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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BT
enjoy the rest of your holiday,
both HT and CT kindly offered to throw your kitty money in for the Bar 67 gathering later today, thought that was extremely generous of them both.
Morning,
IPSWICH boss Paul Jewell is ready to pay £250,000 for Celtic defender Kelvin Wilson.
I wonder if the CQN golfers are fit today, that 19th hole is a killer…
Up since 6.45, excited for the game. You’d think the excitement would wear off by the age of 41. But no.
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
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Toughie, but here goes…
1.TB Pat McGinlay or Lee Martin
2. Wim Darren Jackson
3 Dr Jo – Vidar Riseth
4. John Barnes – Stephan Bonnes
5. MON – Sutton
6. WGS – McDonald was signed on a pre contract, debatable if how mch influence WGS had, failing that Mo Camara
7. NFL Charlie Mulgrew.
Che
Tell the bhoys I appreciate the offer
Hoops on for breakie change into new away jersey at lunchtime still orc free
How is this guy still in a job? He is still preaching disaster without the huns.
NEIL DONCASTER, the chief executive of the Scottish Premier League, has revealed clubs face a “slight” reduction in broadcasting income but warned fans would still need to increase their support to avert financial hardship.
blantyretim on 4 August, 2012 at 08:02
it will be,
the orcs are still over in syria causing bother and blaming it on chelsea
Oh aye, Tony Mowbray – Danny Fox
ASonOfDan@08:03
‘How is this guy still in a job? He is still preaching disaster without the huns’
He speaks on behalf of every club chairman/ceo including our own
Mulgrew definitely suspended today
Sevco season tickets are £304.00 which works out to be £16.89 a game.
Green pandering to the lowest element in the support. Sevco must be desperate to raise cash.
So no Mulgrew, Commons, Stokes or Brown today.
Going to be a harder game than we think.
I cant wait for that Flag to be flying.
Wonder if Zengh Zi will be fit ….. Bwaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh ….. oh no wait thats right, we’ve flogged that one to death..
Morning all, does anybody know a bar in leuven that shows football?
the one and only celtic song
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IK0RnPPvBqI
especially for dad dancin’
Good Morning from a warm and sunny North Fife (no war zones here, except for the Bamettes’ bedroom).
My nephew, is trying to view the game in Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City and I’m trying to help him find one. All advice gratefully accepted!
I found details of a bar on CelticBars, but if anyone has any more concrete leads, then I’ll pass them on;
THE SHAMROCK BAR, 56A A NGUYEN THIEN ST, NHA TRANG CITY (Central Vietnam) (Not necessarily a Celtic Bar) (Tel: 058 527 548)
DarnTheHairWeCare!
Hi can anyone tell me why Charlie is suspended for todays game?
Lighter news, Lenny was seen in the Greenock McDonalds on Thursday night, posing for lots of pics. One of the members of the Port Harp was lucky enough to see Neil walk past his window (On route to his sis-in-laws house) , so he ran out with his wife got some photos and had a chat, lucky bassa.
HH
morning bhoys and ghirls.
waiting for the first texts from the occupants of the belzie-bus along tbe lines of “did I leave ….”, “what time did I get home” anxious last but not least , “did blantyrekev and dougc really sing that”
cheers to everyone for yesterday, especially fraser and jamie .
looking foreward
Another really great CQN open event….It is so consistently good it would be easy to take for granted the really great work from blantyre Kev, Taggsy, John and Michael….Fantastic achievement in creating this ‘institution’ …
The humility and integrity of Paul 67 never ceases to amaze me but it was great to hear Paul giving sometime in his chat last night to highight the achievements of the ‘internet bampots’in the past 8 years or so……. Cheers
Walter Smith’s demanding proof Oldco acted illegally over EBT’s whilst he was in charge.Answer to that one is,OK.
According to Radio Scotland the league is ours to throw away…..before a ball is even kicked….this will be the line flung at us all season….well hopefully only until we have actually won it.
Totally flummoxed for gas lol
Der Hunnes one and only Billy “liar liar pants on fire” Dodds presents to you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oal6telsIfI&feature=share
I’m amazed Smith has brought his head up over the parapet
Why don’t you tell all those bears how much you took in EBT’s Walter?
HMRC believe you acted illegally hence the bill ya auld fool
The Moon Boys
I love the Scottish media,they’re just so pants at hiding their hatred of us.Won’t be long before comments like,” if Celtic don’t win the league by 30 points it will not be considered a real championship.”Remember last seasons,”What if?”I didn’t hear any”What if’s”about the previous ten years from any of them.
last minute plans thrown in the air yet again;-))))
baby sitter for mini jj67……none availiable
late phone call from my mum……go see the champions….yessssss
ticket quickly purchased for flag day…check
transport to paradise……check
and not forgetting….cqn badge …check
come on you bhoys in green
so excited……….first league game of season all ways feels like my first game ever at the holy ground
see all you bhoys on the slopes
hail hail
jam67
‘We’ve won the league again. fly the flag, fly the flag.’
Really looking forward to today’s pre match celebrations and also looking forward to being awarded the five championships that were stolen from us by that team that no longer exist. Well done NFL. Well done Celtic. HH.
Sannabhoy mind a gentleman never tells….. Translates in Glesga speak to …. Nae grassing :>)
Are ye in the club pre game?
Foxy_1888
You can hear the fear and worry in that wee liars(IMHO) voice.
Better liars say HEE HAW keep talking billy ya muppet. :)))
ML5 bathed in sunshine for the CHAMPIONS today heading out early for game.
ENJOY HAIL HAIL
Vmhan
Are you in Glasgow yet or still making your way?
Palacio67 on 4 August, 2012 at 08:35 said:
Hi can anyone tell me why Charlie is suspended for todays game?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2183466/Charlie-Mulgrew-Celtics-match-Aberdeen.html
harryhoodsdugbitme on 4 August, 2012 at 08:57 said: ‘We’ve won the league again. fly the flag, fly the flag.’
Really looking forward to today’s pre match celebrations and also looking forward to being awarded the five championships that were stolen from us by that team that no longer exist. Well done NFL. Well done Celtic. HH
——-
Love hearing that song being chanted out by the masses in paradise.
Have a feeling I’ll have no voice left by the final whistle. :)
HH
/Bishop B
had breakfast with the team.
Reading through the extracts from Belfast Celtic the intimidation, the cowardly attacks etc, what has changed? It is this way with the shower over here. They really are scum.
Mon the Hoops on this wonderful flag title unfurling day!
is anyone else having issues with setanta i in oz? when I try to log in I just get a blank page – same thing in safari or firefox (I’m on a mac) – any tips much appreciated so I can watch the game tonight – setanta themselves are literally useless… hh
Dharma Bam 08.34 – Havin been in Ho Chi Minh City recently I have to say yer nephew has next to no chance – it’s hard enough tryin to find a bar in that place, never mind one which has a TV or is gonnae show the celtic match !! Lots of nice friendly women though !
Morning all from a (currently) sunny North Ayrshire.
Hope all those going today have a great time. A big round of applause ought to be made to the Aberdeen support for their endeavours to see the back of yon deid team fae Govan.
Hope too that this is the last home game that doesn’t start at 3pm on a Saturday.
Theglasgowcelticway – agreed, they need to build us up (grudgingly) as high as possible so they can wade in at the slightest sign of a slip up – pathetically predictable.
ASonOfDan on 4 August, 2012 at 08:22 said:
Sevco season tickets are £304.00 which works out to be £16.89 a game.
Green pandering to the lowest element in the support. Sevco must be desperate to raise cash.
————————————————————————————–
Is that for real?
shower of sh*te
HH
Parkhead………..
Good call re the dandy Dons…….they did their bit too.
HH