They call it Helicopter Money. Income that just lands in your lap without you having to do any work for it. It brings a special kind of joy. The millions Celtic will earn as a result of a sell-on clause from Virgil van Dijk’s £75m sale to Liverpool is a classic of the genre.
Right off, let’s acknowledge a few facts. Virgil’s £2.6m capture from Groningen was a brilliant piece of business by the club. Many are due credit for this, including Neil Lennon and Peter Lawwell, but the occasionally-maligned John Park, in particular, deserves applause.
Park lost his Midas touch after the January 2012 capture of Mikael Lustig, but that had as much to do with the change in comparative finances between Celtic and the bottom of the English Premier League, than any degradation of our former chief scout’s ability.
Virgil had played only 62 games in senior football when he signed for Celtic. We got him because we moved, showing incredible agility, before anyone else had the opportunity to act. We will not be able to exactly recreate the Virgil business – others see where and how exceptional value has been earned and copy, but this has always been the case.
What we can say for sure is that few clubs anywhere in the world have the success rate of Celtic at finding under-priced footballers and transforming them into Champions League players who are sold at multiples of five or ten times value.
NEW CQN PODCAST OUT NOW! CHRISTMAS JUMPERS FOR GOALPOSTS
Paul John Dykes and Kevin Graham are joined by Celtic authors, Stephen Sullivan and Stevie Murray for a special festive episode – Christmas Jumpers for Goal-Posts.
Stephen Sullivan is a former Celtic View reporter who wrote the much-lauded Sean Fallon biography, ‘Iron Man’. He is now the editor of FIFA.com.
Stevie Murray has now written two books on Celtic – ‘Ten Men Won The League’ and ‘Kenny of the Celtic’ – and he is a respected and authoritative voice on the club.
Treat yourself to a signed copy of Jim Craig – Right Back to 67 and you will receive a copy of That Season on Paradise signed by Bertie Auld, just order the Jim Craig book at CQNbookstore.co.uk and we’ll do the rest…
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His Auntie has made the the same Mistake.
Jobo.CSC
Ethos is CRC and JOBO
Heroic dudes that happen to Like GLASGOW Celtic.
CRC -Incredible Dude
Jobo- Incredible Dude
I happen to think that Donald Trump is Good for the World, after 1 year.
……………………………..
nally81 on 28th December 2017 8:34 pm
Sandman- I get soccer just fine and I don’t have any dilemma.
Gordon is a poor goalkeeper.
He lets in almost half of all on-target attempts by our opponents, which isn’t good enough for a Celtic keeper.
If that’s a good keeper in your opinion, then it is you who doesn’t get it.
==============================================
I didn’t know Santa did mescaline selection boxes…
Forced myself to read the latest “offering” from BBC Sport Scotland Online.
Someone called “Martin Conaghan” has put his name to the article. Below is a direct quote
“The history of Scottish football is littered with tales of glory, upsets and inspiration; the exploits of legendary players and managers.
However, every so often, something happens that brings shame on our national sport.”
END QUOTE
Yes Martin – EVERY WEEK.
And your lot at Pacific Quay (where Jabba knows not so much where the bodies are buried but more where the bodies have been lying and with whom) are silent.
Like the Evening Times, Scotsman, Herald and DR (in that order) you are on your way out.
It will take years but it will happen.
Anthony4.5
BowsertrouserArouser.
Mikael is Mad, not half as mad as ANTHONY.
The Young Ones.
Murts is petrified
GLASGOW CELTIC —- take 7 off them.
Lt it be Recorded.
Best ever Mix 1995
Terrible odds for a 5-0. The Great Celt sitting next to me will be annoyed. A Great Testament to how Celtic are Rinsing out the STYLE.
Going for the 7-0.
Massive odds.
Jobo @11:06
You may have seen it, but if not …. I heard that Del Amitri are doing a few gigs in June, with the Trashcan Sinatra’s opening for them …. not sure if they are playing in Glasgow… someone said they were in Edinburgh, I believe
If Celtic can score 2 in the first 10 minutes….. And if they are on it, they will.
7 -0
Recorded
France is nice, 18 Celsius up a Mountain with a Pub there too……
Murts……..
CELTIC is gonnae be on it BIG TIME.
Me and Aidan 5 Goals….. LIVE.
CELTIC – Play Superb fitba AGAIN.
Tontine Tim,
Max respect.
I cannae remember Yesterday.
The Lord is your Guide.
Wonderful contributions to CQN.
I loved Kojo to bits.
Good morning from a rather humid (95%) Brunei. Dew point 24*C which probably explains why I can’t see out of the windows due to the A/C.
I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s game but then there’s no Celtic for 3 weeks just fake news and rumours.
Have a good night everyone or a good day to those on this side of planet earth.
U2 at the BBC- Magnificent
Steven Caulker: ‘I’ve sat here for years hating myself … This year was almost the end’
The (ex) QPR defender talks powerfully about his struggles with mental illness, his addictions to gambling and drinking and why he is thankful still to be alive
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/jun/29/steven-caulker-mental-illness-addictions-gambling-drinking-qpr
Think it’s a bit delusional or at least wishful thinking to expect a 7:0 trashing.
It is true Celtic have created chances in several matches which COULD have resulted in 5 or 6 or 7 goals they haven’t ACTUALLY been anywhere near clinical enough this season.
And when teams stay behind the ball AND work extremely hard it is so difficult to find the space for an expressive kind of game.
I’m sure Celtic will win but much more likely to be 2:0 imo.
HH
My good mate a Mayo come London Spurs fan really rated Caulker. Met him , liked him , knew him. Unfortunately he has quite a few demons that will not – in his opinion – be solved by playing football in a pressurized environment.
This should be played on the PA on Saturday:
who let the bogs out?
****Goals Galore 3 quick update****
Up to 89 entrants fholks, thank you very much!!!
As we blasted through 67 and 88, we are giving two additional free entries and the winners are
vfr800a8 and Sandman
Congrats to both
Still time to join us
HH
CRC
cqnpredictor@gmail.com
I love U2. 2nd Best Irish band ever after the Undertones.
My favourite U2 songs are:\
Taxes Bloody Taxes
and
I still haven’t found the Tax haven I’m looking for.
But overall my fav album is
The Nassau Fee.
TONYROME on 28TH DECEMBER 2017 11:10 PM
Who do you fight if you destroy your enemy?
If anyone thinks we will not be beaten EVER on the day. Think again my friends, its in the post, Not saying when, but it will happen, just like Hearts did.
Happy New Year. We wont lose to the hun this year, but next?? Who knows.
CELTARELLA
Only poor people pay taxes, doncha know. Some rich chunt said that.
My favourite U2 album of all time is the one where they gave all the profits to the people they had been spouting about and all the injustices in the world and paid all the proper taxes in Ireland so at the very least they could say it was the fecking government that wasted(fiddled) all our feckin Yankee dollars.
Sleep well Bono.
Here endeth the pish.
I’m not a gambling man
I’m not a reading man
I neither bet or browse
I always look through my eyes
I always feel my way by touch
Celtic to win there is no doubt
By penalty , by goals – no by winning true to form.
God bless Celtic . The Scottish Unicorn.
Is the bog broke?
Good morning CQN from a very wet and windy East Devon.
BARNEY67 on 29TH DECEMBER 2017 1:44 AM
CELTARELLA
Only poor people pay taxes, doncha know. Some rich chunt said that.
===============================================================
Click the link – she was caught eventually.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leona_Helmsley
If she lived in Scotland and owned Rangers I am sure the highest politician in the country would have tried to cut her a deal mind you. One thing I’ve noticed is we are somehow supposed to feel honoured when Rangers cheat us out of taxes.
Having just read the Steven Caulker ( @ 12:39), I wondered a couple things.
a) Where has the `news` come from that we are interested;
b) Would playing for a Club like Celtic be good for Steven ?
It would be great for the man if playing for us was able to rid him of his demons and it would be great for us if he returned to the form which saw him selected for England.
I can see reasons why both those eventualities would arise.
Cheerio for now
JJ
PS WAKE UP, JOJO! Some people might not be aware there is on ly one more sleep !
JAMESGANG!!!
Remember , today is the day !
I hope everything goes perfectly for you and your very soon to be new wife,
JJ
JOJO = JOBO, of course !!!
Word of The Day
palindrome
/ˈpælɪnˌdrəʊm/
noun
1. a word, line, verse, number, sentence, etc., reading the same backward as forward, as Madam, I’m Adam or Poor Dan is in a droop.
2. Biochemistry. a region of DNA in which the sequence of nucleotides is identical with an inverted sequence in the complementary strand: GAATTC is a palindrome of CTTAAG.
Derived Forms
palindromic (ˌpælɪnˈdrɒmɪk) adjective
Word Origin
C17: from Greek palindromos running back again, from palin again + -drome
KTF
Good morning, friends and a Big Happy Friday from a lightly snow covered East Kilbride. Good luck to ole gentle giant Jamesgang for today.
Right, Hi Ho time for Jobo. Be nice y’all.
SANDMAN on 28TH DECEMBER 2017 1:33 PM
Re the breakdown of the £9.37M:
VVD bought for £12.5M
VVD sold for £75M
Profit = £62.5M
Sell on clause to Celtic is 15% of £62.5M = £9.375M
KTF
Online Sports News editor for the @Daily_Express London England.
Ladies and gentlemen I give you @Bruce_Archer89
His hate for Neil Lennon tells its own story about what team this low life supports. https://twitter.com/hen1rik/status/946659038653304832/photo/1
From @bigwilliebhoy
*** Doubt remains over Rangers’ 2011/12 UEFA licence ***
http://www.sportsintegrityinitiative.com/doubt-remains-rangers-uefa-licence/ via @sport_integrity
Phil O ‘ Donnell collapsed and died 10 years ago today. A tragedy for him and his young family
God bless Phil⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️