Oh dear that’s not much of a response.
Bandage, do you not find him boring at this stage?
[quote=“therock67”]Oh dear that’s not much of a response.
Bandage, do you not find him boring at this stage?[/QUOTE]
He’s looking to Bandage for inspiration now. he’ll clutch on to anything at this stage. You can smell the desperation 
I cant believe how seething you are. 
Not sure where the right thread for this is so said I’d throw it in here. Anyone ever heard of this lad?
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2009/0701/1224249835930.html
HE MAY still be little known here at home but Patrick Walker has been generating a fair bit of media interest in Norway since guiding Sandefjord back to the countrys Premier Division (Tippelaegen) at the first attempt last year.
Naturally enough, the local television stations have been delighted with the novelty of having an Irish manager in their midst and better still, he speaks Swedish which they understand even if, he admits, I sometimes have trouble with Norwegian sometimes because of some of their accents.
Walkers own accent is pretty remarkable. Not that its especially strong but it is 26 years now since he moved to Gothenburg and yet, from the moment he picks up the phone to you for the first time, its pretty clear youve got the right man.
Born just short of 50 years ago in Carlow, Walker is a former under-21 Republic of Ireland international who had a few seasons at Gillingham and a spell at Bohemians before a chance meeting in Spain with his future wife, Annette, followed by a visit to Sweden to see her graduate from college, effectively changed his life.
Even on that first occasion in Gothenburg he was struck by how positive people were towards him and contacts made then led to invitations to train with clubs which were, in turn, followed by offers of contracts.
Gillingham, he says, made him a decent offer to stay with them but the Swedish league represented something of a step up in quality while he found the way in which the clubs there were run and the players applied themselves all added to the appeal.
In the years that followed he had spells with BK Hacken and GIF Sundsvall but already had one eye on the coaching career he had long envisaged for himself.
It was always something Id wanted to do, he says. Id made a start on my badges at an early stage and I ended up going back to study psychology here with a view to using that for football management. The whole idea of being involved, to see something youve worked on, people youve worked with grow . . . that was really important to me.
Walker worked at Kalmar and Orebro and, he says, succeeded in progressing both clubs. His work there also got him noticed by the Swedish FA who also started to avail of his services with the Irishman handed some scouting work and a couple of foreign coaching assignments including one with the Swedish team at the prestigious Toulon tournament, at which he had played for Ireland some 28 years previously. The Swedes ultimately finished as runners up to host side France.
They wanted me to stay with the national association and work with some of the young players, he says, but the chance to take over at Sandefjord came up and so he relocated to Norway.
His new home is a town of less than 50,000 people about an hour or so from Oslo and, thanks to the cheap direct flights from nearby, he says, handy enough for Gothenburg and Carlow too.
Things have gone well for him at the club. Relegated the year before last, the owners had maintained investment in the hope of seeing the side bounce straight back but things started badly and that was when Walker was handed the opportunity to take over. It didnt take him too long to turn things around and the team went on a strong run that ended with them winning promotion and him being hailed as the leagues manager of the year.
Their momentum carried over into this season with good results against the likes of Rosenberg and Brann Bergen contributing to a flying start before some recent setbacks resulted in a slide towards lower mid-table.
Walker, though, is confident that the team will be okay and, having just signed a contract extension, is upbeat about overseeing continued progress at a club where he is clearly happy.
Still, there are things he misses about Gothenburg, not least the day-to-day contact with his two sons, Robert (22) and Kevin (19), both professional players themselves, with Atvidabergs and AIK respectively. Each has been capped at various underage levels by Sweden though, he insists, they have strong links with Ireland too.
As it happens, both have been laid up for spells recently and Kevin is in the process of returning to action following a freak illness which struck while he was on international duty in Belgium and which, his father observes, might actually have killed him. The pair, though, continue to make good progress and Walkers paternal pride is unmistakable.
As for his own future, he is a little bit coy but it is clear he believes he is still on an upward trajectory too.
Obviously I want to go as far as I can, he says, and Im going at it bit by bit. Ive had to work hard to get this far and maybe Ive suffered a little for being Irish but Ive done okay and Im very happy here. Its a beautiful place with wonderful people. The aim, though, is always to move on to better things.
I ended up going back to study psychology here with a view to using that for football management. The whole idea of being involved, to see something youve worked on, people youve worked with grow . . . that was really important to me
This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times
English soccer has truly gone mad. I mean what have these new middle eastern owners at all these different clubs got to gain from pouring millions and millions of pounds into black holes. They must be trying to avoid the tax-man or something.
Stan is back!
Darlington have appointed former Republic of Ireland coach Steve Staunton as their new manager.
[quote=“myboyblue”]Stan is back!
Darlington have appointed former Republic of Ireland coach Steve Staunton as their new manager.[/quote]
I was just looking for this thread to announce the news but i see you got there before me.
Bye bye Darlington it was nice knowing you. :rolleyes:
[quote=“The Dunph”]
Bye bye Darlington it was nice knowing you. :rolleyes:[/quote]
What are you on about?
Staunton was doing a great job with Walsall before he was handed the Republic of Ireland job, where he was unlucky. He probably took the job too soon.
I’d say he will do very well at Darlington.
Struggling Portsmouth have reappointed Avram Grant as their director of football. The Israeli has been out of work since leaving his post as Chelsea manager after last year’s Champions League final defeat to Manchester United.
John Barnes has got the road off Tranmere.
Did this man really manage Celtic, or was it all a dream?
[quote=“tipptops*”]John Barnes has got the road off Tranmere.
Did this man really manage Celtic, or was it all a dream?[/quote]
I think the more important part of this story is the fact that Trigger has gone too. Just when we got Stan back into the game, we’ve now lost Trigger to the dole queue. Devastating news.
Didn’t exactly know where too post this…
Henrik Larsson has expressed a desire to return to Celtic in a coaching capacity.
The Parkhead legend, 38, is poised to retire from international football with Sweden and could come to Scotland to study for his UEFA badges.
‘I talk a lot with Celtic, although nothing is happening at the moment,’ said Larsson, who scored 242 goals for Celtic between 1997 and 2004 before joining Barcelona.
'Hopefully, something will come up in the future but we’ll just have to wait and see. Everyone knows what my feelings are for the club. I will go to Scotland sooner or later.
‘If I should become a coach, my ambition is to be the best I can be. That means I will have to leave Sweden.’
The Scottish Football Association programme allows senior professionals with at least five years’ experience to skip the introductory stages and begin with the UEFA B licence.
Larsson said: 'I have gained a lot of experience over the years and I feel I’m on the right track to become a coach, but studying in the Swedish FA system doesn’t interest me.
‘Why should I learn everything from training boys to treating injuries? I would much rather get down to studying real coaching methods.’
I see Garreth Southgate Badger got the boot from Middlesbourgh with WGS the favourite to replace him. He had enough chances in fairness and made some very poor purchases.
WGS has been confirmed. Decent appt, he’ll get money to spend there unlike in previous jobs. Could be a good fit.
Good luck to the great Chris Sutton at Lincoln City:
HE won a remarkable Premiership title with Blackburn Rovers in 1995.
He proved himself a top player with first club Norwich City as they amazingly finished third in the English top flight.
He played a major part as Norwich later stunned Bayern Munich in Europe.
But ask Chris Sutton for the most satisfying spell of his career and he’s as clinical with his answer as he once was in a penalty box.
Short and sharp he responds: “It has to be as a Celtic player.”
Sutton - now devoted to proving himself as a manager at lowly Lincoln City - loved every moment of his life in Paradise.
Almost four years after leaving, he and his family - wife Sam and sons Frankie, 14, Ollie, 13, George, 11, James, eight and Harry, six - all still pine for their days in Glasgow.
Sutton, who cost 6million from Chelsea in 2000, plundered 86 goals from 199 games and celebrated three SPL titles under Martin O’Neill.
He had struggled to live up to his 10m fee when he moved from Blackburn Rovers to Chelsea in 1999.
But at Parkhead he was a striker reborn as he formed a devastating partnership with Henrik Larsson.
And as he sat back in his office at Lincoln’s surprisingly smart Carlton Boulevard training base, Sutty told SunSport: "My time at Celtic was a period I wouldn’t change for anything.
"It was easily the happiest spell of my career.
"I still miss the club and Glasgow and it’s the same for my family.
"We were all very settled and we were all extremely content with our lives when we were up there.
"It was the favourite time of my career, without a doubt.
"I used to wake up every morning and be impatient to get into training. I really enjoyed it at Celtic.
"If you like the people you work for then you want to give them everything.
"When I was at Norwich I really enjoyed it and played with some good players - the likes of Ian Crook, Ruel Fox and Mark Bowen.
"I was just young coming into the Norwich team and I simply didn’t have any pressure.
"We did really well and got into Europe, beating teams like Bayern Munich along the way.
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"I felt at times I couldn’t do any wrong. Even when I was poor people wouldn’t necessarily say I was poor. But then I moved to Blackburn for big money - 5 million, a record fee then - and before I’d kicked a ball I was already getting criticised!
"So I had gone from not being able to do any wrong to the other extreme.
"It was the first time I’d ever had real pressure.
"Eventually I grew to enjoy life at Blackburn and, of course, there was the fantastic Premiership title success but I enjoyed Celtic the most.
"The one season I had at Chelsea was a NIGHTMARE.
"It just didn’t happen for me. I didn’t play well and I don’t make any excuses.
"I lost confidence and that affected the way I played.
"I just wanted to get out, even though Chelsea’s a good club.
"It was a relief to get the move to Celtic. I was glad when they came in for me.
"I’d signed a six-year deal for Chelsea, it was a big deal. Eventually, things might have worked out for me at Stamford Bridge if I’d stayed.
"Thankfully Celtic put the money on the table.
"You don’t become a bad player overnight. Bearing in mind what I’d achieved before, I knew there wasn’t a great deal wrong. It was about regaining my confidence.
"I miss Scotland, I really do. It was a good time.
“I really liked Glasgow as a city, I liked the people. Nice people, down to earth types - and they really welcomed me and my family.”
Sutton formed a magnificent partnership alongside England legend Alan Shearer for Kenny Dalglish at Blackburn.
The revered ‘SAS’ double act fired Rovers to title glory in 1995.
Sutty didn’t think he could enjoy another front partnership like it - until he hooked up with Swedish legend Larsson.
Together they were sublime for Celtic. For four sensational years they terrorised every defence they faced domestically and in Europe.
Magnificent telepathy on the park, they also grew close off it.
Sutton would love his pal Larsson to visit him at Sincil Bank - just for his very presence to inspire the League Two squad.
The one-cap England star added: "I was very lucky to go into a team and play with Henrik. He was my dream partner.
"We understood quickly how each other played.
"We knew where to run, how to run, what each other liked, and we also knew we weren’t going to be selfish with each other.
"We worked brilliantly together when we were at Celtic.
"It was a joy to play alongside Henrik. He was simply the best striker I ever played with.
"The thing you used to find laughable about Henrik was there were always folk doubting if he could do it in the Premier League.
"Well he did when he was about 65 and playing for Manchester United. Remember that he also completely changed the course of the Champions League Final for Barcelona against Arsenal.
"He came off the bench and won it for Barcelona.
"And how many caps did he get for Sweden?
"He scored in European Championships and World Cups while he also netted plenty in Europe for Celtic and Barcelona.
"Henrik was phenomenal and what people said about him was just narrow-minded.
"He didn’t just prove himself once, he proved himself a thousand times over.
"When I first went on tour with Celtic, not long after arriving from Chelsea, I made a point one day of having a quiet word with Henrik on the coach.
"I just said: ‘I want to do well and play alongside you. I’m not here to outdo you or take your place’.
"It was the first real conversation I’d had with Henrik.
"I’d come into Celtic for big money and I didn’t know what he was thinking at the time.
"I regard him now as a very good friend.
"Would I like Henrik here at Lincoln? It goes without saying.
"In fact, I’d just like Henrik to visit here.
"His presence alone could inspire the boys at the club.
"It would be good for them to see him and listen to his experiences.
“Celtic will never again get a striker like him for just 650,000 that’s for sure.”
Phil Brown is not long for the shores of Hull…
Met a few birds from Lincoln out one night.
There were three of them:
- One was sound but pretty ugly
- One was even uglier and very frumpy looking
- The third was uglier again but thought she was better than she was and had a bit of a bald patch (on her head)
One of the lads scored the first one and the last one turned Clarkey down.
I’m too good to be dealing with such people.
Speculation abounds that Billy Davies is being linked with the vacant Scotland job. He’s been steering Forest in the right direction lately so although I still think he’s a cunt, he’s doing a decent job and wouldn’t want to see him leave his ‘work in progress’ at the club at this point.
George Graham for Scotland job, the campaign starts here.
Portsmouth sacked your man who was over them.