I’ve seen a bit of chat on where Dave King’s promised overinvestment is, since Celtic humbled his team on Saturday. Let’s be clear, Newco are overinvesting.
Senderos, Barton, Hill, Kranjcar are all earning over £750k, Barton significantly so. They signed a further seven during the transfer window. Running costs are eye-wateringly high for a club without significant income streams from Europe, television or merchandising.
The £30m PR bluster, which the new board used while trying to unseat the Easdales, can now be seen for what it was, but this level of expenditure is pretty much as high as is practically possible without a lunatic Sugar Daddy. In fact, if we were running with similar numbers, I would screaming at you that we need to cut back for fear of insolvency.
Four years ago someone in the game suggested to me the Rangers group of clubs were fatally wounded, despite selling over 30,000 season tickets for the Third Division. The reasoning being that the brand depends on an air of success, and would crumble under sustained, unrelenting, mediocrity.
I’ve been saying for four years, most people haven’t began to realise the far reaching consequence of what happened in 2012. “Getting back” (sic.) isn’t about reaching top flight football, it’s about having the budget to be able to compete with Celtic, who could turnover around £50m more than Newco this season.
Where do you even begin to tackle a problem like that?
No Sugar Daddy will make the multi-season investment required. Insolvency remains a real danger for any club running a deficit in double-digit percentages of its turnover, without robust borrowing in place (or a genuine billionaire acting as backstop, if required).
The non-football costs of running a club at Ibrox and Murray Park (an albatross) are significant and comparable to costs at Celtic Park and Lennoxtown. This leaves income available for football comparable with Hearts, Aberdeen Hibs and Dundee United.
The real conundrum is, do you accept your place and live within your means, or risk insolvency trying to catch Celtic? I don’t think either scenario is a viable option. You can make your own mind up about the viability of the football club.
I’ve not mentioned the toilets on Saturday, which is no more than you expect, but I did expect better than the dummies (which have been shamefully exploited to represent something they were not). Could the Seville experience happen now? Nope. This should concern us all.
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If we want to get something out of the game, we will have to retain possession of the ball as much as possible. Our passing simply has to be accurate and only hump the ball upfield when we have to and there will be quite a few times when we will have to.
I’m not sure Dembele, Roberts & Sinclair as good as they are will not trouble Barca unless they are aided by a rampaging Tierney or a rampaging right back.
Anybody agree Lustig a 3rd central defender with an eye to covering for Gamboa at right back as Gamboa surges forward on one of his hundred mile an hour bursts,
TTR,
I was thinking 5 at the back…..not sure tho….that it’s best suited for the players….hence my pick….;-))
FTSFA
H.H.
TTR
I think if Brendan was thinking of Gamboa he would have gave him a run out against Barrie MacKay rather than Suarez, Neymar & Messi (if fit)
I would play Craig Gordon, who needs a goalie who can pass the ball against Barca, I would prefer the goalie to make the saves to frustrate them……
No point in attacking Barca tomorrow. We’ll get hammered.
Keep it tight, concentrate on holding onto possession as far up the field as possible, and everyone back, shiltron-like, when they have possession.
Corners and other set pieces are probably our only realistic chance of scoring.
But it can be done…
Bada
Mrs TET has an iphone and I am not allowed near it, nor will downloading a radio station to it be allowed, I don’t have a phone, it wouldn’t work in the cave anyways, mobiles just don’t work in caves.
I will sort something with the IP blocker, just been too busy to spend any time on it.
HH
Corkie,
I think we’re all agreed it’s gonna be a big ask….;-))
KTF
H.H.
TTR
Agree with your starting eleven, three centre backs, three central midfielders and Sinclair supporting Dembele.
You know when we hear them singing their sectarian songs we are told it was small minority
I will tell you what a small minority is
The amount of people it takes to blow up and hang 2 dolls
I don’t expect this to catch on and reach the same minority level as their “singers” up to their knees in a whole nations blood
HH
Dollgate. Its nonsense to suggest James Forrest is responsible for bringing the media’s attn to the hanging dolls, it was full size front page news in the Scottish Sun this morning. I dont buy it of course, but it was selling like hotcakes in our local Co-op. I totally agree with James’s view on it by the way, another spectacular own goal.
Celtic to score twice tomorrow.
I cannot see us holding Barca scoreless, I was lucky to be there when we did but those days are a once in a lifetime experiences. We will need to score out there.
I think the story here is how can the huns hang onto the ticket money that Celtic are due.
Let’s move onto the Barca game
Starry,
We’Kl get it sorted
HH
THINDIMEBHOY:
You know what? I am shamelessly nicking that for tomorrow :)
An excellent point, well made.
Gerryfaethebrig.
3 o’clock finish beats a 6 o’clock finish any day of the week
I hope you enjoyed. Hopefully no more 6 o’clock s on a Friday for a,long while.
JAMES FORREST on 12TH SEPTEMBER 2016 8:24 PM
The clock is not ticking quickly enough for me, when the sand of time finally runs out for them it has to be for good this time.
How they managed to Phoenix something from the carcas is down to the establishment.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
JF,
What a sad little man you are seeing threats where they don’t exist.
He’ll mend you means you’ll go to the big bad fire for doing the devils work.
As I said, your ego is too big to contemplate self examination it’s time to move on and leave you to your deluded piety.
MWD,
I think you might want to read that blog again, most of those outraged had made up their minds that the sex toys were suicidal, I was reading live and decided not to participate as people were getting emotional and working each other into a frenzy. The only reason I got involved today was because Ernie continued to associate it with suicide and I’d had enough of that shite so thought the best way to kill off that line was to request an example of a suicide with hands tied, it worked with Ernie but the rest of the day has been a waste of my time. A juvenile tastless prank made out to be a serious crime against humanity exactly how the Hun wanted it played out and obliged by too many on here that should have known better.
That’s it for me it’s a pointless exercise when there’s so many only too happy to cast the first stone.
THEGLASGOWCELTICWAY
They had same/similar banner at Hampden in April, not a word from anyone. Same as team selfies with sectarian flute bands.
thetimreaper on 12th September 2016 7:54 pm
Brendan was very cute in his presser, bigging up Suarez to the highest degree. I remember Ferguson doing a similar thing with Ronaldo when he went back to Old Trafford. It’s like a reverse way of talking them off their games
——
Didn’t Ronaldo score?
Gerryfaethebrig.
I think the bet tomorrow is a Celtic player to score at anytime, some good odds there.
AWE_NAW_NO_ANNONI_OAN_ANAW_NOO on 12TH SEPTEMBER 2016 6:36 PM
Winning Captains
And what if Celtic son’t see the 350K anytime soon?
__________________________________
We could go after them and wind them up, literally and metaphorically!
FAC the Act
KTF
CANAMALAR IT LOOKS LIKE OCD OBSESSION;
Brother, you take a BIG DEEP BREATH and relax a little bit.
When you feel better, give me a shout, okay compadre?
No hard feelings on this end.
CORKCELT on 12TH SEPTEMBER 2016 7:37 PM
TOSB, Think they were saying there was a banner with KAH on it which they were interpreting as Kill All Huns, I didn’t notice any KAH banner in the coverage I watched but then again I didn’t see the dolls either until the pics began to appear post match.
Maybe it could all work out well, if they ban us from the Bigot Dome and we ban them from Paradise, we would never have to look at their ugly faces again. How bad would that be.
_________________________________________
There is a picture going round with a fan (seemingly in the North Curve) with a flag saying Kill All Huns.
Dunno if it is photoshopped or not but I didn’t see it on Saturday. Never seen one like that before.
FAC the ACT
KTF
Lol a ridiculous piece of fudgerry from Andy Walker tonight.
He’s “not sure” whether Dave King has kept his promises to Warburton and the Sevco fans or not.
Better to say nothing that to say half of nothing.
Stivs….if yer in Amasterdam…..after a few ahem *coffees*….inside yer own head should see us winning….safely ;-))
mentallybendingtimeandspaceCSC
FTSFA
H.H.
Agree with the three and wing backs, also agree with CG in goal, it’s a shot stopper we need not a backie in.
The three in the middle is the big problem for me, I’m not normally a Bitton fan but he can retain the ball with his side and back passes and every million years he can make a pass like he did on Saturday but there is also the drawback that his tackling at the back will give them plenty free kicks around the box and that’s just silly against this mob.
So naw nae Bitton I’ve talked myself out that wan.
Brown, Rogic and Sinclair with Dembele up front, Armstrong for Rogic when we’re three up to tighten up the defence.
My last on the doll thing.
I can’t accept it’s an own goal, it would have been something else.
All that has happened is it’s been much easier for the hun hacks to deflect from the real problems, nothing more than that.
We are akin to a Jewish club playing in 30s Germany, they would do to us what was done back then if they thought they would get away with it, trust me on that, we need to stick together, this infighting is not on bhoys, we are not the enemy.
The huns smashing up the toilet has clocked well over 800k views, in fact I noticed 5k in 5 minutes. It hardly got a mention on the news.
What’s the score now? Banners 3 Dolls 2?
We invited it back and got the 10 million quid back minus recked toilets twice a season.
We had the chance to move on and stop our support from stopping to their level.
Canamalar
I am reluctant to keep this going with the Barca game on top of us but….. it is possible and far from unheard of to commit suicide by hanging with your hands tied behind you.
There is even a scientific paper in 2009’s Am. J. Forensic Med. Pathol. on it.
Wow,
An oblique reference to Godwin’s Law ;-))
FTSFA
H.H.
MARRAKESH EXPRESS:
A couple of the national newspapers are running it on their sites.
The Sevco fans think that’s a conspiracy.
THELURKINTIM on 12TH SEPTEMBER 2016 8:42 PM
Cake….no the liquid :)
The liquid is rancid
Until we meet again…
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
SAINT STIVS SAYS SACK THE BOARD on 12TH SEPTEMBER 2016 8:35 PM
Celtic to score twice tomorrow.
________________________
I concur; Sinclair and Dembele. It’s just a matter if we can keep them less than 3!
Big night for Brown and Bitton ahead. A lot of talk about Messi, Suarez and Neymar. IMHO, it’s about the wee genius Andreas Iniesta who I reckon has been the best player in the world by far over the last decade or so.
Messi et al get the plaudits because they are are the sharp end of what he produces.
A wee footballing God!
FAC the Act
KTF
Celtic are available at 35 to 1 on BWIN according to oddschecker.
I don’t think we have ever been so highly priced to win a match ever.
I am almost tempted but 12 to 1 for us to draw is a more realistic aim.
Toe-to toe with Barca for me.
Play Paddy, Forrest, Gamboa, Sinky, Moussa – press them high, with a fast tempo, hit them with all the pace we have; give them something to contend with.
You never know, but I’d rather see us go down attempting to play them than trying to slow it down and contain them and getting a doing; we NEVER seem to be able to lift the tempo if we start cautiously in european games.
Mentality in these mismatched contests is everything. High tempo from the off in the CL seems to focus our players every time, gives us a chance of upsetting the odds.
SFTB,
with that…..you are crediting a bunch of numpties with being well informed…..fuck off…..
devilsadvocateshitCSC
FTSFA
H.H.
my expectations are through the roof for tomorrow – better catch myself on. The main reason is the ability the team have found to raise a gear in the second half or not capitulate after being under pressure