indianabluenose
Well-Known Member
There is a long, almost depraved, tradition of humiliation in Scottish football, and we have just experienced another dose of it. What happened to Celtic and Aberdeen in midweek was a fresh reminder that we should be wary in the Scottish game of facing teams we’ve scarcely heard of, because it probably means that they are better than us.
If anything, Aberdeen’s red face was the worst of them. Trailing 2-0 to Rijeka of Croatia from the first leg in their Europa League qualifier, Derek McInnes and his team made an utter mess of it at Pittodrie on Thursday night, turning in a dire performance which left them lagging 2-0 afresh after 32 minutes. At 4-0 down on aggregate with 58 minutes to go, not even the most optimistic Dandy was deluded enough to think the tie was salvageable.
McInnes comes in for repeated praise as Aberdeen manager — not least from this column — but this is a moment for bringing out the sledgehammer. This was garbage from Aberdeen, and their manager has to carry the can. Moreover, Thursday was an acute reminder that, hard as McInnes has tried to raise the bar in Scotland’s north-east, his European record leaves little to be admired.
This was McInnes’s sixth attempt at reaching the Europa group stage with the Dons and he has never got there yet, having gone out five times at the third qualifying round, and last year being put out in the second round by Burnley.
It does not look very impressive. Moreover, given some of the teams that will contest next week’s Europa play-off round — Bnei Yehuda, Apollon Limassol, Braga, Antwerp and others — it should not have been beyond Aberdeen’s ability to be among them. So something was executed pretty badly by McInnes and his players, and the Aberdeen manager will feel it, as well he should.
For Celtic and Neil Lennon, things were scarcely any better. What a nightmare for the Scottish champions at Celtic Park, scattily being in a position to win the tie three times but tossing away four goals to let CFR Cluj go through 5-4 on aggregate. Little wonder the Celtic support was up in arms and Lennon was fuming about it later.
There is repeated talk of Romania being a hotbed of football, with its rich vintage of players down the years, but none of that washes this week. In a chronic league, Cluj have suffered no end of mishaps in recent years — on and off the field — not least in being dumped from the Europa League qualifiers last season by F91 Dudelange of Luxembourg, which was one of Romanian football’s greatest humiliations. Yes, revival has come under coach Dan Petrescu, but Celtic are far bigger, far richer, and should have seen them off.
It threw up sudden, jolting questions about Lennon and where he is taking Celtic. How could his team prove so porous? It was also impossible to believe that, in the same scenario under Brendan Rodgers, Celtic would not have been more calculated and efficient in seeing Wednesday’s game out. So the outcome triggered one of those fitful, enflamed debates around Lennon, with Celtic fans arguing the toss, and plenty others joining in. Only one theme was agreed: the failing had been abject.
So — and I don’t often write this — thank God for Rangers. Their fluent and clinical hammering of Midtjylland over two legs preserved some sort of pride in the Scottish game and reeked of attacking football. Much evidence lies ahead of us this season, for good or ill, but right now Steven Gerrard looks to be assembling a team which might be unnerving one or two people across Glasgow. It is too early to make any such concrete observations, but Gerrard and Rangers deserve credit for their Europa League strivings so far. The group stage is surely there for them.
It has been a sobering week in Scottish football. The sort we are well used to by now. And there will be plenty more of them.
Kerr made an error, but haven’t we all?
Shelley Kerr has always seemed the embodiment of decent, sane and sensible. Which makes reports of her alleged “boozy rant” against some players after Scotland women’s World Cup failure pretty hard to fathom.
Kerr admitted in a BBC interview that she had had “a few drinks” over dinner before debriefing her players in an allegedly explosive fashion, which caused more than one in her squad to be reduced to tears.
Scotland had lost their opening two games to England and Japan before blowing their last-16 chances against Argentina, drawing 3-3 having led 3-0 with 17 minutes to play.
The Scotland coach denies alcohol was a factor in the meeting, but also confesses that she would “do things differently” faced with the same situation again. What can be said for certain is this: that debrief on June 20 was not carried through for the best.
It looks to me like Kerr made an error of judgment. So she’s only got another 99 to go before she catches up with someone like me.
14 million reasons why England is crazy
If you ever needed fresh reminding of how great the gap is between Scottish and English football — and how inflated and crazy the English football economy is — then consider this minor case from down south.
Henry Onyekuru was once a Celtic target. On Tuesday, he was sold to Monaco for a reported £14 million, having been bought by Everton for £7 million from Eupen in 2017.
The Nigerian winger did not make a single appearance for Everton, who took several looks at him upon his arrival and decided their due diligence in signing him had been a pile of pap.
Och, but no matter. What’s £7 million spent recklessly, when the Premier League pays you hundreds of millions just for being there? Never mind the ludicrous transfer market which means a player who hasn’t worn his club’s shirt for two seasons is worth double what he was before.
Rangers and Celtic have to miraculously dredge up any spare £1 million they can find. Not so in England: a preposterous scene.
If anything, Aberdeen’s red face was the worst of them. Trailing 2-0 to Rijeka of Croatia from the first leg in their Europa League qualifier, Derek McInnes and his team made an utter mess of it at Pittodrie on Thursday night, turning in a dire performance which left them lagging 2-0 afresh after 32 minutes. At 4-0 down on aggregate with 58 minutes to go, not even the most optimistic Dandy was deluded enough to think the tie was salvageable.
McInnes comes in for repeated praise as Aberdeen manager — not least from this column — but this is a moment for bringing out the sledgehammer. This was garbage from Aberdeen, and their manager has to carry the can. Moreover, Thursday was an acute reminder that, hard as McInnes has tried to raise the bar in Scotland’s north-east, his European record leaves little to be admired.
This was McInnes’s sixth attempt at reaching the Europa group stage with the Dons and he has never got there yet, having gone out five times at the third qualifying round, and last year being put out in the second round by Burnley.
It does not look very impressive. Moreover, given some of the teams that will contest next week’s Europa play-off round — Bnei Yehuda, Apollon Limassol, Braga, Antwerp and others — it should not have been beyond Aberdeen’s ability to be among them. So something was executed pretty badly by McInnes and his players, and the Aberdeen manager will feel it, as well he should.
For Celtic and Neil Lennon, things were scarcely any better. What a nightmare for the Scottish champions at Celtic Park, scattily being in a position to win the tie three times but tossing away four goals to let CFR Cluj go through 5-4 on aggregate. Little wonder the Celtic support was up in arms and Lennon was fuming about it later.
There is repeated talk of Romania being a hotbed of football, with its rich vintage of players down the years, but none of that washes this week. In a chronic league, Cluj have suffered no end of mishaps in recent years — on and off the field — not least in being dumped from the Europa League qualifiers last season by F91 Dudelange of Luxembourg, which was one of Romanian football’s greatest humiliations. Yes, revival has come under coach Dan Petrescu, but Celtic are far bigger, far richer, and should have seen them off.
It threw up sudden, jolting questions about Lennon and where he is taking Celtic. How could his team prove so porous? It was also impossible to believe that, in the same scenario under Brendan Rodgers, Celtic would not have been more calculated and efficient in seeing Wednesday’s game out. So the outcome triggered one of those fitful, enflamed debates around Lennon, with Celtic fans arguing the toss, and plenty others joining in. Only one theme was agreed: the failing had been abject.
So — and I don’t often write this — thank God for Rangers. Their fluent and clinical hammering of Midtjylland over two legs preserved some sort of pride in the Scottish game and reeked of attacking football. Much evidence lies ahead of us this season, for good or ill, but right now Steven Gerrard looks to be assembling a team which might be unnerving one or two people across Glasgow. It is too early to make any such concrete observations, but Gerrard and Rangers deserve credit for their Europa League strivings so far. The group stage is surely there for them.
It has been a sobering week in Scottish football. The sort we are well used to by now. And there will be plenty more of them.
Kerr made an error, but haven’t we all?
Shelley Kerr has always seemed the embodiment of decent, sane and sensible. Which makes reports of her alleged “boozy rant” against some players after Scotland women’s World Cup failure pretty hard to fathom.
Kerr admitted in a BBC interview that she had had “a few drinks” over dinner before debriefing her players in an allegedly explosive fashion, which caused more than one in her squad to be reduced to tears.
Scotland had lost their opening two games to England and Japan before blowing their last-16 chances against Argentina, drawing 3-3 having led 3-0 with 17 minutes to play.
The Scotland coach denies alcohol was a factor in the meeting, but also confesses that she would “do things differently” faced with the same situation again. What can be said for certain is this: that debrief on June 20 was not carried through for the best.
It looks to me like Kerr made an error of judgment. So she’s only got another 99 to go before she catches up with someone like me.
14 million reasons why England is crazy
If you ever needed fresh reminding of how great the gap is between Scottish and English football — and how inflated and crazy the English football economy is — then consider this minor case from down south.
Henry Onyekuru was once a Celtic target. On Tuesday, he was sold to Monaco for a reported £14 million, having been bought by Everton for £7 million from Eupen in 2017.
The Nigerian winger did not make a single appearance for Everton, who took several looks at him upon his arrival and decided their due diligence in signing him had been a pile of pap.
Och, but no matter. What’s £7 million spent recklessly, when the Premier League pays you hundreds of millions just for being there? Never mind the ludicrous transfer market which means a player who hasn’t worn his club’s shirt for two seasons is worth double what he was before.
Rangers and Celtic have to miraculously dredge up any spare £1 million they can find. Not so in England: a preposterous scene.
