I winced slightly reading that Deliotte’s suggested Celtic were a ‘top 40’ club in terms of turnover. The days we featured in their annual Top 20 report are long gone, lost in the raft of TV deals which flooded into England, France and elsewhere.
This is a problem for Celtic but at least we have a decent shot at Champions League income each year. Others in Scottish football have been left to wither on the vine (phrase of the week), as the likes of AFC Bournemouth cherry-pick their talent.
Celtic need a solution to help them compete with their peer-group of European heavy-weights but the solution has to accommodate the other top Premiership clubs. Dundee United have the ability to produce remarkable talent, if only they had the TV deal to allow them to retain it long enough to build a team. The same could be said for Hibs, Hearts, Aberdeen, Motherwell, Inverness and Ross County.
Scottish football would benefit enormously by federating with a neighbour.
You would think after administration and liquidation those who look to Ibrox for their football fix would, to adopt a popular phrase around those parts, have suffered enough from financial ‘ambition’. Not a bit of it, it seems. Not when the spectre of “being battered” by Celtic looms like an enormous green and white tidal wave.
For the last 12 years of its existence, Dave King was one of the non-executive directors of Rangers, paid to ensure that financial controls and risk management [role of non-execs defined by government 2003 Higgs Report]were in place. I am not being glib or shameless when I say he did a remarkable job.
With Newco appearing to be in some financial distress, King told the Daily Mail he opposes planned cutbacks: ‘If we cut the club back to a level that’s just enough to win the League One or the Championship then that’s fine. But the gap between ourselves and Celtic when we get to the Premiership will be obvious.
“But I don’t feel the club should respond by cutting the costs to the point of saying ‘we only have to do what is necessary to beat East Fife or whoever.
“Because if you do that Celtic will build up to 10-in-a-row and we could be so far behind them that even when we are back in the Premiership we are not in a position to catch up.
“We cannot risk going to Celtic Park and being battered 6-0.”
Those trying to keep Newco Rangers afloat will not welcome suggestions that current shareholders don’t have the “appetite or willingness to invest”, a few months before they will ask fans to buy season tickets.
Learn your lesson, there is no shame in losing 6-0 to Celtic, this is sport, bad results can happen, but there is enormous shame in failing to live within your means.
I’m off to contemplate 10-in-a-row for a while. To hyphenate or not?
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SPF
Good to hear it was packed. Have met JC a few times in Byres Rd places. A very intelligent, lovely Tim. :)
Sorry Doc, no. Pedro is my wee bro by four years. Today is my older bruv Gerry’s birthday. A burns bhoy.
BTW, he’s the mad wan in the family
Seriously:-))
DD
I’ve heard he’s a good guy.
That’s about the tenth time I’ve saw them.
Still to be disappointed!!
A Ceiler Gonof Rust
Re photos.
Are you on Twitter?
~SPF~
ticketbus, I’ve not read back. What have more posters not picked up on?
Are the deid heids gonnay be deider?
I do hope so.
DD/SPF Good, always comes across as a nice guy. Always remember the story he told of the wee schoolboy running by him and turning round shouting “Del Amitri are shite BTW”. Only in Glasgow……….
ACGR, show us the deeds!
Night now.
A Ceiler Gonof Rust
If you’re on Twitter, have a look at the pics on the timelines of ‘Celtic Collectibles’ and ‘Lisbon Lion’.
Over the past week there have been some incredible photos of the club since 1900.
The one you want might not be there, but very interesting anyways.
~SPF~
Goodnight and God bless all Tims.
Just watched Fred c’s clip of the GB, sends shivers up my spine, nearly as much as our WALK ON… Sad to see it dispersed… Suppose it cheered a lot of huns up though!
eldiegobhoy:
ordered. Thanks.
ACGR:
Are you still up?
setting free the bears supports @ 19:38
Please don’t speak for me, please don’t tell others what I think.
For the record I have often in the past given my reasons why I don’t want rebel songs sung at Parkhead or any overt displays of republicanism. They were just my opinions at the time and they have not changed but no way would I sell my belief for an English pound.
That is not to say I don’t have empathy with those from diametrical viewpoints.
Night Timdom
I promise it’s the truth that when I was over in Australia for a working holiday that 1 Sydney bloke kept telling me how much he lived that Del Amitri guy and his music!!!!
Brill band. Will always love their music!!
HH jamesgang
A mention of Celtic Collectibles so I had a wee look on e-bay.
Anyone seen this?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Celtic-FC-1992-Soccer-Jersey-/301079110199?hash=item4619b6a237#ht_25wt_923
We’ve had some strange away tops in our time,but that looks like a Villa top!
Mind,I do remember one about that time which looked a bit like a liquorice allsort. Maybe it’s just a poor picture.
kitalba
“Please don’t speak for me, please don’t tell others what I think.”
I’m still up but I will make one quick response and I am for my bed.
I did not “speak for you” nor would I ever. I did repeat, accurately I believe, your recently expressed views on preferring some songs were not sung.
I did not associate you with any of the other views expressed.
Good night CQN
ScotPatsFan, cheers for the headsup. I’m not looking for a specific picture mate, I was just amazed by the hundreds, more like thousands of Celtic memories I saw today.
I’ll find the link and post it here. It was mesmerising.
Tomorrow’s mission for acgr, nothing else to do here in cold, pishing wet, soon to be consumed by snow, Carmyllie.
Hail Hail to you bruv.
setting free the bears supports Res. 12 & Oscar Knox
I’ll accept that. Good Night. (and I won’t tell you what to dream about either).
Kit, how you doing ya mad bam, aye still up and having a few drams.
Geeza bell.
Bobby. I loved that top. Had one myself. I remember the maestro wearing it and he looked great
It’s was non as the Italian type design
Strange mentioning the maestro as on a train and just stopped at the maestro’s train station. No larkhall
SYDNEY TIM
Bloody poor photie though!
I was down in London at that time. Fortunately as we were somewhat gash at the time!
Worked with a few West Ham fans who couldn’t believe how Stuart Slater had disintegrated after we signed him. He was outstanding with them.
Also drank with Arsenal fans who couldnae believe we had signed Martin Hayes. They had been told he was off to Brentford. For eighty grand. Even at that price,Brentford dodged a bullet.
How are you keeping,bud? Missing the oul’ sod,or doing a GCT and counting down the days to citizenship?
Say hi to MC please.
BTW,nothing wrong wi Larkhall.
Just needs a bit of a population transplant!
If you ever meet Paul,drool on my behalf,please…
Bobby. Aye slater He ran in a straight line and that was it
Citizenship. Nae not quite ready yet be an oz male citizen
I still like washing and using deorderant
SYDNEY TIM
You’ll be literally a breath of fresh air then!
Lol bobby aye. Just back from boozy lunch with mrs sydney tim at the beach
Nice windy 23 deg sunny
Oz day tomorrow
Ps I would be happy with griffifths
SIDNEY TIM
Well,I bliddy widnae be!
To be fair,I think we are struggling wi the striker search.
Any player scoring one goal in three for a coupla months is told by his agent that he’s a superstar,and his next wage will reflect that.
About ten years ago,Swindon could find cheap talent up front. They did it for about six years. Not now,and even in our market,neither can we.
But if you look at Brian McClair’s stats before he joined us,he wasn’t that great. But,BHOY I would have him now!
Finding these gems is just increasingly difficult. And I have to say,I doubt Griffiths is one.
If you go back a few pages,you’ll see some stuff from young Calum McGregor at Notts Co,in the same division as Griffiths.
Sydney,the lad has a left foot to die for,and knows how to make space for himself in the box.
Bobby. Not saying griffifths is a super star But he would score at least 15 in spl
It would take pukki 3 years to do that
So if we get him for 1.5m it would treble the goals scored for a striker at our club at this point
SYDNEY TIM
If we signed Griffiths,first time he got involved the ref would call him over and give him a tart’s phone number.
His mind would be elsewhere. Trust me!
BMCUWP had one of those tops might still be around. classic. Hot wearing it in the sun. Cheers.
Sydney Tim –
I didn’t bother about Australian Citizenship until I discovered that after 5 years of permanent residency, if you go overseas on the UK passport, you need a special re-entry visa to get back in on the same passport. The visa is a mere formality, but you have to go to the trouble of applying for it prior to every overseas trip, plus it costs something like $120. So bugger that, I thought, I want an Australian passport, which I will apply for after Australia Day tomorrow when I become an Aussie.
On a lighter note . . . Friday afternoon at the office, a couple of Aussies were asking me about the citizenship ceremony and what it entails. I said I was a little bit concerned about the procedure. When asked why, I said, “I just worry about how they are going to set about destroying 500 billion brain cells.”
It went down well with most of my colleagues, but one or two other were not at all chuffed.
Sydney same over hear bit hotter than 23 but bit of a wind. Looking for some Sumer weather to come across the tassie. Of oot to an 80,s concert at a winery. All kiwi 80’s bands so they have had plenty of practice and if it sucks there is always the wine.
CAPTAIN CAT 345 Lingfield.
Ooooooops…..
Wrong article!
Australian permanent residency visas last for five years, you don’t need a visa every time you travel overseas.
Anzac Time
Greetings to all my fellow antipodeans.
We are the People!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Non-Anzacs need not apply.
MACJAY
HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY!
Life good then?
While we are on the subject,
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
to the world’s first published socialist.
Robert Burns.
Oh,and Gerry.
IT could have been his first ever Broony.
And he’d have done it playing AGAINST Celtic.
But unlike his famous goal celebration in front of El Hadji Diouf after scoring against Rangers at Ibrox, Scott Brown thought better of it in a Hibs shirt at Easter Road.
He had agreed to leave the Hibees and sign for Celts in a £4million deal.
But in his final appearance before moving to Parkhead the midfielder found himself involved in a verbal spat with one of his team-mates to be.
When he scored moments later he was ready to run straight towards Darren O’Dea and milk his moment for all it was worth — just like he did years later.
But Broony was soon glad he didn’t.
He said: “I look forward to playing at Easter Road. It’s a good stadium — I’m not too sure how the pitch is, but it’s always nice to go back where I first started.
“The fans have always been good with me. Maybe on the first couple of games back I had a few shouts aimed at me.
“But I still live in Edinburgh and speak to Hibs fans when I meet them in the street. They’re always friendly.
“But I think back to my last game there, against Celtic.
Brown as a young Hibee
Kenneth Ramsay
“I got into an argument with Darren O’Dea, him saying ‘I’ll see you at the start of next season when you come to Celtic’.
“I was giving as good as I got to be fair. But about five minutes later I went up the park and scored.
“The first thing that went through my mind was running straight towards him.
“But I saw all the fans and everyone was cheering. Not just Hibs fans but Celtic fans too.
“I suddenly didn’t know how to celebrate, not sure if I should, but both sets of supporters were excellent that day. Hopefully it’s the same again on Sunday.”
Brown loved his time at Easter Road as a youngster.
It was where he carved out a reputation for himself as an exciting prospect.
Now he is a hardened pro who expects a tough afternoon against Terry Butcher’s side tomorrow.
Brown added: “He seems to be doing not too badly.
“Results have been going their way, although maybe not last week when they lost to St Mirren.
“The thing about Terry’s teams is that he works his defences really well. He’ll try to play in our half rather than passing the ball out from their half.
“We know what to expect and we know how to deal with it.
“Hibs will want to take our scalp — as every team does — because we’re on a great run.
“Our lads are doing really well, we’re scoring goals now and playing nice fluent football.
“Obviously teams want to beat us but whether they do it or not is a different story.
“We just want to continue our run as long as possible.
“It’s the same with our clean sheets as well. If we can keep that going it shows what a good team we’re building.
“These things help motivate us but we have that anyway when we go out to play.
“We train hard all week and look forward to the games.
“We want to win and are here at a club like Celtic because we’re winners.
“Remaining unbeaten is going to be hard, really hard, but it’s about the whole squad and people coming in and taking a turn.
“I believe we can do it but we need to take one game at a time.”
Celts boss Neil Lennon has challenged his side to go the whole season unbeaten in the league but he knows that is easier said than done.
Hibs have improved under Butcher with the Hoops gaffer fully expecting a tough lunchtime in Leith.
But Lennon said: “I’m looking forward to Sunday. There will be a good crowd and I was surprised last week with Hibs’ result.
“They were on a decent run and I fully expected them to beat St Mirren at home.
“I see Terry has said he’s looking for a response from his players against us — and I suppose every game we go into now, the opposition will want to be the team that takes our scalp.
“So there’s plenty of challenges and motivation for us. We’re playing well, scoring goals and keeping clean sheets — but I’m always looking for improvement.
“The team is functioning very well. Stefan Johansen will be in the squad but it might be too early for him to start. He’s trained well.
“Adam Matthews is still out and James Forrest is a doubt with a groin strain — but Derk Boerrigter is back.
“Amido Balde won’t be going out on loan, he’s part of my plans for the rest of the season.”