Spurs have dispensed with the man once thought Europe’s hottest guru manager (don’t believe in guru managers). Villas Boas was a failure as manager but he was a mere symptom of their problems. Splurging circa £100m on vagrant misfits should be enough to disguise the fact that you don’t have a sustainable strategy. For a while. But primary responsibility lies with whoever authorised the budget in the first place.
Selling that chap with the funny hair to Madrid went some way towards offsetting the cost of this summer’s acquisitions, but Spurs wage bill for the new arrivals will dwarf the money paid to those who departed. This is the more serious problem.
They are left with players on long and expensive contracts who look like they auditioning for a West End show. Forget about Spurs recouping their ‘investment’, the chances of players attracting contract offers which match the cash the Cockerel coughs up each month is zero.
The Bale money is gone and those new contracts written in the summer will inhibit the club for years. What next: downsizing, or another visit to the roulette table, gambling with even bigger stakes next time?
Here’s what happens when you sell your star player: everyone and their grannie wants the money spent. “The [Insert club name] board need to show their ambition”. This comes from fans, the media, the manager, scouts, family members and every taxi driver in a 30 mile radius. And why wouldn’t they spend an apparent windfall, that’s what the money’s there for, after all.
It’s at this point clubs lose all self-awareness. Reinforced by the success which led to the development and profitable sale of a prime asset in the first place, the organisation’s view of its reach, not to mention competency, is obliterated. “We have spent money well in the past, look, here is the evidence, therefore we can spend this even larger amount of money well now”.
With this belief now orthodoxy, every pore in the organisation secretes an intoxicating scent attracting the club to market. Unfortunately, the rewards for spending big are heady and instant, though they seldom last as long as the hangover.
Directors are celebrated, ticket and merchandise sales get a short-term kick. The manager and coaches get to play with more expensive toys; quite literally, everyone is happy. This is narco-football, only accommodated by ever-bigger hits. For some, this narco-football offers proof that management share wider stakeholder aspirations. I contend otherwise.
The heresy to this orthodoxy reads differently:
Clubs should mistrust their successes, they are evidentially more random than most are prepared to accept.
Windfall transfer income is more likely to draw clubs away from the part of the market they are most competent in. It is an acknowledged fact that sellers and agents literally see them coming.
Don’t go searching for the instant hit, you’re more likely to miss. If necessary, take some short-term pain while using resources to enhance recruitment infrastructure.
Heresy in any area of life is seldom met with quiet contemplation. Narco-football heresy is more likely to be met with a rationalisation that the heretics don’t share orthodoxy’s core values – sustainable success of the football club – no matter how many references to “sustainable success of the football club” they make. It’s Salem-esque.
The orthodox-heretic analogy is evident where three or more are gathered in any club’s name. The first club who manage to unite everyone behind the heretic’s charter will clean up/reach nirvana/find salvation/achieve ultimate enlightenment/do lunch with Tom Cruise.
CQteN St Patrick’s Day Dinner is now FULLY BOOKED. Many thanks for everyone who responded so quickly. We are well on the way to raising the money to build a kitchen and shelter at the Kholoni Primary School in Malawi (for details check here).
Just a few posting days left to order your CQN Annual before Christmas, £5 from every sale goes to the Malawi appeal:
Sean Fallon: Celtic’s Iron Man:
[calameo code=000390171ece27dd9e54e lang=en page=98 hidelinks=1 width=100% height=500]
967 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- ...
- 16
- 17
- 18
- 19
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
- 24
- 25
- 26
- »
The hypocrisy, or lack of logic, is laughable…. in a sad sort of way
It’s simple… propaganda for kids
IRA bad: British Army (MRF) good
IRA bad: ANC (Mandela) good
IRA bad: CIA (pick your country) good
IRA bad: Pinochet (hmmmm) good
IRA bad: Franco (supported by Britain) good
Conclusion: the IRA was bad, but so was every state ever involved in a “war”. Cut the bullshit
Oh and Benny you say that anti sectarian legislation is a good idea. Do you like the OB act then? Are you happy that the minister sponsoring said it was designed to even things up by criminalising the celtic support?
delaneys dunky
Broken mirror means seven years bad luck for him. That’ll see us to 10-in-a-row !
fritzsong
Maybe I am wrong.
NegAnon2
23:57 on
17 December, 2013
==================================================================
Can’t disagree……. :)
Time for me to give up on the blog at least for a while. It used to be about football, finances, fair play within a Celtic FC orbit.
Really fed up now with the repeated & repeated entrenched views and the belittling of fellow posters. There must be some point in going on ad nauseum but I don’t need to be told twice and more, much more.
Some seem to prefer a pseudo political/religious/political/ultras forum. If that’s what’s wanted that’s OK but im not interested in hobbyhorses.com
Even talking Celtic often ends up with having to prove your worth as a fan or even as a human being! I’m maybe a tad over sensitive but I don’t like to see it.
My contributions are very minor anyway.
Will look in from time to time but I fear I won’t see much if any change.
HH
BCW
That thought crossed my mind. Lovely thought. :))
Stop the world I want to get off.
neganon2
Thanks for laying that out so concisely.
Just one point the club are legally bound to surrender the details to police. Too lazy to dig out the legislation but it’s there.
Attack you ? That’s a pretty Strange slant on things, no attack. My last sentence refers to me being too lazy if that’s your gripe.
I’ll look at “it” tomorrow as just about to turn in.
Big cup winners you are obviously a salmond fan who is struggling to rationalise that with his actions. It’s dead simple. When a society wants to victimise its minority very often the weapon of choice is some form of freedom bill or an act like the OB. They come in on a wave of doublespeak but are used to victimise the minority they are often dressed up to defend. One of my favourites is the patriot act in the US. In Scotland’s case you I have been told. It was designed to even things up because celtic fans were not behaving illegally. Th common thinking is we are bad as one another so that’s wrong so new laws must be created to criminalise the half you can’t get at. Now if I was being kind to salmond he may have genuinely thought we are as bad as one another and so something must be done. The least bad thing I can say about this is that it’s shows him up for being stupid. But then your need to remember the losing and then destruction of evidence of sectarian attacks overwhelmingly being acted upon the catholic minority. The Losing of those statistics was of course nonsense. But clearl salmond didn’t want them out ther because it’s a major embarrassment for Scotland. So it’s clearly much more sinister than complete stupidity. Add to that the institutionally sectarian police force in Scotland and a law that gives them the decision on what’s deemed offensive and hey presto.
By Tony Attwood(an Asenal fan)
I saw a picture of a Celtic banner at a match recently which said Fuck Uefa. And I felt 100% agreement with that.
I saw a commentary in the Guardian newspaper (a liberal left broadsheet which has recently done, in my view, enormous good in revealing the extent to which the US government spies on the world, and how the UK government kow-tows to this behaviour) calling this an “indiscretion.”
The context of the article in the Guardian was on the issue of raising banners of political philosophy at football matches.
Now this being Celtic – a club with a long religious tradition – I need to explain my religious position – just to avoid any suggestions that I am on some side other than that which I am on. I’m not religious in the slightest and don’t support one religious cause against another. I am an English atheist. I have no truck with calls for religious freedom until atheists get the same freedoms, which means removing the Bishops from the law making process in my country.
So that’s the context out of the way. Back to the banner, and I must admit when I see a set of banners that say, “The terrorist or the dreamer, the savage or the brave, depends on whose vote you are trying to catch, or whose face you are trying to save,” I find it interesting, stimulating and the source of a significant level of debate. Not religious debate but debate on politics, manipulation and control.
Now back to the Guardian’s article. I found it extraordinarily confused – for it was an attack on the Green Brigade seemingly for bringing politics into football. And yet football is politics – football is controlled by a fanatical corrupt all powerful tax free group known as Fifa. By being a willing member of Fifa, my country, England, allies itself with that corruption, and its policy of appeasement towards homophobes, male supremacists and fraudsters. My view is that what we need is a proper political and philosophical debate in football, starting with a debate on the ethics and morality of the Football Association being a member of the cartel and the clubs failure to break away from any association with Fifa and Uefa.
So for me the interesting thing is that what is not debated in the Guardian article is the question of why political displays are not to be allowed at football matches. Where does this come from? Football has the most appalling history of sexism (just read the history of the way the League destroyed women’s football) and self-serving insensitivity – and it seems we are never to engage in this debate at the place where football is played.
Why the Guardian article (which interestingly is unsigned) is so terse and against political action within a football ground is unclear. Their article, although long, rather has the effect of the person who reads a 1000 word article on Untold with a closely argued point responds by writing in to say, “You’re typical Arsenal wankers. Fuck off”. Writing it may have given the writer pleasure, but it doesn’t actually take the debate on.
The Guardian quotes the Green Brigade thus: “It is our opinion that the level of apathy from Celtic PLC towards the criminalisation of their supporters is unforgivable,” The Guardian’s response was “It was both the latest indication of youthful egos running amok and the lack of regard they have for either their own club or appropriate behaviour.”
That’s pretty much just abuse, and it was the source of abuse that people who try to redefine what is happening in our society suffer. Our society has repeatedly criminalised different groups of people, ranging from the women of 1910 who fought for the right to vote, to the miners of the same era who fought for the right to a living wage.
Now I found my own way to express the way society criminalises whole groups through the football book “Making the Arsenal”. It seemed to be a perfectly legitimate way to do this. Why is a banner at a football match less valid? Indeed I have no idea about the issue has developed, and I would have welcomed some insight and information. I got none.
My point is not that I support the Green Brigade, but I am thoroughly against what I think this Guardian article is saying – that there is no place for politics in football grounds. This is wrong because football is a political business, and to pull our right to debate the politics, hands yet more power to Fifa and Uefa. By being associated with Fifa, Uefa is tainted. By failing to deal with racism across Europe at games, Uefa exists in the same mire as the perpetrators. By holding people in appalling conditions for days on end for wearing t-shirts with beer adverts on while walking off with millions of pounds in tax free earnings while the poverty of South African townships continues, Fifa sinks to the bottom of the cesspit. By playing in the Fifa world cup, the FA associates itself favourably with these people.
This is all politics. OK it is my political rant, but is the Guardian really saying the Celtic supporters are not allowed to vent their political and philosphical views while the disgusting policies of Fifa and Uefa which treat wearing a t-shirt with the wrong beer on it as a far greater offence than overt racist chanting?
To me, it is the behaviour of Fifa and Uefa, and the wow the FA has bowed down to them that gives every single one of us the right to politicise football. Indeed it demands that we open up the debate on football, the clubs and their political stance.
What is wrong with protesting against the policies of the club, the directors and as the Guardian puts it “Scotland’s political landscape” at a football match? When the silly little man stood behind Mr Wenger in the West Stand with his “spend some fucking money” no one complained about his right to do it. I railed against the message, but not about his right to do it.
In fact the papers lapped that scene up. When Mr Wenger arrived, all the papers were on the steps of Highbury suggesting there was a story about his sexual preferences. That’s ok is it, while the activities of the Green Brigade is not?
Why?
According to the Guardian’s article (and you’ll notice I am calling it this, because as I stress again it was not signed by an individual) said, “…the Green Brigade has fallen into the trap of believing both their own hype and their significance in relation to a football club which has given them more grace than they were entitled to.”
But then it gets confused. The article talks about letting off fireworks, and on this I am with them, because that is not a matter of political or social debate. Any smoke bombs, fireworks etc must be stopped – and indeed I said so in a recent piece. I want Arsenal to take action against Everton fans. In fact more than that I want Everton to take action. They can see from the film where the fans were, and they know who they sold those tickets to. And I feel this because of the damage fireworks and smoke bombs can do.
But the Guardian also says, “The Green Brigade’s standard, domestic displays are dominated by the issuing of left-field messages rather than direct support for Lennon’s successful team.” OK so why has the Guardian not commented on the fact that for several years the Ems has been dominated by the AAA with some of the most bizarre left field messages football has ever seen?
When Celtic visited Motherwell, smoke bombs thrown and I am told damage was caused to a stand. I am not supporting that. I am supporting the right to bring political debate into football, and saying that the fact that it is not brought into football is part of the cause of much of what is wrong with football.
Here’s another Guardian comment…
“Ironically the Green Brigade perceives Scotland’s national police force as somehow out to get them.”
Now in that I have sympathy with the Green Brigade, because for much of my life I have seen members of the English police force out to get me when I become a football supporter. I am now in my 60s, but even so just a few years ago – the last time we played Cardiff at their old ground – I saw some of the worst police behaviour against a non-violent non-aggressive crowd. One group of people were out of control – and it was the police – and it was frightening to be targeted by them. Sometimes perceiving yourself as a victim is not wrong, because you are the victim.
I am not supporting the Green Brigade in any way because clearly I don’t have the knowledge to be able to argue for or against them. I am just saying sometimes the issues need to be debated, no matter how that debate is arranged.
NegAnon2 @ 00:29 on 18 December, 2013
“….even if I was a st mirren fan who for some reason spends inordinate amounts of time on a celtic blog”
Ha ha ha!
You seem to spend an inoridinate amount of time advocating (geoff) boycotting Celtic and taking to the streets where you urnae……
Big cup winners calling someone lazy isn’t normally a term of endearment. Enjoy reading the principles – they are etched on the insides on my skull. And if you are really interested the EU are working on updated legislation which can mean pretty big fines (percentage of turnover) for companies which breach DP laws.
Neganon2 – the police can also request details if they believe they are required to prevent a criminal act taking place.
neganon2
No maybe I just look for the good in people ?
neganon2
Think you got the wrong end of the stick, as I mentioned the “lazy” referred to me not you. You seem to have missed that again despite my clarification ?
macanbheatha Oscar Abú
00:38 on
18 December, 2013
where I am ;)
Benny you clearly are a very amusing chap. But are you going to answer my questions?
Big cup winners it’s your perogative to see the good in people. But its dangerousness to let it cloud your judgement.
When all beside a vigil keep
Weeminger that’s correct but do you think they did that when making a request of celtic and do you think celtic asked for that before they provided it?
Neganon2
If a wisnae a Tim, I’d be a Buddy. :)
neganon2
Are you not going to acknowledge the “lazy” point ?
The wests asleep, the wests asleep
Justafan I understand your sentiment but it seems the world won’t let us be. No need to stop posting though.
Big cup winners yes – Sorry I misinterpreted your point – my mistake apologies.
Delaneys – antipodean red and I had a right laugh at the st mirren stuff earlier in the week!
When Connacht lies in slumber deep.
There lake and plain smile fair and free,
neganon2
Are you in Australia ?
NegAnon2 @ 00:41 on 18 December, 2013
Don’t take this the wrong way, but are you suffering from Jet Lag? That post is close to being illiterate (although it is hard to differentiate it from your normal anti-Celtic posts)
Remember that “light is important because it is one of the primary cues that the body clock uses to maintain it’s link with the outside world.
When it comes to seeking light, any kind of light will do. Daylight is best, but if it’s not available, simply switching on a bedroom light is sufficient to help you minimise the effects of jet lag”.
I think you should go out into the sun. It might do you good.
Mid rocks their guardian chivalry.
Sing, Oh let man learn liberty
From crashing wind and lashing sea
That chainless wave and lovely land
Freedom and nationhood demand;
Be sure the great God never planned
For slumb’ring slaves a home so grand.
And long a brave and haughty race
Honoured and sentinelled the place.
Sing, Oh! not even their sons’ disgrace
Can quite destroy their glory’s trace.
For often, in O’Connor’s van,
To triumph dashed each Connacht clan,
And fleet as deer the Normans ran
Thro’ Corrsliabh Pass and Ardrahan;
And later times saw deeds as brave,
And glory guards Clanricarde’s grave,
Sing, Oh! they died their land to save
At Aughrim’s slopes and Shannon ‘s wave.
And if, when all a vigil keep,
The West’s asleep! the West’s asleep!
Alas! and well may Erin weep
That Connacht lies in slumber deep.
But, hark! a voice like thunder spake,
The West’s awake! the West’s awake!
Sing, Oh! hurrah! let England quake,
We’ll watch till death for Erin ‘s sake!
And THAT…. is the bollocks
Good night
Neg2
Glad you are enjoying your holiday. I was born in Ross Hosp. Paisley. Guess am a born Buddy. :)
JQB
Thomas Davis. nice!
ok cant be arsed reading back…has this been mentioned today?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-25418578
Greenpinata
22:32 on
17 December, 2013
My friends in Celtic,
I do not want to go down the road again of another “offensive” songs debate.
The question has to be asked though.
Why are Scottish “patriotic” songs not included in the OB act ?
Why have no members of the Tartan Army been getting the 04.00 hrs treatment from Police Scotland ?
I have absolutely no desire for this to happen, but it shows how ludicrous this act is.
Possibly I should have used the word sinister rather than ludicrous.
There is no doubt that Flower of Scotland is anti English and therefore racist according to the act.
——————————–
Ach I don’t want to be really boring, but what’s anti english in FOS?
eddieinkirkmichael 00.42
Wow! So it’s no jist us then?
Thanks for that. Very worthwhile reposting tomorrow for the day shift.
HH
JQB..what, in your opinion, is the “west” in Davis’s poem?
Margaret McGill
01:05 on
18 December, 2013
JQB
Thomas Davis. nice!
ok cant be arsed reading back…has this been mentioned today?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-glasgow-west-25418578
Twas
Delaneys Dunky @ 00:54 on 18 December, 2013
“Neganon2, If a wisnae a Tim, I’d be a Buddy. :)”
and If Neganon2 wisnae a buddy he’d be a Tim….
and if my auntie had baws she’d be my uncle….