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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1,382 Comments

  1. Playing catch up.

     

     

    So it’s ok to sing Boys of the Old Brigade at a Celtic function where the Chairman is in attendance but those singing would criticise Tims singing it at the football and the aforementioned Chairman would be complicit in handing the details of those responsible to the authorities.

     

     

    The hypocrisy stinks.

  2. 16 roads - Celtic über alles... on

    Magill – Yer head’s up yer whizzer.

     

     

    Ye don’t know anyhing about the Mexican football team.

     

     

    The Netherlands?

     

     

    Absolutely ridiculous.

     

     

    HH.

  3. Margaret McGill on

    16 roads – celtic über alles…

     

     

    03:28 on 29 June, 2014

     

    I watched them play I’m 3 WC games so far and watched them get beat by Bosnia 3 weeks ago

     

    They are a bad tempered shower of shits

     

    Your point being?

     

    Holland look good so far

     

    What’s a whizzer?

  4. Margaret McGill on

    16 roads – celtic über alles…

     

     

    03:28 on 29 June, 2014

     

    Gotcha

     

     

    Free standing “Spinning Eggs” often found in childrens playgrounds are also known as “Whizzers”

     

     

    I see what you mean

     

    Hod oan

     

    Naw I dinny

     

    Care to elaborate?

  5. 16 roads - Celtic über alles... on

    Magill – My point being this – not every member of the Mexican football team is bad tempered.

     

     

    Get it?

     

     

    You don’t know who people have their money on in these games.

     

     

    HH.

  6. Travellerbhoy on

    My da was in the jail again

     

    She got us up at 5

     

    Go and find a bus

     

    For the tattie picking

     

    Standing at the side of the road

     

    6 in the morning

     

    We got picked up

     

    A days work

     

    No lunch

     

    Good people

     

    Took pity on us

     

    Home

     

    Walked in

     

    Orgy

     

    Tried to run

     

    Dragged back

     

    Hate her

     

    Buried in Perth

     

    The home payed for a stone for her grave

     

    It’s never been tended

     

    My father must have loved her

     

    She had 6 and lost one

     

    My kids ask about their gran

     

    I say she died when I was young

     

    When I was young

     

    She was very much alive

  7. 16 roads - Celtic über alles... on

    margaret mcgill

     

     

    03:41 on 29 June, 2014

     

     

    ——————————————

     

     

    Catch yerself on ffs.

     

     

    It means that yer head’s up yer hole, sure ye know that.

     

     

    Yer full of sh@te,basically.

  8. Margaret McGill on

    16 roads – celtic über alles…

     

     

    03:47 on 29 June, 2014

     

     

    I see

     

    I’m affecting betting?

     

    Is that it?

  9. 16 roads - Celtic über alles... on

    Magill – Seriously.

     

     

    Yer a good laugh sometimes, but ye simply cannot say things about an entire football team.

     

     

    Granted, maybe one or two players are bad tempered.

     

     

    So what?

     

     

    People are speculating on the outcome of these contests.

     

     

    Constructive criticism, not a bother.

     

     

    Not that nonsense though.

     

     

    Ye are better than that.

     

     

    HH.

  10. Margaret McGill on

    16 roads – celtic über alles…

     

     

    03:47 on 29 June, 2014

     

     

    Didn’t realize you were Mexican

     

    Apologies

  11. 16 roads - Celtic über alles... on

    Travellerbhoy – Yer an absolute legend chief.

     

     

    Sleep well brave Celt.

     

     

    HH.

  12. Margaret McGill on

    16 loafs

     

    All I meant was:

     

    I hope Holland win and when it comes to Costa Rica Greece may the best team win

     

    I didn’t expect the Spanish Inquisition

  13. 16 roads - Celtic über alles... on

    Magill – Lol I know chief, was only on the wind-up there.

     

     

    Sorry.

     

     

    Have got 10 x tenners on Mexico @ 3/1 though. ;)

     

     

    God bless ye.

     

     

    HH.

  14. Margaret McGill on

    16 roads – celtic über alles…

     

     

    04:08 on 29 June, 2014

     

     

    All the best

     

    Take care of yourself!

     

    Aff oot!

  15. Interesting night at the irish csc’s main even by the sounds of it.

     

     

    Saw poster on twitter for it and was suprised with the bands on.. Good bands by the way.

     

     

    Can totally see where HT is coming from.

  16. hamiltontim

     

     

    03:21 on 29 June, 2014

     

    Playing catch up.

     

     

    So it’s ok to sing Boys of the Old Brigade at a Celtic function where the Chairman is in attendance but those singing would criticise Tims singing it at the football and the aforementioned Chairman would be complicit in handing the details of those responsible to the authorities.

     

     

    The hypocrisy stinks.

     

    ___________________________________

     

     

    The stench of hatred you have for this man has no boundaries, you honestly need to lighten up, don’t take my word for it, but PL is a Tim, but you go right ahead and highlite a Celtic night he attended where they sang TBOTOB, SMSM loves guys like you to stick us right in there, I’m sure your happy.? Who needs enemies eh?

  17. Morning all.

     

     

    That Peter Lawell really needs to get a grip, how many jobs does he want?

  18. The law governing what can be sung in a football ground in Scotland is different from what can be sung in a bar in Ireland. No hypocrisy. Just obeying the law in the country you are in. Not difficult is it?

  19. arranmore

     

     

    08:31 on 29 June, 2014

     

    The law governing what can be sung in a football ground in Scotland is different from what can be sung in a bar in Ireland. No hypocrisy. Just obeying the law in the country you are in. Not difficult is it?

     

    ___________________________________

     

     

    That I totally get.

  20. Taurangabhoy on

    Morning Jobo getting up in 6 hours to drive to Auckland and I will lookin oot the windae soon to check that you are getting these weather reports right. Enjoy Auckterardour, must be whisky in there somewhere. TD67 good to hear you enjoyed your trip, just about to start ours. Hail Hail. Hope big Sammie stands tall for the Hellas, expecting a Greek Tragedy though.

  21. TD

     

     

    The official Celtic party left shortly after the meal to fly back to Glasgow as they are flying out to Austria this morning. Only big Yogi was there until the near the end – he went to his bed around 3am and it was still going strong!

     

     

    A Celtic event in a beautiful country hotel – what is not to like?

     

     

    Incidentally what is controversial about singing BOTOB in DUBLIN?

     

     

    In my view the controversy should be that it is illegal to sing it in Scotland.

  22. World Cup seems to have passed me by. Ok to get up in wee small hrs to watch the Hoops, but nae for teams I am no interested in

     

    Anyway we are back in action soon

     

    No new signings

     

    We walked the league , but we were poor in all cups and Europe

     

    Teams just seem to walk through our midfield , we had one player who helped stop that , big Vic. But he was sold purely for the balance sheet with a detriment to the team on the park

     

    We all know the fringe players are not good enough

     

    Soo. Signings please and quick as let’s be honest. No champions league, no season

  23. Oh and punt the dross ASAP pukki , Balde , derk. Taxi please. They were no very good elsewhere and showed no promise elsewhere and have continued that at Celtic park.

  24. arranmore

     

     

    08:31 on 29 June, 2014

     

    ‘The law governing what can be sung in a football ground in Scotland is different from what can be sung in a bar in Ireland. No hypocrisy. Just obeying the law in the country you are in. Not difficult is it?’

     

     

     

    #####

     

     

     

    If the song was being sung as people were watching a regulated football game on television then the ‘offence’ would be covered by S.10 of the Offensive Behaviour at Football and Threatening Communications (Scotland) Act 2012.

     

     

    So, yes, it is quite difficult.

  25. Morning Timland from a very warm sunkist hun free mountain valley.

     

     

    So it’s looking like we are going into the qualifiers with what we have.

     

     

    Unneccessary pressure immediatly on the two onnys imo, but they like us will just have to suck it up.

     

     

    Interesting reading Auldheid last night, I sense a realisation from him that they have indeed won the war, if it all hinges on the UTT, which from where I am sitting will go in their favour, the games is a bogey mi amigos.

     

     

    Still the suits from all the clubs can look forward to having thems back next season and the return of the status quo.

     

     

    Back of the bus CSC

     

     

    HH