Aberdeen-minded?

Well, today is the first-day of post-Strachan Celtic and, for me, there is a degree of sadness. I had great hopes for Gordon as Celtic manager and for a time it appeared that he would fulfil all of them and more.

However, his final season has taught us one thing – just as with Martin O'Neill's last campaign, it is folly to believe you can successfully carry out a job of the magnitude of the Celtic manager's role unless you are 100% committed. Ultimately, this was Gordon's greatest failing in his period of tenure.

Managing people is 10% theory, 20% common sense and instinct, and the rest is psychological, much of it subliminal. Anyone who has had to manage people in the most minor degree will know that keeping subordinates fully focused and motivated all of the time is a monumental task.

Demand more than their abilities allow and the pressure will tell. Be too stern and their motivation will drop as their resentment rises. Be too easy-going and familiar, then people will believe they can deliver lower standards.

In a top-level, supremely competitive environment, it is impossible to perform optimally with a shred of doubt about your commitment. Communications experts tell us that 70% of any message conveyed is non-verbal. We subconsciously pick up signals from people all the time. It's what tells us when someone is lying and when someone just doesn't fully believe in what they say.

I don't know what Gordon Strachan said to his players before they performed like lions to deliver the third title in the aftermath of the death of Tommy Burns. But he could have said the same words in the last three weeks and they would have had none of the impact of 12 months ago.

I believe he will look back on the past six months with regret. He will know that a manager at Celtic cannot accept draws or narrow defeats. He cannot pass on to players the notion that anything less than victory is ever enough and he certainly cannot continually praise them in defeat. Watching the team in recent months was painful because, for the first time in years, we saw a Celtic side with no heart.

There is a time for patient play and a time for roaring your team-mates on, demanding more from each other. That passion was missing from the field of play, arguably because players had picked up signals that it was not required.

That is not to say for one second that Gordon Strachan didn't want to do the best for Celtic. I have not the slightest doubt that he conducted himself professionally at all times. But whether the death of Tommy Burns left a hole in his life at Celtic, whether he was dismayed by the reaction of some fans or whether he was disillusioned by executives who refused to invest adequately in the squad, something was clearly missing and that was evident in his public demeanour and on-field performances.

Much has been written about his lack of “Celtic-mindedness” and despite what some say there is a half-truth there. Unfortunately what masquerades as the vast bulk of the Scottish media loves to take a half-truth and spin it into an ugly lie.

Gordon's background wasn't a problem, though some remembered him as an Aberdeen player with no fondness at all. Following Martin O'Neill, whose personal circumstances encouraged fans to ignore any failings was a huge personal challenge, one not helped by two awful results in his first season – defeats to Artmedia and Clyde.

Yet it is easy to forget that his stock was at its highest when he spoke so movingly about Tommy Burns and then delivered that third title. He also received overwhelming support from the fans when he took a stand over the behaviour of Aiden McGeady.

What he was lacking was the well of goodwill that is available to someone the fans of any club feel affection for. Newcastle United fans forgive Kevin Keegan all his failings and admire a hopelessly inept Alan Shearer. The same couldn't be said for Ruud Gullit, Kenny Dalglish or Glenn Roeder. Do they face accusations of bigotry?

Aberdeen have just lost Jimmy Calderwood, their best manager since they foolishly sacked Alex Smith. He claims today that directors did not support him and it is well known that a vast section of the Aberdeen support detested him, not least because of his known affiliation to Rangers. Yet the press absolves them of the stain of prejudice; the same press that ignores mass racism and sectarian abuse from Rangers fans; the same press that besmirches the good name of Celtic supporters with invented theories.

Now, the number one choice for Aberdeen fans is Mark McGhee, a former Celt allegedly recommended to our directors by Gordon Strachan. One of the stars of the Dons' greatest era, their choice is certainly based on emotion as much as his managerial record, which includes two relegations and a bottom-six SPL finish.

Let them have their man. The truth is that the manager they have lost has far better credentials for a top job – even the Celtic job – than any of his SPL rivals. But then, if he isn't quoted, it could only be because he isn't Celtic-minded.





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