Celtic work remains below-radar

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I like the below-radar way Celtic have operated this transfer window.  Mikael Lustig arrived early without much of a murmur and Rabiu Ibrahim’s trial and signing went through with casual understatement, while Jaroslaw Fojut completed a pre-contract agreement before many of us had even reached his Wikipedia page.

Most of the headlines surrounding Celtic have been in connection with English clubs wanting our players, closely followed by public declarations of ‘I’m going nowhere’ from the players in question.

Compare and contrast with the situation over the city.  Almost daily Nikica Jelavic has to deal with a completely different scenario his club have placed him in, today telling STV, “The manager appreciates me and likes me, but I know the club are in a difficult financial situation and if they decided they needed to sell me, I would accept it.”

If you bump into Nikica tell him he’s talking rubbish.  His club were recently bought by a billionaire, they have no financial difficulties and they are reliably informed they are going to win their tax case.  Rangers players telling the media that their club are in a “difficult financial situation” are miles off-message.

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  1. up_over_goal says:

     

    25 January, 2012 at 19:41

     

    ——————————————-

     

    Ha. I got the same before Christmas. My R*ngers supporting mates did not enjoy the jokes. They don’t like it up ’em, sir!

  2. James Forrest is Lennon on

    ASonOfDan:

     

     

    I read that dross earlier and posted my thoughts as a comment. I won’t regurgitate it, it was much the same as some of what we’ve discussed on here.

     

     

    Not surprised to see the article still “awaiting” it’s first comment. The mods are busy keeping any dissenting voice from being heard.

     

     

    This is the level of debate as they would like to have it. HMRC might still cut a deal for “the sake of the competition” and the “good of Scottish football.”

     

     

    First, why would they give a toss about Scottish football? Scottish football created an environment where they were allowed to do this, and might actually be about to create the one where they can escape the consequences of it.

     

     

    As to the sake of the competition … haha. For the sake of the competition, surely it’s in the best interets of EVERYONE that a club which has defrauded its way to titles it otherwise would never have won be punished for doing so?

     

     

    These people are a joke. My contempt for them is immeasurable now.

  3. Silver City Neil Lennon on

    From Twitter

     

    Guardian journo tweets juror’s name at Harry Redknapp tax trial, meaning entirely new jury has to be selected. Top job:

     

     

    Wonder if the journalist will get 6 months like some little people, contempt of court perps.

  4. Sorry that should be…

     

     

    Lubo says:

     

    25 January, 2012 at 19:40

     

    ——————————

     

    Ha. I got the same before Christmas. My R*ngers supporting mates did not enjoy the jokes. They don’t like it up ‘em, sir!

     

     

    Anyway….carry on.

  5. Tom McLaughlin on

    voguepunter –

     

     

    Just been scanning back.

     

     

    I wasn’t offended in the slightest by your “beach bum with dodgy ticker” comment after I won the quiz.

     

     

    It made me laugh.

     

     

    :-)

     

     

    Hail Hail

  6. bournesouprecipe on

    STV John McKay (Independent Newsreader) on the Selavic bid “surely not enough”

     

     

    #disgustingbarstewards

  7. Paddy Gallagher on

    Silver City Neil Lennon says:

     

     

    25 January, 2012 at 19:49

     

     

    From Twitter

     

    Guardian journo tweets juror’s name at Harry Redknapp tax trial,

     

    ************

     

    Lassie ???

  8. Paddy Gallagher on

    Tom McLaughlin says:

     

     

    25 January, 2012 at 19:50

     

     

    voguepunter –

     

     

    Just been scanning back.

     

     

    I wasn’t offended in the slightest by your “beach bum with dodgy ticker” comment after I won the quiz.

     

     

    It made me laugh.

     

     

    *******************

     

    Lucky your not a beach ticker with a dodgy bum :-))

  9. Paddy G

     

     

    Your last line hits the spot.

     

     

    I’ve been critical of our board when I think it’s been merited. It’s been proportionate and measured, I hope.

     

     

    But our prudence in contrast to their exuberance could be about to bare fruit.

  10. James Forrest is Lennon

     

     

    Totally agree and like I said, it should take pride of place on FF.

     

     

    I want them to crash and burn for their years of fraud!

     

     

    No wonder Sir Minty could spend a Tenner for every Fiver we spent…

  11. The Ghood will prevail on

    speirs just mentioned bedoya (snigger.. snigger), then ortiz (snort, chuckle)… then mackay (bursts into outright GUFFAW!) hahahahahaha! Oh the rankers are skint! STOP IT – MY SIDES ARE ACHING!!!

  12. Jelavic £4 Million

     

     

    Lafferty £4 Million

     

     

    To name but two.

     

     

    That’s a lot of money for a team that hasn’t spent anything. On two players.

     

     

    Anyone got the rest of the stats?

     

     

    By the way – I shouldn’t care after the day I have had. I don’t believe in airing my difficulties on a football forum but suffice to say – I have had one bad bad day. And all I can think to say is:

     

     

    rearrange the following letters:

     

     

    kitcfu

     

     

    and you’ll get the drift.

  13. Ten Men Won The League on

    Have just received confirmation that there is no move for Jelavic from any Russian club

     

     

    Seems as though the ‘interest’ originated from Scottish sources

     

     

    They are trying to get an ‘auction’ going + it ain’t happening

     

     

    Watch for him being sold for circa £5-6m on Monday or Tuesday, leaving no time to ‘buy’ a replacement

  14. Ten Men Won The League on

    Stonewall penalty for Man City there

     

     

    The hapless Adam catching Dzeko in the box

     

     

    Away teams don’t get penalties in front of the Kop

  15. Right, let’s see. Press report bid in for Jelly at £7m. Rangers reported to have considered it, but to be waiting on a better offer. Then rumours of Russian interest, although nothing in Russian press other than re-reporting of UK reports.

     

     

    Finally

     

     

    @LeeClayton (Daily Mail)

     

     

    The story about #Westham and #Jelavic of #Rangers is NOT true, I’m told. No bid. Sam doesn’t value him that highly.

     

     

    What about the unknown club from another universe? Have they come back in?

  16. Ron Bacardi says:

     

    25 January, 2012 at 20:04

     

    huns probably need to sell to get cash to pay the wages

     

     

    Correct Darryl King said on saturday they need to sell him to get them through to easter.

  17. Interesting thought, one I never had before – is there tax payable on transfer fees?

     

     

    Another one – if Jellyfish is sold for say, £7 million, could HMRC ask for it to be ring fenced in light of judgement about to be made?

     

     

    You know in Chess or draughts when you know you’re beat and it’s just a matter of time but you keep moving your one or two pieces about anyway to delay the inevitable? Well, you know where I’m going with that!

  18. pedrocaravanachio67 on

    On clyde tonight speirs pretty much taking the blame away from FPLG and on to their scouting system. whatever happened to the buck stops here? Also does anybody else think Sally will launch a cheeky bid for oconner before saturday’s game…….in a fran sandaza sort of way??

     

     

    PC67

  19. Caught a fraction of the Real Radio phone in tonight ad BFDJ was very quick to disabuse a punter of the notion that Jelly was subject to a £7m bid from West Ham.

     

     

    Derek seemed fairly sure it was just over £5m with additions subject to certain achievements in his career with West Ham

     

     

    such as

     

     

    Winning Miss World

     

    Carrying a jockey to victory in the Grand National

     

    Re-uniting Yugoslavia

     

    Getting “I’m forever blowing bubbles” to Number 1

     

    Not getting sent off in his first game for diving with no one near him.

  20. Ten Men Won The League on

    up_over_goal

     

     

    Lee Clayton of the Daily Mail is telling the truth

     

     

    Whyte + Sullivan have spoken but West Ham have NOT made a bid

     

     

    Wonderful strike from De Jong

     

     

    1-0 City

  21. I think we can add a club from Scotland to the ‘barred’ list next season…

     

     

     

    Europe’s top soccer clubs collectively lost more than $2 billion in 2010 and their debts keep rising ahead of plans to sanction clubs for overspending, according to UEFA research published Wednesday.

     

     

    Financial accounts from about 650 clubs revealed 56 percent lost money in the 2010 financial year, and their total debt was $10.9 billion.

     

     

    UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino said it was “a last wake-up call,” with clubs subject to UEFA’s financial fair play monitoring since July 2011. Clubs that overspend in an initial two-year monitoring period can be excluded from UEFA competitions starting in the 2014-15 season.

     

     

    UEFA’s study showed clubs’ combined annual loss rose 36 percent — about $520 million — on 2009 figures.

     

     

    This was despite rising revenues totaling $16.6 billion for top-tier European clubs, an increased income of 6.6 percent. UEFA’s research showed that richer and more successful clubs were more likely to spend and lose money.

     

     

    Of more than 200 clubs playing in UEFA’s Champions League and Europa League competitions two years ago, 65 percent spent more than they earned.

     

     

    Three out of every four clubs earning more than $65 million annually also recorded a loss.

     

     

    “Clubs tend to spend more in order to obtain a competitive advantage,” said Andrea Traverso, head of UEFA’s financial fair play project.

     

     

    Financial fair play (FFP) rules allow clubs to make a total loss of $6.5 million in the first assessment period, or up to $58 million if a wealthy owner makes a one-off donation to wipe out losses. UEFA will phase in tighter monitoring rules.

     

     

    UEFA acknowledged that 13 clubs, including several from England, would have failed their break-even tests on their 2010 accounts. The clubs were not identified.

     

     

    UEFA said 31 clubs, including four this season, have been refused entry to their two main club competitions since financial licensing was introduced in 2004.

     

     

    However, clubs barred this season were from the small-market leagues of Ireland, Kazakhstan, Lithuania and Romania.

     

     

    Skepticism has grown over UEFA’s willingness to take on big-spending clubs such as Premier League leader Manchester City, whose owners from Abu Dhabi funded a-then $318 million loss for 2010-11, the final season before FFP took effect.

     

     

    French league leader Paris Saint-Germain spent $107 million on players last offseason after being bought by Qatari owners.

     

     

    UEFA’s project was backed by Jean-Michel Aulas, the president of Lyon whose standing in France is threatened by PSG’s revival.

     

     

    Aulas described a “dichotomy” between clubs spending “easy money and money for investment.”

     

     

    “Tomorrow’s paradigm (for clubs) must be built on building stadiums and building youth academies — tangible assets that can benefit football in general,” Aulas said.

  22. Snake Plissken on

    Rangers signings 2007 to present

     

     

    Kevin Thomson – 2M

     

    David Weir – Free

     

    Ugo Ehiog – Free

     

    Aaron Niguez -1m wonderkid

     

    Lee McCulloch – 2.75M

     

    Jean Claude Darcheville – 600,000

     

    Daniel cousin – 1.5M

     

    Steven Whittaker – 2M

     

    Carlos Cuellar – 2.75M

     

    Kirk Broadfoot – bosman

     

    Steven Davis- 3M

     

    Maurice Edu – 2.1M

     

    Pedro Mendes – 3M

     

    Kenny Miller – 3M

     

    Kyle Lafferty – 3.25M

     

    Velicka – 1M

     

    That stupid reserve goalie – free

     

    Bougherra – 2.5M

     

    Jerome Rothen – loan

     

    Jelavic – 4M

     

    James Beattie – 1.5M

     

    Vladimir Weiss – 1.4M (loan fee and wages)

     

    Ricky foster – loan

     

    Lee Wallace- 1.5M (not paid up yet)

     

    Goian 700,000

     

    Bocanegra – 400,000

     

    Ortiz ?

     

    McKay?

     

    Bedoya?

     

     

     

    Not bad for a financially crippled team.

     

     

    When you cannot afford an Estonian journeyman, that”s a financial crisis.

  23. mearns 2 milton on

    Smashing goal. Several hun associates wishing for the great Boydy to be bought when Jellylegs is sold. Not realising then won’t b able to offer more then say £10k p/w

  24. ‘Pay Up Pompey… Pompey Pay Up…”

     

     

    I love the quote from HMRC!

     

     

    Portsmouth have been issued with a winding-up petition by HM Revenue and Customs. HMRC sources confirmed that the petition, over an unpaid tax bill of £1.6m, has been sent to the troubled Championship club.

     

     

    “Ensuring tax is paid on time should be at the centre of a football club’s business strategy just like any other business,” said an HMRC spokesman. “Anyone that regards paying tax as an optional extra, or that uses tax collected from employees or customers as working capital, is potentially heading for trouble. It is only fair to those clubs and to other taxpayers who do meet their obligations that HMRC enforces payment of tax debts owed – and if need be, issues a winding up petition or seeks to appoint an administrator.

     

     

    “While a winding-up order is a last resort, there is little HMRC can do for a business whose viability is dependent either on not paying the UK taxes to which they are liable, or on special treatment not available to other customers with similar tax affairs.”

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