Here’s how it works. Celtic tell agents the profile of players they are looking for, who subsequently send their client’s CVs and DVDs back. If one fits the profile (for example: a central defender, with pace, wage budget £X, transfer budget £Y), then he is retained for consideration.
Some retained for consideration make it onto ‘the list’. Celtic actively pursue these players, usually more than one per requirement, as they know how deals can fall through. If players start to drop off the list, either because they have not performed to standard when scouted, or Celtic’s approach is declined, names are added to the list from those retained for consideration.
That ‘retained for consideration’ folder generates more advertising revenue than anything else in football. Lots of people are incentivised to link a name to Celtic (or many other clubs). The agent can legitimately tell a journalist he’s spoken to Celtic about a player, the journalist can then trail the transfer saga for weeks, its rise, climax and last minute hitch, will generate millions of hits. This is called Click Bait, you are the target.
Consider the near certainty of the reporting that Jelle Vossen was about to sign for Celtic. The Genk striker matches Celtic’s criteria in several areas: he’s a striker, they will be able to afford his wages and transfer fee, they have received information on him. Hundreds of articles have been written on this basis alone, generating thousands of pounds of advertising revenue.
The problem is, Jelle Vossen isn’t on ‘the list’. His CV is stuck in a folder somewhere at Lennoxtown, not currently under consideration. Celtic are not actively pursuing his services.
Danny Wilson? Never made it onto the list. His agent got a courteous response “months ago” when first asked if there was interest. Danny’s CV is in the same folder Jelle’s is in. When I spoke to a senior source at the club yesterday, the player is so far off radar, the source couldn’t even remember Wilson’s name when I asked about Celtic being rejected in favour of a newco.
The PR behind the message sent out with Wilson’s signing was inspired. Some of the reporting was shameful. The days of being able to twist a story against Celtic without consequence are gone. The BBC recanted one story (at the insistence of reporter Alasdair Lamont). Sky Sports News gave Neil McCann a stage for utter guff on Wilson rejecting Celtic, while much of the print and online media quickly moved on, not caring one way or the other.
The episode reminded me of the almost universal line the media took the day Neil Lennon resigned – unhappy at Celtic’s transfer budget, apparently. This message was never attributed but it was reported so widely, you could trace the manipulation. We even had the Usual Brigade of ex-Celts ready to express their disappointment at the club’s financial decisions. Economic illiterates, to a man. The story was nonsense and almost certainly came from the same source as Wilson’s rejection.
There are strikers on Celtic’s list, but if the agent’s talking to the media, chances are, he’s not talking to Celtic anymore.
Here’s a Bob Dylan singing Like a Rolling Stone, especially for Neil McCann. How does it feel………?
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Ron,
What a middle class thing to do.
Next, you will be wanting us to wash our cars on a Sunday.
When does the macaroni pie debate start???
LB
Paul67
I absolutely agree with your header from the point of view that our business should be done in private.
The first anyone should know about our signings is when they are paraded with hoops on.
I actually posted this last week.
What concerns me is this….
We are undoubtedly in a better position than last year going into the qualifiers , however we need strengthening in a few areas.
A goalie, suitable back up for Craig Gordon, a left back capable of pressurising Izzy and a striker.
That’s assuming we hold onto Virgil.
Big Pete has previous for not investing when we need it.
He is rapidly running out of lives and credibility.
He must back RD and deliver.
Champions league qualification this year is a must.
We cannot roll the dice again and lose
HH
Cowiebhoy
20:19 on
25 June, 2015
Yes. Great idea, and looks as if it was well used.
I like the photo cut out props (I know old technology) and I’m trying to work up the courage to get my napper in there with Scott Brown and others.
paisley bhoy …..
Sevco are the Keith Richards of football…. looking at him, I am sure he died in 1998, but no one told him, so he just keeps going….
Bhoys
At least we’re not talking about some 3 year old team :-))
ohhhhhhhhh and a port a loo for CQN coarner if yer reading Mr/mrs decision maker
The Man Utd full back is a curious addition. He a loan or permanent deal?
LB
Cowiebhoy
20:29 on
25 June, 2015
…ooooppps!
Efe ……..twice the p,ayer of D Wilson !!……
Knock down third of ground !!!!!……….wow………bit early for magic mushrooms !!!
LiviBhoy,
What’s wrang wi’ macaroni pies?
One of the funniest things I’ve read in ages (I don’t get out much) from Stuart Armstrong:
“I took the boy (Gary Mackay-Steven) to New York”.
http://www.celticfc.net/news/8497
Leftclicktic
There should be access to toilets from outside the stadium, remember reading about our Irish fans arriving early, and nowhere to go
Or find something to attract the fans inside the stadium earlier
How about the women’s team playing before the 1st team (for a 3pm kick off game) ?
Mam update
mike in toronto
my mam says” Good night” while shaking her head,
“talking to men from Canada are you daft or something, What next!!!! , does your wife know you are on that” (laptop) :))))))))))))))))))))))
just seen on BBC Sport News;
“England can win the 2022 World Cup, says Under-21s boss Gareth Southgate”.
Bloody hell! This bhoycott must really be taking hold! I thought it was only European teams that were bhoycotting it. It must be the South Americans as well.
Plus the Africans and Asians, of coursel!
mike in toronto @ 20:29,
Heard a story from many years ago regarding Keith Richards.
He was told his cocaine addiction was going to kill him, and he only had a short time to live.
So found this clinic in Scandinavia who dealt with the condition, and stopped the addiction.
Basically among other things they attach you to a machine, take out your blood, purify it and put it back in your system.
So he was at a party on his return, a friend asked him how it was going…
He said he felt much better and was cured.
He then proceeded to layout and sniff a line, and offered the friend some….
I thought you were cured?
I am, and can get cured anytime, so why pack it in?
Hail Hail
LiviBhoy,
Re. Janko, it seems (?) that it is a possible permanent deal.
http://oldtraffordfaithful.com/man-utd-could-sell-former-young-player-of-the-year-to-celtic/
livibhoy
The macaroni pie debate starts when ‘The Gardener’ finishes the weeding .
:-)
leftclick and chairbhoy
:)))))))
FGF
How about Cheesy Pasta ones :-))
Imagine a story about pies in the Scottish main TV news – independence would turn us all into extras of a nationwide Still Game.
What a lot of parochial shit!!!!!
Suppose the nationalists need something to divert attention from their almost 100% wrong oil revenue forecast (LIE)
okay …. I’m really going to start it with this one …. but you haven’t tasted real macaroni pie until you have had carribean macaroni pie ….
I’m not sure the recipe is any different, but somehow, along with some curry goat or jerk chicken, it just tastes better than anywhere else… then, of course, eating it while sitting on a gorgeous beach in Jamaica, watching the beautiful women and the jamaican sunset may have had something to do with it too!
Loved the European nights, floodlights, pishing with rain, most of the jungle got wet, Celtic end was only half covered, ‘rangers’ end was half covered, so most of crowd got wet, worth it for the experience.
Cowiebhoy
Inclement weather – high winds in a bowl-type structure is the reason why so few stadia in the UK offer (charge extra) guaranteed rainproof areas. Would probably be cheaper to give away free plastic kagools!
What might help would be: decent warm-air circulation (via blowers) in the concourse areas to dry-off. Interesting that the HASAW Act (Welfare) requires a Client/Employer to provide (in the work place); an area to dry clothes, hot & cold (drinking) water, toilet facilities and place to eat food (seated).
I would guess the HSE would have a field-day if similar Regulations were applied to Fan-Welfare within stadia. Maybe a Lurking M.P. will raise it in Parliament?
You better don’t ask what happened with Keith Richards father ashes.
praecepta
Think you are right on the money re the costs of adapting existing stadium designs to reduce capacity. The cost of similar works, though probably more extensive, at the Olympic Stadium in Stratford, have risen to over £270 million thus far and they are far from finished. That is already £100 million higher than costed two years ago. They involved removing floodlights, (the stadium’s best feature), dismantle existing roof, structural works, new roof and reduction of capacity from 80,000 to 54,000. A veritable goldmine for structural er engineers. Only a deluded would suggest doing something similar at Celtic Park.
THOMPSONTWIN
Takes some going to turn a gag about grub into a diatribe against independence. Well done.
Wee suggestion?
Leave commenting on pies to MR PASTRY.
BMCUW
Brilliant!
Chair Boy – LOL, is that the ‘electric chair’ you are occulying at present?
The rantings of a condemned man.
You are definitely in for a ‘shock’
livibhoy
When Catman broke the news yesterday he said it was initially a loan deal.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Thompsontwin
Do you wear a bowler hat?
Even some huns are cottoning to the smsm, I copied the article so no one has to hit the link.
Feel free to scroll by….
BY NINJAMAN
I’d like to congratulate Mark Warburton and Dave Weir and wish them every success at Rangers. A risky appointment but none the less a decent one.
The same mantra to the new players: Dig in, work hard and give 100% and that’s all we ask. Promotion is paramount so heads down and get us up, a good start will be needed or the pressure will be immense. Years of hardship make a patient football fan… Not!
I like what Warburton is saying. It appears there’s a good head on the man’s shoulders and we all know Davie Weir and what he brings from his time as a player at the club, so good luck to all and to any more new arrivals also.
I hope this works out well for Rangers, we need to start well and gain a level of consistency we couldn’t muster last season. If Warburton is true to his convictions then next season will be one heck of an improvement on recent years.
I’ve been really busy over the last couple of weeks looking at a number of documents etc. Interesting stuff I have to say. There’s also a fair number of other Rangers fans doing the same. Looking into the implications of certain things, and what some of these documents and contracts actually say needs a sharper intellect than mine, so a massive thank you to those that helped me get my head round this.
One of the biggest things I’ve noticed is the very basic fact that Mike Ashley’s companies have a vice like grip on Rangers. Just about any scenario plays out here and he holds the Aces. Do not let anyone tell you any different, that is definite.
There’s no surprise in that to any of us I know, but when you stop and add it all up, then you do see just how insanely difficult this or any other board at Rangers job is and will continue to be.
Those contracts and documents I read – and some of them are mind blowing – got me thinking of the implications if certain things arose.
Now, at the time of the general meeting Dave King was meeting Mike Ashley. The vote on paying Sports Direct back the £5 million was very close but the shareholders voted in favour of not doing so. All I can say to that is that decision will make it extremely difficult to get any sort of credit from anyone.
A simple analogy – you borrow £100 off your mate and he says “Gimme it back when you have it.” Then you spout off that you’ve just won a grand on the lottery, he asks for it back and you say “Nah, doesn’t suit me to pay it just now.” Word spreads and none of your mates will ever lend you money again.
This hasn’t gone unnoticed, Rangers are never not in the news so you can be sure that decision will likely be a thorn in our side.
In saying that right enough, I have a hunch it suits BOTH parties for it not to be paid. Those that know the ramifications will be fully aware that to a certain degree this is a bit of a red herring.
From looking at the loan agreement, Sports Direct keep a tight grip on Rangers Retail, but it also allows Ashley to keep tabs on everything that goes on also.
That’s the question we should be asking, why allow that to happen? Smoke and mirrors here. His grip on RR is blatantly obvious but why continue to allow this to go on if you are in a position to stop it?
His sportswear empire has made him a very rich man, he’s also an extremely powerful person in regards to the sway he has. Looks to me like we are making ourselves and our brand toxic by vilifying this man and his company.
I’m sure he could quite easily cause Rangers no end of trouble if he felt he wanted to. That’s one of the things I don’t get in all this.
What do sponsors think? What are future potential business partners making of this? Any time a Rangers board goes to the negotiating table this will be fresh in the memory, don’t doubt it because that’s a fact. Our boardroom battles are destroying or have destroyed our potential earnings as much as any one sided deal is.
One final note on these contracts, since the SFA hauled Ashley up for breaching dual ownership rules, look at how much more has come into the public domain in respect to the influence a man with less than 9% of the shares actually has. I don’t see the SFA doing anything about it right enough.
Interesting times ahead on that front but to be fair if you read the mainstream media then everything is hunky dory at Rangers. Nothing to see but good things, positive things, on another Level in fact.
I’ve honestly got to say this – its no wonder newspaper sales are on their arse with the utter shite they print.The battle for the boardroom was won due to a PR battle that the previous incumbents seemed incapable of understanding at times.
Mike Ashley might be a multi billionaire but his PR drive at Rangers has been shockingly inept. I say that with a straight face as well. There seemed an incredible ignorance of the situation. For a guy that’s so successful in business you’d think he’d get it eh?
King and the 3 Bears though?
Sounds like a Hans Christian Anderson story and it’s certainly a mystery.
The thing is, we can see the strings very clearly but the real question is: Who are the puppets and who is the puppeteer?
What we have learned from the recent takeover at Ibrox is that journalism in Scotland is dead. Media outlets seek to outdo themselves in fawning over the new regime in the Blue Room.
Objective journalism which would seriously probe Dave King and his board is virtually impossible in Scotland these days. As a Rangers supporter I abhor media prejudice against my team. But I have no objection to serious, impartial investigation because, as we heard all throughout the tenure of the last board, Rangers boards should be squeaky clean.
The media in Scotland is clearly on a “Back off Rangers” instruction in terms of this new board. It isn’t just anti-Rangers bloggers who are seeing this.
I agree with my pal Merlin on this i.e. we don’t want a tilted table. We want a level playing field which means full transparency on all sides and from every club. Media bias sits uneasy with me and many of my fellow bears, whether against or for Rangers.
Much was made of the role Jack Irvine played in the previous regime’s tenure. People were uncomfortable at the influence a PR agency had in the running of Rangers. You have to say, all that has changed is the agency. Sometimes you even have to wonder who is instructing who as regards to the club.
I don’t want a “spun” Rangers. I want the REAL Rangers. I want PR to have its right place, not be the epicentre of the club.
I want the truth about new personnel we appoint, not the spin that makes the manager the new Mourinho or every player a Galactico somehow hiding in the lower divisions. Merlin and I keep saying the uncomfortable truth – Rangers right now is a Championship club. That is our level.
The thing is, spin only works on people who like to be spoonfed. That is a fair chunk, yes, but there are plenty in our support who are more discerning. Like me. I have been getting dog’s abuse for some of my stuff on here but I am a stubborn b*****d and won’t be told to shut up. In fact all it does is make me more determined.
My real question is: Why do people want to shut us up? Why is there a concerted campaign to shoot down my blogs and Merlin’s?
You see, if your intentions are good and you have nothing to hide, you don’t try and silence people who oppose you. You either engage in reasoned debate or you just ignore the voices of dissent.
The problem those who abuse us have is that those voices of dissent are growing.
As the old saying goes, you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.
The online bampots are hysterical, they’re crazed and angry. The reason for that is simply because what’s being said on this site is getting under their skin.
There are people on here being accused of being this guy or that guy. I’ve been accused of being someone else, Merlin accused of all sorts and people that contribute to this blog are being vilified and accused of being someone they’re not. Every accusation – UNTRUE. And laughably so.
Here’s me thinking “We are the People” as well, eh… You gotta laugh, it’s wonderful to know that all others can do is behave like bullies in the playground that don’t know how to handle it when other kids won’t cower or bow to them.
I despise being bullied and I tend to find I tackle it head on. Don’t like us, don’t read us but we will continue to do what we do whether those wee boys like it or not. They’re an irrelevance to us.
Remember one thing here kiddies, the traffic coming through this site is THROUGH THE ROOF!!
And membership of the RSL is steadily growing.
You worried or what?
Well, much of it is down to you!
Celtic Mac
S/Es! Unfortunately I realised I missed my vocation too late. :-(
kers – I will stick to the one-issue nationalists at every chance – if they get their way, the country would be bankrupt and I don’t want my fellow working-class brothers and sisters paying the price of their NONSENSE.
And I don’t want to live in a small-minded country – a cross between those crass Irn Bru adverts and yes, a perpetual series of Still Game
We tech question, why when I open cqn app on IPad the Dylan you tube piece opens ?
I logged on through safari
Delaneys – No, and I also don’t give a running commentary of the minutuse of my life, on here either.
BERN
Read the article and all will be revealed.
sipsins
keep your eye on a poster call “john james” in the comments section of that site.