Our trip to Birmingham this week is thankfully less crucial than it may have been. Celtic (12 points) will not reach the top eight, even with a win, Aston Villa (13 points) are likely to make the cut with a win, not a draw. That puts all the pressure onto the home side, allowing Celtic a free hit.
Villa also have everything to play for at home. They are eight in the table, four points off an automatic Champions League spot, but that could change if Manchester City’s legal challenges crystalise before the end of the season, and English clubs earn a fifth spot, which looks likely.
The Birmingham club have a mix of American and Egyptian billionaire owners who bought into what was a sleeping giant and set about a restoration project. Interestingly, they came to Celtic for their commercial head.
Last year they employed Celtic’s then commercial director, Adrian Filby. Adrian joined Celtic in 2008 and transformed our commercial operation and income over 16 years. This culminated in the club’s current relationship with Adidas and retail partner, JD Sports. Commercial deals fall into the category of ‘you don’t want to see how the sausage is made’, but suffice to say that collaborative deals with Adidas and JD leveraged a lot more money for Celtic than would otherwise have been possible.
Every time our financials are released you and I discuss the importance of commercial income to our strategic planning. Ticket sales are more or less steady, European income varies widely, but commercial contracts allows the club to budget with some certainty for years ahead. For many years these deals brought in the equivalent of a Champions League qualification (although this year’s CL is likely to blow that equivalence out of the water).
Filby led what was by far the most experienced and successful commercial team in Scottish football. It is often a thankless task. No one really likes sponsor’s names on their shirt, but they put players on the field, just as our season ticket money does. He also took over the women’s team, concluding with their first league title.
Forget all of that, though. If any of you bump into him in Birmingham this week, the anecdote you probably want to ask him about is the Sydney Tournament. He was the man who declined the offer Newco’s James Bisgrove signed up for, eventually agreeing to a payment four times more than Newco. Bisgrove was soon promoted to Newco chief exec, causing much hilarity elsewhere in Glasgow.
There is now a Celtic commercial team band reunion underway at Villa. Kerry Keenan, our former marketing head who left in 2022, has joined Filby as VP of Marketing. The story of Celtic’s business and operational excellence seldom grabs the headlines, but it has been genuinely exceptional for a long time now. It is no surprise that aspirational English clubs want a piece of it.
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Kettlewell bagged
!!BADA BING!! on 27TH JANUARY 2025 4:39 PM
Kettlewell bagged
*awe naw new manager bounce
I really don’t know what Motherwell expect considering their gates and turnover, that guy had them in the top 6.
5th in SPFL is not good enough for Motherwell. Interesting that being above Hibs Hearts Dundee St Mirren and Killie warrants the sack from a provincial club with 5-6000 fans max.
The sacking of Kettlewell seems very strange to me. Something behind the scenes? He has had a better offer?
Hmm…
Guys,
According to SSN Kettlewell resigned due to personal and family abuse.
Seemingly he was not sacked.
Jota spoke exceedingly well. Here’s hoping.
HH.
GENE on 27TH JANUARY 2025 2:19 PM
Very good :-))
Stewpot Kettleheid next hun mangler? Brendan cowers in terror.
GREENPINATA on 27TH JANUARY 2025 4:54 PM
That makes more sense.
Greenpinata
Personal and family abuse. Dreadful.
My post at 4.57.
Apologies, didn’t realise the circumstances.
BOONDOCK SAINT on 27TH JANUARY 2025 3:13 PM
Let me add my `well done` to the other compliments already received.
GUYFAWKESFOREVEVERAHERO
https://archive.ph/2QyLk
Is this the article you talk of?👆
HH
SAINT TO SAINT
great players all of them, and great players to cherish. as much as these times are great, and we have had some outstanding players these last 28 years, i feel often the past players are forgotten about.
i hava a couple of stories to share laters.
I am sure I am in the minority in thinking the Kyogo/Jota deals were the right way to go but it is what I think.
I rated Jota very highly and much as I rated AND liked Kyogo, I felt he wa less effective this season. A dip in form or the way Brendan wanted him to play I don`t know but I don`t think we will miss him so much as a player now as we would have done last season.
Mckeown is one bitter scroller
HH
AN TEARMANN on 27TH JANUARY 2025 5:03 PM
Wow ! That was some article !!!
“This not an attempt to be harsh. It is not an attempt to belittle what this Celtic side have achieved.”
Could have fooled me !
Kettlewell was sarcastic to the fans in last week’s press conference, only ever ends one way
BURNLEY78 from earlier
Theres no sign that football’s popularity is on the wane, particularly among the elite clubs.
More than a third of football clubs in Europe’s big five leagues are funded by private capital, because of the growth that they see in the game over the next five or so years.
Match day revenue was traditionally seen as being “expensive” revenue compared to TV income but with the slow down in tv revenue growth and changes in the spending regs the elite see match day income as being more and more important. And if theres one thing that the Americans know how to do well its make money from paying customers at their stadiums.
Its another way we’re being left behind but as long as we’re in Scotland playing in the SPL its how things are going to be – no matter how much we spend on our stadium it will never be an attractive destination when compared to big clubs in major European cities for supporters coming for a one-off or occasional holiday trip.
ankray on 27th January 2025 5:12 pm
Pity Celtic will be heading for the game against Aston Villa without the services of Kyogo and and Daizan Maeda this week two of our top goaladors, could be described as one step forward and two steps backward. I presume the majority of the intelligensia at Celtic football club have third level education which i don’t, but why not keep Kyogo ’til at least the end of the month or preferably the summer.
Regarding Kyogo’s move to France which he thinks may help his selection for Japanese world cup squad, obviously the manager of his country doesn’t have a problem having Maeda as an automatic choice and playing in the SPFL.
Kyogo has been a wonderful player and will be sorely missed and wish him every success in the future.
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What happened to the “ We’ve never replaced Jota Brigade? “
Burnley78
It also shows the importance of Celtic being smart with their recruitment. If we’re serious about competing we need to make serious money with our transfer dealings.
BaggedWell Kettled
Jeez what happened there?
BOURNESOUPRECIPE
Well , at least we know what happened to some of the Jota money -)))
They changed their name to the “ We’ve never replaced Kyogo Brigade “
Kyogo speaking to French reporters and saying he was repeatedly lied to! He was told every year that,………
“ The Rainjurz were comin “ 😂
Aff oot 👍
GLENDALYSTONSILS 👍
Good luck Kyogo.
and thanks goes to our financial department for the stuff paul67 discussed in the article.
Hot smoked 5.14
Yup one bitter guy HS,what we are up against with reporting in our own country.
Not one of them would i trust
HH
there must be a name for the psychology of what’s happening at the dons
Naismith ,McCulloch for Motherwell.
Hope Brendan had another couple of ‘backfillers’ to come in…
TIMBHOY163 on 27TH JANUARY 2025 5:55 PM
Naismith ,McCulloch for Motherwell.
*Assistant manager Stephen Frail will take charge of the team for Sunday’s match at home to leaders Celtic, in April 2009, Frail was appointed a coach at Celtic, working with their reserve and youth teams. He left this position on 1 September 2015.
Watched stv sports highlights,
Or rangers news as its proper name.
Showed dessert goal against Dundee utd 6 times!
Never been a fan of taking players back but Jota return has an honesty about it. Unfinished business. Given his match fitness it may be next season before we get the best of him, although we will see glimpses of his potential this season.
KT at left back solves many problems. Maeda no longer needs to track back to cover for Taylor. Trusty no longer needs to traverse left to cover for Taylor. Gives us physicality and leadership but I’m concerned about his injury regularly.
Thank you Kyogo – I’ll miss your runs (just like our midfield do most of the time) , your goals and your shining character that oozes Celtic class. But we can improve , a striker who can come deep, take care of the ball and score goals. Too much broke down at kyogo (probably reason too premiership team didn’t sign him).
AT,
Thought you did not read Hun papers,/writers.Forever casting jibes at me for posting,how stupid and ignorant,with no irony,Hun sites and the tabloids are,although,I have a sneaking suspicion,you think I am posting news !!!!.😂😂😂,well,judging by your comments,more than a,suspicion.Not bright.Going by your post today on Keown,a known Celtic hater,you could be right up there with FF for ducking irony.