My friends in Celtic, for the first time in four years we start a league campaign as champions. We carry a slender-but-hopeful lead into the second leg of our Champions League third qualifying round tie, and we are hotter favourites to win the league this season, than North Korea’s Supreme Leader’s favourite Pyongyang team would be, if he was to playing as striker.
Quite simply, the return on money placed on Celtic to win the league this season more accurately reflects a tax-free savings plan than a gamble. The bookies will hold your money until March or April then return it with some interest. Your rate of return will directly reflect the interest they can earn elsewhere.
This is the ninth eve-of-the-season we have reported on the state of the club. During this time we have gone toe-to-toe with a competitor who tried so hard to get the better of us, they ran up unsustainable debts, which could reach £134m, and which will never be paid or forgiven.
Celtic ran a better operation, were commercially sharper, had by far the best scouting system in the country, but paid their bills and ‘lost’ five leagues in this time.
Living with this was hard. In fact, it tore the Celtic support apart. The question was simple, “If they can, why can’t we?”
They couldn’t, and now the ideological debate is over. Mantras we have heard for decades have proven to be false. ‘Speculate to accumulate’ and ‘For every fiver Celtic spend….’ were suitable for an inflating market, where player values, TV contracts and match day revenues rose consistently, but this strategy was fatally flawed.
Whatever was accumulated in Scottish football it was never financial reserves, so when revenues dipped, or the vagaries of sporting fortune denied the wealthy their anticipated earnings, Armageddon happened – for one club!
Students of economic history will be able to tell you that even the most obvious economic lessons are eventually forgotten. New people arrive, achieve some early successes which reaffirm their ideological beliefs (in this instance ‘We deserve more money to be spent on footballers’), make no provisions for the inevitable change in circumstances, before disappearing into the obscurity from which they came, leaving others to live with the consequences.
Here is the true State of your Club. Celtic will continue its trajectory without changing what has been orthodoxy since the last century. Over any business period we will spend whatever money comes into the club. In normal times debt levels will trend downwards, providing space for the afflictions of fortune to be accommodated. We will most likely promote more players from our precocious youth system and buy fewer squad fillers than in the past.
The blink-junkies, who still believe in the values of Sir David Murray, will be reminded on these pages of their consequences *.
When this period of our history ends, we will reflect back on what, by then, will be the most successful period of any club, in any country. Ever. Those of you who lived through Lisbon are now enjoying the second Golden Generation of our club, but this time, nine years will not contain it. This Generation will stretch from 2000 as far as your mind’s eye can see, if only someone would coin a catchy phrase to encapsulate this successful period!
The Battle of the Ages is over, Celtic have prevailed, as did every Scottish football fan who wanted the madness to end. We won!
Thanks to everyone who bought a raffle ticket to help with our summer charity causes. Enjoy the season. I will.
*At the moment I’m reading End this Depression Now by Nobel Economics Laureate Paul Krugman, an excellent insight into how even the most eminent allow what they want to believe to obscure some of the lessons every economics under-grad is taught. It’s also a fine retort to the political classes who believe there’s nothing we can do for the economy but strangle it a little tighter.
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Stringer Bell on 3 August, 2012 at 22:55 said:
Olympic phrases you only remember every 4 years.
“It all went great till she landed it”
RBS say they’re happy with their lose of £1.5 billion and it was expected.Well,we all know where Craig Whyte is working now
Thats one thousand five hundred million pounds thay have lost in part of a year, what’s going on in the world, why are they still trading, we’re living through the looking glass people
Paul,
As usual, you’re spot on about the football. However, you should take a break from the economics (can’t see what they have to do with Celtic, anyway).
As a former economics undergraduate & subsequent graduate, I assure you that what economists learn in the clasroom is much less important than what they learn from experience afterwards. As for “strangling the economy”, who on earth is doing such a thing? Certainly not the Government which is spending – i.e. pumping into the economy – many millions more than it takes in taxes. Read Krugman, but then try to align what he says with the facts of the situation in the UK.
Whats this abt the Keevins article?
I lost a score last week and I was beeling how must RBS feel?
is the blog broke again?
bloomin golfers
Obviously talking to myself here off to find BB season 5 ep 2
Goodnight and have fun tomorrow
Time for bed me thinks,goodnight all.
tgcw
Get you tomorrow, all being well, at about 11.45am mate.
So who was using the ProV 1 ‘s today ?
Found two of them in my back garden and thems on the other side of the wall have been very quiet of late (Ithink they’re in mourning or something.)
Till Tomorrow Bhoys & Ghirls
Really looking forward to the game
New Season,New Hope, Same love for our club
HAIL HAIL
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSWMBFNEjII
There won’t be many arguing with Celtic’s position as title favourites in this season’s SPL, but there are plenty of ways in which the club can build on last season’s successes.
Stuart Braithwaite, guitarist in Mogwai, gives us his opinion on the season ahead for Neil Lennon’s team.
How successful was the season just passed? Rate it from one to ten?
I think on reflection i’d give it an eight out of ten. The league campaign was wonderful, particularly coming back from 15 points behind, though losing the league cup final and the Scottish cup semi final was disappointing even though there was a strong element of bad luck on both occasions.
Are there any areas of the squad that you’d like to see strengthened?
I think that given the amount of departures it’s paramount that the squad is replenished. I think that a solid experienced centre back, another quality striker and an imaginative player to unlock defences would suffice.
Who do you think will be Celtic’s closest challengers this season?
It’s quite hard to say really. I thought Hearts had a good squad, though they have let a lot of good players go, as have Dundee Utd. It depends which of those two teams responds best to their new squad.
What would be a mark of a good season for Celtic this year?
I think that a good European campaign is what the Celtic supporters are looking towards this season. Last year we were lucky to get into the Europa League group stages but acquitted ourselves well. This year i’d love to qualify for the Champions League group stages or, failing that, get to the knock-out stage of the Europa League. Domestically we are clearly strong favourites for the league, though adding some cups to the trophy cabinet would clearly be fantastic.
How does it feel to start the season knowing there won’t be any SPL matches with Rangers this season?
It feels strange, and of course they are games that both sets of fans looked forward to, but i think that once the football starts no one will miss them too much. You never know, we might get Sevco in one of the cups!
If you could make one fantasy signing from any era of football, who would it be and why?
Maradona was my favourite player growing up so I’d love to get him in his prime playing in The Hoops. Easy done I’m sure!
Mogwai famously paid, eh, tribute to Hugh Dallas, are there any current characters in Scottish football who deserve their own such tribute?
To be honest I don’t think the song was any kind of tribute, just a randomly chosen song title. I reckon though, after last seasons heroics, Charlie Mulgrew should probably be honoured in song.
You can follow Stuart on Twitter, or visit the Rock Action website and buy some Mogwai records.
CQN Saturday Naps Competition
Lads, for all the mug-punters out there…
the CQN Naps Competition will resume again tomorrow… :o)
Voguepunter will hopefully be around to defend his crown ?
Oldtim will be looking to end his run of 40 consecutive losers !
…and as for Twists ‘n’ Turns… well, no comment… :o)
COMPETITION RULES are simple :
a) each Saturday log onto the last page of the previous CQN article.
b) post ONE ‘nap’ selection from any major Saturday horserace meeting
(e.g. UK, Ireland, Dubai)
c) if your selection is a Non-Runner, you may select an alternative – as long as it also runs on the Saturday !
d) if your nap wins, you “win” the hypothetical profit from a £1 stake @ S.P.
e.g. your selection wins at 9/4, your hypothetical profit is +£2.25
e.g. your selection wins at 5/1, your hypothetical profit is +£5
e) if your nap loses or if you fail to post any selection, then you lose your £1 hypothetical stake (-£1)
f) if you join the competition late (e.g. in Week 3) you will be allocated 2 losers, and start the competition from (-£2)
g) Our winner and CQN Naps Champion Tipster will be the punter who shows the greatest profit over the season.
Last season the competition lasted for 40 weeks, and Voguepunter was the champion tipster with + £21 profit !!!
HAPPY PUNTING !
:o)
Cheers, fleagle1888
My heart to Roisin
The whisper of the old ones, they never disappear
They hush and shush
a silent leaving wind you never hear
The memory uncaught, a breath as soft as dew
A scent, a trembling hair
a thought you never knew
The source of all your instincts
The song inside your soul
The tenacity of tenderness
The drive towards your goal
Remember this my little one
When you fear to walk alone
That all of us are by your side
Our flesh, our blood, our bone
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSWMBFNEjII
So..
everybody’s away to bed, or a fair contingent four sheets after the golf outin…
except you and me EN
fair play, I’ll argue with maself….. now, t find a subject
As I’ve went through my life there have been many I have loved,my mum, dad, wife, kids, but through it all there’s only been one team Celtic
fleagle1888 on 3 August, 2012 at 23:25 said:
Count me in please chief,if that’s alright with your good self?
Been waiting for ages and ages for the wee competition to start up again.
Have my Nap picked out already,and i will be awake early the mara to post it.
Thanks.
ok
Scarlett Johannson… is she top burd or what?… jelly n ice cream heaven
anyway, where was i…. oh aye, Che Guevara… as long as they didnt give him a trumpet
The other day I went to a zoo. The only animal it had was a dog.
It was a Shih Tzu.
Teuchter ár lá
them lips…. blubbubbubbubbubb
anyway…. keynesian economics…. he needs to add 5 to the phillips curve (x-axis)
gingeniusescsc
Keevins is a classic Scottish football journalist of the present era – SHAMELESS; GUTLESS;etc. As recent Celtic Chairman once said – ‘Even they don’t believe what they write!’ What will they do without the comfort blanket of ‘THE OLD FIRM’ to protect them?
Quiz after the quiz….
Settle an argument
Who was the first signing by these Celtic bosses;
1: TB
2: wim
3: doc jo (jock brown signings don’t count)
4: John Barnes
5: MON
6: WGS
7: TM
8: NFL
Loans don’t count.
In the beered up house I am in just now, I think we have 5.
The disclaimer is no one knows the answer, so it’s not like a real CQN quiz. Someone will need to google:-)
Great question though.
Any takers?
So what did Spew write/say?
Just like to point out that the last post signoff should read
gin / genuises
not ginge /nuises
No… I’ve no idea what a nuises might be either, but ye know how prickly these gingies get. No offence to gingies…. my cousins one
mind you, he’s a nob ;)
Jamesie… if ur readin, u know I’m only kiddin
Our guesses are;
Who was the first signing by these Celtic bosses;
1: TB
2: wim
3: doc jo (jock brown signings don’t count). lambo
4: John Barnes bercovic
5: MON Sutton
6: WGS
7: TM MAF
8: NFL charlie poty
Unlikely to post again as things are going rapidly downhill :-)
How far wrong we are I will find out tomorrow. 8 tims, 124 beers. Not good odds…..
thecat on 3 August, 2012 at 20:53 said
Just listened to your link there and I must say Dodds was less than convincing and I notice he was spouting the now universal MSM mantra ,that the titles should not be stripped as it’s not the player fault and they won the titles .
Completely glossing over the fact that the players would never have been on the park to win them in the first place .
Expect much more of this ,it wasn’t the players fault pash in the coming weeks ,(or since it involves bad news for ragers ) month or years .
hail hail
Ach,
dry as a camels simmet… nae response or argument
off t bed
night all
bournesouprecipe on 3 August, 2012 at 22:03 said:
I used to think ole Fanny Blankers was a collective term for gay men.
You make this blog a good place to visit for me mate,consistently witty,ta.HH.
Daily Express
I’LL GET TOUGH, WARNS NEIL LENNON
Celtic boss Neil Lennon
Saturday August 4,2012
By Michael Baillie
NEIL LENNON has warned his Celtic players he will wield the axe if they think the title is in the bag.
Celtic kick off the defence of their SPL crown against Aberdeen today. The Hoops are overwhelming favourites to reclaim the biggest prize in Scottish football following Old Firm rivals Rangers being demoted to the Third Division. Celtic manager Lennon has challenged his players to reach the group stages of the Champions League, with their vital second leg qualifier against HJK Helsinki on Wednesday, and also set their sights on a domestic clean sweep to keep them on their toes without the normal challenge from Ibrox.
And Lennon insists if he feels complacency is creeping in as they strive for their second successive SPL crown then he will drop them.
He said: “The one thing I can guarantee is there will be no complacency from the players. They want to improve. It is important we have European football, though, to provide an added incentive for the season “It is important we have European football, though, to provide an added incentive for the season. “Wednesday is a big game for us in the context of the season. “We’ve also come close to a Treble on a couple of occasions in recent seasons – that’s something we’ll throw down to the players as a challenge.
“Any player who is complacent will be dropped. There is no change there, regardless of the situation in the league.
“I want players here who are hungry and challenging for places. No one is guaranteed their place.
“We’ve trimmed the squad and it’s a little bit more compact, more streamlined, whatever you want to call it. There will be more togetherness and closeness about the group and we can improve the quality of the players here, because they’re relatively young and we can improve them all.”
Lennon is keen to add to his squad but knows he will need to sell before he can buy.
But even if Fraser Forster is his only summer recruit, Lennon is happy with his squad for the forthcoming campaign.
He said: “Incoming business will depend on selling a player for decent money and getting the funds to spend. That hasn’t changed since I’ve taken over.
“There have been no fresh bids or fresh interest, as far as I’m aware, so we keep looking.
“I have a couple in mind and, if the money becomes available, we’ll spend it.
“If we can bring a player or two in, great. If not, we’ll go with what we’ve got. It’s quality we’re after, not quantity.
“I hope this team is good enough to get us to the Champions League.
“I think we’ve got a good chance. The fact that we’re a goal up is a significant advantage, although that can go in an instant
.Teuchter ár lá
I hope this team is good enough to get us to the Champions League.
Aye, Neil, hope is all you have……..
An auld favourite o’ the Teuchters – about 1.45 in
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UX94OZm0qLE
Teuchter ár lá
I used to have a high opinion of Gordon Strachan, but it does seem that he’s either lost all sense of reality, or he has sold his soul to the devil aka Ladbrokes…..
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/rangers/9450349/Rangers-fate-should-not-have-been-decided-by-part-time-minnows-says-Gordon-Strachan.html
Former Celtic manager Gordon Strachan has revealed his astonishment that Scottish Football League clubs, the majority of them run on a part-time basis, were allowed to deny the re-animated Rangers entry to the First Division, instead forcing them to start at the lowest level.For Strachan, this was a classic case of democracy gone mad and the tail wagging the dog.
Far from delighting in the plight of his erstwhile Old Firm rivals, the 55 year-old bemoans their absence from the top flight.
“One Sunday I was bored out of my skull and I decided to add together all the crowds in the Scottish Third Division,” he said. “The total was 2,300 – and these clubs get to vote [on Rangers].
“I’m not having that. I think the strongest clubs – those with the biggest crowds – should have more of a say.
“You know, why are we listening to people who can only draw 200 to their games? If they can’t be bothered to support their local club why should we listen to them?
“By that I mean the fans and the clubs. If the fans turn up in numbers, fine. But they shouldn’t have the same [voting power] as Celtic or Rangers – it’s a nonsense.”
Strachan fears for the immediate future of a national game shorn of the prospect of the Glasgow giants locking horns.
“I don’t know what will happen to Scottish football now and I don’t think anyone else does: we’re all guessing now,” he said.
“A situation like this, with a club of this size, has never arisen before. We’re just hoping we can get together again in a couple of years and that the league will be stronger.
“This season Celtic are 1/33 to win the title, the shortest odds ever for any league in Europe.
“It can’t be easy for Neil Lennon. If you like the challenge – and he does – then you’ll miss the Old Firm games because they’re a huge part of it.
“As Celtic manager there are plenty of sleepless nights but that’s just part of feeling alive. If you don’t have that then the game – and your life – becomes monotonous.
“I spoke to Neil after he left [for Nottingham Forest] and I can identify now with how much he missed Parkhead. There’s an intensity to Celtic that, at times, you don’t like but it does make you feel alive.
“That’s unfair on Forest and, in my case, Middlesbrough, but when it comes to Celtic you’re talking about a special club.
“You have to be on your toes for every minute of every day in case something comes up. And I can guarantee that if there isn’t a crisis today then there will be one tomorrow.
“It’s a job that can make you feel lonely and depressed but it invigorates you at the same time, that’s for sure.”
Strachan, speaking in his capacity as an ambassador for Ladbrokes, refused to join the chorus urging Celtic to strengthen their squad in an attempt to reach the Champions League, believing that the fiscal policy adopted by chief executive Peter Lawwell is the right one.
“When I was there everyone was telling us to invest and spend as much as Rangers,” he said. “That was from the media, supporters, football players and ex-football managers. You’ve got to be brave and say: ‘We’ve got a business plan.’
“Leave it to Peter, [major shareholder] Dermot [Desmond] and Lenny to run the football club. Lenny’s fine: like myself, he never goes asking for money.
“How much do you need to spend to get there? I’ve seen teams spend £150 million and get nowhere near it. It’s taken Manchester City a billion.
“If Peter spends another £15 million it doesn’t guarantee them getting anywhere. If they don’t get to the Champions League, they’ve lost that £15m. Is it worth the gamble?
“What players would you say will definitely make you a better side when you go into the Champions League? What if a player costs £15-20m and then he gets injured?
“If Celtic hadn’t cut their cloth they could have ended up like Rangers. That’s what I was saying at the time when everyone was saying you must spend.
“Celtic were £34 million in debt and we cleared the debt, which was good.
“Six months before I was there they started cutting back. It’s easy to fold to that kind of pressure: it’s hard to stand up.
“It’s like Arsene Wenger, with people saying he must do this or that. You have to be stubborn. People say stubbornness isn’t a good trait but it is. Sir Alex Ferguson has got it and you stick to your principles because you’re stubborn.
“You might be wrong once or twice but on the whole you’ll come through.”
The game is on the betting sites the morra btw, only for those outwith the brit islands.
What’s the news…………..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=fXvt25IsIZ0&NR=1
Teuchter ár lá
One of these days an ex Celtic manager will tell it like it is.
He will write a book and tell the world about the cheating and the corruption, pity it won’t happen in my lifetime, but, hey, I never expected them’s to be in the bottom division, and ffs, they are so feckin lucky to be playing football at all.
The fact they have a licence pisses me off big tme, but, it’s scotland, save the hun at all cost’s is the order of the day.
I’m in agreement with canamalar on this, we are being shafted, thesuits are bending over backwards, this will be proven to be true, the OF is what it’s all about, and that makes me want to puke.
They are selling our soul for a few sheckles.
If they want any more of my familys money, things will nedd to change.
THE EXILED TIM on 4 August, 2012 at 00:46 said:
I hope this team is good enough to get us to the Champions League.
Aye, Neil, hope is all you have……..
————————————————————-
I think Neil has faith in his players
In Neil, I trust
HH