You and I know there is still work to so, but ask Newco fans or client journalists and they will tell you, they are out of the league chase this season, the title is going to Celtic. The question is why? At the very least, they have to give some credit to Celtic.
Ange Postecoglou transformed Celtic from the moment he arrived, bringing players from a market few in Europe had proper access to. Despite losing the title in 2021, the infrastructure at Celtic and profile of the squad was sufficient to raise money in order to scout, buy or loan with an option, Kyogo, Hatate, Maeda, Jota, Carter-Vickers, Starfelt, Juranovic, Hart and more.
The rebuild process continued at Celtic Park in the summer, consequentially, Celtic have won all but one of their domestic games this season. They are imperious rivals, far stronger than the side which lost their way in season 2020-21. If you want to compete against them, you need a comparable budget and scouting system; Newco have neither.
Despite taking over midway through a campaign, Giovanni van Bronckhorst won one of the two domestic trophies available to him. His immediate predecessor won one from nine. As we left Hampden in April, out of the Scottish Cup, we knew we had a resourceful rival.
In what seemed an impossibility, he eliminated Sparta Prague, Brondby, Borussia Dortmund, Red Star Belgrade, Braga and Leipzig on his way to the Europa League Final in Seville, losing in the narrowest of margins possible. History will record that this record was one of incredible overachievement.
Then came the summer. He sold his two best players, bringing in over £30m in transfer fees this calendar year, money that would have been enough to challenge Celtic, but he was allowed to spend less than half this figure. After qualifying for the Champions League group stage – something I never thought I would see – Giovanni was given no additional funds. Zilch!
Two weeks ago I explained some of what happened inside Celtic when Neil Lennon’s side came off the rails, why Celtic did not sack him early in the season, how it is easy to sack a manager but immeasurably more difficult to get the next decision right. In particular, that “Proportionality of response is required if you are to be taken seriously by serious candidates.”
Celtic could have recruited those desperate for a job, but right then, they were not attracting a candidate that convinced them to hand them the keys to the kingdom. If you think ANYONE inside Ibrox right now believes they have a plan to flip fortunes with Celtic, you are wildly mistaken.
In that earlier piece I wrote, “[Newco] can sack a manager who achieved spectacularly for them, or face down some entitled fans. It will be a measure of their board if they are prepared to take abusive flack personally when a scapegoat is available.”
Abusive. Flack. Personally. This is impossibly difficult. I watched it at Celtic, when Peter Lawwell took on the grief because, as he told me at the time, he believed that firing Neil just months after his successes, would make it more difficult for him to attract a great candidate. He wanted to be able to say to a new manager, “I have your back when the going gets tough”. This counts in football.
The experience was painful and in all honestly, I don’t know if I would have gone through the same. It is no surprise those in charge at Newco reached for a scapegoat instead of facing down their more entitled fans at next month’s AGM.
There is another pertinent question, why didn’t Newco sign anyone after disposing of PSV Eindhoven to reach the Champions League group stage? Why were they unable to invest more of the cash they took in, or some of the guaranteed European revenue? Why did they send Gio into battle naked?
For this, I refer you to two news articles published in September.
Firstly, Uefa’s statement on 2 September. Newco were one of 19 clubs mentioned that Uefa said “will be monitored closely in the upcoming period” with regards to the new Financial Fair Play regulations.
Then in his annual report, Celtic chief executive, Michael Nicholson wrote, “Celtic played a significant role at a strategic and technical level in the development of the new regulations.” Having crossed swords with Uefa on FFP for many years, last season, Peter Lawwell spent half a day a week working with Association on their new FFP regulations.
He was hugely influential in drafting their objectives, which were material in inhibiting Newco from splurging cash again – material in what happened today. When I read the new FFP regulations in the summer, I mentioned to ‘sources close to Celtic’, “This is going to get wee Gio the sack.” I wasn’t wrong. From now on, if you want to catch Celtic, live within your means, run a good business, recruit good people and take your chances with the rest of them.
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Leftclick/Gene
Great work in your communities,people doin great and simple things for other people,and it is getting worse as wealth and money is secured by those who can means its coming the way of the poor anytime soon.
It’s always a worthy message to pass on
Hail Hail to you both
Jeeszo,
more lawwell nonsense from P67.
the guy screwed TIAR by appointing a puppet who had personal problems and pocketed 20Mil along the way.
Lawwell the controlling beancounter who killed RES 12 , lied about 5WA and enabled newco to come back untouched. Thats never been covered by P67 —- why ?
ITV World Cup titles,made in a nursery school
Just looking at the stats for the Engurlund game.
13 shots.
7 on target.
6 goals.
78% possession.
Possession means nothing without an end product. We know, but more importantly Ange knows what we must do to improve.
Imagine our CL games with that sort of goal ratio. We would be looking forward to more brilliant Euro nights. We can never afford the likes of Harry Kane. But he never scored.
A 19 year old stole the show..
We maybe cannot compete financially with the big guns, but our academy is reckoned to be ” world class” and up there with the best.
We really must look at this. Paul 67 if you are reading this:- What are your thoughts? Well worth an article as a discussion topic
HH
for 5 cheeky chappy ally stories that are provided , i can give you 10 that says he isnt
all true, some eye witnessed, a really good east kilbride tim family suffered much because of the first taxi inciednt way back in the 90s, through to modern recent tales
‘GG @ 3:31 PM
Can anyone provide an accurate guess on the size of Gio’s payoff?
A signed picture of Gareth Southgate to the winner.
————
Certainly GG
£0 …..
…. plus an unwritten instruction to get in line behind the rest of the creditors.
Hunbelievable
So fat Sally is one of lifes good guys.
He showed that when he called out ton prick at Ibrox asking “who are these people we demand to know”
Unfortunately despite Fat Sallys best efforts “these people” got death threats.
Fat Sally again shows just how much of a good guy he is with his persistently critical behaviour of the Huns singing.
Again also he was the lone voice in the Rangers dressing room trying to stop Mo Johnson’s electric chair treatment as he did not want Johnson to be cured.
Not one penny piece did the saint’d fat sally make out of the demise of Rangers.
The despicable piece of 🍆that is Mccoist is probably at the world cup because he is a British Unionist and because he is a Freemason.
What next Lee McCulloch the 90 minute bigot was misunderstood?
GreenPinata – we have not brought through a top striker since Charlie 40+ years ago. Amazing stat.
if only we faced a goalkeeper in the champions league that was as bad as the iranian one.
beyond our 6 or so sitter misses in cl, there was 6 or so worldy saves and was it 5 off the woodwork,
thems the inches of difference.
Quick question…………..why was Tommy Burns such a good friend of MCcoist.
BTB GHF
I doubt that. It would be considered a football debt surely? As such they need them paid to have a European licence?
THE CLASS OF 67 on 21ST NOVEMBER 2022 4:48 PM
McCoist’s commentating is rotten – it really is!!!
TOM MCLAUGHLIN on 21ST NOVEMBER 2022 4:48 PM
I have to say, McCoist is a good commentator, if I’m being honest.
—-
Timed to perfection 😂😂
Ally McCoist great guy, and the fuhrer was a beautiful dancer who could dance the pants off of Winnie
FFS CSC
Will be interesting to see how Weah does tonight. Looked a good loan signing at the time but didn’t work out.
Should be McCoist.
TIMHORTON on 21ST NOVEMBER 2022 6:28 PM
Quick question…………..why was Tommy Burns such a good friend of MCcoist.
————-
because he was a man of faith, practacing his religion.
when managing, even when thems broke our hearts, he didnt descend into rhetoric and was always gracious in defeat, and did not go over the score in any comments.
maybe Walter knew his values as a human and then as a manager and thats why he went into the set up.
i often wondered, having allowed them to be part of the funeral and to carry him, for me the ultimate respectful thing, what would he have made of McCoist behaviour toward NFL at the end of the shame game.
I hope Cameron gets on the pitch tonight as he has been outstanding for Celtic.
SAINT STIVS on 21ST NOVEMBER 2022 6:50 PM
What he said.
CCV not in US lineup
Welsh passionate but awful singing. So bad I’d get in their chorus.
This might be the game of the tournament so far, it doesn’t have much competition.
CCV on the bench, I don’t know much about Zimmerman but I’ve always thought Tim Ream is one of the worst defenders I’ve seen in the EPL. Might not be long before CCV gets a chance.
‘GG on 21st November 2022 6:57 pm
CCV not in US lineup
……………………………………………
He’s on the bench no?
I hope you are well ‘GG.
John Hartson trying to split my loyalty.
Petec. I’m suffering from a gout flare up which is making me even more cantankerous than usual.
I was at home a couple of weeks ago to visit family and a wee day at Celtic Park.
I hope you’re making the best of free night shifts.
In September 1987 McCoist was convicted of assault and fined £150 at Hamilton Sheriff Court. This followed an attack on a 19-year-old outside an East Kilbride nightclub in the early hours of 5 December 1986. A verdict of not proven was returned against Ted McMinn and Iain Durrant in relation to the inciden
Would it be Fat Sally being a freemason that meant his criminal record had no impact on his employment by the BBC?
I was at the shame game. Loved every minute of it and we got a lock in after the game The very best sing song ever . Words were said, so what. Salmond elevated this and we should have rammed his summit.
Anyway, The family of Tommy ( Burns ) have had their say and judgement. I will be guided by them.
I don’t think Ally Mccoist’s temporary rift with NFL was anywhere near as bad as some of our ” fans” behaviour towards him prior to his departure. Do we easily forget the disgraceful chants, the mob rule and the chasing of our buses.
NFL remains a legend, yes he stayed too long and the person who appointed him again deserves scrutiny but the treatment Nell got from some so called fans was absolutely disgusting and far far more hurtful than anything McCoist said to him after a game.
Think upon that.
Two words for McCoist…sleekit Freemason …he used that badge frequently as a player when he cheated at every opportunity and utilised his ref protected status to forge a career…just ask Roy Aitken…as a manager he was found to be what he always was…bang average …fraud
the phone in is brilliant tonight ……
ah want Thomas Tuchel
GREENPINATA – I think most of us assumed he had said something much worse to NL than what eventually came out. Thommo, who was there, said he told Neil not to be shouting at his players and Neil told they weren’t his, they were Walters. All handbags.
In more recent times, before Neil went to Cyprus, they regularly played sixes together on Friday nights and enjoyed a shandy or two together.
Amazing eh?
Good evening all from the New Road Inn, Talbot Road, Blackpool. Football on, landlord dishing out his lovely home made French cooking. It’s a hard life. 😉
Dienabhoy,
Agreed, amazing. That’s why I mentioned temporary rift.
I would wager the treatment he received from some so called fans won’t be so easily healed.
Cheers and HH.
St Stivs 7.15
They’ll be happy with Thomas the Tank Engine.
How dare we criticise Super Sally…Hazel Irvine and Sue Barker are 2 of many “ladies” who can vouch for his ball skills and scoring ability …
Weah scores! 1-0
ex-Celt, Tim Weah scores for the USA.
Weah has just answered my earlier question.
Timely goal from Timothy
Timothy Weah, the wee Tim 🤪