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:
990 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- ...
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
- 24
- 25
- 26
- 27
- »
Awe Naw
I really can’t believe it. Astonished. Morrissey managed to hit the barbers before the AGM.
:¬)
Mort,
I have only read back as far as your own contribution. A very interesting take on the Living Wage. There was no mention of such situations referenced at the AGM. Imo, I thought those who moved or spoke in favour of the Resolution did so, at least in part, because of personal animosity with the Board.
Must admit PL’s one liner about Rory Bremner and Sevco was class.
Hi Timland
think i will bring the fridge nearer to the laptop it looks like its gonna be a long day on the blog.
i would have gladly gave £20 off my SB to go to paying the staff the living wage.
well done to Morrissey and Canamalar for getting resolution 12 this far.
Hail Hail
Thindimebhoy
14:13 on 15 November, 2013
‘Harry Harry Harry Hood Harry Harry Hood’
###
Was he not at St Als too?
tigertim
13:59 on 15 November, 2013
They did not and when they did they followed it up with SFA.
Had the answer been conclusive and left no doubt that all had been handled properly then the Resolution would have been withdrawn having achieved its ultimate purpose of making SFA accountable and transparent.
It was not conclusive and so it has not been withdrawn.
Canamalar/Auldheid
Canamalar – I hear your response. I put my name and shares against the resolution for it to be heard, laregly based on your own explanations of why a PUBLIC airing was necessary and beneficial. Somebody reached agreement with the Board to avoid that. You have stated that it is not you. I’m happy to accept that.
Auldheid – This lacks transparency for those of us who were prepared to put their name and shares to res 12. The reason for res 12 being there was a lack of transparency from the Board. I can’t see any greater transparency now following the carry over that has been agreed, even if now 3 others are more aware of soemthing.
Somewhat less cryptic explanations need to follow and what benefit/action is expected to arise from this course of action. I think those prepared to support res 12 deserve that clear explanation at the least.
HH
tomtheleedstim – a year
Serious question…..
Are we becoming like the Orcs rip?
Content to have strong ‘dignified’ leadership.
2 cheeks of the same arse….one dead.
Tiger Tim
I have to say that in the circumstances I think this was the correct outcome and much has been achieved by going the AGM route in terms of making both SFA and Celtic realise they are accountable to club shareholders on matters of probity at least.
Auldheid – even if they believe the Charlotte Fakeover revelations are completely genuine, there’s no way the board (or the SFA) will act on them, unless they are PROVEN to be genuine. Unless you know different?
T4
Parkheadcumsalford
I think the intentions were very good and well meaning but the nature of benefits in the UK is complicated and increasing wages to a “living wage” is not always the best thing to do for certain people.
Obviously on the whole it is laudable and everyone should be on a “living wage” but the “living wage” is different for different people depending on circumstances.
For example, a 21 year old just out of college and living at home with parents can probably live quite comfortably on £6.31 an hour whereas if you have children who you need to put in childcare (costs can be as high as £800 a month per child) then you obviously need more to be able to provide for them.
These issues are very complicated and not everything is black and white.
Mort
ROW Z – Let Celtic Flourish By The Cleansing Of The ‘Den!
14:18 on 15 November, 2013
The apparently furtive and clandestine manner in which some kind of accommodation seems to have been achieved is a wee bit unpalatable and disconcerting.
Though not entirely surprising.
Row Z – I’ll take your word for it mate. Just read back the twitter postings on here and it just says £500k – would need to see the video/transcript.
Either way, it’s either porkies or obsfucation.
Saint Stivs
Bankier went to St Al’s did he ?
Philvis, not been on in a while.
hhhmmmm, i smell a Scooby Doo unmasking the villain moment.
Aye and I would have got away with it if it weren’t for those pesky bampots…
ernie lynch
Was he not at St Als too?
Yeah, he was one of the commoners though working tirelessly for the wee man off and on the park.
HH
Auldheid 14:18 on 15 November, 2013
If the answer was inconclusive then why not uphold Res 12?
Auldheid – “The thing is given that one of the culprits is deid, why are SFA not being totally transparent to clear themselves if they indeed have been duped?”
Am assuming that was a wee bit tongue in cheek, if so it’s quite funny.
Big Nan,
Got around to watching your performance at the ole Scottish Parliament. Have to say I was well impressed and Mrs Emeraldbee even sat in to watch/listen. She’s been involved in a number of ‘grillings’ and was very impressed by your manner and demeanour. Well done again.
Mort
A calm head on a stormy sea.
Sometimes things are not as obvious as they look.
Thanks.
Row Z..,
I did reluctantly accept the arguments for this course of action, though as I said, I also made my reservations clear. Your argument on transparency was one of my reservations, an agreement has been made lets see how that works out.
RYECATCHER
No way will the majority of our fans be content with the leadership with which we are saddled.
And that is as it should be. Constant questioning of motives,and a constant quest for the club to do the right thing in our eyes.
That is a good thing,IMO. And it will continue to be a good thing.
Fraser Forster starts for England tonight.
Well deserved.
Mort
Was sat next to the guy who got up after Janet Findlay moved resolution 11,she deservedly got her standing ovation,but the second contribution was immense in its content and delivery and i just had to shake the mans hand, JM?,and he was right when he lambasted Lord Livingstone, FFs this is a member of the coalition Govt.who attack the poor for being poor,and as far as Banker is concerned what a reptile!his assertion that this was a second job(pin money) to those part time workers was justification in itself not to pay a living wage.,
The boy George from down south(Berwickshire)nearly made me wet myself at his dead-pan delivery at the Q&A sessions must be a professional surely.
HH
Big Fraser starts against Chile!
Auldheid 14:21 on 15 November, 2013
I have to say that in the circumstances I think this was the correct outcome and much has been achieved by going the AGM route in terms of making both SFA and Celtic realise they are accountable to club shareholders on matters of probity at least.
————————————————————————————-
Unfortunately I don’t see what happened today as an outcome, basically it has been taken offline to be discussed in private. Shareholders raised this matter, not only those who sanctioned its removal, no answer has been given to them.
Maybe when more information is available we may move closer together in out thinking but at the moment we are miles apart.
The Battered Bunnet
14:14 on
we demand photographic evidence
Yes, but will his team mates understand his Scottish accent?
Och, am not shure masel.
new article posted.
Bankier obviously is out of touch with the Celtic man on the street.
Ryecatcher,
As you know our fans keep themselves informed and we try to take part in the ‘running’ of our club as far as we can. That, in the past, has included saving our club when it was going down the stank (unlike others) and in the present has involved bloggers on this site actively getting a pertinent resolution onto the agenda at an AGM (unlike others who don’t do AGMs), as well as one of our own taking perceived unfairness in our society to the Scottish Parliament (unlike others who might actually gain from this perceived unfairness). If you get my drift.
Not only will Fraser Forster become the second Celtic player to play for England (Alan Thompson being the other), he will be the first player to play for England from outside the English Premier League since David Beckham (then at LA Galaxy) in October 2009.
Mort
15 November, 2013
Thindimebhoy
14:13 on 15 November, 2013
‘Harry Harry Harry Hood Harry Harry Hood’
###
Was he not at St Als too?
SPRINGBURN do you mean ??????
ROW Z – Let Celtic Flourish By The Cleansing Of The ‘Den!
Indeed and it will come out. But this was not about Board transparency,it was about the transparency and accountability of the SFA. Canalamar stated it was about the SFA himself when he was accused of doing it to have a go at the Board.
Celtic acted on the Res, asked SFA questions and told us what they had been told and had that been conclusive enough we would have had to admit that there was no point going to the CFCB, withdrawn the Res and explained why for if SFA had demonstrated they had acted properly there would be no point going to CFCB.
However the response was not conclusive enough one way or another for the requistitioners to withdraw or Celtic to vote against, which was Celtic’s position before the week started.
I’m sure that once his nerves calm down, and he has done an absolutely superb job Morrrisey, will provide more info.
On your valid point about the keeping signatories informed I asked Canalamar this morning if he had all your e mail addresses to allow that to happen now and as matters progress.
Mort
The club is supposed to represent our identity not a billionaires doctrine.
I feel your making excuses
If not then apologies
HH
Canamalar
If you were my shop steward and had reached agreement on a deal, I’d expect you to explain the detail on your return. I think you’d expect the same if the roles were reversed? I’m happy to accept that others reached this ‘deal’. I think it behoves an explanation with some level of clarity. The last thing we need is a three way agreement monitoring a five way agreement etc etc.
HH
SFTB
No bother mate. Your contributions on here are always appreciated by me. Even when we disagree.
HH
How many supporters raided their savings to purchase enough shares in order to lend support to resolution 12? Are they now clear in what has been going on (not in smoked filled rooms, since smoking is banned in the workplace) and are they happy with the indefinite adjournment?
How long does an indefinite adjournment last? What happens if there isn’t a satisfactory conclusion? Will resolution 12 appear on the next AGM agenda? Is there any other course of action that could be taken in the interim?
I may be wrong, it has been known to have happened a few times, but I get the feeling this was a strategy designed to delay and block.
Thanks for the AGM updates, guys, and I’ll share some thoughts on it.
First, it’s tempting to want to stick Peter Lawwell’s quip about Sevco on a bumper sticker, or dismiss it as playing to the gallery. But I think it betrays a contempt for the Tribute Act that speaks absolute volumes. This was coached as a joke, but it’s not banter and don’t believe for one second that it is. This is how they are viewd inside Celtic Park, as a freak show, as an irrelevence, as something to laugh at.
That he’s willing to put that contempt out there, in such a public way, is telling, and in its own way it is transformational.
The withdrawal of the AGM motion on the license is important, and I might surprise some people in saying that I do trust our representatives to know what they are doing on this one. That it was not simply voted down by Celtic, that they chose to discuss it with the requistioners, that they have put it on the record that they were willing to, is a nod and a wink to the wise that, in its own way, is just as obvious as Lawwell’s comment about Rory Bremner and Rangers. Things have changed.
We are not fighting the power now. We are the power. It’ll be interesting to see how we decide to use it. We all know the crisis at Sevconia is going to engulf them at some point, and that, as I said in my last OFOG piece, “the lie” is going to unravel.
The media will say Lawwell needs to recuse himself from the debates which follow it, but their bluster will be based on their own narrow hate, and in point of fact there will be no moral, legal, ethical or procedural reason why he should, and I don’t expect that he will, when the time for that comes. The media will ignore that and claim he’s trying to hamstring our biggest rivals, but we all know better.
They are not our rivals any longer. They have been smashed, reduced to a shell. A new rival will emerge, at some point in time. It may, or may not, be them. But right now, they are nothing, and inside Celtic Park that’s how they are viewed. Lawwell might as well have recused himself from a vote on Hearts, or Dunfermline, or any issue involving clubs who are actually in the SPL. The idea he should for a third tier NewCo with a fraction of our income, wracked by instability and civil war, because they are our “biggest rival” … frankly that is the really laughable notion.
The living wage vote is an utter embarrasment, and the directors should be ashamed. I assume that campaign will be ongoing, and I expect common sense, and decency, to win out in the medium term. It’s inevitable, and the board today better realise it.
Finally, to Ian Bankier. A technocrat, not someone with the emotional intelligence needed for the post. I don’t care what team he supports or doesn’t. What matters is that this job requires someone who understands the need to connect, and he doesn’t.
All in all, our club looks well run, financially sound, forward thinking and dismissive of outside influences. We also looking plodding and disrespectful to our own staff, and some of the principles on which we were founded. Yet, I don’t doubt that in other ways we reflect those principles more acutely than many are aware.
Do we get everything right? Hell no. But we’re still the only show in town, and the perfect model for how a modern institution should be run.
All in all, I think this hasn’t been a bad day.