This week’s Economist has a most curious article on the football business, entitled “Welcome to the beautiful game. Football clubs can easily be used as stealing machines. Here is an instruction manual. The stories are real, but most details are concealed”.
They assert, “It is a good time to enter the football racket. Banks are less generous and sentimental about loans. Tax officials are less lenient, too, as Rangers, a big Glasgow club, discovered”.
“Set up a holding company (or a nest of them) in a discreet jurisdiction, as many owners do, and you have a money-laundering and embezzlement machine at your disposal.
“Exaggerating the attendance at matches lets you run some of the dirty takings from your previous career through the turnstiles, turning them into legitimate income (this particular ruse works best if you buy a middling club, where games are not routinely sold out).”
They conclude, “Some national associations do a spot of due diligence on new owners, but this is unlikely to interfere with your plans.”
Brazil, Balkans, Russia, Serbia and Bulgaria all get a mention but there was only the one club got a name check.
Nest of holding companies in discreet jurisdictions, money-laundering, embezzlement, exaggerated attendances, dirty previous businesses!! Read it and weep, football fans, just don’t expect the blazers to watch out for your best interests.
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corkcelt
Just had a wee shufty back myself to see what the fuss was about, some crazy batsh*t stuff there, I’m glad I was out!
The rubber room must be really bouncing the night! Plent yof great Celts on here to compensate..
TSOAL,
Was great to meet you, banter was brilliant and the last race made the whole day!
WITS – if you’re still about, my apologies for the duff info last night…..it is indeed Haydock for the races, not Kempton.
Also apologies to Petec for going out his way to find the ‘Compton’ hit on YouTube, which proved to be of no relevance as I have the memory of a goldfish!
A Killer of a set to end T in the Park 2013.
Chris1888
See earlier posts. Findog back out tomorrow. Could be value, I’ve taken 12s.
–
anyone getting tickets or people wanting to meet up, please be wise, make sure you or another definate person you know knows the source.
Pogmathonyahun aka Laird of the Smiles
I would love to see Lenny lift the treble this year with the players he trusts to do the job in whatever game we’re involved in. Finding the balance and consistency in a team is the hardest task for any manager.
Canny wait for Wednesday despite our preseason..
Hail Hail
Off topic guys, but Im looking for 2 tickets (1 adult 1 child) for the Donegal v Monaghan game next Sunday. I can swap for 2 tickets ( 1 adult 1 child) for the Celtic v Cliftonville game at Paradise.
Any good GAA sources out there?
The killers are TITP answer to Aly Bain and Phil Cunningham on Hogmanay
I’m as impatient as anyone and trust me I lost it a few times because of poor performances and motivation.
One game I didn’t lose the rag due to a lack of motivation or result was the home game with Hibs.
It was good to see a few youngsters get a game and I wish they had got more. I would take a defeat or poor performance a hell of a lot easier knowing that our future stars were on the park instead of loan signings or those who have no future.
.
G’Day CQN..
I’m just about to Do something I have Not done since the Day the Twin Towers came Down..
No Big Deal..
But Wish me Luck..:-(
Summa of FeelLikeSixteenAgainCSC
Ulster-Celt
22:59 on 14 July, 2013
The real Celtic heartland my friend,you know that. ;)
Laters.
Can anyone put a shout out to Paddybhoy …Polo shirts required ..thankyou ..
Is this the new one doing the rounds, from the Daily Mail:
“Championship side Leicester want Celtic defender Kelvin Wilson in a £1.4million deal.
Wilson, 27, only has 12 months left on his contract and is yet to be told whether Celtic will take up a one-year option to keep him until 2015.”
.
Ulster-Celt..
Good to see You back on the Blog..
Summa
Corkcelt
He has been posting since the start of the blog, approx 9 years ago.He is a right wing sectarian British racist who pretends he lives in las Vegas. He is accomadated for some reason. Your right he is a troll but he has always been allowed to post. Just ignore.i haven’t read any of his nonsense for years.
001
Respect
Laird of the smiles ; if Wilson leaves , mjallby can always step in.
Twisty,
Yes I seen that…..will def be having a look
List of Bosmans for 2013 wonder if there’s any gems to be had there?
http://bit.ly/1aFEOXL
My vision for our youth development is that we become a 7:4 team , with 7 guys who have come through our youth system , a couple signed from other clubs, and a couple of marquee signings.
I don’t know why, but , I don’t think we are any closer to that than we were 10 years ago( when this blog started) or , 20 years ago, when guys like David Elliot etc came though.
Too many of our young players end up either out he game or in the lower English, Scottish, Irish leagues.
I have no idea why this happens – are we signing the wrong players, or, are we not coaching them properly. One concern I do have, is taking young players on tours across Europe – I suspect for some of them, they think they have made it and lose their hunger.
What can we do?
We need to understand the problem – is it the development process, or the raw talent , or both.
As a starter, I would look seriously at the benefit of the supposed academy system, and, I would consider a switch to a community structure up to 16 / 17 years old.
Second, I would then look to recruit from other clubs at 18 – 21, and put all focus on this area.
Third, I would hold coaches to account. It’s very easy to say youth development is a 5 / 10 year process. When we see a McCarthy, Fletcher or McArthur move, or we have to pay £4m for Scott Brown, I would be asking the coaches : ” why in a small country of 5+ million, did we miss these guys ?”
Hey,Corkie…..
So The Truth Must Be Airbrushed….
If It Doesn’t Suit Some Parties…..
And Everybody Else’s ‘Sensibilities’ Must Be Respected….
Just So Long As They Are Not Hideously White/British/Scottish/English…..
Or Conservatively Inclined….
God Bless Your Little Bald Napper! XXX
Good night all
HT and all who are fortunate enough to get to game
enjoy your trip, land in town ,party, settle for a draw then finish job at home and finally party
Raymac you are a credit to us sir.
Hail Hail
Latchford, Wilson is another of Lenny’s acquisitions, because of their time together at Forrest.
I reckon big Dolph could still do the business.
“In A Time Of Universal Deceit,Telling The Truth Is A Revolutionary Act” G.Orwell
Crap video,amazing song.
If this doesn’t calm the soul,nothing can:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jY3ucJ3ZkVo
Before I go
Seen on twitter earlier
If you missed today’s blog on Reamonnn Gormley, you’ll find it here. Well worth 5 mins of your time… http://tirnaog09.blogspot.co.uk
leftclicktic
Hope yer well Mate, I was just about to head so thanks for the Raemonn blog will read that in the morning..
Hail Hail
I am puzzled at the lack of movement on Wilson’s contract, very late to be telling a player if he is wanted or not. Have we not learned any lessons from Jackie McNamara episode?
Raymac – if you are still around…don’t want to come across as a nosey so-and-so,but i always wanted to ask you this question – are you the singer mate?
Clashcitybhoy 23.30
It’s not a ? of missing these boys,but their parents think they have a better chance of progressing with a smaller club,or the Diamonds ,as they are called,go for the biggar signing on fee etc.,
Clashcitybhoy
I think we have a lot of highly rated 14-17 year olds. The problem as they get a bit older they don’t develop as they don’t get games.
Other SPL clubs are forced to play young players giving them experience at the vital time in their development.
Our youths are fighting sometimes two internationals for their first team position so will only get a game in an emergency.
Hibs and Motherwell have thrown in their young players for a number of years and made some money as well as having the benefit of the player for a couple of seasons.
Would someone like Scott Brown have broken into our first team if he came from our youth set up? Probably not as he would be up against more experienced players.
SOAL – great day out and great company. Thanks for saving my bacon after my antics at the last race!
Twisty/Chris – backed Circuitous in that race at Ayr tomorrow, but might have a wee saver on ole Beckermet! Former C1 winner. More opinions late am.
HH
TTTT
Fanadpatriot, Allgreen
You both touch on the challenges of breaking through, when their is an international in the team, and one on the bench.
I agree that is a challenge, but also, the fact that many of these guys leave us at relatively young ages, and end up at Swindon, Ross County etc suggests many are not good enough in the first place.
Clashcitybhoy 23.30
I think our investment in youth does produce results but not that many make the top grade.
Same as in any other walk of life. “Many are called but few are chosen.”
Also, look at the real good talents we have lost to injury. eg John Kennedy.
I agree on a lot of points about promoting youth but the reality is that if we want to be in the champions league then we will always look at players elsewhere.
If we agree that Europe is not a big deal and that the SPL is what we want then our youth set up will do us fine.
Unfortunately we are punching above of weight in Europe when we qualify for the champs league.
It is all about the big teams with the most money and we are not in that category now.
So what do we want?
League 10 in a row or champions league every year?
I will be happy with 10 in a row.
Once a Celt…….always a Celt.
Good article on Celtic, however I’m not sure about his last statement below: i’d rather think that Celtic fc “has a special community”.!
“In that sense Celtic FC does not ‘have’ a supporter community, it is rather that a very special community has a football club. If we or the club forget that then we will have forgotten what it really means to ‘be Celtic’. And no amount of online purchases will ever be able to buy it back”.
http://republicfootball.net/being-celtic/
Brown,Riordan ,Thomson ,Millar Murray Caldwell,Whittaker,would any of these players be given a chance at Celtic ,as a youth player.Hence the reason why the scouts of Hibernian FC were able to convince them to sign.Fact.
Hamiltontim
If you are in Belfast city centre on Wednesday afternoon be aware that all the bars I know do not allow football tops.
There is a club at 45A Rosemary Street called Central Catholic Club (the 3 Cs) which is full of Celtic supporters and you will get a big welcome there in your gear. I watch midweek games there.
Pint is £2.40!