When Celtic won their first 7-in-a-row by a 10-point margin in 1972, there was scarcely a cloud on the horizon. The also collected the Scottish Cup that season, lost the European Cup semi-final on penalties and, but for a mishap against Partick Thistle in the League Cup final, would have completed their third treble.
A year later, the league-winning margin was cut to a single point and although 9-in-a-row was famously achieved in 1974, the seventh consecutive title would be the last truly dominant Celtic league win for 16 years.
Jock Stein’s team of the mis-70s was vulnerable in ways your Celtic team of today is not. Stein was brilliant and changed everything about Scottish football when he arrived at Celtic in 1965, but the longer he stayed, the closer his rivals could ape his methods.
At Sean Fallon’s funeral Mass, Alex Ferguson mentioned that he and his wife would deliberately go to the same restaurant Jock and Sean dined at on a Saturday evening, so that the young Rangers player could quiz them both on the game. It was a school day for Ferguson. People watched Celtic, copied their tactics, scouting and preparations. By 1974 Stein’s advantage was gone.
This interpretation of Scottish football history was clear in 1997, when Rangers matched Celtic’s “9”. Their golden era was not the consequence of a radically different manager, but of sheer financial power, power that unlike Stein’s in 1974, remained in place as Rangers planned for 10-in-a-row.
There has been little consistency across our current 7-in-a-row. Three managers and countless players (not the 44 used in league campaigns between 1965 and 1974). If you were to try to match the current Celtic formula for success, you would attempt to replicate their scouting, sports science and maybe their playing style, but most of all, you would need a business plan that produces income which can, on occasion, reach £100m.
Like Rangers in 1997, Celtic today have a financial advantage over all others in Scottish football. Unlike Rangers in 1997, Celtic do not have anyone readying themselves to match their investment in the team. While Fergus McCann and Jock Brown were busy signing Henrik Larsson and the like, no one in Scotland can come close to matching Celtic’s £9m investment in Odsonne Eduard, or their £52m wage bill.
Nor should they. Under Fergus, Celtic worked their way close to Rangers turnover. By 1997 there was still a gap, but it was bridgeable without putting the club into peril. Even without Champions League football, other clubs are years away from getting to within striking distance of Celtic.
This position of strength is a consequence of professionalism throughout the club. Look around as you walk up Celtic Way tomorrow. Picture in your mind the next stage of the regeneration of the old place, with the hotel to your left, and a museum and visitor centre.
That Champions League income is important, but we have been busy in the background. The cumulative value of the Dafabet shirt sponsorship deal that was signed BEFORE Brendan Rodgers appointment and revolution in 2016 was worth as much as a Champions League group stage qualification. The renewal of Dafabet’s sponsorship for seven years, announced this morning, is worth an absolute fortune. Add to that, New Balance, the Magners sponsorship on the back and other key partnerships with Eden Mill, Intelligent Car Leasing and others, and you see a football club underpinned by strong finances, before it sells a season ticket or scores a goal.
One Saturday night In the early 1990s (not on a match day), at the Walfrid Restaurant, our table was served a main course without potatoes. The spuds duly appeared with the sweet.
This is an obscure observation to trouble you with today, but it encapsulated everything about Celtic of that era. We didn’t have the organisational knowledge to server potatoes with the chicken instead of the carrot cake. How could we hope to recruit, develop and tactically deliver success on the football field?
There are reasons why potatoes came with the carrot cake – it is not because the kitchen staff didn’t know better, just as there are reasons why we are ‘knocking it out the park’, on, and off, the park these days. Getting things right in any organisation is not quick, easy or cheap. It takes planning, training and several iterations of learning from mistakes. We were a shambles. We are now a thoroughly professional outfit in every area we operate. Look at what our commercial team are achieving in contrast to what happens elsewhere.
That is why we are going to win the league this season. It’s why we will win “10” and it is why we will continue to win successive titles for the rest of your life. This success is not built upon the wisdom of Jock Stein or Brendan Rodgers, it is a consequence of planning to win, and never lose again. Ever.
While Peter Lawwell is hugely important in the operation, it goes well beyond him now. You will find the same unforgiving demands at every corporate contact point. These commercial deals take the risk out of making expensive managerial appointments.
I have concerns about our prospects against AEK Athens – a stronger opponent than we are capable of facing in the fourth qualification round. The chances of a third consecutive treble should also be given perspective. We have escaped ‘one of those days’ in two years of cup competitions, that does not mean we are immune from them.
Champions League football may or may not happen this season, but we will not collapse “like a pack (sic) of cards” if we miss out. The show will go on, because we have planned for such an eventuality. Average attendances will hover a touch below capacity, we will continue to improve.
If you are too young to know how special tomorrow’s Flag Day is, bore yourself talking to an auld yin’ for a while. This success has been worked on for decades. It is a result of denial and restraint, while lemmings were heading for the cliff. It is a milestone in history. It is a beacon that shines a green light far beyond Celtic Park. It is a wonderful thing.
Enjoy it.
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Greenapinata ( ages ago )
Point scoring?
With respect amazes me when Celtic fans discuss Rangers/Sevco fans or staff we’ve to temper it with the ‘point scoring’ warning.
Sevco they say bought history so they’ll be pulled up on Celtic social media at every transgression no matter how tedious it becomes, somebody has to report it, or before you know it there will be a call to Peter Lawwell for another summit in Edinburgh.
Celtic are a stand alone entity they do no recognise ‘old firm’ and ditched it years before the original club died in 2012. What Celtic behaviour are we to mark ourselves down on points, please don’t say ‘the Rubber Dolls’ three day running coverage baloney.
Sevco are not a taboo we share this city with them, but we have a reputation to protect they have a reputation Scotland wishes they didn’t have, discussing it with a ‘whataboutery ‘ caveat, doesn’t apply , when we don’t compare one with the other, the way Alex Salmond did.
Police Scotland are now ‘missing’ Sevco riots twice week on our streets, forget ‘point scoring’
@ SETTING FREE THE BEARS FOR RES. 12 & OSCAR KNOX on 3RD AUGUST 2018 5:19 PM
Thanks for your reply.
As you say, as a generality, spending more money equates to a better quality of player. Of course there will be exceptions falling on either side of the expected quality you are purchasing (players may exceed or fail to meet expectations). However, the premise of spending more and receiving a better quality player is a generality for a reason: it’s more often than not proved correct (Edouard, Ntcham and Sinclair being case and point during Rodgers’ tenure).
The exceptions you mention have turned into great players for us, although I could quote a much longer list of flops, unfortunately.
You mention buying within our means. I think the issue for many on here, myself included, is that our means have increased substantially; we are not required to speculate to accumulate; we have surpluses in the bank and weaknesses in the team which require to be addressed, but yet there has been very little movement in the transfer market (we have net surpluses from our most recent transfer dealings).
I think not only from a football perspective, but also a business one, that it would be prudent to address these weaknesses. After all, as a director considering our position, the greatest threat to our financial health is not over-spending in the transfer market and spiralling debt, rather it is revenue falling off the cliff due to failure to qualify for the CL.
As for the lack of guarantee in signings, can you name any business which has a guarantee of success before making a business decision? It doesn’t exist and for that reason we cannot inhibit our signing policy because a player may or may not make it. We have to ensure that we scout the player thoroughly and, fundamentally, place confidence in our manager. And given Rodgers achievements and past successful signings, we should be willing to do so.
Matt Stewart
Don’t know if anyone else got the picture quiz answer haven’t read back.
But you defo got me and Google this time.
HH
Paul 67
Caught your reply to various posters, myself amongst them. Thank you. I used to love reading your replies to posters. Please do this more frequently. It adds value to the site. Despite the criticisms and constant plaintive cries of, “CQN is not what it used to be”, it is still the best site for Celtic supporters to chat, banter, argue and got information on a diverse range of subjects.
Thank you once again for continuing to provide us with this excellent site.
Sadies- agree, stimulates debate when Paul answers Bhoys HH
Mahe
Get yourself and family to a place of safety
“Croation Fans and scoddish fans………..”
…….
…………..
………………………
couldnae make it up.
Shameful.
Mahe- as the Bhoys are saying….blanket texts in Algarve for forest fires and extreme temps too…
What she said was sad
But considering
All the rejection that she’s had
To pretend to be happy
Could only be idiocy
BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 3RD AUGUST 2018 5:47 PM
I can understand what you are saying and why you are saying it. I agree, the very same authoritarian figures couldn’t wait to summon Celtic to a ” summit ”
However there are many decent Sevco fans, including many families with children who are being tarred with the same brush as their black shirted thugs.
They are also being let down by the inaction of all our authorities.
It is a national disgrace and it is the ordinary Glasgow public who are paying the price.
HH.
The Hands
We do have some money aside and we have 4 weeks to spend some of it.
Based on previous transfer windows, with the possible exception of the Willo Window, I expect we will be buying again and I expect it will include a defender of sorts. Whoever it is, I also expect them to be proclaimed quickly as “not good enough” or just another project (as both Ntcham and Edouard were described when we got them). Funnily enough, I think Comperr got a broad welcome as “just what we needed” which goes to show the vagaries of equating reputation of a club or league with the actual performance of the player we source from there.
SO long as we agree there are no guarantees, continued caution, slow growth and sustained investment will serve us best. And we willl have to recognise that some of our surplus has been invested in infrastrucure to boost our profile instead of the team or, to be fair, at the expense of giving it all to the team. Someone, in our management has calculated that this will return more bang for buck than, say, investing in 2 or 3 punts at a Comperr upgrade. We might be just looking at the one seasoned performer- who knows? But we will still buy and we do not need to have our Christmas presents delivered in November.
…….that’s………….”Croation fans and scoddish fans…..”
:)
so painfully deliberate and obvs, ye’ve goat tae laff…………………………….
Imagine the furore if a couple of currants had been stabbed in Croatia.
it’d be off the radar………………
Whatever happened to the glorious balance sheet?
Did we win?
TOSB @ 5.52
Ditto
Greenapinata
It is a national disgrace and it is the ordinary Glasgow public who are paying the price
Indeed.
A societal slur labelling Scottish fans is the new Chelsea
HH
A good idea.
HH.
……………………………
THEORIGINALSADIESBHOY on 3RD AUGUST 2018 5:52 PM
Paul 67
Caught your reply to various posters, myself amongst them. Thank you. I used to love reading your replies to posters. Please do this more frequently. It adds value to the site. Despite the criticisms and constant plaintive cries of, “CQN is not what it used to be”, it is still the best site for Celtic supporters to chat, banter, argue and got information on a diverse range of subjects.
Thank you once again for continuing to provide us with this excellent site.
Tontine/ thomthethim/ South of Tunis ( kind of guys )
Celtic v Lazio
The Jewish ghetto of Rome
I blame kafflik schools
Good grief. That Currie guy is talentless.
Sounds like he has dusted off MacIntyre’s scripts from two years ago and replaced Joey Barton with Steven Gerrard.
All this “raised the profile” guff. Does this make you win games? Barrack Obama would have raised the profile.
Complete guff!
Celtarella
Way too old for us
Looking forward to tomorrow when the 7 times champions celebrate Flag day with the famous Danny McGrain and then start on our 8th. Returning victorious from our Champions league qualifier.
I will be looking on the new pitch to see how it can cost £1m and hope to see more improvements.
I am encouraged by the commercial success and the suggestion that our Financials are a new record.
I do hope we can be a bit more successful in our transfer attempts as we already can see that injuries can play a big part. I hope that Broony & KT are fit and back to their best.
I expect to see former player and new Livi Manager, Kenny Miller is given a good welcome and then leaves in tears
I hope for goals
GLASSTWO
Great till they cross the white line
Daniel Fergus McGrain
what a strange comment…”we own him” we bought him….
fecking hell
Braw
Roman and I’m roaming
And I’m roaming in the Rome
Roaming in the roaming
And here I am in Rome
And when the music stops
F%^* King Billy and John Knox
Oh it’s Good to be a Muslim statistic
Team news rumour-KT benched,JH wing back???
BANKIEBHOY1 on 3RD AUGUST 2018 6:05 PM
“Croatian Fans and scoddish fans………..”
…..and it was a police officer who said this! Is there no end to their bigotry?
HH
Neustadt Braw
When I buy things I own them and when I sell them I get the profit.
It’s not slavery: It’s the contact that’s owned not the man.
If you want to pull up posters for exaggerated language, you should go after that guy who was on recently comparing a walk out of MPs to the Easter Rising.
mahe
watching the fires on cnn and local news pretty bad get yourself and family out of there.
better safe than sorry. all the best.
Hamburger SV vs Holstein Kiel
this is on Hes goals ….should be a cracker ….Hamburg in the 2nd league for the first time ….against a newly promoted Keil team…..
smiley feuerwerk ? oh yes indeedy thing
Braw
SFTB ….
fair enough ….
btw it was James Forrest that went to Fife …
apols
Braw
Fairhill Bhoy
I wonder if taking Kieran off with 5 mins remaining suggests he was carrying a knock.
If so, a good idea to have him miss out and give him the best chance to recover for next Wednesday.
smiley thing
Neustadt
“btw it was James Forrest that went to Fife …”
I am afraid that has gone way over my head.
whatever
keep fit for the fives ..
Braw
SFTB-KT to get last half hour all things going well???