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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5 and a half years for jota, that is some commitment to wages.
Stebhoy,
Next season?.C,Mon,BR will have Jota
ready for the play -offs.
Hopefully with another two.
😉
Celtic Diary Monday January 27 2025: Aiming For The Stars ?
https://etims.net/?p=18944
I’d be chuffed to see Jota, KT return, that will do for wee me
KINGLuBO
HOT SMOKED on 27TH JANUARY 2025 4:53 PM
The sacking of Kettlewell seems very strange to me. Something behind the scenes? He has had a better offer?
Hmm
————/
GREENPINATA on 27TH JANUARY 2025 4:54 PM
Guys,
According to SSN Kettlewell resigned due to personal and family abuse.
Seemingly he was not sacked.
.
HH.
————-/
To me Stuart Kettlewell always sounded like a ‘bag of nerves’ when being interviewed -,fast talking never stopping to take a breath; so I can believe that he felt hounded and abused by fans – what a way to live your life.
For what it’s worth, over the piece I think he done a decent job – maybe his face didn’t fit. I think I’m right in saying that Motherwell are a fan run club – so judge, jury and executioner – although it appears he walked before being pushed. Not a pleasant situation for him and his family – I wish him all the best.
Latest desperate DR headline,Chelsea want Jefte…..
STEBHOY on 27TH JANUARY 2025 6:35 PM
I dont agree with your views on Taylor but I did find this amusing:
” Thank you Kyogo – I’ll miss your runs (just like our midfield do most of the time) ,”
:-))))
CELTIC40ME on 27TH JANUARY 2025 5:27 PM
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.
—————/
Yes indeed – there has been a step-change. Brendan talked the other day of the importance of bringing in players for the moment as well as those for the future. The support understands this and with the club in such a healthy state financially we can enact such a policy: McCowan, Jota & Tierney being prime examples of tye former – perhaps a young striker will fulfil both aims, i.e oven-ready but with scope for future development and sell-on.
Missing Kyogo already, but at least we know he wanted to leave and instigated the move – we didn’t, as some pundits have been saying, push him out to the detriment of the squad. HH
!!BADA BING!! on 27TH JANUARY 2025 6:59 PM
Latest desperate DR headline,Chelsea want Jefte…..
………………………….
Think it’s Chelsea women 👍
“!!BADA BING!! on 27TH JANUARY 2025 6:59 PM
Latest desperate DR headline,Chelsea want Jefte…..”
Knowing nothing about Jefte, I had a look on Wikipedia and read this:
“On 24 May 2024, Rangers signed Jefté on a four-year contract[4] for a reported fee of £680,000.[5] On 4 December 2024, Jefté got his first assist for the club, setting up Cyriel Dessers for Rangers fifth goal in a 6-0 win against Kilmarnock.”
Six months and ONE assist No wonder Chelsea are after him :-)))
motherwell caller to clyde,
embarrased by the fan owners who hounded the manager from behind the dug out to such an extent the club moved these “supporters”
Schmeichel
Johnston Carter-Vickers Trusty Tierney
Hatate McGregor McCowan
Khun Maeda Jota
???
Jotas Instagam message,
A photo of him among the fans celebrating with the words
” I am F–cking home Babyyyy”
For any of the few ( As many as that? )that read my posts,you will know I have been screaming out for us to sign him.Cracking up at the talk of this winger and that.All the time Brendan was on the case.Now I love. them both even more.
Celtic Park,Entertainment Capital.
Chelsea want Jefte.
They must have opened a new Copacabana club in Chelsea,and want a cheesy Latin singer for compere.
Not the football club.Don’t be silly.
Hot Smoked,
Some team.Add Bernardo,GT,for this season.A new striker.All rotating.
Wow.
“For any of the few ( As many as that? )that read my posts,you will know I have been screaming out for us to sign him.”
Aye, and I remember you screaming out for us to sign Barkas…how did that turn out? 😂
AT ,
Do you have access to the daily mail centre spread on manchester police monitering the rangers.
what a read that is.
as an aside, i am hoping celtic plc will have an opening ceremony for new barrowfield.
do it on saint josephs day please.
DARWIN on 27TH JANUARY 2025 7:19 PM
We have enough players “for the moment” – Brendan now has a squad full of players in their prime. His first team is made up of a large number of players he inherited who had been at the club for a while, with only two players under 25. We need more of them or we’ll fall further behind financially and a few years down the line we won’t be in the position we are now.
Jota and KT improve the team and McCowan the squad but they also take a place for a new O’Riley, Kuhn or even Engels.
The “jam today” model has its attractions but we ignore the impact it has on our future at our peril
Mc Coist ralleying the hordes,Hun pundits,Hun media,ex Hun refs,English leaning Huns,in thrall of the cheeky chappie,to slaughter the Tim Ref for sending off the Hun Thug.
Tune in tomorrow for the Red Card scandal result.
Will Wee Willie stand by his man?,or is slapping out at an opponent,now OK,in Scotland.Tune in.
Celtic 40 ME,
I would think we have plenty of valuable players to sustain the model.
If this squad of players wins the League for another couple of seasons,at least,and qualifies for the CL,we will not be ignoring any peril.There won’t be any.
Doom and Gloom,CQN.
Meanwhile, another defender has popped up in transfer cyberspace where the Bhoys are concerned, with Sky Sports’ Anthony Joseph – who is on point with most of his transfer stories – revealing that the Scottish Champions are in talks with Tobias Slotsager’s representatives over a pre-contract agreement this summer. The centre-back’s deal with Odense BK is up in a few months and Joseph reports that Celtic have begun negotiations with his camp over a move.
A bit of help/advice for Villa match for anyone with Birmingham insight……..driving down with young Kelvinbhoy on Wednesday morning, have booked hotel in City Centre, Newhall Street. He has ticket, I don’t, so looking for pub/place to eat pre-match then somewhere to watch match. I know there is at least 1 fan-zone but was told its sold out, though even if it wasn’t, it may not be best place if the Birmingham Polis are feeling a bit edgy…..any help greatly appreciated
Tobias Slotsager
Defender (Odense)
Age: 19 (01.01.2006)
Market value: €1.9m
Contract expires: 30.06.2025
Kelvinbhoy
https://www.celticbars.com/celtic-bar/nortons-digbeth/
How tall is Tobias Slotsager?
Tobias Slotsager is 1.89Metres
!!BADA BING!! on 27TH JANUARY 2025 6:59 PM
Latest desperate DR headline,Chelsea want Jefte…..
What as ? …………………a steward?
SCULLYBHOY
To me, it looks like a few pints of Porter could help him fill out a bit.
SCULLYBHOY
Tobias Slotsager.
BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 27TH JANUARY 2025 8:29 PM
Tobias Slotsager is 1.89Metres
Metric measurements always make then sound so wee !! -)))
Cheers Gene
GLENDALYS
Wee Jamesie is 5ft 9in 🤦♂️
using my rangers transfer calculator, imperial ya fwnian bassaws, 1.89 metres is actually 5 ft 11.
Glen D- the wummans team looking for a LB
Hen Broon is 6ft 9 inches.
Ref. Stuart Kettlewell: during that horrible Covid season his team beat Celtic at Parkhead. When interviewed on TV, Kettlewell expressed his sympathy for Neil Lennon and his predicament at the time. Not what the interviewer wanted. Kettlewell behaved like a decent man.
BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 27TH JANUARY 2025 8:46 PM
See , telt ye …..Metric= wee Jamesie
fett/inches ……..big Jamesie .