has shown on multiple occasions that it THRIVES on games like these…
HH
I have got to admit….that I am ‘impatient for the coming fight’
Bring it on!
I’m struggling to get my head round Clement’s response to Brendan’s comment. If he’s telling the truth that he would never say that, then that’s irrelevant as it was Brendan who said it. If he’s trying to follow up on his “moral victory” comment after the 3-3 match, by saying Brendan is a disrespectful person and he is not, thus again trying to claim the moral high ground, then as Michael Stewart said, he’ll need to be careful not be seen as hypocritical after not shaking Don Cowie’s hand after the recent defeat. If he had such high principles and moral values as he’s implying, then surely he would simply ignore Brendan’s comment instead of trying to imply he’s somehow a better person.
Belgian Waffler, loving it.
At today’s training session the waffler will be giving it hard to the players about Rodgers attitude etc, some may respond to that but others will have some doubts about their recent form and points and goals down with 3 to go and the Derby at Parkhead with all our own fans. Don’t be surprised if some of the rangers boys pick up injuries this week.
I’d love to see us win the league at Killie, right up McInnes.
HH
I can garauntee you that no ‘rangers’ boys will pick up injuries this week JimBhoy…
1) – Because ‘rangers’ are dead and buried a good while ago now –
2) – Cove Ranger’s and Queens Park Ranger’s season’s have come to an end for Season 2023/24 !
The Belgian Waffler has definitely drunk the Kool-aid. Something about the blazer, brogues and tie or their absolutely horrible training gear.
He was probably quite a sane man before he started listening to the Klan and their media hounds.
Why do you have to write in print what they’re doing wrong..do you think it’s only Celtic supporters that read these blogs..that’s two days in a row you’ve let them know the mistake their making
Only the hun tribute act could get so upset by the word “fun”