HMRC’s case against St Mirren, raised because they allegedly failed to pay Kieran Doran the National Minimum Wage, has brought the professionalism of our professional game under analysis. Doran’s first contract as a 16-year-old was for £1 a week, which was apparently never paid. The player subsequently wanted to give up the game for a trade (to study medicine) but St Mirren refused to release him from his contract.
By any reasonable measure this is amateur football. There’s nothing wrong with amateur football, in fact it has great potential, but NOT paying someone £1 a week cannot be described in any other way. St Mirren will not be alone.
I made no comment last month on Newco’s reluctance to pay holiday pay as I thought this was something of an open secret. Holiday pay as been a legal right in the UK since 1871, but at the periphery of our game some clubs just don’t pay it. I’ve spoken to an SPL chairman who openly admitted to the ‘ruse’ (not Celtic, before you ask).
Newco are far from alone on this matter, indeed, I would be amazed if top flight clubs were not guilty. The keenness to contract players from July to May is substantial, I reckon lowering some clubs payroll by 8%, while leaving no time in the calendar for players to take paid holidays.
We should stop pretending there are two distinct groups of clubs in Scotland: the amateurs and semi-pros of the ‘non-leagues’, and the 42 Scottish Professional Football League clubs. St Mirren are one of the biggest and best community clubs we have, they have enormous potential to thrive as such, but I seriously doubt their credentials as an economically viable professional club.
More than 30 other Professional League clubs would also be better served trading with a Community League mentality. Developing the potential of local kids and engaging with their community, without the burden of trying to compete in a worldwide talent pool.
The majority of Scottish football clubs were founded in the 19th Century. It seems like no one has subsequently asked: what is our purpose, why are we here, what will our future look like? Without considerable change, the best future 30 clubs can hope for a decade from now will be suffocating indifference, at worst there will be lots of all-seated follies wasting away.
Reminder for tomorrow:
There are new season tickets issued, if your old ticket is still in your wallet, swap it out or you’ll not get in to see the Mighty Celtic tomorrow evening. If you don’t have your new ticket, better get along early to sort it out.
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Bsr
Very well done to Miss Bsr.
M i T
Excellent post. We have a lot to thank our parents for, for the sacrifices they made to give us the opportunity to make a success of our lives.
HH!!
Captain
…. too many players today (particularly many strikers) are too lazy and selfish …. dont track back, and always, always look for the shot first before the pass ….
it is rare that I say I wish a player didn’t track back as much, or was more selfish and shot more …. as I often said with Stokes …who I often wished would have been a bit more selfish and stayed around the 18 yard box more often (instead of coming back looking to be involved in the build up).
and, if that is the worst that I can say about Stokes’ ability, for me, that is not bad as far as criticism goes ….
so, we can agree to disagree about AS … but, pleasure chatting with you …
cheers
Re: Stokes….I always recall that in a LCF v Killie….couple of mins left….we’re losing 0-1…Gollum was the mib…Stokes is through on goal with the GK to beat….imho…he has a choice…shoot and score…or, wait for the touch from a defender and go down hoping for a penalty?
A non-cronyism-Celtic-manager….would have put him on the transfer-list the next day.
….oot tae work.YNWA.
Le Tour.
Extraordinary shift from Chris Froome today . Barring illness or injury – Le Tour 2015 is his.
Yes Lynsey Sharp a disgrace and rightly exposed – what about Maiden Mahri Black’s -“I f****** hate Celtic”?
Says she’s a Thistle fan -aye and Chick Young’s a St Mirren supporter.
The clique’s SNP fawning even extends to ignoring this kind of hatred.
Imagine the uproar on here if say, Bomber Brown said this, and we know he hates us anyway.
Total HYPOCRISY, nothing new for the clique
” it wuz the night afore a BIG European gemme
an’ aw roon the blog, no’ a creature was ” stirrin’ ”
no even a louse…”
It’s not a clique
It’s a granfalloon
Sure it’s a granfalloon tae blog for
Sure it’s
I like it when someone says they don’t like us. Or hate us.
A refreshing bigoted honesty to it.
The more they do it good.
bournesouprecipe
Big ups to your daughter.My old man was big on the idea that education was the best weapon you could have.He drove me hard.He was right.
sipsini
19:31 on 14 July, 2015
damo lennon….
I’m one of the thickos on here, probably why it takes me to the second paragraph before realising it’s a wind up, doh, then again it’s probably nearer the truth than smsm print.
Keep the links coming. HH
………………………………………………..
What do you mean a wind up?????
:-)
You too Mike.
Alfie, the SNP chumps are embarrassing the rest of us with this fox debacle. It has nothing to do with them. Good on the BBC for inviting Liam Fox for his thoughts.
Mind you, Samantha Fox would have provided better arguments than Liam.
“The foxes have their holes and the CQNers have their trolls”.
bournesouprecipe
18:23 on
14 July, 2015
Congratulations to wee CQN lurker for her Second year at Uni finishing again, with a distinction.
A chip off her beautiful brainy maw.
———————————————
Hopefully she has your sense of humour ….the perfect Ghirl.HH
That Celtic Wiki is very detailed isn’t it….?
The accounts make you feel like you were there,
such detail!
HH.
Bankiebhoy
Hee hee :-)
Tony D
I’m not surprised you’ve forgotten aboot the ‘flittin’ yiv been swannin(bevvyin) aboot North America for months.
feknjammygit HH
Getting ready for the start of the new season Tomorrow, will probably toss and turn all night waiting for the new don to break,
For Don, read Dawn, and also this is from one of the Grey Brigade Hail Hail
Malorbhoy
Tossing and turning with Dawn?
Is it any wonder you don’t get any sleep?! :-)
Tally bhoy
cheers.
Thomson or Thompson
Aye these damn Lourdes FPs being educated at our expense and not only turning out to dislike Celtic intensely but having the sheer nerve to join a party that you dislike with even more ntensity than Miss Black dislikes Celtic. Have her taken out and flogged along with Andy Murray and Jim Spence before recanting and proclaiming: –
FOODBANKS ARE A GOOD THING! SCOTLAND IS RUBBISH!
Oh snd BTW I cannot remember reading many complimentary remarks about her on these pages with some of the criticism of her appearance being more thsn a touch ungallant. The Clique works in mysterious ways1
Toodle-Pip Old Bean
Jimbo67
Thunder Road
Noticed you picked up the Ratzo Rizzo reference … had forgotten that one!
HH
What price would you bhoys put on Stokes head if he is going to leave during this window ? H.H.
JFH
Has Stokes not spent enough on his head?
Love
JFH.
2 years left on his contract.
We should be looking for at least 1 million.
However if it is true that we have said he is free to find another club, then that would suggest we would not be difficult to deal with and would be happy for him to be off the wage bill, in which case half a million.
JFH
AS
Three dozen pies and a crate of Irn Bru:)
And if we cant get that…£500,000
HH
jimmynotpaul …. agree with your analysis …. bit of a piss off really as, if he were moving between english clubs, I expect he would go for between 2 and 3 million ….
Captain Beefheart
It would help if you knew the history of legislation of hunting foxes with dogs in Scotland. Once you are aware of it you might, just might, be able to make a useful contribution to the debate. Right now you are a long way from that.
JFH
£2m.
Hamilton Tim
You’re an awfay mhan
Thompson Alfie..Its MHAIRI.Get used to it..She Gonna be around for a Long Time…Just Saying..
ThompsonTwin…
Haven’t you got the memo? Dear Comrade Black is Scotland’s answer to Rosa Luxemburg and Indira Ghandhi. Her speech today garnered an unprecedented 56 minutes of applause.
Show more respect please, or DCI House and his men will be banging on your door inquiring as to whether you ever hummed Roll of Honour…
“The unspeakable in pursuit of the uneatable”
Oscar Wilde
H.T.
Ever the optimist. Hope you are correct.
M.I.T.
49million for Sterling says it all about transfer fees between English club’s, include his salary and he’s cost 100 million.
Staggering.
mike in toronto
Agreed! I would rather we kept Stokes, but if we do sell him, and I suspect that might be on the agenda then £2-3 million price tag is about right. He didn’t play last Friday, though he did play a testimonial in Greenock last night. Will say this, he looks in good shape for the start of the season.
Italiabhoy
A genuine laugh out loud there.
Jimbo67
mike in toronto
Showing my age!
You must be even older if you are forgetting! lol