Stein and Waddell had the right idea
“I DON’T see a major gulf between the sides,” claimed Rangers manager Mark Warburton after his team were outclassed in last Saturday’s 5-1 defeat by Celtic.
“There is no embarrassment,” insisted Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers after witnessing his team being slaughtered 7-0 by Barcelona on Tuesday, their heaviest defeat in 54 years of European competition.
Don’t Warburton and Rodgers realise Old Firm fans actually know something about football?
Sure they can be over the top. But give them some credit. Supporters know a gap in class when they see one so it’s not advisable to try and pull the wool over their eyes.
Both sets of fans would have been far more understanding if Warburton and Rodgers had just been realistic in their assessments.
Rodgers revealed after the Old Firm game that he had used the memory of Jock Stein in his pre-match address to inspire his players.
“If he’s looking down, do him proud,” Rodgers told his troops on the 31st anniversary of Stein’s death.
There is no evidence of Warburton invoking the memory of Stein’s great adversary and former Rangers manager, Willie Waddell.
Stein and Waddell remain the only managers to win European trophies for the Old Firm in a combined 114 years of vying with the Continent’s finest.
There is absolutely no way either would have reacted to heavy defeats the way Rodgers and Warburton just have. Both were far more astute.
In fairness, neither had a microphone thrust in front of their faces minutes after the final whistle. Nor were lengthy de-briefing sessions for the written press compulsory back in Stein and Waddell’s day.
However, having worked with both, I can safely say they would have been far more careful with their choice of words.
Warburton compounded matters on Rangers TV when he said: “I’ve read some of the poisonous, mischievous dialogue written and that just burns in your memory. We will make sure the people who are writing these words come to eat their words.”
Stein and Waddell had a far more effective way of emphasising their displeasure when similar situations occurred during their heyday in the 1960s and 1970s.
You used to dread a phone call from Celtic Park or Ibrox summoning you for a face-to-face with Stein or Waddell. Both were masters at putting a young upstart in his place without the whole world knowing.
This usually led to a greater understanding on all sides.
The reactions of Warburton and Rodgers won’t have the same effect, that’s for sure.