Ange Postecoglou, by his own words, worked closely with Mark Lawwell during his time at City Football Group’s Yokohama F. Marinos and had a big influence in the appointment of our new Head of First Team Scouting and Recruitment.
The tie goes deeper, though. It was Mark Lawwell, who a year ago, told his closest contact at Celtic about an Australian he knew that was working in Japan and who would be a far better appointment than Eddie Howe.
The then incoming chief exec was understandably cautious about taking this recommendation, preferring to wait for Howe, a known entity. When that line of pursuit was no longer open, the club took Mark Lawwell’s recommendation. It was a radical decision and a huge risk, made at a time when two chief execs were in the building, with differing views.
The relationship between manager, head of scouting and chief exec can make or break a club. They flourish whenever all three are working in sync. On that basis, I’m encouraged by where we are ahead of the summer transfer window.
Uefa’s news yesterday, that Russian clubs will not participate in European football next season, confirmed that the cinch Scottish Premiership champions will gain automatic entry to the Champions League group stage. We will talk more about what this means financially to the club at the appropriate time. What you can be sure of is that a budget spreadsheet at Celtic Park has been updated, the recruitment team has been assembled and there is a clear sense of ambition at the club.
If Mark Lawwell’s player recommendations are half as good as his managerial suggestion, we can look forward to an interesting season.
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Another day closer to our league winning game. Exciting times.
Whether or not posters are able to respect recently deceased individuals, I would hope all are able to respect Paul and this blog. Consider how our posts can be viewed by anyone and how our words reflect on CQN as a whole.
I hope Ange and the coaches were paying attention to the Liverpool game last night
The first half looked very familiar, Villareal went for a high press, man for man in midfield and stopped one of the best passing teams in Europe. Liverpool were so disrupted they couldn’t find a red shirt with a pass, it looked just like us against the Huns. Villareal were constantly breaking Liverpools lines, overrunning their midfield, Liverpool had no out ball, helped by one of the midfield 3 having a shocker. Alison was booting it into touch just to clear his lines, even Tiago couldn’t pass the ball ten yards to his own player.
I would have taken Keita off at half time but Klopp saw that the pattern was the problem not the personnel, so he resisted the urge to take off a passing player and play a more physical presence like Henderson to stop Villareal. He replaced one of the front 3, and encouraged the team to play their own football.
It worked immediately, the game turned 180 degrees and Liverpool could have scored 4 or 5 in the second half
When we’re faced with the Huns doing exactly what Villareal did in the first half we should remember the game last night. No extra physical presence, Liverpool broke their lines time and again, turned them and played the way they play, in the opposition half. The number six scored the equalizer from just outside the six yard box. They did it by doing what Klopp encouraged them to do which was by playing football
It helps when you can bring on someone like Diaz who’s an exceptional player but that’s the sort of player we should be looking to add in the summer – someone who can change the game by doing what we do better, not stop the Huns from trying to stop us playing. When we play our game we’re better than them every time.
As we’ve heard Liverpool have the best number 6 in the world but if you let the opposition play how Villareal did in the first half the best back 5 in the game at the moment will concede even against inferior teams like Villareal.
So now the bigots are turning on Rabbie Burns because he was a freemason. Being a mason in 18th century Scotland was not what it is today. There were virtually zero Catholics in Scotland then.
It’s bad enough being a bigot but a philistine as well? Who’s next – Robert Louis Stevenson?
It must be fantastic to play for Klopp, he’s one the great coaches. That turnaround at half time, from being totally dominated in the first half to totally dominating in the second, with one seemingly minor change and some well chosen words is the mark of genius
To do it in a champions league semi final is even more remarkable.
RLS,
he is no GVB
thats all I am saying on the matter, think of that what you will.
TOM MCLAUGHLAN,Liverpool diving all over the place ,I Definitely need to go to Specsavers or I’ve been watching Bournemouth v Notts Forest ,Give them credit for getting to another Champions League Final ,
Excellent summary from Swiss Ramble on C/L cash, the nonsense which is posted on here that defended PL and a board who failed to back recently Rodgers and others on the back of Europen success is in the stats on the thread
After UEFA’s ruling that no Russian clubs will participate in its competitions until further notice, it is now certain that the winners of the Scottish Premiership will qualify automatically for the group stage of the Champions League without having to go through a play-off.
As Celtic realistically only need three points to secure the title (given their vastly superior goal difference), it looks likely that they will take Scotland’s Champions League place, so I thought it would be interesting to estimate how much this might be worth #CelticFC
#CelticFC have received £133m from Europe in TV distributions from UEFA in the last 10 years, but the difference between earnings from the Champions League (£92m in 4 years) and the Europa League (£41m in 6 years) is stark.
The last time #Celtic FC reached the Champions League group stage was in 2017/18, when they received €32.5m, even though they lost 5 of the 6 games. Around half was their share of the British TV pool (€16.1m), as Scottish clubs received 10% if they qualified for the group.
This is important, as the TV pool was reduced in 2018/19 to help fund the new UEFA coefficient payment, which is based on performances in UEFA tournaments over the past 10 years, including bonus points for winning tournaments. This change has hurt Scottish clubs.
The Champions League UEFA coefficient pot is divided into shares worth €1.137m, so the highest ranked club gets €36.4m, while the lowest gets €1.1m. Based on the 2021/22 coefficients, #CelticFC are ranked 38th in Europe, so would have received €9.1m.
On the other hand, like all other clubs in the Champions League group stage, #CelticFC will receive a participation fee of €15.64m, which is up 3% from the previous cycle’s €15.25m – even if they do not win a single game.
Any positive results in the group would increase #CelticFC CL earnings: €2.8m for a win and €930k for a draw. Additional prize money is received for each further stage reached: last 16 €9.6m, quarter-final €10.6m, semi-final €12.5m, final €15.5m and winners €20m.
#CelticFC are part of British TV pool. For English clubs, half based on position in previous season’s domestic League, half on progress in current season’s Champions League. Assuming Scottish clubs continue to get 10% of the total (as was the case before), that would mean €6.8m.
As a result of COVID-19, revenue in 2019/20 was reduced by €531m with €416.5m impact on participating clubs. This will be deducted in equal shares over five seasons (from 2019/20 to 2023/24) in proportion to each competition. This works out to around 3% of each club’s revenue.
If we assume #CelticFC win one game and draw another one in the group, they would earn €3.9m prize money. On that basis, total TV money would be €34.3m (£30m): participation €15.6m, prize money €3.9m, UEFA coefficient €9.1m and TV pool €6.8m less €1.2m COVID rebate.
Clearly, the actual amount would depend on how far #CelticFC progress in the competition, but it is clear that Champions League money will make a sizeable difference to their revenue. The only time the club generated more than £100m was in 2018, i.e. the last time they qualified.
On top of the estimated £30m TV money, #CelticFC would also earn more in terms of gate receipts plus it is likely that their sponsorship agreements include performance bonuses for Champions League qualification, so the net revenue benefit would be higher.
https://twitter.com/SwissRamble/status/1521737110734225409?s=20&t=LIXhfP6LpKplTdiOL5jUFw
After watching the Liverpool v Villareal game last night BT Sport showed a film “The Boot Room Boys”,about Shankly,Paisley,Fagan,etc.
It reminded me of a discussion I had with a Liverpudlian named Steve( cant remember his surname),in the Pavilion Theatre after watching Celtic-The Musical, about 5 years ago, it turned out he wrote the show after someone from Celtic had seen his “You`ll Never Walk Alone,the Liverpool Story.
When researching the material to use for the show he was absolutely gobsmacked by the history of Celtic and struggled to condense it into the semblance of a fair representation of Celtic and its history,he had enough stories to make 10 shows,and contrasted Celtic to Liverpool,where Liverpool only emerged from being in the shadow of Everton in 1965 when they won their first ever FA cup,and that was the start of his Liverpool “history”,
An updated version of the Celtic Musical show is due out this year,a must-see for every Celtic fan,
Steve is now a Celtic fan,tho` Liverpool is his team.
HH
In Ange we Trust
tom mclaughlin @ 9.32
Wasn’t too many witches either
LIONROARS67 on 4TH MAY 2022 9:52 AM
Those numbers match almost exactly what I posted recently
Tv Pool money would almost half were the Huns to make it to the groups, reducing distributions by £2.5m
You talk about increased revenue from bonuses from commercial deals and from ticket sales but exclude bonus payments to playing and coaching staff and executives which Swiss Ramble does reference as being considerable. Much more than for the Europa League, for example.
The difference isn’t as great as a decent run in the Europa league, at least not as much as some would have you believe
Unfortunately we never got to find out under Brendan Rodgers.
TIMBHOY123
TOM MCLAUGHLAN,Liverpool diving all over the place ,I Definitely need to go to Specsavers or I’ve been watching Bournemouth v Notts Forest ,Give them credit for getting to another Champions League Final
To be fair, I posted that a few minutes into the second half when Liverpool were attacking. In a 5 minute period, 3 Liverpool players went down easily and looking for 2 free-kicks and a penalty. All were waved away by the referee.
Believe me I was delighted and relieved when Liverpool went through. A few weeks ago I was invited to my third CL Final weekend in the city of Liverpool on 27-30 May and at half-time I feared it wasn’t going to happen, so perhaps my comment was borne out of frustration.
C40 @ 10.06
Why are you still banging that empty drum?
Please let go of that bone and join the real world.
The EuL run you are pushing is based on the support putting their hand in their pocket again and again and again.
.
CL groups stages are based on money from EUFA — good for Scotland PLC / Good for the club / better for the support.
Our friends in Govan have had to put their hand in their collective pockets 10 times this season to deliver a financial outcome that is worse than the one available to us next season — and yet you keep pushing this fantasy that the EuL is better than the CL.
Are you a property bean counter?
Did you learn your understanding of corporate finance from a second rate ex property bean counter?
We need to be told.
CELTIC MAC
There weren’t ANY witches. Thatcher was the first.
LIONROARS67 on 4TH MAY 2022 9:52 AM
Re SWISSRAMBLE,
you have to admire the guys expertise in all this, really excellent job, his graphics and analysis are brilliant.
£30m it is then. Plus gate receipts.
I dream already of a group with teams we havnt met before.
MADMITCH on 4TH MAY 2022 10:14 AM
Simply:
In terms of finance CL is better than EL. Consuderably, not as much as the hysteria would lead you to believe
In terms of enjoyment and competition EL is better than CL
All the figures I use are taken from the Uefa website.
I think we’d be better served, in terms of the amount we worry about getting access to the “champions league riches,” how it affects the supper’s thinking and the affect that has on the club and players, if we know what the actual amounts are
The numbers are there if anyone wants to look them up, it doesn’t take long. You should try it yourself, I’d be interested to see if you contradict Swiss Ramble , who has no skin in the game
On the subject of Liverpool, I’m reading ‘Red or Dead’ by David Peace (‘The Damned Utd’) about Shankly.
He comes out as a decent though very driven man.
Celtic get a few mentions – apparently, there was a bit of aggro at the 1966 ECWC SF in Liverpool between the fans though the author does say Lennox’s goal was 5 yards onside.
Shankly, of course, went to Lisbon and the author implies that he was was burnt up with envy with Celtic’s victory (which is understandable). He did – as is well known – warmly congratulate JS.
The last mention was that Lou Macari was all set to sign for him but chose Man U because they offered twice the money Liverpool would. God knows what pittance Celtic were paying him.
Anyway, Macari would have had a much better career had he chosen to sign for Shankly.
In fairness, the wages then seem laughably low now though it was nearly 50 years ago.
Keegan, on signing for him, managed to get £50 pw for his first Anfield contract.
Should have added that it is written as a novel but I guess there was a strong basis behind the stories.
TMcL @ 9.32
The bold RB is code for far too many in today’s Scotland.
An understanding / appreciation of his work in present day Scotland announces to the world that you are on the square / part of the brotherhood / a top quality knuckle cruncher.
Wee Eck aka the octopus formerly known as AS — he was head of the Holyrood RB appreciation society for a number of years which allowed him to keep his large political profile even when he took a step back from the front rank with the Tartan Tories.
He had his puppets to manage and his standards to keep.
JSw manages to find a burd who will only say I do in a chapel — interesting timing given his fall from grace with the Tartan Tories.
CELTIC40ME on 4TH MAY 2022 10:06 AM
The difference isn’t as great as a decent run in the Europa League, at least not as much as some would have you believe
Money getting into C/L is not dependent on a decent run, we got circa 40 mil for turning up and hearing that C/L theme
Ange has delivered brilliantly domestically, what a job he has done since he has taken over, our transfer business has been done timely and as far we can guess the football dept selected the players rather than the CEO, Ange has a 4-3-3 system with a high press attacking philosophy which domestically delivers on high percentage possession against inferior teams, our European campaigns have been a disappointment, European cup tie football is the toughest club competitions in the world, game management is a vital component of success in Europe, Ange needs to understand that, as we saw on Saturday in the last 30 mins being outmaneuvered tactically needs a response we were lucky on Sat, we have no qualifiers, guaranteed millions Ange has a summer like no other recent Celtic manager, i hope he can step in Europe to give us a decent run
I would like to see us enjoy a European competition that pays us fairly and in which we have a reasonable chance of winning if we do everything right
No summers of gut-wrenching anxiety about getting players in on time so we can negotiate 3 qualifying rounds against Beer Sheva. No crushing disappointment when we don’t
Winning the league should always be first, for the glory of winning the league not for an extra 10 or 15m quid do we can participate in a tournament we don’t belong in against teams we can hope to compete against once in every 5 goes.
The CL money skews everyone’s thinking and above all makes supporting Celtic a much less enjoyable thing. I could do without it if it wasn’t so important to domestic dominance
C40 @ 10.27
You are havering — partial / forced / slanted analysis to try and prove a failed comparison.
We have the numbers for the CL group stages — what we could earn.
What are the figures for the EuL group stages?
Compare and contrast — what would suit the club better?
We need to play in the CL — anything else is just the Scottish cringe from a second rate ex property bean counter.
The fact that we haven’t been in the CL group stages for 5 years tells the world that we are a badly run club.
I followed Bournemouth’s game last night on bbc updates and was happy for Ryan Christie and Celtic they won. Read as a very tough ninety minutes.
An interesting stick or twist decision to be made about Scott Parker. Two seasons past, he went up with Fulham only to be relegated immediately. Will Bournemouth risk him in the EPL?
Ahead of the crunch, Bournemouth Chairman Jeff Mostyn provided a lesson in humanity to other club boards by sending a positive message to supporters without trying to sell them anything,
“Thank you so much to Family Friends and Supporters everywhere for all your love and messages of support for @afcbournemouth match v Forest tonight. I know the boys will carry your thoughts and good wishes into the match. Regards & Thanks to you all. Jeff X”.
The stony-faced silence of corporate robots is not a compulsory default position to adopt.
SAINT STIVS on 4TH MAY 2022 10:21 AM
Yes Swiss Ramble is worth the copy and paste, superb analysis
C/L for me every time, always aim to compete against the best, its the only way to progress
C40 @ 10.35
What football have you been watching this season?
Dreaming of EuL cup run — we couldn’t even win a cup tie in the Eu third tier / EuConL never mind the second.
We haven’t won a post Christmas cup game in Europe for 18 years.
And you think we have a chance of winning the EuL?
Get real — take the CL money and build / build / build.
A growth agenda is what is required — you know it makes sense.
LIONROARS67 on 4TH MAY 2022 10:33 AM
Our performances in Germany, and home and away against Betis, Ferencvaros and AZ Alkmaar were encouraging. Ange seems to have found away to get results against better teams, by playing bold, front foot football and sticking to his principles. The Bodø/Glimt tie showed the shortcomings in his system, especially if he doesn’t have the personnel to play it
We’ll do well to get anything in the CL next season though, it’s too early in this teams development, and the gap too big to even most of the pot 3 teams we’re likely to face
A third place finish and a decent run in the Europa League would be signs of real progress.
Lionsroar
#Celtic FC have received £133m from Europe in TV distributions from UEFA in the last 10 years,
Roughly the same as Leeds got for finishing 9th in epl last year
Yeti @ 10.21
The SR analysis has its uses but he is partial to a bit of hype from time to time.
He has gotten caught up in the TFOD2.1 media luv in the past.
Worth a read but copy and paste will catch you out.
TOM MCLAUGHLIN on 4TH MAY 2022 9:32 AM
So now the bigots are turning on Rabbie Burns because he was a freemason. Being a mason in 18th century Scotland was not what it is today. There were virtually zero Catholics in Scotland then.
It’s bad enough being a bigot but a philistine as well? Who’s next – Robert Louis Stevenson?
==================
Tom
Rabbie Burns was posted by a stinted bigot and racist last night,not a word of his right wing racist politics
The skank was on last night looking for sympathy for a fellow bigot by implying some sort of high moral ground at the death of a trainer who so openly vented his hate of Celtic.F…Off with that
Less of yir windae hinging oh-wah outrage Tom,
HH
time to go, the insulter cant help himself, and reverts to type.
LIONROARS67 on 4TH MAY 2022 9:52 AM
Thanks very much for that
HH
C40 @ 10.48
We played two CL elect teams this season in the EuL.
We played some good stuff against them but they found our glass jaw all too easily.
Consequently with a better squad / improved coaching / more confidence we should have a chance in the CL next season.
Plus the CL would seem to be a lagging indicator.
Teams do well in the league to qualify and struggle to repeat their form in the next season.
CL was very poor this season.
VR getting the SF — and nearly winning — tells you how good the competition has been this season.
Consequently all to play for.
If only we had the crowd of 20 years ago.
Current lot are sweetie rustlers withPTSD.
Yeti @ 10.52
Please don’t go — Toaty Trumper is a challenge I grant you …
But you are better / bigger than that.
Petethebeat…’apparently, there was a bit of aggro at the 1966 ECWC SF in Liverpool…’
Understatement of the season. It rained bottles that night, unlike anything I’ve ever seen. However, the Celtic fans’ anger wasn’t directed at the Scousers, it was at the man in black for that pathetic refereeing decision.
PETETHEBEAT
Shankly had the cleanest oven in British football.
An ol firm goodbye,
https://youtu.be/DN3iTWe-AtY
HH
TMcL @ 11.12
That must be code for a cell of sleeper agents to do their worst.
Not sure for / against whom — but it must be a signal for something.
MADMITCH on 4TH MAY 2022 10:31 AM
TMcL @ 9.32
‘The bold RB is code for far too many in today’s Scotland.
An understanding / appreciation of his work in present day Scotland announces to the world that you are on the square / part of the brotherhood / a top quality knuckle cruncher.’
###
Up to a point. I think there are those who quote Burns as a kind of Masonic/Presbyterian dog whistle to their fellow brethren. Their understanding and appreciation tends to be superficial and self serving.
I don’t think that can be said of proper scholars though.
This guy for instance is a Tim and a Taig and isn’t shy of letting people know it.
https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/critical/staff/gerardcarruthers/