Uefa’s videoconference yesterday moved the prospect of domestic league football in late summer a step closer. It is likely the lockdown across Europe will be lifted gradually, with mass public events like football games being the very last permitted activity.
That being the case, it is likely that some leagues will be underway behind closed doors in July, with many more in August. Football will be back, TV contracts will be compromised but not completely discarded, so there will be some income, but without ticket revenue, the consequences for most Scottish clubs will be significant.
Most Hearts players have taken a lead from the (odious, remember) Gordon Taylor, PFA chief in England, by offering to defer their wages, not take an actual cut. Ticket revenue is almost an irrelevant figure for the English top flight, becoming less so as you go down the divisions, so a deferment works at the top level there.
But it is pointless to Hearts. There is a real prospect that clubs will not be allowed to sell a match ticket this year. As with England, those at the top of the tree will cope better, but all will face consequences and even the likes of Hearts will do well to survive without an insolvency event unless they can significantly cut their wage bill.
Gordon Taylor’s >£2m salary is not sustainable if his members are not earning full wages and paying significant union fees. It is against his financial interest to acquiesce to calls from the English Football League for an across the board wage cut. While this battle goes on in England, the same debate will happen in Scotland.
The crisis is likely to come to a head in the English Championship, which operates in normal times to the norms of voodoo economics, but will be wiped out without their normal income streams. There, some well-off footballers will lose their incomes. Below the Championship, it is hard to see a viable employer. Ironically, lower league clubs in Scotland can furlough all their staff, including players, who will not be offended by a £2500 monthly cap. The crunch in Scotland will come in the top flight, where valuable contracts are at stake.
It could take weeks for this to play out, with millionaires holding firm against the backdrop of horrendous levels of anxiety, joblessness, poverty and death in the community. I predict Steven Naismith, who unilaterally accepted a 50% wage cut, is one of the few footballers you admire when this is all over, despite his personal history. A phrase I never expected to type, but these are exceptional times.
I was shocked then angry when I heard the UK death figures yesterday, weeks before the peak is due. Our governments and their advisers have no master plan out of this one, and there are too many people still taking risks. Each household is on its own, so stay at home.
305 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- »
charlie cook.
or cooke.
Scottish players who would have fitted in at Celtic if we replaced the Lions
Bobby Clark
Willie Callaghan
Frank McLintock
Bobby Moncur
Eddie McCreadie
Charlie Cooke
Jim Baxter
Alex Edwards
Tony Green
Denis Law
Alan Gilzean
Reminiscing like it’s all over. It isnae, a few Pandemics to go through yet. 🤓
THE BATTERED BUNNET on 2ND APRIL 2020 4:31 PM
No worries, it makes for grim reading for sure. I was a bit uptight about it all yesterday, think I’ve been watching too much news which I normally avoid. I wish you well and hope you stay safe.
HH
No Scottish but this guy was on my wish list for years…Solvi
Hail Hail.
I hope our Bhoys are professional enough to stay aff the sweeties.
Wow what a challenge for Everyone, especially those that Have so much.
Fitbawise.
Always doing yer Good Works in Secret is Good advice.
Do yer Good Works in Secret as often as possible.
Crazy Crazy Timez so Go mad with yer Good Works.
Just Believe Jesus Christ Died to Take Away EVERY Sin.
Anyone Political point scoring, is insane.
Love is THE DAVE.
Fred C
Watched the vid. Ferocious tackler. Noticed the Swedish Bobby Madden booking him at one point, don’t think the Scottish version would be so lenient..:)
HH
DBHOY,
Yeah wouldn’t last a minute in the Hoops.
Hail Hail.
Fred C
Big Bobo done alright, think the refs were scared to send him off incase he waited in the tunnel for them..:)
HH
Now why would a referee be scared of Bobo?
I would face him up. Tell him the Truth.
Bobo ye isnae a fitba player.
Petec
Naw ye widnae
HH
Bobo yer wan of Celtics best Ever defenders.
I know Nothing DB.
Remember.
:)
Bobo couldnae play fitba at all. When he tried hmmm.
DB, I appreciate you know the History.
Celtic.
Celtic First, God Bless.
Please for our Lord Almighty , Pray that people,believe in the Lord.
Noone left behind.
Scottish players you would have taken
most of sheep and Dundee utd players from the 80’s
But to keep it short
Narey
Willie Miller
Big feck
Eamon Bannon
Strachan
Sturrock
Eric Black
Archibald
Ex St midden (celtic daft)who went to sheep was it Frank mcDougal
Jimmy Smith was a player I would liked to have played for us.
He was at Aberdeen and played in the 67 cup final in our Lisbon season.
I saw him play for Newcastle one night and he was unplayable.
No one could take the ball off him.
I can imagine he and Jinky in the one team taking turns to roast defenders.
Apart from Smith I would have loved to see Jordan and Bremner.
Good morning CQN from a damp, grey and overcast Garngad
Thank goodness it’s Friday, no wait every day is a Friday just now.😀
Justgiveusthetitlecsc
D. :)
And DB I would say that to Dianbobo, being able to speak to anyone would be Heaven sent, he was AWESOME for Celtic. Absolutely Awesome. He wisnae a fitba player that I like to see on the ba’. My Goodness gracious, he was an Incredible Defender.
;)
Good morning, friends and a Big Happy* Friday from a damp, grey, calmish East Kilbride. Stay safe please – stay indoors.
* – well, the ole CQN quiz returns at 9pm tonight I believe?
Mornin all – Jobo, thanks for the heads up……I was convinced it was Thursday!
One or two Bhoys on here have beaten me to it as I was also going to suggest a couple of Scottish players who had a great partnership and I saw them starring against Celtic on a number of occasions….Willie Pettigrew and Bobby Graham of Motherwell.
I recall a Motherwell v Celtic Scottish Cup Tie at Fir Park, in the late 1970’s ( I think ?).
Me and my mates were among mostly Celtic fans, but there was a few Well fans around us and the banter was fine in the 1st Half, as Celtic literally strolled into a 2-0 lead at half time.
Big Shuggie Edvaldsson was awesome in that 1st half, and obviously the Celtic support were in fine voice.
Talk about a game of two halves ?
Motherwell and Pettigrew and Graham ran riot against us in the 2nd half and brought the game back to 2-2.
When Motherwell scored again to make it 3-2…none of us Celtic fans were surprised…as we hardly got a kick in that 2nd half…we just know that Motherwell were going to win it.
It finished 3-2 to the Well…and the Celts were oot the cup.
Leaving the ground at full time, none of us could believe what we had just witnessed ?
The’Well fans around us, obviously had Big smiles on their faces etc, but I dont remember ANY aggro between us, as we had to hold our hands up and say that ” Motherwell were the better team in the 2nd half etc….but we just couldnt believe just how great Celtic were in the 1st half…and then overrun in the 2nd half ?
I also seem to remember Motherwell winning 3-2 at Celtic park in a League game one very wet Wednesday night…when Graham and Pettigrew were outstanding..I think Pettigrew scored two goals ?
Although we were beaten, it was a great game of football that night in very muddy conditions.
HH
I think that’s the game Celtic fans where singing We Are Sailing Jimmy
Well our boat was scuttled in the second half
Pun Pun
There are some ( very few) old rangers players that I would have liked at Celtic….but one was..
JIM FORREST..
.their free scoring centre forward in the 1960’s.
After the Huns were beaten by Berwick Rangers in the Scottish Cup in 1967…Forrest and a few others became the scapegoats for that shocking defeat and were soon moved on.
Jim Forrest went to Aberdeen..and continued to score goals.
He was a very talented player and gave every defence a hard time.
Many Celtic supporters were very surprised but happy that rangers sold Forrest, as he was also a grafter etc.
HH
BLANTYRETIM IS PRAYING FOR THE KNOX FAMILY on 3RD APRIL 2020 7:41 AM
I think that’s the game Celtic fans where singing We Are Sailing Jimmy
……..
You may “Well be correct about the song ” We are Sailing” which rod Stewart first sang in 1977…I think ?
HH
Stay safe.
Although the Celtic support didnt like him…another Goalscorer that would have done a good job at Celtic was…
JOE HARPER of Aberdeen and Hibs…and Newcastle ?
Many of us older Fans will remember the League game at Celtic Park one very FOGGY Saturday afternoon and Harper was centre forward/striker for Hibs.
Hibs played us off the park and were 2-0 late on into the 2nd half when The Ref stopped the game and ABANDONED” the match due to the FOG.
I was in the old Jungle that day with some mates, and the Hibs players were going feckin Tonto at the Ref….My …..how the Celtic support were laughing….and feeling rather relieved that the 2-0 score line would NOT count as the game would need to be re played….which Celtic WON..I believe ?
Wee Joe Harper in particular was going “Nuts” at the Ref etc, and was getting a lot of stick from the old Jungle….so much so…that as the players were trooping off to the Tunnel…wee Harper stood in the centre circle…giving the Old Jungle the “VICKY”…with both hands…that made us laugh even louder !
But he was a good player and excellent goal scorer.
HH
I must be honest…I also think that Andy Goram of the old Huns was among the best Goalies that I have ever seen….anywhere !
At Ibrox one Saturday/Sunday afternoon ( ?) back in the 1990’s we went to Ibrox.
It was a great game against the Huns which ended up 3-3.
Late on…Big Pierre rose to bullet a header into the Huns net…and every Celtic fan shouted “GOAL”….but from nowhere Goram “The Flying Pig” somehow got one hand to it to divert it for a corner to Celtic.
The Celtic players and support just couldnt believe how he had saved that Header from Pierre ( at the Celtic end)…I think many Huns were also surprised at that moment…as Pierre met the Ball perfect and it was heading into Gorams left hand Top Corner…until….
HH
Whenever I see the health secretary Matt Hancock on telly I have an urge to shout out ‘Hi-de-Hi !’
Big Jimmy – incoming mail.
It will be about lunchtime for drop off.
D. :)
Petec
I can’t think of any defenders we’ve had in the last 30 yrs (Virgil at a push maybe) who were as capable as Bobo in headed clearances, barely lost a challenge in the air the whole time he was with us. Loved having him in the team.
HH
Hancock “we might have to use the private sector to do testing on this scale” no shit Sherlock.
That tells me they have no plan, hawfwits.
Aff oot for ma walk.
D. :)
Good morning CQN, a damp and dull morning in County Coatbridge.
Jobo I think the quiz is 20:00 Celtic Park time.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Will some of our mibs be feeling the pinch?