At its essence, sport is about measuring difference.
No matter how fine the margins are, it is at the core of what the spectators invest their emotions in.
As I stated yesterday, the drama in Seville revolved around the width of a football and how it was propelled towards the Frankfurt goal.
Ryan Kent came within inches of winning the Europe League for Glasgow’s newest club.
I can only imagine how the poor lad is feeling at the moment.
Although in fairness, he’s probably faring a bit better than his temporary teammate from Wales.
And it all started so well…
Yesterday I spoke with a football finance expert who regularly briefs me on what is happening in that rarefied world.
When Sevco had navigated past RB Leipzig, he messaged me that the ten-year-old Glasgow club was “one match away from salvation”.
He said that victory in Spain and the resultant revenues, especially Champions League money, would have seriously closed the financial gap with Celtic.
Now the SPL winners can plan in the knowledge that their first European match is in September.
They also have the lure of that competition for potential new players.
Whatever Mr Van Bronckhorst manages to achieve in the qualifying rounds, some things are set in concrete.
On a European match day, Parkhead will generate more income simply because the stadium can accommodate more customers.
It is 60,411 versus 50,817, and that extra 9,594 is significant.
Moreover, that’s even before Celtic’s massively larger commercial revenues are factored in.
All that the dignified chaps in the Blue Room can do is look on as the Parkhead club deal with global giant Adidas instead of plucky start-up Castore.
Celtic’s self-sustaining financial strength goes back to the vision of Fergus McCann.
He built a substantially bigger stadium from the ruins of the old one.
A little man with a huge vision, it’s about measuring difference.
The new Celtic Park, full of season ticket holders, pushed the original Rangers to embark on the ultimately fatal EBT scheme.
Sir David Murray knew that Rangers needed…err…“imperfectly registered” players to compete.
That is the world that Sevco Scotland stepped into a decade ago.
Rugger Guy has told me on several occasions that the new club at Ibrox would need three consecutive seasons of Champions League revenue to be “stabilised”.
The monies earned from the Europa League run to the final are undoubtedly substantial.
However, the question that should be concentrating the minds of the intrepid folk in the Fitba Fourth estate is just how much of that cash has been allocated to Big Mike.
Fortunately for the Sevco High Command, the succulent protocols remain in place for the Stenography Corps.
Otherwise, the brethren in the Blue Room might be subjected to a bit of journalistic scrutiny.
Over the past couple of weeks, I have reached out to several sources to piece together the details of the settlement that has made Mike Ashley “very, very happy” according to my guy at Shirebrook.
I’m still working on that so that I can report it here.
I think that is one of the reasons that your humble correspondent is an outlier.
Ah, we’re back to measuring difference, aren’t we?
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The number of tv, radio and media people (peepul) who ‘outed’ themselves on Wednesday evening was quite astonishing … Kenny McIntyre being wished best of wishes by other pundits…we always knew but they threw any remnants of a mask away so that they could fully bask in the false glow of what they thought was an assured win. Unfortunately for them all… the only SFA referees on hand to help were watching from the stands.
As much as we laugh and condemn the Scottish media’s all out PR spin of Newco. They will continue to do such.
The match was over a matter of minutes before each and every radio station was projecting the sell Bassey string. It cannot be luck that they all say the same things without direction from the DUP PR man
Phil how much do you think it cost them to stay in Mar Hall for a night? Passed bye my house a few hours ago heading towards it, I live near their training ground so see the 2 coaches and mini buses all the time. Can’t be cheap for a Club with limited funds.
spot on phil its a huge diffrence beteeen to of the clubs financally celtic pull away from them transfer market if they dont get to the CLG stage its all about FOLLOW FOLLOW the money to them
Quantity. But what was interesting about Seville was the quality of the Rangers fan base. The German chairman noted how his support was far more ebullient and vociferous than the Rangers support. This was taken as wind-up but he was correct. The question is why. Looking at the Rangers support, those actually inside the stadium,was educational. That was not a crowd of lumpenloyalists. I dare say there were elements but a very large number of them were middle class people in brand new Rangers tops. I was reminded of a Rowan Atkinson sketch from Not the Nine o Clock News when dressed as a vicar, and with the Songs of Praise cameras TV cameras present, he asks his new parishioners “where were you b******** last week”? That contributed greatly to the fact that there were so few problems in Seville. The Rangers directors have to figure out a real “replacement theory”. EF should have won that game by 2 goals at least in 90 mins.