I read one highly unlikely article yesterday suggesting we were going to sign Alfred Finnbogason AND were still bidding big money for Kevin Doyle ahead of an 11pm tonight signing deadline. It’s hard to be so wrong in so few words, but this one hit the mark.
Alfred is a target but, and this is the key point the newspapers have not picked up on, he is one of four strikers Celtic are seriously considering at the moment. He looks the part, as do the others, I am assured, but the deal has to be right for Celtic to move.
Our strategic plan is to buy players at a comparatively low price, develop them on the Champions League stage, and sell high, in order to be able to build a team capable of competing further in the Champions League.
To do this we need to buy from the right markets, at the correct age and on the right wage. There will be exceptions to this rule. A few weeks shy of his 27th birthday, Dirk Boerrigter is unlikely to appreciate greatly, but teams need experience to tackle the Champions League, as well as some specific skills, so Dirk is here for what he can give today, not to be the next £12m exit.
We will see more business like Wanyama and Hooper. Before Celtic agree a deal for Finnbogason there would need to be a gap between the buy price and the projected valuation IF the player is a success. If this gap doesn’t exist we will do business elsewhere. Sticking to strategy is more important than pursuing a target like some latter-day David “this time we’re really going for it” Murray.
You can also forget about the 11pm deadline tonight. That is only relevant if we need two or more new players to overcome Shakhter Karagandy. If we want to add Finnbogason, or any ONE other player, the deadline for a Wildcard signing is a day before the game, or pretty much when the team leaves Glasgow Airport, so there is no effective deadline tonight. As such, I would be surprised if a deal was concluded today.
Right now, at Lennoxtown and Celtic Park, people are deciding how to invest our money. We have the kind of choices consistent with a well-run club, but while we are a well-run club, we can’t get caught up in the hubris.
We are living through some big changes in our financial model. Revenue from domestic football (season ticket sales-now discounted, Rangers game £42-per-head ticket sales, hospitality sales, commercial income) has fallen, or disappeared completely (I reckon we’re in the region of £9m p.a. down in these areas, we’ll have a better indication when accounts are released later this month). On top of this, the club was running at a loss without Champions League football or significant player sale (£7m for season 2011-12, the last we have accounts for), and as well as some income streams falling, costs have risen.
I heard that one ‘St Mirren’ supporting journo on Radio Scotland on Saturday said with last season’s Champions League income and money from player sales, Celtic have a £40m transfer kitty.
In the name of all that is sacred, nine years after ‘What the Celtic fans want to know is where is all the Seville money?’, the same nonsense is being peddled. As far as some are concerned, we are back where we started on CQN. The first thing you do with your money is pay your bills, including tax… there is no creditor left behind at Celtic. After they are taken care off you can look to invest in footballers.
This year, the underlying loss has been flipped because of player sales and that Champions League income, although not by nearly as much as journos who regard researching accounts before commenting on finance as an unnecessary indulgence, will tell you. Without Champions League income (this season potentially £14m plus any prize money earned), the money from Wanyama alone would not make this a profitable season, even before the spend on our new signings.
The road ahead is clear. Get into the Champions League as often as possible without allowing any individual failure to cause a collapse, sign players who will flourish at that level, sell them for a profit, repeat and reinforce all aspects of strategy with an improved budget.
Over any business period, every penny which comes into the club, has been, and will continue to be, spent. Our money will be invested in footballers who will appreciate in value, and who will give Celtic their best chance of pushing further in the Champions League on a persistent basis. It will not rest in a bank account earning a pittance in interest. The strategy is ambitious and sustainable but not reckless.
A year ago some wondered if Celtic could survive, never mind flourish, without a Rangers-branded club in the league. If successful, this strategy will not only allow the club to flourish, it may even result in higher long-term income than Celtic achieved while locked in an arms race with a former rival, with a corresponding improvement in Champions League achievement.
Is Alfred Finnbogason the man, is he better than the others we’re looking at, good enough to excel in the Champions League? I’ve no idea, but he is just one detail in the wider Celtic strategy.
Stick to plan, Celtic.
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What time did the Hibs game KO last season, the game at Easter Rd when we got beat 1-0
Marti Sandino
15:50 on
12 August, 2013
Hi Fholks,
It’s been quite the Celtic supporting week for me. Was up in Donegal last weekend for a break and watched the win against Ross County in Nearys in Dungloe.Watched all the Gaelic as well last weekend and enjoyed the craic at the festival. Up at 5.30am on the Monday morning then to drive down to Dublin Airport for my flight to Sweden. 2 good nights in Gothenburg where the hospitality of the Dubliner bar was exceptional. Down to Boras then for the draw against Elfsborg and although the away support was one of the lowest I have seen in a while in Europe, we made up for it in the amount of noise we made. Back to Dublin then on Thursday, work Friday and then the Aviva on Saturday for the win over one of the EPL leading lights with basically what was the Celtic reserve side. Absolutely brilliant. Lay on the sofa yesterday and watched the great hurling game between Dublin and Cork.
Been a great week to be a Celt even if the finances took a battering. The beer in Sweden is some price! Nice people though and we got a great welcome. The Celtic support in the Aviva, although outnumbered by 3-1, won the battle of the singing with ease. A Dublin Liverpool fan I know shook my hand at the end of the game and said the noise of the Celtic support made the game for him and his 12 year olf autistic son. They had a great time with us which was great to see.
Like everybody else on here I suppose I await with bated breath to see who we sign up front, but also in defence and midfield. I hope Amido Balde can continue his improvement. Izzy coming back to his best and some of our young lads looked exceptional against the experienced English “top side”.
Marti
Well said Marti.
The young Hoops did not let us down and neither did Neil & Co’s
Tactics which where spot on against a strong Liverpool side.
So all those Agent’s out there who want the Hoops to go and
raid our Bank A/c what about time for new players to bed in?
& How much money do these so called new additions want
per week (weekly wage) Money does not guarantee success
look @ Man City for example how many millions have they
spent over the last 2-3 Years and what have they won apart
from the EPL in Season 2011/2012.
Auldheid
Aye I like a wager, but like most who dabble, I like to bet on things that are going to give me a return.
And like most others, I lose more than I win, tis the nature of gambling.
Problem is with your scenario, the each way thing…is we have gone all in, not even an incling of hedging our bets.
PL has gambled that we make the group stage with what we have, this from a man who professes not to gamble.
For that I admire his balls, which will be on toast if his gamble fails.
We were blessed against the Elfs, we hardly troubled them at home, they could well have taken the lead, we were all over them in the second half, but in all honesty, never really looked like scoring.
The second leg was shocking, aye the pitch was no the may west, the ref was crap, but we were lucky not to concede, as they were, but all in all, we were fortunate to be in the play off.
HH
Malone Bhoy
What if the Bhoy don’t want to play in one of the poorer leagues in Europe??
Auldheid
15:49 on
12 August, 2013
Correct and well said
67ECW
Well chaps. Back again, taking a break from writing the ole personal statement, to declare my disappointment at the total lack of “are you a hun/secovian”? posts.
Ah well!!
Apart from the ever present DBBIA, are there any other aul hauns oot there? When Paul changed the log in proceedure many moons ago, I became lost in the ether of the interweb , vainly shouting from the Platcave for help. Alas, like in space, no one can hear you scream in the ole Platcave!!
Looks bad for Sevco, does it not! Well they were warned and we have the added bonus of having the straight talking Yorkieman back to claim his cash!!
Anybody think that Sevco 2 will buy the history of Sevco 1?!!
Happy days!!
Gardai now saying Anthony Stokes has been released without charge over alleged attack on Elvis impersonator.
I Just Can’t Help Believing
67 heaven
all inferior players ..replaced on the cheap
not my idea of the right direction
better what out or we might go bust like the huns eh?
fassreifen
if we fail to score ….i`d beg to differ
Stokes released? So it was just suspicious minds then
ziggydoc1
15:54 on
12 August, 2013
AKBW1888 totally agree. However, no chance of it happening.
We will see, on Saturday Ziggydoc1
Although, if the Hoops decide to field their normal set up against
the Sheep. They will have to fly out on Sunday @ the latest to
give themselves time to be fresh for Tuesday’s match
Apparently, Khasakhstan is three thousand miles from the UK
which means it’s around a six hour flight time + another five
hours or so getting through each Airport so it’s a long day ahead
so they need some recuperation time before preparing for said
match. Also, I hope we can score goals over there so that finish
the tie off @ CP Lord willing.
Good luck to the Hoops and come on the Hoops.
AKBW1888
I have to say I did like the performances of many of our young players. Fisher and Findlay in particular look real good prospects. No doubt we could be seeing more of these guys at the weekend against Aberdeen.
Marti
2million shares dumped @41p each !!!wow!! i wonder who has that amount? hh
67heaven-to suggest we will end up like Sevco if we sign a couple of players is ridiculous.Sounds like you would rather have a balance sheet than a team sheet.If we don’t qualify,how much will we spend next season without any CL income?
New on the menu at Sevco
https://twitter.com/begleybhoy/status/366864365825179648/photo/1
Platolovesthehoops @ 16:02,
Think there are still a few aul’hans around, although I think many have changed their moniker.
Was never an aul’han myself but loved the blog in dem days.
Mind you the aul Jelly and Ice cream festival sponsered by OldCo was right up there.
Nice to see you back…
Platcave and all.
DBBIA will be there waiting for the ricochet…..
Hail Hail
tommysbhoy
16:10 on
12 August, 2013
———————————–
Could have been bought mate.
67Heaven … I am Neil Lennon..!!.. Ibrox belongs to the creditors
I’ve been right here. The difference now is that we have some money, not huge amounts, but certainly enough to try and take us to the next level, to excite the support, to stop the drastic decline in seat sales.
What’s it like being scared all the time?…….I would hate that.
HailHail
Tommysbhoy -must be Owen Coyle’s granny.
She has her finger on the pulse of ole Scottish football.
One of the crucial factors in Lyons success in following the strategy we are now embarked upon was to have replacements lined up before sales of players happened.
Easier said than done but crucial that Celtic try.
Also their is a time difference over there where they are ahead of
UK GMT
Soal – genius…..
Are sevco dead yet?
SuperSutton
14:50 on
12 August, 2013
Also, if success is your main reason for supporting Celtic then was the Tommy Burns team not to your liking? Spent a lot, played the best football of recent Celtic teams. But won very little.
The point being that money doesn’t guarantee anything.
But supporting Celtic guarantees me a smile.
A ridiculous analogy.Please tell me one time in the past couple of seasons anyone at Celtic Park was entertained the way TBs team entertained us.We were up against the biggest cheats ever in Scottish football,who had a star studded team,yet failed by a whisker.In doing so we had 55-60,000 there every week.
What we have been watching has been 90%turgid.It does not make me and a great many more smile.The CL has lit up last season,and still our crowds plummeted.If we gamble and go with what we have,or a cheap signing,and fail to qualify,what do you think the effect on attendancies will be,watching the likes of Hearts,Hibs,Thistle every couple of weeks,playing as we did on too many occasions last year.
Chairbhoy
The point is that we do not know whether the search has been widened or not.
The debate is taking place against a fluid landscape where today it can be stated that we sold the spine as a fact (in spite of obtaining 2CBs and retaining the goalkeeper) and that fact given the meaning we will be a weaker team.
The only fact is personnel have changed and we have not seen enough of the replacements to judge, but its a blog and all that matters is now and using now to reinforce an already held position against which time and the reality it brings, crash fruitlessly on the default rock’s position.
Cheese remember the panic after pre season in Germany before we went to Cliftonville?
I get all that but I also get that now is not tomorrow and the Zen advice of “we’ll see” would vastly reduce the entertainment value of CQN..
Remember chaps. DONT PANIC! :)
We have lost our best centre half, most powerful and most goal scoring midfielder and our most potent striker. Kerching!!!
Straight up the middle of the side, three auto first team picks with only two injured ‘soft’ Dutchmen in return…..might be ok for SPL but come on……….
Thommysbhoy – what kind of eejit would part with that money for a club staring at admin?
Marti Sandino
16:10 on
12 August, 2013
AKBW1888
I have to say I did like the performances of many of our young players. Fisher and Findlay in particular look real good prospects. No doubt we could be seeing more of these guys at the weekend against Aberdeen.
Marti
Your right Marti.
I personally would like to see the young bhoy’s been given a chance to flourish.
67 HEAVEN 1556
Rolls-Royce?
Twenty years ago,my boss in Sutton was a big fan of Bentley.
He would buy a new one every eighteen months.
Smashing fella,sent me down to Hastings to pick it up a few times. He needed to “dine” clients. It was always returned with a near-empty tank after I had given it a wee workout on the M25.
Point is,every time he bought one,he put his name down on the 18-month waiting list for a new one.
Having sold his previous one for what he paid for it.
True story.
Point is,he didnae worry how much it cost him in upkeep. He got his money back and revelled in the enjoyment he got from that car.
More than I get from watching Celtic right now.
Gordon J
Yup. He got caught in a trap. :)
RobertTressell
16:14 on
12 August, 2013
Are sevco dead yet?
They soon will be, the way they are going/heading
Tommy’sbhoy, Fools & Money are easley parted.
WHAT?
STOKES RELEASED?
Ffs,we need all the strikers we can get!
bawsman
true. “changed hands” i think,but who would shell out £800,000. on something thats about to die..fookin enjoyed saying that!lol
Australian openers doin’ the biz.
[if that doesn’t put the ole hex on them].
Marti Sandinho
Interesting comments from Paul Larkin in his latest piece regarding the Celtic support in Ireland, will be interested to hear more details of his proposals which appear to have met with a positive reaction from the club:
‘You know all about the game but I was delighted with the win mostly because of what it meant to the Tims in Ireland, saturated with the EPL, who can walk tall into their workplaces this morning.
There is something in the air for Irish Tims. Celtic’s recent success has awoken a feeling that the hardcore Celtic support there always had and had been having to fight harder and harder to preserve and it is up to Celtic to help them with that fight. Inspired by this, I made a little plea to Celtic on their behalf, highlighting a few issues the support in Ireland have and was delighted to be met with a positive response that could well lead an easier life for the Tims who back the club to the hilt in Ireland.’
http://thefrontofthebus.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/from-green-brigade-to-dublin-brigade.html
Robert Tressell
Lyon deviated from the strategy by trying to go “upmarket” and buy more expensive, experienced and older players. Where are they now?
roberttressell
thats the $64,000 question for £838,000 lol
RobertTressell
Somebody who wants a say in things after administration?
They will emerge from administration with a sustainable business plan. Administration will let them shed high earners including Ally.
Their support will be gagging for sustainability after tasted the fruits of the opposite.
It will be a man with Rangeressness.