Topic: The Meh Scottish Football Thread

[Lush is the best medicine...]

You're contradicting your own logic. Gerrard got that job based on his playing name, and not on anything he did as a manager or coach.

But you think Rodgers won't get a top 6 job in the PL (even though he's already had one), unless he does something big in Europe.

Even though Mikel Arteta, who has done fuck all as a manager, is now the favourite to be Arsenal manager.

All I'm pointing out is that your logic doesn't stand up. Managers are appointed for a lot of other reasons than what they did in their last job.

wait I’m contradicting myself??

Let me make it a bit clearer then, arteta and gerrard have no experience in management, but the plus side of that is they haven’t perceived to have failed in it yet, in fact both have very good reviews of their work in coaching closely with two of the very best coaches in Europe, arteta much more so than gerrard.

Rodgers on the other hand has actually managed a top club in England and is widely considered to have failed (no trophies, piss poor in Europe for the most part and ‘blowing’ the league) and his better spell was largely down to one man, who left and he fell apart after that, since then he’s done jack shit meaningful to any big club outside Scotland as the only way how he can significantly boost his stock enough to get another go at a big club is to do well in europe which he hasn’t exactly done, 1 win in 12 CL group games if I’m right and getting knocked out by zenit in the last 32 of the Europa, so unless he does something big in Europe (ie win one of the European trophies at Celtic) he won’t be walking into a top 6 job.

So you can go on about non linear stuff but to get those jobs you have to either have a great cv or have a lot of promise (rodgers circa 2012) and Rodgers right now is a failed top 6 manager who has taken the easy route in an uncompetitive league and almost certainly won’t be considered for a top English job, I mean you don’t hear of fans of arsenal or Chelsea en masse desperate for him do you?

And neither you nor I know if Rodgers was or wasn't approached about the Arsenal job. He seems and sounds happy at Celtic, and the Celtic fans seem to love him, so he probably doesn't see the need to go anyway. But if you think that Rodgers couldn't get at least an interview with a top 6 club if a job became available, I think you're sorely mistaken. He ticks a lot of boxes now.

what boxes outside nationality does he tick? Previous PL experience maybe, although it’s not exactly the required experience, someone like Ranieri, pellegrini or Mancini have far better experience on that level and I doubt a top PL club would want any of them, I mean pellegrini is rumoured to be off to West Ham ffs which is probably more Rodgers level in England at the moment

[PhaseOfPlay]

wait I’m contradicting myself??

Let me make it a bit clearer then, arteta and gerrard have no experience in management, but the plus side of that is they haven’t perceived to have failed in it yet, in fact both have very good reviews of their work in coaching closely with two of the very best coaches in Europe, arteta much more so than gerrard.

Rodgers on the other hand has actually managed a top club in England and is widely considered to have failed (no trophies, piss poor in Europe for the most part and ‘blowing’ the league) and his better spell was largely down to one man, who left and he fell apart after that, since then he’s done jack shit meaningful to any big club outside Scotland as the only way how he can significantly boost his stock enough to get another go at a big club is to do well in europe which he hasn’t exactly done, 1 win in 12 CL group games if I’m right and getting knocked out by zenit in the last 32 of the Europa, so unless he does something big in Europe (ie win one of the European trophies at Celtic) he won’t be walking into a top 6 job.

So you can go on about non linear stuff but to get those jobs you have to either have a great cv or have a lot of promise (rodgers circa 2012) and Rodgers right now is a failed top 6 manager who has taken the easy route in an uncompetitive league and almost certainly won’t be considered for a top English job, I mean you don’t hear of fans of arsenal or Chelsea en masse desperate for him do you?
what boxes outside nationality does he tick? Previous PL experience maybe, although it’s not exactly the required experience, someone like Ranieri, pellegrini or Mancini have far better experience on that level and I doubt a top PL club would want any of them, I mean pellegrini is rumoured to be off to West Ham ffs which is probably more Rodgers level in England at the moment

This is all just opinion, Laughter. The actualities of the game speak for themselves. Rodgers has as much chance as anyone of getting a top 6 club job should he leave Celtic, and he has more chance than most. If any of them had a vacancy after next season, and he called them up and said he was interested, he'd get an interview. If you want to think that only what happened in a manager's past is all that counts when it comes to being hired - despite ALL the evidence to the contrary - then we'll agree to disagree. It's not something I have a vested interest in arguing. What will happen will happen.

[Motty]

Fucking joke of a league is only upstaged by the joke Celtic fans getting excited every time they win something like its some amazing feat.

[afc tukrish]

Or Helenio Herrera's corpse.

The Arse did leak 51 goals, they could use a bit of zombified catenaccio...

[Something Worse]

Arteta has no reputation, maybe slightly enhanced by his proximity to Pep. Brendan has all the "character"/Brent/Being Liverpool nonsense that fans ripped on him for, as well as the lingering feeling that Suarez carried us until that 13/14 run in.

To be clear, I think that's all BS and he could very well be an elite manager given the chance again. Unfortunately perception is everything, and wasting time in Scotland isn't helping his career. He needs a Newcastle or an Everton-level club to rebuild his reputation and open those top six jobs back up to him.

Arsenal in particular seem like a bad fit for him, and he for them.

[elpistolero7]

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/winning-premier-league-wouldnt-have-stopped-my-liverpool-sacking-/1874w8tzdp3au14bnbp5yneq8u

That's really pathetic. He had more than enough chances and money.

[Lush is the best medicine...]

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/winning-premier-league-wouldnt-have-stopped-my-liverpool-sacking-/1874w8tzdp3au14bnbp5yneq8u

That's really pathetic. He had more than enough chances and money.

yup, when you miss your league target and get knocked out of the fa cup semis by Tim fucking sherwoods Aston Villa and your predecessor at Swansea’s Basel side in the CL you only have yourself to blame, never mind his relationship with the sporting director as he thought he was above him (funny how since he’s left that problem isn’t there and the signings have actually been good)

This is all just opinion, Laughter. The actualities of the game speak for themselves. Rodgers has as much chance as anyone of getting a top 6 club job should he leave Celtic, and he has more chance than most. If any of them had a vacancy after next season, and he called them up and said he was interested, he'd get an interview. If you want to think that only what happened in a manager's past is all that counts when it comes to being hired - despite ALL the evidence to the contrary - then we'll agree to disagree. It's not something I have a vested interest in arguing. What will happen will happen.

so what is there not in his past that would be those clubs interested, becuase the one thing someone like arteta doesn’t have is failing at a top 6 club which Rodgers does have and that’s a far bigger factor than his potential, not to mention the aforementioned point about how he didn’t have much of a relationship with the sporting director and how that’s massively improved now we have an elite manager who knows how to work with different people in the club

[PhaseOfPlay]

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/winning-premier-league-wouldnt-have-stopped-my-liverpool-sacking-/1874w8tzdp3au14bnbp5yneq8u

That's really pathetic. He had more than enough chances and money.

Yer wha?

[PhaseOfPlay]

yup, when you miss your league target and get knocked out of the fa cup semis by Tim fucking sherwoods Aston Villa and your predecessor at Swansea’s Basel side in the CL you only have yourself to blame, never mind his relationship with the sporting director as he thought he was above him (funny how since he’s left that problem isn’t there and the signings have actually been good)
so what is there not in his past that would be those clubs interested, becuase the one thing someone like arteta doesn’t have is failing at a top 6 club which Rodgers does have and that’s a far bigger factor than his potential, not to mention the aforementioned point about how he didn’t have much of a relationship with the sporting director and how that’s massively improved now we have an elite manager who knows how to work with different people in the club

You're still not arguing your point, but I have no further inclination to argue mine, either, Laughter. Chairmen don't give a shite about any of the stuff you're talking about, especially in England. That's not an opinion, that's historical fact. Get a few teams relegated? No problem, here's a job at Stoke. Never won a trophy in your entire career? No problem, have the Man United hotseat. Failed at a top 6 English club, a top 6 Italian club, and never won a major trophy in a big league? No problem, here's the England job. Never managed a wet fart, let alone a top 6 club that's fallen behind it's rivals in recent years? No problem, we'll make you favourite for manager's spot.

There's no rhyme or reason to why chairmen hire managers. They are just as likely to turn their nose up at a recent Champions League manager as they are to appoint the team captain who doesn't even have his required coaching badges. Or, if you're Ron Noades - sack the manager and appoint himself.

Your personal opinon of Rodgers is your own business. But you're so way off track with your assertion that top 6 chairmen wouldn't touch him. The only two who definitely wouldn't are ours and City's. But Spurs, Chelsea, Arsenal and I bet even United, would all talk to him if he expressed any interest in their manager positions (if they were available) and asked for an interview. And how well he did in an interview would largely determine if he got the job. But the stuff you're talking about? It barely registers with the people in charge of hiring managers. They all want to know the same things - "Do you have a track record of any relative success, can you handle big egos, and are you going to be a constant pain in my arse?" It's really as simple as that, and historical evidence bears that out.

[Yiannis]

Celtic fans, during his stay with your team, how good/mediocre/bad Teemu Pukki was?

[Red Beret]

Rafa making 10th with that Newcastle side is just as much a reflection of his managerial ability as it is a damning indictment on the strength of the PL outside the top six.

I think Brendan is a good manager, and still has the potential to do better.  Could he do what Rafa has done with Newcastle?  It's a long time now since he was at Swansea.

I think he'd benefit immensely from going abroad.

[Lush is the best medicine...]

But you're so way off track with your assertion that top 6 chairmen wouldn't touch him. The only two who definitely wouldn't are ours and City's. But Spurs, Chelsea, Arsenal and I bet even United, would all talk to him if he expressed any interest in their manager positions (if they were available) and asked for an interview.

well arsenal have a vacancy and as you well know contact goes two ways and seeing as he’s never been in the running that rules that one out, chelsea haven’t had a British manager since 1996 and that isn’t kikely to change anytime soon. Spurs would be able to attract a higher calibre of candidate thanks to the job pochettino has done of massively elevating their profile, but where you lose any credibility here is saying united would have interest in him

But the stuff you're talking about? It barely registers with the people in charge of hiring managers. They all want to know the same things - "Do you have a track record of any relative success, can you handle big egos, and are you going to be a constant pain in my arse?" It's really as simple as that, and historical evidence bears that out.

so clubs don’t look at past history in relevant roles then? Absolute bollocks that.

As for those three questions, not really, sort of and yes would be the answers for Rodgers so you’ve basically proved my point, he won’t be getting any calls for big jobs whilst he’s at Celtic unless he improves his big European flaw which he pretty clearly hasn’t, I mean Celtic under the likes of O’Neill, strachan and Lennon tended to win CL games at home, even against the likes of juve/Barca/milan but Rodgers hasn’t won one at home and lost to the likes of anderlecht and a piss poor moenchengladbach

[Lush is the best medicine...]

Rafa making 10th with that Newcastle side is just as much a reflection of his managerial ability as it is a damning indictment on the strength of the PL outside the top six.

I think Brendan is a good manager, and still has the potential to do better.  Could he do what Rafa has done with Newcastle?  It's a long time now since he was at Swansea.

I think he'd benefit immensely from going abroad.

theres plenty of sides in Germany or Spain which he could go to (the likes of a Stuttgart, Villarreal, sociedad, Wolfsburg) where he could do pretty well and maybe parlay that into one of the big jobs there, but he’d probably see that as beneath him as there’s probably 5 clubs at those two countries who he’d see as being good enough for, hell even going to West Ham and getting them a couple of top 10 seasons back to back would do far more than anything at Celtic would when it comes to a big job

[Red Beret]

theres plenty of sides in Germany or Spain which he could go to (the likes of a Stuttgart, Villarreal, sociedad, Wolfsburg) where he could do pretty well and maybe parlay that into one of the big jobs there, but he’d probably see that as beneath him as there’s probably 5 clubs at those two countries who he’d see as being good enough for, hell even going to West Ham and getting them a couple of top 10 seasons back to back would do far more than anything at Celtic would when it comes to a big job

I agree.  If you consider that Alex Ferguson won the Scottish title with Aberdeen then really that's the bar anybody looking to manage in Scotland needs to look at.  Which isn't to say you should expect to win the title with a club that isn't Rangers or Celtic; but you could at least try to run them close.  It's a good challenge to cut your teeth on, but at the same time nobody will hound you if you fall short.

I also agree that West Ham would be an excellent shout for Brendan.

[Elmo!]

I agree.  If you consider that Alex Ferguson won the Scottish title with Aberdeen then really that's the bar anybody looking to manage in Scotland needs to look at.  Which isn't to say you should expect to win the title with a club that isn't Rangers or Celtic; but you could at least try to run them close.  It's a good challenge to cut your teeth on, but at the same time nobody will hound you if you fall short.

I also agree that West Ham would be an excellent shout for Brendan.

The gap between Aberdeen and Celtic financially is far wider now than it was in the 80s when Ferguson was in charge. It would be a far, far bigger achievement to win the league with Aberdeen now than it was then.

[Broad Spectrum]

Yeah I think Rodgers would benefit massively from going abroad, I think many have been saying for years he’d be crazy not to try a side in Spain.

Also with regards to appointments, the Prem this season alone shows how there is virtually no logic in managerial appointments at times. Pardew at West Brom off the back of what? Lambert had won something stupid like 3 of his last 25-30 games as a Prem manager, but gets the pick? Carvalhal gets the Swansea job despite having not managed in what you would consider a top league since 2012.

And by all accounts the Rangers faithful are not happy with the Gerrard appointment. Done absolutely fuck all in his managerial career, and the board give him a 4 year contract?! So if he gets sacked next season he’ll get a nice payout for his efforts. Oh and I keep hearing stories he was taken to see Celtic as a boy, they don’t forget that shit 

[Lush is the best medicine...]

I agree.  If you consider that Alex Ferguson won the Scottish title with Aberdeen then really that's the bar anybody looking to manage in Scotland needs to look at.  Which isn't to say you should expect to win the title with a club that isn't Rangers or Celtic; but you could at least try to run them close.  It's a good challenge to cut your teeth on, but at the same time nobody will hound you if you fall short.

I also agree that West Ham would be an excellent shout for Brendan.

ferguson won a couple of league titles and cups with Aberdeen and most impressively a European trophy against Real Madrid (which is the only one real, like us, have never won) which is why man united wanted him (and they were a bit of a mess at the time but still a footballing giant) and I think spurs tried to get him as well not long before, the only way Rodgers could outdo ferguson in Scotland is win a European cup with Celtic

as I’ve said many times before the 5 previous Celtic managers next jobs were Aston Villa, Middlesbrough, Middlesbrough, Bolton wanderers and Valarenga so you just aren’t getting that direct move to a top 6 club from Celtic for domestic success, and the likes of O’Neill (uefa cup final), strachan (twice out of the groups) and Lennon (once out of the groups) and all those three had wins against some of the top teams in Europe (O’Neill beat Juventus and a very good Lyon side and won at anfield in the UEFA cup, strachan beat united and took eventual winners milan to extra time in the last 16 and beat them in the groups the following season and also beat Villarreal and Lennon beat barca and got to the last 16) so when it comes to going up against actual competition they’ve done alright, far better than Rodgers so far and only O’Neill got a decent job (but he also had on his cv winning two trophies and finishing every season in his 4 at Leicester in the top half which was an amazing achievement to be honest) and three of them got championship jobs, so PoPs argument that top 6 clubs would interview him if he expressed interest in a vacancy is pretty funny, I mean united wanting him

The gap between Aberdeen and Celtic financially is far wider now than it was in the 80s when Ferguson was in charge. It would be a far, far bigger achievement to win the league with Aberdeen now than it was then.

and to be fair mcinnes hasn’t been a million miles away in some seasons

[Pradan]

ferguson won a couple of league titles and cups with Aberdeen and most impressively a European trophy against Real Madrid (which is the only one real, like us, have never won) which is why man united wanted him (and they were a bit of a mess at the time but still a footballing giant) and I think spurs tried to get him as well not long before, the only way Rodgers could outdo ferguson in Scotland is win a European cup with Celtic

as I’ve said many times before the 5 previous Celtic managers next jobs were Aston Villa, Middlesbrough, Middlesbrough, Bolton wanderers and Valarenga so you just aren’t getting that direct move to a top 6 club from Celtic for domestic success, and the likes of O’Neill (uefa cup final), strachan (twice out of the groups) and Lennon (once out of the groups) and all those three had wins against some of the top teams in Europe (O’Neill beat Juventus and a very good Lyon side and won at anfield in the UEFA cup, strachan beat united and took eventual winners milan to extra time in the last 16 and beat them in the groups the following season and also beat Villarreal and Lennon beat barca and got to the last 16) so when it comes to going up against actual competition they’ve done alright, far better than Rodgers so far and only O’Neill got a decent job (but he also had on his cv winning two trophies and finishing every season in his 4 at Leicester in the top half which was an amazing achievement to be honest) and three of them got championship jobs, so PoPs argument that top 6 clubs would interview him if he expressed interest in a vacancy is pretty funny, I mean united wanting him
and to be fair mcinnes hasn’t been a million miles away in some seasons

Reading some of those manager's achievements just goes to show how Rodgers has been a letdown in Europe with Celtic. I mean a modest manager like Strachan was able to put in some mighty impressive showings in the CL. Rodgers can't just continue to be excused for being at Celtic, and it being a free ride in Europe when their recent past reveals otherwise.

POP is calling out that Celtic could get knocked out of the qualifiers and then at the end of the season he can try to put himself forward for a top 6 job. Not sure how that works out entirely.

For Rodger's stock to improve, he needs to put in some impressive results in Europe with Celtic. His career record in Europe is for the most part a disaster. He can clean up however much he wants domestically but it'll continue to not do much to shift his reputation. You only have to see the reaction of Arsenal supporters to see how much he still is a source of ridicule amongst neutrals.

The way i see it, he's fit for a club like West Ham, Leicester or Southampton at the moment. Clubs with a decent sized budget in where if he were to have them running close to the top 6, his reputation will take a rise from that. He can then go from there, and try to get a job at somewhere like Spurs.

[Redondos Barber]

Fucking joke of a league is only upstaged by the joke Celtic fans getting excited every time they win something like its some amazing feat.

Hanging's too good for them, mate. Won't somebody please tell the Glasgow Celtic fans to desist from getting excited about winning things as the things they are winning are not good enough things and that they're being highly illogical when you think about it.

[Motty]

Hanging's too good for them, mate. Won't somebody please tell the Glasgow Celtic fans to desist from getting excited about winning things as the things they are winning are not good enough things and that they're being highly illogical when you think about it.

Exactly, mass burning at the stake maybe?

[Statto Red]

Reading some of those manager's achievements just goes to show how Rodgers has been a letdown in Europe with Celtic. I mean a modest manager like Strachan was able to put in some mighty impressive showings in the CL. Rodgers can't just continue to be excused for being at Celtic, and it being a free ride in Europe when their recent past reveals otherwise.

POP is calling out that Celtic could get knocked out of the qualifiers and then at the end of the season he can try to put himself forward for a top 6 job. Not sure how that works out entirely.

For Rodger's stock to improve, he needs to put in some impressive results in Europe with Celtic. His career record in Europe is for the most part a disaster. He can clean up however much he wants domestically but it'll continue to not do much to shift his reputation. You only have to see the reaction of Arsenal supporters to see how much he still is a source of ridicule amongst neutrals.

The way i see it, he's fit for a club like West Ham, Leicester or Southampton at the moment. Clubs with a decent sized budget in where if he were to have them running close to the top 6, his reputation will take a rise from that. He can then go from there, and try to get a job at somewhere like Spurs.

I seem to remember Celtic reaching the last 16 of the Champions League when Strachan was there manager, i still say Rodgers wants to still be at Celtic to get the 10 titles in a row, including this season, they've won 7 in a row, hardly an achievement when the standard of the SPL is so awful.

[Redondos Barber]

Exactly, mass burning at the stake maybe?

Nails them up, I say. Nail some sense into them.
Football fans getting excited about their team winning cups against their local rivals and not instead engaging in a cold analysis of the relative worthiness of these cups? Just somebody please do something to put an end to this barbarism. The horror. The horror.

[OOS]

Reading some of those manager's achievements just goes to show how Rodgers has been a letdown in Europe with Celtic. I mean a modest manager like Strachan was able to put in some mighty impressive showings in the CL. Rodgers can't just continue to be excused for being at Celtic, and it being a free ride in Europe when their recent past reveals otherwise.

POP is calling out that Celtic could get knocked out of the qualifiers and then at the end of the season he can try to put himself forward for a top 6 job. Not sure how that works out entirely.

For Rodger's stock to improve, he needs to put in some impressive results in Europe with Celtic. His career record in Europe is for the most part a disaster. He can clean up however much he wants domestically but it'll continue to not do much to shift his reputation. You only have to see the reaction of Arsenal supporters to see how much he still is a source of ridicule amongst neutrals.

The way i see it, he's fit for a club like West Ham, Leicester or Southampton at the moment. Clubs with a decent sized budget in where if he were to have them running close to the top 6, his reputation will take a rise from that. He can then go from there, and try to get a job at somewhere like Spurs.

First season Celtic got drawn into a group against Barcelona, Manchester City and Mönchengladbach. Finished bottom. Second season PSG, Bayern Munich Anderlecht. Finished 3rd and got knocked out by Zenit, a team 29 places higher than them in the UEFA Club rankings.

Hardly a joke. Celtic get bashed for being the best shite team in Scotland, and then expected to go toe to toe against the Europe's Elite.

Rodgers is naive in Europe, but his failures are over exaggerated.

[ScottishGoon]

And by all accounts the Rangers faithful are not happy with the Gerrard appointment. Done absolutely fuck all in his managerial career, and the board give him a 4 year contract?! So if he gets sacked next season he’ll get a nice payout for his efforts. Oh and I keep hearing stories he was taken to see Celtic as a boy, they don’t forget that shit 

Not sure where you are hearing that. There might be some slightly sceptical at his lack of experience, but most are really excited already about the appointment, about the players he might attract, and most importantly the hope that he'll bring some pride and passion back to playing for Rangers again. They aren't expecting some sort of tactical genius, let's be honest you don't need that in Scotland, they just want their team to be organised and have pride in playing for the jersey.

[Lush is the best medicine...]

First season Celtic got drawn into a group against Barcelona, Manchester City and Mönchengladbach. Finished bottom. Second season PSG, Bayern Munich Anderlecht. Finished 3rd and got knocked out by Zenit, a team 29 places higher than them in the UEFA Club rankings.

Hardly a joke. Celtic get bashed for being the best shite team in Scotland, and then expected to go toe to toe against the Europe's Elite.

Rodgers is naive in Europe, but his failures are over exaggerated.

gladbach were shite that season and he could easily have finished above them, also just scraped past anderlecht this season and lost at home, never mind results like the one in gibraltar

[PhaseOfPlay]

gladbach were shite that season and he could easily have finished above them, also just scraped past anderlecht this season and lost at home, never mind results like the one in gibraltar

They beat Anderlecht 3-0 with 64% possession, away. How is that "scraping past" them?

And the result in Gibraltar was his first ever game with his team.

You're a top troll, Laughter, mate. I'll give you that

[Motty]

Nails them up, I say. Nail some sense into them.
Football fans getting excited about their team winning cups against their local rivals and not instead engaging in a cold analysis of the relative worthiness of these cups? Just somebody please do something to put an end to this barbarism. The horror. The horror.

So glad you understand mate [emoji106]

[Red Beret]

The gap between Aberdeen and Celtic financially is far wider now than it was in the 80s when Ferguson was in charge. It would be a far, far bigger achievement to win the league with Aberdeen now than it was then.

Totally agree.  I can't see that it is likely but even running Celtic close would be an accomplishment.

[PhaseOfPlay]

POP is calling out that Celtic could get knocked out of the qualifiers and then at the end of the season he can try to put himself forward for a top 6 job. Not sure how that works out entirely.

No, PoP isn't saying that at all.

"PoP" is saying that there is no linear process behind the hiring of coaches at top clubs. None at all. It is as random as the game itself is. It doesn't matter whether we are talking about Rodgers, Moyes, Emry, Nagelsmann, Pulis or Pardew. There is no rhyme or reason as to why coaches get hired at top clubs, other than a shared tactical ethos, an ongoing networking relationship, or a storied playing career. "Trophies won" regularly comes second to "contacts made" or "international caps gained" or "matching style of play".

It's all there in the history of the bleedin' game, lads and lasses

[Flaccido Dongingo]

Celtic will continue to perform poorly in Europe as their transfer budget is lower than the average Championship team (their transfer record is still £6m, almost 18 years after paying that fee) and it's a tough task to convince quality players to move to what is, with all due respect, a footballing backwater, so all they can do is develop their own, buy the best of the SPL and of course any Premiership players that slip through the cracks, it's something which they've done very well, they've also plucked van Dijk and Wanyama from obscurity for low fees, all in all they've done very well in Europe, relative to their leagues status, and their budget for buying players.

[Lush is the best medicine...]

They beat Anderlecht 3-0 with 64% possession, away. How is that "scraping past" them?

Lost at home (anderlecht had 60% possession btw) and got Europa based on head to head.  That’s scraping past a team as had anderlecht matched that score they’d have gone through and from memory they were very wasteful that night

And the result in Gibraltar was his first ever game with his team.

And you have the nerve to say

You're a top troll, Laughter, mate.

[Red Beret]

Celtic will continue to perform poorly in Europe as their transfer budget is lower than the average Championship team (their transfer record is still £6m, almost 18 years after paying that fee) and it's a tough task to convince quality players to move to what is, with all due respect, a footballing backwater, so all they can do is develop their own, buy the best of the SPL and of course any Premiership players that slip through the cracks, it's something which they've done very well, they've also plucked van Dijk and Wanyama from obscurity for low fees, all in all they've done very well in Europe, relative to their leagues status, and their budget for buying players.

Harks ever back to how much the modern pro is paid.  I know it's a Europe wide issue, but it doesn't help Scotland that they're next door to a league sloshing in cash where even mediocre players go for shocking amounts of money and are on obscene wages.

Just look at what Everton paid last summer as an example.  Are any of the players they bought a serious upgrade on what Celtic currently has?

[Lush is the best medicine...]

Harks ever back to how much the modern pro is paid.  I know it's a Europe wide issue, but it doesn't help Scotland that they're next door to a league sloshing in cash where even mediocre players go for shocking amounts of money and are on obscene wages.

Just look at what Everton paid last summer as an example.  Are any of the players they bought a serious upgrade on what Celtic currently has?

oh god Everton, as shite as they are would have won that league pretty easily, I mean could you see Scott Sinclair going there as someone who’d improve them?

[Elmo!]

Harks ever back to how much the modern pro is paid.  I know it's a Europe wide issue, but it doesn't help Scotland that they're next door to a league sloshing in cash where even mediocre players go for shocking amounts of money and are on obscene wages.

Just look at what Everton paid last summer as an example.  Are any of the players they bought a serious upgrade on what Celtic currently has?

The issue with Scottish football is that we have too many professional/semi-professional clubs. We have the best attendance per capita in either Europe or the World - can't remember which - but it's spread to thin. We have 42 teams in our professional leagues, for a population of 5 million, compared to 92 in England for a population of 60 odd million. No easy way to fix that though.

[Lush is the best medicine...]

The issue with Scottish football is that we have too many professional/semi-professional clubs. We have the best attendance per capita in either Europe or the World - can't remember which - but it's spread to thin. We have 42 teams in our professional leagues, for a population of 5 million, compared to 92 in England for a population of 60 odd million. No easy way to fix that though.

isnt that attendance per capita massively skewed by the old firm tho?

[Red Beret]

oh god Everton, as shite as they are would have won that league pretty easily, I mean could you see Scott Sinclair going there as someone who’d improve them?

Which only highlights the absurdity of the situation.  There are plenty of average players in the Prem who have a much better chance of European football if they moved north of the border - but they're not interested in taking they pa cut.  Granted, most footballers will get less than 15 years in the game so they want as much as they can get. 

Still it's surprising the number of players who would rather retire than drop down a league or two or move to a lesser league where they could still make an impact. (MLS and China don't count) Gerrard would probably still do a better job on the pitch than off it in Scotland...

[Lush is the best medicine...]

Which only highlights the absurdity of the situation.  There are plenty of average players in the Prem who have a much better chance of European football if they moved north of the border - but they're not interested in taking they pa cut.  Granted, most footballers will get less than 15 years in the game so they want as much as they can get. 

the problem with that is they won’t be competitive in Europe and will likely be done with it by Christmas and then its the likes of Hamilton and st johnstone, at least in England it’s competitive all year round, and I include the championship in that.

Celtic at least in the recent past made an effort to get guys who could end up being quality prem players and it worked pretty well for them (wanyama, vvd) but aside from rogic who’d probably be more Newcastle level now I don’t think there’s been anyone who could be a star player in a prem team that they’ve signed as they had decent success getting guys from smaller clubs in Holland and belgium

[bird_lfc]

Has Scott brown ever come close to moving to England? Majority of his time at Celtic has been a bit of a doddle, can he just not be arsed with a fresh challenge?

[Lush is the best medicine...]

Has Scott brown ever come close to moving to England? Majority of his time at Celtic has been a bit of a doddle, can he just not be arsed with a fresh challenge?

didnt arry try to sign him for spurs once? To be fair if that was the only one then I understand him staying

[Elmo!]

Has Scott brown ever come close to moving to England? Majority of his time at Celtic has been a bit of a doddle, can he just not be arsed with a fresh challenge?

Think he just loves Celtic too much. Always thought it did show a bit of lack of ambition.

Or he is just self aware enough to realise his style of play just suits the SPL better.