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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Valentinesday
It’s what happens
Or they are forced to assimilate like Collum , Conroy et all
The SFA refereeing committee run the show….the employment of Macdonald is a prime facie example of their continuing bias
If we don’t challenge this …the honest mistakes will continue in perpetuity
Celtic Football Club @celticfc 53s
Celtic team to play ICT: Forster; Matthews, Ambrose, van Dijk, Izaguirre; Forrest, Brown, Ledley, Samaras; Commons, Stokes (MH)
Ex
http://m.scotsman.com/sport/football/spfl/zlatan-ibrahimovic-hints-at-celtic-move-1-3249687
I assumed there’d be some caveats….
RRC:
11:27 on 29 December, 2013
‘The DD thing seems like a naked GIRFUY from the SFA to me.
Remember “Those days are over”
###
We were assured it was to be a new era of openness and transparency.
With hindsight I think I was right to be sceptical.
Celtic Football Club @celticfc 34s
Subs: Zaluska, Balde, Biton, Pukki, O’Connell, Atajic, Rogic
Good team, all the new(ish) bhoys gettin’ a game.
Chairbhoy,
your Welcome,
lilys
HH
Celtic team to play ICT: Forster; Matthews, Ambrose, van Dijk, Izaguirre; Forrest, Brown, Ledley, Samaras; Commons, Stokes
———
Seriously how bad must Balde be in training?!
The comments above came from Dundee United manager Peter Houston.
Maybe they should make a statement about this latest SFA appointment?
Dexter
Balde??
Never heard of him!!
Roy Croppie
Two man midfield
Let’s hope ICT are a more open team under Yogi
RRC
Perfect quote …..exactly what it is
4 recent signings on the bench. Boerrigter wouldn’t be in first XI if he was fit.
carlsberg don’t do failed transfer policies….
I hope I am wrong but I always have doubts when Sammi and Forrest are starting especially away.
Who is the Dougie Dougie wannabe today please?
….PFayr supports WeeOscar
I think they are; our full backs will be busy today me thinks…
HH
Ernie
Always wise to sceptical, Are Celtic so powerless?
Surely not, and so one would be forgiven for thinking they are ok with the way things are playing out
That’s the hard part for me
Re. the Andrew Smith article.
I’ll miss my first home game of the season on the 1st. not because we are not playing a club with sectarian cheating baggage in their locker, but because our family meal is mid-afternoon as there are weans to take into account.
I asked weeks and weeks ago about the timing/date of this fixture, suggesting it was stupid to have a game on the 1st. when there are so many other attractions than existed in the halcyon days of yore, and when the lack of public transport means that only those with access to private transport can travel any distance. Now we’ve got Celtic handing out free tickets and providing free buses for the game, surely actions that are an admission that having this game on the 1st. is daft.
rrc:
11:27 on 29 December, 2013
——————-
Game on BT Sport
Valentinesday- ref was Kevin O’Donnell
EmeraldBee……
You should be old enough to realise Celtic FC does what it’s told.
I read Andrew Smith’s piece earlier.
I have little issue with the broad strokes, although some of the detail is a overplayed, chiefly: “..for a great many it is quite clear that hatred of the other side fuels interest more than love of their own club”.
“For a great many” should be “for quite a few”.
The fundamental issue in the reduced attendances of recent years is the wipe out of support from Ireland caused by dire economics, which the club puts at 5000 season tickets.
The destruction of Rangers caused the loss of around 10% of the remaining season tickets, around 4000 people, who elected not to renew because there was no ‘Old Firm’, whether that be matches or competitor.
The loss of the first group is hugely regrettable, far more for the impact of economics on ordinary folk than the reduction in attendances etc. Perhaps when matters improve we will see many return. Let’s hope so.
The loss of the second group gets filed under Paul 67’s long standing premise: whatever the cost to Celtic of losing the association with Rangers is a price worth paying.
Thereafter, there are myriad reasons why current season ticket holders haven’t taken their seats for recent matches. My guess would be Christmas related activities, the weather, the competitive edge, disappointment in Europe, assorted issues with Policing and stewarding, and the unacceptable incidence of pie pastry being stuck to the foil, amongst many others.
My great concern though is that as a support, regardless of our numbers, we seem to have lost our sense of humour.
Sky Sports News advertising tomorrow nights live ‘SPFL’ match, Dunfermline v Rangers.
Did I miss a meeting??
A very attacking line up today. Still, with five domestic clean sheets in a row I guess Neil trusts our defence.
archdeaconsbench
Aye:))
Scottish Professional Football League
All under the one umbrella to make them seem close to the action
valentines day,
Just for your good self, Kevin O’Donnell. My Mum worked with his sister who if I can remember was a nun at St Margaret’s Hospice in Clydebank.
http://www.ntvcelticfanzine.com/letters/letters%20132.htm
AR
Good afternoon from a cool winters afternoon in the Suez Canal. Well Port Suez anyway :)
I always find it interesting the perspective I obtain from being a reasonable distance from the corruption, nepotism, cronyism amnd freemasonry that is the SFA.
Try as we might we cannot change the culture and demographic of the organisation for we are the permanent largest minority in the country that is Scotland. It will never be any different.
Even the most uneducated among us now understand the depth of the corruption and influence of freemasonry in Scotland thanks to the explosion in social media.Will the organ grinders and monkies ever play and dance to a different tune?…….perhaps in 3-4 generations from now but don’t hold your breath.
While Smiths article basically bemoans the fact that there is not enough adversarial content in Scottish football since the demise of the orcs, at least in having some social commentary to print, he does offer a portent of things to come for CFC in the next 5 years.
When half of the SB owners do not bother to even turn up it has nothing to do with XMAS, the weather or anything else but rather has everything to do with the product on the park, PL, the treatment of the GB and other Celtic supporters and the percieved collusion by the board, real or imagined, with police scotland.
Half the attendance means exactly that. Half the revenues, half the football quality, half the chance of progress in the CL and a 6 game going over a la Barcelona whenever we do. Imagine conceding 3+ goals in 6 games and finishing bottom of the group with zero points…..not pretty at all.
I think the board are looking at the same scenario as Smith and see a moth balled top tier for all but really big draw opponents when we can get them.
Just saying like!
Pogmathonyahun
Cheers, bud :-)
park254
11:40 on
29 December, 2013
Valentinesday- ref was Kevin O’Donnell
“””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””””
He did well to get as far as he did!!!!
C’mon the Bhoys a solid performance today before the big Glasgow Derby on New Years Day.
TBB,
Excellent contribution as ever. Well critiqued. A lot of truth there. Thank you.
Would he get in the team?
http://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/spfl/zlatan-ibrahimovic-hints-at-celtic-move-1-3249687
On Dougie Dougie – a wee reminder of events in the period after Tannadice.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1lKMrNvUm4BjTX1TN_xPxTrKnWxGXGNcbANjxL1VjBvw/edit
La plus ca change…………………………
Morning all
Just out to watch the game in a few minutes- I give BT enough money.
Can’t get too worked up about the return of Dougie! Dougie! ( the liar) to a position of influence. If Campbell Ogilvie can remain in place then why not give a shyster ex-ref a good job?
Not so sure I’m so happy with the team today – I thought Sammi looked disinterested up at McDiarmid which was a sad sight. Mind you I probably said the same two years ago before the cup tie and he was rampant. Is Fisher not fit?
We are coming up to a crucial ‘Window’ as with a World Cup in the summer it’ll be harder to do business in the summer. Time to tie up a striker who can lead the line and get on the end of crosses . Time also to jettison some of those whose best days are behind them or who are , frankly, dead wood
Jimbo67 supporting Oscar Knox
Let the People Sing vid- check
http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&feature=related&v=zhkdy0AOpaM
Lucky fitba socks – check
Off to bet Efe to score anytime in 90mins- check :))
Enjoy game all
antipodean red
Cheers pal, remember the poor fella getting hounded
out the game……would not happen today off course!!!
The Battered Bunnet
11:41 on 29 December, 2013
I’d agree with most of that but one aspect missing is the treatment of fans by not only the authorities and police but also by the board at Celtic – at a time Celtic should be courting the fans they are alienating a proportion of them
Well, I see the silly season is on us again, Trezeguet and Ibrahimovic being linked with moves to CP, even if we could afford them these are the types of guys that would soon destroy any unity in the dressing room.
As regards Dougie-Dougie’s return, his role will not be to make sure decisions go against us, we are too far ahead of the pack for that. His role will be to make sure that the brethren make it possible for the zombies to progress up the leagues in whatever incarnation they have turned into.