I have a recurring complaint whenever a politician talks about the economy. We have millions unemployed with no shortage of policies, from back-to-work schemes to aggressive incentive-isation of the unemployed, offered as a solution.
Back-to-work schemes are all right, as far as they go, especially for people who need retrained, but they do not address the clear and glaring problem – millions are unemployed because there are not enough jobs available due to a collapse in demand across major economies. Get demand back on trend and jobs will follow. Whether your back-to-work schemes are effective or not, unemployment will drop and the latest Phantom Menace, the budget deficit, will revert to the surplus it was a few years ago. Our political thinking appears to be limited to dealing with the consequences of the economic crisis, not its causes.
The same is glaringly true of Scottish football’s latest suggestions to reorganise the league structure. We have many problems:
At least 40 of the 42 clubs have no chance of ever becoming Scottish champions
Large SPL clubs (like Aberdeen) cannot convince teenagers to sign new contracts reducing the rewards and incentive to develop talent
Wealthier, more competitive, English football dominates our TV screens and culture
Financially, most clubs are either surviving hand-to-mouth or depending on scarce benefactors
A new 12-12-18 league structure will not change how many teams will be able to become Scottish champions. It will not make it easier to Aberdeen to retain teenage talent, it will not halt the process of English football increasingly dominating our cultural and it will not bring an extra £1 into the game.
So why, when there is an appetite to actually do something, are we wasting the opportunity by putting a structure in place which will only serve to re-enforce the current decline?
I expect this arrangement will give lower league clubs a modest increase in the money handed down from selling tickets and TV subscriptions to SPL games. Modest, but not environment changing. The question Scottish football should be addressing is, if they are going to survive on solidarity payments trickling down from clubs at the top, how do you fatten those clubs sufficiently to make the trickle-down as large as possible?
The Aberdeens of our game need to have a reward and incentive to continue developing youth talent. The likes of Inverness and St Johnstone, who run excellent clubs, need to be able to see-off badly-run English clubs chipping away at their foundations. Community clubs, like Alloa and Albion Rovers, could be transformed by a secure stream of income that pays for a modern sports infrastructure.
Yesterday the Scottish Football League chief executive, David Longmuir, promised that fans would be consulted before decisions were taken. If we are the most important people in the game, let’s open this one out, before we resign ourselves to managing decline.
Every now and then we read a comment on Celtic Quick News urging the club to publicly get stuck into someone or other, let them have it, show the fans how much they care. Somehow I think anyone coming away with this nonsense in future will be referred back to an article from yesterday.
You don’t achieve anything by playing to the galleries. You don’t build influence and you don’t win support for your position, all that happens is people laugh at you. It is too easy to sound like an old jakey, ranting aimlessly while squelching along in lace-less, urine-soiled, shoes. “”Dear God”, squelch”.
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Celtic are set to announce a new shirt
sponsorship deal at a news conference
on Wednesday.
C&C Group currently sponsors both Celtic
and Rangers, with their lager brand
Tennent’s displayed on both teams’
shirts.
NTL and Carling have also entered
combined deals with both clubs, who
have shared a sponsor since 1999.
It is not yet known whether the new deal
will be in conjunction with their city rivals,
or an independent sponsorship.
Just seen on SSN that Man city have returned a third of their allocation for the game
with arsenal, they were being charged £62 a ticket, how’s any ordinary fan supposed to afford that!
totally off topic,
is there a name for the mad sculture hanging from the buildings in the New Gorblas ?
canne find it
So were looking for more than £1.5m per season for sole shirt sponsorship anything more like stadium sponsors away strip sponsors etc is a bonus.Given our run in Europe what a bargin
ACGoR
Thanks, Mrs TET is doing good.
Sure, the golf will be a welcome distraction.
HH
GerryBhoy 14:35 on 9 January, 2013
“We’ll probably be faced with the SSN twisted spin on it.”
SSN lift all their Scottish stories from the Daily Record.
They also lift 99% of their English stories from the print media … and then constantly state “Sky Sports understands”.
A joke station.
Jane Lewis @JaneLewisSport
Who’s celtics new sponsor? pic.twitter.com/Bh6vAqcG
MAGNERS IT IS!
http://sport.stv.tv/football/209070-live-updates-peter-lawwell-makes-major-celtic-announcement/
http://t.co/Bh6vAqcG
Surely our shirt sponsorship is worth more now with almost guaranteed Eurpean and Champions League exposure for next 3 years?
An Incider leak?
Wanted to cheer myself up so logged onto leggo,s blog but it has disappeared. Message saying Blog removed,anybody know what has happened to it/him? Have the guys in white coats finally arrived? Hail Hail Hebcelt
gordybhoy64
14:55 on
9 January, 2013
Just seen on SSN that Man city have returned a third of their allocation for the game
with arsenal, they were being charged £62 a ticket, how’s any ordinary fan supposed to afford that!
+++++
Arsenal have the most expensive tickets in UK, with the cheapest ST costing £985, their most expensive being £1955 – this also included 7 cup matches though (covers FA Cup & European games)
:-o
Tellingly, and given the match you mention, Man City have the second cheapest STs in the Premiership, available from as little as £275.
Cheers Bhoys
The Wurzels
csc
Saint Stivs
Is it the one off Cathcart Road hanging between two buildings?
If it is it’s called the Gatekeeper
HH
anyone else feeling a wee bit underwhelmed?
Unicef or somesuch would have been great, but Magners is neverthless a great deal better than Tennents and co-sponsorship with the Zombies. Can imagine Irish cider being boycotted by the “light blues” forthwith.
hebcelt
He has changed to this
http://davidleggat-leggoland.blogspot.co.uk/
As mad as ever, total loonball.
There’s a method in the Magners
Celtic for 125 years@pau1888
Magners is the new shirt sponsor of Celtic fc…How you like them apples sevco. lol
Paul:
I’m sure you could but I’m never one to push an issue :-)
Apologies for the lingo faux pas, remiss of me…
Obanfanti1888
Yeah, me too.
Feels like a middle of the road compromise to the request by fans at the agm.
That said I gained a lot of respect for tennents and their holding company for the hardly visible logo on the anniversary strip and the less prominent one on the home kit
Above the word “Magners” at press conference are a few broken hoops – part of their logo or a nod to the next shirt?
hebcelt 15:01 on 9 January, 2013
Maybe he has passed his ‘sell-by date’.
The Legless loon; a man who expresses his opinion on a blog which encourages Sevco to take action against, erm … people expressing opinions on blogs.
Ha Ha Ha
We get apples.they get peanuts!
[Is that apples on the banned list now?]
how much per year ?
I forgot they used to sponsor the Celtic League too.
heading to the pub tonight, daresay I might buy a Magners lol
DeniaBhoy
15:07 on 9 January, 2013
Above the word “Magners” at press conference are a few broken hoops – part of their logo or a nod to the next shirt?
—-
Thought that myself at first but it’s their logo mate.
http://www.thedrum.com/uploads/drum_basic_article/85550/main_images/magners-cider.jpg
HH
/Bishop B
Celtic announce Magners as new shirt sponsor in three-year deal
By: Newsroom Staff on 09 Jan, 2013 14:44
CELTIC Football Club is delighted today to announce a new three-year shirt sponsorship with Magners, the premium international cider brand. The deal will see Magners become the shirt sponsor of Celtic from the start of the 2013/14 season.
Magners has a strong track record of engaging fans via successful and innovative sponsorships across rugby, football, comedy and music and is currently working with Celtic to develop a range of initiatives to support its partnership with the club.
Celtic Chief Executive Peter Lawwell welcomed Magners’ commitment. He said: “On behalf of everyone at Celtic, I am delighted to welcome Magners as the club’s new shirt sponsor.
“This partnership is magnificent news, not only for Celtic but also for Scottish football. We are proud to be successfully leading Scottish football at home and in Europe.
“The desire of a brand with Magners’ stature to support the club is a measure of how much positivity there is around Celtic in our 125th year. I look forward to a long and successful partnership with Magners and I’m sure every Celtic fan will welcome their support.”
Tom McCusker, Managing Director of Magners, looks forward to a successful partnership. He said: “Magners is a premium brand with huge ambition both at home and abroad, available in over 40 markets worldwide including key cider growth territories like the US, Australia, Canada and Asia.
“There is, therefore, a great fit with Celtic Football Club who also enjoy great success and popularity domestically and internationally. Everyone at Magners is looking forward to working with Celtic and its fans over the coming years in what promises to be an exciting time for the club and our brand.”
So, will Sevco get Bulmers now?
Different names…same company (I think)…everybody happy.
Fassreifen 15:04 on 9 January, 2013
“Unicef or somesuch would have been great, but Magners is neverthless a great deal better than Tennents and co-sponsorship with the Zombies. Can imagine Irish cider being boycotted by the “light blues” forthwith.”
That’s a boycott which will have no impact at all as I’m sure none of the Zombies drink the stuff on the basis of the Irish connection anyway.
Dirtymac 14:35 I would give them the option to reform or die, we can’t have clubs surviving simply due to handouts from clubs who themselves have struggled to turn things around. At best I think we can support 20-22 true professional clubs.
I’d give them 2 years to adjust thereafter all such clubs would be regionalised into junior type set-ups, which most already are in truth (Some will no doubt fold/amalgamate).
A more streamlined league would need less funds to operate, perhaps a pyramid system could include a new junior super league / playoff which would be an incentive for all clubs lower down the system.
By reducing the shares of TV revenue / various grants we will increase the amounts available to those who are truly trying to improve in terms of facilities / standards.
So basically it’s as you were then, Magners and Tennents are owned by the same company. They think a change of sponsor name will make everything ok.
Are Magners also sponsoring Sevco?
Len Brennan – thanks.
‘Gers man’ is an anagram of Magners, just so you know.
Just because Tennants and Magners are owned by the same company doesn’t mean we’re still doing joint sponsorship.
Anything that goes toward distancing ourselves from Sevco is good in my book