Saturday 14 June 2008

Strachan's war on sweet nothings

Apparently a number of Celtic fans still don't think overly much of their manager, Gordon Strachan (pictured), even after three SPL titles in a row and two successive qualifications for the second group stage of the Champions League. Go figure. I suppose it's because he refuses to play ball with the tribal hatreds and the melodramatic highs and lows that are supposed to go with "commitment" these days. He's also seen as a bit of an Old Firm interloper from Aberdeen and Manchester United. Whatever. I think he's gold as a pundit on the BBC's Euro 2008 and elsewhere - intelligent, witty, spiky, funny, and with a refreshingly low threshold for fools and their cliches.

Asked today about the appointment of Phil Scolari to succeed Avram Grant as Chelsea boss, he was as dry and angular as possible: basically saying that if Scolari was really as much of a genius as the media was now claiming, and Grant as terrible ("I'm not saying that's my view, mind") then it will "obviously be a complete doddle" for the Blues to win a bucket load of trophies. Not for the first time, young presenter Jake Humphrey, surrounded by an aura of greenness, didn't quite know how to play that one. "Er... yes", he ventured, rapidly changing the subject.

Strachan does, I think, see poor Jack as a well-paid fish in the telly barrel when he's feeling a bit bored with the sheer predictability of punditry. Being bland and slickly vacuous just doesn't come naturally to Gordo. It makes for far better than usual pre- and post-match TV, mind. [Pic: Gordon Strachan (c) Sky]
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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I just love the wee man! Howeve, it seems he's not "Celtic-minded", whatever that means. In Scotland, week by week, he challenges the blandness of poor, intellectually inferior, reporters, and many of them hate him for it. I love every minute!

Anonymous said...

Agree. I think Strachan is vastly under-rated and he would make a good Scotland gaffer.

His media stuff is priceless as he takes no prisoners when confronted with the daftest of questions.

I like him!