The problem with spin is that it sometimes can veer off in an unwelcome direction.
It probably seemed like a good idea to brief the usual suspects about the huge wages being paid to Jermain Defoe.
Cleverly no specific figures were mentioned.
However, the succulent lamb chaps were given a steer about the Bournemouth striker’s weekly wage.
The chaps on the sports desk did a quick calculation and came up with 50% or £125k per week.
I’m told that is the figure which is generally accepted as average for the EPL.
Now, my guy said that rudimentary due diligence would have uncovered that the south coast outfit has a wage cap of £80k per week.
However, Sevco’s inter-galactic PR Svengali thought that an inflated figure would give the Ibrox klanbase a feel-good buzz.
After all, if the club could afford to shell out that much then they must be in rude financial health.
Au contraire, some of the dangerously indebted folks at Club 1872 started to fret about this financial vandalism.
Instead of being reassured by the putative wedge to Mr Defoe they saw this as evidence of Mr King’s Mugabe economics.
When they read of the money that their beloved basket of assets was reportedly shelling out they got very worried.
Despite the inflated claims about what Sevco are paying the Bournemouth frontman the current outlay on salaries at Ibrox IS almost certainly unsustainable.
Today I spoke with someone who has a granular understanding of the cash situation there.
He asked me not to publish the precise figures.
However, he took me through the basic wages currently being paid to Gerrard’s Galacticos.
Firstly, he started out by disregarding the amount being paid to Ryan Kent by the Ibrox outfit.
As he posited that it was probably nominal with Liverpool happy for the lad to get game time.
Of the rest who graced the synthetic surface in Ayrshire last night, my guy estimated that they were collectively costing Sevco over £200k per week.
Now, for the avoidance of doubt, he is in a position to have a fairly accurate view of these matters.
If he is correct then all of this reeks of short term measures.
As in, do anything at all to stop Celtic winning the league and to hell with the consequences.
The rest of Planet Fitba have seen this movie before.
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Ah!! PMGB yir at it again,brilliant…Mr.Kings Mugabe economics…BELTER😂
As we know King has gone all in on stopping 8 IAR.
There is an acceptance amongst the support that Gerrard will fall short on going for 55 but hey there’s always next season and the summer transfer window to bulk up the squad.
The Scottish Cup has become the Holy Grail.
Perhaps Steve Clark and his over achievers may have a significant say in that particular target.
We’ve been hearing this ‘unsustainable’ narrative for an awfully long time, but still they’re here, like a festering floater that refuses to be flushed away, fouling all around. What’s happened with the TOP? Would any other club get away with this behaviour? Last question purely rhetorical, think we all already know the answer to that one!
I’ve written on this site before that the only chance sevco have of surviving, is by making the group stages of the CL. The way they’ve been throwing the money around since SG’s arrival, that HAS to happen next season. Of course to even get to the qualifiers, they first of all have to win the league.
Now, as the table stands we have Celtic on 45 points, Killie on 44, sevco ahead of the Dons on goal difference on 42 and St Johnstone five points off the pace on 37. Now when you look at current form, say the last five games, it gets really interesting. Of the 15 points available, Killie have 13, ourselves and the Dons have 12 each, St Johnstone have 9 and sevco 8. Without that deflected goal in December sevco would be on 6 and we’d be level with Killie.
Okay, four of those games were before the break and squads have changed a little but right now I’m more concerned with a genuine challenge from Killie, who no one as yet seems to be taking seriously. Indeed had the league been played over the Calendar year Killie WOULD have been crowned Champions!! They also have a manager who nothing fazes.
Aberdeen, after a sluggish start are now also playing well.
I see nothing to suggest, that by signing a couple of guys very much in the twilight of their careers, sevco will win the league. In fact they might not make the top three and any European place.
I foresee a great wailing and gnashing of (false) teeth by the end of the season. Possibly sooner!!!
Back to Killie briefly. Does anyone remember Ranieri at the start of that remarkable season when Leicester won the EPL? “Our only target is 40 points and safety.”
When that target was achieved, “Let us see how many points we can gather.”
Then, I can’t remember exactly. I think there were around 10 games left, “Let us see IF we can qualify for Europe.”
When that target was achieved, “Let us see IF we can qualify for the Champions League.”
Only when that was achieved, “NOW we will go for the title!” I think they eventually won it with a game to spare. Truly remarkable.
I see that same level of control in Steve Clarke and I firmly believe that makes Kilmarnock a very dangerous team.
Unless another mug is providing the cash for Defoe/Davis and Gerrards expensively assembled recruits plus new management team, where is the funding coming from?
King has to satisfy the COS/TOP tomorrow or else he will be back in court.
ST monies will arrive in May, thats 4 long months away.
Home games and walk up cash are currently thin on the ground.
A Scottish Cup run is a must have.
What the hell is going on with their merchandising deal? All’s gone very quiet.
The transfer window closes next week but no one has gone to bring in money whilst a number of non contributors remain on the books.
As per the audit notes the forecast cash shortfall for the season was £4m, which included an amount for incoming transfer fees.
That clock is ticking.
The Euro run to the Group Stage, plus the victory over the Hoops, has bought Gerrard some time but he’s being roundly criticided by the support for changing both the formation and some players from the Celtic game.
They have a huge game coming up away at Aberdeen which could make or break a title challenge, and in fact put them firmly in the fight for 2nd, 3rd or 4th.
King’s all in gamble will have failed, 8 IAR in the bag, onto 9 and 10.
After last night’s painful loss to Killie, it would appear that Gerrard needs more than just a very expensive squad at his disposal.
Like ‘favourable’ officiating decisions at several, key games in the next few weeks. Which would be nice.
Oh no, silly me!
Did they not have a refs’ “summit'” last week at Hampden: about dodgy decisions already this season?
So, that rules out that option for TRFC…
Nurse, nurse!!! 😵
21/22 games played and 4 teams within 3 points of each other. We are too far gone in the season to talk about “false” positions. Rangers need CL qualification, not just the SPL, and both Defoe and Davis might need ten games to be fully up to speed. Given our away form who knows how this will end. At Parkhead, up till now, it has been a case of how many. We will see where we are after the next half a dozen away games. Rangers have an awkward game on Saturday, and then back to Kilmarnock in the cup, and that playing surface. Interesting few weeks
sevco play Livi live on ‘sly’ sports Sunday k.o. @4pm.
It’s my belief that by April Celtic will have stretched that lead by threefold.
sevco play Celtic,Aberdeen and Hibernian,all away games,All of whom have taken points from sevco earlier this season,and I feel they’ll lose points again in these fixtures.
Also their next opponents after Livi are Cowdenbeath,Wed.30th Jan.(SctshCup),so check your dates and travelling reports before your trip.
As for Killlie,sevco do not play them till 16/03 the day before ….
St.Patricks Day,💚🇮🇪🍀✅🍻BLACK GOLD TIME.🎉⚡️🇮🇪💚🍺🇮🇪🇸🇩🇯🇲🎵🎵
We’ve all seen the movie and we know it ends in tears (and snotters).
Except those Groundhog Day gullibles will go along with it because the truth doesn’t bear thinking about.
I like that “BEAR” thinking about. Might be a tad generous though, crediting them with some form of thinking process!
I hate chick flixs, especially the ones that have animals in them, you know the ones they always die in the end. Hail Hail 🍀🍀