Two days to go to the big match and the players will be well aware that the pressure is on.
I am often told that players ignore the press, radio and TV reports which are so prevalent nowadays both before and after the match. Nonsense! They are as keen as anyone else to see what is being said about them or their club.
And, let’s be honest, even if you did find a player who did not pay too much attention to the press, he would hear in the dressing-room from others who did like to know!
The worst feature at a time like that is the fact that time drags.
With only two days to go to the big event, training would have been light, so little time would have been spent on the training ground, therefore there is more time for resting.
And that also means lying about thinking; and what do you think about?
The game.
You can’t win.
The best thing to do is pick up a book, especially one based on football and find out what ‘sensible’ guys think about it.
There is plenty of choice, so these quotes are from a book slightly biased in favour of the more humorous side of the game.
Firstly – and you may remember this – there was the banner put up by the Tartan Army in Spain at the time of the Scotland/Soviet Union clash at the 1982 World Cup finals in Spain – ‘Alcoholism versus Communism’.
Secondly, there was the great quote by Tommy Docherty when asked about the long ball game – “football wasn’t meant to be run by two linesman and air traffic control”.
And best of all, in my opinion, was the question put to George Best by Caroline Hook, in the role of Mrs Merton – “You were a 60s sensation and all that marvellous football…and, of course, the booze…Did you ever think if you hadn’t done all that running around playing football, would you have been so thirsty?”.
Bring on Sunday!
Jim Craig
You can order a SIGNED copy of JIM CRAIG – RIGHT BACK TO 67, THE LISBON LION DIARY from our new bookstore – www.thecelticstarbookstore.co.uk and there’s a great launch offer for our OBSESSED WITH CELTIC t-shirts which are available in three colours. Order yours and you will also receive a copy of In the Heat of Lisbon for free.
