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. Tet

     

    Could you post the time of auldheids post that makes you think they have won pls no time to search thks

  2. BoobyM

     

     

    Shattered, been cementing a gulley to take away the rain water for the past few days, finished now tho, next is the painting where the water was penetrating.

     

     

    Anyways, it can, they have robbed the orange like they have robbed virtually everything else, not an origional thought in their heads.

     

     

    Reclaim the orange.

     

     

    HH

     

     

    PS

     

     

    This WC has nearly rooked me, when it’s gone, it’s gone, not another cent will be getting deposited, if I can give up the swally, I can give up the gambling, now the smokes !!!!!

  3. Oh Father why are you so sad on this bright Easter morn. Almost a centenary since the Easter Rising and a song relating to those times banned. Ballads were the traditional way of keeping our history alive as we were denied any other resource. They are part of our culture and what we are as a people. Its not about hate or being vindictive to anyone, I make no apologies to anyone for singing Irish Ballads.

     

    p.s, I don’t sing them at football grounds but thats just my choice.

  4. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    THE EXILED TIM

     

     

    That’s a just reward for being facetious!

     

     

    Nae swally,nae betting,nae fags?

     

     

    Ffs,kill me now…

     

     

    Good luck wi it,mate. I genuinely wish you every success. Doubt I could even manage one of the three,never mind the hat-trick.

  5. What a corrupt fix this World Cup is! OK, so the ref failed to award a clear penalty to Brazil in the first half, which could also have resulted in a red for the Chilean defender, and disallowed Hulk’s ‘goal’ in the second half, despite his terrible vantage point and his assistant not raising his flag to indicate an infringement.

     

     

    But, come on, he knew that the Chilean sub had been made aware that any shot he hit in the last minute of the game from 25 yards had to come off the bar, and that Brazil were sure to win any penalty shoot-out even if they missed 2.

     

     

    What’s the point of even watching? (sigh).

  6. Stringer Bell on

    Posted this last night, no one knew the answer.

     

     

    Does anyone know if we are recalling the young fella who did so well at Notts County last year?

  7. Coolmore Mafia on

    We are definitely short up front for Europe. Resign Sammi. We’ll never attract a better player than him these days in time for CL.

  8. Stringer bell

     

     

    Callum Mcgregor? Sorry, don’t know what arrangement has been made, if any.

  9. Stringer Bell : Callum McGregor

     

     

    He was quoted at end of May saying he was looking forward to getting into the new managers (Ronny) plans for this season. So looks like he will be in for pre-season then who knows, I guess all players will be trying to impress the new management team over the next few weeks friendlies.

  10. Morning all.

     

     

    As far as I am aware Callum McGregor is back at Celtic and has taken part in pre-season training.

     

     

    Not sure if he will be included in the party which leaves for Austria today.

     

     

    HH!!

  11. macjay1 for Neil Lennon on

    weet weet weet(GBWO)

     

    08:03 on

     

    29 June, 2014

     

    Macjay

     

    Did you not see this wan on the side ;)))

     

    http://youtu.be/pAs7U1dyesQ

     

    HH

     

    —————————————————————————————————————-

     

    I have now.

     

    Worth waiting for.

     

    :-))))

     

     

     

    Guantanamo Bay or Gitmo to the gringos.

  12. Captain Beefheart killed Marxist dreams... Keane ate my courage... Formerly JO'N... Just say no to the clique. on

    Morning all.

     

     

    Rodriguez was at Porto. They bought him for about £6 million. Would we make such a signing? Unlikely. Ultra conservatism in the transfer market can actually prevent money being made in the future. Few are advocatinga Moonbeams type spree but we could try to speculate a little more.

  13. Stringer Bell on

    Thanks for the info re Callum McGregor.

     

     

    His spell in England was very successful by all accounts. Be interesting to see if he can kick on and get into our first team squad.

  14. BIG-CUP-WINNERS on

    SydneyTim

     

     

    Why should the new manager sign players, before he has had the chance to establish the worth and suitability of his current charges ?

  15. captain beefheart

     

     

    James Rodriguez.

     

     

    Porto sold him to Monaco last year for c€45 million.

     

     

    Nice bit of business!

     

     

    HH!!

  16. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    JOHN O’NEILL

     

     

    Oh,I dunno. I reckon we’ve made quite a few speculative signings recently.

  17. Morning all. Back down here in North Ayrshire. Lovely day too. Lot better than England where I was for a few days.

     

     

    Everyone I met wanted to talk about the Referendum and no one wanted us to vote for Independence. This was Merseyside and, in part, it was out of fear of what would be the consequence for them: unbroken Tory rule. Nightmare.

  18. Captain Beefheart,

     

     

    I don’t know the exact conditions of Porto signing Rodrigues; in general, Portugese and Spanish teams seem to get round EU regulations much easier than British ones. Of course, the EPL teams can spend loadsamoney to then bring them to these shores. We simply can’t compete.

  19. CQN Golf Day

     

     

    I’ve just been told that I have “made the cut” and I’m playing after all. Yee Ha!

     

    I live in Ayr. Is there anyone else from the West going who could give me a lift? Even from the Glasgow area? Obviously, I’ll share fuel costs etc.

  20. charles kickham on

    Auldheid we all knew it was going to turn into a war of attrition

     

     

    Grinding down is their game

     

     

    Please don’t give up

     

     

    HH

  21. Morning Bhoys from a flute bond free sunny Winchburgh. A veritable haven yesterday as West Lothian was engulfed in evil .

     

     

    Cowiebhoy

     

     

    Looking forward to seeing Father Nicky this morning at 11.45 mass .

     

    If u get a chance I’ll mention u to him.

     

     

    Big Sammi to shoot Greece to glory today. Certainty.

     

     

    Hail Hail the Celts are here.

  22. Top of the morning to you all from sunny Fife.

     

     

    The defeat of a motion, brought in the Court of Session, by Stephen House QPM on Thursday doesn’t seem to be getting much coverage other than this in the Sun today:

     

     

    I know, I know, but this message must get out:

     

     

    The Sun, Sunday, June 29, 2014

     

    COPS CROWN BUT NOT OUT

     

    EXCLUSIVE by RUSSELL FINDLAY

     

     

    TOP cop Sir Stephen House has lost the first round of a court battle over a £l million gold crown seized in an undercover sting.

     

     

    The Police Scotland chief constable wants to hand the 2,500-year-old relic back to Turkey – where he believes it was looted from — after it was nabbed from cafe boss Murat Aksakalli, 50.

     

     

    But amateur historian Tom Minogue believes the artefact was actually plundered from GREECE by the Earl of Elgin in the 19th century.

     

     

    At the Court of Session last week Mr Minogue, of Dunfermline, was given 2 1/2 months to compile his case to stop the trinket – known as the Edinburgh Crown —from being shipped off.

     

    Ruling against Mr House, left, judge Lady Scott told the Court of Session in the capital: “It’s best to stick to the procedure.”

     

    We told earlier this month Aksakalli, 50, of Edinburgh, was arrested trying to sell the crown to an undercover cop in 2010 but charges against him were later dropped. He says he inher¬ited the wreath from his grand¬father and was not nicked from a tomb in Milas.

  23. Billy Bhoy 05 on

    parkheadcumsalford

     

     

    10:40 on 29 June, 2014

     

    Morning all. Back down here in North Ayrshire. Lovely day too. Lot better than England where I was for a few days.

     

     

    Everyone I met wanted to talk about the Referendum and no one wanted us to vote for Independence. This was Merseyside and, in part, it was out of fear of what would be the consequence for them: unbroken Tory rule. Nightmare.

     

     

    ::::

     

     

    Know full well where you are coming from and definitely feel for them but it’s a fact that the working class vote puts the evil tory lot in power

  24. Billy Boy

     

     

    11:10 on 29 June, 2014

     

     

     

     

    ‘The evil tory lot?’

     

     

    ####

     

     

    Pity you nats didn’t think of that when you voted the Callaghan government out of power.

     

     

    There again you didn’t mind the economic side of Thatcher so much did you?

  25. Tricoloured Ribbon on

    burghbhoy

     

     

    10:57 on 29 June, 2014

     

    Morning Bhoys from a flute bond free sunny Winchburgh. A veritable haven yesterday as West Lothian was engulfed in evil .

     

    ……………..

     

    Out of curiosity burghboy,

     

    Is there a lodge in Winchburgh?

  26. Auldheid

     

    It is a long hard road that you been travelling and I appreciate what you and others have been doing.

     

     

    When you feel dispirited because the cheat is aided and abetted by the guardians then I suggest you remember Lance Armstrong and how it all turned out for him and those within the cycling federation.

     

     

    nil carborundum illegitimi csc

  27. Latest from HSE myth busters………

     

     

     

     

    Case 289 – Builder quits job after being ordered to remove flags put up to support England in the World Cup

     

     

    Issue

     

    A furious builder has quit his job in London after he was ordered to remove two flags which he put up to support England in the World Cup.

     

     

    Panel decision

     

    Health and safety law does not stop anyone supporting their team and celebrating major sporting events. It seems that a key reason for taking these England flags down was that workers of other nationalities might also want to do the same in support of their own national teams but its difficult to see why that would be a problem and certainly not a health and safety one!!

  28. Big cup winners. We know , the club knows the limitations of the squad and where we need strengthened

     

    A center half and holding midfielder and another goal scorer

     

    We should be out there trying to bring In at least one of the 3

  29. big-cup-winners

     

    10:32 on 29 June, 2014

     

    SydneyTim

     

    Why should the new manager sign players, before he has had the chance to establish the worth and suitability of his current charges ?

     

     

    Far too much sense in that comment for the perma-whingers. The fact that the manager also said he’d sign no one before first Euro game in order to see what he already had is also conveniently forgotten by them.

  30. Tricoloured Ribbon on

    Tony Watt and Leigh Griffiths.

     

    Both controversial?

     

    They will bag goals galore for us..

  31. TCR

     

     

    We are totally ludge free in the Burgh.

     

    Used to be a Masonic lodge which ironically closed with them owing various creditors .

     

    You can spot the few buffoons with the wee cases travelling to ludges in other towns!!!

     

    Deluded fools

  32. Tricoloured Ribbon on

    Burghboy,

     

     

    Hahahaha.that’s good to hear pal

     

    Maybe we’ll get a beer in the Tally Ho or your beloved St Phil’s some day?

  33. Gary67

     

     

    I saw that statement from Ronny, now, if I was of the cynical nature, I could interpretate that as he was repeating what the party line was.

     

     

    Or it could just be true.

     

     

    Whatever, as ST said, we have a squad that deffo needs a player or three to bolster it, and this is without any possible sales that may occur, and I am of the opinion that we really shouldn’t be gambling with CL qualification.

     

     

    HH