It was a remarkable statement from the manager of a club currently on a UEFA watchlist for Financial Fair Play.
That nice Mr Beale was asked:
Do you have to realign your wage budget?
Dear reader, what followed next was pure gold.
“No, there’s no restrictions on budget. There is money to spend in the summer. It’s a good amount, I think, for a Rangers manager compared to what I’ve seen in previous years.”
Let’s have that again:
“There’s no restrictions on budget”.
If Pep Guardiola said that, it might almost be true.
That is partly why UEFA introduced the new Financial Sustainability Regulations (FSR).
With billions behind them from sports-washing oil-rich states, clubs like Man City have been bending the European football landscape out of shape.
Regular readers will know what the President of La Liga said to me about FSR in a presser in Lisbon last November.
Meanwhile, on Planet Fitba, everything has to be peachy at Ibrox.
This offering from the BBC is clearly within Operation Soothe guidelines.
According to football finance expert Kieran Maguire, Celtic with a bigger stadium and better commercial deals, have “a wee head start” at the start of every season.
Remarkably the money guy didn’t mention the fact that the Ibrox club are on that pesky UEFA watchlist.
Alan Morrison of Celtic By Numbers didn’t miss.
In the future, the critical issue is sustainability.
That is why Celtic have much more than a “wee head start” every season.
Let’s say £20m, shall we?
The featured image is from last month when Mr Beale was rather more on message about the financial realities at Sevco.
In a presser, the ex-QPR legend would be box office if there were journalists in the room willing to break with succulent protocols.
Follow follow the money.
Always.
Addendum
Mr Maguire was moved to reply to Alan Morrison on Twitter.
This leaves me wondering if the football finance expert was asked not to bring up those UEFA issues on air.
Genuine question.
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I’m confused.com. Surely every manager has a budget?
Ryan Kant just learned about the Universal Maxim #CelticGlasGo
As ever the media and the financial poodles report all is well with Fantasy Island FC.
When all the people in the know say they are an absolute basket case financially any reputable forensic accountant would tear the myth, all us well spouted by the inept media apart
Surely reputational damage to any so called football financial expert status if most salient points are not raised. 🤷♂️
It’s season ticket renewal season isn’t it.
That’s exactly what I was going to say! Season ticket time so suddenly there is plenty money to reinvest! Once they get season ticket money, it goes back not a lot of money to invest!
Ibrox noise today mentions 78 mill in loans to rangers need sorted funny the accounts only mention 8 mill and bennett only mentions he and his buddies ahve 8mill outstanding in their 13 mill loan to rangers but also have given them a 10mill overdraft so where is the other 60mill debt held as its not in the accoutns
Could it be it was meant to be £7-8m not 78
In the programme surely it’s up to the BBC to ask the pertinent questions? However any accountant (or financial expert) would have torn this apart. Too bias and too nicey nicey for my liking.
I always smile when I hear them say they have “good money” to spend.
It could be accurate if they mean it in the qualitative rather than quantitive sense eg not of dodgy Dave provenance.
They may have a pretty penny but the number of pennies won’t be a pretty sight.
If Maguire was attempting to claim he was DUPed then no, as he’s always the go-to guy for Operation Soothe financial advice.
He’s a favourite of the Beeb, Record and Rangers fan sites.
Mm, enough said.
Now that Alan Morrison has opened a dialogue with Kieran Maguire it would certainly be worth asking the question.
If he was told not to mention it then that clearly is a breach of impartiality rules.
That’s almost like having a discussion about the second world war but the guests are not allowed to mention Germany.
I am a retired accountant. I do not consider Keiran Maguire to be a finance expert. I take anything Football Insider has to say with a pinch of salt.
I love how they wait until the game is at Celtic Park to bring up the debate about opposition fans and the restrictions. Everything from the two sets of supporters cannot be trusted to the Green Brigade is getting blamed Brainbox Alex Reid says it’s ” unhealthy” but not one mention of the fact it was Dave King, in a pathetic but ultimately successful ploy to intimidate Celtic at Ibrox, started it by only allowing 500 or so Celtic fans tickets..
Even the pro Parkhead (I know) commentators have failed to mention it.