It has, in fairness, been a brilliant squirrel.
A few days before a league title decider at Celtic Park the high-Level machinations of the Sevco High Command have stolen the headlines.
As with most things it is the promise of success that enthuses the People.
That is because what happens on the field is real and the reality was the recent cup semi-final.
Sevco’s dignfied clientele are freezing in Celtic’s shadow.
It was self-evident the chaps in the Blue Room had to offer hope to those among their customer base who were swithering about season ticket renewals.
The fallout between young Master Murts and two of his most experienced players sent some of The People into an anguished downward spiral.
Clearly, a major overhead diversion was required.
Mr Gerrard and his advisers might look under the hood at the basket of assets and come to the same conclusion as Derek McInnes and his people earlier this year.
Then again the Englishman might not carry out sufficient due diligence.
If he does take the job on the basis of verbal assurances from Chairman King then the hero of the Kop has not been paying attention to what Judge Southwood stated in court.
I find it ironic that the most famous part of Anfield is named after a Quintessentially British clusterfuck in South Africa
Local journalist Ernest Edwards, who was the sports editor of newspapers the Liverpool Daily Post and Echo, named that part of the stadium the Spion Kop.
He named it after a famous hill in South Africa where a local regiment had suffered heavy losses during the Boer War in 1900.
Like most military disasters, faulty intelligence about the opposition and disregard for the facts on the ground were to blame.
I think that’s a very apposite metaphor for what has happened at Ibrox over the years.
Of course, time spent in reconnaissance is never wasted.
A stealthy patrol through the published accounts should start with enemy forces.
Aberdeen 30/6/2017:
Turnover £15.3m Operating profit £0.5m Staff costs £7.8m Net value of player registrations £0.6m.
Celtic 30/6/201: Turnover £90.6m, Operating profit £7.5m, Staff costs £52.2m, Net value of player registrations £13.9m.
Now, what could the next Sevco commander have on the Fitba battlefield next season?
*Rangers 30/6/2017:
Turnover £29.2m, Operating loss £6.3m, Staff costs £17.6m (Player costs £10.4m), Net value of player registrations £9.3m.
Essentially, RIFC/TRFC need to reduce staff costs by about £7-£8m to breakeven.
For someone who has been in the upper reaches of the EPL, this is a far-off country of which he knows little.
Some might say it is more likely that a Liver bird will be spotted over Edmiston Drive than Gerrard being presented at a Sevco presser to salivating stenographers.
However, it is the sort of empty box office flourish that has King written all over it.
If Mr Gerrard is eventually appointed the comparison will be made with Barnes and Souness.
The latter had a substantial financial advantage over his rivals when he was in the Ibrox dugout in the second half of the 1980s.
I’m afraid that the reality wall is waiting for The People this Sunday at Noon.
I do hope for his sake that Mr Gerrard is watching because his old boss from Anfield will show him how this management thing is done.
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sevco sevco give us a song sevco give us a song, or perhaps can you hear the sevco sing noooo noooo.
please shatter my speakers with these little ditties ,thank you,just imagine how mc cann,mc coist are going to deal with that ,
please don’t stuff up this game,it would be so easy for celtic to let their ego’s trip them up on the day, happens to the best of us,heed first timmy.signed, North east sheep.
Sevco will most likely grandstand the new manager (whoever he may be) as soon as possible after they get pumped by Celtic again and get bumped down to 3rd or even 4th place in the league. The savage breasts of the huns have to be soothed.
I would, however, urge Gerrard to run for the hills – any hills. HH
Iniesta on his way to Celtic.
Where do I get my Scottish NUJ card?
Stevie G will bring in the cream dela cream from the Liverpool youth system to Sevco just like rossiter. I’ll say no more
The Sevco FC Manager Selection Criteria – WATP and demand – Management Progress!
Therefore, consider this…
2017 recruit Secco F.C Under-20s and Academy Manager – Graeme Stuart Murty
2018 recruit Liverpool FC – Under 21s & Academy Manager – Steven Gerrard
With great dignity Sevco FC high command claim Progress.
As’Our next mangers will have managed under 21’s and this is a significant progressive step forward from having someone who’s only prior experience is of managing an under 20’s squad’.
The Sevco Board therefore challenge anyone to argue that Mr Gerard’s appointment is not a real term significant (5%) progress.
A suggestion for the Parkhead choir for Sunday……curtesy of The Manic Street Preachers….
“And if you tolerate this, then your children will be Celts, will be Celts, will be Celts, will be Celts”
I thank you.
So Stevie Clark said no idea what Sevco are on about, scrub out Clark and add Gerrard throw in Gary McAllister and Alan McGregor and…………………………….gies piece.
Odd comment Architect. Gerrard’s religion is his own business as I am sure he was taught at St Michael’s RC primary in Huyton as reported by none other than The Telegraph.
TOP statement released the thicko Bennys laughing at it saying it’s OK it’s just King taking the piss nothing to worry about oh dear .
‘salivating stenographers’ love it Phil
Phil is the professional and I liked the salivating crack myself,
However,I think ‘slobbering stenographers’ would have equally as apt.
Two weeks ago, before the slaughter of the inno…………. guilty as sin at Hampden, the Lying King made a big play of getting the very best manager available. By anyone’s standards, Steven Gerrard was a fabulous footballer and captain. But the very best manager? Without ever managing? I smell shite! I smell yet another desperate ploy to get someone with connections.
“As with most things it is the promise of success that enthuses the People.”
I’m starting to feel many of them have gone beyond that stage now. They realise increasingly that any serious prospect of success is a mirage – and are finding that what they crave most, beneath it all, is simply relevance.
How else to explain the facts? They’ve all spent the last year – or even two – stressing with increasing urgency how imperative it is to get in a proper, experienced manager – how they can’t afford *yet another* gamble on someone with no management experience at a serious level.
So how could that lesson, so painfully learned, be forgotten so soon – in the sudden leap to the bandwagon – for a manager with no management experience at all, at any level?
How could they even consider it? Rectifying the disastrous appointment of an inexperienced youth coach as their caretaker manager – by appointing an inexperienced youth coach as their permanent manager??
Have they mysteriously found themselves inside the film Memento – where each day they forget everything they learned before?
I don’t think so. The real reason they want him is not any likelihood of success – it’s as poignant and simple as his name. Because that allows them to pretend they’re a proper club again, a big club – “Because Steven Gerrard”. To project the flickering black-&-white image of a real association football team – as opposed to the running joke that their performances, their squad, their finances and their boardroom all betray.
Ah well – a brief nod to Mr Traynor, if only for his skill in exploiting desperation.
After all, it’s rare in the animal kingdom, a successful predator carrying that much weight…
Excellent ✅
Excellent retort ✅
Picture the scene. SG invited to attend the game on Sunday. Celtic score. SG jumps up cheering. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.
Wouldn’t it be funny if BR phoned Stevie G and says fancy joining me for 10 in a row ?
I think that would be awesome.
Why not ?
Let him work with and bring through our under 13’s to 19’s for talking sake. His experience as a player alone would be invaluable for our kids, and he’ll get League winning medals he never got as a player. They all count 🙂
The reality is that their previous best efforts could not produce an experienced manager which is why Murty (having proven himself before ?) was handpicked.
I have sympathy for Murts, cleverly, he didn’t apply, he was appointed by his employer. Considering what he inherited I think he has done a fine job. I think he hates the job and I for one thought Sevco would be fighting for top six never mind top 4.
My point is no manager with any experience or credibility is going to take the job. It’s a chance of a payday (unless they happen to unknowingly resign) nothing more.
Certainly, the lack of ‘due diligence’ surrounding the Gerrard story is striking: no-one in the BBC story aired at some length last night made any mention either of a spokesman for the Ibrox club or for Gerrard, and there seemed to have been no attempt to approach Gerrard himself – all things you would expect a proper journalist to do as a first step in confirming whether the story had anything in it (rather than being, say, a puff piece emanating from some PR firm). Instead various people who clearly knew no more about the story than we did (like Roy Hodgson) were asked to give an opinion on Gerrard’s suitability for a job which – as far as we know -only various bookmakers have actually ‘short-listed’ him for.
A deluded sevco fan told me a major sponsor coming to change us 100 mil plus AUG
Why can’t people learn from history ? Maybe they’re too stupid.
This squirrel has deja vu written all over it.
Being a good Catholic boy, Wee Stevie should be in no doubt Sevco are in dire need of The Exorcist.
Not that religion has anything to do with it but Gerard isn’t catholic.
Surprising move if it happens. Think most expected Rangers to go for a more experienced manager. Good clear out required and an experienced number 2. Will bring with him more interest in the Scottish game though.
Gerrard is Catholic , end of debate
Why doesn’t he update Wiki if he ain’t a Catholic? Is in there in black and white for a reason.