I’m told that there as a tense conclave of the Sevco High Command yesterday.
The reason for this Churchillian sit-down was the news that the stadium that John Brown played for could be empty until the end of the season.
My information is that everything was on the table as the no matchday revenue scenario was discussed.
Apparently, the central message of the meeting was “what are we going to do?”
For the avoidance of doubt, the begging bowl has already been presented to every well-heeled Bear that they can think of.
They are being urged to do their bit in “Stopping The Ten”.
Sadly, there appear to be no takers so far.
During the meeting, one Stateside Brother had to remind his dignified colleagues that there were no soft investments available on the other side of the Pond.
Meanwhile, Mr David Cunningham King is being kept at bay, for now at least.
However, he DOES want his money back.
In other news do not be aghast if Operation Let Stevie Go is started on the PR front.
Essentially, if any club were to come in for Stevie G and his backroom team, then the Sevco High Command would be financially compensated for the loss of the serial loser.
Before the conclave started yesterday, Mr Let’s Go had let the Director of Fantasy know that he needed TWO new midfielders.
Given Stevie’s background at Liverpool, he doesn’t see the problem in asking for more players during a financial crisis.
He wants everything just so, and that includes the kit for his Gumtree Galacticos.
The thing is Stevie is used to a higher class operation.
Now, it would be interesting to know what the Castore management group will be discussing at their sit down tomorrow.
Discover more from Phil Mac Giolla Bháin
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
If there are to be government handouts/financial assistance to clubs, it should be to assist with salaries only. NO club, receiving any such assistance, should be allowed to sign new players.
Match day revenues in Scotland AVERAGE 43% of total income. That varies drastically on the level a team plays at. For a bottom league team it can be upwards of 80%. Celtic would probably be under 20%.
I’m far more concerned about the effects a no crowd scenario has on the team on the park. To Celtic, a home crowd IS the the equivalent of a twelfth man. And I truly believe we ARE suffering from his absence.
Define “a shoestring” in a Scottish context. The “attractive football” played by the serial loser’s team seems to have resulted in nothing. In fact for all that attractive football so far Celtic would still be top of the league should they win a home game in hand which, although not taken for granted, is not an unreasonable expectation. Certainly they have a tough game home to Hibs who also “play attractive football”. However Hibs limitation is a real “shoestring budget”.
You are exactly the reason why Scotland needs to be independent.
Then you can’t accuse us of being freeloaders off of England.
Never mind the fact that Scottish oil has been subsidising the rest of the U.K. since its discovery in the 1970’s.
Norway, YES NORWAY, has a slush fund of half a trillion quid garnered from the discovery of oil at the same time as it was discovered in Scottish waters.
What happened to Scotland’s oil cash?
Yup, it was spent on Maggie’s 4 million unemployed for over a decade.
The price of destroying the unions.
A shameful episode in Scotland’s so called ‘equal’ partnership.
And, by the way, I live for the day when Scotland can spend its own tax money on its own priorities and not those of England.
HS2 (which will never reach Scotland) and Trident are not on the people of Scotland’s bucket list!
But keep on talking as loud as you can because it’s people like you who will deliver independence because of the utter contempt in which you hold Scotland.
If the season finished today and the same average points criteria were applied we would be top.
This is the perfect time for rangers to drop the big mike debt ,re-enlist as another sevco 666 then change name to the real rangers with all titles awarded , if I was a smart guy I would buy all the new rangers names up as did Charles’s green once did I would start of with there old name £40 would buy it just now
I honestly haven’t seen them this season, so will take your word for it. It’s hardly a high bar for them to clear in fairness.
I fear this may be soft leaking to justify the sale of Eddy and Ajer late in the window without replacement. I’m cynical, but only because I’ve been here before…
I’d obviously rather celtic survive than we keep these players, but we do seem to get weaker each transfer window. The football is turgid at present but I genuinely believe it can be fixed relatively easily even if we don’t sign anyone else. But it relies on playing people in their best position. Rotation/competition is a good thing, but too often certain players are shoehorned into a game. It does both the player and the team a disservice.
Working with the Government? If the SPFL gets anything from the govt it needs to go to preserving the lower league clubs not the big money clubs.
Any money won’t be Scottish money, like everything else in Scotland it will be paid for by dependency on English taxes, gifted to Scotland.
Why should English taxpayers prop up CELTIC and Rangers and the rest of them?
Needless to say Hampden will want receipt of the money to pay themselves first.
I agree with you Martin. A few weeks ago no mention of money trouble at Parkhead in many journals. On the other hand Sevco were critically wounded
And further Martin, though it sticks in my craw, Sevco do play an exciting and more entertaining brand of football.
Confusing team selections and woeful performances aside,
it would seem that the biggest threat to CFC delivering 10IAR,
is the abandonment of the SPL mid season? 🙁
Them being in a worse position than us is scant comfort. We need to be qualifying for the CL group stages. We can get horses every game if need be but financially we need to be there. We have sold Tierney last year to “make up the shortfall” but the strategy used to be qualify and sell one or two. That’s what swelled the coffers, much as we were annoyed at the time. Useful reserves in, say, a global pandemic where no fans are allowed.
We operate in Scotland where nearly 50% of revenue is match day… We can’t afford a fan less season any more than the rest of the clubs can. I hate sounding like the angry celtic da, but we’re now seeing the outcome of our 5 year decline.
We have spent loads in past 12 months on players who don’t/rarely feature. Is this a case of us panic buying and paying too much? Or are we failing to develop the talent we buy? The model is broken and needs realigned. Will we survive to see the chance?
Them, us and every SPL club will be running on fumes to get to the end of season 20/21. The pandemic could see the demise of several from the top flight entirely because we don’t receive the same income from SKY as the EPL clubs. Folk will moan if players like Edouard and Ajer are sold in this or the next transfer window but money in well help Celtic survive. Going for 10iar may be the goal but survival is paramount. HH
If we’re experiencing twinges of financial pain, they’re in agony. We went into this financially stronger than them and we’ll come out financially stronger than them.
A quote from a Mark Twain book, I can’t remember which one, ALWAYS comes to my mind when I think of the sevco financial situation.
“Two years ago I didn’t have a cent, now I owe two million dollars!”
You can change the timescale, the figures and the currency, but the scenario is the same.
Since they blew the initial share money they’ve posted losses EVERY year.
The “serial loser” has, on a shoestring, assembled a better team that plays more attractive football than “the man from Lurgan”.
Peter is our failure, and going by tonight’s game, who are these better players, that we have in our team. the best in the spfl you here them talk about,
who is kidding who here our first 11 selec twe are 4 players short in Forrest, Christy, Brown, Taylor keep playing them and we will not see Europe again
A few years ago we had Brendan and they had Pedro. Our turnover was over £100m and theirs was below £30m. My brother who was a very successful chartered accountant thought that sevco couldn’t close this gap. I said that the greatest asset rangers had in their history and the greatest asset sevco have going forward, is the board of celtic football club.
We had £40m in the bank and they were stumbling from financial crisi to financial crisis and look where we are now.
These are dangerous times for our club.
In order to stop the ten they just need to see out the season. As much as it pains me to say it i believe the team should have been recycled last season and Browns replacement should have been secured and already in the team. If he’s already in the squad then where the hell is he?. We seem to have lost our way. Lenny doesn’t appear interested anymore and it’s rubbing off on the players.
Higher class operations.. indeed, his Shop was shut down in Liverpool after just 8 wks…Mr Let’s go…let go..🤣
The high command don’t need much to have a conclave, living hand to mouth since 2012 I admire that they’ve managed to get to 2020 without dying.
Hopefully this next event won’t put Lazarus to shame.
In the RIFC Accounts issued last year, the audit report from Campbell Dallas is dated 31st October, 2019.
Therefore, the current, increased risk that stadiums could remain empty through to next year sometime, should result in yet another Going Concern red flag for RIFC – and to add to the Going Concerns brought forward from last year.
Of course, this uncertainty about stadium attendances will impact all SPL clubs’ Accounts.
Perhaps now TRFC will be forced to cut its cloth accordingly?