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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Anyone know why the BBC were barred from today’s Jota presser?
I’m pretty sure Celtic have hunted them
FIELDOFDREAMS at 9:19
They’ve been banned for a while
Fieldofdrams
From memory, Tom English was the culprit ,claiming Brendan was a dud first time around, yes honestly 😱
Pulitzer want Jackson.
See how easy this nonsense is?
Might be of the result of a Tom British hatchet job
Fáilte romhait ar ais, Jota
Welcome back.
Maeda has speed, courage and a great work ethic, butnot the ball skills Jota holds in abundance.
Then again, Jota is not known for chasing and closing down opponents,even when the caùse seems lost.
Like many more on this blog, I’d love to see Maeda get a shot at centre forward.
However, this is very important stage of the season. Were we to slip, Brendan or Dermot would not be easily forgiven for selling our tallisman, even if he is not presently on the top of his game.
Interesting times ahead
Boondock Saint
What BADA said, “to be reposted every day.”
Great wee read, thank you!
Quite amazing to see Jota back in the Hoops.
From his talk, he’s telling us he needs stability and the sense he’s loved and appreciated – I think Celtic and Brendan will be the ideal mentors for his footballing and feel-good rehab.
He’s also clear that he’s not quite match fit.
When he is, we may sell him again for another 25mill.
Now; let’s get the other key signings in, Celtic. HH
Watched Burnley v Leeds.One shot on target full game.In the 88th min..Top of the table clash.
Dreadful.
STEBHOY
Laughed out loud at your comment:
“Thank you Kyogo – I’ll miss your runs (just like our midfield do most of the time)”
CELTIC40ME on 27TH JANUARY 2025 7:57 PM
The “jam today” model has its attractions but we ignore the impact it has on our future at our peril
————-/
Agree – doing the right thing on both fronts ain’t easy – but maybe we’re getting better at it🫰HH
Whiturrthihunzdaenbhoy 6.37
No irony at all ‘whiturr'(now one line at a time)
My 5.03 post is in response to respected poster
GUYFAWKESFOREVERAHERO’S shout in his post at
4.21.
Now ‘whiturr’ i have to go offline and laugh as i am finding it hard not too.
– nope you dont post news
-my only suspicion is your a buffoon,confirmed your post.
Ta for the giggle and ‘whiturrthihunzdaen?
:::—–))))))
HH
Goodnight all.
Play niceCSC
Outwith the game celtic offer a merch shop and small sports bar (way to small) and a stadium tour. The envious around the stadium is poor and yet folk turn up.
The hotel, museum, bars, cafes, clubs etc proposed years ago would all habe offered opportunities to grow income but never broken ground. Even if hotel etc was not viewed as viable surely some of the othere things are, a fanzine indoor/ outdoor.
We may do well with commercial deals but we lag behind in other areas.
Fritzsong on 27th January 2025 8:56 pm
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.
==========÷====================
I agree and remember that,it would have been easier to join the pile-on which reporter wanted.
In another group i am on,folk from Motherwell are suggesting he was subjected to personal criticism and haranging,alas it did not stop there it extended to his wife and family and the abuse it is being suggested came from their own ultra group.
Sad to hear,as Dessybhoy says what do those fans expect?
HH
Darwin on 27th January 2025 10:10 pm
You don’t do anything with a team of kids in europe so you need a better balance in the team of youth and age to get the best results. Nothing wrong with the age of our team right now. We are still adding young players, just not so many.
It’s worth remembering guys over 28 can still be sold for very good money ask JJ, GG and most recently Kayogo. The skill is to make sure players young and old are sold.
Saint Stivs on 27th January 2025 7:54 pm
AT ,
Do you have access to the daily mail centre spread on manchester police monitering the rangers.
what a read that is.
Some read Stivs,and give clips of both sets of fans ‘passing’ in the underground concourses
This wasnt behind a paywall(yet)
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14321453/Police-arrest-39-Rangers-fans-bring-chaos-Manchester-rival-supporters-fight-inside-Old-Trafford-Battle-Britain.html
HH
This wee guy is brilliant –
https://youtu.be/EfXJtOsLW3I?feature=shared
FRED COLON
Yes he is. Made me greet again. Seen it before but when I hit the link and saw what it was, I had to watch again.
Mon the wee Liverpool kid.
Fred Colon
Well done Fred ,just up and teary once again watching wee Isaac (a little gem)🍀
Good morning CQN.
https://x.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1884134313718878614
Genuine suggestion. Our recruitment team speak to counterparts at Hammarby IF about securing teenagers from African market.
Barely a year and 25 games in Europe – €14m.
Paul has warned repeatedly.
(The old van Dijk and 60 games bit)
Getting harder each year.
An T
We all know what Gary Keown is about but I ask you a straightforward question what there anything factually incorrect in the article which was shared on here yesterday ?
Our manger inherited a successful treble winning team and has had the money to build on it. He has just enjoyed the easiest possible draw in the league stage in Europe and reached the play offs for last 16. Our rivals domestically have been in meltdown financially and structurally during his tenure. They are now showing green shoots that they may be improving and they pushed us all the way in a league cup final recently. They have at last accepted need for a pragmatic signing policy and trading model. We appear to be going in the opposite direction.
Fred Colon on 27th January 2025 10:57 pm
This wee guy is brilliant –
https://youtu.be/EfXJtOsLW3I?feature=shared
………….
MAGIC for wee ISSAC.
MON the Wee KOPITE.
HH.
Good morning all from Govanhill.
B78
So we buy low and sell high – kyogo
We sell high and buy low – Jota
What’s your point – Idah?
As far as r2ngers is concerned they’ve ran out of mugs to underwrite their spend, spend, spend attitude- everything to do with necessity and little to do with pragmatism.
BURNLEY78 on 28TH JANUARY 2025 8:19 AM
was there anything factually incorrect in the article which was shared on here yesterday
————-/
Hi Burnley,
The Keown article was a malicious misrepresentation of the facts.
Last February after a 3-1 win over Motherwell our next SPFL opponents, Brendan said this regarding a gathering storm of criticism surrounding our club at the time:
“There’s a story being written about this group, but we will write our own story.”
A league title, two cups and European qualification later, that success story is still being written – Keown is merely another of the usual ‘noises-off’ HH
Becoming absurd now
An unusually balanced article on oor Brendan from Ewan Murray in the Guardian today. Quite the contrast to the Daily Mail’s Keown and his dripping sarcasm.
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2025/jan/27/brendan-rodgers-celtic-champions-league-aston-vila
Ave Ave
B78…
“They are now showing green shoots that they may be improving and they pushed us all the way in a league cup final recently. They have at last accepted need for a pragmatic signing policy and trading model. We appear to be going in the opposite direction.”
Maybe you should take yourself off to Castle Greyskull and secure a book for next season. They should be fairly easy to obtain.
Your constant whinging about negative supporters, followed by your continuous veiled criticism of our manager makes you come across as a wee bit hypocritical…
Shouldn’t be buying or reading the Daily Mail tbh………..lowlife of a rag!
Spending too much money in some peoples eyes gives them the fear, fear of being bankrupt, I’m sure the fees we pay and associated wages are within our scope, but old habits die hard as is said.
I have never known any club not to make mistakes in the transfer market, it is part of the merry go round of signing players, Barkas Ajeti Boligoli 13 million of the clubs money numerous punts in the 2 to 3 million bracket plus wages utterly wasted by the Manager Neil Lennon who according to Peter Lawwell had a eye for a player, short memories some folk, get value and performances on the park and the support will be happy, sell at peak value if the player wants to go and we go again.
Has Brendan signed anybody else yet?
Why is the January transfer window rolling into February
Attention seeking nonsense
An Tearmann on 27th January 2025 5.03PM
Thanks for dropping in the Keown garbage yesterday, it gave me a good laugh. Reading the strapline word salutations, coming from a known hun, drew me in to the barrier thinking – this will be funny.
I didn’t expect to be the cause of someone taking friendly fire, so you have my apologies for the unnecessary barbs aimed at you.
AT,
More inane gibberish.You are better sticking to your passion,which seems to be,arguing and debating with Ordinary Joe,and his tribe.Now that is funny.One who writes a load of nonsense,the other one who responds in a rant of unintelligible gibberish.
Take it to the stage.Comedy gold.
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