The only credible model for Celtic

166

Liam Scales said that Thursday’s win over Portugal was his “best night in an Ireland shirt”.  A lot has happened since.  A win over Portugal in Dublin, aided by a Scales assist, turned out to be a preliminary for the 95th minutes winner the Celtic defender setup for Troy Parrot in Budapest yesterday.  That result put Ireland into the World Cup qualification playoffs at the expense of hosts Hungary.

With the likes of Italy (and maybe Denmark) waiting in the playoffs there is still a lot to do before Ireland reach the World Cup proper but their winners stepped up when needed.  A new generation of Irish football heroes has been minted this week and while Troy Parrot takes the podium, Liam’s contribution has been iconic.

Two years ago Liam was on his way back out the door on loan to Aberdeen.  Injuries meant he was retained and he has since developed into one of the best defenders in the league, won Man of a Match award in the Champions League and a player who is excelling on the international stage.  This is our model.  Identify and develop players with potential.  We have no other credible option.

Click Here for Comments >
Share.

About Author

166 Comments
  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5

  1. Chairbhoy, not sure why they would stop taking DD’s money, that would be plain daft.

     

    As for fiduciary duties? Hmmmm, that could be a tricky one considering we’re reportedly the best run Club on the island of Britain.

     

    As for being Celtic “supporters”, you might have a point there, as I’m sure their Board positions entitle them to every expense connected with Celtic, refundable.

  2. Sweden is bottom of its WC group, incidentally Starfelt was gritty he played on the left and got on with it, moved to Spain to be with his girlfriend and he probably wasn’t appreciated, Gustaf cruised it at CP against this version of Celtic apart from the error for the non goal, he clearly wasnt seen as able to play in the system BR wanted, what i’m really concerned about is the glut of soft tissue injuries particularly hamstring injuries that are decimating the squad. That needs investigating and remedied pronto.

  3. Lovin’ the fact that the Brendan Loathers are still loathing…

     

     

    Rather than talking up what our visionary Board are up to…

     

     

    And how are new man is going to win the domestic trebles and get us to the last sixteen in Europe….

     

     

    BR&Co have Gone… gone!?

     

     

    Drop the obsession

     

     

    Get off the deludamol…

     

     

    Life goes on….

     

     

    Hail Hail

  4. Sionnaigh on 17th November 2025 2:35 pm

     

    Chairbhoy, not sure why they would stop taking DD’s money,

     

     

    What money is he putting in? I thought it was a healthy dividend he takes out now,embdae enlighten me?

  5. Michael Nicholson is in the best paid job he’ll ever get, there’s no way on earth he’s resigning.

     

     

    The elite experience that P67 spoke off doesn’t apply to the boardroom.

  6. ADVERTISEMENT
  7. Tim Malone Will Tell on

    Bada,

     

     

    I posted a whioe back that Celtic only pay dividends on preference shares and I don’t think they have issued new preference shares since the original flotation – so I am not sure that DD is in it for the share dividends (although others may know better).

     

     

    That said, your point is very valid – Dermot Desmond does not put money into Celtic, it’s the fans who fund the clubs operations and pay the exec salaries.

  8. a fan who was at the game in Hungary was praising Scales on the radio earlier.

     

     

    I said at the start of the year that Scales would play better with Tierney beside him and I believe he has.

     

     

    The Scales/Taylor combo scared the shite out of me. Combinations can be crucial

     

     

    #hansenmiller

  9. Sionnaigh @ 2:35 pm,

     

     

    Unforturnately taking unclean money is no longer something I support.

     

     

    However, I get the filthy lucre thing and it’s appeal.

     

     

    My thing would be BSR’s point, we were set up to put food on the tables of the poor.

     

     

    We are a famous sporting institution.

     

     

    If businessmen, accountants and lawyers want to bleed us and hose less fortunate than themselves then fair play to them…

     

     

    It is their nature…

     

     

    Just don’t pull that s£!t at my club.

     

     

    Hail Hail

     

     

     

    Chairbhoy, not sure why they would stop taking DD’s money, that would be plain daft.

     

     

     

     

    As for fiduciary duties? Hmmmm, that could be a tricky one considering we’re reportedly the best run Club on the island of Britain.

     

     

     

     

    As for being Celtic “supporters”, you might have a point there, as I’m sure their Board positions entitle them to every expense connected with Celtic, refundable.

  10. ADVERTISEMENT
  11. CHAIRBHOY on 17TH NOVEMBER 2025 2:46 PM

     

     

    It makes for a tough read for you, I know, but there’s a reason models and strategies have been so important for so long on CQN.

     

     

    Before Brendan Rodgers and I’m guessing before you were posting. And long after we’re all gone and forgotten about.

     

     

    Maybe it is a bit of an obsession but it’s not about Brendan Rodgers.

  12. BRRB- Was in Dublin a couple of weeks ago,found a really good bar near hotel Bleacker St Bar,about 20 minutes walk into the city

  13. Celtic40me @ 3:04 pm,

     

     

    When Martin O’Neill arrived 25 years ago, he had a world class striker in Henrik.Larsson.

     

     

    He bought the equivalent of a 30 mn pound player in Chris Sutton.

     

     

    No wonder he is saying we need a rebuild and we need a striker…

     

     

    Like TET says…

     

     

    He seen the slow lane

     

     

    BR seen the whole of the hard lane…

     

     

    Hail Hail

  14. ADVERTISEMENT
  15. Sionnaigh @ 2:35 pm,

     

     

    If we are the best run club, why do we need to learn from the elite?

     

     

    Hail Hail

  16. As for being Celtic “supporters”, you might have a point there, as I’m sure their Board positions entitle them to every expense connected with Celtic, refundable.

     

     

    ————————-

     

     

    Old Stories, but here goes

     

     

    When I worked in the corporate environment I was often astounded at the shear greed of people as soon as a freebie was on offer, didnt matter the level of a person, that clamour for someone for nithing just left me scratching my forehead.

     

     

    Normal rational good workers as soon as presented with a buffet would que up early for it, executives would send their p.a. down to make sure they got a share with christmas events being the worst.

     

     

    But a couple or 3 of eye witness events =

     

     

    I was travelling through Amsterdam with a high level IBM executive, a former police cheif, he had taken early retirement and was on a huge pension, but still came into a 2nd career, because he could.

     

    I got on well with him, just accepted that this high heid mason and me were just very different people, funnily enough for all that stuff, he was never bigoted with me, his passions being golf, whisky, and making money, think of Police Chief Nicolson on TV.

     

    Anyways, he flew business, with access to lounges, I travelled cattle and he said get me at gate blah bla in an hour.

     

    Met up he had the free lunch, a few drinks and we met in the walkway, passing a mcdonalds, he said, give me seocnd stevie, leans over the barrier and takes a discarded receipt off a tray, blazen he says to me

     

    “claim that on expences”.

  17. PeterLatchfordsBelly on

    Okay, so KT, 28 year old with no resale value – NOT the model.

     

     

    Big Liam (love his story too btw), 27 year old with no resale value – IS the model.

     

     

    I’m confused. A bit like our club leadership.

     

     

    Still no word on this blog about how said leadership might be evaluated on the key question – are they an asset or liability in respect of developing Celtic as a modern club?

  18. BRRB

     

     

    Enjoy Swords,my cousin is in Donabate,was there 4 weehks ago.,the amount of building goin on is incredible,tentacles of greater Dublin rolling out.it had changed so much since the last visit 25 yr back.

     

     

    HH

  19. another –

     

     

    in the ba lounge at Birmingham, a well kent big hefty irishman, tv present, , who just loved people looking.

     

     

    he is giving someone on the mobile a real har time the gist of which was “i am stuck here in this airport2 and then you still havnt got me the limo, blah blah blad, loud as feck everyone look at me.

     

     

    but the buffet island is there, a twinkle in his eye, he moves into pole position, and start to load up the plate.

     

     

    but in an incredible show of greed, he is also eating at the same time, chew chew, talk talk, load plate,

     

     

    greedy guts rab haw like.

  20. ADVERTISEMENT
  21. and back to the celtic board.

     

     

    flying to manchester, a few celtic players and executives are on the flight,

     

     

    bobo, eric riley and i think john kennedy are across the aisle from me.

     

     

    trolley comes round, the bold eric, finance cheif at the time, says to the players, here what do you want, let me get it ………..

     

     

    two coffes, tea, ……….. from memory came to less than a fiver ………….

     

     

    the bold eric, says

     

     

    “can i have the receipt”

  22. CHAIRBHOY on 17TH NOVEMBER 2025 3:07 PM

     

     

    “When did I start posting?”

     

     

    It doesn’t matter. CQN has been about the business side of Celtic since the start. I’ve argued with Neganon myself. Business models, player trading, recruitment and development.

     

     

    The article about credible models was posted at 12, we’re talking about Brendan Rodgers part in the failure of our model at 3.30. Hardly obssession.

     

     

    Youre talking about DD again and all sorts of stuff about 25 years ago, not three weeks ago, as if it’s somehow more relevant today. Is that not a bit more obsessed?

     

     

    “Move on” from something that is directly affecting is right now, but use a quote made 25 years ago in totally different times to make a point.

     

     

    Hmmmm

  23. bournesouprecipe on

    🎵Wilfried Nancy was his name

     

    He brought some great names to the game

     

    When he was the boss at Celtic Park

     

    He taught them how to play football

     

    He made the greatest of them all

     

    Gallacher and Quinn have left their mark.

     

     

    And they gave us James McGrory and Paul McStay

     

    They gave us Johnstone, Tully, Murdoch, Auld and Hay

     

     

    And most of the football greats

     

    Have past through Parkheads gates

     

    For to play football the Glasgow Celtic way🎵

  24. ADVERTISEMENT
  25. Wilfred Nancy is doing very well in the US , granted.

     

    The guy has only 4 years experience and that worries me. Sure he plays very attack minded football, oops, sorry, soccer, but let’s face it, in football terms he has not re-invented the wheel. So none of the worlds top managers and coaches have never played his system, eh.

     

    If he comes he will obviously get my full support, as would any new manager, but concern does grip me.

     

     

    We shall see.

     

    And realistically, what top manager wants Scottish football. Sure, Celtic is almost a shoe in every season in Europe, attractive as that is, but week in, week out playing crap teams, not too inspirational

     

     

    kingLUBO

  26. Celtic40me @ 3:04 pm

     

     

    “Before Brendan Rodgers and I’m guessing before you were posting…

     

     

     

    celtic40me @ 3:44 pm,

     

     

    CQN @ 3:07 PM – “When did I start posting?”

     

     

    Celtic40me

     

     

    It doesn’t matter.

     

     

    Joined up thinking not your thing!?

     

     

    DeludamolCSC

     

     

    Hail Hail

  27. 🎵This is what it means to be Celtic Champions again as you know, with the obsessives…

     

     

    …Brendan Rodgers is here for ever and ever and ever…🎶

     

     

    Hail Hail

  28. Even back then Martin gave some context to his comments about “life in the slow lane.” Even back then it wasnt all black and white:

     

     

    ‘Of course, there are some big earners at the club and many were contracted when nobody had any idea that the game would turn upside down.”

     

     

    If the game was turned upside down in a few years back then imagine the changes over the last 25 years

     

     

    Taking it back to the article think Brendan would have made an excellent Celtic manager back then, but the changes since meant he was out of step with with our club really needed to succeed right now.

  29. ADVERTISEMENT
  30. Hi, Dermot doesn’t spend his money, he spends Celtics money. He has never spent money on Celtic since his first share purchase. In fact given his preference shares he takes money out

     

     

    Analytics seem to be the key, however, if different analyst use the correct system then we will end up targeting the same players. For every position. There has to be some form of judgement. Coach manager or recruitment specialist

  31. celtic40me on 17th November 2025 4:00 pm

     

    ……

     

     

    Rodgers couldny lay a glove on the make-shift Sportscene Hun management team led by wee Barry, so how he would have coped with an already assembled nearly 150 MILLION quid Hun team who were buying 5 Million pound players almost every week is not something I would have looked forward to.

     

    MON’s street wisdom and Irish fighting dogism put those expensive Hun noses out of place.

     

    But each to their own.

     

    HH

     

    oot.

  32. bigrailroadblues on

    Yesterday has gone. The future is Green and White and more trophies and glory for the magical Glasgow Celtic. ✨️

  33. Tim Malone Will Tell on

    Bigbhoy,

     

     

    Not strictly true. Desmond will have put money into Celtic via subsequent share issues – but there hasn’t been one of those for a while.

     

     

    Not sure how many preference shares he has – could range from zero upwards – and don’t know how to find that out.

  34. ADVERTISEMENT
  35. What is the Starz on

    The most important game played this weekend was in Athletic Bilbao stadium. Basque Country played Palestine in a friendly, over 50,000 turned up (including a group of us from Dublin).

     

    Marvellous atmosphere, wonderful night of solidarity

  36. bigbhoy on 17th November 2025 4:15 pm

     

    Hi, Dermot doesn’t spend his money, he spends Celtics money. He has never spent money on Celtic since his first share purchase. In fact given his preference shares he takes money out

     

     

    —————

     

     

    sorry bud, but simply untrue.

     

     

    without going over all the individual share offers, the bold DD manouvered himself into the PRINCIPAL SHAREHOLDER position of 34.7% by underwriting everything onwards from Fegus selling his own shares.

     

     

    Bottom line he financed the payback of debts after Seville, and the building of Lennoxtown.

     

     

    From 1994 till 2005 he invested £31m in Celtic plc.

  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5