By all accounts Malky MacKay is a good guy. He is certainly a good motivator and tactician, and an excellent communicator, unburdened by the airs and graces normally associated by managers in the self-appointed Greatest Show on Earth. None of this saved him from the sack, though, accused of running riot with the cheque book in the summer.
Cardiff City certainly ran riot, spending in the region of £50m to help prepare for top flight football. If, as owner Vincent Tan alleges, the spend was unauthorised, Cardiff have a management control problem, not a problem with the manager, who is within his rights to spend whatever money made available to him.
‘Bluebirds’ fans are united on Malky’s side, they are equally united against owner Tan, who appears wholly unsuitable to control a football club. Changing their strips from blue to red, as red is the colour most associated with Wales, tells you all you need to know about Tan and where he will ultimately take the club, but the extravagance of the summer has already set Cardiff off on the road to rapid decline.
Every club should anticipating making mistakes in the transfer market, it is part of the territory, but they need to be able to afford those mistakes. Cardiff’s summer signings allowed for no mistakes. The totem was Andreas Cornelius, recruited from from Copenhagen for an outrageous £10m. The player received a five year contract worth more than the transfer fee. He’s only 20. Cornelius also earns more than seven times his salary at Copenhagen, no one will be able to afford to take him from Cardiff, his 18 career goals, all in Denmark, suggest he’s simply not worth anything like money he’s on.
If you’re Cardiff City, here’s the problem when you try to recruit for top flight football: after 50 years in the wilderness, you’re favourites for the drop. Players with other top flight options will take them, you’ll have to pay over the odds to convince players to sign on. You’re also shopping in a market you have absolutely no experience of – making mistakes more likely.
Spending £10m on a striker was possibly a sensible idea for Cardiff (I can imagine how popular it was, any sane voices would have been whistling against the wind) but what striker, genuinely worth £10m, would go there without being ‘bribed’ with copious amounts of cash? I’m aware of the parallels with Celtic, which £10m striker would come to Scotland?
They could have received 50 knock-backs before doing a deal in Copenhagen. This pattern was replicated across the rest of their summer spend. They should have invested their Premier League windfall on long-term development, irrespective of the short-term consequences.
For the sake of the club’s fans I hope they survive but inadequate controls at board level, with an owner seemingly intent on self-destruction, a rapid decline through the leagues seems inevitable, sooner or later.
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BT
For all the boots in the haw maws the SFA have dished out to us
The employing of MacDonald has to be about the worst
Pf
In the words of Tony we will just take it on the chin, dust ourselves down and move on..
Cowardly imho…
RIP
Phil o’Donnell six years gone..
Our club are more interested in shaming our fans than they are of tackling blatant in yer face corruption from our governing body.
This has been going on for years & we still remain silent.
Unbelievable.
McDonald back in the fold?
Whodathunkit…..
No doubt his advice will be invaluable to all our young referees. How to get away with it,eh?
Smith undoubtedly on-message
……”Armageddon” without the Tribute Act……………………………..
“Jackanory”
He has chosen his ‘angle’ with deliberate professionalism. A job he is paid to do.
His job description does not require a happy-clapper aspect but perhaps a tad more context might be helpful?
His Celtic days seem safely behind him now…………………………
He now works for the Scoddsman.
Aye!
It’s got to the stage that I’m not even surprised any more at the SFA, they’re a busted flush and as long as they run our game our game will continue to decline maybe not in numbers but in integrity..
Is there one honest man left in the game??
McDonald coming back reminds me of the Tories when of their clowns get captured, they make a public fuss of disciplining said clown with the proviso privately “don’t worry we have you back on the gravy train asap old boy”
We may not have played well this season and have our own problems but for me as long as we endorse these clowns at Hampden we are committing a long slow suicide..
BMCUWP
Because we let them …..
Shameful
Larssonse7en
Apologies buddy. Not my family. Your thoughts and prayers should be with Newradbhoy. I was reposting on new article as Newradbhoy had just posted at end of previous.
MWD
BT
Quite so
It’s all being set up for Sevco’s SPL debut
….pfayr supports weeoscar
09:22 on 29 December, 2013
Spot on mate couldn’t agree more.
The SFA & Sevco are like the bullies the more you let them away with it the more they’ll do it.
No one at parkhead has the balls to speak out.
.
Who’s next Hugh Dallas.
PF AYR
Indeed.
Frankly,I’m at a loss as to how to stop them.
Celtic can’t be seen to pick and choose appointments to another organisation.
But I think we should be able to ask that his appointment be justified. Even if only on grounds of cost.
From Eeramacaroonbar twitter.
Scottish referee in danger of looking biased towards Rangers Graham Spiers Dougie McDonald.
http://tl.gd/n_1rv7ghn
Good morning friends from a very bright, dry but wee bit chilly East Kilbride.
Just 3 hours till we again have the privilege of watching The Champions play. We will end 2013 in style.
And talking of style, a big shout out and even bigger thank you to paddybhoy1888 who I met yesterday to view the 2014 range of CQN golf shirts and hats, personalised with individual blog names and soon to be available in home and away versions. Where he got the idea that I’d be the ideal male model is beyond me!
Hen1rik
MacDonald is worse than Dallas …
We all know what Dallas was about ..but MacDonald is a proven cheat and liar ..
Honesty and integrity are , in theory, the main requisites for a ref ..MacDonald has neither
Thems are running out of cash by end Jan ; with creditor payment terms of 60 days suppliers etc will see the hit end march / early April. Suppliers should demand payment up front now and any club dealing with them in the transfer window should demand cash up front.
The orchestrated articles across the media today about how much we miss Sevco tells me that the shit is about to hit the fan. This one could be messier than first time around. At the AGM vote the board supporters knew then they would go under and the plan is agreed already how it will be played out. I imagine that the “institutional ” investors will play real hardball against blue knights or similar. They want one big pay day. It could result in many scenarios including Sevco unable to complete the season.
It will be the shortest life of a football club in scotland ever …indeed the world …yep another world record.
Good morning. Prayers for Newradbhoy at Mass this morning and it will be a special Mass as my Grandson Cillian is being baptized after 11.30 mass.
KTF
HH
From MTH twitter
How bad is Scottish Football when a proven Liar and cheat Referee is placed on a pedestal as being a role model to young Refs? Ridiculous.
BMCUWP
We can’t control the SFA ..granted
FFS ..we can object to MacDonald being employed
What’s next Fred the Shred for a consultancy job at RBS
3 days till transfer window. Pressure on pl to get funds realised for a striker
Let’s talk about cheats and deid teams at end of window
Focus in striker
Focus on Paul 67 and PL
Money money our the bank
Forget bonus etc
Big zlatan is quoted the day as saying he wants to end his career with Celtic after he completes his job in Paris!..
Wonder will PSG do a straight swap now. We will reluctantly let puukki and sammi leave and the big man comes to paradise!.lol
Oh I forgot to mention its in the back of the sun so it must be true!!!
Latchford
And….there will be deluded CFC fans who will credit our board with Sevco’s demise
If there are ready ‘explanations’ for the current poor attendance then a combination of the following three seem reasonable bets:
1. The downsizing in the quality of the playing resource
2. The sanitisation of the culture
3. The lack of a realistic challenge
Andrew Smith’s article focusses on the latter. He is right to point out the cause of this lack of a realistic challenge but far from accurate to imply that the solution lies in the return of the pretendy bears to the top flight. Firstly, it may yet fail to materialise, though personally I suspect it will. Secondly, whilst the hun hordes may be itching for their ‘revenge’, there is far less appetite for a return to the ‘good old (firm) days’ amongst Celtic fans. The cheating and establishment’s determination to ‘save’ their club, coupled with the turbo-boosted Peepildom of the huns suggests that a record low attendance is as likely as a return to a stadium rocking capacity crowd if Sevco manage to find their way to a Parkhead league debut.
We want competition but precious few want it in the guise of hate-fuelled unrepentant Sevconians…
Prayers for newrad and mighty tim will be offered up today.
Prayers for those misguided souls who continue to ruin the beautiful game.
Then brekkie and ksc for the famous Glasgow Celtic..
Hail Hail
JOBO BALDIE
Tall,dark and handsome,mate. Works every time.
On a lighter note I went to the pantomime in Greenock last night- Oh yes I did. Really funny and they managed to fit two “Keep the faiths” and a “sign for Glasgow rangers, NEVER”
Well I enjoyed it
From Paul Larkin
Dougie, Dougie proves, once again, nothing has changed at the SFA. They all still dance to Minty’s tune. Just like Sevco.
McDowell. Think we would would be lucky to swap Pukki for a DVD player
He was a failed 500k Schalke project and was on his way out till so e idiot offered 2.9m :(((
bring back Mike McCurry ………..now theres an honest ref!
free the mccurry one…ahem! (said his burd!)
WEST WALES CELT
Strange how lack of competition never bothered anyone when the huns were winning.
In fact,they revelled in it.
Morning all. Lovely and bright, if very cold, for once. I know it’s the ole lull before the storm.
I imagine there will be a storm of protest about the proven cheat MacDonald being given a job at the SFA. That would be the day… Has Smith or any other journalist even raised the question of his disgrace?
The Celtic board really tugging that forelock now.
Dougie McDonald….Andrew Dallas…….Honest Mistakes eh.
We are being totally shafted, and the board have nothing to say….and of course the dwindling crowds are because it s xmas…..ho ho ho eh
Peter Lawell….you are spineless, and really you should resign.
You really are a disgrace.
More than just a club…..No, I don’t think so
Absolutely Bobby.
lionroars67
08:11 on 29 December, 2013
An interesting article let down by the inappropriate use of the word contumacious.
Les Gray is many things, contumacious he is not.
Lots of angst and frustration on here this morning
which is understandable…..are/will/can Celtic doing
anything,if their no/won’t/can’t,then take your seat
at the back of the bus.
….PFayr supports WeeOscar
09:37 on 29 December, 2013
‘Latchford
And….there will be deluded CFC fans who will credit our board with Sevco’s demise’
####
I rather got the impression that that’s what Paul67 believes, or at least would like others to believe.
….pfayr supports weeoscar
08:47 on 29 December, 2013
MacDonald back at the SFA …utter contempt shown to CFC
The man is a cheat and a liar …development advisor ….FFS
More acquiescence from CFC no doubt
——–
McDonald being back is disgraceful , but why try to lay it at Celtics door? Any evidence to suggest we were asked?
Ernie
Suggesting a polis lickspittle is contumacious in comment …..the cretin is the very antithesis
A few of our friends seem to know Andrew Smith and claim he is a Celtic fan,well if that’s the case can the next one who’s speaks to him ask, How’s the soup today?