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.
404 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- »
Delaneys
That’s a long term habit to get that look btw.
HH
TET
I asked my 2 nephews who play pro fitba in Scotland when they last had an SFA drug test?
Seemingly they don’t happen anymore. Marcus was last tested by the Celtic doctor before his move to Ross County.
Two wins for Lenny and us to do trophy day in some style by hammering Aberdeen.
That’ll do for me. That will do nicely. Pretty sure it means the zombie dead would need to be cheering us on in our SC treble match in order for them to make europe.
Now that would be funny.
Dreadful stuff, no one on the pitch gets anywhere near our squad.
What’s the thing about Kenny McLean? I don’t get it at all
Delaneys
You have to ask yourself why that is, is there players out there who they don’t want to catch ?
A short time back Paul did a blog about Bobby Madden and him having a gambling habit, now I have no idea if it’s true or not, but I would wager that it is as I couldn’t see Paul publishing something like that without irifutable proof, were it untrue I would also imagine he would be dragged through the courts for defamation or the like, my point is the sfa obviously know about it and by doing nothing are condoning it, the other huns caught gambling a wee slap on the wrists, a ref just ignore it, that’s scotland fur ye.
HH
A Ceiler Gonof Rust on 8th May 2018 10:11 pm
Two wins for Lenny and us to do trophy day in some style by hammering Aberdeen.
That’ll do for me. That will do nicely. Pretty sure it means the zombie dead would need to be cheering us on in our SC treble match in order for them to make europe.
Two wins for Lennie and the hun are fourth, our result doesn’t matter, of course that will be ideal for the new manager, no two game European distraction and all that
I wouldn’t be too quick to judge Christie, McInnes is a myth as a manager, he would have been a total flop at Sevco
Bateen Bhoy at 9.10, sorry .
The list of ugly huns is infinite
Ugly huns is it then
https://twitter.com/ugly_huns?lang=en
Anyone else having problems with the blog, keeps telling me that it can’t connect, my server is ok, going via cloudfare Paris is ok and then I get 502 bad gateway, bit of a pain so it is.
NEGANON2 on 8TH MAY 2018 1:24 PM
POG you said
————————————————————————
Sorry for not replying to you but I have been out most of the day. You like me are entitled to your opinion but it is not incumbent upon Celtic to unilaterally complain about sevco. The SPFL, as you know, is made up of many teams who are affected more by sevco not complying with FFP rules than we are. It takes all the members to agree to put the house in order not just one (us).
I would be more than delighted for CFC to speak out but when you piss into the wind you end up getting wet.
TET,
YES
ACGR,
Just enjoyed a 750ml bottle of Duvel ????????
!!BADA BING!! on 8TH MAY 2018 10:30 PM
Good point. Christie has had plenty of game time at Aberdeen but has maybe not developed as he should. That could well be a reflection of McInness as a coach.
Pity Steve Clarke’s Kilmarnock hadn’t been an option at the time.
Give Christie a chance next season, if it doesn’t happen ,then punt him in the January transfer window,also I would like Celtic to cancel the Bus from Parks,
Pog
Good, no that you are having probs, good that it’s no my computer :-)
HH
Sleep well Timland
Should we not have our own bus a la Liverpool, Man City etc???
McGillsCSC?
GlenD- by all accounts Ryan has been their best player since he went there, played a lot of top team football, he will be in our squad next season IMO, he might surprise if he gets a run in the team.HH
CAMBHOY on 8TH MAY 2018 11:03 PM
Should we not have our own bus a la Liverpool, Man City etc???
Would get attacked every week mate.
CAMBHOY on 8TH MAY 2018 11:03 PM
Should we not have our own bus a la Liverpool, Man City etc???
———
A big green bus would get smashed to bits en route around Scotland. Would also need another bus for backup. It wont happen, the Parks thing was raised at the AGM and dismissed.
Brendan drove the bus on the Christmas ad so am sure he would be up for driving if we got one. Put KT in charge of the rebel tunes, what’s not to like!!!!!!
BADA BING
I watched the game tonight and Ryan was poor ,but in other games I’ve seen him in this season he has been more impressive. I certainly wouldn’t write him off yet.
Dallas
I tend to defer to my female family members when the ugly hun subject arises.
My mammy’s ugliest hun was Stewart Kennedy. My daughter has a thing about Morelos ugliness. My other daughter cannot look at a photo of Jimmy Bell without projectile vomiting.
What’s wrong with the 62 bus?
SETTING FREE THE BEARS FOR RES. 12 & OSCAR KNOX on 8TH MAY 2018 11:16 PM
What’s wrong with the 62 bus?
——–
It’s the no2 bus now for starters.
Jimmy Bell (end) was loading up the transit after the 5-0 humping at the front of the stadium beside their bus, I shouts over “Jimmy make sure that van is taxed, cos you lot don’t like paying tax do you” should have seen the little Huns face……..
I have been quite impressed with what I have seen of Christie.
Rogic and/or Armstrong could leave so don’t see the point of punting him.
Delaney’s at 11.16, the ladies in your family are very wise.
Hugh of whit’s the goalie doin Tom infamy , Burns was not gifted in the good looks department as was Ian hatchet face Ferguson and Tam Forsyth
SFTB
The 64 bus was my favourite bus.
It was my transport from Partick to Paradise as a child.
The 64 , if it still runs , goes from Argyle Street to Auchenshuggle but turns left at London Road Polis towards the Forge shopping centre instead of going along London Road , past Celtic Park.
Good night all and sleep well
Dallas
My sister Jacqueline was in the Jungle with me one day against the huns. Ferguson fae Janefield St. came over to take a shy. My mouthy sister screamed,” Hoi Fergie! Do you use yer heid to emulsion ceilings?” In fairness, Fergie turned round and smiled at her.
Reporting Scotland news piece there about – Tolerant Scotland.
Brief wee news window saying that, Tolerant Scotland is a myth, citing prejudice towards Syrian refugee’s as the main point of concern.
But, if you go to BBC teletext and go to the Scottish news items, cited by the BBC national news agenda, the Tolerant Scotland issue is presented in a, rather different light.
BBC News teletext version, reads,…..
Scotland’s tolerance reputation, ‘a myth’.
The belief that Scotland is more open to immigrants than the rest of the UK is a, “Misleading Fantasy”, the author’s of a new book have claimed.
The academic’s behind the book point to discrimination against Irish Catholics over 200 years as evidence.
And they argue that similar discrimination is continuing against eastern Europeans, Gypsy/travellers, Muslims, and other groups.
They will present they’re findings to MSP’s on Wednesday.
Anywye,….oot.
Kev
My granda came to Scotland fae Polska during the war to help in the fight against the Nazis. Post war he was hated in Scotland. He changed his Polish name to a Scottish name to gain work to feed his family.
Greatest wee country in the world my arse.
I read a few weeks ago that Scottish Catholics are the most abused group in the Uk. That was in the Sunday Times ( I buy it so I can see what the enemy are up to). Rich
Hail Hail
Celtic Squad v Kilmarnock
12 Games 8 Shut Outs Craig Gordon
02 Games 0 Shut Outs Dorus De Vries
33 Games 3 Goals Scott Brown
17 Games 3 Goals James Forrest
10 Games 8 Goals Leigh Griffiths
10 Games 1 Goals Nir Bitton
09 Games 2 Goals Tom Rogic
09 Games 0 Goals Mikael Lustig
08 Games 1 Goals Callum McGregor
07 Games 3 Goals Stuart Armstrong
07 Games 1 Goals Kieran Tierney *
*Goal of the Season 2017-18
05 Games 2 Goals Moussa Dembele
05 Games 2 Goals Scott Sinclair
05 Games 0 Goals Dedryck Boyata
05 Games 0 Goals Patrick Roberts
04 Games 0 Goals Kristoffer Ajer
04 Games 0 Goals Kouassi Eboue
03 Games 0 Goals Olivier Ntcham
03 Games 0 Goals Jozo Simunovic
03 Games 0 Goals Erik Sviatchenko
02 Games 1 Goals Anthony Ralston
02 Games 0 Goals Kundai Benyu
02 Games 0 Goals Calvin Miller
01 Games 0 Goals Scott Allan
01 Games 0 Goals Nadir Ciftci
01 Games 0 Goals Odsonne Edouard
01 Games 0 Goals Jonny Hayes
01 Games 0 Goals Jack Hendry
01 Games 0 Goals Michael Johnston
01 Games 0 Goals Charly Musonda.