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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Just had a good read of my newly arrived CQN annual and am
delighted to find my blog name below the ticket to the Seville game.
I already have my own original framed in my personal Celtic Hall of Fame folder, so its great to see it shown in CQN’s Annual.
HH to all CQNrs
Gerry
Hunskelper….
If I was to think of a player in Celtic’s recent history , similar in ability and impact to Joe Ledley it would be someone like Stephen Pearson.
GoodbutnotgreatCSC
Marrakesh….
03-04 surely for Celtic?
04-05 we bottled the League at Fir Park?
Balde to the Harry Rags….
The ole CQN ‘from what I’ve been told’ mince.
Bournesoup….
Why you not in Tap Shoap drinking Barchester Cream?
Is it still there?
ryecatcher
20:35 on 28 December, 2013
Exactly and what happened to him and to Liam Miller for that matter?
Ryecatcher..my mistake
catcher
Awe_Naw *see what I did* not the ole Tap Shoap Bottom Shoap debate.
Pfay
No, not necessarily, it’s just addressed to those who come on here with an agenda!
I will not brooke character assasination of any Celtic player on here.
It is unnecessary, and if those who contribute to this type of behaviour, no nothing about
Football!.
There is an unwritten law among those who live in the football world, you never debase ANY,
player, currently playing, at any LEVEL, and if you don’t know that, then you are ONLY a fan!
Nothing wrong with being only a FAN!, YOU, only want the best for yourself and your club!
YOU don’t have an agenda! For most of you it is a pleasure to be there, to belong, to be a part of something, you have the right to be disappointed, you have the right to criticise anyone involved in the running of the Club,or who are on the Playing Staff. Where you and I differ, is when you put that in writing, in a Public Domain!, ANY Public Domain!
H.H.
Ledley is off, money talks and Celtic don’t have enough. Also Joe made a financial decision when he left his boyhood favourites and came to Glasgow. He’ll do the same again.
Samaras is a different kettle of fish, he has been down south and failed. Celtic gave him the opportunity to resurrect his career. He is a professional football player and money provides the ultimate lure for most, but the security of a club were he is valued (at the moment anyway) may be a factor. In short the big guy’s confidence suffered in Manchester, he may not be willing to gamble again.
Bournesoup….
Do the Tahiti still drink in that wee snooker hall?
TahitiranawayCSC
can I have raspberry
Balde following in Bonnes footprints
Clashcity Bhoy
Ah am Gled that Ye agree wi Me.. oan That,pal..
Not Many,oan Here, Dae..
Oh..there is a few, no doot.. but the Preponderance of Opinion.. speaks. Otherwise..
Neil, Has a Strike Force..right Noo.. Which is
Well..
No a Strike Force.. at awe,at awe!
Noo..
Again..
In Kojo’s Opinion..
Wan of the reasons,fur that sorry state of affairs.. Mark, me.. Ah said
WAN,of the Reasons fur that Sorry State of affairs ..
Is..
Oor.. Present Complement of Mid Fielders..are no.. daeing ..,
The Maist Important Part of Thur Joabs ,in a Precise Manner..’
Oor Middy is Not An ENGINE ROOM.. n
A Middy, First n Foremost.. Must be the Engine Room from Where..
‘
The Bullets ur Forged… in the Furnaces..
In Short..
OOR Strikers are Getting.. GEY Few Bullets tae use as Ammunition.. in thur Pursuits
in the Goal Trail..
Celtic, are ,Instead..
Relying oan .. WINGERS.. tae Provide that Ammunition.
And..
Sometimes.. Oor Wingers Dae… that
when They Provide.. Nice n Easy scoring opportunities fae Thur Crosses..
but,, Mostly They jist Cross over a Bunch of Duds..
A successful. TEAM.. In EURO COMPETITION.. must have…. A Busy Bee Mid Field..
composed of Workers n… Providers of Honey..
Fur the Strikers tae Sup..up.
and..
Presently, Cetlic’s Middy..is Full of Dreary.. tippy tappy, back n Forth .. the Middle of the Park….LAZY DRONES.. no Bees!
Yes, Virginia..
Celtic Need tae get shot of Their Present Mid Fielders..
Broonie.. Ah wid Keep.. but the Rest..
Even.. Commons.. Ah wid Ditch.
Celtic’s Trouble,in no scoring Too many goals..is the Result of an Inconsistent..
and Mostly.. Silent.. Mid Field..
Which is No Help at all in breaking doon a Stuffy Ten Man Defensive Lineup..
Kojo
Still ,Laughin
Bournesoup….
Tahiti left big Balde footprints when they used to run away haha
Kojo
Brown has scored 17 in 175
Commons has scored 32 in 78
Love
The wee snooker hall was where holy mass was first offered to the ole Carmylites.
BackInTheDay CSC
Kris Boyd has scored more goals than our combined strike force this season.
FatMartyPellowisshiteCSC
Bournesoup….
Keep Tellin ya….
Carmalites…….Grrrrrr
Henrik Larsson – Signed for Celtic in 1997 for £650,000. He went on to score 242 goals in 315 competitive matches.
KingOfKings CSC
http://image.wikifoundry.com/image/1/Jxa-CZ_f4ux8B_7ITcmFVw141733
1903. Cmon the stripes.
Z
Anyone name anyone.
joe filippis haircut
With respect, you are talking nonsense when you say that Joe Ledley would be offered £60 thousand a week at crystal palace. I don’t think anyone at palace is on that type of money, and there is no way Ledley would be offered that
catcher
Apologies to all lurking Carmalites and Walters Myth.
saint stivs
Wee Joe Miller defo sitting at front right.
Professor Green. I may well be correct I may well be talking nonsense I am happy with where the figures came from. We will have to wait and see what transpires.H.H.
Ledley has been playing well within himself since the hun died.He will stick it out til summer for another Bosman.He won’t risk a relegation battle either.
Saint Stivs
Nae goallie’s in those days
EDB and Pfayr are the sharp dressed men
Any CQN folks in Babbity’s?
Soup…..
Remember Chic Charnley made him look like a sixty five quid player on his debut.
LarssonneverbeaplayerCSC
hun skelper…
weefrathetim
19:27 on 28 December, 2013
You’ll be here annoying everybody for years to come mate hh
You keep saying the prayers buddy. Lol
Weefra HH supporting Wee Oscar.
the spirit of arthur lee
20:54 on 28 December, 2013
I thought Kris was on 48 goals for Celtic?
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Instead of collecting more players,we might be better trying a different formation and style of play.
joe filippis haircut
60k? He will be lucky to be offered Half of that but with a healthy signing on fee. I think you are overestimating what Joe brings to the party. A good solid pro who weighs in with the occasional goal,in Scotland, nothing else.
Lenny i made it up
LOL
Kris Boyd has scored more goals than our combined strike force this season.
FatMartyPellowisshiteCSC
And he’s still an odious git. :)
Weefra HH supporting Wee Oscar.
http://www.thecelticwiki.com/page/Celtic+Park+-+From+The+Graveyard+to+Paradise+%28from+Jungle+Bhoys+Fanzine+%282010%29
rye
I wonder if they included Henriks own goal in his Euro debut?
KingOfKings CSC
Stivs
….second row, 3rd from right, Owen Archdeacon seated next to Nubar Sarkis Gulbenkian…………