Signing players is easy, just ask anyone who has never done it. The selling club invariably wants to wait until the last moment, when they are sure no one else will bid up the price. The player occasionally wants to wait and see if you have Champions League football that season. This deal might be the only income the agent will get that year, so he needs to make the most of it.
Then you have the really complicated ones. Players have pitched up at Celtic Park from a far-flung part of Europe, terrified to sign because some shady character thinks he owns a part of him and has not been paid off.
There has been a time recently when everything was agreed, then the selling club told the player he would not receive his final salary. The player, not unreasonably, said, “This is not right, on a point of principle, they need to pay or we try again in January.”
You want to sign all your top targets, but to do that, you need to pay the top price the club, player and agent can imagine you will pay, even then, it’s not always going to happen.
It is only right to pay the top price you can afford on exceptional occasions. Your strategy should involve being prepared to fail in a negotiation, because to succeed at the prevailing price does not fit your overall budget.
In Scotland, we are still conditioned to some extent, by the bombast of David Murray. Old Zsa Zsa rattled his jewellery and boasted that he never allowed price to stop him buying a player he really wanted. I hear the echoes today, “Just pay the money!”
Murray made it sound like a virtue. It wasn’t. It was one of several vices that led to liquidation.
You have to lose some. Players will not come and some existing players, who are out of contract, will leave. Both will be painful, fans will accuse you of motives which have no internal consistency, but if you get a reputation for not letting players walk away due to money, you are dead in the water.
You need a bucket full of tactics, not cash, to sign players. Experience helps too, and not the good type, you will mostly learn from bad experiences. There will be times you phone the player’s grandfather, who is on your side, but you will still not be able to convince the player Celtic Park is the right move.
Then you will publicly turn your face to stone. “This is our line and not an inch more”, was the subtext of a recent Celtic Tweet. “Curious”, I thought, “What’s the chances this will work?”
The football business is mad, there is no other word for it. It is full of dafties, alpha males who are still trying to impress their decades-dead fathers, the occasional warlord and some fine young athletes. Try to understand it through the prism of normal life and you will misinterpret everything.
Oh, and if at least 50% of your transfers are not justifiably described as a “saga” you’re not working hard enough. Transfers, like sausages, are not meant to look good when they are being made.
Let’s hope David Turnbull passes his medical…..
I’m off to the CQN Charity Golf Day in Aberdour this afternoon, not to play golf, of course, but to hear Danny McGrain and Willie McStay.
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Well, I’ve now watch 14 and a half games in the Women’s World Cup and I’ve enjoyed most of them.
Jobo
Scotland and Argentina was fantastic entertainment
Heartbreaking for the Scottish girls but some great skill
Jobo
Vive la France!
Auld Alliance an awe that. ????
So all that money in the bank will easily pay for the hotel, and indoor full sized pitch at Lennoxtown.
Could put together a production company and bid for the next Scottish football tv rights.
One thing we can be sure of, it won’t be invested in the team.
Another goal disallowed in the Copa America due to VAR.
This VAR is proving to be a nightmare for punters betting overs in the goal scoring markets.
?
Fwiw… My gut feeling about KT is that Celtic will up his money to BR levels and then he’ll go to Man Utd or Barcelona in 2 years.
The £25m that’s being quoted would surely be to speak to the player because there is no way PL would sell for less than £40m plus add-ons…. It took VVDijk a few seasons and 140 games at EPL level before he was the best defender in the world,…. Kieran Tierney is so good imo and the position he plays and his speed and power being watched by Global EPL audiences he could become the world’s best left-back in 6 months….if that happens and we have sold at £25 or £30m we’re gonny look a bit daft.
Still obviously hope he stays and I think he will.
We’re really blessed to have seen some truly great players playing for us.
CANAMALAR, cap doffed.hh.
THE best all round player at the world cup, Henry, puts France 2-1 ahead in the 2nd period of Extra Time. Broonie’s replacement!
So, given that the defending team taking a goal kick no lomger have to pass it outside the area, can the opposing team stand 10 yards outside the 6 yard box? So just within the area?
Cascarino showing some skill . Never thought i’d ever say that?
Jobo
No, just allows defender to come in the box to take a pass
Players will have no say on when they are getting sold,if the Club accepts an offer, you are off,anyone who thinks a bid for a player is accepted, and they don’t go ,has rocks in their head.
Spoke to my dad about Liam Burt, he has seen him in every training session and every minute on the pitch (which wasn’t a lot because he could never get a game for Alloa).
I asked why he couldn’t get a game, kinda hoping he’d say lack of physicality and that when filled out he’d be good.
The answer was way more straight forward, “because we’ve got better players ”
Alloa, FFS.
Bobo Balde
I’ve seen some posters complain that we are being too focused on buying players from the UK market. Has anyone mentioned Brexit? All European players may end up having the same status as Americans, Africans and the rest.
Every player that comes into the club is told they will be offered the chance to grow and develop. if good enough they will get their chance in our team and will be allowed to go to bigger leagues. That is the case from wee henderson and dembele to mcgregor and ntcham.
We cant stand in the way of players after selling our vision to them. I wish to keep k.t, ntcham, mcgregor, ajer etc.. but its not going to happen. What we do is make sure we get the best deals we can get so we can make our club stronger.
We invest in our academy I.e indoor football pitch, grandstand, good spectator facilities, better coaches, sports science etc… and we start the process of producing young players again with the next batch of kids who have better facilities to help them achieve their potential. We improve our reputation as a place to go and grow into the next victor, vvd mcgregor, or k.t.
At the same time celtic build up money in the bank and increase income opportunities i.e. superstore, cafes, restuarant, hotels, museum, carparks, fanzone etc… to generate more money which makes for a more robust club with strong financial foundations.
This situation leads to our club being better placed to get the best kids on the best deals and to hold on to, and keep those kids happy until our values are matched via improved longer deals and opportunities to thrive.
Are we there yet??? No, we are a long way off it, but it looks like we are trying to strike a balance. However. Its fair to say we have seen some very good players strutt their stuff over the years, we have produced some very good players from our own academy and we have witnessed some very positive chances around and within the stadium.
Stephbhoy
Thats all well and good.might even be factually correct…but..the narrative is
Lawwell must Go, he is an evil failed bean counter, meglomaniac ,who is conspiring to undermine Celtic at every opportunity and to keep the old firm bigot buck flowing in
Heated Driveway Rules
WHAT IS THE STARS on 24TH JUNE 2019 12:08 AM
The truth is that Sevco were brought into the leagues because scottish football did not want to wave bye bye to 50,000 paying consumers who despite the hate, spend hard cash at the tills. I would hazard a guess that no business would be happy to see money walk away, football is no different.
We all love our own team and want the best
players on the pitch. We all have different ideas about how best We can get that. PL has decided the best route to take to achieve that goal.
Manus kelly rip,
https://t.co/QVSe4rSqXq
Hh
The Celtic board has always been, shall we say, tight with cash, albeit with some disastrous splurges on duds. Quite a few purchases have been spectacular successes and we have seen memorable games as a result.
Our fans have always had a healthy critical attitude towards the board but the internet has enabled criticism to be amplified and intensified. Also, most critics are anonymous and therefore unaccountable, encouraging wild, speculative drivel to pass as news or fair comment. In the midst of all this, fair and valid criticism gets lost in the noise.
Given the hostile environment we work in, and yes there are many improvements we must make, I think we’re doin’ no too bad. The 1990s anyone?
Back in the day, we knew that Big Jock was the boss and we totally trusted him. He could stand up to the board. The power balance is so different today, all due to money. Keep on shouting about Lawwell; he is the successor to Whyte, Kelly et al. Has he done a better job?
NFL is in post. He knows exactly what is required. I’m confident he will be given the tools to do the job My opinion is as valid as any.
Good morning CQN from a grey and overcast Garngad
Stephbhoy- some good posts there?
I think we all (or majority know) that exactly what you are saying is true, it’s just a bitter pill to swallow when we are so close to 10IAR.
Also knowing that Celtic is as big a club as your Arsenals, Manures and Liverpools etc. but if we had the same exposure, playing in the EPL, we would be huge. So it is hard when diddy teams like Arsenal and Leicester come to try and take our players.
Anyway has UTurnbul signed yet???
D. :)
Good morning CQNz
Don’t post too often and don’t want to panic anyone, however, have just boarded the 6:35 to Manchester as has David Turnbull. He has signed hasn’t he?
I’ll be very disappointed if we sell KT – for any amount of money. The lad has 4 years on his contract and will honour every second of it if we ask him.
If we sell KT it confirms our primary focus is to make profit, football will be secondary.
KT & CalMac should be kept for the next two seasons while we get their replacements lined up.
If KT in particular wants to remain a Celt for life then get him signed up and tell the tv clubs to gtf.
Our board’s obsession with the balance sheet should not be driving young Celts out of our Club.
Good morning CQN, the latest I hear and remember it’s just what I hear:
Connell deal done, will be announced this week,. Just waiting on his holiday finishing. Max Lowe also sounded out for left back role.
Mathias Jørgensen is another we are talking with and still hopeful on Julien.
Tierney or McGregor likely to leave this window, not both. Ntcham also to go if we get a decent offer.
Until we meet again…
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
The club should tell any perspective bidders that KT is not for sale.
Not for sale.
NOT FOR SALE!
Lennybhoy – Cheers, never heard of any of those potential signings.
Doesn’t make it a bad thing though, just saying.
If KT goes it should be on our terms set a figure £25mil, £30mil or £40 mil.
Same as Cal Mac on our terms, we do not need to sell.
If the club and player decide it’s time to part company then so be it, but think on this…
£25 mil for KT, £20mil for Moussa £9mil for Rodgers, that is £54 million will Lenny even get £15 million to spend. I know there is a fine balance and we have to balance the books. But with sponsorship, season ticket sales etc Lenny should be given at least £20- £30 million to spend.
D. :)
An Dun,
Kieran has been given consistent wage rises and they have been thoroughly deserved – Everytime more security for himself and his Family financially.
I would not rule out anything. Especially Celtic accepting a bid for Kieran and the Bhoy saying No Thanks.
£25Million is embarrassing for such an incredibly hard position to get Top Quality.
Kieran I hope stays for Celtic getting 9 in a row, then hopefully Ten in a Row with a quality 2 Seasons in Europe….
He can then assess his options – By that Time he will have Tripled+ in Value – The Conservative Board will likely not agree.
The Very Best of Luck to Andy Robertson as he is a Belter.
There is Nobody getting past Kieran Tierney on that field, he is quite good going forward too. ;)
Easily Scotlands best Left Back defender.
The latest contract had an inbuilt £25M release clause?
The insane Money going about now is just that.
Celtic should increase the Lads dough and insert a £67M release clause.
The support need to let it be known that selling KT is unacceptable.
Enough is enough.
Well said Petec. ?
Lennybhoy on 24th June 2019 7:15 am
Good morning CQN, the latest I hear and remember it’s just what I hear:
Connell deal done, will be announced this week,. Just waiting on his holiday finishing. Max Lowe also sounded out for left back role.
Mathias Jørgensen is another we are talking with and still hopeful on Julien.
Tierney or McGregor likely to leave this window, not both. Ntcham also to go if we get a decent offer.
Until we meet again…
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
………………………………………
I hope you are wrong LennyB.
The Q is Why?
I went for a game of Pool with my Son for the first Time in Glasgow on Saturday – Reardons. It was crazy seeing him being asked for ID.
I got off to a flying start and got 8 frames ahead, I said that I was going for 10 in a row.
Bigmouth
Aidan got the next frame.
He is up for it next weekend,
Jamesie Bhoy.
Celtic is Celtic.
Who knows I may be back in Downpatrick again, I hope.
Seeing my Sister Walk +12 miles to her work because she took out a mortgage… to be a house owner. Mega courage. Thankfully I was coming out of my nightshift and seen she was walking by the Scotstoun Yard….. I could not Believe it was her and I drove for a good few hundred yards.
Incredible.
She is noo on a more financial safe footing.
Corinne is a mega hero for me Jamesie, she has given her whole life to Life.
Goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood morning CQN
Big Spanish festival last night, the fires of San Juan……………..
BigJoe…………………..feelingtender
Have we signed anyone yet ?????????????
Have we signed anyone yet ?????????????
Have we signed anyone yet ?????????????
BigJoejustwondering
Big Joe,
Patience is a Virtue.
I like the Jibber Jabber frae John Kennedy.
JK
CELTIC
GLASGOW
CELTIC
PETEC on 24TH JUNE 2019 8:15 AM
Big Joe,
Patience is a Virtue.
I know……………………… however
How hard can it be……………………
BigJoebobbingaboutinAboat
I now have that depressing Monday morning feeling.
Lennybhoy has suggested that either KT or Calmac will go. Imo, they are the 2 most important players in the team. Neither should be allowed to go.
WE NEED BOTH.
PETEC on 24TH JUNE 2019 8:07 AM
——————————————-
You are always welcome mo chara.
That kind of courage is inspirational, fair play to your sister.
I’m going out on the drink today, wish you were going on the beer with me.
God bless you mo chara.
HH. ?