Read ‘em and weep, Armageddon-merchants

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Commenting on following on from his predecessor Dr John Reid, chairman Ian Bankier, told a Celtic AGM he was not a man to deliver an insightful one-liner but Celtic’s Preliminary Results, released yesterday, are best summarised by the chairman delivering exactly, that, “This year demonstrated above all, the impact that football success brings to Celtic plc in its current shape”.

In short, there is no success, debt reduction, profit increasing, stadium improvement, squad development, retail or PR, without football success, those who suggest otherwise are overlooking the obvious.

These are wonderful financial results, delivered against an uncertain landscape when some, who should have known better, were delivering all kinds of alternative predictions for Celtic’s future, but there are cautionary tales within.

Any single event (in this case Champions League qualification) which can increase turnover by 47.7% is to be welcomed, but this is sport, where qualification cannot be guaranteed, no matter how many resources you commit to getting there.  We don’t have to look far to find the unedifying consequences of clubs who bet the tax money on getting to the Promised Land.  The challenge for Celtic is to fortify football operations every season without gambling recklessly.

In the year to 30 June 2012, when more season tickets were sold and we reached the Europa League group stage, turnover was £51.34m.  This is by no means a worst-case-scenario going forward, but it is a good budget starting point.  With operating expenses, including significant bonus and Champions League costs, coming in at £62.71m last season, our potential loss from failure to reach the Champions League is of the same order as our actual profit last year.  Any individual bad season would not wreck plans.

Like-for-like merchandising sales were up 29% on the previous year.  Celtic put this down to three elements: Champions League participation, improved retail performance, in particular at Glasgow Airport, and 125th Anniversary products.

It is likely that recent changes in the UK sports retail market has had a greater impact in Glasgow than any other UK city.  Sports Direct consumed JJB during the period and are now the overwhelmingly dominant sports retailer in the UK.  The firm’s owner is also one of the largest shareholders in a new Glasgow football team, who’s merchandising Sports Direct now operate.  I’m delighted Sports Direct own other local football brands but Mr Ashley will have discovered that you can’t ride two horses in this town.

In 2011 and 2012, with significant changes in Scottish football up for grabs, we debated the potential impact on our club.  Looking back on subsequent events it is clear to see that the arms race we were embroiled in for around a century was not good for Celtic, not good for any other Scottish club and not good for Scotland as a whole.  Football today is like a breath of fresh air compared to the way things used to be.

Read ‘em and weep, Armageddon-merchants.

1254125 at The Great Scottish Run.

On Sunday 6 October there is a 10k and Half Marathon.  If that is beyond you. There are family events taking place the day before. This is your club, remind the world of what really counts and get involved in 1254125.

The first thing you need to do is sign up for the Great Scottish Run, or here for one of the family events.

Once you’ve done that, you can register for the 1254125 campaign here.

Then you can create a donations page here.  Click Start Fundraising, search for Celtic Charity, setup your My Donate account).

Email me and let me know if you are having trouble signing up or need any more help, celticquicknews@gmail.com.

To read the new issue of CQN Magazine click here (don’t try to read the graphic below).
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304 Comments

  1. Articles coming thick and fast and this one could be titled a la Jim Royle “Armagedon my arse!”

     

     

    Good stuff, and while PL gets plaudits the prudent stewardship goes back to Fergus and Brian Quinn. Good for them.

     

     

    Isn’t it amazing that the ex-First Minister, Henry McLeish in a year’s research and a two part report consisting of thousands of pages costing hundreds of thousands of pounds never once commented on the EBTs or the finacial doping, the economics of the madhouse that led Scottish football into the gutter!

     

     

    Brother Henry wasn’t looking at his brethren with a critical eye was he?.

     

     

    Talking of Masons, from previous article this post:

     

    leftclicktic oscar in our thoughts

     

     

    11:15 on 24 September, 2013

     

     

    Celtic_First

     

    May you be granted all you need in your journey.

     

    ——

     

    Big Nan

     

    Hope you learned yer lesson :)))

     

    ……………………………………….

     

    Celtic_First I don’t know what I did wrong I simply posted this parliament link http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/GettingInvolved/Petitions/judgesmasonregister on Scottish universities and students’ union websites and was suspended without warning.

     

     

    Then again the subject matter might explain the Draconian punishment.

  2. dontbrattbakkinanger

     

     

    13:04 on 24 September, 2013

     

    Ole Old Tim should get wee Tony Watt to chauffeur him around for awhile.

     

     

    That will teach young Tony all about sociable socialism.

     

     

    Socialising surely…..

     

     

    Kikinthenakas

  3. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS forza Oscar and Mackenzie on

    MICKTT 1230

     

     

    No problems on that score-as it should be.

  4. leftclicktic oscar in our thoughts on

    Big Nan

     

    It was my failed attempt at humour :((

     

    after you telling us they suspended you

  5. leftclicktic oscar in our thoughts on

    oooooops after commenting to Celtic_First on his walk.

     

     

    more power to you Big Nan

  6. Philbhoy - Bring it on!!!! on

    When are the huns accounts due to be published, or have they got another special dispensation from whoever gives them special dispensations?

  7. jeez_I_thought_blinker_was_pants on

    PDC – Great player and worth the admission money alone.

     

     

    However, managed to make a complete @r5e of himself, Celtic & Pat Bonner in the way he left.

  8. Bulgaria’s CSKA Sofia

     

    will work together with Scottish giants

     

    Celtic, according to Laurence Davis,

     

    the English chairman of the club’s

     

    Supervisory Board.

     

    The British businessman was on a

     

    three-day visit to Bulgaria, his first

     

    since he was named as the head of the

     

    club in July this year.

     

    Davis said he has held talks with his

     

    counterparts from Celtic and soon

     

    expected both clubs to start

     

    cooperating. He revealed that he had

     

    also held talks with Everton and

     

    business groups from Qatar, the UAE

     

    and other countries from the Middle

     

    East.

     

    The main task of the new leadership of

     

    CSKA will be to bring back the club in

     

    the Champions League and create a

     

    strong youth academy.

     

    “When I was young, I loved the

     

    football a lot. At that time, one of the

     

    biggest names in Europe was CSKA.

     

    Everybody knows how they conquer

     

    Liverpool in the European Cup (now

     

    Champions League). CSKA is an

     

    illustrious club, giant with many

     

    problems at the moment, which

     

    suffered from its previous owners, but

     

    it will no longer continue”, Laurence

     

    Davis said at a press conference in

     

    Sofia.

     

    “In the last two days I talked to many

     

    people and saw a lot of enthusiasm,

     

    but also a concern. The main goal that

     

    we set is to bring the team back in the

     

    Champions League. After the problems

     

    in the summer when we were left with

     

    only two players, now we have a

     

    strong coaching staff and a much

     

    better team. During the winter will

     

    bring more new players”, he added.

     

    “We had talks with Celtic and we’re

     

    close to partnership. I have talked

     

    with Everton, as well as

     

    representatives from Qatar, UAE and

     

    other Middle East countries. CSKA

     

    should develop a strong youth

     

    academy, because everyone knows

     

    that footballers like Dimitar Berbatov,

     

    Hristo Stoichkov, Stiliyan Petrov and

     

    Martin Petrov, all started their careers

     

    at CSKA.”

     

    “It is clear that we will never be able

     

    to afford to buy Gareth Bale, but we

     

    can create it. Moreover, the Bulgarian

     

    national team is stronger than that of

     

    Wales”, concluded Laurence Davis.

     

    Back in August, CSKA signed a

     

    contract with financial consultants

     

    and accountancy firm Ernst & Young.

     

    The club is preparing to become

     

    Bulgaria’s first quoted club.

  9. Hamiltontim is praying for Oscar on

    Bhoys/Ghirls

     

     

    Apologies for being a nuisance but I still have a number of spare tickets for Rugby Park on Saturday for anyone who’s interested.

  10. Hamiltontim is praying for Oscar on

    Philbhoy – Bring it on!!!!

     

    13:25 on

     

    24 September, 2013

     

    HT

     

     

    You sounded loke the Prime Minister there!

     

     

    ———–

     

     

    Everyone knows that Philvis is secretly the PM :-)

  11. Does anyone check the political associations and persona of every workman before he allows him to enter his house

     

    and

     

    I just wonder if at the last minute you found out that the surgeon tasked with saving one of your family’s life shared the same persona and political views of DiCanio you would ask for the procedure to be cancelled until they found a left wing socialist to carry it out

     

     

    Paulo Di Canio done a job at Celtic and he was loved by the majority when he was here End Of

  12. Hamiltontim is praying for Oscar on

    ASonOfDan

     

    13:28 on

     

    24 September, 2013

     

    Killie now selling tickets at £20, a couple of mates paid £26. That cannot be right.

     

     

    ————

     

     

    Don’t think that they would be allowed to do that. Blinkin’ better not, I paid £26 too!!

  13. Great statement from Celtic, no banging a big drum, no shouting what there going to do, no calling out the team across the city just the plain and simple fact of the team is successful and the club is run correctly and we are in a fine state of health on and off the park. Hears to a great season supporting the famous GLASGOW CELTIC HH

  14. The huns ‘books’ are being held in an incubator till the guys that fix the time machine

     

    are paid………………

  15. HT….

     

     

    Brick wall and head comes to mind here.

     

     

    We go (in my case went, as not at home) to CP to watch the bhoys play. DiC, at that time, was one of the bhoys that greatly entertained us. What has come to pass since then in no way impacts on the entertainment he provided us with.

     

     

    No further post on the subject from me.

     

     

    HH

  16. leftclicktic that’s O’K we all make mistakes and I made one too in thinking my full privileges are reinstated on Facebook. They are not.

     

     

    I tried to respond to a Like for my “Secret Society Membership Declaration by Decision Makers” Facebook page! Oh well it gave me a lift for a bit. It doesn’t pay to upset the Craft does it?

     

     

    Still I know I can rely on the boys and girls on CQN to spread the word and get the numbers up (they are standing still) on this: http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/GettingInvolved/Petitions/judgesmasonregister

  17. Tickets being sold for Killie game today only, for Season Ticket holders only at reduced price. This is on Celtic website and is an initiative of Killie

  18. mighty tim supporting wee Oscar on

    HT the killie tickets are reduced, think you then can buy etc It is on the Celtic website.

     

    I ain’t gonna make Saturday as family has plans for me.

     

    Any luck on the other ticket mate.

     

     

    KTF

     

     

    HH

  19. goldstar10

     

     

    12:47 on 24 September, 2013

     

     

    Correct mate, to many people just want to moan about what ifs instead of enjoying the facts HH

  20. Hamiltontim is praying for Oscar on

    Surely Kilmarnock FC have an obligation to refund the difference to those Celtic supporters who’ve already paid £26 for a ticket??!!

     

     

    MT

     

     

    Nothing yet but it could end up being last minute.

  21. Philbhoy - Bring it on!!!! on

    mickbhoy1888

     

     

    Good point.

     

     

    But maybe we should get someone to play God and vet every potential employee at CP.

     

     

    We might be surprised by those turned away.