You and I have discussed the need to upgrade Celtic Park for a long time. It is a 20th century stadium that is showing its age through the second quarter of the 21st. I am unfamiliar with the South Stand, but I hear that is most in need of renovation, which is hard to believe, as I am familiar with the condition and facilitates in the North Stand.
I have raised the question many times over the years with the club, with incredible budget estimates thrown back as the determining issue. Post-Brexit and with geo-political issues going on, the cost of construction skills and materials have risen to new heights.
Glasgow is not London, which is its own special category of crazy when it comes to construction costs, but Crystal Palace redevelopment of their main stand caught my eye. Work is underway to increase capacity from 26,000 to 34,000. The initial budget when the project was conceived in 2017 sat at £76m (not much above what I heard redeveloping the Main Stand at Celtic Park would cost). Current cost estimate is £200m.
For Palace, it is not really about the extra 8,000 seats, those seats will have a higher average price, as they will bring significant new hospitality facilities. £125m of the funding requirement comes from Goldman Sacks. The rate on this was not disclosed, but Goldman replaced Palace previous lender, who charged 11% (costing £9.2m interest, and that was before construction).
We look back on the 1990s as a time of trauma: one league title, one Scottish Cup and one League Cup. £40m was also spent that decade on re-building Celtic Park. That was an astronomical figure for the club back then, but the new ground brought additional income streams online from season 1995-96. When the stadium was finished in 1998, Celtic were in an unrecognisable income position.
I don’t think we can put off stadium upgrades forever. Fans of the future will expect (and will pay for) better facilities. But I’m not sure a Crystal Palace-type project is a viable risk.
CQN Golf Day 2026
This year’s CQN Golf Day will be at Dunblane Golf Course on Friday 10 July. Our guest speaker is celebrated film and TV actor David Hayman. David broke through when he starred as Jimmy Boyle in a Sense of Freedom (1981), and went on to appear in major cinema successes such as The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (2008). More importantly, he founded the charity Spirit Aid, which works with children whose lives have been devastated by war, genocide, or poverty. I will be speaking as well.
It is a great day, if you would like to attend, email Taggsybhoy: cqngolf@gmail.com . See you there.
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We need to name it to stop it
Call it out
https://www.callitout.uk/blog/we-need-to-name-it-to-stop-it-who-are-the-far-right
HH
Ziggy
Seen that as well, very good 😂🤣
See McKenna has left Ipswich 🥴
eratic on 10th June 2026 6:20 pm
See McKenna has left Ipswich 🥴
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I thought you meant Scott. Interesting 🤔
What ever happened to ‘Nil by Mouth’ ?
McKenna & MON anyone ? 👍🤔
He’s left to spend time with his family – maybe next season
Gene
Good shout 👍
THE BATTERED BUNNET on 10TH JUNE 2026 4:37 PM
….. Of course there are workarounds, but that’s a pretty shabby place for a mid-cap listed company to find itself…..
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Business as usual for Shambles FC.
Proposal to substitute “work arounds for everything we do” in place of “world class in everything we do”.
You wouldn’t run a Junior side like this, much less a club of Celtic’s size and complexity.
I’m not going to suggest that Celtic Plc are at immediate risk of violating any LSE requirements, but the lack of numbers on the board and their inability to properly cover key responsibilities, as well as the providing “proper” independence, should be of great concern. The reason that the Audit & Risk committee is fully populated is because this committee addresses issues which are typically considered as the primary area of concern for regulators and governing body administrators. I previously posted something in connection with this topic, and while I cannot find the concise original version, this is the basic gist of what the concerns would be…
What Constitutes Improper Governance?
Improper governance generally falls into several primary buckets of non-compliance and misconduct:
Internal Control & Risk Failures: Failing to establish or properly monitor robust risk management and internal financial controls. This includes failing to formally declare the effectiveness of material internal controls in the annual report.
Board Composition & Culture: A lack of independent oversight, failure to maintain appropriate board diversity, inadequate succession planning, or allowing an overly dominant CEO to undermine board authority.
“Comply or Explain” / “Apply and Explain” Abuses: Giving weak, boilerplate, or evasive explanations for departing from recognized corporate governance provisions.
Misleading Disclosures: Releasing inaccurate financial information, manipulating earnings, market abuse, or failing to report price-sensitive information to the market in a timely manner.
Remuneration Irregularities: Executive compensation packages that lack clawback and malus provisions, or that misalign with the company’s long-term strategy and values.
Penalties for Poor Governance
The consequences for improper governance are determined by the regulatory bodies overseeing the LSE (primarily the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the Financial Reporting Council (FRC), and the LSE itself):
FCA Censures and Fines: For breaches of the Listing Rules or market abuse, the FCA can impose unlimited financial fines and issue public censures. For example, the LSE can fine or publicly censure companies (such as AIM-listed issuers) for failing to maintain sufficient procedures to monitor financial performance.
Restatements and Court Orders: If the FRC identifies defective reports or non-compliance with accounting standards, it can obtain court orders to force the company to restate its accounts. Directors can be held personally liable for the costs of this restatement.
Suspension or Delisting: The ultimate sanction for severe or repeated governance failures (or the inability to maintain listing eligibility) is the suspension or cancellation of a company’s shares from trading on the LSE.
Criminal Charges and Director Disqualification: In cases involving severe fraud, market manipulation, or embezzlement, regulators can refer individuals for criminal prosecution. Additionally, negligent or dishonest directors can face disqualification from serving as a company director for a number of years.
All Celtic league goals
https://youtu.be/scOxk6dDtTA?si=tn5G3CjFpwGDZtLL
HH
MOM @ 6.33
Still going , – Director Dave Scott said recently not enough done in football to challenge it.
Imagine that there was a photo going round of the victim of the stabbing/attack.
Imagine he had a Celtic tattoo.
Imagine what the reform, racist, hun, thugs would make of that.
Imagine.
Evening all.
Rest In Eternal Peace Brian McFie.
A brilliant musician, a fantastic Artist and a beautiful human being.
It is unusual that there has been no announcement officially about MoN’s appointment, if he has been appointed. Can anyone suggest why that might be. Is the club putting a range of other appointment in place, and waiting to announce it as a package? or what?
Joes11
You give them too much credit
Is there an actual statutory bank holiday in Scotland on Monday
joes11 on 10th June 2026 7:39 pm
It is unusual that there has been no announcement officially about MoN’s appointment, if he has been appointed. Can anyone suggest why that might be.
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it doesnt concern the plebs.
World Cup bank holiday
Monday 15 June 2026 has officially been confirmed as a national bank holiday. This is to mark Scotland playing in the men’s football World Cup for the first time since 1998.
The holiday was proposed by the First Minister and approved by His Majesty The King.
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three cheersfor his maj..
McKenna to follow MON in 12 months time?
Its on the cards because we will not need to pay any cash at that time to
secure his services.
Sounds good to me and probably to DD too, who would be the main shaker in a deal like this.
Not all Local authorities have granted the holiday.
Generally, SNP councils gave it.
Others didn’t.
Health centres got it.
Does this thoroughly sleekit Irish political propagandist not realize that because there were NO riots after the other knife attack which she mentions, that that might be the reason for this new knife attack?
https://x.com/SaulStaniforth/status/2064650164933988457
If the officers of the law are not allowed to do their jobs for fear of stepping over the D.E.I. – Diversity, Equality, Inclusion, narrative lines, then lawlessness will eventually be the outcome.
Maybe she thinks that everybody has a rainbow unicorn t-shirt?
bournesouprecipe on 10th June 2026 6:50 pm
👍👍
Are the SDLP still a thing?
I thought the Brits threw them into the ditch, hooded and with their hands tied behind their back with bailing twine in 1996.
Seems i was wrong.
Gene on 10th June 2026 7:45 pm
Is there an actual statutory bank holiday in Scotland on Monday
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Yes. For all public service workers and possibly some private sector workers depending on contract..
Money is no object for Scottish taxpayers , unless its a public enquiry into Sturgeon’s ex husband.
HH.
Greenpinata
I’m afraid not.
Most council workers are not getting it.
Wee fergus done far more to the stadium with far less against a buckdrop of a financially dopped up club. He did not have the money to build a stadium, he simply found a way. If this celtic board wanted to find a way i have doubt it southstand upgrade and envios around the stadium would get done.
No problem with doing things slowly as and when the money is there to be spent but that only gets you so far.
We dont need to worry they cant even be arsed fixing toilet doors or giving the inside a lick of paont lol!!!
HH
Not all Local authorities have granted the holiday.
Generally, SNP councils gave it.
Others didn’t.
Health centres got it.
—
im getting the holiday, but not on monday, on the 23rd december instead.
delighted with that, saved me a days holiday at xmas.
i have no need for a holiday on monday.
I’m not.
West Dunbartonshire council didn’t give it.
Wonder if they’ll take a register of councillors , in Headquarters by 9 am?
i will take any extra days holiday i can get.
but have to say i dont really understand this one.
had the game been at 2am on the monday morning then i would understand that 100% so folk dont need to get to their work on the monday.
but what if scotland get through the group stages, and then have to play a late sunday night game.
that would have been a much more useful extra monday bank holiday
Just had a thought re, the 40/40/20 debt/equity/cash structure to finance a new stand.
The two factions vying to buy up yer grannies shares 7would have an opportunity to put money where their mouths are and snap up the equity.
That would be interesting.
https://x.com/MattMcGlone9/status/2064818054073057725?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet
Muted were Matt was.
Absolutely jumping in the pub we were in tonight when Malaga won.
Football is a great game.
Blogger @ 10:12pm
It struck me that, currently, neither Willie Haughey nor David Low appear to be beating them away with a stick.
Uptake feels slow.
Which might say something about the feelings of the silent majority.
I think a formal share issue is long overdue.
If, for no other reason, to give those fans aged under 40 … the chance to own a piece of Celtic.
unsurprising that the various ponzi schemes are not gaining traction.
Co-optation is the word i believe.
It struck me that the factions knew a shitty stick wouldn’t be needed as the shares are buried with granny.
As Charlie Munger said, “show me the incentive and I’ll show you the outcome”.
Back to Basics – Glass Half Full on 10th June 2026 10:34 pm
David lowe talked about the younger generation of celtic supporters who would be up for a share issue. Seems a quick way to get a chunk of money and so long as its for physical investment i.e. bricks and mortor, any dilution of shares will be made up for on club value.
Are the biscuit tin guardians gonna give MON a proper crack at CL to get c. £70m or will it be qualification failure, Europa League and the subsequent sales of, say
AJ £15m
AT £6m
RH £4m
AE £20m
BN £15m
DM £10m
… for £70m ????
Buying shares to buy your silence.
You own a piece of paper and you are told to sit down and shut up when you call the fat oafs and the living dead at the top table out, then from behind the curtain swans some half wit with a poorly made up tie and a missive from his father, calls you all clowns for your troubles and Pete the Beat uses this excuse to shut the whole shitshow down before we get to the nitty gritty.
A choreographed sideshow where they people who keep the whole place afloat are cast as the villains of the piece. .
I’d rather set the money on fire.
Good Morning Fholk – Grand Day To Be A Tim…
As we await the grand opening of the world cup
And discuss Celtic’s latest herring rouge
A reminder….
Football – and I use the word loosley in some senses, fholk that we lost last season…
Brendan Rodgers
John Kennedy
Adam Sadler
Jack Lyons
Glen Drisccol
Jay Lefevre
Peter Lawwell
Wifried Nancy
Kwame Ampadu
Jules Gueguen
Maxime Chalier
Paul Tisdale
Tim Allison
Official replacements for positions…
James Bell-Walker
The squad too is interesting, while I’d agree with the majority that the team needs a rebuild and that ripping up the “recruitment strategy” would be necessary to do that successfully we still have…
a) A decent first team (spl wise)
b) A full squad (numbers wise)
Sinisalo
Doohan
Alister Johnston
Keiran Tierney
Colby Donovan
Anthony Ralston
Dane Murray
Auston Trusty
CCV. – injured
Liam Scales – contract extension
Mike Nawrocki – sale
Luke McCowan – contract extension
Benjamin Nygren – possible sale
Reo Hatate – Sale
Calmac
Paulo Bernardo – sale
Arne Engels – sale
Callum Osmand
Michel-Ange Balikwisha
Joel Mvuka – option
Sebastian Tounekti
Shin Yamada
James Forrest – contract extension
Jota – injured
Johnny Kenny – possible sale
Daizen Meada – Sale
Hyunnjun Yang – contract extension
Unless there are HVP sales and a reduction in the number in the squad (hair cuts on sales, termination of contracts, loans out – those already started to be fair), I can’t see many significant permanent signings or a first team overhaul.
Just~a~thot
Hail Hail