Karl-Heinz Rummenige broke cover on his proposal to change Champions League football in a fundamental way but guaranteeing places for the top (sic.) teams in Europe, without the need for qualification.
Rummenige is not worried about his own club, Bayern Munich’s ability to qualify for the tournament, that is very much a forgone conclusion, but the prospect of games against Basel, or Leicester City, instead of Manchester United next season is less appetising. A tournament with only games against bigger teams is worth millions more in TV and sponsorship revenues than a tournament with games against lesser opponents.
This is an age old football adage. One of the prime reasons I don’t want an 18-team Scottish Premiership as interest in games against another half dozen lesser teams, at the cost of games against top teams, will put fewer bums on seats and create less interest.
Rummenige’s move is predatory and by no means guaranteed to succeed, but he’ll know this and perhaps be angling for a more accommodating compromise.
Ultimately, football is a democracy. Clubs make up the national associations and national associations make up Uefa. There are many more small clubs who would be disenfranchised by this move than large clubs who would succeed. The problem is, the money that could be placed on the table by those larger clubs.
A new football order is on its way. The current structures will not survive. I’m strongly opposed to Rummenige’s proposal but we need someone to shake things up. Now the ball is in play let’s see where it takes us.
Double-header coming up against the Highlanders. Bring it on………
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How does one spell – farcical – or pathetic – or -clinging on – or -busted – or – history – or sorry – or decomposing – or – in the arms of the angels – in Celtic Irish/Scottish Gaelic?
My heart cannot bleed anymore. I can’t care in silence anymore. I can’t change the world by myself, I’m no Doncaster. So what to do? What can I do that will make divedenders pay heed?
I think I will ask my Scouse mates for a wee bit of advice.
Florida Bhoy
Or another reading of the business runes would be that aiming, and therefore budgeting, to succeed only in the SPFL means that you are off the bigger European stage in any event.
If there is now no commercial point in qualifying for the group stages of the Champions League then why budget for it?
The domestic game is not going to fill Celtic park as in days of yore.
While I do not advocate crazy “spend spend spend” economics – that is for the foolhardy and dead – our footballing ambition has absolutely ignored developments elsewhere or the board have taken the decision they do not want to even attempt to maintain a European level.
It is all very well pointing out that we need to balance books, or that team such as Ajax and so on find themselves in a similar boat, but the fact of the matter is that had Celtic invested in marginally better players, taken fewer experimental risks on guys such as Pukki, Boeriggter etc etc and actually sought to build a team rather than be in constant transition – then our European placing would be far better as would our marketability.
Our business model is caput – functus – 2nd rate and all that and while the balance sheet does not lie ( we are a well run financially stable unit ) our market share in terms of Europe, our potential in terms of Europe, our growth capability in terms of Europe are absolutely capable of being surpassed by emergent markets and media driven alternatives because we have openly demonstrated a lack of top class – or even better class — ambition, and have settled for mediocre domesticity in a corrupt and poorly run football environment.
Now that is not knocking the board as individuals, or saying that PL is not a good CEO or anything like that, but what I am saying that those skills have not been utilised in the best way, the board members have their focus wrong and have embarked and followed through a poor business plan.
When it comes to the future of European Football Celtic are currently hell bent on bringing an Antique replica knife and a balance sheet to a gun fight.
Celtic boss Ronny Deila is not expecting to use Patrick Roberts a lot this season.
The Manchester City youngster joined the Bhoys on an 18-month loan deal and the teenager scored one and set up three in his first appearance for the Under-20s team.
But Deila believes the player ends time to adapt before he can play in the senior team.
“This is 18 months and he needs time to adapt to how we train and play,” said Deila . “He also had some injuries before he arrived, so he still needs to get better fitness-wise.
“We’ve spoken with him a lot and he has skills, which means he can do something at this level.”
“He was up and down in the Under-20 game, but there were times he was at a fantastic level. He scored a very good goal and has touch and vision. We have to use this first half of the year to get him adapted, but I’m not saying he can’t be involved. Hopefully he can kick on as quickly as possible,” he added.
Hopefully this will cheer us up a bit:
A lady goes to her priest one day and tells him,
“Father, I have a problem. I have two female parrots, but they only know how to say one thing.”
“What do they say?” the priest inquired..
They say, “Hi, we’re hookers! Do you want to have some fun?”
“That’s obscene!” the priest exclaimed.
Then he thought for a moment. “You know,” he said, “I may have a solution to your problem.
“I have two male talking parrots, which I have taught to pray and read the Bible. Bring your two parrots over to my house, and we’ll put them in the cage with Francis and Peter.
My parrots can teach your parrots to pray and worship!”
“Thank you,” the woman responded, “this may very well be the solution.”
The next day, she brought her female parrots to the priest’s house. As he ushered her in, she saw that his two male parrots were inside their cage holding rosary beads and praying.
Impressed, she walked over and placed her parrots in with them. After a few minutes, the female parrots cried out in unison,
“Hi, we’re hookers! Do you want to have some fun?”
There was stunned silence. Shocked, one male parrot looked over at the other male parrot and exclaimed, “Put the beads away, Frank. Our prayers have been answered.”
A guy at work just mentioned that Messi has just picked up la liga player of the month for the first time EVER?
Embdy confirm?
HH
Seems it’s true enuf.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/players/lionel-messi/12154108/Lionel-Messi-wins-Spains-player-of-the-month…for-the-first-time-ever.html
HH
Geordie Munro
Astounding if true , mind you what’s the point in letting LM be considered he’d win it virtually every month…
Valcke?
Second time he has had his bum smacked by FIFA .First time was for being caught telling lies to VISA and Mastercard re possible business with FIFA..
A USA judge was moved to say this about Valcke –
” He is a man who manages to lie in court while testifying re lies he has previously told this court “
The next two games can decide the title.
Celtic at home to Ross County and Inverness.
Aberdeen away to Inverness and Partick Thistle
Exiled Tim – Apologies – please tell me which post and I will attempt to answer – no offence intended.
What’s love got to do with it?
Everything?
Martin Samuelson is an 18 year old zNorwegian, signed for WHam, on loan to Peterborough. Was outstanding in the Cup v WBA. Would like to see young Roberts in action asap, especially after the turgid wing play v EK.
Further downsizing of CQN?
When I first came across this fine site it was one long page of comments. Couple of years ago we changed to pages of 50. When the most recent magazine format came in we reduced to just 40 a page. But now it seems that 38 (a bit random?) is the magic number.
I think we should be told…..
Apply for a license to play in MLS. They plan to increase the size of their league from 20 to up to 28 teams. A license costs money: last one was granted to New York City FC for £100 million. Beckam had the option to buy a franchise for £25 million when he signed up to the MLS.
It’s feasible we could walk away from the European game, and since it’s UEFA that is leaving us, I almost don’t care.
What if Celtic and Ajax were to offer £120 million each for a license in the MLS? There are already Canadian teams participating.
What potential would we have if we won the league in a top market with a combined population of half a billion? We’d have a shot at being world champions in the inevitable world league. We’d have the best players in the world at Celtic park.
We might as well leave UEFA : consenting to the current divvy up of the money is signing our own death sentence. The disparity will continue growing, until we are an irrelevance.
We need to borrow the money to secure a license and then have a share issue, afterwhich I’m sure our market cap will be multiples of what it is currently.
Their current tv deal is worth 90 million dollars. We could be a good fit for their expansion as a team that appeals to a Keltic USA and uk audience.
We’re running out of time. I think we are fecked now in Euro terms. We need DD to make this happen soon.
lionroars67 on 12th February 2016 7:36 am
We have a disgusting right wing tabloid press as many of you know; Celtic and Celtic fans have long since been a target being victims of propaganda and spin of the SFA via these rags.
*Internet bampots have recognised something that we Celtic supporters have known for years. The SMSM and the SFA “don’t like us and we do care”.
This is nothing new and has been happening since possibly just after our inception when it became plainly evident that we were becoming a force tae reckon with.
I can recall in the very early 70s the record, complete with alice cameron, stopped summarising our weekend games in the Monday edition, cannae recall how long that lasted as at that time I read the Express who had decent journalists like John McKenzie and James Sanderson (both banned by john lawrence at one time or other).
As for the SFA, there are not enough rain forests out there to produce the realms of paper required to identify the sleekitness and cunning that has been perpetuated on our club by the “men” who are/were tasked in running/ruining our game.
Recent years have indentified how bader stacked the offices at hunden with his brothers in arms. There was even the temerity of having anti-Celtic zealot peat “handed” a position on the Stenhousemuir board so that he could retain his position with the SFA while his previous club Airdrie, where he had spent 21 years, had the plug pulled on them by the Ayrshire rag and bone man.
But their disdain for us goes well back further than that, but with no bampots watching over them, they did what, where, when and how they liked.
Take the Quinn incident for example which occurred near the end of the 1905 SC semi between us and them at Parkheid (how did that happen).
Now this was during a time when the zombies were evidently non-sectarian and whose 1st chairman james henderson was a fairly decent man. He was renowned for his work among the poor children of Govan and the club had a notable record of helping charitable causes including Catholic charities. Matches were played for the benefit of the unemployed in 1886 and donations made to help the Unemployed Relief Fund in the Kinning Park area. He also, and the club, had good relations with the fledgling club from the east end and sent a team over there for their inaugural game.
Unfortunately that all ended when he passed away in 1912 and was succeeded by the demagogue primrose-ure who while nearing the end of his 11 year reign tragically lost the 21 year team manager, with a 66% winning record including 8 Championships and 1 Scottish Cup, in the murky waters of the Clyde, and the pledging of the club to the craft while along with the coxswain the emergence of a sectarian policy that has scarred the country ever since.
Back to that game, Jimmy Quinn was ordered off when according to a newspapers’ report “craig (the deid team full back) was downed. He caught Jimmy who was tearing over him, by the leg, and the latter is alleged to have kicked him in an effort to free himself”.
When Jimmy was sent off a section of the crowd invaded the park. The game was then stopped and the players ordered to the dressing rooms.
Once order was restored the MITB tried to restart the game. Celtic refused, Chairman JH McLaughlin although sympathetic with his support in recognising that Jimmy was unfairly dismissed also acknowledged that we were the offenders and conceded the game. Sir Bob was to mirror this almost 60 years later for a similar disturbance.
The game had hardly ended when one journalist wrote “However, hard it may be on the Celtic club, who have done much to prevent disorderly conduct at their ground, it is hoped that the SFA close it for at least a month”. (yet today sevco escape censure as they are seen to be trying to silence their “up tae their knees” support).
At the SFA meeting to deal with the Mighty Quinn it was decreed in the MITB report that he had “kicked and stamped” on craig.
Jimmy wasn’t allowed to defend himself in person and could only write a letter detailing his side of the event.
Along with Jimmy’s denial of the charges there was also a letter from craig where he said that Jimmy had neither kicked or stamped on him but that he had “held Quinn by the leg to prevent him getting the ball”.
The panel on the MITB’s advice that his report still stood then overwhelmingly decided to suspend Jimmy for a month.
The club in their wisdom and the player had made enquiries on the evening of the game and based on what they found backed Jimmy in his appeal against the suspension and the player asked to be allowed to produce evidence on his behalf.
The appeal was dismissed and the matter was over as far as the authorities were concerned.
Celtic and Jimmy were not finished and sued one of the papers over a report they had published. It stated that “a more brutal or uncalled for action, we are glad to say, has not been seen on a football field for many a day”. Another writer for the same paper wrote” craig was savagely kicked in the face by Quinn”.
We produced a list of witnesses including craig who told the sheriff that as he fell below Jimmy one of his boots came down on his leg. The other boot was coming down when he grabbed hold of it. Jimmy tried tae free himself but never kicked him in the face or stamped on him.
He also went on to say that 2 of the Celtic players had visited him in his home that night as they had heard reports that his leg had been broken, which they could now see was not true and that he had not been hurt in the slightest.
Later on that night Wullie Maley visited him and asked him to sign a letter that he had not in fact been kicked by Jimmy (this was the letter that was produced at the SFA hearing) and his mother witnessed his signature.
The other witnesses included both linesmen, who incidentally were not employed by the SFA but the clubs themselves, the deid team captain and their right back and 3 Celtic players including alec benett who would go on to play for the zombies.
The MITB restated his finding and further corroborated the newspapers account of the kicking and stamping
The courts amazingly found the statement slanderous and untrue and awarded Jimmy a shilling in damages but no expenses.
The sheriff also stated that because they the reporters had been invited by the provision of free seats their criticism was privileged, the opposite was the more likely on the principle that a man who of has paid for his dinner is more free to criticising the cooking than a guest.
(If you know your history right enough and it seems some at our club don’t as they still allow those who do us harm in print and on the air to eat, drink and watch the games for free).
Although happy with the outcome both the club and Jimmy were of course not fully satisfied and resented that accusation that he had deliberately used his boot on a player.
One pleasant outcome was that a public subscription was arranged and a gold watch was presented to Jimmy “in recognition of the bad treatment he had received”.
Given that some of our support believe what they read or hear you get the feeling that if this happened today they might have believed he did do what he was accused of as “it must have happened it was in the papers”, probably take the watch aff him tae.
I have said along Henderson should have never been loaned out he is a good as any midfielder we have got also is there a chance pep will recall Roberts when he takes over at City.
Disconcerting to be browsing a shoe website then moments later see same site and product flash on CQN … Invasion of privacy. What next .. When we return from bathroom will be asked if we washed our hands..??
Calling all angels…
Calling all Saints…
Calling God,
Calling Paul McStay/Tommy Burns/Roy Aitken/Kenny Dalglish/Billy McNeill/ Charlie Tully/Jock Stein
Calling my sons’, sons’, sons’ …… when it was conceived it was pure.
It was PURE.
BROGAN ROGAN TREVINO AND HOGAN SUPPORTS OSCAR KNOX, MACKENZIE FURNISS AND ANYONE ELSE WHO FIGHTS NEUROBLASTOMA on 12TH FEBRUARY 2016 3:05 PM
Our business model is caput – functus – 2nd rate and all that and while the balance sheet does not lie ( we are a well run financially stable unit ) our market share in terms of Europe, our potential in terms of Europe, our growth capability in terms of Europe are absolutely capable of being surpassed by emergent markets and media driven alternatives because we have openly demonstrated a lack of top class – or even better class — ambition, and have settled for mediocre domesticity in a corrupt and poorly run football environment.
Now that is not knocking the board as individuals, or saying that PL is not a good CEO or anything like that, but what I am saying that those skills have not been utilised in the best way, the board members have their focus wrong and have embarked and followed through a poor business plan.
When it comes to the future of European Football Celtic are currently hell bent on bringing an Antique replica knife and a balance sheet to a gun fight.
***
How you doing, pal?
‘unfocused’ … ”embarked on a poor business plan’ …. if that is you ‘not knocking’ the Board, remind me never to cross you! :)
Sadly, though, you are correct. With our support and market, it would be hard not to make money (not a lot, but some). However, simply showing a short-term profit based on picking the low-hanging fruit is not the same as building or growing a sustainable business in the long-term.
On that score, our Board is doing a very poor job in most respects. Too often, the wants of a majority (or major) shareholder seem to (implicitly, if not explicitly) dictate corporate policy. And sometimes
Sadly, Celtic is not alone in this respect; the ‘short-term’ism’ from which our Board seems to suffer (and which I think is connected to seeing the needs/wants of our major shareholder as the priority) is far too common in business nowadays.
Mike in Toronto
It gets down to the function of the Board and its members.
Is it to create a business model to support the club or a club to support business model?
We need governors entrusted with progressing the Club not administrators focussed on their own financial wellbeing.
NOTHING TO DO WITH CELTIC!
In the 80`s, there was a cheap but quite popular, brand of running shoe. For the life of me I cannot remember the name and it is annoying me! I remember them as always being grey in colour and about£20 when Adidas, for example, were £40. Anyone know???
JJ
PS The letters `V` and `S` are in my mind but that could be completely wrong!
Given the legality of how he arranged his tax payments, I would be looking very carefully at anything Karl Heinz-Rumenigge suggested.
Preferably, with the assistance of lawyers.
ExperienceOfTaxDodgers csc
tontine tim
Great post! If there was one player who deserved a gold watch it was (the Mighty) Jimmy Quinn.
Unlike Karl Heinz (Two Rolex) Rummenige.
countemcsc
Is there no limit to the depths some will go to thwart the greatest football team in the galaxy.
It appears that those bounders Allloa have had the temerity, mid season, to narrow the width of their playing surface ahead of a visit from the mighty THEM.
To an old campaigner like me, it seems not too long ago that the Beast was being portrayed as the epitome of shrewdnesss, when, in the interval between foreign opponents training on it, and kick off time in a European cup tie he ordered the narrowing of the Ibrox playing surface.
This was in the same era that SDM was credited with having the above playing surface lowered by two or three feet in order to make a visit the Stadium a more terrifying experience for visitors.
DHARMA BAM on 12TH FEBRUARY 2016 4:20 PM
Are you not thinking of Uli Hoeness?
Mr Pastry, from earlier, and none taken :-)
I agree that we have to sell to make ends meet, the players you mention had no intention of staying, nor did we have any notions on keeping them, they were bought along with countless others in the hope of making it and selling for a vast profit, the scouts deserve the credit for this, but when you weigh up all the others that didn’t make it, all the millions wasted, which you fail to mention, the garden ain’t so rosy.
I have praised Pedro many times for keeping the club on an even keel money wise, he is doing a grand job considering where we are, but his acumen is not being transferred to the pitch, and it’s the pitch where it matters, we are a football club after all.
Now, due to the lack of CL football the past couple of seasons, due to the fact we don’t have any big money players that we can sell for huge profit, we are in a bit of a bind financially to make ends meet, that is down to the gamble that Pedro took by not investing the money received for the likes of VW, Forster, KI, Ledely, Mathews, Hooper, VvD etc.
We should have built a spine for the team, a spine that had no sell on value, a spine that had the nous to take on the likes of Malmo and Maribor.
We are where we are cos of the lack of quality investment in the playing staff, the scattergun strategy is failing rapidly, what next, sell The Griff, Biton ? Where will that leave us ?
Can you enlighten the blog as you seem to have all the answers :-)
HH
Cork Celtic 11.10am
Great post, totally agree.
Looking forward to Paradise tomorrow
HH
new article posted.
We are a football club.
Just like Wycombe Wnderers.
Just like Alloa.
We are a football club.
We are not Real Madrid.
We are not Manchester United.
Neither are we Juventus or Barcelona either and I thank my only God for blessing me one of Celtic’s sons.
We are a wee, parochial,l football club that set the world on fire… not in 1967.
We set the world on fire in 1888.
We were born of An Gorta Mor.
From horrible, slow, painful, degrading, deaths, and they counted them in the millions, we were conceived.
We were conceived as one for the one.
The one being compassion.
Don’t you believe me…
Ask Kano.
Ask the Thai Tims.
Ask Mary’s Meals.
Ask yourself.
It’s Friday it’s five to five it’s;
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Ambrose ::::::::::::Brown::::::::::::::::Bitton:::::::::::::::Tierney
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Mouthwatering Saturdays CSC
Jungle Jim Hot Smoked
Converse ?
Sorry Paul,
The a democracy is the last thing that football is.
I stand open to correction on the following.
Is it not the case that not too long ago, in collusion with THEM, Celtic were willing party to a system whereby their vote was worth twice that of other clubs.
.
BIGSHUGGY @ 3:43
Totally agree. Personally, I find it very frustrating when Celtic sign players, then take forever to give them a game, citing youth, match fitness or injury. It is even more frustrating to see them get 2 minutes at the end of games where they could have conceivably made a difference, or where the result is already out of sight.
Recently, Sevco signed King from Hearts, played him immediately, and he scored their game winner. Even more recently, Aberdeen sign Church from Swansea, play him immediately, and he promptly scores the winner against us.
To back up Big Shuggy, by far the most outstanding player on the park the other night for Peterborough against West Brom was an 18 year old Norwegian kid. There is absolutely no reason not to play Roberts against Ross County, and, if publicized early, would I believe increase the attendance. The old saying, “If he’s good enough, he’s old enough” holds true.
The fact that he will never sign for us permanently is to my mind irrelevant. For whatever reason, he is with us now, and is an amazing talent. If we have an asset, why not use him? He is far more skillful and direct compared with Forest, GMS or Armstrong, and a much more potent goal threat. Let the fans enjoy watching him! Pellegrino got some flack for releasing him for 18 months, and defended himself by opinion that he would get games and experience at Celtic. I’m pretty sure he didn’t mean the Development squad or the bench.
Iniquitous
Opining not Opinion. Darn predictive text!
Jeepers Kitalba, if your posts are an accurate reflection of how you are feeling you need to step back a bit and take a break.
We did indeed start as a Charitable Institution but we have been a Commercial Football Club for a long time. Long before Desmond & The Bunnett became involved. There have been huge changes in all aspects of life & society in our own lifetimes never mind Celtic’s.
Things have changed and will continue to change, that is a fact of life. We can manage & adapt to change but we can’t put back the clock. Lads like yourself & KevJungle, are great ghuys. I love your passion & concern but there is future in the past.
As far as Celtic is concerned my immediate ambition is to take 3 points tomorrow, nothing more.
I don’t share all the angst about the Huns. People on here saying they were dead but Celtic resurrected them is pure shite.
The old Rangers were liquidated and that is that. The huge fanbase they had remains and no matter what anyone did, they were going to be represented by a Football Team. With a huge support base relative to all other Clubs bar ourselves this NewCo/Sevco/TheRangers were always going to get back to the top Division.
Celtic are just one vote in Scottish Football, there was absolutely nothing they could do.
Yes they could have whinged & whined and made Statements but simply playing to us the Supporter base but they would have just damaged the standing of the Club and achieved nothing.
I know I live in Ireland and don’t have to meet or work with Huns but I don’t give a Tinker’s Curse about them. I don’t fear them, never have & never will.
The very worse that can happen is that they will beat us in one off games or start winning trophies for their reincarnated entity.
Fine, I don’t relish the thought but when that day comes, I’ll deal with it. No one will die, we will wake up the next morning still proud Celtic Supporters and our day will come again.
Exiled Tim
—————-
Understand the points you make – however without player-sales we would running at a loss every season – woth cumulative loss of some £40/50 million since 2007 – even with 50% CL participation during that time.
I honestly don’t know how we could have funded this any other way.
I hope, like you, that we don’t repeat the mistakes like Derk,Pukki, Bangura,Cifti…etc – but we are always taking a chance, that’s the market we are in now.
Typical bliddy Germans!
Think they can trample over the rest of us!
HH!!