Yesterday, I spoke with two men who are professionally involved in Scottish football’s administrative side.
Neither of them has any stake in the Glasgow feud, and, incidentally, they both know each other.
From different perspectives, they were able to offer me their insight into the current excrement exhibition at Ibrox.
One could state with quiet authority that as of May 23rd, there was no visibly discernible building work within the stadium.
That was EIGHT DAYS after the last home game of the season.
Your humble correspondent isn’t a professionally qualified project manager again; neither is the Transcendental Chairman, as far as I know.
Therefore, my questions on this are simple enough:
Wouldn’t it have been an idea to have the building people in the stadium the day after the match against Dundee?
If the supply of materials was vital to keeping the project on time, perhaps having the stuff ready and waiting would have been advisable.
As the featured image illustrates, the SCOPE and TIME aspects of the Copland Stand project were essentially immovable, but the COST part was somewhat flexible.
Unfortunately, due to the financial realities at the basket of assets, that wouldn’t be altered.
That’s why the most likely reason for sourcing materials in Asia was cost-it was cheaper.
Dear reader, this is Project Management 101.
It was recently explained to me in Golden Retriever by a suitably qualified professional.
The other man I spoke to yesterday was in a position to state that UEFA wouldn’t lose any sleep over a switch of venues.
I asked him this because it was a hare that was off and running among some Celtic lads.
What the people in Nyon do NOT WANT is a club going bust DURING a competition.
That is what FSR is mainly about.
It forces clubs to be sensible and, therefore, sustainable.
Inevitably, across the city in the green half of Glasgow, there has been much guffawing at the plight of their nativist neighbours.
The smooth progress of the Barrowfield project is yet more evidence that the immigrant club is on another level.
Despite the most creative efforts of the scriptwriters in the Celtic blogosphere, there is no need to embellish this shitshow.
Here is what is incontrovertibly true:
Philippe and his charges will not have a home advantage in several vital games at the start of the season.
Sevco will take a financial hit by having to decant from Ibrox and play their home fixture in another venue.
Put simply, this will not be revenue-neutral.
At this point, the chaps in the Stenography Corps are finding Operation Soothe particularly onerous.
Especially when this came out today.
Awkward…
At this point in the football calendar, everything is meant to be rosy in the Ibrox garden.
Unfortunately, there’s currently a great big crane squashing their staunch hyacinths.
In fairness, the Planning Permission Cup has been secured.
Then there is Value Increased Before A Ball Is Kicked Cup.
Meanwhile, the silence of the stenographers on this fiasco is really quite something.
Full marks for obedience!
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On talk of stadium rebuilds, should O’Reilly go for around the £40m mark and £60m be accrued from the Champion’s League new format, would this be a sufficient enabler of Glasgow’s Celtic expanding the mainstand to an 80k capacity?
Is there a better representation of the chasm opening between Celtic FC and sevco? I would welcome the Celtic Caldera.
Personally, I like to support local businesses by buying locally even if it means that I have to spend a bit more. However, this quintessentially British club prefers to acquire its products from a country that is also providing materials to Putin to assist him in his war against Ukraine.
“The negligence and unprofessionalism demonstrated by … ” Sevco! Will Dundee produce a dignified statement?
Dundee supporter here – I think Dundee will keep a dignified silence and wait and compare how SPFL treat Rangers for not having a playable stadium as against how they treated Dundee for not having a playable pitch.
Many football fans will be called ‘closet’ Tims by Sevco fans by not sympathising with them on their plight.
But, after what their club has done to many clubs and Scottish football sympathy is a barren field.
Karma is a bitch…
Interesting that all of the MSM are saying that the work at Ibrox is to improve the disabled facilities, however it turns out that it is also to add a further 700-800 seats.
Hi Phil
Given that the work as described in your insightful article has yet to commence on site in any meaningful way then the easy option is to defer these non critical structural activities until next years close season. This would cover two thirds of the triangle but such deferment would be a kick in the transfer kitty. Expeditious procurement of the steel from the far east or indeed any part of the global supply chain is often available, but at a premium of course which brings us back to that pesky triangle again.
I’m hoping someone can answer this – or maybe Phil can put it out to a wide audience. In 1971 the main stand at CP was being modernised and we ended up playing 2 League Cup sectional ties at Ibrox. I was told that Celtic asked for the fixtures to be reversed as CP would be ready for the second fixture. Rangers refused this. I’ve also been told this is nonsense. Anyone know?
True, and we won both League Cup games at Ibrox…we also won the league game there a few weeks later…we lost the League Cup Final that year to Partick Thistle !!!
True
John maked n important point about the huge rise in freight costs in recent months. An additional factor in China is the requirent to provide Russia with any surplus steel for the war in Ukraine.
I wonder if the Delay in supply of materials is due to massive rise in freight charges from the far East. Jumping from £2500 to £8500 in the last month which they cant pay?
Is there any possibility they may have to forfeit games given the SPFL statement about fixture congestion in the season ahead?
Oh dear, that’s them lost the closed season cup. They were going for 10 in a row too.
I’m confident that this will not impinge on the Ibrox club’s staunch defence of the Close Season Cup.
Maybe their future real madrid star will finance a new stadium.
Celtic to win the quadruple this year:
League Cup
League
Scottish Cup
Close Season Cup
This would be the 1st time in our history that Celtic have won the close season cup. It’s not a gimme, this boy from Morocco could score a couple of goals in pre season friendlies and be worth 20 million before a ball is kicked in the new season. As they say it’s all still to play for.
He could also be less mobile than the crane in the 18 yard box .
The silence of the succulent lambs😁