What is it with these Peepul, eah? They just can’t help themselves, can they?
All Clement had to do yesterday in his press conference was say it’s a good result and that they want to move on to the next game, that he’s pleased and he considers getting into the semi final of the cup a fine achievement.
And if he’d said that and left it at that then I wouldn’t be doing this piece.
But he just couldn’t do it because Philippe Clement is falling into the same trap as many Ibrox managers before him—talking a bigger game than performances justify. His recent press conference comments about “writing a new story” are strikingly familiar, as Brendan Rodgers made similar remarks during last season at Celtic.
The idea that Clement is reduced to nicking lines from Rodgers – and he was doing Ange’s whole “we never stop” bit last season too – shows how incapable he is of having an original thought.
It’s almost as if his main talent lies in borrowing from better bosses—a bit like a journalist recycling lines from a blogger.
Yes, he’s happy to have made the semi-final of a cup, but let’s not get carried away. This wasn’t a breathtaking performance. It was hardly dominant football. In fact, large stretches of the match were quite pedestrian. The only reason they’ve advanced is because their opponents couldn’t capitalise on mistakes that a more clinical side would have punished. Clement may think this result is a turning point, but really, it’s just one victory.
All this talk about “writing a new story” feels like premature boasting.
The Ibrox club is five points behind in the league, already out of Europe’s elite competition, and still in a state of disarray. Someone needs to tell him to stop with the self-congratulatory rhetoric until he’s actually achieved something worth boasting about.
A manager with more sense would keep his head down and work on the many, many issues his team faces, instead of engaging in media puffery. There’s no message discipline at that club—they’re constantly mouthing off before they’ve earned the right to.
And then there’s the predictable sniping about Celtic.
Clement took another opportunity to whinge about our spending, which is beyond tedious. “We’ve tried to (sign quality) … with the money we had, which wasn’t much compared to other teams,” he said.
Please. How much did they spend compared to their opponents? The Ibrox club has the second-largest wage bill in the country and the second-biggest transfer budget. They’re also the only team in the league that had a net spend in the last window. His complaints about the financial gap are laughable. Every penny Celtic spends is money we’ve generated. We’re not rattling a tin cup, desperately seeking wealthy benefactors with more money than sense.
This endless moaning about finances is a common refrain from their side of the city, but where’s the benefit of the doubt when we face clubs in Europe with vastly more resources? No one ever cuts us slack for going up against teams that can afford to spend more on a single player than we’ve spent on our entire squad. Instead, our European record is scrutinised.
And that’s fine—we understand the challenge of competing in an unbalanced football landscape. But for Clement to harp on about the financial gap between his club and ours while they are still throwing cash around like confetti, as compared to other clubs here, is laughable.
It must be exasperating for their fans to listen to this endless whining.
It certainly is for Celtic supporters.
You have to wonder why a supposed top-class manager is so focused on us, constantly peering over the fence and making digs, when he should be managing his own players—many of whom he spent the last few months undermining by signalling they’d be gone, only to now find he has to work with them.
Clement may think he’s bought himself some respite with this result, but Malmo awaits on Thursday, and none of the Ibrox fans have forgotten their doubts about him. Those concerns are ready to be reignited if they don’t get something from that game.
Last week wasn’t the kind of disastrous one that signals the end of a manager’s tenure, but we’re entering a new week where anything can happen.
This “new story” they’re writing? It’s more of a grim fairy tale, and like those written by the Brothers Grimm, it’s unlikely to have a happy ending.
Maybe they should focus on telling Hibs fans where they are going next week and if they’re getting tickets…
The hot balls in today’s draw are sevco n Motherwell for certain. Barring a Celtic slip up in which case the Falkirk ball quickly in the blast freezer and the well one in the microwave
And as sure as night follows day Neil your prediction a good nine hours before the draw comes true indeed…
Come Hell or High Water that was happening for sure –
I’d ask you to predict ma Euromillions on Tuesday but one didn’t need psychic powers like mystic meg to fathom that outcome this evening…
Ach well if you’re gonna win it better get the best and top opponent (Aberdeen) out early then !
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 buddy
I’m definitely the only winner with those then !
Actually good shout as it’s a nice reminder of the record scoreline in a UK cup final…
“Oh Hampden in the sun – Celtic 7 Rangers* 1 (* as they were correctly known as then)…
And the record winning margin in an ‘old firm’ * match (* again as it was correctly known as then) !
C’mon Chairman Poker Pete – Charge Fillipe Fillop rental for the services of Celtic FC as we seem to be living in his brain perpetually…
It’s Hibernian up at Liebrox after Malmo, we play before them for once in a blue, red and white moon – so a chance to apply pressure on them – and while The Hi-Bees are truly notorious for ‘Hibs-ing’ things they are off the back of a rare win this season and will have had a fortnight of rest and preparation to rock up at Liebrox unlike Sevco who have two games in that ensuing period so I suppose if it goes tits up v Kenny Miller’s original HI-Bee heroes he won’t be using hard earned HONESTLY EARNED money as an excuse but probably fatigue on his behalf and ‘unfair’ rest for Hibernian on their behalf should Sevco drop any points…
Apparently it was incredibly easy money odds of 6/5 for a penalty to Sevco v Dundee…
What’s the chances of it being 6/4 for a penalty to Sevco v Hibernian !
Morning James, another well written piece.
I have a question. If they are taken over, can a new owner invest money into the playing staff without breaking uefa rules for the first three years?
Big Pip is such a superb manager and influencer that already there are seriously loud calls for McInnes to take over as manager in Ibroxland ! Think about that for 10 seconds ? The biggest fraud presently as a coach in Scottish football has the backing of certain voices and organisations to be theRangers head coach…oh please ,please make it happen !
What about their stadium ‘improvements’? I’ve been laughing at the clips of that since I got sent them after the game. Everything about that club is calamity now so maybe Clement is better off stealing sound bites from better managers.
Malmo are useful side. I expect the wheels to come off on Thursday.
PS Belgian Waffler? Love it
Well written. Must’ve been hard for him right enough in the months after they won the league cup, tae realize he wasn’t the ‘new god’ he thought he was. Reality’s a real delusion f****r when it arrives. Ah just think he’s hauf daft. Statistically speaking (in phillipes terms) that would be 50-50%.
Words are all they’ve got left at ibrox.
Clement talking mince, King throwing about accusations,
the subservient SMSM talking up a sevco player they’ve only
just stopped shagging off, the sevco support ‘demanding’ that
they deserve better.
No money, no plan, no hope.
🙂
You should have just left it as it was Bob (original) as The Scummy’s of The Scummy Scottish Football Media pretty much shag off The Sevco fans on a daily basis… Awesome atmosphere, electric amphitheatre, raucous and spine tingling, absolutely sensational, truly spellbounding, ear splitting roar…
Oh Fuck – Where’s ma spew bucket, any more thinking about it and I’m gonna overflow it !
These Lies for Liebrox – What’s it like eh !
*edit
Predictive bl00dy text. “slagging off” !
One word to describe people who steal or use other people’s material is PLAGIARISM.
As for him getting his violin out about othe clubs(ah know don’t make me laugh)spending more than his klub,anyone would think there might a sporting advantage gained there.
Are those pictures fake or real on some new work at ibrox. Talk about restricted viewing. Jeez!
Mcinnes with one foot in the door it seems. Whose team are just above the abysmal hearts.
Naismith still masquerading as a coach?
If he’s not fucked off on holiday somewhere – Then Mark My Words – He’ll be on BBC Scotland somewhere this week !
Naisy away. Mcinnes for hearts. Lmao.
Didn’t that idiot Lord “Finding” Nimmo not say more money does not give you a sporting advantage?
On the contrary… I love hearing Hun moan about how much money we have!
It reminds me how skirt they are!