Newco cannon fodder plans

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While I was busy telling one of my first bosses how much money we were going to make in a year or two, he made a comment which has remained with me since, “If you don’t make some sales next month, we’ll not be around to find out if you’re right.”

Plans for 2022 don’t mean a fart to a company which is haemorrhaging cash, billionaire funders, nomads and auditors, all the consequence of a two year war of attrition as newco Rangers tried to fight off an insurrection.

There are literally thousands of metrics you can use to compare the prospects of football clubs but let me draw your eye to a couple, which will give you real insight into the future.

Last season Celtic had 475 “full time equivalents” in employment, 318 people in non-football roles and a further 157 in football operations (players, coaches etc.).  If the average pay of those 318 non-football full-time staff was £25k (I doubt it’s this low), their combined wage bill would be just below £8m.  Celtic’s total annual wage bill was £37.766m, total operating expenses were £59.885m.

If you want to win the Scottish Premiership, this is what you’re competing against.

Newco Rangers announced operating expenses (before amortisation) of £15.684m for the six months to 31 December, which included £6.7m wages, covering both football and non-football staff.  If the figures for the second half of the year are consistent with the first that would give them around £31m income and a £13.4m spend wages.  Income is around half Celtic’s expenses and wages a fraction of Celtic’s

What newco need is tens of millions of pounds of investor cash, the £50m Dave King spoke about ‘when in opposition’ is not an overestimate.

Anything they say before “Here is the £50m investment we need” is there to take attention away from the fact that they haven’t said “Here is the £50m investment we need”.  When they say that, they’re in the game, until then, they’re cannon fodder.  When they stop talking about the £50m needed, they know it’s not coming.

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  1. Joe Fillipi

     

     

    No need to aplogise for being wrong.

     

     

    Sometimes choices are not straightforward or black and white.

     

     

    Remember Celtic’s help was needed to progress the issue. It makes no sense to bite a helping hand.

     

     

    I take your point about the secrecy. It has been very frustrating for us but without it we were just another bunch of bampots at keyboards.

     

     

    What would you prefer? We tell the world the detail and lose support or we get at the truth?

     

     

    What I would say is that I would never want to be a supporter on the Board. Too many untrusting folk to please.

  2. For those of us with a bit of vintage about them tomorrow is the 45th anniversary of a famous victory ; Leeds Utd 0 Celtic ‘red sox’ 1. Can still remember my late father switching on Radio 2 for the second half commentary (its 1970 remember) to hear Brian Butler and Maurice Eddlestone tell the nation the ‘tic were one up. We switched off the second half commentary – my dad’s nerves couldn’t take it – but steeled ourselves for fulltime switch on. Fantastic memories for a then young primary school pupil.

     

     

    However it wasn’t all good news in early April 1970……..Dana was at number 1 with All Kinds of Everything !

  3. ginger

     

     

    19:22 on 31 March, 2015

     

    Best news of the day so far

     

    Kris Boyd is doing his coaching badges

     

     

     

    Where? Greggs?

  4. The fact that RD is sending Liam over to Rosenberg at this point of the season tells me that he sees him as a first teamer next season. Finishing school if you like.

     

     

    Factor in the fact that the bhoy only turned 19 last month and it all makes sense. He ‘s been sent away for a while not only to develop as a player, but as a man having to cope on his own in a foreign land.

     

     

    RD knows what he’s doing with young players. Remember a stat somewhere that in the 5 years previous to Him being appointed Stromgodests manager, that club had 1 player represent Norway at all age groups. In Ronnies 6 year tenure they had 156 (aplogies to all statos if slightly out,but you get the gist).

     

     

    Very positive endorsement of LH.

     

     

    Future Celtic captain imo.

     

     

    HH

  5. Joe Filippis Haircut on

    Auldheid. I also agree I would not want to be a supporter on the board I hope you get to the truth and are then able to let the Celtic support know the facts.However,there is a bit of the doubting Thomas in me and it says we will never be told the truth as it is to unpalatable.Good Luck anyway. H.H.

  6. *** LAST MAN STANDING 4 ***

     

     

    The email inviting this week’s picks only went out at 7.05am this morning but delighted that 38 competitors have already sent in their selection. Keep them coming please!

     

     

    It’s back to club football this week (woo-hoo) and the fixtures are spread over the whole of the Easter weekend.

     

     

    selections to usual address – cqnlastmanstanding@gmail.com and please show

     

    ‘week 3 pick’ in the subject line.

     

     

    My own pick for week 3 is Aberdeen

     

     

    Good luck!

     

     

     

     

    Week 3 fixtures

     

     

    Friday 3 April

     

    St Mirren v Celtic (19:45)

     

     

    Saturday 4 April

     

    Arsenal v Liverpool (12:45)

     

    Aberdeen v Partick Thistle

     

    Dundee Utd v Ross County

     

    Hamilton v St Johnstone

     

    Inverness v Dundee

     

    KIlmarnock v Motherwell

     

    Man Utd v Aston Villa

     

    Chelsea v Stoke (17:30)

     

     

    Monday 6 April

     

    Crystal Palace v Man City (20:00)

  7. Right, time for the best show on TV* at the moment and something that The Three Bears might want to consider – Better Call Saul!

     

     

    Jobo

     

     

    * – it’s a Netflix exclusive dontcha know ;-)

  8. mazzy,

     

     

    I saw that game in Austria live (in black and white, of course).George Connelly at his best. Great memory, beating the champions of the world (according to every English “expert”) home and away.

  9. jobo baldie

     

     

    Am all caught up now with James McGill, thanks to lack of football over weekend. Great telly, it has to be said, ” s’all good, man”. As Saul Goodman would say.

  10. TBJ says Wee Oscar Knox is in heaven with the angels on

    All the gags about kris Boyd ….

     

     

    The guy is known as a better player than henrik Larsson …. ;)

     

     

    That boy pelle is well off form according to the commentator

  11. Boydachenko is twice the man Henke will ever be.

     

     

    That’s ‘twice’ as in weight, literally.

  12. !!Bada Bing!! on

    Hamed the Israeli no9, is the guy we were after a couple of years ago, done nothing so far

  13. Put up this morning

     

     

    Any thoughts on Liam playing as 1 of the 2 central defenders we now play ?

     

    Some good coaching, and a wee run out with Rosenberg in there, to see how he does

     

    Ps- I do see him in the holding midfield role

     

    But he could have the attributes to fit into CH

     

     

    At the Greenock Celtic night with Wullie McStay and Joe Millar, McStay did say young players like Liam needed to go out on loan and get competitive games, the under 20 system in Scotland did not work – in his opinion

     

     

    Hail Hail

  14. !!bada bing!!

     

     

    20:17 on 31 March, 2015

     

     

    Damari was one of the Israeli strikers we were after. Think Hemed was linked with Deidco when McCoist took over.

  15. England support doing their 10 german bombers bit again..

     

    .Class apart..

     

    pity it aint permanent….YET….

  16. That Harry Kane reminds me of a young Kris Boyd, I expect he will score a hat trick then fly to Syria, sort out the Isis stuff…establish Middle East peace and be back home in time to ghost write a column in The Sun.

  17. !!bada bing!!

     

     

    20:22 on 31 March, 2015

     

    Smalling and Jones wouldn’t get a game for Celtic

     

     

    Heid and Hoof on stupid money and hyped way beyond their ability. They sum up English football.

  18. TBJ says Wee Oscar Knox is in heaven with the angels on

    Dena

     

     

    I was watching highlights of Italy’s European qualifier at the weekend when the commentator said it was a warm up for the main event against England

  19. Craigellachie10 on

    Italy playing some good stuff. While this might not be first choice England 11 they are getting cut open pretty easily at times.

  20. TBJ says Wee Oscar Knox is in heaven with the angels on

    Pesky Italians knocking the ball about like it’s a game of football

     

     

    Loved the commentator saying England got a victory here when Michael Caine ( Kane ) robbed the gold in the Italian job

  21. Mazzy

     

     

    I remember the same experience. I had my friend from Leeds with me as he was visiting his relatives who lived next door to us. He was a massive Leeds fan.

     

     

    The exact words at the start of the commentary were “the news from Elland Road will light up the whole of Scotland”

     

     

    He was partly right.

  22. sixtaeseven - Gardez la Foi on

    Stuart McCall hails Kris Boyd is the old, monster-munch version of Alexei Mikhailichenko.

  23. Bgx

     

     

    That song depicts events from 1940. Flower of Scotland rejoices in a victory over England in 1314.

     

     

    Who needs to get over it first?

  24. Captain Beefheart on

    Auldheid,

     

     

    Saw your point earlier. I got it years ago, about the time when O’Neill and Celtic were spending absurd amounts of money. The strategy is right.

     

     

    However, are we scouting in Croatia etc? Why are our CL preparations usually shambolic? We aren’t investing enough. Investment can help grow the club. Instead we will stagnate and be satisfied at losing to crap Italian teams.

  25. GlassTwoThirdsFull on

    embramike says “the Huns are Deid” 19:48

     

    Belgium ko and it’s ‘Bitton’ on his strip

     

    ————–

     

    Shirt obviously not printed by Winning Captains :-)

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