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You are at:»»State of the Club Report, summer 2015

State of the Club Report, summer 2015

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By on CQN BLOG & Comments

Celtic are about to embark on their fourth season as the last remaining Superpower in Scottish football. The old wars were won, while current challenges on the domestic front are accomplished with ease, but many questions remain about the club’s place in the world, what it’s objectives should be and how best to deliver them.

My expectation is that Celtic’s annual accounts, which will be released next month, will show they club washed its face, largely aided by the sale of Fraser Forster, but turnover is likely to be around 35% below the peak figure from season 2012-13, where we progressed to the knock-out stages of the Champions League, selling tickets and merchandise by the ton.

Season ticket sales are down around 10,000 from their peak a decade ago, reflecting the lack of domestic competition, an overhang of the economic climate, and – I expect – a tail off from what was an unsustainable high during the years of regrowth after the long, dark, 90s. The good news is the distress rate appears to have bottomed out. New blood has replaced old in many parts of the stands, as many learn to appreciate The Game for its sporting merit, not simply a means to three points.

We had a terrible start to the Ronny Deila era. We huffed and puffed in Iceland, were torn apart in Poland, but the performance against Legia at Murrayfield was nothing short of a capitulation. From the opening minute of the game we were worse, much worse, than we were in Warsaw.

Results and performances remained disappointing for months as Aberdeen regularly led the league into the new year, but signs of recovery appeared in the Europa League, where we qualified for the knock out stages and put on two credible performances against Inter.

Last autumn Ronny was under pressure. In another era, this could have been overbearing pressure. The change in managers brought a change in tactics, training and personal objectives, which disoriented the club. It also meant that we didn’t have a recruitment strategy in place for the new requirements.

There are many long term strategic threats, but if Celtic ever lose a league again, it’s likely to be when they embark on such an overwhelming technical change. If we do this again, we need to anticipate the shock and compensate accordingly.

Sporting objectives remain clear: win the league every season “forever and ever” and qualify for the Champions League group stages. Having given this some thought, I cannot see the scenario when we will lose the Scottish league title.

A horizon exists in Scottish football, no one can see beyond 10-in-a-row. This season WILL be five-in-a-row, most bookies are offering 1/33, a 3% return on your money, on this outcome. After that the countdown to 10 will grow louder, but 10 is not a real horizon, it just exists because Jock Stein’s ways were eventually copied. He had no mystical touch, only good strategy.

Rangers should never had stopped at 9. The money they had gave them an enormous advantage. Wim Jansen arrived from nowhere (Japan) with half a team signed by Jock Brown. It defied logic how we won that title, but it’s also clear than many at Ibrox had put their tools away before the start of that season. There is a warning here for Celtic. The latter parts of the Martin O’Neill, Gordon Strachan and Neil Lennon eras were all characterised by less innovative signings. More scouting trips to Edinburgh, fewer to Cracow, and the like. When the players, manager or scouts get weary, teams fail.

Achieving Champions League group stage qualification is the most difficult challenge Celtic face. We are clearly a better team than Qarabag, and have considerably more resources, but much of Wednesday night was spent worrying if the goal would come, and about what we would face in Baku. Even if we’re successful, strong unseeded teams will await in our section of the next round draw.

We are more than good enough to win league after league, but we’re not more than good enough to qualify for Champions League after Champions League. This should be Celtic’s objective for the next year – arrive in next summers’ qualifiers with a much better team.

The success of this will depend on Ronny’s ability to turn potential into actual European class players. He can do this, but he’ll need a tail wind. In particular, we have to hope that an earlier, ‘recruit from Edinburgh’ strategy, has not been redeployed in the form of a ‘recruit from Dundee’ one.

There are objective measurements we can point to. We are sound financially, pay our bills when due, have seen off all domestic competitors, will report more than 40,000 season ticket holders, a buoyant retail business and strong commercial partnerships. The stadium looks incredible, whoever conceived of the Celtic Way deserves some credit – but please – finish the job.

Copy what we saw at Murrayfield, put turnstiles at the perimeter of the footprint, build fan zones, build a café outside the ground. 30 years from now people will not sit in stadiums like Celtic Park, they will have better facilities, start planning for them now.

As anyone will tell you, football is a results business, and results over the next four weeks will have an enormous bearing on what state we feel the club is in. Defeat will not mean we are on the wrong path any more than victories mean we are on the right path, but it’s the game we play, so ‘play on’.

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  4. Almore on

    DD: my minder is TR? See you tomorrow.

     

     

    Looking forward to a great day. I attended a couple of Dublin matches in the last few weeks and hope to be in Croke Park on Sunday but nothing, nothing (Paradise) compares 2 u.

     

     

    C’mon the HOOPS

  5. Canamalar on

    Oldheid67,

     

    If I have to tell you another million times it’ll be the last million times I tell you :)

     

    And stay away from those churches, they keep spontaneously combusting when you visit :D

  15. Delaneys Dunky on

    Canamalar

     

     

    Three of my family worked for Riley in the Flagship Anniesland. A hun and a mason.

  18. oldtim67 on

    canamalar.

     

     

    A few must have combusted in Poland, Zbyszek and Stephen dragged me round a few until I put my foot down and went on strike, went round more churches than bars, trying to reconvert me they were.

  19. Thunder Road on

    What the hell…..has happened to cqn? :(

     

     

    Managers eh…….love changing something for the sake of changing it yet invariably it doesn’t make it any better……maybe im a bit sore and have just seen too much of my own managers but sometimes they should actually listen to the workers.

     

     

    You bhoys will have spent a lot of time working on this and its your site to make as you see fit and it is something that i am so grateful to be able to use but what you have created is not a patch on what you had.

     

     

    Ergonomically the previous format was wonderful…….so much simpler(maybe thats why i liked it)……if you have something that’s great…..leave it be.

     

     

    Not broke = do not try to fix.

     

     

    Tinkermen!!!!

     

     

    Arrrrrrgggghhhh :(

  20. JCA19OO on

    glendalystonsils

     

     

    Fantastic player on of the very very best, high praise from you. The eternal debate again but if you’re talking about defenders, just how good was Connelly, if only Big Jock had played him in Milan, midfield of course.

     

     

    Ok bed time, still haven’t got over that one

  23. jude2005 is Neil Lennon \o/ on

    Thunder Road

     

     

    Lap top running better now still got some issues tho. Thanks again. H H

  29. clogher celt on

    Roy Croppie,

     

     

    Are you still coming over to Dublin? We think you would be great as the DJ.

     

     

    Clogher

  32. gallybhoy on

    Scrolled right through looking for link to naps

     

    competition. ..any help thanks… don’t know why..couldn’t tip a waiter…3-0 tomorrow. .GMS first goal. .stay away..

  36. roy croppie on

    clogher celt on 31st July 2015 11:03 pm

     

     

    I’m coming; hoping to travel with the Vogue Bhoys but one way or another I’ll be there…like that suggestion clogher lol

     

     

    HH

  37. glendalystonsils on

    JCA19OO on 31st July 2015 10:58 pm

     

     

    Big GC was world class. Why Jock didn’t play him in that final……well, who would know or who would question big Jock’s judgement?

     

    Sometimes Ronny’s judgement re team selections/substitions leave ye scratchin’ her heid>)

  38. Delaneys Dunky on

    RC

     

     

    I once messed with Peter Grant. Saint Tams v Saint Pats. It got ugly. :)

  40. gordybhoy64 on

    Delaneys,

     

    been In there a few times lately,

     

    spent some time in Clydebank and Dalmuir today

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