Celtic PLC

Peter Lawwell took over as CEO of Celtic in November 2003. 5 months prior to his appointment, many, many fellow fans enjoyed what was, for a lot of people, the highlight of our Celtic supporting life, with a coveted trip to Seville. Ask any Celt who was lucky to get on that trip and they will talk of the weather, the team, the run to the final and countless other tales of a thoroughly enjoyable time as a Celtic fan. King Henrik Larsson, Neil Lennon, John Hartson(Get well soon BBJ) Stiliyan Petrov, Chris Sutton and Paul Lambert would have all held their own in many Premiership teams both back then and even now. Some would say the above players were reaching their peak and required to be moved on however this didn’t stop the majority of them winning another League Championship and Scottish Cup only 12 months later. It has also been muted that many of our players at that time were vastly overpaid and I do not have an argument with that, however if this was the case why did our new CEO arrive and immediately throw on the charm offensive by telling us all we would always be buying blue chip signings of Premiership standard like the players mentioned above. 6 years on and if for nothing else, he ought to walk for that comment alone. This was his “tenner for a fiver” statement and one that has firmly bit him in the arse. During his reign, our staffing costs have never been higher and despite an initial wage reduction programme, our payroll costs have spiralled out of control to nearly £40 million in 2008 from the £33 million we paid out on the run to Seville. Some will argue that we are 5 years on from Seville and that wages etc have risen but lets be brutally honest with the standard of players we have now in comparison to 2003, the reality is that we are over-paying, and by quite some bit. Whilst the Premiership wage bubble can take some of the blame for this hike, we only need to look across the water to get a real comparison and their wage bill is £50 million lighter than ours during his period in office. So what of our CEO’s results? I think most of us were surprised to learn, that in a season when our team capitulated, winning only the CIS cup against one of the poorest Rangers teams in recent times, our CEO somehow managed to walk out the door with just short of a £740,000 package. In what was our worst season since Peter taking up the position, he managed to somehow take a 35% pay increase and his wage has almost doubled in the past 2 seasons. It is evident that some of that pay was down to our Financial performance so let’s have a wee look at those results over his CEO career. Some would have you believe that over at the Shoebox, they have been in the mire over the last 5 or so years however I think most of us would hold our hands up in surprise at the reality of the comparative period of Peters reign. Since his appointment, we have delivered a total loss of £5.8 million and during the same period, they have delivered a £7.8 million profit. Just to clarify on this, their results for last season are not out yet and will no doubt be a huge loss of around £8 million all but wiping out the previous 5 years results but they will STILL be ahead in PROFIT terms against Peter in that period. Peter may well point to the sale of Hutton and Cuellar as reasons for this but it hasn’t seemed to hamper them. Every penny of those transfers was given to their manager to reinvest in the squad yet still they produced better financial results than our esteemed CEO. For me, this was the biggest shock I uncovered whilst researching this article. “But it’s all about the debt.” The debt is the one that we hear about all the time from Celtic PLC. We have no debt is the shout and some of us actually celebrate it like a trophy but the reality was soon to be aired by one of our own. Victor Arbuckle has given us an insight into the ins and outs of finance and his revelation on our real debt was an eye opener. Hidden amongst the speeches and celebrations was a chunk of debt not included in the headline figures we hear so much about. Whilst we are owed just over £6 million from suppliers, the worrying fact is that we owe others just over £14 million taking our “very little net debt” up to nearly £10 million. Further to this, we have a £12 million loan that for whatever reason, we don’t want to pay off. We have been covering the interest for the past few years but not eating into the capital part of it which is worrying. Could we not have been paying this off with our profit or would this have impacted on bonus payments is the question to be asked ? To be clear on the above, there is nothing illegal about the way we report this figure and many PLC’s use the same method but it would be in our best interest that we get a clear picture year on year rather than the smoky one being pushed out to appease the less learned of shareholders. So why write this article ? Well for too long, it appears we have been more focussed at laughing at the other mob whilst our own Board are pissing about, painting pictures of happiness when in reality, we are not too far away behind them debt wise. The stark truth of the situation is that we are perhaps only one more season of no Champions League cash away from reversing the balance of debt. Anyone who thinks otherwise or attempts to cover this up is not facing up to reality. So what’s the plan of action from the PLC to ensure we don’t fall behind them? Well apparently their solution is to hand our new manager less money to spend than our previous manager once again running the risk of trying to win the SPL on the last day of the season whilst making a Profit and a healthy bonus. Our performances so far this season have shown this may prove another failure and we need look no further than the PLC for the reason why. It is time to forget about the team from the other side of the river and concentrate on our own inefficiencies. Attempting to build brands in foreign markets is no longer enough for the likes of me, and many, many other Celtic fans. We won’t get any bigger than Naka as far as Asian markets go, yet he has came, wowed us all and went, and the figures illustrated above still show no marked difference. Its time for our Board, and Peter in particular, to concentrate on the football park. The CEO of Celtic Football Club should have a primary goal of delivering the Treble and Champions League football every year with a reasonable amount of debt control. Under no circumstances should he “profit” or end up in a better financial position by not handing our manager cash and consequently losing the SPL and Scottish Cup. Should Peter Lawwell go? The facts above say YES to me!

Republic of Ireland V Georgia U21

Final score: 1-1

H/T: 1-0

Alan Judge (28 minutes)

George Ivanishvilli (88 minutes)



Last night in Shamrock Rovers excellent little stadium in Tallaght I was given a rare glimpse of what Celtic had passed up in James McCarthy.

How this lad can’t even get in the SQUAD at Wigan has me utterly baffled.

For the first hour McCarthy ran the show for Ireland in the playmaker role.

When he was finally substituted in the dying minutes of this hard fought contest he was shot, totally gone.

For the team’s sake he should have been taken off earlier as his control was gone through fatigue and he was starting to make bad decisions.

However it was just that, fatigue, of a player who missed the early part of the season due to injury and is now not getting on the bench at Wigan.

I caught up with him after the match down on the touchline. It is a year since I interviewed a nervous wee lad at New Douglas Park. He’s clearly got taller.

He acknowledged that he was gone physically by the time he had been hooked by Don Givens.

As ever the professional he didn’t want to dwell on the treatment he received in Scotland for choosing to play for Ireland.

“I didn’t hear most of it,” he told me.

His mother and sister were on the touchline. Mothers, as is their right and duty, have an inclination to mind their cubs. She was much more forthcoming about the treatment that her son had received from the racists in Scotland. Marie McCarthy and I had been in touch by telephone this time last year when I was writing about James and the abuse he was receiving.

She broke news to me that those lovely non-racist St. Mirren fans had played in a pre-season friendly at Wigan. Once more the “buddies” barracked James at every touch of the ball. Like myself last October at New Douglas Park she didn’t need to rely on press reports of the game-she was there.

At least now he is playing in a country where playing for Ireland isn’t a crime.

The game itself was a hard fought one one draw.

Ireland opened the scoring on from a goal by Alan Judge on 28 minutes with a low shot from 12 yards. The Plymouth Argyle winger had been left unattended by the left back, as McCarthy had burst into the box. The ball broke to the little number 7 who drilled it across the goal past keeper Roni Kvaskhvadze.

Judge’s club mate Cillan Sheridan thought he had doubled Ireland’s lead when he latched onto big Keith Treacy’s brilliant cross field diagonal ball. The young Cavan lad struck it cleanly, but saw his effort come back off the upright with the Georgian keeper a spectator.

Ireland quite reasonably could have been four nil up at half time. More often than not the incisive move came through McCarthy’s probing in behind the central striker Cillian Sheridan.

Ireland had a good shape of 4-3-3/4-5-1.

In the first half Ireland’s wingers, Judge and Treacy troubled the Georgian back line getting behind again and again.

In the second half as McCarthy tired the Georgians started to assert control of the midfield.

No one in the press box expressed surprise that the Georgians levelled the score.

When Georgia finally equalised in 88 minutes through George Ivanishvilli their dug out celebrated like they had received a phone call from Vladimir Putin telling them it was all in the past and the thousand of Russian tanks had been turned round and were heading back to base.

It was a swift move by the Georgians down Ireland’s left flank. The shot from 18 yards gave Shane Redmond no chance.

Ireland had allowed them back, but it was no more than the Georgians had deserved as they had started to press Ireland back after the hour mark.



Fort the last five minutes of play open warfare of the soccer variety broke out as both teams chased the winner.

Ireland almost lost the match when Shane Redmond pulled off a top class save from substitute Levan Kutalia.

One of the small contingents of Georgia supporters became particularly exercised as he feverishly “dried” his hair with the small Georgian flag he had been holding limply for most of the game.

Now as the play favoured his country it was time to rub his head with the national flag.

I approve of patriotism, but using the national flag, as towel is a new one for me.

In the VIP area afterwards big Pakkie Bonner was seething that Ireland had let this one slip. Hopefully tonight the big boys get a result against Italy.

A weak area for the full international squad is central midfield. This isn’t the place to re-ventilate the Andy Reid debate. However if a fully fit James McCarthy was a regular starter at Wigan then I honestly couldn’t see someone like Darren Gibson keep him out of Trappatoni’s central midfield.

In front of me in the press box was another journalist, but he wasn’t compiling a match report. Instead he was live blogging the game for UEFA. A new development from the governing body all UEFA competitions, including Champions league and Europa cup games are now live blogged. This blog is then compared to the match delegate’s report. At halftime we chatted about the issues of racism in the game and my interest in James McCarthy. A Spaniard living in Ireland and working for a news agency, he agreed with me that, at some point, UEFA would have to intervene in Scotland about the Irish issue. He took on board that; in a cultural and political sense Rangers were the Real Madrid of Scotland. Over mighty in the corridors of influence.

James McCarthy proudly stood to attention last night and faced the flag of his country as “Amhrann na bhFiann” was played.

One day in Scotland, that won’t be cultural crime.





Teams:

Ireland.

Shane Redmond; Seamus Coleman, Gavin Cunning, Brendan Moloney, Calum Morris; Stephen Gleeson, Owen Garvan (C), James McCarthy; Alan Judge, Cillian Sheridan, Keith Treacy.

Subs: O'Shea for Treacy (80), Hughton for Coleman (86), Collins for McCarthy (90).



Georgia:

Roini Kvaskhvadze; Gulverd Tomashvili, Lasha Totadze, Giorgi Khidesheli, Levan Kakubava; Murtaz Daushvili, Irakli Klimiashvili, Levan kenia, Giorgi Gugava;George Ivanishvili, Mate Vatsadze

Subs: Kutalia for Gugava (61), Janelidze for Vatsadze (72), Tchedia for Tomashvili (87).

a MUST read thread from FF....COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO

dh1963 dh1963 is offline
In the footsteps of my team
Join Date: 29-07-2006
Posts: 4,843
Default Tims 5 points in front....
Speaking to a mhanky at work, and he is staying optimistic about the SPL.

His logic...

Celtic beat Motherwell tomorrow - gap down to 4 points
Celtic beat us - gap down to 1 point

Celtic beat Aberdeen while we don't have an SPL game - they go 2 in front
Celtic beat us again - they go 5 points in front

We'd have 3 games in hand, but a huge fixture pile-up, and loads o... [Read More]

My Day At Tommy Burns Funeral

I will start at lunchtime yesterday, I received a phone call from Mince asking me if I would be able to attend TBs funeral as the official representative of celticminded. Without a seconds hesitation he had my answer and i was frantically texting just about everyone in my phone log to tell them my news.

As the day wore on my nerves were under major stress, here was me to enter St Marys church on my own knowing there most likely wouldn't be a soul there that knew me. I hardly slept a wink last night worrying that I wouldn't let myself or celticminded down.

I was to arrive at the church at 11.40, but turned up 10 minutes early just as the players past and present were going in. Feeling like a celeb in my good suit I proudly walked in with Roy Keane by my side (the things that Keano will do to get noticed). I entered the church and was directed to a section just behind the present day players.

Having turned up a good half hour before the mass began, it gave me the chance to look around and take in just what I was amongst. My head was spinning as I noticed the greats from my era, Bonner, Rogan, McGrain, Dalglish, McStay,provan, McAvenie, McgGarvie, Grant, Collins, McGhee, White, Morris, McCluskey and Walker. Then there was the managers Hay, McNeil, O'Neil and Strachan.

Then the coffin carrying TB came in to the congregation singing "Ave Maria".

The mass started and soon it was the turn of big Starky to start the tears flowing among the faithful.

Onto the homily from Monsignor Monaghan, a touching and fitting speech it was. By this stage in the proceedings I was only just holding myself together. How could I be feeling like this, for goodness sake it was only last week I buried my favourite Aunt and never felt this hurt.

Leaving the church I was sandwiched between Jim Jeffries and Billy Brown from kilmarnock, that along with the rangers management team carrying TB in, brought home to me just how much this man was respected and loved by everyone who had the pleasure of having met the man.

Finally I was to bump into someone that I knew (rab2inarow) but by that time I was among hundreds of friends.

Rest In Peace TB.