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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This is where we wanted to be, we’re there.
On paper, and in every bookie around the globe, we are already toast. I’m okay with that, I remember the day all the paper in the world and all the bookies too had us down as lambs to the slaughter.
What a boot in the balls Stevie Chalmers gave them all that day.
I personally, in this game, would throw caution to the wind and just go for it, we have no prima donnas’, we have a hard working team with fair amounts of skill sprinkled in abundance.
Remember Berwick Rangers.
No fear.
MACJAY1 FOR NEIL LENNON on 13TH SEPTEMBER 2016 10:48 AM
AULD TAM on 13TH SEPTEMBER 2016 10:41 AM
Can I just check if you’re saying there was nothing wrong with anything that was on display on Saturday? Just because it was worse in the old days, doesn’t mean that anything goes now.
THELURKINTIM on 13TH SEPTEMBER 2016 10:47 AM
Celtic are in town. What a sychronicitous day. What a load of unalloyed bull ;-))
FTSFS
H.H.
===========================================================
Hey , pal.
Don`t knock it.
It`s just how luvvies talk.
Auld T … @ 10.41
I remember those days as well.
However the world has moved on and rightly so.
What I fear for Saturday’s stunts is the complete lack of civility and humanity behind them. Then you have the minority sweeping statements in support that demonise a “them”.
This is the politics of DT / NF put through a Belfast lens and shown into a football match in West Central Scotland and it shames us all.
Going back two generations when our community had very little the only way to fight back when the leavers of power, influence and economic capital were in short supply was to be better than them — no we seem to be in a race to the bottom with the lowest of the low in the TFOD2 support.
We are not them.
We need to do our own thing.
The biggest disappointment on Saturday was the terrible GB banner.
After all their huge successes of the past what they put up had been phoned in.
Mentalists are mentalists and they are everywhere.
The GB have a track record and they let themselves down.
WEEMINGER on 13TH SEPTEMBER 2016 10:51 AM
MACJAY1 FOR NEIL LENNON on 13TH SEPTEMBER 2016 10:48 AM
AULD TAM on 13TH SEPTEMBER 2016 10:41 AM
Can I just check if you’re saying there was nothing wrong with anything that was on display on Saturday? Just because it was worse in the old days, doesn’t mean that anything goes now.
=======================================================================
Not quite sure whether to answer yes or no on that one.
So , maybe.
bamboo
if she has time suggest she books dinner here http://cincsentits.com/en/
a friend to CQN and myself
Kit, naw…..Berwick R#####s….did they win…..
KTF
H.H.
MACJAY1 FOR NEIL LENNON on 13TH SEPTEMBER 2016 10:54 AM
I’m saying that while there is slight element of had wringing, there still need to be lines of acceptability. Now an issue arises there because one man’s acceptable is another man’s appalling.
That leaves two choices:
1) anything goes; or
2) accept that people can be offended by anything and everything, and if they are then it’s not ‘hand-wringing’ but their view, even in the majority are not of the same opinion.
No high expectations tonight from me, i just hope for a decent display and players doing as much as they can.
All this go for it is total rubbish imo, if we go all out for a result we’ll be tanned more than 6-1.
The home side are a total footballing side and will have the majority of possession regardless of what we try to do. Keep it tight and pass the ball to each other, that’ll mean players moving into space for most of the game.
Just do us proud Celtic and i’ll be over the moon.
KITALBA on 13TH SEPTEMBER 2016 10:49 AM
Kit.
How are you , pal ?
Hope all is great with you and your`s.
The Tim flag is flying high again.
Eddie and I have the alarm on for 4.45 am.
No expectation.
Just a bit of hope and support , but we`re back.
Hail Hail
Madmitch
Oh I can see the wood! As for the trees – if I could get away with it – I’d plant a row of them in front of our 18 yard line just to make it a wee bit more difficult for Messi/Suarez/Neymar! :-)))
Trust me – a 3rd place finish in this Group would be a major achievement. It will not hinge on tonight’s result solely – it will be down to; concentration, a game plan and the ability to compete over the 6 games.
MacJay1,
H.H. My right wing brother…..hav you fenced off yer coast yet…..sand & castles spring to mind….;-))
FTSFA
H.H.
WEEMINGER on 13TH SEPTEMBER 2016 10:58 AM
I refuse to be associated with effwits , including Celtic supporting effwits.
Our club will sort it out . Not me or you or any combination thereof.
It`s their shout.
And they will.
The fear is gone. The fear was for Astana & Hapoel.
This is bonus time, to be enjoyed against a backdrop of rich pickings that Brendan will use going forward to keep improving our team.
But let’s not kid ourselves. There has been no evidence to suggest that our midfield properly protects our defence in European away games and we are certainly not equipped with dealing with Barca. We badly needed the addition of a defensive midfield player for CL games and we didn’t get one.
I think we will in January and I am delighted with the way we are progressing.
But I will eat my chapeau if we get a point tonight. We are a work in progress and we should remember that if we get a doing tonight.
tully57 on 13th September 2016 11:03 am
And the best thing is, we can actually see progress, which we haven’t for at least 3-4 years.
HH
Prae … @ 10.59
Believe, believe.
Barca have to take a dip at sometime.
MC look they are on their way back but they will not fancy CP.
BMG are in the mix but we are a big a threat to them as they are to Barca.
Main thing is that we are part of a brilliant group.
And we help make the group brilliant.
Porto / Walkers Crisps / Brugge / Legoland.
As the joke goes that is not a CL group it is Easyjet’s winter sale.
THELURKINTIM on 13TH SEPTEMBER 2016 11:02 AM
See you , pal.
Are you havin` a go ?
Met Taurangabhoy yesterday and he reminded me of a description of myself posted on here…………..
” You may be a right winger , but you`re OUR right winger. ‘
As backhanded compliments go , that`s a cracker .
TRADITIONALIST88
Spot on my bhoy, incredible progress and not just on the park.
Brendan exudes calm and confidence in his interviews. You can see why he has the reputation within the game of being a brilliant motivator and it must be great to play for him.
tully57 on 13th September 2016 11:11 am
Good point. Compare and contrast with David Moyes, who continues to bluff his way through his managerial career!
HH
MacJay1,
That’s nothing to crow about….especially if they’re NZ crows illegally crawsin borders ;-))
FTSFA
H.H.
tully57
Didn’t you had a chapeau!
HH
Good luck to the youths today also.
THELURKINTIM on 13TH SEPTEMBER 2016 11:16 AM
Immigration.
( Careful now , macjay )
Comeallye.
But don`t harm us.
Please.
Incidentally , I love Kiwis of all ethnicities.
MACJAY
I figured you and our Tauranga correspondent would hit it off.
Delighted it went well.
HH
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on 13TH SEPTEMBER 2016 11:23 AM
Mate.
Wish you had been there.
Can`t say much more than that.
Hail Hail
CENTENARYBHOY
I don’t but I’ll be delighted to find or buy one to scoff if we get a draw!
TRADITIONALIST88
Was reflecting on that this morning when I heard the report on the Everton game. I would’ve taken Davie as first choice – what do I know…..
Macjay
You may be a right winger but you are our right winger
Ahem! !!
I have copyright on that
God,I’m having a hard time wi phone calls to utilities today.
Spent an hour wi FIRSTUTILITY trying to get a meter upgrade as my leccy one hasn’t worked for at least five years. Long-running dispute,seems some eejit installed a battery-operated one(!) and no-one is taking responsibility for it.
Also queried my DD for it. They raised it to £108 pm,knowing nothing about my leccy usage,but knowing my gas was £11 pm!
This won’t end well…
Virgin got the boot as well,cheeky sods just put the price up again. Not to me,they’re not.
3 doubled my bill for the month. They can GTF too.
I’m on a roll here. Thinking of phoning my boss in Oxford to round the day off wi a bang!
Fitba no as mental as the seventies now the argument with some.
Anybody else miss white dog shoite and tartan helmed flares?
MACJAY
So do I,bud!!!!!
Like a rubber doll I’ll come bouncing back to you…
Bring on The Barca…
WHATISTHESTARS
I’ve said similar,often.
A good lad,if politically unsound.
Scottish society is going absolutely nowhere when it comes to addressing sectarianism, bigotry, and hatred.
The usual dumb and hateful displays were evident at the weekend. It’s not about pointing the finger at all things hateful at the Rangers* end. It’s about pointing out the hatred everywhere in all corners of the ground.
We have legislation that targets football fans while orange walks are somehow deemed acceptable
The media will wring their hands and refer to sectarianism but nobody actually talks about the songs and suggests why they are offensive. Hun is apparently sectarian? I’d like somebody to actually explain why
Bmcuw
Very true re macjay
After the revolution we may have to send him to a re education camp in the west of Ireland to rid him of his pro imperialist tendencies.
However during the football season I would let him out to watch celtic at the weekends
MacJay1,
Kiwis cannae fly….so they’re stuck…..but ye know that ;-))
burdfruitCSC
FTSFA
H.H.
WHAT IS THE STARS on 13TH SEPTEMBER 2016 11:34 AM
Macjay
You may be a right winger but you are our right winger
Ahem! !!
I have copyright on that
==============================================
Ah.
`Twas yerself.
Sure and begorrah …………………………..in a Barry fFtzgerald accent.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIi8A_8RopA
lucky gal bamboo
TLT
I think they did.
Macjay
same for me. I’d rather go at them and take my chances than sit back and take my chances.
What price a reputation?