Congratulations to Fraser Forster on his international call-up, I am absolutely delighted for him. It occurred to me that he left Sports Direct and Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley’s clutches on the cheap early this summer, while Ashley had other matters in Glasgow under consideration – partnering with Sevco.
It was with customary bombast that Sir David Murray announced the deal Rangers struck with JJB Sports in 2006 to offload the club’s retail and merchandise operations to the sports retailer. At a stroke the club banked £18m although subsequent dilapidation and redundancy costs ate into this figure. Celtic had previously rejected a similar deal, believing that securitising future revenue streams in this manner would only swap short-term for long-term problems.
That deal perished when Rangers liquidation was announced but the Newco acquired only one retail store (outside Ibrox) and no infrastructure in place. Instead, six weeks ago, Newco handed over retail operations to Sports Direct, who now operate its retail company, Rangers Retail Limited, and its online operation at rangersdirect.co.uk.
This deal was covered in local and retail press but lacked the bombast Murray would have brought to the occasion, perhaps because Ashley was aware that Celtic fans no longer felt comfortable spending their cash with JJB after the 2006 link-up. Better to keep this one low-profile so as not to cannibalise sales to Celtic fans.
Whether Ashley is part-owner of Newco or just their merchandising partner is moot, Sports Direct’s interests in the Scottish market are significantly entwined with The Rangers F.C.
It is unlikely the retailer had to pay as much as £18m up front to secure his new rights but their support will be absolutely critical in quickly building their partner club into a successful force. If they can do this while continuing to milk Celtic supporters they have knocked it off.
Chances of me buying the 125th Anniversary Kit from Sevco’s partner company are approaching zero. My Celtic budget is for the benefit of one club only, it will not help build The Rangers.
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Living in the SW of England there is a Sport Direct shop in the town, I will never set foot
in the place again, it was a crap shop anyway.
3-0 on Sunday, C’mon the Hoops.
Ole Johnny -sadly I have to agree with you re Provan, D. He earned his wages at Celtic. Even when he was not playing well he’d work hard, tackling and tracking back.
Not technically a great winger but a good grafter.
Mighty Tim
Is that white top a shroud :-)
You busy on Sat night?
MWD/TGCW
Nobody likes a smart arse or even worse a pair of them!!!!
I’ll try again. If blogs like this are meant to supplant the msm, then is this not relevant?
“A child starving to death in the Ukplc does not even merit a single word in the msm?
I despair.”
I don’t much care about SportsDirect or any other thing when I read of this. It’s real. It’s here, it’s disgraceful and not one single aspect of the msm felt fit to mention it.
And that is just the way it is.
Yawn,eh?
Son of Gabriel
15:19 on
5 October, 2012
HT
Under 25 and under 11 stone in weight.
Are you 4ft11 tall or something?
————————
I’m a member of the PygmiesCSC
A frightening thought. If the #9 Enigma had played for Celtic during the Provan/Doyle era, would he have had a perm?
Ole Johnny – no, because the #9 Enigma sets the trends, he doesn’t slavishly follow them.
DBBIA
Ola Jordan?
Nice but not a patch on the ‘ol Sofia Vergara of Modern Family
Miki67
Read your post….shocking.
No meanin’ to ignore ye..but there is not much you can say.
Teuchter ár lá
HT not sure yet. In ravenscraig at british juniors st lunch time maybe out at night but not defo yet.You got a plan for Saturday night.
Shroud indeed ha ha
HH
Celtic Legends – Jinky – The Jimmy Johnstone Story
HT
What’s the plan for Saturday night?
Mighty Tim
Excellent CQNer BMCUW is in town for a one night only show so trying to round up a few bhoys for a few beers so that he can finally put names to faces.
I suggested he watch Crimewatch, it would be cheaper ;-)
TGCW
Looking like just a few beers in Bar67 or thereabouts, I’ll confirm later.
South Of Tunis
15:21 on
5 October, 2012
Murdo ?.
If you didn’t read the rags or partake of Shortbread Sportscone’s wares the only thing you’d know about Murdo is that he was a Hunskelper as a player and as an assistant Manager .
***
That’s an excellent point, but you would also know plenty about his radio comments if you regularly read CQN as many people on here seem obsessed with reporting every utterance of the MSM members both verbal and written then complaining about them.
TMWTL- can Sofia do the Pasa Doble?
DBBIA
Indeed she can. Whilst wearing only one shoe + an eye patch
Gregory Ioannidis @LawTop20
Strachan on Sammy: “People should remember that Georgios took a massive pay cut to leave Manchester City and sign for Celtic.”
Expand Reply Favorite
Gregory Ioannidis @LawTop20
Strachan on Sammy: “He did that [pay-cut] because he genuinely loves the club and wanted to be part of Celtic.”
Expand Reply Favorite
Miki67
I can’t access the link from my work computer so checked it out on my phone.
Dear God, what a sad indictment on our society and what a terrible tragedy that should have been avoided.
At the start of the week Chuck and Fat Sally were hating everybody and wanted to take on the world. Today it is all ‘building bridges’ and moving on ‘for the sake of Scottish Football’
Hmmm…
TMWTL- only one response to that- ‘se- VEN!’
2 horses that should run well tonight at Dundalk and both are decent prices
6.30 Gmac 8/1
9.25 Acts out Loud 16/1
Bon chance mes ami
How about the workers who make the football strips?Apple, Nike and many other firms use or have used virtually free labour to make their goods and then get angry when good people expose them for what they are doing. The crisis in public services, along with the bankers bankrupting themselves and us with their cheap credit schemes has been bad enough, but the cheap labour scandal is just as bad. As consumers, we have an enormous power when we decide what to buy -and what not to. So I think we should do it more responsibly.
If people asked companies about their practices-whether they pay a living wage ,is child labour involved in the production, do the workers have basic human right and stop buying products from companies who don’t put them into practice, then I think it won’t take to change their slavery trading practices. It is an unpopular story but only when workers are guaranteed a good income from making products will we be able to grow as a global economy again. The sad thing is that these issues get little coverage in the western mainstream media. Just that we don’t see it, it doesn’t mean it does not exist.
http://www.labourbehindthelabel.org, http://www.nosweat.org.uk
I note Charles Green’s comment with much mirth.
It shows you exactly what he thinks of the intelligence level of his audience. I won’t even go into the risible claims of CL quarter finals or semi finals. (Although how he achieves that without being in the SPL confuses me)
I will discuss his claim of a 500m global audience for Sevco however.
Let us take the population of the main footballing watchers globally. Europe, S America, N America, Russia, Australia, Japan and South Korea. Per the 2011 World Bank survey those nations have a combined population of just over 2 billion people.
Charles Green is seriously trying to say that in those populations I have listed above 1 in 4 want to watch the teddy bears. Those populations include babies, the elderly and tims. In reality of those number you would probably have only around 30% – 40% who would even watch football, so he is really saying just about everyone in those football watching markets wants to watch Rangers and will pay to do so.
They can’t even get a 25% market share in the UK……never mind an 85% one
Davemag
I think we should look for the club to assure us there are no such practices involved in the manufacture of ANY official merchandice. This would give another reason to buy from the store.
Hamiltontim
14:20 on 5 October, 2012
Paul67
Completely agree with the sentiments. I don’t tend to buy much merchandise these days, mostly bcause I have 2 daughters who have no real interest in Celtic but also because I think the desire to wear a football strip over the age of 25 (0r exceeding 11 stones in weight, whichever comes first) should result in psycho analysis ;-)
However, the difficulty arises when a large number of the support, who do purchase merchandise, find that they can get it at 2/3 of the price at a local sport’s retailer or somewhere like Direct Sports.
Times are tough
____________________
They are indeed tough but I imagine the discounts offered elsewhere are probably due to the supplier and retailer being able to negotiate bulk purchase prices that Celtic cannot match through Celtic’s smaller number of outlets.
That then leaves the support with the double whammy choice. Buy elsewhere and make no contribution to Celtic income AND (if it is Sports Direct) make an actual contribution to Rangers income which I think would be unpalatable to all Celtic supporters. no matter the SD price. I mean if they want nothing to do with the rest of Scottish football and want to flounce off into the SFL why put a halfpeny their way?
When it comes purely down to affordability and where to buy, the tougher choices have to be made, but if the customer’s only means of making a financial contribution to Celtic is via merchandising, then perhaps that should be the balance tipper if the price is any way on the affordable side.
Charles Green always had high aspirations….even as a lad.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Mq59ykPnAE
Teuchter ár lá
Son of Gabriel
15:19 on
5 October, 2012
HT
Under 25 and under 11 stone in weight.
Are you 4ft11 tall or something?
————————————————
How dare you?I can assure you that ,my friend HT is taller than that……………….just.
ROGUELEADER.do you think anyone in the press co. will put your statistics to C.G.??
I used to go out with a girl from Rutherglen, who was addicted to corn snacks.
She always had cheesy wotsits.
ASonOfDan @15.38.
Thanks for the plug! As I posted yesterday I am one of the Volunteers going to Kenya. For anybody who is not going to Parkhead on Sunday and can’t make a donation to the Bucket Collection, perhaps you’ll consider making a donation to my fundraising drive at
http://www.everyclick.com/sandskiberacelticappeal
At 47 years young, I’m attempting my first Marathon, the Dublin Marathon, to raise funds for the trip to Kibera Celtic.
Marti Sandino
Bhoycott…..The Billy Boys Arcade……….
The Ole New Celtic strip’s looking mighty fine.
Retro CSC
ASonOfDan
16:07 on 5 October, 2012
At the start of the week Chuck and Fat Sally were hating everybody and wanted to take on the world. Today it is all ‘building bridges’ and moving on ‘for the sake of Scottish Football’
Hmmm…
==============
That message has not reached the rangers support who called SSB last night. It was all “we’ll take our medicine and hell mend the rest of ye” stuff as they founced into the SFL.Hence my point about that attitude working two ways when it comes to where Celtic support buy their merchandise.
I suspect that CG knows he has taken the defiance ploy as far as he can and it no longer serves his purpose, in fact it could work against him. watch for mollified callers in coming months as the message gets out.
All this talk of Celtic merchandise takes me back to when I got my first ever strip.It looked beautiful although the wool did itch a bit.
Thanks to Fortunes Favour Mibbes for this link earlier today.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44Ta8ekk9k8&feature=youtu.be&t=3m18s
Success was Rangers idol and idolatry. We should pray for them.
Ally McCoist shows exactly why he is moving up the Masonic ladder because he feels he can lie more easily now.
FAVOURITE UNCLE – Impossible. None of the hacks are capable of understanding any of that. They will just splash the £100m per year in media rights and CL semi finals.
That stuff is really up there with Ronaldo and Super Casino’s
Miki67, I’m with you there. Shocking story. I wonder how proponents of the free market and critics of those on benefits can live with themselves when they read that.