Congratulations to SPL chief executive, Neil Doncaster, who delivered a remarkable increase in the league’s TV deal with Sky and ESPN; £80m for five years until 2017. The one concession he had to trade, was the possibility that he had to subjugate the link between sporting meritocracy and the commercial imperative.
When news of the deal broke yesterday a Rangers fan was quick to suggest that Sky and ESPN would not have bid on such terms if they had any doubt Rangers would survive in the league, however, later details emerged to prove the exact opposite. The entire deal is dependent on a clause assuring Celtic play Rangers four times each season. If Rangers were eliminated from the league, or even if they failed to earn enough points after an administration penalty to finish in the top six after 33 games, the TV deal becomes invalid.
While this clause was crucial in Doncaster getting his deal it does nothing for the sporting integrity of the competition. It has been five years since Rangers finished outside the top two in the league but if they go into administration, or worse, a fire sale of assets and a point deduction is likely.
The league has now introduced a contractual ceiling on whatever penalty would be applied to a financially deviant club, irrespective of the offense. Doncaster will now also set off to find a sponsor to replace Clydesdale Bank, promising the TV exposure his deal with Sky and ESPN provides. By extension, not only will TV income be dependent on four Celtic-Rangers games per season, so too will league sponsorship income.
Can you imagine the goings-on if Rangers enter next season in administration, with a 10-point deduction and a skeleton squad? Beating Rangers, making it less likely for them to reach the top six, could cost each team in the league millions. Clubs have a clear incentive to ensure Rangers are in no danger of finishing outside the top six.
Neil Doncaster, who is likely to be financially incentivised to deliver TV money, is a member of the SPL board who would decide whether or not to admit a prepack company into the league in the event of an existing club failure. His partiality would be compromised by this deal, so too would other board members from clubs without the liquidity to cope without TV or sponsor income.
While TV broadcasters have a clear financial incentive to lobby for whatever it takes to keep Rangers buoyant, the financial incentives will touch everyone with their snout in the trough, and that includes non-TV media and referees.
This is a dreadful deal as it inserts a clause which compromises the sporting integrity of the competition. Can you imagine giving the team talk to a club, safe from relegation, about to face a Rangers team needing a win on game 33? What about the referee who makes a mistake in Rangers favour, late in the season, under similar circumstances? How would Sky, ESPN and others frame the debate in the event of Rangers going into administration?
I can understand why Sky and ESPN want clause, but the rest of us might as well chuck it.
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greenjedi says:
22 November, 2011 at 12:39
Bob Flowerdew do grow pineapples in his garden in East Anglia.
He has a polytunnel within a polytunnel.
Seems a lot of fuss to me.
Neil canamalar Lennon hunskelper extrordinaire says:
22 November, 2011 at 12:40
greenjedi,
quitter :o)
share
…………………………………
Mibbie once I get a Greenhouse.
oldtim67 says:
22 November, 2011 at 12:41
This is precisely why I think the clause is about defining that SKY broadcast Glasgow derbies and not ESPN. All other situations are unworkable.
oldtim67
As I suggested way back we could insist that we win the league at least every other year or the deal is off altogether.
Why limit your bargaining power.
If this is about the Huns surviving then we should make hay while the sun shines.
Of course it means that the league is more corrupt then the Mongolian second division but hey at least we’ll be successful.
Hi South of Tunis
Completely agree about the Italian attitude to the corruption within football (and politics). I remember being at a Milan – Atalanta game around 18 years ago. Milan needed a point to win the Scudetto, Atalanta needed a point to stay up. There was 80 minutes of both teams playing like the current Celtic – passing the ball around at the back without threatening. Then Boban hit a screamer into the Atalanta net from around 25 metres. Far from the home crowd celebrating, they all burst out laughing – it was obvious to them that Boban wasn’t in on the arrangement. Needless to say, Atalanta equalized within 2 minutes, order was restored, everybody relaxed.
When so much money is involved, it’s a business.To think that it’s just a sport, without certain things agreed in advance, is like thinking that the X factor is a talent competition that anyone can win. It’s showbusiness.
Warm and overcast here on the Riviera, 19C. Hope things are fine in Sicilia.
Jim McInally and his family are still great Celtic fans, and I see Jim often at the gazebo, he’ll have plenty of insider knowledge on the ole dodgy
back four.
ASonOfDan says:
22 November, 2011 at 12:44
Bob Crampsey said that football as a mass spectator and participatory sport grew as the industrial working class grew and would fade away as the industrial working class faded away.
I think he’s right.
For all the money and glamour and hype it’s all based on a TV audience. It’s just another branch of show business.
C1st- in the past 10 years five different teams have won the Bundesliga; ticket prices are low and the league is seen to be on the side of the supporter [the famous standing areas].
These will all help to keep attendances up.
Scottish football by contrast is uncompetitive, expensive [ and what is worse, poor value] and increasingly ‘anti-supporter’.
Anyways, on a happier note I heard some of clever clogs James McMillans ‘Sacred Songs'[?] on BBCR4 the other night, fantastic.
I’m definitely going to investigate. Being a lowbrow music lover I thought his choons might be too difficult but it sounded like proper choral singing.
McMillan should have been asked to re-jig the ole Cellick song, he’d have treated it with more respect than Shane Mcgowan.
Paul67, your best ever. This is a huge wake up call for our support. What a corrupt,disgusting league we play in, where is the leadership to get us out of it.
What would UEFA have to say about such a TV deal?
We need a leader now.
KTF and stuff the SNP
ASonofDan
I know, but it didn’t happen without pain in Germany. What Germany did brilliantly was seize the chance for change when it came along.
Scotland is only a wee place, but we have a chance for change here that none of us could have dreamed about when Wim Jansen’s team won the league in 1998. The week before that, when Kilmarnock defied Bobby Tait to score a goal at Ibrox and Celtic only had to win at Dunfermline to be champions, I was in our back garden with a baby in my arms listening to Radio Scotland.
That baby celebrates her fourteenth birthday today and it’s a different world.
Germany proves football is about people. Scotland has a chance to follow.
cavansam,
I expect the Mongolian second division would take great exception to that statement, from what I hear they use the same terminology but about the spl.
I can remember looking at those pointy shaped, pineapple resembling things growing from the ground in Sri Lanka and asking our guide what they were.
I thought he was urinating up my spinal column when he said “pineapples”
Surely, surely, pineapples grow in trees?
If I was talented/young enough to form a band it would be called “The Pineapple Tree”
DBBIA
Not the James MacMillan debate.
Some people don’t like him because he writes in HMDT, but I love him, as you know. He is Scotland’s greatest ever composer by a million miles. There should be streets named after him everywhere.
Percy Grainger is composer of the week on old Radio 3. Interesting.
ASonOfDan says:
22 November, 2011 at 12:37
Confess: that’s been awe-naw’d, hasn’t it?
Or did your keyboard stutter as you typed £20m (re Romanov’s investment)?
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Forster::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Matthews::::::::::::::Wanyama:::::::::::::::::::Danny:::::::::::::::::::::El Kaddouri
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Forrest::::::::::::::::::Ki::::::::::::::Kayal:::::::::::::::Ledley:::::::::::::::::::Samaras
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Stokes::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Neil canamalar Lennon hunskelper extrordinaire
Actually I’ve just had an email from FIFA to tell me that Mongolia has only one league and 10 teams so can I withdraw my allegation.
It seems Scotland has no peers!!
bournesouprecipe says:
22 November, 2011 at 12:55
Thats a very defensive formation for a home game. Any idea if the new Bhoy will start at LB, I thought El Kaddouri was total garbage on Saturday.
bsr,
surely your jokin with the invisible man
ASonOfDan says:
22 November, 2011 at 12:37
Perhaps somebody should point out to Vlad that if you sell the land then you need somewhere for the team to play or the game’s a bogey. I see them going bust before they get a buyer.
cavansam :o)
Weeminger.
I think I should have said that there couldn’t have been any agreement without the okay from Celtic,If Celtic don’t agree then the deal cannot take place,they would be guaranteed three games a year, but the fourth is entirely in Celtic court.
I would say are in a strong position whether it is yes or no.
I sincerely hope it’s a resounding No.
James Forrest is Lennon says:
22 November, 2011 at 11:34
—————————————
James, I propose that Doncaster had little choice. I said for months that the one thing which would cloud/swing any deal was the carte blanche requirement of the TV companies for multiple ‘Old Firm’ games.
In which case, the Celtic board were only going to go one way, projecting years into the future.
For the Celtic board to refuse such a deal on grounds of principle or sporting integrity would have been business suicide and could have been viewed at PLC level as gross negligence. Their hands were as much tied as anyone else’s when it came down to black and white balance sheet capitalism.
The only weapon Celtic have, as I see it, is fanpower. And NOT fanpower which would leave Parkhead empty. Leave the other grounds empty; a tough call for the travelling faithful but it is the ONLY weapon that can be wielded without Celtic Plc being damaged.
Not so much a bhoycot as a complte ‘shun’ as the Amish would have it (or is that now sectarian too?).
The ultimate irony is that it may well be the Celtic support’s dollars which carry the only real power in the SPL; the power to put other clubs to the wall and fashion an escape for the Hoops.
Sky are only interested in Glasgow derbies. I wonder what audience figures they get for games that don’t involve us or them?
The last ESPN ad I saw on Sky listed the EPL, FA Cup, MLS and English league rugby. The SPL was not even worth a mention.
“Can you imagine the goings-on if Rangers enter next season in administration, with a 10-point deduction and a skeleton squad? Beating Rangers, making it less likely for them to reach the top six, could cost each team in the league millions. Clubs have a clear incentive to ensure Rangers are in no danger of finishing outside the top six.”
Apricale says:
22 November, 2011 at 12:48
Zvonomir Boban – What a player.
I loved that man.
clanmalirtim
We’re not as good as we think at home, one striker means more goals from the five man midfield, and it protects the dodgy defence.
canamalar
Any invisible man in particular ;-) ?
with the real threat of HunFC insolvency and the almost inevitability of administration
what on earth are the league doing agreeing contracts that require their participation ………other than providing more reasons for their survival
imo Scottish football , with the exception of perhaps CFC and Aberdeen fans are terrified of their demise
get out CFC there is no future where we are
Sandman
You haven’t addressed this point.
The Celtic board, looking at the thing only with the pragmatism you suggest, would surely have concluded that, while a lack of derby games would lead to league income being down, there would be a freer run at the much bigger carrot of Champions’ League income.
Dontbrattbakkinanger says:
22 November, 2011 at 12:49
Anyways, on a happier note I heard some of clever clogs James McMillans ‘Sacred Songs’[?] on BBCR4 the other night, fantastic.
I’m definitely going to investigate. Being a lowbrow music lover I thought his choons might be too difficult but it sounded like proper choral singing.
McMillan should have been asked to re-jig the ole Cellick song, he’d have treated it with more respect than Shane Mcgowan.
DBBIA –
Is choral singing what she who must be obeyed tells me to sing when she is getting me to do the chores?
Going to see Jools Holland next week at AECC – I believe that ole Shane is one of the guests, could be an interesting evening!!
Rowies this Saturday? (Won’t make it down for either of the midweek games – poop!!)
Ylurc
Apricale ——
Ciao ———
Thought about you when the monsoon hit Genova —— You OK ?
Yes ——- I lived in Napoli for a year —— went regularly —— loved the huge Tifo that said —– ” We Think This Will Be A Draw —- The Owners Need The Money ”
Sicilia —- Unseasonably hot —- very wet , very humid . Scirocco time .
bournesouprecipe says:
22 November, 2011 at 13:02
I think if we were to take that approach then throw on Paddy or Commons instead of Sammi. I think teams have got wise to the punt the ball up to Sammi tactic.
Ping….Light bulb appears above one’s napper…….
We should all have a guess on what year/month/day/hour/minute/second Der-Hun goes into meltdown :)
Someone sets up one of those giving charity sites and we all donate. The winner gets an all inclusive / expenses paid match day trip to Paradise for Champions League next Season v Barca and becomes a CQN Legend, and the rest of the proceeds go to a worthy cause.
Q. What would be your Worthy Cause?
Clear throat… Ahem… To help save us from the Orcs lack of Moral Fibre:
I vote for hiring one of those water carrying Gigantic jumbo jet monster planes that put out forest fires in Australia, filling it with water from the Holy Sea of Galilee, having Pope Benedict Bless it before it’s long journey to Mordor and at kick off time with big Huns v wee Huns, flyover Mordor….open the Hold…. and release the thousand tonnes of Holy Water and purge the world of the Orcs below below..!
The resultant chemical reaction between Holy Water & Orc would be a fatal reaction, like Salt Water was to the Triffid or like Sunlight is to a Vampire. We would then rejoice, having beared witness to their end of days. :D
Thumbsup
JD
Apricale @ 12.48
I saw that game on Channel 4. Liam Brady was the co-commentator. When Boban scored, and then Atalanta equalised, Brady was completely matter-of-fact that it was a stitch up. “You have to remember,” he said “that this is something which happens all the time in Italian football.” He sounded so jaded that it was the most depressing thing I had experienced watching football in any country.
Until now……………
GordonJ
EPL rugby union gets better billing on ESPN than the SPL ……….remember ESPN don`t get the derby games ….
the rugby probably has a bigger national audience
Sandman,
the board have made their choice by backing this agreement, the PLC will have to explain their approval to the customers whom I expect will cost more that the £2M a year from the telly. When making such decisions the PLC require to identify the best way forward that includes short/long term loss scenarios, they have taken the long term loss as the least threatening. I expect the support will provide contrary evidence.
This deal keeps lawwell’s bonus on track.
Gordon_J
Viewing figs from last season:
Celtic (Sky) average 250,125
Celtic (ESPN) average 121,333
Rangers (ESPN) 103,571
Rangers (Sky) 209,777
Celtic v rangers 706,500
Other (ESPN) 45,900
Other (Sky) 100,333
Mort
Gordon_J backing Neil Lennon says:
22 November, 2011 at 13:01
Sky are only interested in Glasgow derbies. I wonder what audience figures they get for games that don’t involve us or them?
The last ESPN ad I saw on Sky listed the EPL, FA Cup, MLS and English league rugby. The SPL was not even worth a mention.
Gordon_J –
Someone posted viewing numbers a while back, was something like (nae guarantees with my memory) –
Us v them / them v us – 900K
Us or them v anyone else – 150K
Anyone else v anyone else – 10(K or not K?)
That is why Sky want to show us v them.
Lycru
South of Tunis
Yes, much rain here when the storms hit, but not the problems of along the coast. We lost a lot of olives, but there are worse things than that!
Unseasonably hot in Sicilia as well? Doesn’t seem like November.