Let’s clear something up right away. Every summer Celtic know they may not reach the Champions League group stage. No matter how well they plan and recruit, they can come up against a better, or luckier, opponent. Champions League football might not happen in any given season, or the following season.
Celtic failed to reach the group stage of the Champions League five times in the last nine seasons. We might be getting better at qualification, but no one is making that assumption.
On 30 June last year, we had £24.5m in the bank. That figure should be higher on the same reporting date this year. We might not reach the Champions League group stage next season, but your football club has never been better prepared for a sporting reversal.
In a newspaper interview yesterday, Dave King compared Celtic’s current position with that of now-liquidated Rangers at the time Martin O’Neill came to Celtic. In O’Neill’s first season at Celtic, Rangers competed in the Champions League group stage before dropping to the Uefa Cup. But, on their 30 June 2001 reporting date, they had a bank balance of only £17,000. Not enough to buy a family hatchback.
Rangers were gambling every penny they could get their hands on without thought for the consequences of a reversal. It was a brutal period to be a Celtic fan, because although we were also losing money during at that time, the club was under siege from all sides for not ‘showing the ambition’ of the likes of David Murray and Dave King at Rangers.
Celtic know the perils of an over-dependence on Champions League revenues. We do not budget on having to qualify for the group stage each season, far from it. Our commercial sponsorship deals, retail and hotel plans, as well as player recruitment and development strategy, are all designed to mitigate an over-reliance on one source of income. A £24.5m bank balance is evidence of a club planning on long-term stability.
We know what we will do in any season they don’t qualify for the Champions League in order to give us the best chance to do so the following season. We know what to do to respond to any credible threat from another Scottish club for the domestic title.
We have experienced professionals in the boardroom and throughout all executive roles, and an actual billionaire who has put more money into Celtic than anyone has put into any Scottish football club – apart from the money the taxpayer wrote off due to the liquidation of Rangers while Dave King was paid to monitor and direct the club.
Celtic run scenarios on how things can go wrong. They know the limits of what King and Newco can achieve and believe the biggest threat to Celtic’s dominance is for the executive to make strategically bad moves. Rangers era of dominance was undone by financial recklessness, but in management terms, the problem was that the mechanisms did not exist to call the board to account on their gambling.
To combat this, Celtic have made sure that everyone at the club is challenged on their plans and performance, especially the chief executive. If there is a strategically bad move made at Celtic, which could threaten their dominance in Scotland, it will have to get through multiple layers of scrutiny and opposition. No one wants to be the next David Murray or Dave King.
Your football club might not be gamblers on the scale of Murray and King, but they are fiercely competitive and never want to lose another Scottish title. That is what we plan for, and that is the reality that Dave King cannot come to terms with.
£6m from a share issue – and he didn’t even commit to that amount, even if the Takeover Panel are quickly satisfied on the overdue share offer! And all that patter yesterday about delays in opening a bank account; why now transfer the money into your solicitor’s client account, like the rest of the world?
Why so many people put faith in this man “beggars belief”, to borrow a phrase. From his “glib and shameless liar” title to the years of evidence laid out in plain sight. You know how this story ends.
Ben Nevis Huddle is back!
After a three year gap, the Celtic fans will be back on Ben Nevis on mass on 30 June, to raise funds for your Foundation. This is a great chance to climb Britain’s highest in the company of dozens of other Celtic fans.
Participants are asked to raise (only) £130 for the Foundation. It is a great opportunity, see here for more details and to sign up.
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Thanks for the link Jobo, enjoyed that:-)
For anyone, like me, who would prefer that Hibs finish second, here’s the scenarios that’ll flow from tonight’s game –
If Aberdeen win tonight (meaning Sevco cannot finish any higher than 3rd) Hibs would need to win their 2 remaining games and rely on us beating Aberdeen on Sunday.
If Aberdeen draw tonight Hibs could finish 2nd by picking up at least 4 points so long as 3 of them are on Sunday against Sevco – but they’d need to win both games if we fail to win on Sunday
If Aberdeen lose tonight Hibs need 2 wins.
So it’s pretty close to being in Hibs’ own hands…..
Off oot to ma Bhoys to cheer on The Dons!
Bit of a long shot but here goes anyway. After two tickets for Cup Final in exchange for two tickets in the Jock Stein upper for the Aberdeen game and Killie if wanted. Email kevcbhoy88@yahoo.co.uk
DAVID66, hope you and cheeko are okay, told me he has a lot of friends in scotland, nuff said.hh.
Come on whoever is playing the DOBs
Hail Hail
D. :)
BIGPACKY
He won’t have if he keeps mouthing off!
Had a look at tonight’s game and I have to say that so far, Aberdeen look shit.
Tony Rome
KT’s birthday is in June. The same day as mine June 5th. My granny Delaney was born in June too. She told me that June born kids were blessed. Hope you get your wish. If VFR has given his word, he will honour it. Believe me. Drumchapel Tims have influence in Glesca.
HH
Steven Gerrards advisors were apparently informed that Dave King owned amongst other things the Kingston Bridge, only to disappointed later to learn that he doesn’t even own the Squinty Bridge.
Derek McInness’ game plan is not working so far ….
Aberdeen are sitting back, letting Rangers create chances …. but, that bloody Morelos went and screwed up another golden opportunity…
If this keeps up, and Rangers dont score …. McInness might need to go to Plan B… tell defenders to pull down a player in the box for no reason, and give away a penalty.
Les Moutons ont peur….
BSR @ 7:30 PM,
“Karma? You cannae beat it.”
Too True as BR says…
“…the pillars of the club are very strong,”…
[Sevco Comments’]….not something that’s at the forefront of my mind”.
“We’re defined on what we do – not on anyone else,” he said. “Our measure is ourselves, can we be the best that we can be?
Zen And The Art Of Grand Football Club Maintenance.
Hail Hail
Penalty Les Moutons
That said, they just scored a pen.
Dons one up.
Never a penalty HeHe
plan C now for Mr. McInness …
Very dodgy penalty, but ha ha….
BSR
My mammy says that Dave King has one eye going to the shoaps and the other eye coming home wi the change. Via Squinty bridge presumably.
TIMJIM on 8TH MAY 2018 8:03 PM
Never a penalty HeHe
—————————————
Stonewall pen. All day long. You won’t see a clearer pen.
;-))))
McLean the ref as well.
If Andy Pandy says it’s iffy you can be sure it’s a stonewaller…
CT
Great to hear. EBT Stephen Thompson on Sportsound thought it was a penalty. Willie Miller thought it was soft.
MIT @ 1935…
???!
Suspended sine die ! ?
HH
TC45
Sky making sure we all know it was a dodgy pen.
I make that 17 replays since rhe actual incident ?
DD,
It’s Sevco TV via Hesgoal. Wee Tom is sick, ha ha….
Considine being cleaned oot by the keeper might have been more of a penalty.
When does the ‘football’ start
That Cosgrove ain’t gonnae last long for the sheep…
Incandescent with rage. ?
It’s no a football match it’s a battle.
won’t end up 11v11
Don’s hit the bar
GENE on 8TH MAY 2018 8:16 PM
won’t end up 11v11
More likely end up 10 v 12 with Mclean reffing.
Doreen’s bottles it he’s subbed.
MIT
Don’t take this the wrong way?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VkVy2FeqIyc
KEEP THE FAITH
It’s more like pub league game
1-0 Sheep