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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This Fleming gadgee, despite ringing endorsements from CFC men , is doing a real number on us at this time
@EdgarBlamm Wonder if Guidi will now have the cahoonas to report Craven’s story that he’s been sitting on for the last few years?
I went along with the don’t interfere as your enemy is destroying themselves approach as Rangers diapered and Secvo fleeced their fans. Lawwell got on the SFA board we got back in the CL and all was well.
Now we see the amateurs of the SFA regroup ; the bigots son being fast tracked over more competent refs. Liar and Cheat Dougie Dougie appointed to a position where integrity is a given.
We are dealing with amateurs who are blinded by hatred and bigotry. Lawwell can easily play the right cards to challenge this in a clever way. They are reputable journos who would pitch the story the right way with a steer from Lawwell. This is not the time for silence ; we are not standing by watching Sevco implode ( which will happen ). We are talking about Campbell EBT Ogilvie rebuilding the sectarian cesspit. Ogilvie like George Peat before him is a dinosaur who is still stuck in the 17th century.
Scootish football has various initiatives running from youth football to women’s to developing a national team under Strachan. However when the Presidents primary objective involves the development of Bigot Jnr and a cheat setting the development agenda then the other initiatives will gradually fail. An association like the SFA has to be above reproach otherwise nobody can take it seriously and what it strives to do will fail. Ogilvies loyalty is to the former club where he administered EBTS ( plus took one ) and a sectarian signing policy. The SFA will fail in its football objectives as it rewinds time back to it’s Missippi Burning moment. The SFA should rebrand themselves as KKK — they seemed to have moved more with the times than Ogilvies and his brothers.
….PFayr
Don’t know – the 3-4 Aberdeen game suggests they may be playing a more reckless, swashbuckling style. If so, this may suit players like Forrest. We’ll see.
Nothing that happens in Scottish football surprises me anymore.
Dougie Dougie back at the SFA is certainly not a shocker. It will be interesting to find out what all the facts are on this one.
As for the son of Hugh Dallas – I’m not sure what Celtic are expected to do about that to be honest.
Well a lovely sunny day in the Highlands with sunshine and no wind to speak of a great day for a game of football come on the Hoops. H.H.
DougieDougie back at the SFA
This is a shocking decision.
For me, the first losers from this will be Kevin Clancy and referees like him.
I hope that they won’t disappear quietly when they recognise their development has been arrested, unexpectedly.
Morning Bhoys and Ghirls,
There can be no doubt that the Andrew Smith article was a professional piece, I do not agree that it amounts to Lazy Journalism. I can not disagree with much of it.
It should also be remembered that the Scotsman’s readership has haemorrhaged over the last few years and now stands at only circa 28.000 copies.
Put simply it has got to be thought provoking and even controversial.
Yes crowds are down, and there are a number of reasons for that. We cannot compare with 10 to 15 years ago. e.g. home entertainment and social media outlets mean it has become even harder to get people to leave their homes : note the decline in pub attendances, and its not all due to pricing and the smoking ban.
We must make the product more entertaining. It will be hard because deep down we all know that even playing at 50% we will canter the league.
PL and the board have to redouble our attempts to leave this league, it is becoming more apparent that this must be our aim.
A couple of observations : To some it would seem that PL has powers and influence more associated with King Canute.
Celtic are to be congratulated for their initiatives against PT on the 1st, but if we were playing a form of “Rangers” would they be necessary. A full house would be expected. I do not express any opinion its only an observation.
COYBIG today.
HH, Always in Celtic.
He won’t need to teach the refs to lie and cheat. They’ve all got their degree in that already.
Also, if CO can be employed by SPFL, what son of satan can’t be?
Speak to other clubs Celtic and get some group action going.
PAOLOANTONY
STRINGER BELL
Sincere apologies to all for the post you commented on.
I honestly did not know that he had died.
MEA CULPA and hands up for the error.
It’s upto Scottish Football to react to this.
Celtic are hugely important but no amount of tact on our part imo will stop the msm and/ or in combination with the mouth-breathers, uniting to condemn and ridicule the Club should we call the SFA out unilaterally on this
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS ………FC not PLC 11:06 on 29 December, 2013
PAOLOANTONY
STRINGER BELL
“I honestly did not know that he had died.”
Details.
That wouldn’t stop the SFA considering Farry a suitable candidate sure.
Should be an interesting game today, ICT seem to be attempting to play more Football these days.
ICT 0-2 Celtic
Interesting that Dougie MacDonald is back out of retirement and some want Celtic to speak out – If you look at the facts it tells you all you want to know about Scottish cheating Officialdom.
John Reid speaks out about the cheating and states MacDonald’s position is untenable, he is condemned on all sides and the refs come out on strike to support the cheat(s).
Neil Lennon and Gary Hooper (who was robbed of a penatly) criticize the Refereeing and get called before a disciplinary commitee.
Steven Craven, tells the truth about what happened and gets a sine die ban from officiating.
Dougie MacDonald had NO action taken against him, was allowed to quietly retire and as soon as they think things have quietened down bring him back, in a neat little position.
It shows that cheating is not only condoned in Scottish Football it is commended, while those who speak out against it are condemned.
Any ref with a Tim sounding name is out now that Dougie Dougie is in charge of development. I would especially like to attend one of his lectures on how to lie and cheat the Celtic manager. I would also like to have his insight on how to arrange a cover up to avoid being uncovered. The one where you blame the Tim linesman would be compulsive viewing for any up and coming ref ( Dallas Jnr take note ).
I have a feeling he has been teaching Bigot Jnr already with his award of a non existent penalty on Saturday. Dallas couldnt have been listening properly as Dougie Dougie gave 2 dodgy penalties for ( guess who ) against dundee utd.
I don’t expect Dougie Dougie to make much waves initially; he has been brought in to fast track the Bigot Jnrs of this world. Through time the Tim sounding names will be weeded out as the Development Officer scores them down.
Chairbhoy
So we say nothing and acquiesce ?
Re the Andrew Smith article…
Let’s be honest, it’s not something we haven’t heard from Celtic fans we know.
Unfortunately.
I was in the company of 3 good Celtic men last week, 2 of whom I didn’t know.
They have stopped going because there are no versions of the Huns.
Feel it’s harsh to be critical of an article that sadly speaks the truth of the mindset of a lot of Celtic fans.
MacDonald was forced out …he will consider that it was by CFC
One can only imagine how anti CFC he is now
A guy died yrs ago. Guy went out his way to cheat Celtic out a title. Not many wud mourn his passing on this site although nor wud celebrate his death. Don’t think anyone wud think bad of you not knowing an nobody thought u were at it so no sincere apologies needed.
Chairbhoy, 11.11,
Give yourself a pat on the back, post of the day(so far, ).
Short, sharp,and staight to the point.
lilys
News just in. Jeff winters just been unveiled as Scottish ref chief.
Seem unlikely? On a par with the dougie dougie decision
Context is everything and when a journalist chooses to ignore that in favour of a prepped partial spin piece then…………….something has to be said.
At least sites like this offers the opportunity to counter the ‘armageddon’ propaganda being put out by those that would oppose us.
Jackanory.
STEINREIGNEDSUPREME
SCOTLAND’S SHAME
Cheers,lads. As you say,not worth beating myself up about,but still inappropriate nevertheless.
I’ve said much worse though-and not by accident either!
sydneytim
09:36 on 29 December, 2013
…………
We needed that striker in this time last season when it was clear that Hooper was leaving, it’s clear to me anyway, that Joe Ledley is next and FF to follow, downsizing and fingers crossed that’s what we got last year.
Think I’m mair grumpy than you today!
….PFayr supports WeeOscar 11:14 on 29 December, 2013
“MacDonald was forced out …he will consider that it was by CFC
“One can only imagine how anti CFC he is now”
No more than he was before. His opinion of Celtic will not have changed.
From the MTH
Anyone who genuinely believes our club is doing all it can to kill the corruption needs to remove their head from their ass.
The decision to take double dougie back into the fold is absolutely mental. Again the governing body displays that it’s not fit and proper to uphold integrity within the game..
Latchford @10.49
“Ogilvies loyalty is to the former club where he administered EBTS ( plus took one ) and a sectarian signing policy.”
Cracker mate, and indubitubly true!
Bankiebhoy
Smith was doing as he was required
Context is to ignored if it alters the impact sought
….PFayr @ 11:13,
“So we say nothing and acquiesce ?”
I’m not saying that, just pointing out it did us little good the last time. The way Steven Craven was dealt with was apalling.
lilys grandpa-Me and Lily backing Oscar @ 11:15,
Thank you – it was a bug bear of mine at the time.
Hail Hail
Steinreigns……..
Think that’s right…..with Shugs like-minded acolytes in place above and below………..the vibe vis a vis Celtica is not hard to envisage.
Shameless, utterly shameless.
BMCUWP 11-18
Last sentence
That crossed my mind :-))
Early on in our centenary season Celtic scored a late controversial
winner in a game against Hearts,the ref had a tim sounding
name O’Donnell me thinks,seem too remember he was out
the game shortly afterwards.
PF.
Yes, apparently so. Sadly, on-message.
It was his turn on the rota.
A seasonal Turkey not voting for Christmas.
Jackanory.
Vhman. No grumpy. You can just see the wood through the trees noo
Although we will now get a few Paul67 articles about dougie dougie again just in time to take the focus away from transfer window
Peter L will be laffing away about this. He will be happy that noone is talking Aboot strikers
The DD thing seems like a naked GIRFUY from the SFA to me.
Remember “Those days are over”
Well like Poltergeist 2… “They’re back”
Is today’s game on the box?
Post-match interview after the ‘Dougie Dougie’ debacle at Tannadice.
“But Dougie was very inconsistent today.
“He is quite quick to give penalties against us, we’ve had it in the past and no doubt we will have it in the future.”
The Craven Affair = Part 1: What is the truth? http://t.co/fnY2jHsLym
Will Amido get a chance? What about Atajic? Or, will it be Stokes and Samaras (ie irrespective of current form?).
Lenny has threatened to drop players on several occasions- he doesn’t follow through. Must be disconcerting for the other players when the teacher’s pets continually get picked