Newco new start but big question remains

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A bit surprised that Dave King’s gunboat diplomacy saw an agreement with Sports Direct, which will see the retailer’s interest in Newco end next year.

There is little prospect of Newco making much additional income from this over the next 12 months, as this period is where Sports Direct will receive all compensation for curtailing the period of the deal. But a year out, should they still be around, they will be able to negotiate improved terms, presumably with a different kit supplier.

You can ignore the grandiose bluster from some in the media, this will not in any meaningful way narrow the financial gap between Newco and Celtic, the more important question is why Mike Ashley chose to take an early exit. Maybe taking a limited dividend over the next 12 months is a better bet than hoping for a long-term return from a five-year-old business. Ashley’s people will have run various scenarios.

The important medium-term objective for Newco will be to reduce the dependency on shareholder loans to keep the lights on. They are not a millions miles away from this, and with a premium kit deal it should be possible from season 2018-19, but the central question you and I have pondered occasionally over the last five years remains:

Is a ‘Rangers’ football club commercially viable earning £50m less than Celtic and trailing hopelessly in their wake? I really hate the ‘know your place’ sentiment, but we’ll not have an answer to that question until self-awareness dawns, and there is a realisation that second placed cannon fodder is the best they can hope for.

Aberdeen have lost players (sorry about that) and are likely to be weaker next season. Hearts Cathro experiment looks unlikely to make any sort of challenge, so the Best of the Rest opportunity is wide open. Dream time, for those at Ibrox.

Get involved with the Foundation

There’s a great opportunity to get involved with the Celtic Foundation coming up in October with the Great Scottish Run. Each year the number of Celtic fans who get the trainers on and sign up for this event grows.

It is a magnoficen magnificent thing to do, great for you, and you get to do your part for the Foundation.

Go here for sign-up information. See you there!

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347 Comments

  1. The Spirit of Arthur Lee on

    POGMATHONYAHUN AKA LAIRD OF THE SMILES on 23RD JUNE 2017 12:24 AM

     

    MASH delighted to finally offload his enormous collection of XXXXXL tops in less than a day.

     

     

    Want one

     

     

    love

  2. POG,

     

     

    Didn’t realise you had a Vincent….too bad u look like a Frankenstein….with yer own grafts and stiches….ouch ;-))

     

     

    UtookthattoofarCSC

     

     

    A blame piercings lol ;-))

     

     

    FTSFA & DUP

     

     

    H.H.

  3. VINCENT VAN POGMATHONYAHUN AKA LAIRD OF THE SMILES

     

     

    Heh Pog how you doin? Read that your over your surgery,I hope it is success my friend and your pain is soothed.all the best

     

    my friend, take care

     

    HH

     

     

    :-)

  4. TOMMIE20 on 22ND JUNE 2017 11:29 PM

     

    West of Ireland

     

     

    Celtic have signed ClintEastwood

     

     

    To many Mexicans going to sevco

     

     

    H.H.

     

     

    ———————-

     

     

    Belter mate :))))))))))

  5. DOUGIE DOUGIE CAN I HAVE A LINESMAN PLEASE POGMATHONYAHUN AKA LAIRD OF THE SMILES

     

     

    Dont understand yirreffin comment there as all yirrefs are neutral to the 33rd degree lol

     

     

    When does Brunei beckon?

     

     

    TrooserlegandgoatsCsc;-)

     

     

    HH

  6. Heh Sips

     

     

    Hope your good and enjoyin life like a dramdrinkintim in lisbon:-)

     

    Regard to your good lady.:-)

     

    HH

  7. TEUCHTER AR LA

     

     

    God bless yir wee mammy mate, she is at peace now.As kikinthenakas said remember the good times, my own is 22 years gone but still can make me smile.

     

    Prayers will be said in support of you and your family at this tough time

     

    HH

  8. AN TEARMANN…

     

     

    All good mate and I’ll pass on to l your kind regards.

     

     

    Ye be there on Saturday for HT’s?

     

     

    I was talking to a fellow Tim in work today and he showed me there is a mod convention over the weekend and the pub we will be meeting is part of it…. We are the mods…. Well atleast the moderators will be happy.

     

     

    Not sure about TGM. HH

  9. Clogher

     

     

    “Who knows”

     

     

    Hi mate thats the question.

     

    Murray was a cheat.

     

    Not since ebt or dos

     

    But before that.

     

    He did not happen to come across ebts he went in that direction as Dos were getting closed down.

     

    He happened to come across Dos I would guess as one of the “offshore” policies

  10. That paid Hateley stevens therne had run its course

     

    Thats how tax evaders operate.

     

     

    It is despicable that with the liquidation of. Cheat fc the only rule change I see changed is the assurance that if it happened today a new club would not be ‘accepted into’ our league like ther anger were.They would stay in the top league!!

     

     

    Hope your good mate, currently enjoyin a weeks toddlin around me moniker:-)

     

     

    HH

  11. Sipsini

     

     

    Alas here in Donegal til Sunday, so I’ll miss all you bamsters rebbin up the gallowgate:-)

     

    Enjoy tho.lol

     

    HH

  12. 50 shades of green on

    Seems to me that Kings rantings and the zoomers getting all worked up about it is like that scene from trainspotting 2 .

     

     

    Only this time the tea-leaf doesn’t even have to guess the pin numbers, they are actually lining up to hand him money. Tell them what they want to hear and they will come.

     

     

    Stupid gullible zombie zoomers.

     

     

    Long live the King.

     

     

    H.H

  13. INVINCIBLE 'GG on

    With all the new recruits, Sevco are looking for half time entertainers which help reflect the cultures of players and fans.

     

    Favourite is this Mariachi group performing a song whose title describes the club.

     

    La Cucuracha

  14. macjay1 for Neil Lennon on

    Just watching the Semi final in October v the huns.

     

    Antidote to cold turkey.

     

     

    Camera fall on Leigh who`s on the subs bench.

     

     

    Chris Sutton :

     

    ” Why he doesn`t get a spot in the Scotland team is beyond many.

     

    Including me. “

  15. macjay1 for Neil Lennon on

    Terry Butcher replies ;

     

     

    ” I just hope that when it comes to the England Scotland games , he`s not playing.

     

    Thats what I hope. “

  16. !!Bada Bing!! on

    AT- remember Trevor Steven sold to Marseilles for £5.5 mil , and brought back by that financial cheat Murray for £1.5, within about 9 months from Minty’s French equivelant Bernard Tapie……..

  17. macjay1 for Neil Lennon on

    INVINCIBLE ‘GG on 23RD JUNE 2017 2:49 AM

     

     

    Crazy fact.

     

     

    La cucaracha was in fact the name given to the car owned by Pancho Villa during the Mexican revolution .

  18. INVINCIBLE 'GG on

    Macjay

     

    I understand there are numerous verses of the song and that in Mexico they were references to the revolution and various participants.

  19. TheLurkinTim on

    Am curious……who was deleted & why?…..left me top of the page ;-((

     

     

    FTSFA & FTDUP

     

     

    H.H.

  20. Good mprning friends and a Big Happy Friday to you all.

     

     

    Hoping it’s a Carlsberg one.

  21. Thank you all for the messages of support and condolences following the passing of my mother Catherine.

     

    It’s been a rough few months but she now is free from pain.

     

    The good wishes mean so much to me as I contemplate moving forward without her, but I realise she will never leave me.

     

    The memories of my recent trip to Lisbon will stay with me forever – the camaraderie while sharing a beer with the good people of this site, the emotions, the sense of fellowship and unity I felt during the mass on the morning of the 25th May actually prepared me for her passing, and once again I tip my hat to Father Charlie and everyone who made that such a truly inspirational experience.

     

    Goodnight to the mother who stayed up all night knitting me a tammy on the eve of the 1967 SC Final.

     

    I awoke to find it sitting beside my bed.

     

    Celtic……Representing love always.

     

    HH

  22. blantyretim is praying for the Knox family on

    TAL

     

    God bless Catherine

     

    I’ll light a candle at mass and pray for all

     

     

    YNWA

  23. Hrvatski Jim on

    The Rangers save the USA economy $12bn as it is no longer necessary to build a wall on the Mexican border.

  24. TAL

     

    May Catherine Rest in Peace, and Let Perpetual Light Shine Upon her.

     

     

    She will have passed with a huge smile, having seen your photo with your 3 friends :-)

  25. Celticrollercoaster supporting @WalkWithShay on

    TAL

     

     

    You take care my friend.

     

     

    HH

     

     

    CRC

  26. traditionalist88 on

    Any chance of the first home game being postponed again or likely to go ahead on weekend of 5th?

     

     

    HH

  27. Anyone for a quick prediction before the fixtures are announced?

     

    Invincibles -Hibs

     

    Huns -Hamilton

     

    Minis – Sheep

     

    Let’s see how random this SFA computer really is.

  28. Dave King now complaining about the PF- his neck just got brassier

     

    King said: “When I came over to give evidence, I was told the strategy had changed and they were not going to call me or Alastair Johnston or Paul Murray — any of the former directors.

     

     

    “I was surprised because I felt having stayed on the board, the paper trail I had was important in terms of convicting him.

     

     

    “I had to assume that they knew what they were doing and they had a strategy. Police Scotland put together a good case but the Crown failed to prosecute it as well as it had been prepared for them. It’s disappointing. I was a bit astonished.”