Agility in the football market

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When you’re shopping in a sellers’ market, agility is the only way to survive.  You need contacts, sufficient coverage to trawl outlying corners of the bazar, and enough experience to ensure you don’t get burned.

If you’re trying to buy Champions League-calibre players for £100k you’re shopping in a serious sellers’ market but there is good strategy behind the deal Celtic have struck with Icelandic club, Fram, for the signature of 20-year-old striker, Holmbert Aron Fridjonsson.

Holmbert may or may not be the next Ibrahimavic, experience suggests you’ve got to kiss a lot of frogs in this game to find the one you’re looking for, but if Celtic are to bring a player to Glasgow who is capable of hitting the top, we’ll have to get him before the hundred-or-so other clubs floating around the wealthy leagues of Europe, which means we shop early.

We can afford to sign a few at £100k in an effort to fill just one place in the team.  The argument could also be made that our more expensive players have only a marginally higher success rate than those signed for six figures or less.

Thanks for the big response to the launch of the second edition of the CQN Annual [which is now shipping]yesterday, as well as CQN Magazine, and the ‘10’ event, which the occupants of the comments section are being given a head start on.

If you are on or near South Uist tomorrow make sure you take in the Hebridean cultural event of the year, when Alex O’Henley has a book signing of his biography of Celtic great, Malky MacDonald at the Dark Island Hotel from 1-2pm, before a Q&A at the Polochar Inn, from 7-8:30pm.

Not only does the book chart the life and achievements of a pre-war Celtic great, it does so in two languages (English when read one way, flip the other way for Gaelic).  It’s a great work, available from the Islands Book Trust.
[calameo code=000390171e05b9b63a832 lang=en page=1 hidelinks=1 width=100% height=500] Order your CQN Annual here:


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990 Comments

  1. MHARK67 prayin for OSCAR KNOX on

    @bbcjimspence: Speaker now saying fans in jail in Amsterdam heartened by support from Celtic and the Celtic support. Proteas at Dutch embassies in London..

  2. paolosboots Good Luck Wee Oscar on

    MHARK67 Great stuff; thanks for keeping us informed more interesting than some of our games on CQN you cant beat social media #internetbampots

  3. MHARK67 prayin for OSCAR KNOX on

    @TheCelticTrust: #ticagm Board refuse to read own statement in defence of their position LW. Claim it affects 117 workers and will cost half a million!!!!

  4. MHARK67 prayin for OSCAR KNOX on

    @SirBartin: A wee joke about Sevco. Platitudes about charity. Then “adjourn” Resolution 12, and oppose living wage. Unbelievable (not really)

  5. MHARK67 prayin for OSCAR KNOX on

    @celticrumours: The board have allowed a bucket collection. Thank the club for this and the bucket collection at game next Saturday. #ticagm

  6. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS backs Resolution 12 on

    TOM McLAUGHLIN. 1213

     

     

    “Coalman wasnt a Tim” is a gross distortion of what was discussed and well you know it.

     

     

    You win the Golden Spirtle.

     

     

    Though it will be brown the way that you use it.

  7. Big Nan

     

    12:05 on

     

    15 November, 2013

     

    Sheik Yerbouti Thanks for the compliment but the subject matter makes it easy to argue.

     

     

    The problem is that we never get the chance to discuss this honestly.

     

     

    My PE306 was kicked about between pillar and post for three years before being closed following Wallace’s intervention without giving one word of reason as to why it no longer had merit. It had merit for three years then overnight, after Wallace, it had none!

     

     

    ——————————————————————–

     

     

    honesty and transprancy is what scottish society needs

     

    for too long theyve been lurking in the shadows

     

    making decisions among there own on the wider public

     

    without any accountability

     

    the fact that they were kicking your pe306 about

     

    says a lot to me

     

    that there heavy influence exists in scotland in particular

     

    more lodges per head of population than anywhere in the world

     

    i thought it was just irish descended RCs who thought this

     

    the weight you give to the argument is powerful and damning

     

    thanks for the reply

  8. tommytwiststommyturns supporting Wee Oscar on

    PF – the bhoys deserve some sort of result on Res 12 after the tenacity they’ve shown, but the ‘bored’ are tricky. We’ll just have to wait and see how the discussions pan out.

     

     

    Bit of a difference between the £120K Living Wage cost mentioned on here and the £500K stated by Bankier….!

     

     

    T4

  9. Teuchter ár lá I have started it and my first attempt in 2000 was thwarted in 2003 but this attempt has the support of thousands and the next will have the support of tens of thousands as people are won over by argument of what was once a taboo and become more confident.

     

     

    Whether I am around to win this fight is questionable but the genie is out of the bottle it won’t go back and I have confidence that someone else will take over the baton if I should drop it and this divisive sect will be disolved in the light of openness.

  10. So PL says he’ll tackle the Dutch authorities but doesn’thave the balls to tackle the corrupt SFA blazers ? What a guy eh.

  11. MHARK67

     

    Thanks for AGM news.

     

     

    As for withdrawing the resolution,

     

    I will wait for the main proponents to explain their reasons for agreeing to do this before saying more than ……..hmmm.

  12. MHARK67 prayin for OSCAR KNOX on

    @celticrumours: Bankier asks fans not to return to Europe feeling belligerent. #ticagm

     

     

    @celticrumours: Good speech by Eddie finishes with Bankier saying thank you that was just brilliant. #ticagm

  13. MHARK67 prayin for OSCAR KNOX on

    @celticrumours: Speaker asking board to discuss nimmo report that no sporting advantage was gained. #ticagm

  14. MHARK67 prayin for OSCAR KNOX on

    @celticrumours: Football authorities have been deaf dumb and blind. Bankier says we represented the club with everything we had access to. #ticagm

  15. Well, canamalar and co…..think there’s a lot of explaining to be done. After months of reading this resolution and masses of amendments/re shaping it looks like PL has just tickled your tummy and you’ve rolled over.

     

    With that lack if discussion and board decision on living wage feel very let down.

     

    More than a Club? My a..e. This is a PLC and a PLC only.

     

    Disgusted, and not only with the Board.

  16. MHARK67 prayin for OSCAR KNOX on

    @HarryBradyCU: Peter Lawwell on RFC being same club – Rory bremner can pretend to be Tony Blair ! Magic

     

    #ticagm

  17. Apart from immoral, Bankier now patronising…..’don’t be belligerent in Europe next time’

     

     

    What a fud

  18. IF the board are to be believed and £500k would be the cost of giving people a “living wage” what kind of pittance must these poor souls be on at the moment?

  19. MHARK67 prayin for OSCAR KNOX on

    @celticrumours: Second speaker discusses his small charity that employs living wage. If we can do it why can’t celtic? #ticagm

  20. MHARK67 prayin for OSCAR KNOX on

    @celticrumours: Third question about renaming Lennoxtown. Wants Tommy burns. Lawwell says too many greats to disrespect one. #ticagm

  21. MHARK67 prayin for OSCAR KNOX on

    @celticrumours: Next speaker wants assurance that we are safe financial and always will be. Bankier says can’t give statement about always will be. #ticagm

  22. So @celticfc are happy to let the SFA run riot to suit 1 team and to hinder us.

     

     

    Totally embarrassing.

  23. MHARK67 prayin for OSCAR KNOX on

    @celticrumours: Says asset value of club is in clubs hands. Says he is not going to show title deeds to much laughter. #ticagm

  24. paolosboots Good Luck Wee Oscar on

    TommyTwists – Yes you make a good point, however 117 people is what percentage of those that work at Celtic Park, is it 33%, 50% or more? Its a significant percentage, we don’t budget for European football so we are told on a turnover of £75m its half a percent!!!

  25. MHARK67 prayin for OSCAR KNOX on

    @celticrumours: Next guy says ajax behaviour at celtic Park was disgrace. Asked how many were arrested? Not one.A disgrace.Refers to police and gb.#ticagm

  26. MHARK67 prayin for OSCAR KNOX on

    @celticrumours: Lawwell says police tactic seems to be to get fans in and out without confrontation. #ticagm

  27. I feel worse today than I did watching us play against Ajax, it’s a bloody disgrace.

     

    I suspect the case file that shows we are operating in an unjust and unfair environment is as heavy and thick as an oak tree by now, I can’t understand not using it.

     

     

    Hail Hail.

  28. MHARK67 prayin for OSCAR KNOX on

    @bbcjimspence: Peter Lawwell says there’s a difference between how Scots and Dutch police deal with fans after saying no arrests made of Dutch in Glasgow

  29. Jimmci

     

     

    Celtic Plc …..no more than a Plc.

     

     

    Totally concur mate.

     

     

    Treat the current custodians accordingly…….Bob Kelly would be turning in his grave at this lot.

     

     

    Absent landlord with subordinates made from the other arse cheek of their Firm across the Clyde in Govan by the sound of this morning’s proceedings.

  30. MHARK67 prayin for OSCAR KNOX on

    @celticrumours: Next speaker wants another reduction for season ticket holders. Lawwell says we are having a think about what to do next. #ticagm

  31. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS backs Resolution 12 on

    @TheCelticTrust: #ticagm Board refuse to read own statement in defence of their position LW. Claim it affects 117 workers and will cost half a million!!!!

     

     

    The difference is £1.34 ph. £53.60 for those who are on 40 hrs pw

     

     

    I expect few to work as many hours as that,but if they do,it equates to

     

     

    117×53.60×52=£326102

     

     

    Well short of half a mill,but still a considerable sum.

     

     

    Two points though.

     

     

    1-As I said,few of those 117 will be on a full working week,it is more likely to be casual staff employed when we play at home. So the total will be much reduced.

     

     

    2-we have 117 staff on minimum wage?! Shameful.

  32. leftclicktic oscar in our thoughts on

    Doc says Vive La Resolution

     

     

    Resolutioners(fancy name for internet bampots :))) have had talks with the club it would seem and are happy to continue with these.

     

    It seems it was agreed by all parties to adjourn vote(not defeat it),seems fine by me but that is only MHO.

     

    Resolution 12 was not kicked out which would have angered me, but all parties seem happy with the way things have gone so far .

     

     

    My big fear was it getting voted down and dismissed ,by the look of things that did not happen, but im sure others will come on later and let us know, but for the resolutioners ( cant type that for thinking of those involved and smiling)to seem happy to adjourn vote at this time is good enough for me.