Accies have to keep Chipper in tough times
There’s a Hamilton Accies stat on the go which on first hearing is barely believable.
Let’s build the suspense for a minute but it’s also a figure which some fans are using to call for the head of their manager.
For a club which stopped factoring the sale of season tickets into their budget long ago, the usual rubbish has been spouted by the big noise minority.
Is Brian Rice the right man to take the club forward? If he stays are the club gambling with their top-flight future? So many followers of a club who should know better.
The band of “Accies diehards” who confronted head coach Chipper at New Douglas Park last weekend following an 8- 0 thrashing by Rangers at Ibrox need a reality check.
There’s little scope for taking the club further forward and as for risking their Premiership status, it ’s something which comes under jeopardy at some point most seasons.
It ’ s an economic equivalence they share with the likes of Livingston and St Mi r r en which ensures more often than not the challenge is only to keep t hei r head above water.
I have only met Rice occasional ly over two decades of working on the Scottish football circuit so the support for his current plight is not based on any old pals’ act.
In fact his big mate is Yogi Hughes and as relationships go we share few terms of endearment.
Anyway, here’s the staggering stat. During the 12 Premiership games Hamilton have played this season they’ve only led for a combined total of nine minutes.
That tells the story of recent struggles which have only late wins over Livingston and Motherwell to savour.
A Betfred Cup defeat to Annan last month was followed by the Ibrox maul ing and Rice
admitted at the time: “We need some good news.”
Then came a loss at Stranraer which saw yesterday’s Lanarkshire derby against Albion Rovers being billed as a must- win showdown before Rovers forfeited.
The true gauge of any coach comes in talking to former players who they’ve worked with and very few enjoy a more complimentary critique than Chipper.
A clever thinker about the game, an encourager and someone who has ability to identify flaws and failings, all of these strengths are mentioned by guys who’ve had the benefit of his coaching with many saying he’s taken their game to another level.
Few work harder and even fewer have the breadth of knowledge of players is another well held opinion. Apparently he’s also an optimist.
After that Rangers thrashing he said: “It can only get better. Look at Southampton.
“They lost 9- 0 to Leicester and they’re now at the top of the Premier League. Things can change quick ly in football.”
He’s right to be positive. In a few weeks it will be someone else’s turn for the social media backlash which passes as fans’ grievance procedure.
As a club Accies have a habit of keeping their hand off the panic button and turning a deaf ear to background hysteria.
It’s time to keep the faith and remain Chipper.
The ‘diehards’ confronting Rice outside the ground after 8-0 mauling are in serious need of a reality check
Flair, creativity and goals – all qualities people saw in Moi Elyounoussi from his teenage days in Norway.
But there’s another characteristic he’s renowned for. The one Harald Brattbakk believes could be key to Celtic getting 10 in a row.
And it’s that Elyounoussi quite simply is a born winner.
Hoops cult hero Brattbakk, who scored the goal to stop Rangers’ bid for the 10 in 1998, watched Elyounoussi grow up in his homeland at Sarpsborg and Molde.
Back then the Moroccan- born talent played off the cuff. He would come alive in the final third and produce the unexpected.
Brattbakk always believed he was a talent and was convinced both he and his cousin Tariq would go on to represent their adopted country.
He’s been proved right , with Elyounoussi now a regular for the Norwegian national team and a key player for Neil Lennon at Celtic.
But as the Parkhead club prepare for a fascinating title run-in, Brattbakk says it’s the 26-year- old’s winning mentality that could be crucial.
Elyounoussi was a huge part of Molde’s double-winning shocktroops in 2014.
When he switched to Swiss side Basel three years later he collected a further league and cup before securing a mega move to Premier League Southampton for £16million.
Brattbakk says Elyounoussi has a winning touch and he’s praying it rubs off on Lennon’s men this season.
Off the back of the Norwegian’s hat- trick against Mothe r wel l last t ime out , Brattbakk said: “Maybe because Elyounoussi is a f lair player, an attacker, you don’t associate him with being a real winner.
“But he’s got that side to him. It certainly looks that way.
“Elyounoussi was successful in Norway, he won the tit le and Norwegian Cup with Molde which was unexpected.
“It was a shock in Norway when Molde won the title, it was a really big achievement.
“At that time everyone was looking at different clubs, the bigger teams like my own Rosenborg.
“But Molde had a good team and they’ve gone on to have positive results for quite a few seasons now.
“Elyounoussi was instrumental when they won the double back then.
“That’s why I’m not surprised he went on to do well in Switzerland and the UK.
“He moved to Basel and won the league there too so he’s a winner.
“He’s gone to different countries and won. To be able to do that with dif ferent teams, d if ferent managers, different cultures
– that means he’s got that ability in him.
“It can’t just be about the new team or the new country he goes to.
“He h a s to bring something for that to happen. We all know that there’s a f ine line between failure and success in the game.
Elyounoussi has worked really hard in his career to make sure those fine details go on his side.
“All the margins have fallen for him so far and hopefully he can give that to Celtic this season too.”
Brattbakk says people in Norway always expected Elyounoussi to be a special player.
As well as having ability he was also capable of producing something out of the ordinary – and that’s what made him stand out.
Now he’s confident he can play a major role in helping Celtic make history this term.
The former striker said: “I watched Elyounoussi from an early age in Norway and at that time he looked like unfinished material.
“He had an edge to his game, which was good, but he needed to mature and he has.
“He’s grown into a very good forward player and for Celtic it will be real ly important to have him available for the race to 10 in a row.
“It’s going to be hard but if he performs like he has done in the last few games he’ll definitely be an asset for them.
“As a young player, people in Norway were excited about Elyounoussi. He surprised people because he was always a little bit different to other players.
“Maybe he wasn’t the conformed footballer, the kind of striker you liked to see – or were used to seeing.
“But he brought something special to the game and now that he’s matured he’s even better.
“He was always regarded as a talent in Norway but getting to Celtic and playing regularly has been great for him. I hope he can be a big player in the title race.
“Celtic have had a tough spell but there are so many games left.
“It’s all about winning the crucial games. You can actually lose the Old Firm games and still win the league. It’s about all the games in between, the ones you’re expected to win. They will be even more vital this season.
“If you don’t win those games , then you’re definitely going to be lagging behind Rangers.”
Brattbakk earned legendary status at Parkhead for his part in stopping Gers’ bid for 10-ina-row 22 years ago.
He knows the pressure will now be building in the city having experienced it himself and admits his old club will be feeling it more.
He said: “I can’t relate to the situation now because it’s the opposite, the tables have turned since I was there.
“But I can relate when it comes to the stress involved around 10 in a row.
“I know how good it felt to stop it so I can imagine winning it would be mult iple t imes better. It will be a tough race r i g ht to the end.”