Never Stop: How Ange Postecoglou Brought the Fire Back to Celtic by Hamish Carton (Pitch Publishing 2023)

 

Unsurprisingly, the most infamous case of sheer Postecoglou ignorance was found on talkSPORT. The radio station specialises in bold ill-informed claims that tempt listeners into phoning up or sharing their clips on social media. In the days after Postecoglou’s name was first mentioned, a clip showed footballer turned broadcaster Alan Brazil mocking his credentials. At the time, there had been reports of the Aussie not having the required licence to manage in Europe.

Is this a wind-up? Breaking news from Scotland as Celtic have applied for an exemption with UEFA for Yokohama Marinos boss Postacoogloo [sic] to manage in Europe. He does not hold the required UEFA Pro Licence. Oh, this has got to be a wind-up. Dear oh dear. He’ll be a great manager. Where do they come up with these guys from?

(talkSPORT)

The former Scotland international had played against Postecoglou’s South Melbourne years earlier, not that he’d be likely to recall. As with virtually everyone in this chapter, he was found apologising at some stage over the following 12 months. A similar story of reprieve occurred with another former footballer who enjoyed his heyday in the 1980s – Charlie Nicholas:

There’s nothing wrong with having a plan B – but this is not plan B. This is desperation. I will give Postecoglou a chance because I’m a supporter but is the former Australia boss really the height of the club’s ambitions? It has nothing to do with his lack of knowledge of the Scottish game or me looking down on football in the southern hemisphere. It scares me just how unambitious the club has become, going from a position of strength to where they find themselves now. Luring Postecoglou from Yokohama F. Marinos is not quite the same as when Arsène Wenger left Japanese football to join Arsenal in 1996.

(Daily Express)

Nicholas was at it again in late September. Celtic had just been held to a 1-1 draw at home by Dundee United and had three league wins from seven matches. The knives were out for Postecoglou, with many reaching some wild conclusions:

Ange Postecoglou looks to me to be the new Ronny Deila. I am not sure Postecoglou has realised how big Celtic really are before he came in. I believe he has missed a pitch. I think Ange thought he would just come in here, and his playing style would get him over the line, no problem. But it is not about style. It is about winning.

(Daily Express)

Nicholas and Postecoglou would meet by chance in Glasgow months later. By that stage the Aussie had won the former Celtic striker over. Just as well:

We had a wee five-minute conversation where I thanked him for the job he is doing and what he is building at Celtic.

(Daily Express)

The 80s Marinello

My favourite player as a kid . . .  and then he signed for Arsenal 38 years ago today . . . 

#Charlie Nicholas  #Peter Marinello

My Favourite Waste of Time . . .

. . . is scrawling through unnamed folders on the laptop and finding random jpegs saved from months previously, and thinking 'Why the fuck did I save that? What was the point? What will I do with it?' 

Of course the self-interrogation reveals no answers and I'm left with no other recourse than to either bin it - and I've binned thousands of said jpegs - or randomly post them on a blog that should have been blow torched years ago.

Apparently- no apparently about it you dunderheid, it's posted below - Charlie Nic' once appeared on the front cover of the NME. (All the more shocking because it wasn't Stuart Cosgrove who is on the byline.) It dates from 1984, so I would either have been reading Smash Hits or Number 1 at the time, so it passed me by. Nowadays, Charlie Nicholas is considered a blow hard dickhead for those of you have access to a subscription to Sky Sports. I don't have a sub, so I still cling on to the happy memories of him being a brilliant player for Celtic circa 81-83. By November '84, when he appeared on the front cover of the inky music press he was what is best described as a mercurial playmaker in a so-so Arsenal team. By '84, for Arsenal, the FA Cup finals were long gone and George Graham was yet to appear on the horizon but they kept Nick Hornby busy and, for me, YouTube clips of Nicholas, Woodcock and Mariner will always take preference over the dull shite that Arsenal became when they were winning titles and breaking scouser' hearts in the late '80s.

Why was Nicholas on the front cover of the NME in 1984? I don't have a scooby. Sadly, the interview/article itself is not online and, short of winning the lottery, I'm not forking out 15 dollars on ebay to find out why. I never pegged him as a 'trendy' when it came to matters relating to  music. That was Nevin and McClair's niche. And the Owen Paul haircut doesn't help matters. 

Never mind. Charlie and I will always have Switzerland.

Quite Ugly One Morning by Christopher Brookmyre (Abacus 1996)

'My grandfather always maintained that where there was muck, there was brass,' Parlabane said. 'If you're not afraid to get your hands dirty and put your back into your work, you'll get a fair reward. However, throughout the tenure of our present government, I discovered a valuable reciprocal to be true: where there's lots of brass, there's usually muck, and I've made a career out of looking for it.

As Michael Portillo fearlessly said, in this country, as opposed to those wog-ridden foreign sties - I'm paraphrasing here, although only slightly - if you win a contract, it's not because your brother is a government minister or you blatantly bribed an official. Of course not. That would be corruption. In this country, you win contracts because you are "one of us", you went to the right school, give money to the right party, and have awarded an executive post to a member of the cabinet's family, or have promised a seat on the board to the appropriate minister when he resigns to spend more time with his bankers.

'We don't have anything as vulgar or primitive as a bribe. It's a matter of trust. For every action, there's an equal and opposite reaction. For every contract, there's a kickback. It's more noble, more gentlemanly. A matter of mutual understanding. And very, very British.'

Sarah stared across, unimpressed. 'Once again, hot-shot, this much I know. Not an exclusive. Cut to the chase.'

'Fair enough. I got a bit of a reputation for myself through in Glasgow, sniffing out scams, investigating dodgy deals. But what I really wanted was to go after the big game down south, and I was head-hunted by one of the big broadsheet Sundays. I thought it would either make my career or turn out to be the worst move south by a promising young Scot since Charlie Nicholas. In the end it was both.

Blogging Shorts

What's the point of having multiple sidebars to click on at random unless you're going to make use of them on a Friday morning?

Reads like a Ret Marut short story, but the BBC website carries news of the last living member of the Durruti Column, who's been living in Bolivia for the last fifty years. (Hat tip to Will Rubbish.)

This much he knew Lost Karl Marx interview from the the Manchester Guardian Saturday Supplement, March 15th 1882. Hat tip to John Counago.

Oldish post from the Madam Miaow blog, but I'm sure the title alone will drag you in, 'Keith Richards stole my last joint': guest post from Charles Shaar Murray.

Why be a student lefty, when you can be a graduate lefty? Swap the papersales and megaphone for three day conferences and a defective mic. Ian Bone maps out the next ten years of your life.

Trainspotting was on TV tonight. Strictly Sinatra was on the other side at the same time. Has Kelly MacDonald died or something? I'm sure I would have heard mention of it on The Scottish Patient Radio Show. Scottish Patient Kev gets extra kudos for playing Salon Boris on last week's show.

Socialist Alliance Mark II or just the new sound of Medway? Neither, but I had to crowbar the Billy Childish link in there somewhere. John Rees, Hannah Sell and Alan Thornett debating on the same platform? It could only happen in the safety of Kent. Click on the link to find out what I'm havering about. Click on this further link to discover what the mumblings about the sound of Medway are all about.

American Trotskyism had Saul Bellow, James T. Farrell and Harvey Swados. British Trotskyism had Julian Symons. Latest in the Normski's Writer's Choice series has Martin Edwards discussing Symons novel, 'Bloody Murder'.

Whilst I was over at Normski's 'Writers Choice' series, I found Ramachandra Guha discussing Eduardo Galeano's 'Football in Sun and Shadow' from a few years back.

. . . and children's author, Jean Ure, discussing Alexander Berkman's 'Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist'. Did I ever mention that Jean Ure used to be a member of the SPGB? She was a member of Croydon Branch for a couple of years in the early eighties. Wrote a couple of funny and entertaining articles for the Socialist Standard during that period. From the Q & A section of her website, it mentions that she has published over a 100 books. I know a comrade from my time in Central London Branch of the SPGB whose been known to collect books - any books - that have been written by people who were once members of the Party. Pound to a penny he's got at least twenty of her books. Once he gets the reserve price for his kidney on eBay, he'll be able to buy the other eighty.

You Shall Know Our Volleys

Via the Guardian Footie's You Tube round up, the best goals that never were:

That overhead screamer from Keegan when he was at the Dell.

A not so majestic overhead kick from Robbie Fowler

Six memorable non-goals from World Cups past. How come no one ever put a contract out on Clive Thomas? Bryan Hamilton had more reason than most

Hat tip to 'paulhs' for the clips.

Still can't find Charlie Nicholas wonder goal for Scotland against Switzerland on YouTube. Probably never will. However, this goal from Dario Rodriguez for Uruguay against Denmark will always be easy on the eye. It's as much for his mate's keepie uppie to set him up as it is for Rodriguez's wonder strike. It's up there with Negrete's goal against Bulgaria at the '86 World Cup in Mexico.

There's no higher praise on this blog.

False Dawn (probably)

Mmm, just noticed that the stats for Celtic's last three league games reveal a goal difference of fifteen goals for and one against. Is it too late to change my prediction about the outcome of this year's title race?

Hibs next*, at Easter Road. The way Hibs' forward line and their goalkeeper is playing at the moment, I'd have to go with a prediction of a 4-4 draw.

As an aide memoire to myself, I'm going to post the links to Celtic's opening six games of the 2007/08 SPL season. I always forget these things for some reason, and I'd like to keep better track for a change. Strange how you can remember that wonder season from Charlie Nicholas back in 82/83, but struggle to remember what Lee Naylor had for his breakfast yesterday:

Celtic 0-0 Kilmarnock

Falkirk 1-4 Celtic

Aberdeen 1-3 Celtic

Celtic 5-0 Hearts

St Mirren 1-5 Celtic

Celtic 5-0 Inverness CT

What with the R*ngers Reserves turning over R*ngers yesterday, and strong early season starts from Dundee Utd, Hibs and Motherwell, it would be foolish to think that Celtic are going to score five every week. It'll still be between the ugly sisters this season, but I'm sure that it won't just be Hearts and Kilmarnock who will be securing surprise results this season. And the league will be all the better because of it.

*It's too soon to think of Shakhtar Donetsk at this point.