There is a belief in football that the seemingly small game after a significant victory is dangerous. Players psych themselves up for a big and important task, but they are not machines. When that task is achieved, the mental energy for the next game is never the same.
You, me and everyone at Celtic knew the incredible importance of last week’s games at Tynecastle and Easter Road. Neil Lennon got his second tenure off to a winning start and then kept the treble treble dream alive. The expectation that we will beat Aberdeen tomorrow is overwhelming.
I don’t like this scenario. Aberdeen will not compliantly roll over. They are a better team than Hearts or Hibs and if we win, we will earn it the hard way.
This could be a weekend the league pivots. If Newco drop points at Easter Road tonight and Celtic win tomorrow, the remainder of the campaign will be like a procession. But if this scenario is reversed, every game will be played under intense pressure until the lead is extended.
Neil Lennon’s Hibernian took four points from Newco within a week in December, significantly weakening their challenge. New manager, Paul Heckingbottom, will know that tonight he has an opportunity to put a stake of personal credibility in the ground.
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Bring On The Sheep
GREENPINATA on 8TH MARCH 2019 9:57 AM
“Very pertinent to Celtic and her army of female followers.
Happy international woman’s day. To all females fighting discrimination worldwide , I salute you.”
*****
Yes, so c’mon King Lubo, do the right thing.
SFTB @ 10.46
The article you highlight is pretty poor reading.
We need to learn from Ajax not c;lone them.
We are paying too much in wages for the talent we have at the club.
In addition we are not ruthless enough regarding moving people on.
Succession planning is an afterthought.
Plus BR seemed to be spending all of his budget — no matter the value — just too wind up PL.
We had this issue with MON post 2002 and it has now returned.
Ajax seem to be pretty innovative regarding wages and wages substitutes.
There is talk that they pay a player a leaving bonus based on any transfer fee profit.
Consequently we need to get our thinking caps on.
I have always thought that we should pay more in bonuses to the players on the park.
£10K for an SPL win would be a good place to start.
Total cost per win — £140/5K approx across the full squad.
£10K starting 11.
£5K used substitute.
£3K unused substitute.
£1K matchday squad.
Would allow us to lower the basic wage and highlight the opportunities available.
Total cost £5mill including employers NI?
20 degrees , big sun ,clear blue sky -Way down south .
” The bookies have Chelsea being favorites for the Europa League . They have Napoli being second favorites . What a final that would be – a team that can’t play Sarri ball versus a team that can’t stop playing Sarri ball. Classic Napoli last night . Way better than the opposition , scored 3 ,missed at least another 4 and gifted their opponents several chances while being too busy gazing at their navels pondering -How good are we ? ”
Napoli Radio -8 3 19.
Your lunchtime treats — Harry Mudie .
https://youtu.be/5GhLEfgHSyY
https://youtu.be/ZxwDqmL0-zc
https://youtu.be/5pWxzfECenY
Off oot to buy a second hand Benny Goldson Lp – another one off the want list !!!
When’s international men’s day?
SOT @ 11.35
The first half was very competitive.
As it progressed it got more like basketball — chances alternated btween the two teams.
Napoli scored the goals but RBS had their moments an played with confidence.
Second half — please note I missed bits of it — some of the RBS heads went down after the 3rd goal and others tried to hard. Main issue is the that quality of the RBS play went down as their confidence eroded.
Napoli — played some good stuff but looked a bit fragile.
My thoughts are that they made the most of the fact that they play in a better league than RBS.
They seemed more comfortable playing at a high level while RBS seemed to question their ability.
BGFC @ 11.42
Tomorrow, the day after, the day after that …
MadMitch
I do not agree with all the sentiments expressed in articles I link
however:-
Plus BR seemed to be spending all of his budget — no matter the value — just too wind up PL.
We had this issue with MON post 2002 and it has now returned.
This “seemed”?? What is this based on? BR did not speak like a man who had spent his full budget. He spoke like someone frustrated at not landing Piccini and McGinn.
Ajax seem to be pretty innovative regarding wages and wages substitutes.
There is talk that they pay a player a leaving bonus based on any transfer fee profit.
Innovative? How so?
“There is talk”??- from whom? Are they a reliable source? Can you name them?
Consequently we need to get our thinking caps on.
That would be a consequence BUT….
only if the premise is true.
I have always thought that we should pay more in bonuses to the players on the park.
£10K for an SPL win would be a good place to start.
Total cost per win — £140/5K approx across the full squad.
£10K starting 11.
£5K used substitute.
£3K unused substitute.
£1K matchday squad.
Would allow us to lower the basic wage and highlight the opportunities available.
Total cost £5mill including employers NI?
I would imagine we already have a bonus system of sorts in place- I have no evidence of this but it was a common, rather than an innovative practice I could cite the old craic by Bertie Auld to John Greig who said “Aye, but ours is guaranteed!”
It may not be exactly the system you are suggesting but , in all these matters, we do not get to impose solutions favourable to the club. Players have agents whose job is to maximise their player’s income. Most want to get a high basic salary for their guy and not leave his income too open to the vagaries of bonus payments.
BIG GEORGES FAN CLUB – HAIL, HAIL, WEE OSCAR on 8TH MARCH 2019 11:42 AM
When’s international men’s day?
____________________________________________________________
She who must be obeyed tells me it is every other day!
MAD MITCH
” NAPOLI _______looked a bit fragile ” .
Napoli are the epitome of fragile . Exemplified last night by playing nine passes in a 5 metre circle , keepy uppy , back flicks , one foot then the other , showing off and then gifting Salzburg the ball with the Napoli defence posted missing .. Napoli keeper made 2 great saves last night . Napoli are way better than Salzburg but Napoli being Napoli means that tie isn’t over yet.
SFTB @ 11.47
This is an interweb chat room not an academic journal / post grad common room plus at my age I can have a few grey moments — consequently wind your kneck in.
First point — our wage bill is a bit flabby.
The numbers are there out in the open having some experience as a bean counter my comments are based on personal experience in other industries.
BR seemed to be buying loyalty in the dressing room with improved contracts and I think that club VFM went out the window — source interweb scuttlebut.
Ajax: low wage bill due to transfer fee profit sharing — again interweb sources, one article on recent Ajax success was pretty explicit another just hinted at it.
Player contracts — we offer what we can / what we feel comfortable with and the player can decide.
Barcalona work or have worked a similar system in the past 10 years.
There is only one CFC — we should not be begging players to come and play for us.
Finally Google is your friend — use him / her / it.
“seemingly small game”
———-
hmm, its against our biggest challengers for the last few years, it was sold out 2 weeks ago, and it cost me 36 quid for a ticket
we better not be treating it like a small game
” Pleased we won , pleased we gave ourselves a margin , disappointed we didn’t score more , pleased we didn’t concede , our keeper played very well but I’m concerned that we gifted them chances – the players have to learn to concentrate and do the simple thing when it’s necessary ”
Carlo Ancelotti -7 3 19
SOT @ 11.59
I thought that the two teams were pretty evenly matched — just that Napoli had a lot more experience playing at that level and they were more comfortable and in conrol. However I do not think that they are a class above RBS.
Very fast moving, very flowing / end to end.
I thought that even at 3-0 — if RBS could get an away goal they would be favourites.
As noted — Napoli and their fragility is very much their glass jaw.
MadMitch
“This is an interweb chat room not an academic journal / post grad common room plus at my age I can have a few grey moments — consequently wind your kneck in.”
I am not asking for double blind experiment results, just a bit better than “it seems” or “there is talk”. I think it is fair to ask for a source or a piece of evidence to support your assertion because otherwise we can (and some do) make up any piece of scuttlebut and draw conclusions from it .
The old computer equation GIGO (Garbage in = Garbage out) comes to mind.
In your “appeal to experience” argument ( having some experience as a bean counter my comments are based on personal experience in other industries.) then, you could add weight to your argument by citing the relevant part of the accounts of Celtic FC and Ajax FC which show up these differences in practice.
For Accounts eejits, like me, a wee bit of explanation would not go amiss.
Neck and Kneck fully wound in , thank you very much csc
Evidence that Celtic apply a significant performance bonus system can be seen in a simple comparison of operating costs year-on-year from the interims:
Operating Expenses to Dec 2017 (with UCL qualification) £47.8M
Operating Expenses to Dec 2018 (without UCL qualification) £43.8M
The two periods are not perfectly like-for-like, but the difference is sufficiently large to infer a considerable performance-related element to wages in 2017 that was absent in 2018, the major difference between the two periods being UCL participation.
Confirmation will be seen in the full year figures which analyse out wages separately from operating expenses as a whole.
Pasta bellies shouting in Neopolitano while watching Napoli –
https://youtu.be/L2n2zhJ5mBo
“…by citing the relevant part of the accounts of Celtic FC and Ajax FC which show up these differences in practice”
Happy to addend the following from Ajax’s accounts to the extract above from Celtic’s interims.
Ajax Wages Costs 2017 €55.1m
Ajax Wages Costs 2018 €52.8m
In both years, Ajax finished 2nd in the Eredivisie. However in 2017 they made the final of the Europa League having been knocked out of the UCL at qualifying stage. In 2018 they were knocked out of BOTH the UCL and UEL at the qualifying stages.
There’s no further analysis in terms of bonuses paid etc, but it’s reasonable to infer that the downwards movement of wages year-on-year is largely attributable to performance-related aspects.
On balance, it looks as though Celtic pay a bigger bonus for UCL qualification than Ajax pay for getting to UEL Final.
For what that’s worth.
South of Tunis
Thanks for the magical tunes to start my weekend. Cannae wait till I am inside Paradise tomorrow.
Keep on keeping on.
Redskins CSC
What about organising a national “Men die on average 3.7 years earlier than women – that’s no fair” day?
DELANEYS DUNKY
Keep On Keeping On –
https://youtu.be/al9CF0qEGq8
BGFC
Does anybody take these ‘days’ seriously?
Load of shoite.
Mon the Celts tomorrow
YNWA
SFTB @ 12.23
Kneck — I will add it to my growing list of spelling howlers.
However main point — you are “P8ddy” and I claim my 43p.
TBB @ 12.36
Even bigger change than you have highlighted.
The 2018 figure has been inflated by the PL “long term” bonus.
Every day in men’s day.
The most cursory look at pay inequality will attest to that.
UnrepentantFeministBarstewardCSC
HH JG
South of Tunis
Victory to the Miners.
The Wicked Witch Thatcher is in Hell.
Keep on keeping on
YNWA
MM
Yip, true, I considered that, but it’s difficult to place it in the period as we’re not clear when the bonus crystalised. If it’s all expensed in H1 2018, then you can add a further £2M to the UCL qualifying bonus pot.
Alternatively, since PL’s is a 5 year plan, it’s likely part/all of it was expensed in prior years, and at least a chunk at year end 2018.
Anyway, while we can’t place definitive numbers on performance bonuses for either club, there is a clear trend which seems reasonably reliable.
International Women’s Day
I read it should have been yesterday but they were still putitng makeup on
My friends in Celtic,
Yes the spotlight is again on Sectarianism.
Celtic should take a lead on this and take the most efficient and positive action possible.
We should ban the huns from darkening our door on March the 31st.
At a stroke we eradicate naked sectarianism from our ground and we solve Police Scotland’s obvious problems with crowd segregation.
Simples, and surely nobody can object to our firm and decisive action.
HH.
As for tomorrow, for me it’s a huge game.
PS if shinnie goes to the FOD he will be a ‘weaponised weapon’. He already enjoys significant freedom to kick Tims all over the Park. Imagine him in blue?!?!!!
HH jg
As long as females suffer blatent discrimination and fight for justified equality then international woman’s day is still relevant and necessary.
HH.
PS : if it floats your boat and In the interests of equality, mens day is November 19th.
TBB @ 1.14
I think the bonus was based on what we did and where he was employed on the 31st Dec 2018 — consequently it crystallised on the 31st Dec and should be covered on the latest accounts.
Plus our wages numbers are at a company level not a football level or even a first team squad level.
We gave out this detail by mistake in 2004/05’ish — Total was £37mill / Football was £33.5mill.
Please note these timings and the numbers are from memory.
James
Will you be near the WeefraTim coarner tomorrow big yin? Meeting Thunder Road there about 2.30.
YNWA
BIG GEORGES FAN CLUB – HAIL, HAIL, WEE OSCAR on 8TH MARCH 2019 11:42 AM
When’s international men’s day?
##########
The 1st of next month I believe ?
JAMESGANG on 8TH MARCH 2019 1:09 PM
Fenianeminism roolz ok !
Good afternoon CQN from a damp and cold workday in Springburn
Come on the hoops.
Come on the Hibees.
D :)
Fess19 “1:16
:-))))
Jamesgang”1:09
Well expressed.
Cheerio for now,
JJ
MM
P25 of the annual report gives the details of PL’s LTIP, showing a liability of £2.29M due paid at 31st December.
From an accounting perspective, any expense should be booked to the relevant period, and in this case, PL’s bonus relates to performance in the period to June 2018. Ordinarily it would be expensed in that period.
On the toss side, he wasn’t due to be paid it unless he was still on the payroll at 31st December, which might allow a different approach.
However, the sum was recognised as being due in the annual report, and in ordinary course the liability would be accounted for at the year end, notwithstanding the continuing-employment contingency. On that basis I’d be surprised if the whole sum wasn’t in current liabilities at June 2018.
Where’s BlantyreKev when you need him?…