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Transfer strategy, where we are

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By on CQN BLOG & Comments

If anyone tells you we are about to bid €7m on a guy who scored fewer league goals than Billy McKay last season, and who was signed for €500k last summer, don’t listen to them.  Nonsense like this is 180 degrees away from strategy.  Where would such a player’s sell-on value increase to?  It’s just not going to happen, nor should it, it would be a vanity purchase, the likes of which old Zsa Zsa himself would consider.

The last season we have figures for (season 2011-12), when we had Europa League football, Celtic lost £7m.  Since then three significant things have changed:

We’ve sold Wanyama and Hooper for over £17m (before deductions).
We got back into the Champions League and earned an additional £20m.
Season book sales dropped and this season cost £100 less than before.

Cutting £100 off the ticket price will bring in £4m less than last season.  All other things being equal (which they will not be), this would give us an £11m deficit before Champions League income and any trading surplus.  In short, to retain equilibrium, we need to reach the Champions League group stage more often than not.  Money from Uefa is not so much a bonus, it is necessary to push us into the black.

I know we covered this last week, but £17m for Victor and Gary will not, on its own, equate to £17m for new players.  Gary and Victor were both on their first Celtic contracts when they left, neither of which was near the top earning position (although both were offered top earning contracts).

We’re not going to spend £17m on transfers and be able to pay the new players from the money saved by not paying Victor and Gary.  Instead, the boost to the football budget from these sales will almost certainly disproportionately increase wages, leaving a lesser amount for transfers (if we sign four players for £2.5m each, we’ll probably have to pay each more than the average of Victor and Gary’s wage).

Knowing where they came from, I reckon Victor and Gary cost approximately a combined total of £1m p.a. in wages, the bulk of which would have gone to Gary.  If we bring in four players, each costing multiple millions, they could easily cost us an extra £2m per annum in wages, or £8m over their four year contracts.

In short, there is enough money available to buy several good players, for decent money, on high wages (for Celtic).  This is a good, sustainable, place to be, but it is not transfer window nirvana.  We have moved from a position of carrying a perpetual loss to being able to afford an increase in football budget without splurging into debt to fund it.

This isn’t a detailed budget analysis, there are lots of other variables (McCourt, Rogne etc off the wages, not Murphy, whose wages were off the books already), non-football budget cost inflation, considerable drop in one-off ticket sales (20k seats for £42 each at Rangers games twice a season) and commercial income from 2011-12, variations in season book sales (I hear they are marginally up on same time last year but still down on 2011-12).

The big challenge for the club is to ensure the playing squad is good enough to qualify for the Champions League group stage, and to compete when there, more often than not, without indulging in casino football every year.

We stick to plan, scout and recruit players within budget and with high potential sell-on values.  €7m on a striker from Heerenveen?  Better stick it on black.

The Kano Foundation have around 40 bucketeers for their annual drive at Celtic Park on Sunday.  They could do with a few more.  If you can do your bit, get in touch: contactus@thekanofoundation.com.

Check out the 1254125 Great Scottish Run page. I plan to keep this page updated with progress on the event and other resources. When you sign up, let me know and I’ll promote your donations page.
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  1. Hugh Bonkle fae Dallas on

    Can anyone confirm that the foil Celtic crest panini sticker actually existed. In all my years of collecting I don’t think I ever got one….no matter how many Wullie Pettigrew doublers I offered.

     

     

    The same goes for the sticker with the aerial view of Celtic Park….

     

     

    MorepeoplehaveseenNessiecsc

  2. sannabhoy on

    Bhoys and Ghirls ,

     

     

    Begging bowl time – not for money but an hour of your time .

     

     

    We’re looking for volunteers to help with a Bucket Collection before the first league game of the season on Saturday 3rd august against Ross county .

     

     

    As you know this is a 5:15 ko so it causes us (the fans) some issues but also gives us the chance to collect some well-needed funds to help us keep bringing kids along to Celtic Park.

     

     

    So , if you’re interested AND can spare an hour or so pre-Match , can you drop me a line to contactus@thekanofoundation.com ?

     

     

    Also, could someone do me a favour and re-post this every 4-6 hours or so if I don’t get to it myself ?

     

     

    Hail Hail

     

     

    Sanna

  3. cyrenean on

    Good morning CQNers

     

     

    It has been quite some time since I last posted for various reasons. All of them domestic and some very sad. However I am looking forward to tonight’s game hopeful that the bhoys can continue to progress to CL stage and allow me to watch Celtic play at the highest level. Nothing better!

     

     

    U am currently

  9. cyrenean on

    Oops! Sausage fingers!

     

    …………………………………..should read I am currently on holiday in Bognor Regis and would appreciate any assistance in tracking down an establishment that is showing the game.

     

     

    Good to be back and Hail Hail to the best supporters in the world.

  12. ScotPatsFan on

    yorkbhoy 11:08 on 31 July, 2013

     

    If Celtic bought 2 more Dutch players and brought out an orange top, would you buy it?

     

     

    One of the things that sums up the real scum that supported the dead club who now support SevcoFC, is the importance they put on such things ie. not wearing anything greeen and being proud of it.

     

    I’m sure green veg was off the menu at the AsbestosDome dining suites!

     

    Personally, I wouldn’t bat an eye if someone wore a Dutch top to one of our games.

     

    And if Celtic brought out an orange top with our badge on it, I’d think about buying it.

     

    Why not?

     

    I think we are big enough and wise enough to let them worry about colours on tops and flags.

     

    It also wouldn’t worry me if we had a flag in the design of the Butchers’ Rag with green, white and orange replacing the other colours.

     

    These things, to us, are just distractions.

     

    To them, it’s what they live for.

     

     

    ~SPF~

  13. Tallybhoy on

    Hope Sammi will be sporting a full beard tonight.

     

     

    Sure to strike terror into the hearts of the Elfs.

     

     

    HH!!

     

     

    PS – I know the plural of elf is elves, but Elfs looks better.

  14. cavansam \o/ on

    Big G

     

     

    I actually swapped a Sneddon one day in school and when I got home my brother refused to believe that I’d found someone who didn’t have one.

     

     

    Still doesn’t beleive me to this day!

  19. buick makane on

    SPF

     

    Eggs Benedict was removed from the menu as soon as he became pope,sad peepil

  20. Hugh Bonkle fae Dallas on

    Big G,

     

     

    I bet you had one in your album as well….That one on your wardrobe was rightfully mine…can you send me the wardrobe door.

  22. yorkbhoy on

    SPF

     

    Good post, I would not wear one but for the same reason I never got the bumble bee top.. I don’t do bright colours. I think a Celtic orange top would annoy them more than us. Celtic fans could wear any colour top to Celtic park in my view.

  23. twists n turns on

    Tallybhoy

     

     

     

    11:09 on 31 July, 2013

     

     

     

    Cannon and Ball were as funny as Andy Cameron.

     

     

    HH!!

     

    ————————————————————————————

     

     

    Whit aboot the Chuckle brothers?

     

     

    They might not be funny to you……………………….to me?

  24. Parkheadcumsalford on

    scottishleaf,

     

     

    I have had trouble with my lap top today and I have only read back as far as your post. I take it that some were on last night about missing the games against thon deid team. I imagine they were supporters of the deid team. It was well established on here last year that the vast majority (everybody, in fact?) were more than happy if we never play them again. It was a financial price we were prepared to pay. Can’t believe that that has changed among CQNers.

  25. Art of War on

    Celtic Quick Naps – not much of a horsey person but thought i’d put on my picks for Goodwood today. Comments from established trotsky-ites welcome! Need to know best way to spread the bet if possible.

     

     

    1.55 – Broxbourne (aye i know)

     

    2.30 – Elkaayed (fae USA)

     

    3.05 – Declaration of War (with my blog name i had to)

     

    3.40 – Lanark (ffs, worse than ma 1st pick above, it’ll prob. be 3rd)

     

    4.15 – Autumn Sunrise (Hannon and Hughes)

     

    4.50 – Saucy Minx (Minx o’ this parish)

     

    5.25 – Magic City (Lisbon anyone)

     

     

    Any help with placing bet appreciated.

     

     

    2-0 TONIGHT BY THE WAY!

  26. tictaewin on

    Where did the blue sky come from in the Wullie Petigrew picture. I’ve never seen a shade like it, esp. In Scotland.

     

    Can anyone confirm this- in the early days of panini stickers, my mate says they sometimes failed to use an official photograph, and an action shot was user-a player was captured during a game- sometimes up for a heeder? Surely not?

  29. Hugh Bonkle fae Dallas on

    Yorkbhoy

     

     

    I’m sure the ROI had a rather fetching orange kit a while back….I’d wear a Celtic orange kit if only to see the confused look on the zombies faces as you got closer. It’s the same as my Tyrone top, they see the red hand and their wee faces light up but then they clock the “foreign” language Tir Eoghain and it doesn’t compute for them. Silly Billies!!!

     

     

    I’ddrawthelineatabluetopthoughcsc

  30. WGS on

    Right into them Ce;tic !1

     

     

    No mercy, high tempo from the start and destroy them and finish game tonight.

  32. Sandman on

    twists n turns

     

     

    11:28 on 31 July, 2013

     

     

    Tallybhoy

     

     

    11:09 on 31 July, 2013

     

     

    Cannon and Ball were as funny as Andy Cameron.

     

     

    HH!!

     

    ————————————————————————————

     

     

    Whit aboot the Chuckle brothers?

     

     

    They might not be funny to you……………………….to me?

     

     

     

    =======================

     

     

    Outstanding.

     

     

    And it’s not even noon…

  33. Big G on

    Hugh Bonkle fae Dallas

     

     

    Just had the one on the door I’m afraid. Actually got pi$$ed off at my parents when they through the wardrobe out long after I had moved out :))

  35. time for change on

    Scottishleaf

     

     

    I don’t miss them either we might be a quiet majority….

     

     

    HH

  37. Sandman on

    TimJim

     

     

    11:27 on 31 July, 2013

     

     

    Sorry if has been asked recently. Is the game on any of the main TV channels tonight????

     

     

    ==========================

     

     

     

    Nope. STV and BBc Shortbread would rather froth over some Zombies v Posties slugfest than the CHAMPIONS of Scotland versus the CHAMPIONS of Sweden.

     

     

    Kind of puts the dominant Scottish peepul mentality right into perspective.

     

     

    However…

     

     

    TV 10 Sweden 4.8 on Astra satellite (of love), as some kindly informative poster informed me last night.

  38. time for change on

    Pretty impressed with the new Victoria Hospital brought my mum in for an X ray by time had parked my car she was finished. …quick coffee and back on the road…

     

     

    Roll on tonight’s game.

  40. Malarkey on

    I would welcome an orange top. I’m not so daft as to care about “colours”.

     

     

    I do however use the Celtic bumble bee top throughout winter for cycling to and from work. A nice fluorescent orange strip would be useful for my top rotation.

  41. tommytwiststommyturns on

    Sandman – the club don’t want the game going out live in Scotland, as we need a big crowd getting behind the team tonight. I agree with that!

     

    Try and get a dodgy stream online, as long as you have good protection on your PC such as Avast.

     

     

    HH

     

    TTTT

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