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.
[calameo code=000390171179f475cf1c0 lang=en page=6 hidelinks=1 width=100% height=500]
1,267 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- ...
- 22
- 23
- 24
- 25
- 26
- 27
- 28
- ...
- 34
- »
macjay @ 02:00
HH amigo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6d8VX8tcgao
Petec
It be cyber in these parts!!!!
Magnersbulmersanythingbutstrongbow.CSC
FFM, its relevant to all Celtic minded people but more so the closer to the epicentre i.e. the centre of Glasgow.
I told you before that my neighbor is a copper and couldn’t give a rats ass about glasgow et al, and that’s true up here for the most part for the majority.
You went on to explain that its different in G1 and its outlying areas, and I get that completely. All I’m saying buddy is that we all need to be careful when out alone or in small numbers. The hard core hun is rabid and is probably about to get more rabid and frothy at the gub too. Yeuchhh!!
In one way its good to see them suffer but we all know they will create a backlash to the “punishment” they perceive this fiasco to be and we wil be their targets.
Take care Celtic men n wummin.
HH
P.S. but lets not allow that to stop us rippin it oota thems:_)
FFS, ma wee bro’s a lightweight wolf pup.
Sleep well bruv and I’ll talk to you soon.
pedrocaravanachio67
Champagne and Caviar tonight though, which technically means yesterday and today, because it’s dark.
Njoi anyway….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gq5RBJ4FPHM
petec @ 02:02
:)) Aye, cheers for associating with oor KevJ while me credibility is in the balance :))))
Mumble, mumble, feckin, bring back the jungle, mumble, mumble. GOALLLLL… Samarasss!!!!!!!!! Yessss!!!!!!!
Mumble, mumble, fecking bring back the jungle, mumble, mumble. GOALLLLLL
Samarasss!!!!!!!!! Yessss!!!!!!!
Mumble…we need the Bored to invest in new forwards.
and a holding midfielder.
and two new centre backs.
Mumble, mumble, in the jungle….
This is KevJ :))
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvsQ9hYKq7c
BTW, I agree !! Bring back the Jungle. KevJ’s good points are lost amongst the MSM nonsense.
ACGR,
“Frothy at the gub”.
:)) Am getting your way with words now amigo :))
OGR – Single malt raised in O Canada:)
ACGR – as above:)
Pedro67 – as above:)
slainte
tony
Now for something completely related but Different…..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLa8Br569gA
FFM
“In my life”
Sweet sweet the mammaries you gave me…………..as we used to sing.
Dino latino.
Fortunes Favour Mibbes
02:24 on 18 May, 2013
Hehe, he does post a load of nonsense but you are willing to forgive him for doing so, sometimes a message is wrapped up tightly to protect it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByOU5CwuZjU
macjay,
You MUST have been prompting this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NkOoZDK7Rz8
Not howled for a long time
Sitting here watching celtic clips .. so happy to be a hoopy
Great to see kris commons win the csa poty award. One of my favourites who deserves the praise
petec,
Of course,
The mhan shows a knowledge of Celtic that I love.
Had some great moonhowling discussions with him over the years. Sometimes infuriating cos of his love of the meea. But great company online.
I was convinced he was Gerry McNee. I wait to be convinced otherwise :)))
Toronony, how are you bro? I’ll toast you at this end too, slainte.
Mind what I said to you. Next time you come back bring your sclaffbaw bats.
P.S. Your pal Mike in Toronto will be asking you about my moniker. Shhhhhhh, mums the word. I’ve told him six pints of guinness for you before you’ll even think of cracking:-)
Say hello to him for me.
Enjoy your dram, 1996 Allt A Bhainne being dispatched here at my end. A fine light speyside session dram…………………………………………hic……oops:-)
Sevco……
We should let it die, dis~gracefully. There is nothing new under the Sun after all.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0MGI3RC89Y
TBJ, did you look at the 6 -2 clip zimmerman posted? Every time I see that I have a tear in my eye watchin those Celtic boy boys go mental behind the hun goa,. hee hee!!.
Watch it again and see these young tims delight. What a treat.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8XEebRviKo
They dinnae make them like they used to.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fokGW0zXcEI
So who’s got a ticket for the cup final next week? I don’t, I’ll be watching the game at home and having a couple of beers with young acgr.
Hopefully there will be a CQN moon hoooooooooower in attendance:-)
ACGR – Laphroig PX Cask at my end. Thanks for your faith in me; Mike is a lawyer so the cross examination might be fierce:) 6 guinness shouldnae be an issue but he’s much bigger than me so i hope he disnea get sevco mad…LOL
slainte amigo; sclafbaw bats next time 4 sure!!!!
tony
FFM, watching your Matt McGinn video made me laugh. It kind of reminded of of what I miss about Glasgow. Not that I had any bother wi the polis like.
sonsoftherottenrow.com
Brilliant,
According to BBC4, with authentic German accent commentary, Wagner was a massive figure in foreseeing and aiding the rise of Hitler. Because he dared to be demonstrate patriotism for the working people of Germany decades before hand.
In other words, brothers, you and me are responsible for whatever monstrosity Alex Salmond unleashes on Scotland in the next 50 years.
Aye.
Is it just me or feckin whit??
Torontony, you and I really need to spend more time together. Have you tried the Laphroig 1/4 Cask? Thats a special dram. Laphroig is not to everyones liking and it’s probably 15 years since I started to appreciate it but It is without a doubt one of my favorite offerings these days. Although…………….
Ardbeg for my money slightly has the edge, I’ve a couple of bottles of Ardbeg Almost There and one Still Young which will probably not see the end of 2013.
Hail Hail the dram.
Back next Friday and ticketed up for the final. Looking forward to it.
Min the Hoops!
ACGR,
rottenrow.com??
You kept that quiet!
I heard this story. The rozzers in 1941 were engaged in an organized raid of a jewellers in the Gallowgate, while the rest of the city was cowering in terror, particularly Clydebank. As you were born in Rottenrow, 23 black and white 12″ TVs were stolen from several shops in the High St.
Hmmm…..have you checked yer cranium for 666 birth marks??
P.S. Fortunes Favour Mibbes, I still owe you multiple drams bruv after the fiasco at the Artto hotel after the BobM hootenanny. I’ll not forget that, they are on my card;–))
HH
BBC4 Latest,
Wagner had a “close relationship” with his sister.
Acgr
I did watch that clip … henke scoring that goal will live with me forever.
Ive got a ticket for the cup final …
Trying to cadge an extra one or two … proving very difficult to come by this year
Fortunes Favour Mibbes
02:58 on 18 May, 2013
Globalism funded the Nazis, Prescott Bush, Henry Ford etc
Nothing new under the Sun.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05qIlGX1F44
FFS,
See they feckin ziigmund relationships……
ACGR – The 1/4 cask is suberb, ye know yer stuff young fella; i still love the Glenfarclas 105, it has a lot going on in the one glass:0)
One for the road tae Dundee then aff tae dream of birdies.
slainte
tony
…..a hatred for freedom….as Wagner CLEARLY depicts in his music.
Aye, give us some BBC Night at the Proms, with baton waving superiority and the re-writing of history with impunity. Arseholes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miLV0o4AhE4
FFM, FFS 1941? How old did you think I looked? Bawwhaaaaaaahhhhhh.
I’m a child of the 60’s ma man, Whits a black and whyte tv? ha ha. When I drive home from paradise I go up past the rottenrow and tell young acgr (every single time) thats my monument son, do ye no wish you were born there? The cheeky big bassa always has a different and smarter answer.
BTW, he’s a ninewells product, or as I tell him and his beautiful sister, yer a couple of mincers. Awe the banter. He’s getting ready to kick TF oota me any day soon…….:-(
TBJ, Henke’s goal was a thing a beauty that will always bring us joy. If you manage to cadge an extra one I’ll take it and be forever in your debt. I’m down close to Glasgow that day / the night before but was planning on driving home to watch the game with the boy. The boy will survive without me for a day.
foreverhopeful.com
ACGR – I lived in Toonhead, St Mungo’s avenue and walked past yer rottenrow monument often; actually it was still open for a while when i lived there:0) I used to walk past it as i meandered my way down to the merchanto city, those were the days my friend, we thought they’d never end we’d sing and dance forever and the day;)
slainte
tony
Thomas Newman at his best, from 20004
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27YF4D-HbPg
HH
Glenfarclas 105. Hubbading………………I’ve got a stiffie thinking aboot that dram.