I recall some wiseacre once pointing out to me the problems with the immediacy of the next beautiful game.
It went something like this:
“We need a five-year plan, but we must win on Saturday”.
Well, it is Saturn’s Day again, and I’m hoping that the Bhoys can dig for victory in Paradise.
If I consider the last quarter of a century, then it is proof beyond doubt that Fergus McCann’s long-term plan for the club he loves has been totally vindicated.
He had the vision and the business acumen to imagine a 60,000-seater stadium full of season-ticket holders.
That reality changed the resource landscape in Scottish football.
The featured image clearly shows the transformation, and that is down to the Bunnet.
It also presented a quandary to those across the city.
They had to address the financial shortfall by fair means or foul.
For the avoidance of doubt: the UK Supreme Court agreed with HMRC that EBTs weren’t fair at all.
However, this league season plays out at the business end, there can’t be any doubt that Celtic are in urgent need of a reset.
Perhaps the club formed by immigrants in a hostile cultural environment should put down stronger roots in concrete and steel.
Consider these two articles:
The first shows how building a new stadium AND “borrowing” money for that purpose makes economic sense compared to the leveraged funding used elsewhere.
The second tells you that Glasgow City Council have bought into McAlpine’s view that any stadium or physical sports building must be seen as a community-based asset.
The Emirates is no longer the Emirates — now the Sir Chris Hoy Arena.
Celtic is on the doorstep of this community asset and must be seen as a major part of the immediate, local community.
Does this mean that Celtic will get to use the unit in some way, or does it mean that the board have been asleep at the wheel in relation to the building altogether?
Or, is this more evidence of a “wait and see” policy in which the local council AND Celtic (working together) could actually enhance and transform that very immediate section of the city with a joint initiative involving the development of Celtic Park and the surrounding area feeding, and feeding off, any new life breathed into the former Emirates as a community hub, concert venue, and conference centre?
Finally, the Emirates name has been writ large on that corner of Glasgow for a long time, but has now left the building, so to speak. Might they be open to a football club-related sponsorship package? They are certainly in the football sponsorship market.
There is ground around Celtic Park that could be developed to generate revenue on a 365-day basis.
Now, when it comes to building land around the stadium that John Brown played for, not so much!
If only Celtic had someone at the wheel now with McCann’s vision and drive.
Instead, the main guy seems to want to see out his golden years holding a driver.
Now, we really do need to beat the Buddies!
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What about a basket ball team sponsored by Celtic and affiliated to Boston😉
Celtic have 90 yards of ‘blank canvas’ outside the front door. Building a top tier onto the main stand is NOT the best way forward financially, moving the pitch 35 yards South to build a brand new ‘state of the art’ 3 tier South Stand & making the rest of the stadium footprint larger stand by stand is the best way forward financially…. Why? because Celtic will always make more money, they will not only increase tickets available but massively increase Corporate money inflow to Celtic.
As for Sevco they have 4 lanes of traffic outside the front door & are restricted because the main stand is listed.
I don’t get why we would move the pitch 35 yards south? That would be a horrible view from the North stand. Unless you mean lowering the pitch and making more seats all round? Surely we would just build a bigger south stand but.
The Emirates is indeed a loss making venture, it’s never really been backed to hilt by local or national governments to the detriment of the venue but also in regards the local community.
It’s over priced facilities are way out of reach to someone living near there, also the facilities it does provide are not in keeping with a poverty stricken demographic.
Now, transforming it into a football venue akin the Toryglen one near Hampden is a viable option to those north of the river.
Celtic could very well be the panacea to a problem that GCC not only finds itself in with the Emirates but many community venues across the city who’s facilities have been stripped back ever since Covid and not brought back online since.