Successful, sustainable, strategy best in football

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Back in 2011 a campaign was launched by Craig Whyte (subsequently adopted by others) to convince Scottish Premier League clubs that Rangers were necessary for their survival, and in the event of a liquidation event, the league should invite a phoenix club into the top flight.

The people at Celtic became aware of this and after the initial revulsion that a team, who at that stage were three-in-a-row champions, could liquidate, then phoenix with the same players and income streams, but without the debts associated with building the playing squad, they ran the numbers.  They asked themselves the question, could we survive without Rangers?

The answer was straightforward, if we can’t survive without Rangers we’re as well not surviving at all.  We needed a strategy which would cope with the drop in income, the lack of domestic competition, but still deliver Champions League competition.  Easy, right?

Not easy but by no means impossible.

Celtic were running at an operational loss without selling players or getting into the Champions League group stage.  That season (2011-12), in reaching the Europa League group stage, we made a £7m loss (mitigated by a later player sale).  The subsequent drop in season ticket sales in a league without Rangers (it happened), drop in associated commercial and match-day ticket sales cost around £5m.  Dropping the price of season tickets by £100 this season arrested the decline in sales, but brought in £4m less than last season.

To balance this, we qualified for the Champions League group stage last season and this, sold £20m worth of talent this summer (and have spent £6m so far on new arrivals).

We have something practically unique in football, a sustainable strategy which is also successful.

Is it without its risks?  No.

Will it tax the team and manager, even against teams like Elfsborg and Shakhter?  Yes.

Is it as good a strategy as we could have?  That is a matter of opinion but results on the park are the only place that matters.

We’ve made lots of decisions so far this summer.  Selling Hooper, Wanyama and Wilson, while bringing in van Dijk, Derk Boerrigter, Balde and Mouyokolo, before getting to this stage.  Would Norwich and Southampton have waited or signed alternatives, leaving us with rapidly depreciating assets?

I’ve no idea, but these are the kind of factors which contribute to each decision.

You can play your hand cautiously, hold the players, risking buyers leave the market, or sign more players early, on the basis that they are available and you are prepared to pay the asking price, irrespective of your valuation. You can certainly give yourself an easier ride by taking decisions against strategy based on pressure.

This would not guarantee success (nothing does) but it would further mitigate the risk of failure, however, it would potentially leave fewer resources to build a team which can reach further still.

We played a more ambitious hand.  Strategy was adhered to, which looked a folly, to some, a week ago.

For the first time in 40 years we have a sustainable, successful, team development strategy, which is only just beginning to bear fruit.  It is too tempting to take those fruits and blow them on the same strategy most of our UK-based peers do in an attempt to guarantee entry to the promised land.

Faith in the squad, manager and scouts was rewarded.  Whether you like it or not, we have one of the best development strategies in football.  Well done, Celtic.

Neil Lennon is an ambitious man but if he thinks he can stem the “disgusting” “hysterical” reaction to a Celtic defeat he is overreaching.  Some will learn but others will have rationalised their reaction within a second of the manager’s comments being made.  ‘Tis the nature of the beast.

Well done to everyone who attended last night. The place wasn’t full but there is something about a Celtic Park crowd of around that size which seems more effective than when we’re crammed in.

Enjoy being a Celtic supporter.
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903 Comments

  1. Chins up Bhoys!

     

     

    We’ve beaten all these teams in Europe before!

     

     

    Bring it on!!!!!

     

     

    C’MON THE CELTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  2. We’re doomed I tell ya doomed. :-) Lets face it ghuys no easy groups I like the fact we are playing our old friends Barca once more.

  3. DeniaBhoy in awe of wee Oscar's Courage on

    Should be a steward’s enquiry into this – how the heck do we always draw Barca? Xavi even asked for it :)

     

    I think 3rd place possible, why not?

  4. Oscar Knox is my Hero - RWE on

    Three huge games at Celtic Park when the fans get to do what they do best.

     

     

    COYBIG

  5. Awe_Naw_No_Annoni_Oan_Anaw_Noo on

    We should consider settuing up a CL ST with Barca and Milan

     

     

    Big Chris suttons header in Amsterdam … bring it on !!!

  6. Board with these same teams.

     

    The co-efficient, and keeping same association teams make it a rigged draw.

     

    Board ah tell ye.

  7. Joe Filippis Haircut on

    Dont sweat it Bhoys teams will take points of each other in that group and we will do ok I am sure. H.H.

  8. Big Georges Fan Club - Hail, Hail, Wee Oscar on

    Tricoloured Ribbon

     

     

    Sevco will never get out of that group.

     

     

    HH

     

     

    BGFC

  9. Oscar Knox is my Hero - RWE on

    Tricoloured Ribbon

     

    17:41 on

     

    29 August, 2013

     

    Group Z

     

    Auchinleck

     

    Yoker

     

    Drumchapel Am

     

    Sevco

     

    …….

     

     

    Pot 4 is always a lottery :0)

  10. Well it’s a pity we have played Barca so recently and Milan and Ajax are hardly clubs unknown to us but they should be good games. We will do well to get even third. But we’ve beaten all these teams before. Gulp though

     

     

     

    Jimbo 67 supporting Oscar Knox

  11. •-:¦:-•** -:¦:- sparkleghirl :¦:-.•**• -:¦:-• on

    Ok so on reflection – we know they are all beatable and we know they will be great nights, every one of them. But maybe if I was still a regular traveller I’d be disappointed not to be going somewhere new.

     

     

    (Should have gone to Kazakhstan)

  12. the long wait is over on

    Tough but delighted on lots of level – 3 brilliant home games if nothing else.

     

     

    I think had ANYONE at Celtic been told at the end of the first leg last week against SK that we’d be playing those three in the CL they’d have bitten your arm off.

  13. now thats what you call POT …..braw ….brilliant football coming our way …..we missed Germany and England ….got to be good news …hoopy days …………braw!

  14. Mike in Toronto supports Oscar Knox on

    Just back in from court, and saw the draw …. was going to say it couldn’t get much tougher! but then I looked, and there are no easy games in any group, let alone easy groups!

     

     

    I haven’t read back since last night…. but I hope that (i) peace has broken out between mineshafters and happy campers, and (ii) no one’s head it TOO sore this morning!

     

     

    Hail Hail

  15. Really amazing how we end up with same roster of teams.

     

     

    Ho hum. Milan might be a bit weaker than of old. Ajax looked very good when I saw them last year (were they in with City?)

     

     

    Barca… our victory over them started their relative decline, however difficult to believe they’ll fall for the old sucker punch again…

  16. Well done to the team for playing like Bravehearts last night.

     

     

    Well done to Lenny, you’ll be in a football job for a long time to come.

     

     

     

    As for Swally, I think people on here are too hard on him.

     

     

    If he ends up getting sacked from that club down at Ibrokes,

     

     

    I think he’ll be at the world cup 2014 along with the other

     

     

    great football managers, to let them know he’s available.

     

     

    With his great skill and charm there’s no way a Brazilian club would turn him away.

     

     

    http://i.imgur.com/Z1kRD8j.jpg

     

     

     

    As for Group H……………. wow………. exciting times ahead.