Not all Champions League ‘winners’ take the trophy home in May. In 2009 Michel Platini, in his wisdom, decided that there were not enough champions in the Champions League, as a result of well-resourced also-rans from the large leagues crowding out table-toppers from the small leagues. The competition format was changed, champions from smaller nations would compete against each other.
The result of the change is that five champions from smaller leagues are guaranteed entry into the tournament. Conversely, runners up from the smaller leagues need to fight it out against non-champions from the big leagues, like Arsenal and Manchester United. The concern expressed at the time was that the flood of money gained by champions from the small countries would impact their leagues. ‘Good’, said a few of us.
Champions League money can double the income some clubs earn in a year. Successful Champions League entrants’ ability to compete would be greatly enhanced, perhaps meaning they jump into a virtuous circle, strengthening and qualifying in subsequent years.
There have been 30 places up for grabs in the champions route since, but the qualification performance stats isn’t what was expected by many. 22 teams have qualified but only six have done so more than once. Two, BATE Borisov and APOEL Nicosia, are the only teams to go one step better and qualify three times. Curiously, only BATE and Celtic have qualified in back to back seasons, no one has managed three in a row.
For all the riches the Champions League brings to Celtic, and teams far more impoverished than them, successful teams seem to encounter the classic Nouveau Riche problem. All this money and they don’t know how best to invest it in order to make sure they get another payday.
Qualification itself is not costless in competitive terms. It’s likely each team who punches through the barrier to reach the Promised Land, has to suffer the cost of exertion and distraction, which the visits of Europe’s aristocracy inevitably brings.
Then there’s the question of what to do with the money. Your best players get a shop window, encouraging them to run down their contracts. Your manager is likely to be off too. You have to find candidates further down the food chain, either in a lesser-still league, or at a club in your own land who are prepared to sell to you. And remember, this New Money is in the hands of people largely unaccustomed to spending at that level. You can afford to sign a €3m player, but the most expensive player you’ve previously worked with cost €200k. Those who can spot a great €200k player are not necessarily experienced enough to spend €3m wisely.
APOEL Nicosia and BATE Borisov have managed what the other 20 teams have struggled to replicate. Both are in this season’s play-offs and are favourites to go one stage further again. If BATE achieve this, they will have been group stage entrants four seasons out of five, so sustainable success not impossible.
Last week produced signs that eventually the cream is rising to the top. Eight of the 10 clubs in this season’s play-offs have reached the group stage through the champions route before, with the other two, Astana (v APOEL) and Albania’s Skenderbeu (v Dinamo Zagreb) odds against making it. For the first time it’s likely all five champions’ qualifiers will former graduates. The current highest number to qualify in one season is two.
So although the 30 places have been filled by 22 clubs from a remarkably diverse 17 countries, the pool of genuine competitors is approaching a limit.
Here’s the challenge, for Celtic and the rest. Your Champions League is a distinct competition to the headline grabbing tournament graced by Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Yours is being won by BATE Borisov. They are the team who have figured out what’s needed to come through this summer test with most consistency.
There are five places up for grabs. BATE and APOEL are doing their best to make sure their names are against two of those places. Celtic can grab another slot, but Malmo, Basel and Salzburg, as well as the Czechs, Israelis, Danes, Poles and other Eastern European teams, want their piece of the action too. A win against Malmo would go a long way towards flipping resources in Celtic’s favour, but whatever the outcome, being better than the rest of this geographically diverse group of small-nation clubs should be our immediate target.
Happy Birthday 50th to the Celtic View, the world’s first football club newspaper. Congratulations to the many who have contributed to the View over the years.
Can’t believe the news coverage John Collins comment has received. When he heard Derek McInnes’ backlash (cough) he must have looked around for a dressing room full of Hibs players.
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afternoon CQN
@ Hebcelt, sorry for late reply, yes i did read your post and had actually got accomodation sorted at the Park Guest House & resteraunt for 2 nights, unfortunately something has come up with Mrs Speysides time off work so we have had to cancel…… hopefully will manage at the end of September.
@ Lennybhoy, thanks for the email, just waiting for Thunder Roads to make contact.
@ sipsini…. re adverts, these must be cookies as i’m being offered accommodation atm having been looking for this online recently.
Good afternoon CQN
Just got my Celtic V Malmo ticket through
Looking forward to another fantastic
European night at Celtic Park
Hail Hail the Celts are here
Mt
MT
Eddieinkirkmichael just sorted my son and I for Malmo tickets. Maybe meet you pre match for a refreshment or 3. :)
BMCUWP
John Spencer was better ;)
clink0 – same here buddy…..
timaloy29
Poor ole Hugh Keevins couldn;t have been more wrong.
Even the Bhoys who cleaned Lubo’s boots were better than John Spencer.
Maloney, McGeady, McManus, Kennedy, Jamie Smith, etc
LB
Im sure we could sustain a quality player or even two if the dividends were reinvested into the team. We’re run as a PLC not a football team, therein lies the rub.
GO TELL THE SPARTIM
ALL the top teams in Europe are run as a PLC por cierto
Go tell the Spartim
How much has been taken out of the club in dividends?
Cuchulainn , or anyone who knows him. Did you get tix sorted for Malmo game. I posted last night with my contact details. Sannabhoy@thekanofoundation.com
HH
Jamie Langfield has left Aberdeen after 10 years.
I just want to thank Jamie on behalf of all Celtic fans for all the times he dropped the ball or let one in at the near post.
We’ll miss you Jamie.
Sorted tickets for Malmo game.
Back home from Shetland, gave up job as was fed up living on a boat and working 80+ hrs a week.
Went for interview yesterday and just been informed I’ve got the job. Happy happy days. Means I’ll be able to continue going to home games and hopefully the odd wee excursion to some of our away games.
DD
Will be in the 5 ways as usual
In there for all home games for a wee sherry or 2
Be great to meet you for a refreshment or 2
Hail Hail
Mt
There seems to be quite a few posts saying that the CL is, for us, the be all and end all.
For me, going to see Celtic at Celtic Park, Glasgow is the be all and end all.
Of course, European games have a special aura and some League and Cup games are better than others but I ALWAYS enjoy going to Celtic Park to watch my team.
Were I a supporter of a team which would LOVE to win the SPFL, I would not be impressed with the disparaging comments from Celtic supporters about the meaningless of domestic football. Thousands and thousands of supporters got to games even though their team has virtually no chance of winning the League. They go because they love their team. Same as I do. The CL is special but it is NOT the most important aspect of my supporting Celtic.
JJ
Paul 67’s blog today highlights the main handicap we face in our efforts to have sustained “Champions” League “success”, namely the very skewed qualifying structure that allows 3 teams from the “bigger” leagues entry straight in to the group stages, plus another entry with favourable seeding in the final play off round – basically a “given”.
This more than anything that the PLC Board, or PL, do, or don’t do, is the barrier to consistent achievement in the CL environment. So many posters seem willing to rip into PL, for what they view as miserly spending. I am sure the guy has been over cautious in the use of the budget on occasion, but given that we (unfortunately, imo) operate in a capitalist environment, investment can only be made on the back of a healthy PLC. FFS we only have to look at thems over the river, to see where getting that judgement wrong “overspending wise” (copyright Charlie Nic) can lead.
We are hamstrung by our environment, more than anything we have direct control over. Let’s concentrate on what we have, rather than what we don’t. A stadium where the atmosphere can be the most intimidating in Europe; a history of past achievement that can have a bearing on games even today; and a great playing surface. These things are an advantage that some other teams can never have, just as qualification straight to the CL group stages is one we will probably never have.
We have a manager who understands this reality and is trying to improve things he has control over (fitness, tactics, teamwork), rather than waste energy moaning about things that can’t be changed. Some of our support should do the same!
IMHO of course :-)
Hail Hail
You’ll find how much has been taken in dividends over the years from the accounts, just to avoid counter arguments about how much. I take it from posts that reinvesting dividends is shied upon on here??????
Parsimonious CSC
Por Cierto, that may be so, but, and its a big but, big teams (and lets be frank, the only thing big about us is the support) are not shy in investing, reasonably and relatively, to try and attain success, Internazionale, for instance and more recently AC Milan.
And before some jumped up accountant throws TFOD analagy at me, we are talking about reasonable investment, we have the means to invest further than we do.
Paul67 on 11th August 2015 1:32 pm Chairbhoy, thanks. If we’re successful, I’d hope we invest before January. –
——–
If that’s the case then I hope the targets are already lined up. There is so little time between CL qualification and the window closing that we could end up panic-buying.
Eddieinkirkmichael
Congratulations on your new job
Hope all’s well with you
My friend
Mt
As stated before it is not a champions league, anything but. IMO all the non-champions and lowest seeded champions should play the first 2 qualifying rounds and the highest seeded champions above that should come in and play this round. This could ensure a higher level of champion participation in the group stages and may see some interesting non-champions falter in the first 2 rounds. It would also, possibly, make the TV companies take more interest in the early stages with some of the bigger names taking part and could possibly generate more revenue for those greedy bassas in Switzerland, not including Starry plough in that statement :-)
Sky News reporter just giving a report on the murder case of the Irish girl in Glasgow when a clown came up behind him and shouted “Hail! Hail!” Into the camera, startling the reporter. I can’t think of a more inappropriate moment for this to happen. :-((
Sanna bhoy
thanks for the offer of tickets for the Malmo game.
My uncle was on the ball and his work colleague has got tickets for us.
Thanks again though.
Eddieinkirkmichael
Great News.
HH
Funny you should mention Platini, Paul… Here’s a piece about his high-minded principles, sporting integrity, and the SFA… It quotes an old piece from CQN.
Hopefully we will get some answers one day…
https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2015/08/10/how-are-you-getting-on-monsieur-platini/
Eddieinkirkmichael
Congrats on the new job.
See you at CP soon
HH
Eddie
Excellent news pal. You don’t hang about idle for long. Great we can get to more games this season.
Hail Hail
MT
May see you there next Wednesday pal. Time permitting.
Went to the Glasgow Necropolis for an afternoon tour, facinating place.
The guy that invented crosswords is interred there, if you head for the main entrance
he’s three along, and two down.
The Raily Decord is back:
https://raillydecord.wordpress.com/2015/08/11/collins-should-show-some-of-the-class-of-mcinnes/
Jungle jim – great post. I concur…..
In fact Jungle Jim, by hyping it up so much we may well be doing damage to the numbers turning up for other games.
BSR
That’ll be a cryptic puzzle then.
GO TELL THE SPARTIM
Point taken por cierto
Ole beatbhoy’s fair on form the day.
Why would Celtic be interested in Berbatov he is currently a free agent and doesnt appear to be fighting off clubs who want to sign him. I dont think any of the big name players who are coming to the end of there career are worth bothering with most of them just want a last pay day to top up there pension. H.H.
Eddieinkirkmichael
Congratulations :)
Well that’s the tickets sorted for the Malmo game.
Tried the virtual on line route over two days but they’d never heard of me, despite previously buying tickets on line, maybe a glitch. The phone over the past two days was jam packed, so decided the actual ticket office was best bet, big queue outside but the whole wait was around 45 minutes, and the staff were working flat out, and very helpful.
Not too bad after all, think by the time we’ve been battered for another week by SMSM with it’s anti Celtic agenda, the game will be a sell out or as near as damn it.
I blame Peter Lawell who deliberately causes the pandemonium to beat the season ticket deadline, so that we take up the benefit of getting a reserved ticket, and if you’re flush four extra briefs, for family of friends. By the time the public sale comes round he’s got Tims in a ticket frenzy.
The lady said tickets were going very well, they always says that, but I’m sure she’s related to Peter.
Speysidelhad
Sorry was waiting on you contacting me!
Will email you in a few hours.
TR
Looking for a wee favour mate, lost your email address
Can you email me please
blantyretim@aol.co.uk