You and I have been discussing football finances here since 2004. In our early years Celtic lost several million pounds each year, CQN’s call was ‘we must breakeven over any business cycle’, an incredibly controversial view in those times of indulgent bling.
By 2004 Celtic hadn’t added a player who held down a sustained first team place for three years (since John Hartson in 2001). We also lost a talisman that summer. The pressure was on to spend, from the stands and the dug-out, but Brian Quinn, our chairman, had concerns about running at a permanent loss. In the face of considerable criticism from the bling-brigade he stood firm.
Celtic won three of the next four league titles while reaching new territory in the Champions League as others continued to spent beyond their means and exploit unconventional taxation policies, which ultimately saw them liquidated, but while the end game was predictable, most didn’t predict it. This resulted in strife at our club.
Finance was a focus of CQN in the early years when we produced granular analysis of accounts and budgetary forecasting. As we became less of a basket-case the time spent debating money reduced.
We can all talk about strikers and defending, policing and political influences, good corporate governance and the SFA, but if you scratch below the surface of those with many years of CQN behind them, I suspect you’ll find people who can’t resist a football club’s cost and revenue breakdown spreadsheet….
The document which appeared on the internet yesterday on a former football club [let’s call them ExCo] was a joy. To me, anyway. It provided many small details which add up to one or two enormous conclusions.
ExCo forecast current year spend for 2011-12 on cleaning costs to be £380k, electricity at £455k, insurance at £374k, postage and carriage at £146k, IT at £261k, professional fees at £613k and telephone costs at £149k. Stewarding was £593k, policing, £343k, match day ambulance, £89k. They spent £160k on finance salaries and £176 on press office salaries while ticket operation salaries cost £268k. The list is exhaustive, 10 pages of costs detailed.
Operating costs, before items like our old friend, amortisation, and tax (don’t laugh), were predicted to come in just shy of £37m, but the key message in all of this detail, is that if you want to operate a football club which can accommodate circa 40,000 spectators you need an infrastructure which costs around £20m.
The police, building maintenance, insurances, grass seed and everything else has to be budgeted for before you can look at player wages, not to mention transfer fees. £268k might sound like a lot to pay for ticket office staff but if you need to issue tens of thousands of tickets you need fulfilment staff. All those assets: enormous properties, thousands of fans, blanket media attention, can feel like liabilities to the guy with the responsibility to pay for them.
On reading this the overwhelming memory I had was of former Rangers director, Paul Murray, who a year ago told the world that Newco Rangers would not be viable, and he was hoping a Newco would have SPL football back then. New clubs cannot qualify in European competition until after they have completed three years trading (a minimum of four years without Europe).
With no European revenue for four years, Newco would be unable to pay all those ‘fixed’ costs and put a competitive team on the field. A big club can’t survive trapped in a small league with no European revenue.
This is reality. Scotland has one healthy large club and has a dozen or more potentially healthy small ones, but nothing will ever be the same again.
Thanks to everyone who has bought Willie Wallace autobiography. Orders in from Belfast, Blackpool, Bonnybridge, Burntisland and Blackrock. If you order now you will receive a copy signed by the man himself….
Email me if you have an article for CQN Magazine inside of you waiting to get out; celticquicknews@gmail.com.
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Canamalar my old adversary ;-)
How are you keeping and when are you home?
If we get a Facebook clique going, will we have to develop a handshake and can we Blackball any prospective new member. For those who are a bit worried about their profile photos just borrow one from a handsome Hun & pass it off as yourself.
Hamiltontim
Yeah more than likely they have missed their proclamations of superiority and the next game will be one they will use to let us know why they are “the people”
I guess now they hate us even more than they ever did, now we “the immigrants” have prospects they can only dream of.
Still there is a good chance they are so out of sight its all academic for a decade
palacio67
19:57 on 17 May, 2013
I’ll be pinning one up on the notice board in my hun infested work.
palacio67
19:57 on 17 May, 2013
Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha…….l wouldn’t waste money on the stamp, though……they would end up collecting them for their ff charity…..no, wait, they don’t do charity……
I’ve got a feeling Atletico will win this tonight….Real manager leaving etc …..??
There’s people I am pals with on FB that I think are on CQN but am unsure because I only know them on here by their monikers.
It’s weird yet comforting.
The private nightmare of public posting…
U
sipsini
20:11 on
17 May, 2013
palacio67
19:57 on 17 May, 2013
I’ll be pinning one up on the notice board in my hun infested work.
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Hope everyone one else does Likewise haha. I’m a bit like TET, i’m Hun Free roamind about the country but i’m going to send a few cards to the local run down hun supporting clubs in the Port too. Nice idea about the stamp, imagine one of the huns going down to the local holding post office to collect the letter and pay for it hehe
HH
Palacio
Great idea …
Can some savvy celtic geek come up with a headstone card for us
CQN is represented on Facebook on the CQN Magazine page.
If any of you guys want to join Paul and myself in running this page please email celticquicknews@gmail.com
We get a weekly reach of over 100,000 on this page and it can be quite enjoyable, especially when we attract some zombies onto the page.
We posted a newspaper clipping from May 1979 – re their game later in the same week after we won the league on the Monday night. They played Partick Thistle and won one nil – however the headline referred to it as a ghost game with only 2000 at Ibrox.
Much fun was had as this was discussed and attracted visitors who invariably get slaughtered. Have a look.
Pqlacio67, excellent idea regarding the sending of a card on their first birthday. I think I’ll definitely look for something special.
In fact, we might as well save on a second stamp and stick a bereavment card in the same envelope.
ulysses mcghee
20:16 on 17 May, 2013
There’s people I am pals with on FB that I think are on CQN but am unsure because I only know them on here by their monikers.
It’s weird yet comforting.
The private nightmare of public posting…
U
____________________________________________
Apart from My Dad, everyone in my family is on Facebook, apart from my Brother, all have no idea really about PC’s and microsoft software.
They have all been seduced by Faceboutique, it is not my place to warn them, again. Ye can only ever give a friendly warning once.
retroBlacksheep.csc
The Boy Jinky
20:20 on
17 May, 2013
Palacio
Great idea …
Can some savvy celtic geek come up with a headstone card for us
Now your talking
HH
Looking for some advice guys. I am trying to change my user name as there is another Celticbhoy on the site and I don’t want the poor guy to get the blame for my ramblings. But when I try it keeps saying E-mail already in use. Help
A lawyer, 55, from Dunfermline has been given a four year jail sentence for trying to smuggle drugs and phones into Saughton Prison.
His name is David Blair Wilson.
The story alone is ironically funny. The name adds a pepper of anti-establishment schadenfreude.
Ha and a ha and a ha and a ha…
Sleep well Mr Wilson, sleep well.
U
A Ceiler Gonof Rust
20:24 on
17 May, 2013
Pqlacio67, excellent idea regarding the sending of a card on their first birthday. I think I’ll definitely look for something special.
In fact, we might as well save on a second stamp and stick a bereavment card in the same envelope.
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Twas just a sympathy card I was intending to send, I don’t know sevco well enough to send a first birthday card :)
HH
Palacio67
Why dont we send them to Snottery Keevins at SSB and ask him to pass them on for us ,it will be the first useful thing he has done in years :))
Katherine just recovered frae Breast Cancer. First time she hus been on for a while.
http://mediaarchives.gsradio.net/radioliberty/050813b.mp3
Facebook is a bad idea guys -we have a reasonable expectation that Paul67 will keep our identities private, unless he’s a hun.
Keevins is working his retirement ticket – has been for years – beyond the cold shoulders he has been given at Celtic.
He knows, and knows very well, his audience. And they never disappoint.
Fundamentalists. I mean? Come on to…?
Much the same as Only an excuse thinking they are being hard hitting when they have Barry Ferguson on being thick saying Fud! But get right in about Celtic and its support and call it balanced.
Wouldn’t let Hugh write my initials.
U
petec
Just listened to the first 4 mins and im hooked:))
Saved to favs for later.
thank you
Charlotte Fakeovers @CharlotteFakes 47m
Within the next hour I should have uploaded the Sevco 5088 Letters and Share Purchase Agreements. Supporting documentation will also follow.
corkcelt
20:09 on 17 May, 2013
If we get a Facebook clique going, will we have to develop a handshake and can we Blackball any prospective new member. For those who are a bit worried about their profile photos just borrow one from a handsome Hun & pass it off as yourself.
*******
That’s why I jokingly titled it, Craft Quick News.
celtic bhoy
Are you trying to create a new account? If so, it probably doesn’t like you having two accounts with the same email address. Do you have an alternative email address? If not, you might need to delete your existing account first, then create a new one.
This is purely a guess – might be something completely different!
What about hiring a plane with a trailing banner wishing thems a happy first birthday, circling ibrokes…I’d donate to that as would many.
Palacio67
19:57 on
17 May, 2013
Anyone thinking of sending a 1st anniversary sympathy card to Edminston Drive on the 14th of June?
Think it would be brilliant for a couple of thousand extra letters arriving there on that day.
Thoughts anyone?
HH
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Excellent idea.
There are some lovely cards over here depicting Jesus, the Virgin Mary and assorted angels.
One – or possibly more – will be on its way in June.
HH!!
Was Blair-Wilson not a key man in the magic circle affair?
IIRC he had “Tucker’s list”.
More from Charlotte
@CharlotteFakes: Anything of interest in this email conversation? I’ll back it up later with the full purchase offer docs/emails.
http://t.co/SG8OdFzpuB
sipsini
20:36 on
17 May, 2013
What about hiring a plane with a trailing banner wishing thems a happy first birthday, circling ibrokes…I’d donate to that as would many.
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Now thats a plan :)))
I’ll send a mass card seems appropriate. Just out of respect like !
I would think one of them HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY cards which, when you open, has Stevie Wonder singing ‘Happy Birthday to you…’
Would be perfect…
U
Glasstwothirdsfull. Thanks for your suggestion I will try that, otherwise I will need to keep current set up. Mainly a lurker anyway.
BFDJ is suggesting that FaceBus could be the answer to all the current probs down Govan way.
googybhoy ♥ Celtic CF has put up 3 today
Charlotte Fakeovers @CharlotteFakes 6h CW v Ticketus appeal. He forgot to mention this email exchange,so here’s a free reminder you scallywag. Implications? http://www.scribd.com/doc/142046684/dont-tell-murray …
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Charlotte Fakeovers @CharlotteFakes 5h Then again, here’s further evidence of others who knew just what this charlatan had demonstrated in the past. http://www.scribd.com/doc/142055727/what-murray-knew …
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Charlotte Fakeovers @CharlotteFakes 54m Someone was in the process of compiling Duff and Phelps info. Note Paul Clark is aware that it’s a 3 year ticket deal http://www.scribd.com/doc/142089135/Duff-and-Phelps-Advice …
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and this 55mins ago
Charlotte Fakeovers @CharlotteFakes 55m Within the next hour I should have uploaded the Sevco 5088 Letters and Share Purchase Agreements. Supporting documentation will also follow.
TICK TOCK
1-0 Real …. Ronaldo…cracker with head
corkcelt
20:09 on 17 May, 2013
If we get a Facebook clique going, will we have to develop a handshake and can we Blackball any prospective new member. For those who are a bit worried about their profile photos just borrow one from a handsome Hun & pass it off as yourself.
Am sure of lot of CQNers, including myself, don’t/won’t do facebook in case of child support agency, ex-wives, stalkers, etc. plus my wife would kill me…. Too many bams
Ronaldo 1 nil
Commentator ” he rose like a stag” ….. What the…?