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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MIKE IN TORONTO
‘Just in from dinner with the most stunning French lady tonight…. think I’m twitterpated, as they say.’
You are SWISS TONY and I claim my five pounds……
ACGR. 0503
All of my family lurk on here and thoroughly enjoy it-especially some of the more indiscreet moments.
I genuinely hope yours don’t,haha!
Have a fine sclaffbaw….
CQN Saturday Naps Competition
Lads, for those who are in the CQN Saturday Naps competition, please go back and post your selection at the end of the previous article :
“Mr Ogilvie, you’re going to need a bigger shredder”
All the best, fleagle1888
FLEAGLE1888
Shredder?
Best place for my tips.
I enjoy the competition though and am extremely grateful to you for your efforts in organising it despite the obstacles.
Hail hail,fella!
Bobby. Of course the mistake by our corporate body was not deliberate , but it was a mistake that can now be seen to have cost out club about 50m in income
So no need for the pathetic leader from Paul
An apology would be be better
Hello team,
Today is the birthday of Andrew Kerrins, known to us all as Brother Walfrid
to celebrate Walfrid’s birthday and to pledge support to the 125 4 125 campaign, six of us plan to leave Celtic Park this morning, cycling approx 85 miles to the grave side of Brother Walfrid at Mount St Michael’s Cemetry in Dumfries
In order to clock up some more miles and to generate more awareness of the 125 4 125 campaign
More miles will be pedalled to reach 1888 miles
Including a walk up Ben Nevis 15/06/2013 and an approx 110 mile cycle from Fort William back to Greater Glasgow area on 16/06/2013
As part of my current pledge to the 125 4 125 campaign, I enclose web link, all donations are very much welcome
https://mydonate.bt.com/fundraisers/1888miles1254125paulmuldoon
why not take the pledge yourself !
Thanks
SYDNEYTIM
Aye,good point re the corporate body-an apology would have been nice but that would have meant hanging our strikers out to dry.
Not the best form of man-management!
TBH,when the window opened,did you honestly think we needed an expensive sticking plaster for something which was working fine?
Or would you have preferred we keep our powder dry to spend wisely in the summer,lots of it!
It went wrong,who knows why,but buying a new striker at the time was probably not the answer
And despite his transfer fees,I absolutely do not rate Fletcher-and I doubt you do either.
Though granted,he was better than skippy
Ffs,skippy the kangaroo would have been in my team before that fella….
CQN Saturday Naps Competition – Week 41 results & standings
Week 41 : a huge priced winner sends Valentines Day to the top of the Naps table !
Valentines Day (Excellent Guest @25/1)
Mhark67 (No Dominion @11/2)
+£22.78 Valentine’s Day (8)
+£19.85 green T (14)
+£14.91 Bada Bing (7)
+£14.75 Rockon Neil Lennon (12)
+£14.50 Che (5)
+£ 1.00 voguepunter (4)
-£ 3.00 BULL67 (9)
-£ 3.50 What is the Stars (6)
-£ 8.00 fleagle1888 (5)
-£ 8.25 Som mes que un club (7)
-£ 8.75 Cathal (6)
-£ 9.38 Sixteen roads to Golgotha (5)
-£11.50 Magnificentseven (6)
-£11.67 MHARK67 (6)
-£17.88 Glen (5)
-£21.63 leftclicktic (5)
-£23.50 tommytwiststommyturns (3)
-£27.00 bobbymurdoch’s winklepickers (4)
-£31.80 TheBarcaMole (2)
-£32.97 hunza rugli (2)
-£36.00 gerry_bhoy (1)
-£41.00 gourockbhoy
-£41.00 Raymac
*No selections (wk 41) : gerry_bhoy, hunza rugli, Magnificentseven, Raymac, TheBarcaMole, What is the Stars
Cheers, fleagle1888
MOULDY67
Nae offence,bud-I’d rather cough up a few quid for someone else to do it!
Takes too long on my iPhone and my lappy is in a huff-soon as I hit my desk on Monday I will be on your site.
Congrats on your efforts,ya legendary nutter!
Bobby. The fans knew that team was struggling as far back as November. Gordon wanted funds and was refused It was a corporate gamble not to strengthen. It failed and knocked our team back 2 to 3 years
But as I said I have read Pauls pathetic attempts to show PL as the greatest thing since sliced bread. But if you take his years being our CEO. He is a failure. Too any wrong decision and 99 % of those decisions did not take sucess on the field as its no 1 priority
“there is only one team in glasgow” aka “@67mouldy67″
06:26 on 18 May, 2013
Good morning Mouldy & fellow Celts
Looking forward to meeting you shortly for cycle…see you managed to organise some dry, sunny weather today? :-)
PeletonCSC
Walter don’t go. You can’t leave now. You said you would never walk away. Or was that sumdy else that said that. Yiv got to hang in cause you ur all we know and trust. Someday said you walked away from Scotland fur money.
AND A JOLLY OLE HO HO HO HO
One too many HOs there a jolly ole HO HO HO thats better.
The switcheroo on tape….CG on tape as a cheat….no Huns can buy STs off him now….SFA must act!
http://m.soundcloud.com/charlotteandthefakes/cg3
Good morning from a rather wet Nordrhein Westfalen. Charlotte says she is not agent Whyte:
I’m not Craig Whyte, these are though.
i.imgur.com/ZBLft95.jpg i.imgur.com/L1nwdaJ.jpg
i.imgur.com/GTI2DiB.jpg
i.imgur.com/TCG8C2q.jpg
1:01am – 18 May 13
As I said yesterday maybe Shred-it didn’t shred it. Helluva lot of information to be in Charlotte’s possession. Either that or Craigy has given it to someone to leak on his nod.
i.imgur.com/ZBLft95.jpg i.imgur.com/L1nwdaJ.jpg
i.imgur.com/GTI2DiB.jpg
i.imgur.com/TCG8C2q.jpg
.
G’Day CQN.. Fae a Dreich Baltic Mountain in Melbourne ..
My First try at Mulled wine seemed a Sweet Success..
Till a Beautiful but Little Typsy Girl decided to Dance at Our Camp on Way down to Afternoon Gig..
Yes You Guessed it ..
I reckon she took 15 Mins to Fall down..Mulled Wine lying in the Muck..
Summa of JustDrinkBuckieCSC
Last attempt
http://i.imgur.com/L1nwdaJ.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/GTI2DiB.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/TCG8C2q.jpg
Early start this dreech morning.
Off to Newcastle with sons football team. Playing a game today vs Newcastle united 2002 and then to museum at st James park. Anyone been before?
Then a few beers this evening, training at Newcastle training ground tomorrow morning.
Finish up by going to see Newcastle vs arsenal…
Good morning friends from a rather grey and recently wet East Kilbride. No wind though
alwaystrytofindapositivetoendonCSC
Woke up early this morning……might as well have wee read at yesterdays ‘developments’ now ……ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh….!!!!
Good Morning one and all,
Besides the revelations of Charltte the Harlot– here is the second funniest thing posted on the internet yesterday– The Mucklef*ck Chronicles.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LaxE1fmz-VM
I have googled everything and found it all to be a pile of Craig Whyte!
The Celtic episode coming later……… and it is a cracker!
Is this the headshot to end it all?
http://m.soundcloud.com/charlotteandthefakes/cg3
Celticbhoy- 2 noisy kids at my feet – can’t hear the audio!
Summary? Is it CG CW and BS plotting before CVA fails?
Those who have tried to shaft Whyte should have had George Bernard Shaw’s quote in mind
“I learned long ago,never to wrestle with a pig . You get dirty, and besides , the pig likes it ”
Whyte has done them all up…..and he seems to be enjoying it
Celticbhoy
I clicked on the link but only got the basic Soundcloud page. How do I access the article (is it an article?)?
JJ
Celticbhoy2
Surely this is the fatal head shot from the grassy Knoll.
Licence revoking time for Sevco.
Ps no happy about the language used about oor hero Craigy by Chuckles
Italiabhoy
Didn’t hear it very clearly myself
Think it is confirmation of the fact that CW is Sevco and that CG us the frontman
Italia Boy
That is exactly it…. and the audio shows Green Reassuring Whyte that he is Sevco and how they hid the truth even from Green’s own lawyers–” Patrick doesn’t know the truth” between you and I etc.
Whole thing is a total sham.
Unlike Kenwyne-Jones finding a pig’s head in his locker!
Apparently he is furious.
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/stoke-city-investigate-religious-abuse-after-pig-head-is-found-in-kenwyne-jones-locker-8621573.html
Slightly overcast on a Champion weekend in the Chilterns…
Ms Fakeover, what can I say, seems to have got through to the Gers that all was not well with the Governance of their Clubs.
A Rosetta Stone moment I must say.
Aul Rafat Rizvi, the guy that was not allowed to be an accomplice as he was a bit dodgy.
He must have felt bit like aul Lenny when he was kicked out of Hawkwind for his mis-use of narcotics.
Foolmethriceshameonyou!!!
On FF, they are putting their best minds on the case to analyse the Charlotte Fakes material:
“Does this have an impact on our internal investigations?
Surely if they come back “clean” it either puts all this to bed or we look stupid if we say everything was ok and these turn out to be genuine?”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wITAQP8tveE
Thanks all.
As we suspected then. Still astonishing that the devious wee ***** has taped it all!
What a piece of work.
No excuses now for the SFA to revoke the license.
Over to you Mr, erm… Ogilvie…
Could this be coming to a cinema near you?????
http://m.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cannes-peter-mullans-paradise-creates-524592
Lemmy obviously, in Lenny we trust!
Morning,
Seriously, if any one of us had bought rangers for a £1 would we have had the capability or nuance to utterly decimate them the way Craigy bhoy has?
He will always be ‘Our Hero’
ASonofDan,
He is Sicilian in his cold-hearted clear-sighted determination to protect himself whilst screwing everyone else.
Seriously, this is Cosa Nostra stuff.
“We’re part of the same hypocrisy, Senator…”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPmTp9up26w
sydneytim back and as usual nothing good to say about the club he supposedly loves.
Celtic are the better for having curtain fans living as faraway as possible.