The wisdom of Hearts owner Ann Budge’s comments to the BBC that “Borrowing money for a particular capital programme you can understand, but running up debts that are prevalent in football is beyond my understanding really” is now, in 2014, surely beyond dispute.
Clubs are at liberty to borrow for infrastructure, or in exceptional circumstances, but in the normal course of business, borrowing for football costs should limited to covering the short-term fluctuations in cash-flow.
This thinking was orthodoxy until Sir David Murray led Scottish football by the nose into a spiral of debt accumulation. The Murray Gospel found many converts among us, those who spoke against it were hounded as heretics. Debt accumulation was the new crusade, the promised land could be reached with just one more brave act, apparently.
Suggesting this was self-harming nonsense to adherents who had supported a debt-fuelled battle for years attacked a fundamental pillar of their belief system. Reactions were seldom considered.
It’s in this light we should consider the real lunatics. Those who encouraged a business model which ended in liquidation, only to come back to the table demanding a fledgling incorporation ‘act like a big club’. There’s a fair amount of research suggesting humans are hard-wired for religiosity. We search for something to believe in, then stick with it as best we can. If you have grown to believe that one more outrageous act will deliver European glory, a good harvest or a rain cloud, part of you will buy into it.
Stewart Regan’s “concern for the Scottish game” at newco Rangers financial position will be genuine, although the “Armageddon” merchant from the SFL has long left the scene. He notes, “Rangers have got a strong economic impact, not just for Glasgow, but for Scotland generally”. Well, oldco sure had an economic impact, on the public purse and several hundred creditors. Mr Regan’s words should be a warning.
This morning Rangers International served notice that their AGM would take place on 22 December, just days within the permitted time period. Accounts are normally issued with this notice, but for some reason, they were not on this occasion. They are required 21 days before the meeting (i.e. within days); I’ve no idea what to expect, but it’s sure to be a quintessential Rangers document.
Some great offers on Celtic books and DVDs at CQNBookstore, a name already telling only part of the story!
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Oh Chester Chester Chester the hurtin Hun from Govanhill alegedly !!
‘”They will be put oot the morra ”
Guidi ” no they won’t even if beaten they can still qualify in Zagreb”
Chester says they will get beat there anaw !!!!!
Don’t you just love their pain lol !
At least our European exploits will last longer than one of Sevcos visits to a bank looking for a crisis loan GIRUYZ ;)
If it means gaining the point we need tmoro night, I would take an anti-football performance.
I don’t think it’s in the make-up of our team to deliver an anti-football performance…. But right now I’d take any manner of means to qualify.
Bada @ 1849,
Big tam gets in about the fuds once a month?
Second name pax??:)
I never got to the game on Saturday against Dundee, but I hear collectively we weren’t great….
I’m intrigued however as to how Commons played??
Because for me, tmoro night I think it’s too much of a risk, starting Commons who can’t be match fit…particularly against a well drilled and dynamic Salzburg team.
I hope to see Brown and Mulgrew sitting as a 2 , with Johansen slightly more advanced through the middle.
Ruggyman,
Was commons not your striker in yer team selection earlier/yesterday?
embramike
At the risk of upsetting Geordie Munro with mair hard questions…
Who would you sign in Jan to improve the squad for July?
Had a change of heart big man……
The striker role is a dilema….. I’m not writing Scepovic off, far from it, but I don’t know if he’s strong enough to play the lone striker role…. I initially thought maybe Commons for tmoro, because Lennon played him in that role last season at times.
But people on here have given Griffiths the shout, and if I’m honest, I totally forgot about the thumb
Davidopolous,
Oh you ask him all the easy ones :)
Ruggyman,
Aye that role isn’t for him imo. Especially tomorrow.
The last 2 or 3 games in Europe have been similar ish teams. I can’t see it altering too much tomorrow.
big-cup-winners
18:55 on 26 November, 201450 shades of greenWhat about Chester hahaha
Sure it wisnae Jester. Moaned about Tam going on about his team then never shut up about ours, stupid hun.
While I’m on how does that stuttering Stanley D-Hell get a gig all the time.
Although to be fair he’s just said Ally should stay.
Ruggyman
He was anonymous on Sat.
Livibhoy, you’ve got to be kidding, replace Mathews with someone from Hearts
There is a few decent young Scots playing in SPFL
Armstrong, McGinn (St M), Jack (Abz), Stanton (Hibs) to name a few, not saying Celtic should them all though
Hail Hail
Geordie Munro
Are you suggesting that that question was more Dale Winton than Jeremy Paxman? How dare you!
John Collins warns Celtic: Reach the Europa League knockout stages or we can kiss goodbye to signing top targets in January
Nov 25, 2014 16:27 By Record Sport Online
PARKHEAD No.2 urges the Hoops to seal their place in the last 32 or the likes of star striker John Guidetti won’t sign on.
JOHN COLLINS has warned Celtic will struggle to land their January transfer targets such as John Guidetti if they don’t reach the Europa League knockout stages.
The Hoops host Red Bull Salzburg on Thursday night with a place in the last 32 within reach.
A win over the Austrian champions or the failure of Group D rivals Dinamo Zagreb to beat Astra in Romania would be enough to see Ronny Deila’s men through with a game to spare.
But the Norwegian’s right-hand man Collins fears defeat this week – combined with a slip up against Dinamo in their final group clash in Croatia – will leave the Parkhead outfit in danger of missing out on the names at the top of their transfer wish list.
The Hoops want to make on-loan star striker Guidetti a permanent signing from Manchester City but Collins fears that will prove difficult if they don’t progress on the Continent.
He said: “It is vitally important we qualify. If we are looking for players in January and next summer, they will want to play in Europe.
“Good players want to be involved in the Champions League and Europa League. They don’t just want to play domestic football. So it is really important that we qualify.
“Is it our biggest selling point? Yeah, it’s very difficult to get top players if you are not in Europe.”
But Parkhead defender Jason Denayer believes the Glasgow giants should be looking to do much more than just escaping their group.
SNS GroupCeltic ace John Guidetti celebrates
He said: “We can reach the final or semi-final. It depends who we play. But if we play 100 per cent we can win this tournament.”
But Collins was less bullish about Celtic’s chances.
He said: “I would love to win it but there are lots of good teams and lots of good players left in the competition, so one step at a time. We have to qualify for the knock-out rounds first and then see where that takes us.
“We have got a long way to go (before we can be competing in the latter stages of Europe regularly),” said the man who once helped Monaco to the Champions League semi-finals. “There has been a lot of new players in and we are still building.
“We know our players now, though. We have had five months together but like any side, we will always look to strengthen.
“We are seeing improvements on the training pitch and as the weeks go by we are getting better. But there is still a long way to go.”
And Collins knows his men will not get an easy ride against the Austrians.
He added: “Salzburg are a good team. They play some high tempo football and love to press. They are probably one of the best – if not the best – pressing team in Europe.
“They don’t give you a second on the ball and are always looking to pass forward.
“It will be a new challenge for us. It’s something we don’t get in Scotland. Most teams sit off us here, so it is the exact opposite.”
Davidopolous
:)
Geordie Munro
It must have been a hard question anyway coz embramike is thus far pure flummoxed…
bournesouprecipe. I have not seen Joe for many years he really is a lovely guy from a great family. I am pleased he was happy for me to use his name but I bet he has a better hairstyle these days LOL . H.H.
Still nothing official on the Huns AGM is there.?.Cant see anything anywhere.
Ah JC a the latest in a long line of celtic employees who spend their time managing your expectations. That’s what it’s all about. Keep em scared, tell em ghost stories, tell them it’s so hard just to do your job.
GM- TB …..same as one of our favourite sons
Neg Anon2. I rarely agree with you but I think you are spot on about managing expectations.H.H.
OH dear.
Liverpool one down
Another keeper error..
The huns closing their shops might be part of the Ashley loans
Summary of signing potential for January
Gk: Gordon, Zaluska, Fasan : think we’re o.k on keeper front
R.B : Lustig , Matthews, Ambrose : think we’re sufficiently covered here
C.B : Denayer, VanDijk, …Ambrose? Mulgrew? : Need a signing here imo.
L.B : Izzy, Mulgrew? : need a signing here imp
Centre Mid: Brown, Mulgrew, Johansen, Bitton, Kayal, Henderson, McGregor…: I would sign a defensive centre mid, in the a wanyama mould, but only if the signing will make us better, and is better than what we’ve already got
Wide Positions : left and right wing for me is our biggest area that needs improvement. J.Forrest being the only decent wide player we have, and even he’s injured 50% of the time. I’d like to see us sign 2 quality wide players. One left , one right.
Strikers : Guidetti, Scepovic, Griffiths, Stokes…. Get Guidetti signed perminantly…. And that will suffice imo..
Blunders everywhere so far.Liverpool keeper,Ludgorets keeper Olympiakos keeper.
embramike. It was not a CL debacle for PL. It went to plan. Due to selling of Vic we did not need to qualify for CL for him to reach his own personal targets
So why would he gamble with his own money by investing the clubs money for CL qualifier. And gues what , he got away with it. Nothing said at AGM about his failure
So now he knows he can get away with it , there is no way he will be investing Fraser money at transfer window
Get used to it. It won’t change until his pension plan is topped up. Or fans have enough and kick him out
One of the misses of the season from Anderlecht.Crazy night.
Good evening friends.
The big night tomorrow just got even bigger here as I’ve just heard that mini-Baldie is to feature on tomorrow night’s “Beat The Pundit”. Really hope it’s auld Shug that he’s up against ;-)
Davidopoulos @ 19:15
Who would you sign in Jan to improve the squad for July?
Guidetti for sure (think that will be a ‘quid pro quo’ deal), a left back, defensive midfielder, another striker ( I know!) and for Xmas, a creative midfield maestro – as usual.
Charlie has to move to the back 4 as he has lost his pace and also his passing ability of late. We need cover and competition for Izzy and a partner for Broony covering the back 4. Never have enough strikers (except on loan in our case) and, as always, someone who can unpick the packed defences we face week in week out in Scotland.
Of paramount importance we need pace and engines. The Dundees and Hamiltons etc compete against us by covering ground, pressing and breaking at speed. That’s the way Ronny wants us to play, but we are not blessed in that department.
I hear, and read on here, many names from the young Scottish crop. I’ll leave it to our football department to work through their list of targets from home and abroad, but as I say again, it will be so much easier if we can assure them of European football.
Also unless Dinamo drop points v Astra, a point does not guarantee us anything tomorrow night. So 3 points, qualification and the pick of out transfer targets – please!
Ruggyman- if Fasan is impressing then i think Zaluska might get punted,and i would sell Matthews,.Big Efe and Commons might get punted as well.
Baca bing
None of the above …on current form …would be missed
Embramike
Prepare to be disappointed :-)
I know they ended up losing last night, but even with 10 men Bayern looked the better team
The core to their strength, is :
A good defensive centre mid play-maker : Alonso
and top quality wide men : robin and Ribery
Granted we can’t attract that quality, but it’s these area’s that will bring this Celtic team on to the next level…. I reckon
What an awful thing to do, manage the celtic supporters expectations, it’s not like some of us are unrealistic about what’s actually possible playing in the spl
Neganon2
The other day you said you were better placed than most of us on here to comment on the goings on at celtic. Care to expand on that, you’re in danger of doing exactly what you dig the celtic board up for, talking down to the support and not explaining why
bb / pfayr…
Think Adam is too good to give up on. Injuries have held him up. Its instructive to see his contribution for JGs goal last week.
Apologies about always defending AM but I think he is a great athlete, a tremendous footballer and has fine intelligence.
I could be wrong but its what I see.
HH
I predict the Jan window will be cash neutral …at best
Remember when McAllister had just started commentating for BT and he shouted “aw naw” when Celtic scored against the sheep.
Stairheedrammy
Mcallister is a Hun bassa …it’s a family thing for him ….I grew up in the same place