I know many of us are annoyed that a Celtic player, who didn’t appeal for a foul, is not being charged for inappropriately looking for one, is headline news today. This is all a consequence of Sky Sports pundit Neil McCann’s insistence that John Guidetti cheated, while he simultaneously acknowledged Guidetti didn’t actually claim for a penalty.
TV analysis can enrich viewers’ appreciation of the game, but it has to carry a degree of responsibility too.
Those of us from Scotland will be familiar with the summertime noise of a scramble – pennies dropping all around you. It’s a wedding-day tradition, when the father of the bride throws coins into the street for kids to collect as he and the bride leave for the ceremony.
Today’s story in the Record, lifted from a fans’ group, that newco Rangers receive approximately 75p for every £10 spent with Rangers Retail, the joint-venture between the football club and Mike Ashley, must have had pennies dropping everywhere.
These figures are for last season, so predate whatever new arrangement Ashley was able to negotiate for the return of stadium naming rights. We’ve covered this point before, but it’s worth reiterating:
Football clubs are in fact a series of business units. Few make a profit over any business cycle but there are profitable business units inside every club, including retail, trackside advertising, media rights and kit deals.
Football operations almost always lose money. The considerable cost of operating a stadium, recruiting and employing footballers (and occasionally a manager on an onerous contract) isn’t met by ticket sales, even at community football level.
The club accounts detail how much financial control Ashley has over newco’s profitable revenue streams, from retail, to kit supply to trackside advertising. The true consequences of forming the with investors looking for a financial return, as newco did in 2012, should now be apparent.
If the club has a future it will have to survive pretty much on ticket sales alone. As we’ve covered before, when you need to pay circa £17m p.a. to open the doors at a club which will occasionally house 50,000 spectators, and your gate receipts and hospitality sales totalled £12.3m last season, you have a chronic problem.
Even if ticket sales doubled in value, there would still leave only around £7m to pay for football operations, a figure the likes of Kilmarnock can survive on, but you have to wonder if a ‘Rangers’ brand is viable at that level?
Does this sound like a viable football club to you? If so, let’s see how it looks after Ashley has his pound of flesh for financing the second half of the season. No wonder fans are so keen to stop him.
I see newco have appointed WH Ireland as their nominated advisers, a name you may be familiar with. Back in May 2012, Kitalba, with an astonishing degree of understatement (“It couldn’t be clearer”), noted here in the comments section the breadcrumb trail between Craig Whyte, a whole series of his companies and associates, and the aforementioned WH Ireland. It’s worth a 15 minute read.
It’s the big Glasgow derby tomorrow and Celtic sponsor Magners have offered us two premium seats in the Jock Stein Stand. All you need to do to win the seats is to email me the name of our opponents, at celticquicknews@gmail.com
Competition closes at 22:00 tonight, so check your email thereafter. Tickets can be collected from the ticket office before the game.
Planning is underway for Mary’s Meals to build a kitchen Chibwata Primary School, Dowa, Malawi, which we in the CQN community have committed to paying for. We have already built three school kitchens in Malawi this year, so I am sure we will complete this one sometime over the coming months.
Sorry, the MyDonate page is now open for business!!
Many thanks.
629 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- ...
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
- »
This oz tim is up .. not quite at it yet but soon.
Just watched man utd game from last nyt.. they nearly blew it at the end.
let’s hope we can kick on now in the League starting tomorrow afternoon. It was this time last year we started to find our form and the run of clean sheets. I see Ronny thinks the refs are wonderful – hope he says the same after 1 Feb.
G’day Proudbhoy
where are you residing?
H.H Mick
overseasbhoy (not mexico)
02:50 on 3 December, 2014
–
Yeah pretty strange comments
overseasbhoy
I think Ronnies tongue is stuck well in his cheek, but
as you say lets see.
H.H Mick
HH Melbourne Mick!
NATIMS are still kickin around!
TC45
Thecelt45
Hail hail to all the NATIMS hope to be over there
for the next convention.
H.H Mick
All gone quiet? Not like the Oz Gang,:))
HH TC453
Thecelt45
Maybe there trying to figure out what that
wet stuff is falling from the sky.
H.H Mick
Mm. Come on Down mate,,,,,,,she’ll be fine,,got some ripper songs here!
Andy,,T
THECELT45
Just offski after a short fag break,so I’ll leave you wi a pretty darn good album.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8rBtJFI_lN4
One for Auld Firm Afficeniados,,,
,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Le-3MIBxQTw&noredirect=1
G’Night
This’ll do for me – Murdo & Lambo
rolled ino one……
Bring it on – Hail Hail
Hopefully the link works….
http://www.newsnow.co.uk/A/747009639?-10583:834
Off oot.
rolled into one – bye.
Early start – train to Dublin.
Frosty start in THE Rebel County.
It’s guid to be a Tim.
HH.
Anywhere we can see the young bhoys goals from last nyt ?
Lymmbhoy
This is usually your area ..
Good morning CQNers,
A Celtic player slips on a sub-standard surface, a referee and his assistant see fit to award a penalty (the same pair also chalked off a perfectly good Kris Commons goal). Result – the media create a fuss.
Ranger’s thuggish players leave Hearts players strewn across the same pitch as a result of career threatening tackles. Result – not a word.
Impartial media or a media trying to chip away at our dominance?
I’m quite happy because their feeble attempts to undermine us only confirm we’re winning.
Reports celtic have recently watched stuart armstrong from dundee utd and will bid in January.
havent saw much of him to be but heard good reports.
Armstrong always looks to play forward passes from what I have seen. A skill we could be doing with IMO.
Good morning from East Kilbride where, yet again it’s damp underfoot but currently precipitation-free with broken clouds. Close to freezing but no evidence of frost or ice. Mind you, I am indoors;-)
gerrybhoy
06:38 on 3 December, 2014
–
I agree.. if he has good engine , can pass and isnt injury prone then he sounds like good replacement for kayal.
Hopefully he be good enough for more first team apps than kayal has been.
Hopefully we see same line up tonight as we did against hearts..
Hopefully if we can get a decent lead id like to see mcgregor get 30\40 mins in role behind the striker. Not out right wing.
proudbhoy
06:28 on 3 December, 2014
Anywhere we can see the young bhoys goals from last nyt ?
Lymmbhoy
This is usually your area .
====================================
Haha……..nothing yet but if any appear online I’ll post asap.
jobo
After a beautiful warm and sunny day here (not Lymm obviously)it is now chucking it down with added thunder and lightning .
HH
Every day deserves a laugh…
Borrowed from CelticParanoia – Lest we Forget:
James Traynor, Daily Record, 2 November 1996
£80m TO SPEND
Kenny will be given a roving role to go out and recommend – and try to attract – the best.”We’re not talking about young or middle of the road players – we’re talking the VERY best. Dalglish will be given an open chequebook to make sure the big names are made an offer they can’t refuse. Murray knows the name of King Kenny will not only help capture top stars, but will increase interest from potential investors.
That Dream Team in Full
Ajax attackers PATRICK KLUIVERT and MARC OVERMARS would immediately create a £15 million hole in the Ibrox funds – but would no longer be an impossible prospect.
Paris St Germain’s brilliant Brazilian RAI would also come into the equation and players like JURGEN KLINSMANN and PAOLO MALDINI would become targets.
Dalglish’s brilliant record in England could prompt moves for ERIC CANTONA and ROBBIE FOWLER.
Top agents like Edinburgh’s Jake Duncan reckons even Barcelona’s RONALDO would not be out of Dalglish’s reach.
If Rangers are making millions then the sky is the limit.
————————————-
One for Mike:
The Times, 15 March 1999
DAVID MURRAY, the Rangers chairman, has revealed that a UEFA ruling forced him to abandon his plans to buy Manchester City, of the Nationwide League second division, last year. Murray confirmed that he had several meetings with representatives of the club with a view to a £30 million takeover.
However, Jim Farry, the then chief executive of the Scottish Football Association, advised Murray that if the deal had gone through, UEFA could have used its powers to expel Rangers from European competition.
“Mr Farry advised me there could be serious difficulties with me having a controlling interest in Rangers and Manchester City if we were both in the same European tournament,” he said. “One of the teams would have been forced to withdraw from the competition. Therefore, we decided that it would be better to walk away from the deal”.
Iain Dey, The Scotsman 13 December 2002
‘Scottish football is bust’ says Murray
“Football is bust,” Murray said. “Rangers and Celtic will survive because they’re brands. I’ve got a 50million pounds debt at Rangers. But we can service that, and we can pay that back because we’ve got a stadium, we’ve got a training ground, we’ve got players. But at other clubs which have got debts, you wonder how that can ever be repaid. There’s no assets. “Rangers’ stadium and players could be worth £100-£150million depending on what day of the week it is and how you want to value it. That’s the business.”
—————————————————-
James Traynor, The Daily Record 21 June 2003
We’re not as broke as some folk say
Rangers’ honorary chairman decided to suspend his self-imposed silence to talk exclusively to Sports Record so that Rangers fans could deal with the “truth” rather than rumour and conjecture. He also went out of his way to stress his commmitment to his club remains strong even though he is no longer chairman and it was clear the rumours about his lack of concern had cut deeply.
Murray can be cold and brash, but he believes that if he is guilty of anything then it is over ambition for Rangers. “If that’s a crime then it isn’t such a bad one is it?” he asked before letting fly in all directions spitting out words like bullets. First, he spoke about the level of debt and said: “People talk about our debt being as high as £70million or £80 million, but that just isn’t the case.
“It’s nonsense, although we do have a high level of debt, but we can manage and it will peak at £60m to £65m for everything, players, training facilities, shops, the lot. We will work to reduce our debt and we have a four-year plan in place to take us forward. Of course there is a level of debt which we will not go above, but I’ve made a commitment to have the Murray business help out if and when the club needs assistance. For instance, if at some point in the new season Alex McLeish needs a player or players in a hurry then he will be given the money. “He already has Capucho signed up, Michael Mols has agreed a new one- year deal, and Zurab Khizanishvili has been offered a contract with the Georgian having to decide over the weekend and by Monday at the latest.”
Although he refused to divulge the amount his busines empire will plough in to help Rangers my belief is there will be a credit line which could rise to £20m as Murray tries to make sure his club and manager don’t have to go empty handed despite the severe financial restrictions which currently afflict the game.
James Doherty, The Scotsman 24 March 2004
Ibrox takes a gamble on casino to restore fortunes
“RANGERS Football Club has unveiled an ambitious £120 million plan to transform Ibrox and the surrounding area in Govan into an entertainment complex complete with casino. The Scottish champions confirmed the development will include a casino, private flats, a community sports facility, a health care centre and hotel and conference facilities. The club chairman, John McClelland, said the proposals, which have been drafted with Glasgow City Council, should generate substantial profits for the club and create more than 2,000 jobs. The entertainment complex, in partnership with the US-company Las Vegas Sands Inc, is worth an estimated £80 million alone.”
The Herald
Darryl Broadfoot, 29 July 2005
BARGAIN HUNT ALEX McLEISH’S CANNY EXPLOITATION OF THE TRANSFER MARKET HAS MADE RANGERS TITLE FAVOURITES
THIS summer’s shopping has cemented Alex McLeish’s reputation as one of British football’s most prolific and prudent Bosman customers. With the possible exception of Sam Allardyce at cosmopolitan Bolton Wanderers, few have negotiated the market as adeptly as the Rangers manager.
Rangers begin the Bank of Scotland Premier League season as favourites for the first time under McLeish’s stewardship and he has wasted little time equipping his squad for such heightened expectation. Brahim Hemdani, Jose-Karl PierreFanfan and Ian Murray, established defenders at Marseille, Paris SaintGermain and Hibernian respectively, have galvanised the club for a title defence and improved challenge in the ultimate proving ground, the Champions League.
With SPL transfer budgets now regarded as a luxury, McLeish has again painstakingly pored over the Bosman directory and been rewarded for his diligence. Indeed, this season’s Rangers starting XI could comprise seven players recruited for free. Ronald Waterreus, should he retain his place despite the return of Stefan Klos, Marvin Andrews, PierreFanfan, Murray, Alex Rae, Hemdani and Dado Prso are all ideal examples of McLeish’s astute policy.
Cue….Celtic winning the league by 20 points and the Huns finishing 3rd behind the Wee Huns. Give that man a job at the SFA!!
Words by Tony Bananas.
————————————-
Wee Huns 1 – Wee Giant Celtic 6
Cigar smoke at last at Murray Park.
New army regiment to be formed: Scottish Northern Irish yoemantry. Recruiting from Ayrshire and fife.
Heid sodjy is an English felly.
Stereotypescfc
lymmbhoy
06:59 on 3 December, 2014
–
As long as your not in christmas wind down already thats ok.
I’ll keep eye out for it aswel.
Good luck to Mouldy and MWD from this parish as they head off on their cycle. Still raising money to fight neuroblastoma in Wee Oscars name! Well done bhoys.
Jim the Tim will keep you and your family in our prayers.
Well done the weans last night! Missing the game tonight work getting in the way give the big Bhoys a cheer from me!
Good read posted by Kitalba there at 0659.
Tony Bananas was right about Daryl Broadhoof, who went on to represent the SFA and joined the rozzers in support of the OBA (against the common sense recommendations of everyone else). A man with a creepy demeanour of George Osborne proportions.
Kitalba 06.59
Very good read.
It should be re-posted later for the day shift.
Morning all.
Still dark and cold down here but I have the privilege of attending Celtic Park tonight. So, there couldn’t be a better start to the day.
Nat Tims? – What a disgusting term – any Tim worth their salt should treat Nationalism with the disdain it deserves.
It makes me almost physically sick to think that people I share Celtic with can believe that independence could be anything but disastrous for us.
But of course the real truth is that these Nat Sheep only vote SNP as a narrow-minded and misguided ‘poke’ at the Ibrox mob – it is hard to judge which lot are the stupidest.
Horrid Henry
Nat Sheep?
What have Aberdeen got to do with it?
Morning all.
Very well done the young Hoops last night.
Six going on twelve by all accounts.
Ronny D was present, and I hope the performance he witnessed gave him food for thought.
HH!!
I’ve just finished reading a few articles on the Sevco / Ashley debacle
Ashley is a shark …a very big powerful one …he has shown his level of interest in Sevco to be purely financial ….his outrageously onerous contract is all the evidence required
If the Huns boycott his gear …then his only interest ends …like any other business venture that starts losing cash and worth…pull the plug and get what you can out
Hobson’s choice …..support a guy who is shafting you to sustain what little of your club you have left or rail against him and risk liquidation
How many Huns will have the stomach for a third incarnation …judging by the 38000 empty seats on Sunday ..precious few
I’d know idea their liquidation would be so much fun
Know.. No even ..jeez
HORRID HENRY
I canny think of any circumstances under which I would vote SNP,but I’m not sure I could convince someone of the error of their ways by calling them stupid.
…Pfayr
Getting yer ‘nos’ and ‘knows’ mixed up this morning!
On the sauce last night?!
:-)
HH!!
….PFayr supports WeeOscar
Absolutely! Although I have a sneaky feeling part of the outrageously onerous contract is a requirement to procure a minimum amount of stock from sports direct regardless if the peepul are buying the merchandise.