I’ve not touched the Anthony Stokes story on purpose. It’s one of those stories you could be writing for a week, if you started. Anthony enjoyed a successful period for Celtic but the writing has been on the wall since the latter part of Neil Lennon’s era.
He’s still only 27, with around half his career ahead of him, but it won’t be at Celtic. I hope he gets a club who can make the most of his talent.
Despite the riches brought by a new TV deal solidarity contract, many English Football League clubs are still under severe financial pressure, including Neil’s current charges, Bolton Wanderers. Bolton owe the vast majority of their circa £200m debt to owner Eddie Davies, so there’s a good chance that will be written off, but administration remains likely.
Bolton chairman, Phil Gartside, who I hear is now seriously ill, saw this coming years ago, when he proposed an EPL 2-type league reorganisation, while lobbying for the inclusion of Celtic and Rangers. The plan was kyboshed by his then fellow Premier League acquaintances. It would have been transformational for Celtic, and literally a life saver for Rangers.
That Bolton debt figure is pretty eye-watering but the returns from non-league club Forest Green Rovers caught the eye. Net debts reached £5.4m after season 2013-14, thanks to a £2.9m loss. In non-league football. There’s only one Scottish club with that kind of debt. Although I suppose they are also playing off-piste in the Championship. Pay your way or go to the wall. Long term that rule applies.
The football industry in England and Wales will survive for a while yet, despite the broken financial model. It won’t be until the TV rights value drops due to reliable and easy to access pirate feeds that the bubble will burst. And it will burst. The underlying fragility in the football business is that your expenditure is either fixed or often contracted on a multi-year basis, while income is vulnerable to sharp shocks. It’s not a healthy business to be running at a deficit in.
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Somebody mention “5 card tricks”earlier.Amazing,not long afterwards Neganon appears on the blog.
At least he did not post the same old guff again !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.
Wasnt Stokeys House Attacked by the huns, Think it was..Ive got Time For Tony Stokes
Turkeybhoy put that cloth cap down, be free,of it.
A wee quick question.Who has had the most names in the past 4 years.The Huns or Isil.I cant keep up.
TET
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Celtic-FC-UEFA-Die-Cut-Vinyl-Sticker-Car-Bumper-Window-4-x4-/171999918780?hash=item280bfe7abc:g:EBkAAOSwcdBWSMN5
Sorry for your loss Kelvinbhoy RIP
Neganon2
If you are right that the leave to appeal will fail then I hope you are ready to put the negative issues with whoever at the club or on the blog to one side and join us.
However as all logic says it will fail it will therefore probably be granted. If we have discovered one thing in their saga it is to expected the unexpected. I fully anticipate therefore that they will be given leave to appeal.
If you are right, we will act. It will be weak and ineffective if we are apart. That’s why the petty fights on the blog are so damaging.
I have never been annoyed by what you write, although I do think you are very harsh on Paul. Never really figured that out. You maybe don’t realise the huge amount of work he has done away from the blog on this matter so we will be ready. Sometimes credit where credit is due. Maybe one day…
Very soon (if you are right) or a wee bit later if I am right, you will get the chance to stand with the band.
Everyone on CQN will – the mineshafters and the happy clappers. The lurkers and the posters. Then we’ll see….
Kelvinbhoy, I am sorry for your family’s loss. May your dad’s soul rest in peace.
TET, they may not be official stickers but the GreenBrigade website has some good ones.
. A favourite of mine is their love celtic hate racism one.
Kelvinbhoy, sorry to hear about your loss. I lost my own Dad while still in my teens. He was Celtic daft and made sure we had the Celtic bug from an early age. I once wrote about him on this blog and finished the post with “how he would have laughed when he heard the huns had died”. I never heard him laugh at that but have my memories of other occasions.
Cherish your memories mate and don’t be sad, he brought you up to be a Celtic fan and how you both must laughed together on that St Valentines day.
Here’s what the blog is about…
Condolences and love for kelvinbhoy
Some good Celtic chat
Meeting a Cqner in Belfast with my bhoy talking about football, dinner n a few beers
Love n peace
Kikinthenakas
POG
Much obliged, order is in :-)
$3 each is no bad, thanks.
HH
DD
Will have a look see what they have, thanks.
HH
Kelvinbhoy – sorry to hear your sad news about your dad, losing one of your parents is tough, may perpetual light shine upon him.
Kelvin Bhoy
So sorry for your loss. The blog can be a great place to be at sad times like this, as many of us know only too well.
Your family are in all of our prayers tonight. God bless.
Kelvinbhoy –
Sorry to hear that sad news about your dad. My thoughts and prayers with you and the family.
Best wishes.
NatKnow.
Winning captains,
when the time comes, absolutely rest assured, I will,be with you and the others who join us.
But the important question at the moment is exactly who,will we be fighting? I believe it will not be just the SFA, the Huns and the rest on the establishment in Scotland, who will rally behind their institutional racism but sadly, it will be those who,run Celtic.
It is highly likely to be a very dirty war, with the irony being that we will be painted the racists by the authorities and by the Celtic board.
The key question therefore, and one that Auldheid noticeably ducked, is what will you do when the board openly betray us? Even if it is just theoretical, what will you do?
And you are correct I am being harsh on Paul. And again you are right I don’t know what he is doing in the background. But I do know this. He has espoused the strategy of the board, that has seen us decline, has seen us become a lesser entity (Moneyball indeed). He has I am sorry to say peddled some of the rhetoric of the board (the subltely changing every pen goes into the squad then club etc). He has claimed Celtic are the most ethical club in the world whilst simultaneously failing to criticise the board for things like the living wage stance.
Perhaps more worryingly, whilst keen on telling us how much the Huns cheated (high I have no argu,net with) he has claimed the board are right to stay silent. Espousing this as a cunning strategy. It isn’t. It never was.
I firmly believe (with some knowledge) that the board are ready to betray us because now there going to have to declare openly a hand they claim to not have already played). But I know they were engaged with the 5 way agreement and I don’t know about you but that, and Celtics unwillingness to take on res 12 themselves, seems very telling to me.
We are coming to a great crossroads in Celtics history.probably the most I,portent in our history. As Paul has said nothing will be the same again. The stakes are very high. I am ready to stand shoulder to shoulder against the corruption but I wonder if you are ready to do so when our board and the name of Celtic is manning the other side of the barricades?
Kelvinbhoy
Never a good time to lose someone so special from your life but I have to say this is a particularly hard time.
Your family are in my thoughts and prayers. .. your dad’s in the arms of the angels. God bless you all
Gerryfaethebrig
No offence taken. My Da is 80 and still has all his faculties which is a blessing for the family. He is my idol and although I will miss him when the time comes. At least I have been fortunate in having him for all my own 58 years.
It is the lads who lose their parents or siblings early that I feel sorry for, that includes my Da who lost his own father when he was only seven.
If there are any Irvine Tims that go to the supporters club( sports club as the masonic lot forced us to call it) in on boxing day then myself and brother from Jersey will be looking to visit you all.
NA2 11.02
Sadly, and with a heavy heart I agree with you.
HH
Eddieinkirkmichael
Funnily enough my dad was Michael……
Anyway, I have said this with my pals the last few years, I wish he had seen this, probably he would not believe it, he always said they were cheating baskets, but he always said following Celtic the result is immaterial (he might have said “it doesn’t matter a F”)
KELVINBHOY
Sad news indeed, condolences, and i agree with tractorbhoy
i will always thank my wee da for my love of the Celtic.
Get well soon big Tommy Gemmell a real legend.
H.H Mick
Kelvinbhoy
I have just received some very sad news from our A in oz via GL. I have just scrolled back hoping you have been trying to contact me Big J. I am so so sorry big fella please contact me when you get a minute pal. Prayers offered for A N and all the H family x
Mckeowntommy@aol.com
TET it’s incredible that it has come to this. That those who run Celtic are willing to sacrifice Celtic very existence in the name of the bigoted pound.
Never really thought I’d see the day even after all my warblings on here for over a decade. What do I know eh? Every day is a school day.
Tractorbhoy
Cherish every day, as you say the older we get the more appreciative we become, am 45, I was a definite mistake back in 1970, my 2 older brothers are in their 60s so obviously a lot closer to my dad, I think I was the wee cheeky bam who could run before I got a slap for my cheek, hope everything goes as well as it can…..take care and Hail Hail
Gidday mates
Top o the morning tae ye
so what pish has our parasites and their talking heads spreading today…lets seeeeeee..
yip stokesy …good..slight of hand
pay your way or go to the wall… yup..we dont need no education
and
err…..
thats it!
wow!
Celtic quick lazy journalism and the evolution of the internet bampots in action.. ya beauty!
Reconciliation and peace and love ….hmmmm. Nothing without justice and consequences.
I want consequences not lip service.
No peace without justice.
No future without consequences.
Love, Peace and Harmony…very nice.
very nice.
very nice.
But maybe in the next world.
CSCLipserviceareus.
Ms McGill
Your best ever post
Thanks again – good to hear memories of your own dads and how they, like my dad introduced you to and sustained the Celtic influence.
Tractorbhoy- thinking of you mate.
11.17pm haven’t read 11.21pm (yet)
Kelvinbhoy
Thoughts with you and yours.
N.O.W.A.
Gerryfaethebrig
You should have been on here years ago when I was being banned.
:)
Kelvinbhoy
Prayers for you and yours, God bless
Gerry, I gave you duff info earlier. Stokesy crossed with his right foot for our first goal in the 2013 final.
Good Evening Bhoys and Girls
Last Man Standing 5 week 10 by Jobo proxy
————————–
Here are the choices for week 10. For some extra spice I also checked the current odds as shown on McBookie’s betting site and these are shown below – all 3 are favourites to win their game. But what do the bookies know ;-)
All 3 of you have gone for home teams.
In no particular order……
The Token Tim goes for Manchester United (9/20) to win against West Ham
TheCelt45 has chosen Hearts (5/6) to defeat Inverness
Stpatricksbhoy thinks that Ross County (13/10) will triumph over St Johnstone
Good luck everybody.
Jobo
NA2
Yip, it’s a bit of a problem.
I remember when the rebels won the day, seems like that the rebels really haven’t won, all that has happened is that we are at the beholding to a PLC, and all the crap that it entails.
The dream is just that, a dream, gone are the days when we were a club to be proud of, we still are within ourselfs, but no more on the big stage, we grub about getting in freebies and projects, aye it’s where we are, but we shouldn’t be here.
the suits have a dossier that could destroy scottish football, why in Gods name do they not choose to use it, I ask myself that question every day, there is no reason on this earth why not.
Going public will expose them for what they are, corrupt to their rotten sectarian core, yet nothing, that mi amigo is what really saddens me.
Expose them and we have an out, silence and we will wither.
HH
Sleep well Timland
HH
KTF
It’s now or never.
Kelvinbhoy
Sorry for your loss mhate,stay strong ma mhan,
In my thoughts n prayers.HH
Negation 2
I would say the same to them as I say to you.
There will be those who are with us and there will be those who are found wanting.
RTC said the other night that his criticism of the MSM should be tempered because he hides behind a cloak of anonymity. Paul doesn’t nor do many of the others who will take a lead.
I respect other people’s strong opinion on the accredited living wage issue but I don’t share their passion on the subject. It’s added to the annual poppy debate as an issue that can be used to slaughter Celtic.
I don’t want to stray into the debate but if it is 40p per on the hourly rate of the lowest paid at the club then surely that can be sorted with our toys staying in the pram? Why have the mammy then the meeting? Do it the other way about, get it sorted and let us concentrate on other matters.
Celtic (Winning Captains, Negation 2 and the rest of us) were cheated for over a decade. If we let them get away with it we are as well jacking the whole thing in.
That takes a bit of courage, remember Eddieinkirkmichael’s experience at the start of the year?
On Moneyball etc – we are a well run club despite
a) failing to get ourselves into a lucrative league structure
and
b) allowed rank rotten amateurs to destroy the perceived value of the Scottish TV deal. That wee guy Mitchell who was wheeled out last week to support Sevco started that. When Tommy Burns was our manager the perceived value of our media rights was much bigger than it is today and we we should NEVER have allowed England to prosper while Scotland withered on the Sky front. Huge mistake that awaits a digital revolution to resolve.