Selling players correctly is trickier than it looks

755


Photo: Vagelis Georgariou biglens.co.uk

In the immediate aftermath of defeat in Turin our manager was magnanimous towards his opponents, the television broadcaster and his players. Sky TV were thanked for their treatment of Celtic (note to others), Juventus were encouraged to win the Champions League, and Neil acknowledged some players may want to further their careers beyond Scotland.

Let’s be clear, most of the squad are happy at Celtic.  Georgios Samaras could go anywhere in Europe but this Celtic team is his project, as much as it is yours or mine.  Many of the others, including Matthews, Wilson, Lustig, Forster, Mulgrew, Commons, Ledley, Forrest and Izaguirre are settled at Celtic with plenty still to achieve.

Hooper and Wanyama have declined contract offers, so will be most likely to leave in the summer, but in the business Celtic are in right now, if they go, who they go to, is important.    If we lose players to tier-one clubs it will make attracting others a whole lot easier.  If you are a stepping stone to Barcelona, as with Larsson, you are a far more attractive employer than if you lose a striker to Norwich City (I’m friendly with a former Nigerian international who went on trial to Hamilton Accies the week after, and on the strength of, Brian Easton leaving there for the English Premier League).

Selling right makes it easier to buy who you want.  Got to get the right price, keep them for the Champions League qualifiers, and make sure you sell to the right club.

See you at 7.30pm tonight at the Supporters’ Association Club on London Road for the Twists & Turns Celtic Supporters Club charity night.  There will be Question and Answer session with me, John Fallon, Dixie Deans, Archie MacPherson, compared by Phil Agnew.  Afterwards you can enjoy music from Foggy Dew.

Tickets are £10 and you can get them from Phil by calling 07811 178764.  Profits are going to the Tommy Burns charity.
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  1. Ard Macha

     

     

    I have only been a contributor to the blog the last two years and at this time last year I seriously didn’t know how my phone worked. The extracts from the Bobby Sands’ diary are incredibly moving and as I still remember the mixed feelings I had at the time the Hunger Strikes.

     

     

    Thanks

     

     

     

    Jimbo

  2. Celtic_First on

    The Spirit of Arthur Lee

     

    20:25

     

     

    Absolutely brilliant.

     

     

    He must be quite a bhoy because he has his own personal steward in there.

     

     

    Maybe it’s Philvis.

  3. Ianbhoy929, been taking them for a couple of years but ran out a few weeks ago, hence the flare up

     

    Djbee, I only have a bottle of Abrlour or 10 year old macallan, what one would you suggest, for medicinal purposes only

  4. gb64

     

    I would rub the Aberlour on your foot and

     

    have a large glass of the macallan.

  5. Just been contemplating the meaning of life

     

    for the past couple of hours and came up with the answer

     

    Celtic.

  6. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    GORDON64

     

     

    Sure is,bud!

     

     

    Off to work now.

     

     

    Congratulations to DJBEE on not losing at the quiz tonight……

  7. Stringer Bell on

    As I was saying just after 8pm, the red poppy should be on the hoops every time we play….

     

     

    Eh? What’s that? The blog broke?

  8. starry plough

     

     

    23:32 on

     

    8 March, 2013

     

    Has Paul 67 sold all our top posters??

     

     

    I think we should be told…

     

     

    No…..I’m still here

  9. The Spirit of Arthur Lee

     

    20:35 on

     

    8 March, 2013

     

    CF

     

     

    What about this wan

     

     

     

     

    That’s thae bad bhoys.

  10. Jinky.

     

     

    Wee Anne text me on Wednesday, a lesson learned for her!!

     

    She’s going to the brazen tomorrow.

     

    The quadrofienans is playing.

  11. Stringer Bell on

    Timreiper

     

     

    No, a greenhun is far worse, and doesn’t melt when sat in front of an open fire.

  12. 31003

     

    Strong rumor P67 is selling his best best posters to the EPL.

     

    We will most likely end up at Norwich.

     

    HH

  13. Bloody adverts….if only

     

     

    Bloody Shamrock Rovers

     

     

    1 Real Betis Real Betis v Osasuna

     

    (Full Time Result) 08/03/2013 None 8/11 Won

     

    2 AC Milan Genoa v AC Milan

     

    (Full Time Result) 08/03/2013 None 4/5 Won

     

    3 Bohemians Dublin Bohemians Dublin v UCD

     

    (Full Time Result) 08/03/2013 None 11/10 Won

     

    4 Bray Wanderers Bray Wanderers v Shelbourne

     

    (Full Time Result) 08/03/2013 None 7/5 Won

     

    5 St Patricks St Patricks v Drogheda United

     

    (Full Time Result) 08/03/2013 None 1/1 Won

     

    6 Over 2.5 Dundalk v Shamrock Rovers

     

    (Total Goals) 08/03/2013 None 17/20 Lost

     

    7 Over 2.5 Rennes v St Etienne

     

    (Total Goals) 08/03/2013 None 23/20 Won

  14. If the suits at CQN had any haw maws they would stop the EPL cherry picking our top posters, sack the bored..

     

     

    Stayin’ in

     

     

    Starry Bungle..

  15. Anyway, well said Neil Doncaster.

     

     

    Unless he pretends he never said it.

     

     

    No idea when it was, but he filed a CEO’s blog entry on the SPL website, trying to explain to the likes of us what ‘financial fair play’ really means. That was when he came out with the immortal line: “Any club that is spending more on players than they can afford, is automatically gaining a sporting advantage over every other club it competes with.”

     

     

    Automatically. Thanks, Neil.

     

     

    So it’s not a question of lawyers arguing skilfully and eruditely about how many Rangers player can dance on the head of a pin (it’s name). It’s automatic. If you are spending more on players than you can afford, it is automatically gaining a sporting advantage over the clubs you are competing with.

     

     

    Once again, thanks, Neil.

     

     

    Perhaps the only question that remains to be answered from this Doncaster depth-charge is ‘more than you can afford’.

     

     

    Here, Rangers fans that are not too worn out from pretending Sevco is Rangers, even though Rangers and Sevco both existed at the start of the season and (while we await the coup de grace of the liquidators) still do, and even though players TUPEd across from the latter to the former (which you can only do if it’s a different employer and, if you are a professional football, that means a different club), might say that Rangers could afford the money it paid in EBTs.

     

     

    They might argue that the EBTs were just Rangers expertly demonstrating tax nous and tax efficiency.

     

     

    Nevertheless, if you spend so much money on players that you liquidate yourself, I think no one, not even Lord Nimmo Smith, not even Sandy Bryson, would be able to argue that you could afford that spend. If it put you out of business, you could not afford the money you spent.

     

     

    It was more money than they could afford. It was an unfair advantage. Specifically, an unfair sporting advantage. Automatic. Lord Nimmo Smith had no need to deliberate. It was automatic.

  16. Celtic_First

     

     

    Ole Doomcaster has been very very very quiet for months and months, where are you Neil, come up to the front and explain yourself please…

  17. !!Bada Bing!! on

    P67-Is the statement from CFC our sum total for the LNS Verdict? I am sure you see that it’s a decision the Celtic fans and fans of other teams are totally against.

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