My friends in Celtic, our first nine-in-a-row, coming days after the infamous European Cup semi-final defeat to the thugs of Atletico Madrid, brought some cheer to a muted week for Celtic fans. It was a new World Record, but the globe is too big a place for World Records to be meaningful to most people. Those honours count most in your own backyard.
Winning nine for a second time this year would, in normal circumstances, be an occasion to cherish; I bet the merchandise opportunities were a glint in the eye of the commercial department a year ago. When it eventually came, through an SPFL board vote, we did what we could to muster some cheer, but the world had much more to worry about than sporting records, even if nine was now only a Scottish landmark. The pandemic robbed some of far more than football glory, but it denied Celtic fans a special moment.
The football industry, like most entertainment businesses, is on its uppers, with consequences for every club. Aberdeen, with costs far lower than ours, talk about losing £1m per month, but with furlough arrangements, voluntary wage reductions of managerial and executive staff, deferments among players, the financial impact of the virus has yet to hit.
Celtic’s risk is three fold: there will be a reduction in revenue from match day activities, merchandising and commercial streams, while health and safety costs will increase, albeit not by a significant margin, between them, these two measures will cost at least £10m, possibly much more.
The third risk is the increased jeopardy seeds like Celtic face in European qualification. The first three rounds of qualification for the Champions and Europa Leagues are one-off games. The Europa playoff round is also single leg, whereas the Champions League playoff is over two legs. The danger is clear: have a Lincoln Red Imps away day and even an invincible treble winning team could be out of Europe altogether.
No European football and, all other things being equal, Celtic will make a loss of several tens of millions of pounds next season. Europa League group stage participation will see that loss curtailed, but not by much. Reach the Champions League and, for a period, we will be one of the financially strongest clubs in Europe at a time when perhaps 75% of clubs will be underwater and keen to trade players.
So what can we do about it? It is generally difficult to overhaul your team before the early qualification rounds. Paying €5m for a goalkeeper is a good sign of intent, but it could also be interpreted as acknowledgement by the board of the stakes at play. Years of good leadership put Celtic in a strong position going into this crisis, now we are splashing millions in July, when the keeper who started last season’s qualifiers is still on the books; anxiety levels must be different than the corresponding time last season.
Some clubs with options will use this crisis to trade well and improve their team beyond what would be achievable in normal times. Celtic have options, but goodness, a bad night in the likes of Gibraltar would change all that.
I deliberately used the word ‘trading’ not just buying. Selling wisely is as much a part of building successful football teams as buying is. Manage your assets (take me back to 2004), get the good ones on long-term deals, if this is not possible, sell them at the top of the curve. There is no obligation for football fans to care about finances, so if it’s not your thing, that’s ok, but my Article of fFith is ‘Teams which fail to manage their assets perform significantly worse than those who do’.
Understand your place in the food chain; let others get emotional when players (KT) or managers (BR) declare this or that, then leave. It’s football, we have seen it all before. Be unsentimental in the transfer market, trade well and you will outperform those who simply hope players love them back.
Our financial outlook over the next 12 months is so varied, it is not even worth speculating what will happen, but this is not your first season as a Celtic fan and you will know how to interpret the events as they fall over the next two months.
“Be unsentimental”, you say? Try that. Try getting 10-in-a-row out of your head when planning for this season. If you can, you have icier fluids in your veins than I have. Whatever ails the world, Celtic have to find the fortitude to deliver 10-in-a-row, but there are risks.
If you remember this corresponding article from a year ago, I said our chances of nine-in-a-row was no better than 50%. While we were comfortably ahead when the league was called, a home defeat on 29 December opened the door to a challenger who bossed us for the second time that month. I could write a book on what went wrong with Newco after the break, but they were more than capable of beating Hearts, Kilmarnock and Hamilton. Had they done so, instead of losing and dropping two points at home to Aberdeen and another two to St Johnstone in Perth, they would have been champions when the votes were counted.
Winning leagues is seldom easy and Newco’s biggest problem last season was that they did not have a manager or players who had come through a campaign and delivered the title. There is institutional knowledge at Celtic Park and Lennoxtown. They know how to handle defeats – think back to Steven Gerrard’s post-match “bottle” comments about his players in defeat. Reversals soon become crises, dressing room resourcefulness disappears, while the champions scent blood.
Newco know the league was lost before Covid struck but they also know they came closer than the final league table indicates. They had a good opportunity and they still do. As things stand, I don’t think their chances are as good as they were a year ago, but I would put the probability of the title going to Ibrox next year at 30%.
Several things temper my confidence: this is the last season I expect Newco to be close to Celtic. They have made an operational loss every year since they were formed (and an actual loss if you overlook a remarkable IP revaluation). This cannot go on, they are out of road on Financial Fair Play, and while Celtic contemplate a significant potential loss, Newco do not have the possibility of Champions League football and will find it impossible to break even and remain competitive. Their outlook is very bleak and they face a significant retrenchment after this season; whatever resources they have will be deployed now.
Teams have a shelf life. In the 60 years following the War, there seemed to be a time-limit of two seasons on a title winning team. Two-in-a-row was achieved 11 times in that era, but nine of those champions lost the following season. In the other two ocassions, the settled winning team went on to achieve nine successive titles. Celtic’s Gordon Strachan and Rangers’ Walter Smith spoiled this symmetry by successively winning the title in three successive seasons.
There must be reasons why three-in-a-row was so difficult to achieve. My suspicion is that any one team has around two years at the top and that winning sides are not broken up as quickly as they should be. There is also a reason why, when three titles were achieved, it so readily turned into nine. Perhaps the disruption of reworking a losing team three successive summers brought counter-productive turmoil. We need to acknowledge that champions have a shelf life and history indicates this fact is usually recognised too late.
There is also the ‘What next?’ issue. Rangers should have had more than enough to see off the challenge from Celtic in 1997-98, but early in the season the manager and some senior players were looking beyond life at Rangers. Focus slipped and never recovered. The ‘Stay for 10’ sentiment has kicked around Celtic for years now. ‘What next?’ is a question some at the club will inevitably contemplate. This is a watershed season for many at Celtic and there is nothing we can do to pretend otherwise.
There is also the potential for the pandemic to impact the new season. Isolated lockdown and illness could severely affect any individual club. If the virus gets into the Celtic squad, we will not win the league. I know the club are vigilant on this issue, but all it takes is one infected opponent, or a careless Celtic player, and your first team could be unfit for months.
If a second wave comes, it is possible next season will also be curtailed. A slow start to the season could lead to the league being called against you. At no point can we be comfortable if we have ground to make up.
All empires fall and these Celtic players are competing in the rarest air. They deserve enormous credit, as do those who support their work. Whatever lies ahead of us this season, 10-in-a-row, two Scottish Cups and a fifth consecutive treble, or tears and despair, this will be a season you refer to for the rest of your life. Enjoy it, and enjoy Green Day for the Foundation on Sunday, you wear something green and make a donation.
Take care, we are not through this yet.
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thems shouting/screaming the loudest at every challenge and winning free kicks all over the park, some strange decisions from both madhun and his best schoolboy pal the nearest linesman nearest the cameras side ,watch out for this pairing this season.
thems looking pretty solid and comfortable at the back ,trying to start play from the back and move the ball quickly from midfield to attack but can’t judge thems central defensive pairing as the dons haven’t had an attack or shot at goal
Champions elect dominate as expected. Lennie’s party already crashed
Big jimmy
You should do what I do and leave the telly on mute, saves you having to listen to their shite!
I thought it was only me but I’m glad others have pointed out how poor Ojo of Aberdeen is. He’s given the ball away every time it comes to him. Although I hate to say it Kent is a very good and very dangerous player. How fat is Morelos?!!! He looked like the side of a house in the pre-match warm up 5 a-side. I’m sure Castore dodn’t design their gear with him in mind. He also has several chins as the tv cameras have unflatteringly shown on a number of occasions. Come on the Dons!
Can Aberdeen put 9 subs on?
……..please, please just let the unworthy Dandies nick a wee equaliser late on.
Please.
Rather than mocking the huns pre season victories, question their money source and chastise any losing opponents, I’d rather we focused on our own needs.
I’ve mentioned before, since we horsed the huns 5-1 back in april 2017, which I’d the 2 sides is stronger than then? Which is weaker?
In my opinion, we have weakened? Why has this been allowed to happen?
I appreciate and celebrate every victory and trophy since then, though I will not become complacent.
Make no mistake, the huns will go all out this season. If gerrard hangs around, this is his make or break season.
I hope i sound supportively concerned and not negative. Criticism welcomed
What does McInnes practice in training.. Aberdeen look clueless.
But here’s hoping.
Not a clue what tactics Aberdeen playing here.Not pressing high,not pressing in the middle.Fairly missing big Cosgrove for an out ball.Not an Aberdeen player supporting another.Set piece their only hope,I think.
Good to see Aberdeen have added some urgency to their game…….
Greenpinata- in training they must practice tackling Celtic players and maiming our bhoys. Certainly not tackling the huns though an absoloute disgrace.
D :)
I hope this works:
https://twitter.com/Con_Shaunnery/status/1289253854404423681?fbclid=IwAR2NKHslcoik9JxPu9Sg4siS4X61uZsZuVazopP4XJNSh0NICAWsf7iFduY
Surely that Ojo can’t stay on much longer.Poor game so far.
Oh dear..both are pish
Have they show an ‘as it stands’ league table yet?
Is Kennedy a football player as well.
Keeps losing the ball.
D :)
Anyone watching think Hagi is a bit special.
Naw,me neither.
Has Ojo seen a ball before?
McKenna is stagnating at Pitrodrie. I think we could reinvent his game and it would not cost us much.
HH.
!!BADA BING!! on 1ST AUGUST 2020 1:41 PM
Good to see Aberdeen have added some urgency to their game……
—————–
I missed that bit :O((((((((((((((((
Objectionable looking at morellos.
1 goal in 12 hours of football. 12 league goals, last season.
Slow, overweight, poor first touch.
Genuinely amazed anyone would pay 5m
VP- that’s the worst Aberdeen team ive ever seen
How did that Ojo chap stay on the park for 78 minutes😵 pure rubbish
Even set pieces,Aberdeen,woeful.
Huns better be hoping Lazio are not watching this game.Bid will go down to,28 pounds,10 shillings.
Bada
Mcinnes and his backroom staff want shot ,no urgency ..feck all .
I would have sent both off there, both had studs up, two footed and lost control
looked eachy peachy ,two players diving in .
Arfield went into that challenge with a block tackle. He was trying to do Considine but was too slow.
Balogun now worth £10m after McCoist’s endorsement.
wonder boy Hagi,whipped off.He tried to bring a ball down earlier,it went 3 yards from him,Sally,”Wonderful 1st touch”.Huns have had one shot on target this game.
Vogue
I’ve got the sound muted, did they mention Artfield’s tackle?
Ash Taylor best defender today.
PRESTONPANS BHOYS
You know better than that .
Sally biging up Balogun,who has played against a team with no strikers.Looked very good.Really.Lets see how handles Eddy and Griff.
For any bedwetters out there.Hope you have been watching.
Now we know.
.
worst aberdeen team ever –
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZPdRxUsGnA
Aberdeen a disgrace, comes from the fraud of a manager.