Lets talk about... Eddie

Hi everyone! Thanks so much for the responses! I'll be sure to check out the articles and videos linked later today.

I will be asking Burnley fans for their perspective on him as well.

With regards to Celtic: Unfortunately the business side of the operation and the footballing side of the operation haven't been in lock-step over the previous few years and despite the success on the pitch prior to this year we aren't in as strong a situation as we could be. There is a new Chief Executive coming in and we are likely to be changing the operating structure of the football operations side.

There is likely about to be a lot of squad turnover. There are short term signings & loans due to return to their clubs and some players approaching the last year of their contract when they have already won everything our league has to offer; those players are likely to be sold. Some may agree to contract extensions but hopefully that will be at the discretion of the new management team.

The players who remain have spent the better part of two years playing to below the sum of their parts. That being said, there are some hopeful foundational pieces depending on your view of their potential either development or reclamation of previous form.

I really can't thank you all enough for taking the time to give a perspective on Eddie. Great bunch of people you have here!
 
You will hear a lot of guff in the media about us being backed by a Russian Billionaire....we're not....Max is worth about a hundred odd million....not a lot in comparison to a lot of owners down here......you'll hear about his poor signings....Jordon Ibe will be the only one they can think of......we didn't come from the bottom of L2 to the PL by making poor signings.
You won't hear about how he took over a team on the brink of extinction with a minus 17 points deduction and a 2 year transfer embargo and somehow kept us up and then got the same group of players promoted the following season.
You won't hear how when he came back to us he took a team in the relegation zone and got us automatic promotion.
No...you'll hear how we bought our way into the PL due to being backed by a Russian Billionaire despite the fact that our first 11 that tore the Championship apart cost about 6 million to put together.
 
Btw, if Eddie does take over at Celtic, as soon as this lockdown thing is over, I'll be planning a trip up to Glasgow to see Eddie's new team in action - I bet I won't be the only one, either !

SonOfGabriel, how difficult would it be to pick up tickets on a casual basis ?
 
I could wax lyrical about his plus points but I'll stick to one point. The idea that his success was down to cash from a Russian billionaire is bullshit of the highest order.

Aside from the fact that the guy is not a billionaire Eddie got us promoted to the Prem with a mid-level budget for the Championship that season. His 'overspend' was essentially the £3m on Callum Wilson, which was what we got for Lewis Grabban. FFP was breached by the wages, which was required to keep hold of the decent players he'd bought up from the division below. Plus the Kenwyn Jones January gamble when it looked like we had a real chance.

Aside from all that he saved us from relegation and immediately got us promoted from league 2 a few seasons before with no budget and a transfer ban.

The only season we could be accused of 'buying promotion' was from L1 to the Championship when we did have a much bigger budget than everyone else. That said the same team were in the relegation zone when he took over.

He worked absolute miracles with AFCB, no two ways about it.

To pick one criticism. He seemed to run out of steam and struggled to keep the players motivated. We've all speculated as to the reasons...
  • All managers struggle to motivate teams eventually, even Klopp a d Guardiola.
  • He struggled to deal with superstars.
  • His breath-of-fresh-air tactics got found out and he wasn't able to make the changes required.
  • Too reliant on ageing players and didn't trust youngsters.
  • Burn out.

Who knows but he's an absolute legend.
 
Btw, if Eddie does take over at Celtic, as soon as this lockdown thing is over, I'll be planning a trip up to Glasgow to see Eddie's new team in action - I bet I won't be the only one, either !

SonOfGabriel, how difficult would it be to pick up tickets on a casual basis ?
Lol the first shirt my Irish father ever bought me was a Celtic shirt!.....think he was quite upset that I never wore it.
He be delighted that I'm now a Celtic supporter....:grinning:
 
Btw, if Eddie does take over at Celtic, as soon as this lockdown thing is over, I'll be planning a trip up to Glasgow to see Eddie's new team in action - I bet I won't be the only one, either !
Great excuse for a long weekend in that brilliant city David. Ryanair resume Bournemouth to Glasgow flights in May it seems. Special deal for us Cherries?
 
You will hear a lot of guff in the media about us being backed by a Russian Billionaire....we're not....Max is worth about a hundred odd million....not a lot in comparison to a lot of owners down here......you'll hear about his poor signings....Jordon Ibe will be the only one they can think of......we didn't come from the bottom of L2 to the PL by making poor signings.
You won't hear about how he took over a team on the brink of extinction with a minus 17 points deduction and a 2 year transfer embargo and somehow kept us up and then got the same group of players promoted the following season.
You won't hear how when he came back to us he took a team in the relegation zone and got us automatic promotion.
No...you'll hear how we bought our way into the PL due to being backed by a Russian Billionaire despite the fact that our first 11 that tore the Championship apart cost about 6 million to put together.
Let me check this out. If Max is only worth 100 odd million how is he able to absorb the 160 million loss that has been quoted?
 
Lol the first shirt my Irish father ever bought me was a Celtic shirt!.....think he was quite upset that I never wore it.
He be delighted that I'm now a Celtic supporter....:grinning:

I've just replaced the picture of the queen on my mantlepiece with a photo of Gerry Adams in a balaclava. Up the RA!
 
Those of us who are of a certain age will remember the Celtic team of 1967, the first British team to win the European Cup - The Lisbon Lions !

It was commonplace for a few years after that to see lads in Celtic tops down here, and plenty of people had Celtic as their second team.
 
He is the same as every other manager every week between kick off and his 1st sub...11 other brains and bodies are in charge of the teams fate...the players abilities and team cohesion count for a lot more. Half - time provides a very brief period of adjustment and guidance for the players focus on another 50 minutes of fate..with perhaps a few subs to maybe alter the outcome...and get the ball away from De Bruyne...or Pukki...or Sarr..
What went on in the rest of the week..the training...is now irrellevant.
One player might have had a bust-up with his
girlfriend or boyfriend hours before the game...is emotionally disturbed still..tells no one...then makes a couple of uncharacteristic mistakes ..2- goals down as result - the manager is temporarily powerless for that scenario.
We over estimate and Attache Hype to these people - so when it goes pear - shaped we are left scratching our heads and grasping for reasons.....or an alternative manager !
Things should or should not have happened....with very few onlookers/ punters/ pundits having exactly the same conclusions about How the 'manager' handled the situations.

Jose Mourinho to Manu - that was it then for the next 5 years...Titles and Cups Sewn Up
They are not really now using their Grand Trophy Cabinet as a ten-pin bowling alley are they? Spurs have tramps sleeping in theirs !

...
 
Expect: Goals at both ends, signings nobody knew were coming, some players to improve a lot under his coaching, a player to get frozen out occasionally after an alleged falling out.

Don't expect: Clean sheets, honesty in press conferences about who is and who isn't injured and available, staff and/or players that don't buy into everything Eddie staying long.
 
I would just add to all the above that you would be getting someone who is eager to keep on learning. Given the opportunity he would be found in Italy, Spain, Germany trying to pick the brains of other coaches.
 
The local and national media were supportive and unquestioning about the manager.
If Howe takes over at Celtic he might not get such appreciation and will need his nice guy approach to field the loaded questions.

AFCB fans had no expectations after avoiding relegation and possible administration and liquidation. Howe always said the right things about the fans were appreciated but was not one to take any notice of their views on players, selection, tactics.

Interesting times ahead for the manager, the club and supporters.
 
The local and national media were supportive and unquestioning about the manager.
If Howe takes over at Celtic he might not get such appreciation and will need his nice guy approach to field the loaded questions.

AFCB fans had no expectations after avoiding relegation and possible administration and liquidation. Howe always said the right things about the fans were appreciated but was not one to take any notice of their views on players, selection, tactics.

Interesting times ahead for the manager, the club and supporters.

This is the big question over Eddie. Will he be able to do it under a more questioning fan base? He needs to though, whether it's celtic or anyone else.
 
davidwhitehead
After the season we just had I think you'll be able to get them quite easily
Here is the link to the ticket office (once it opens back up)

https://www.celticfc.com/tickets

LewSwimmin
Founded by a catholic priest to feed the hungry in Glasgow's east end. Celtic has always been a club open to all. We are labelled the catholic club as for generations Rangers (the old Rangers) wouldn't allow catholics to play for them. All are welcome though.
(I am in fact a catholic, but thats not why I'm a Celtic fan. Its a very mixed & inclusive support from my incredibly biased point of view)

Old Cherry
While I agree that coaches coach and players play, a lot can be said about how a team is set up and their trends across multiple seasons.

Before I came to this site all I could tell you about Howe was the promotion from L1 to PL then keeping a team in the top flight for 5 seasons. The average for promoted teams 3. That doesn't tell the whole story though.

If Eddie does get the job I intend to take the average points for promoted teams in each of their subsequent years in the league for an apples to apples comparison of the job done at Bournemouth relative to average. I'll likely then look into the XG stats for his teams as time went on before I start watching game tape.

I greatly appreciate the input from everyone here. Thank you.
 
Lol the first shirt my Irish father ever bought me was a Celtic shirt!.....think he was quite upset that I never wore it.
He be delighted that I'm now a Celtic supporter....:grinning:
One Christmas, years ago, my wife bought me a garden gnome footballer (I didn't know such things existed) with a football clutched in his arms and wearing green kit. I didn't have the heart, or the patience, to explain that the club I support wore black and red stripes and green was definitely a 'no no'. The gnome has shared a pot with our Olive Tree for years – I am now just wondering if I should bring 'Eddie Gnome' indoors and apologise – both to it and possibly my wife. On second thoughts, perhaps I'll just let her buy the lottery tickets.
 

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