When Mr King was trying to get into the big chair in the Blue Room, he certainly knew what buttons to press with the Ibrox klanbase.
It is ironic that only a few games away from thwarting the historic Ten that Dave isn’t in the building when the kudos is being handed out.
Of course, he will not be behind the door in claiming credit for the achievement.
This week I managed to catch up with a veteran Sevco watcher who has a granular understanding of their financial position.
He stated that even he was amazed at how much the current regime had stepped up to keep the show on the road.
“Nest eggs have been used and savings plundered…”
When he told me this, I remembered what Mr King said at a presser before the Off License Putsch gave him control of the basket of assets.
He told the assembled stenographers that he was looking for “soft investment”.
It was never going to be about Dave’s money.
However, it was the promise of it, just always about to happen, that was intended to ensnare those emotionally committed to the Ibrox brand.
Eventually, he had to stump up, but unlike his erstwhile colleagues in the Blue Room Mr King wants his money back with interest.,
The current Sevco High Command’s collective financial clout was insufficient to save the original Ibrox club in 2012.
Quite simply, the liabilities were just too big.
However, they have kept the Sevco show on the road in the hope of better days.
Fortunately for them, they had an unlikely ally.
Across the city, the tyranny of the bean counters came to the rescue.
They judged that it was only necessary to be a little better than their New Firm rivals.
That complacent, arrogance has crashed and burned spectacularly this season.
It has been as well-judged as the Dubai Debacle.
On the field of play, Mr Gerrard’s charges do seem to be able to stamp on any danger when it arises.
Across the city, things appear to be in a terrible state o’ chassis.
Celtic fans are right to be sceptical of the existence of the much-vaunted review.
My understanding is that certainly happened for the unofficial director of football.
Forgive me if I cannot accept the official narrative that he was asked to stay on to provide further…ahem…leadership to the Parkhead club.
Indeed, during that deep dive by Desmond’s people, I would not be surprised that previous managers had not been contacted for their experiences of working under Mr Lawwell.
A dish best served cold and all that.
I’m told that transfer dealings were examined in forensic detail.
Now, let’s just imagine if several past Celtic managers finally felt able to state that they had no hand act or part in a plethora of expensive duds.
Awkward…
Even allowing for the strength of a financially doped Sevco the Parkhead club had and still has the largest football budget in the SPFL.
This disaster of a season should not be wasted, and there will almost certainly be a new look to Celtic on and off the field by August.
Now, dear reader, I really do have to get back to the manuscript.
A deadline is a deadline at the end of the day…
I fully realise that there isn’t anything I can conjure up for Native Shore that could equal what the Planet Fitba scriptwriters have inflicted upon on Celtic this season.
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Phil . I have been following your posts. I am 62. Season ticket holder/shareholder. Lived through two 9 in a rows and one for Rangers. I campaigned personally writing letters to remove the Kelly’s , Whites and Grants urging them to go public. Worked alongside the PR company who supported Fergus at time of takeover. Now I am stressed, lie awake at night. Disappointed, frustrated, angry. I have cited March 2018 our 3-2 victory at Ibrox with 10 men as start of our demise. Look at the two teams. We now have no Tierney, Dembele, Boyata, Armstrong, Simunovic with Brown and Rogic at end of their careers. Rangers now have only two players from that game Tavernier and Morelos but have replaced with Kent, Jack, Borasic, Hagi, Davis etc. So it is plain poor recruitment in last 3 years has seen us go backwards as they have progressed. So DD, PL and NL all culpable . A once in a lifetime opp to do 10 has been blown by their own ineptitude. Unforgivable. Never mind that the Rangers directors have dug deep to support their losses. They have played the Covid support scheme to delay HMRC payments gambling on winning league and cashing in on next years Champs league revenue. They may hopefully have played all their cards and we can come back stronger next year but not with NL in position as supporters will not be buying season tickets without a fresh approach and a promise of a better future.
Phil, if you have access to such information…
Did CFC interview anyone else for the CEO role?
See the thing is Phil, our substantial superior budget is essentially negligible when sevco can run for 8 odd years in massive debt each year unchallenged,Caring not a jot who is due money. Remember those days? If we were to do it to a massive degree to achieve success I’m sure it wouldn’t be overlooked. To be honest, I’d rather we operated within the FFP guidelines (whatever they are) than accrue debt putting us at risk. You’ll not like this but at least PL worked within those parameters.
Another thing, I’m mightily pissed of at r*ngers supporters paying for a fly past by the red arrows, albeit at their own cost. That aside, again it’s the triumphalism with the klan that they think using the countries forces ( yeah like it or not) to this effect is acceptable and the ‘other half of Glasgow’ just need to accept it. This is a time of inclusion which our Politicians are apparently behind, I, and I’m sure a few more find this deeply offensive that one of our armed forces support this as a good idea. Have we no seas to defend?
Anyone else think this merits a petition at local and Government level?
Peter Loyal, arsehole
To be fair, any manager asked would pick out the good uns and say “they were my choice, the rest weren’t” – I think only Rodgers could really say with any certainty “I wanted Dembele, Toure, Sinclair, De Vries, Ntcham, Eddie and Musonda, and the rest (16 players – a decent proportion on loan) were not mine.”
Was it a conspiracy. Needs 2 to tango, stop the 10 within our own boardroom. Money is everything these days. I don’t usually post much on Celtic post’s but I do unfortunately remember the bad years, and would not like that position again. If we do fully open the tin we must look back to enhance Celtic’s future(reading Marx’s in lockdown), I still want the 10 until it’s impossible, but with ref’s as always on hand to give a red handshake, and help out. With our own players not giving much of a f@@@ and treat each game like the games we would play on any green grass we could find, then my heart along with Celtic will be broken.
Keep at them Phil, from your rooste in the green green grass of home.
TAL 🇮🇪
End of the day, shareholders have let the fans and club down. They refused to keep tabs on lawwell. And because lawwell is weak. The press have printed what they like we have corruption in the refs like never before. I hope there is more control of the new man and he has our backs
But you see Phil, this season has been more than wasted for Celtic. It is a failure almost as monumental as the galactical sporting advantage that the club has, courtesy of having more resources than the entire topography of the rest of Scottish Football combined.10 IAR was the way to banish Sevco forever courtesy of a second financial meltdown. However, to draw an analogy with literature, it is like watching the resurrection and reincarnation of Voldemort. They’re back, the “Celtic Family” allowed it to happen, and bolstered by what will happen next, they’re going nowhere fast.
Dermot Knows Rodgers messed up the McGinn deal as he was more interested in his own China megabucks move, can you blame Rodgers, ? no, his loyalty was to his family, in fairness.
There were plenty of us “not sure” Rodgers quote, about mcginn as we had lots of talented midfielders and the “Brown retirement” and strength in dressing room to be dealt with. Something Rodgers didn’t deal with or attempt to.
leave that to somebody else was BR plan
Good Luck from Du’ na nGall #nohardborder
Definitely Phil,this season can never be forgotten,hoping to never see a repeat of it,ever again.
It has been in stark contrast to the previous 4 seasons where we were winning everything with ease.
For me that’s why it’s so tough to grasp,to fall from that height in so short a time is well,awful.
IF anyone forgets this season Hell mend them… tbc
I see that lot moaning again coz someone spoke badly of them,FFS Irvine Welsh🍀stick it to them again,please and don’t stop to you can hear them fae Leith Docks.
Thanks Phil🇮🇪
Maybe Mr King has the gift of foresight after all.
I distinctly recall him saying that Celtic would soon collapse “like a Pack of cards”. Now, he may have been wrong with his choice of words, but he couldn’t have been more spot on with his prediction if he’d tried.
I’m beginning to think he may just have had some inside knowledge.