Competing with the crazies

1382

News that Hull City had a £6m bid for Robert Snodgrass accepted took the wind out of my sails this morning.  Snodgrass was one of the outstanding performers for clubs in the bottom half of the English Premier League last season, so it’s easy to understand his ticket price, despite only having a year left on his Norwich City contract.

He is a Celtic fan and has not hidden his desire to play for the club, but Hull City (good grief) are now bidding £6m for players from relegated clubs, after spending £8m on a Spurs squad filler.

This all begs the question, can we afford to compete with Hull City?  Probably, yes, but we can no more afford to splurge £14m on a couple of players than Hull, who a year ago were reporting debts close to £80m.

We’re operating in an environment where indirect competitors for players are spending unsustainable amounts of money, pretty much like Rangers did for 20 years under Sir David Murray.  For a few years after Fergus left, we played the same game as Rangers, running up millions of pounds of losses year after year, before pulling away from the edge, while they kept the pedal to the metal and careered into liquidation.

The decision not to match the Bank of Scotland money flowing into Rangers cost us trophies, and caused a great deal of dispute in the Celtic family, but story ended sweetly.  So, so, sweetly.

The crash may never hit England, but the job for Celtic is to find a way of remaining competitive in the Champions League while matching income to expenditure.

Visit the CQN Bookstore to get Tommy Gemmell to sign your personal copy of his book, All the Best.

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  1. auldheid,

     

     

    I wasn’t trying to demean all that you do to fight the battle against the slanted system, I just think the cards are stacked, as they always have been.

     

     

    It won’t be reported in the smsm but I reckon the huns will be fighting amongst themselves in their crumbling stands come the next season…their sites are full off…Who’s sitting on my seat because I didn’t renew!

     

     

    A lot of entertainment ahead.

  2. Tricoloured Ribbon

     

     

    With respect you do not know that.

     

     

    If it turns out Rangers use of ebts ( the big tax case variety which the UTT is examine not the unlawful ebts of the wee tax case that everyone is ignoring because of the inconvenient truth they show) then the UK taxpayer will have been robbed of circa £75 million.

     

     

    This will have happened in the SFA’S watch so questions will be asked. One national journo who has all the evidence is waiting for the UTT.

     

     

    The consequences of that decision cannot be swept under the table as LNS himself said he was dealing with lawful payments that will not be lawful.

     

     

    If HMRC lose then the unpalatable truth Celtic supporters will have to face is they never cheated (the two wee tax case ebts apart).

     

     

    So whilst the current efforts might not bring about a different state of affairs, if HMRC win it’s a new ball game especially if LNS is discredited so that it cannot be used as a reason not to deal with the truth.

     

     

    They will still be about ok but the attitude towards them will turn on the UTT.

     

     

    You may be right but the loser will be Scottish football.

  3. Margaret McGill on

    fred c. dobbs

     

     

    01:38 on 29 June, 2014

     

    They have been utterly exposed as cheats and criminals.

     

    That’s the point!

  4. Margaret McGill

     

     

    In what way? His responsibility is first and foremost to Celtic and it’s shareholders.

     

     

    The events Res12 looks at precedes his time on SFA Board.

     

     

    He will want an SFA that is clean professional and above censure and the SFA members will want the same.

     

     

    So where is the conflict?

  5. Kojo

     

     

    I am in agreement – a bit anyway.

     

     

    Sammi is gone regardless of all the wishful thinking here and elsewhere.

     

     

    He was a member of the Celtic family and was committed to the Celtic cause, but too often found himself a casualty of the tactics and team shape preferred in the SPL. His contribution was evaluated on that basis and on his age. He has gone even thought he wanted to stay. Thus he joins a long list of Celtic heroes that were forced to leave the club when they didn’t want to leave.

     

    EG Jimmy Johnstone, Tommy Gemmell, Willie Wallace, John Hughes etc.

     

     

    He will remain a hero and nothing that has happened in this World Cup will change that or convince the new management team that he should be back at Celtic.

     

     

    We will welcome him back anytime, probably to do a Q &A on CQN after we publish his book. :o)

     

     

    HH

  6. Sipsini

     

     

    I sometime remind myself of the saying ” no need to push the river it is flowing all by itself” I really hope it is true.

     

     

    The biggest problem they refuse to face is themselves.

  7. Margaret McGill on

    auldheid

     

     

    01:49 on 29 June, 2014

     

     

    He represents the SFA the institution Celtic are supposed to challenge

     

    What am I missing?

  8. Tricoloured Ribbon on

    Auldheid,

     

    There are plenty of ifs and buts in there but the bottom line for me does not matter about the truth.If all further decisions about the Huns are taken behind closed doors in SCOTLAND they are home and dry.HMRC or not.

     

    The Craft will sort it.

  9. Aiden Bhoy 1.32

     

     

    I agree but it is a matter of timing.

     

     

    We must be certain of the truth before we march to the top of the hill. There is a key piece of the jigsaw missing.

     

     

    Celtic are trying to get it but if SFA resist on confidentiality grounds that might be the time to force things via social media.

     

     

    The SFA however are more likely to fear Res12 being passed than any social media rummy so we wait.

  10. Tri coloured

     

     

    It depends on it staying inside Scotland but if it does then chances are it will all be buried.

     

    As I said what a country.

  11. Margaret McGill

     

     

    He represents Celtic. You seem to be missing that.

     

     

    Celtic pay him not the SFA. PL will know on what side his bonus is buttered.

     

     

    What are you suggesting? That he will try and protect an organisation in need of reform to make it professional and ignore the folk who pay his wages?

  12. Tricoloured Ribbon on

    Auldheid,

     

    That mo chara,will be the crux.

     

    As soon as I heard in the past about Sevco tax cases being ruled in Edinburgh it was a foregone conclusion what was going to be the outcome.

  13. auldheid,

     

     

    In in other words, let the pish flow free.

     

     

    Until the the sewer bursts.

     

     

    That’ll do me.

     

     

    Bedtime for me, love your insight Auldheid. HH

  14. Margaret McGill on

    auldheid

     

     

    02:08 on 29 June, 2014

     

    No. He represents Celtic shareholders

     

    So why did he join the SFA in the first place?

     

    I think Paul 67 would be a good proxy to deliver res 12

     

    Have you asked him?

  15. Margaret McGill on

    Good night Auldheid and thanks for all the time you have committed to this

     

    Just playing devils advocate

  16. Travellerbhoy on

    delaneys dunky

     

     

    Cheers bhud

     

    Trying to go sober

     

    Not easy

     

    Managed 10 days

     

    Relapsed tonight

     

    It feels so good

     

    Like an old friend

     

    Came back into my life

     

    Don’t like myself

     

    Self loathing

     

    I know it’s not me

     

    But circumstances

     

    Jack Daniels

     

    Or John

     

    If you’ve known him as long as I have

     

    (Copyright Scent of a Woman)

  17. Margaret McGill on

    Costa Rica. Greece

     

    Congrats to whoever gets thru

     

    Holland Mexico

     

    Hopefully holland

     

    Mexico are a bad tempered shower of shits

  18. Travellerbhoy on

    My wee sis came to see me

     

    4 weeks ago

     

    She lives in Salford

     

    I live in Livingston

     

    She stayed for 5 days

     

    We got miraculous

     

    Skimmed everything

     

    I took her to see the Celtic Way

     

    We can’t talk

     

    About anything

     

    It was a relief when she went home

     

    I don’t talk to my other sister in Dundee either

     

    6 of a family

     

    3 dead

     

    3 barely alive

     

    Too painful

     

    If we talked

     

    We would have to relive

     

    Those days

     

    Where screams filled the night

     

    And realisation filled the days

     

    So we pretend

     

    And face life

     

    As if

     

    We are normal

  19. 16 roads - Celtic über alles... on

    margaret mcgill

     

     

    02:35 on 29 June, 2014

     

     

    Costa Rica. Greece

     

    Congrats to whoever gets thru

     

    Holland Mexico

     

    Hopefully holland

     

    Mexico are a bad tempered shower of shits

     

     

    ——————————————————-

     

     

    Is that supposed to be a joke?

  20. 16 roads - Celtic über alles... on

    Magill – Do you know any Mexican people?

     

     

    Yer on the wind-up, a hope ye are anyway.

     

     

    HH.

  21. Margaret McGill on

    16 roads – celtic über alles…

     

     

    03:17 on 29 June, 2014

     

     

    Oh yeah I know many Mexicans

     

    The Mexican team however are a bad tempered shower of shits

     

    Your point being?