You would be forgiven for thinking Honest Dave King is a bit preoccupied by the C word. Every time he extrapolates where the club he supports (through an accomplished undermining strategy) is heading, the subject returns to knocking Celtic off their lofted perch.
This task could take £30m-£50, King estimates, a burden he is willing to share with others, although he does not appear to put a figure on his own piece of the action. Ploughing £50m into newco Rangers over the next five years would certainly help, but it would still leave them short of Celtic’s projected income over the period, and in this town, success is a zero sum game.
Top dog gets a crack at Champions League income, which is a bit of a chicken and egg situation. For a Scottish club to get into the Champions League in a responsible manner, they need Champions League income more seasons than not. Alternatively, they can gamble recklessly, build up contractual commitments which stretch out for years into the future, in the hope that they out-perform the other would-be top dog.
We’ve seen this movie before, it is the arms race that David Murray bulldozed Scottish football into. It was calamitous for his club, which was sold for £1 to an insolvency specialist before being liquidated.
It had consequences for Celtic too. Fergus McCann build a stadium and left us almost debt free, but in the intervening 20 years Celtic lost far more than they would have, if they had copied the lavish spend (and tax) policies Murray undertook with Rangers.
Things are different now. We have cash in the bank, a winning team on the field, who have qualified for the Champions League group stages twice in succession, and we’re guaranteed to be seeded to qualify again next season. We also have a secure long-term borrowing facility, so in the event of a reversal in qualification, the club would not be put in jeopardy.
Starting an arms war with this Celtic team would be an act of remarkable courage. Observers will also note that the upper limit of King’s expected requirement, £50m, is just a little less than 10 times what the highest bidder for Rangers assets managed to clean up with, when the supporter’s need was greatest.
There is an alternative football development strategy, it’s called sustainability. Budget to spend no more than what you expect to earn, appoint good coaches and scouts, pay your tax and look the world in the eye.
Engage fans in this sustainability model. Tell them the road to the top will have twists and turns, and will take a while, but they can be sure their club will never be liquidated. This is the only way to run a football club, whether your Celtic, Aberdeen or newco Rangers. It’s not always popular, there will often be calls to speculate a little more, but it will ensure the club survives.
King is a smart guy, so he will know this. He’s even lived through all the pain and drama once before, so the sustainability question will be intimately familiar to him. The question, therefore, is why is he attempting to lead strategy into the Clyde, flute in hand, like some latter-day Pied Piper of Govan?
He seems reluctant to underestimate Celtic but I detect a belief that the hedge funds, not to mention the Easdales, can be shoved around. That is courageous.
Keep up the good work, Dave.
Here we Go for 10 In a Row!
The 10th annual CQN charity golf day is set for Aberdour Golf Club on Friday 4th July. As ever it will be oversubscribed so if you’re interested in attending drop an email to BlantyreKev and Taggsy at cqnopen10IAR@gmx.co.uk as soon as you can.
Cost for the full day’s entertainment including golf is £80. There are a very limited number of non golfer evening places at £45.
Further detail will be released nearer the date and when places confirmed.
Seville – The Celtic Movement:
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Ffs five home wins in the Scottish championship, bookies must be sick, lol, I love it.
Secrets of the Vatican
Channel four explosive stuff if it is factual
GCT…thoughts with you and your family at this time.
Wee oscar…..you can defeat it.
BT – I have the pleasure of knowing wdh. Fine young man. Reminds me, I need to get in touch with him to arrange a few beers.
TD67,
bookies will be saved tonight by Arsenal and Leicester
BHOYLO83
Read this earlier about migraines.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2588416/The-brain-magnet-banish-migraine-attacks.html
Marspapa….what channel?
BCW
Pick up your Thistle tickets away from the jaggy end, my granda taught me that ;-)
i logged in for my wee quick off to bed catch up, however.
my heart just sank and my feeling of utter helplessness for our bhoy oscar.
god in heaven,please, let this man , cause thats how brave that wean is, let him win.
Shocked to hear Oscar is seriously ill again. My thoughts are with Knox family and prayers with the medical professionals who need to step up
Hail hail
Timgreen, your bang on, it’s becoming a police state, I don’t do politics, but this SNP mob have lost it.
Goodnight from Lower Saxony ……….Champions now and Champions tomorrow ….Oscar you will always know how that feels……….
braw
PS
I hope that wee boy Oscer is ok, what a fighter.
Maleys bhoy
Channel four , to disturbing for me I’m afraid ,
G/nite guys and wee oscar
maleys bhoy
Channel 4 mate
HH
BT,
I posted earlier today about my visit to Cail Bruich on Friday night.
Based on WDH’s recommendation and your advocacy, based on their sponsoring of CQteN.
After a beautiful meal, I thanked the waiter and acknowledged their generosity.
I was told to tell WDH that Chris sends his regards.
Haven’t seen him on here, so, if you see him, would you kindly pass on the comments.
Man U to offload Darren Fletcher?
If he is over his illness………worth a punt at a reasonable fee?
He’s Bhoy too I believe.
Shocking stuff on 4.
Right I’m sorted for tomorrow……I’ll need to shout c’mon the Jags !!
Luckily the wife is in town for a meeting so she can sacrifice her late start to make the detour to Firhill tomorrow morning. Sacrifices from the better half, but I’m worth it !
Whats the latest abt wee Oscar my hero??
Darren Fletcher, and drop who?
Gordybhoy
Greetings amigo. I know Bradley and he knows Boomers Godfather. :)) St Peter the Apostle is doing a great job, turning out lots of well educated, talented BankieBhoys. Boomer doing well at Tannadice under Jackie Mac. :)
gordybhoy64-Leicester beat my mate for £23k on Saturday,£10 on 10 team accy.
Jude
I posted a tweet a couple of pages back. The wee mhans gone backwards again, more chemo.
Weefra HH supporting Wee Oscar.
Jude
Here it is…….
@Wee_Oscar: Oscar has been v ill recently, getting worse each day. Starting new chemo drug tonight, everything crossed that it eases his pain #TeamOscar
Weefra HH supporting Wee Oscar.
Sitting in the pub trying not to cry right now.
Amazing what a good, wholesome and positive influence you have on us Oscar.
You deserve a break for that ‘big’ man
Surprised that anyone is ermmmm….surprised that C4 has revealed the Vatican has secrets.
Fletcher is like a Blue Riband biscuit, Gray & Dunn.
God bless the wee O.
Celtic Champion.
Forza Oscar!
Delaneys Dunky,
I will see him during the week,might get him to take me to the HandB for an introduction
BT, sound advice. You don’t have to have faith to care. I’m not religious and don’t pray but as a parent my heart goes out to the Knox family and other family’s who’s children are blighted by such terrible diseases. Their strength is astonishing and I consider myself lucky I’ve never had anything more serious to deal with than a football injury to deal with in the upbringing of my two.
Hail Hail wee Oscar……………………….and his mum and dad.
Thoughts and Prayers with the wee man and the Knox family tonight
The Singing Detective Demands The Resignation Of Campbell Ogilvie
22:19 on
25 March, 2014
Not to mention the transportation and subsequent murder of the Polish govt. in exile,who had spent much of the war in London,but returned to Poland when it was “safe.”
Or Stalin`s order for the Red Army to pause for some weeks outside Warsaw in order that the Wehrmacht could massacre the Polish partisans who had risen up to drive them out of their city.
Darren Fletcher would be a backward move for Celtic.
Shame about his chronic illness which will flare up repeatedly,but he will afford the best of treatment to manage this.
He is a very wealthy young man and will probably retire from football now.
He will look back at lots of medals for very limited footballing abilities.
Lucky young man still compared to lots of others.
big-cup-winners
23:32 on 25 March, 2014
Right I’m sorted for tomorrow……I’ll need to shout c’mon the Jags !!
Luckily the wife is in town for a meeting so she can sacrifice her late start to make the detour to Firhill tomorrow morning. Sacrifices from the better half, but I’m worth it !
My wife has also kindly agreed to give up some of her well earned free time tomorrow for a wee visit to firhill tomorrow to pick up tickets.
I have told her that she will need to brush up on her Partick Thistle history to prove her bona fides as a dyed in the wool jag, just in case!
I would imagine the PT ticket office will a busy place tomorrow.
On Sunday I got roped into a wee game of 2 v2 .The Sun had come out
and myself and wee Kieran headed to the mini park{two goals still with nets}
3 months of playing living room fitba had taken it’s toll, we had to break free.
Anyhoo as we kicked about, two wee guy’s who were displaying there skills up the other end invited us to a gemme.5 Min and I was In goal ,and as i watched the
youngsters my mind flashed back to 2004 in Yorkhill ,Wee Kieran was given
a very slim chance of survival. 11hours in surgery and the 4 months intensive
care seen the small chap home. He;s 10 on Sunday and goes to Yorkhill
Mon for his heart checkup, when asked by the surgeon “how are you”
He’ll say fine thanks ,and I will hold back a tear and know that every day of the last 10
years have been precious.
Ryecatcher, I’m watching the C4 program about the Vatican and they just showed Pope Francis make his entrance. I remember the day it happened. There’s a lovely wee Argentinian burd in my office in Aberdeen and she was doing cartwheels round the office……….
I thought Maradona had been brought back into the world cup squad!!!
2 tickets just purchased for Firhill ! Plenty available.
Come on you Bhoys in Green ! The Glasgow Derby !
Poland was the catalyst for WW2, through no fault of the heroic Polish people.
When you think about it….they were the only country that actually ‘lost’ the war.