Theres a lot to like about Ronny Deila. He’s won the players over, after what appeared to be a difficult start, he’s now got the confidence of the board, evident through the signings of Mackay Steven and Armstrong, whilst simultaneously avoiding anymore loan signings.
And with the Ronny Roar, he’s started work on the support, which has seen an about turn unparalleled in the clubs history in their opinion of him. Not like me, of course, I’ve always liked him.
Usually, when we don’t take to someone, he stays not taken to.
But Ronny has a plan, he’s putting it into action, and its working. Supporters are on the point of are presenting their daughters , their wives and -heaven forbid-their beer to him, in a manner not seen since Henrik Larsson strode the turf at Celtic Park.
Yet no-one really knows what this plan is, apart from maybe just being a nice guy who gets results.
Thats because in his press conferences he is allowed to verbally meander and not actually have to tell anyone what he is trying to do. It doesn’t matter, because we at Etims have worked it out.
Go back to the mid eighties, , and look at Rosenborg, who were about to become the domineering side in Norwegian football…..
The team’s golden era started with the 1985 league title, and from 1991 through 2004 the team won 13 consecutive titles, 10 under manager Nils Arne Eggen. The period also saw 11 participations in the group stage of Champions League and reaching the quarter-finals in 1996–97.
They used the money to buy up the best available Norwegian talent, which ensured the domestic success, and with regular Champions eague money, they just kept going.
From Wikipedia;
The year 1985 may have been a turning point in Rosenborg’s fortunes, but it was in 1988 that things really started to happen. The club received fresh capital from its new main sponsor and was fully professionalized. Nils Arne Eggen returned to Trondheim to once again become head coach, this after leading Moss to the league title in 1987. In the waning years of the 1980s, the club secured double-wins twice, in 1988 and 1990.
Rosenborg went on to dominate Norwegian club football throughout the 1990s. In strong contrast to the Norwegian national team’s defensive and often criticized (yet highly effective) style of play at the time, Rosenborg achieved success through strict adherence to crowd-pleasing, offensive football. The Norwegian Premier League, established in 1991, was won 13 times in a row from 1992 onwards. The Norwegian Cup was won five times.
In 1995, Rosenborg qualified for the UEFA Champions League for the first time, a feat which helped secure the club’s finances and further cement its dominance at the domestic level. The income provided through successive qualifications has allowed Rosenborg to become by far the wealthiest club in Norway. Always able to offer the most promising new players better terms than their opponents, as well as the prospect of playing in Europe, Rosenborg were assured of future league championships and European qualifications. During this period, few clubs were ever able to mount a serious challenge for more than a season at a time.
During that period, Ronny Deila was the centre half at Odd Grenland, whose solitary success was the 2000 Norwegian cup, and I’m guessing that he would have looked on with a mixture of admiration and envy as Rosenborg left everyone in their wake.
It makes sense that when he became a coach, he would try to do what he had seen to be successful during his own playing career, especially if he was with a team that had limited resources.
Which seems to be the idea at Celtic. There are certainly parallels to be drawn.
Celtic are far and away the biggest club, with the biggest financial pot. But the competition down south prohibits making any major big money signings, so he will stick with what he has seen to be successful. Its possibly why he wasn’t in favour of loan deals-remember his statement that we weren’t developing players for other clubs? -but it does look like he’s got his way over that eight months down the line.
Which means we can look forward to more Scots-or Welsh and Irish-joining the squad, but only if they are good enough. In the past, it has sometimes looked as though the club has bought -or borrowed -players just because they felt they should, whereas Ronny has set the precedent of buying to improve. And of course, the knock on effect is the weakening of major rivals.
Three wins over Dundee United in March will prove this point, and as it says in the extract above, it means that they might not challenge again so strongly in the cups next year.
The long term effect means that , if by some form of divine intervention,
any new franchise operating out of Ibrox does become stable enough to mount a challenge, Celtic will be so far ahead that the costs involved for the new entity will probably send it crashing into oblivion again.
Perhaps it also explains why there doesn’t seem to be any panic about replacing the centre halves, both of whom are unlikely to be in Glasgow after the summer. Denaayer said today that he wants to go back to Manchester city, and Virgil van Dijk has had his bags packed for about twelve months now, and he’s sick of lumping them up and down the stairs every time a newspaper reports interest in him.
There is no way that Deila will be considering Charlie Mulgrew and Efe Ambrose as his pairing next year. They are the eternal back ups. Neither of them will be happy with that, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if we lost four centre halfs in the summer.
So, does Ronny have a replacement or two in mind ?
Knowing how methodical he is, and knowing that he will be aware of this, perhaps a couple of players have already been sounded out, and the reaction has been favourable.
Now, this is Etims, after all, and we’ve never got anything right before, so we are reluctant to start now, but my guess is that the management are either in the process of , or have already concluded , the selling of the club to Grant Hanley and Russell Martin.
You know, the two Scotland centre backs.
Hanley is currently at Blackburn, where he is captain. He’s already tasted international football, seventeen caps , which may surprise a few of you, it certainly knocked me down, and as a result will be eager to try European club football, something which just isn’t going to happen at Blackburn. He’s only 23, which means he still has time to improve, but is relatively experienced for someone of that age, and
There is a drawback, however, as the player only signed a new five year contract in the summer of 2013.
Russell Martin also signed a new deal with his club, Norwich, at the same time, but for only three years….meaning that for less than we sell Virgil van Dijk for, we would end up with an established international pairing, who would be furthering their career.
And who speak English, thus improving communication. I was a little perturbed about Jason Denaayer being pleased that John Collins could speak French. Meaning that the lad doesn’t speak English, and that the only instructions he can fully understand are from Collins.
Well, when I say English, Hanley is from Dumfries, and I’m not exactly sure what it is they speak in that part of the world. But thats probably down to my own condition by the time we reach that part of the world on the way home from the game.
So, theres something to think about. More importantly, its something to look forward to, not just the possible new centre halves, and thats only speculation anyway, but the idea of a Rosenborg like dominace, and perhaps even taking it a stage further with better players in Europe.
Glass half full ? I think its spilling over the sides into the drip tray.
So, maybe we should calm down a bit. ( We ? ) Nothing has been won yet, and there is still the prospect of starting next season a little light in defence.
Except I don’t think thats how it will turn out.
Simply because the manager knows what he’s doing, and he took the next stage of his plan-remember what we said, players and board onside first, then the fans- with a remarkable statement on just how good Scottish football really is….
“The interest is phenomenal. It’s something special when you go to Celtic games, away games as well, the fans are fantastic.
“I’ve been to many games in England and I’ve been bored compared to what’s happening here in the stands sometimes,”
“The product in Norway has been getting better and better TV2 [has the rights] has made a really good impact and have built up the product,”
“It’s quite good money compared to what a small country we are so we will get that in Scotland as well if we built up our product and don’t ruin it.
“It’s important to work with developing our teams that want to attack, create things and put on good performances for fans. TV and media around it should build it up because I think Scottish football has so much enthusiasm and interest.”
He’s saying what many fans think. But in a much more diplomatic way. Lets compare tv deals, courtesy of an article by SaintinAsia, an exiled St. Johnstone fan. Te full article, well worth a look as the anti Sky TV deal protests begin.
European tv money comparisons.
| Country | League | Rank | attendance | Actual TV rights/year EUROs |
| SCO | 1 | 11 | 3,116,574.00 | 18,750,000.00 |
| BEL | 1 | 13 | 2,844,299.00 | 45,700,000.00 |
| SUI | 1 | 18 | 2,045,762.00 | 36,500,000.00 |
| POL | 1 | 19 | 1,950,048.00 | 5,760,000.00 |
| NOR | 1 | 20 | 1,931,144.00 | 56,000,000.00 |
| GRE | 1 | 23 | 1,555,201.00 | 44,000,000.00 |
| AUT | 1 | 24 | 1,452,970.00 | 17,000,000.00 |
| DEN | 1 | 25 | 1,395,774.00 | 45,000,000.00 |
Something certainly isn’t right, but then again, if you have salesmen telling prospective customers a product is poor, then they won’t pay for it.
Thats Gerald Ratner, who famously described the jewellery his stores sold as “crap “, thus making him quite possibly the only man who could secure a worse tv deal than the idiots at the SPFL/SFA.
But it would be close.
Celtic Research on twitter has revealed the finer details of the current deal, which actually see the amounts received for the “product 2 decrease in the next few years…
These are the amounts SKY will pay the SPFL if they decide to extend into 2017/18-2019/20.
2017/18 – £11.5M
2018/19 – £12M
2019/20 – £12.5M
So, obviously, they shouldnt be extended , and the SPFL should say no, thanks.
Oh, wait. Theres a catch.
Celtic Research again;
WE GAVE SKY THE OPTION TO EXTEND THE DEAL AND AGREED THE AMOUNTS 3 YEARS AGO!!! We gave them an 8 year deal for a pittance.
On or before January 1 2016 SKY have the option to extend the 5 year deal for another 3 years til the season 2019/20.WE GAVE AWAY OUR OPTION
Surely thats a sackable offence ?
Anyhoo, it simply means that the first line of pressure applied to Sky by supporters, is to persuade them not to renew, and instead, to renegotiate a fair and just contract that represents a good deal for everyone. And for fucks sake get someone to negotiate it who is actually good at that sort of thing.
But for now, have a look at this, and fill it in. Its from SPFL survey on twitter, and they are trying to identify the true value of SPFL football tv rights.
Back to Celtic, and Ronnys plan for the future, which involves making our own superstars, and to be honest, he did have a hand in the development of Martin Odegaard, who is now at Real Madrid, just 16 years old, and touted as the next big thing;
“You get a Martin Odegaard once in every 10 years in Europe. I have seen very good players but he is very special at that level.
“But Messi can come from Scotland if you believe in it. You have to develop him like Messi and that is not about results. It is about making him into a complete football player.
“The deal in England does not affect us so much. We could not cope with or afford the salaries in England before this.
“It’s just important our supporters and the people in Scotland understand
the differences from the times of 10 or 15 years ago.
“That era has gone, when you knew you could get big players in England coming to Celtic. Because the money in England now is so unbelievably different.
“So we have to be very good at what does not cost so much money and that is creating a culture of development and performances.
“Because we are also going to have good young players and you have to build up Scottish talent such as Stuart Armstrong, Gary Mackay-Steven and Liam Henderson.
“And maybe we also have to look for a market to buy from other than England.
“Yes, we can still send scouts to England – for the youngsters. But Willian, Costa … I don’t think they will come.
“There has to be a special reason. Maybe the players between the ages of 15 and 25 and again they have to have some relation to Celtic.
“Maybe they are Irish. Someone who loves Celtic and has a dream to play for Celtic. We need to bring up our own and then they go out and we bring them back again. That is possible I think.
“There are two ways to get players. One, they are Scottish and they want to come back and play for Celtic or other teams in Scotland. Or two, they are young and need to play.
“But if they are an established player at Chelsea there are grades where they will go and we are not even the next one down.
“They will go to somewhere like Southampton, maybe then West Brom and then even the Championship, because the money there is much better than at Celtic.”
“We have to be the best at developing players. We have to build ourselves up so every youngster in Britain wants to come to Celtic.
“They might think, ‘Maybe we won’t go to Arsenal or Manchester United, we’ll go to Southampton because we will get a chance’. We have to be like that. We have to be among the best in Europe.
“Look at what Ajax are doing. The best youngsters go there because they know they can come through.
“If Celtic play good football then young players will want to come to the club. If they see players enjoying themselves on the pitch, being fit and full of energy then that will appeal to them.
“They want to go to clubs such as Borussia Dortmund because it looks fun to be there.”
The manager turned his attention to Stuart Armstrong;
“Hopefully he will have done good and in two years when he goes to England he will say the biggest and most important decision he made in his life was coming to Celtic. Then the next one might look and think, ‘If he can do it so can I’.
“I see a lot of talent in Scotland. I see the youngsters at Celtic. I see so much talent. But when you play on pitches like we did yesterday how can you develop technique?
“When you see what you are comparing it to in Spain, Italy, Germany. Even Portugal, a country of 11 million – look at the world stars they get every year.
“It is not about money. It is about how you train. It is about how you play. Everything has to be instructed.”
Woah ? When he goes to England in two years ?
Its the Rosenborg way.
Which is where we came in.
All a bit serious today, so lets liven the mood with a quote from Paul Murray, the clueless chap who still thinks that the law on company directorships doesn’t apply to him or the other bears who want to oust Mike Ashley from his position of chief skimmer of the cream at Ibrox;
Something which escaped the notice of the hack at the Scotsman who outlined the plan for the future over there;
If successful, Murray – an ex-oldco director – will join King and former Tennent’s brewery boss John Gilligan on a new three-man board.
Let them keep believing, its funnier that way. Though again, it just shows the standard of journalism in Scotland.
Murray began;
“Our focus has to be on the future and how to move forward. Our plans have short-term, medium-term and long-term priorities.
“But we also have to look at the past and see if there has been any impropriety. We will forensically look at some of the key contracts.
“But the key focus is the future rather than the past.
You can’t deny, its absolutely foot stomping , chair bashing stuff.
But theres more…
“The last four years have been chaotic – but we now have a three- to five-year plan to get us back to a level where we are competitive in the Champions League.”
“In amongst the chaos, Rangers has lost its role not just in Scottish football but in European football.
“At one point, Rangers was a key player in terms of developing and enhancing football at a more strategic level.
“That will take time to rebuild again.
No shit.
“But phase one is to stabilise the club and its finances and coaching structure, phase two is to rebuild the club and phase three over the longer term is to expand the club.
“But it will take time to do that.
And something else as well.
What we will need as board members is patience and support.
“What we can offer is total honesty, total transparency and total trust. We need to build this club back up brick by brick.”
‘We want to reach a point where the club isn’t spending more than it brings in. We may need to overspend initially to get there’
Yeah, that should work. Never let them down before. But where is all this money coming from ?
‘I think once club is back operating on normal basis, there will be people coming to us. I dont think funding going to be an issue’
Ah, he doesn’t know. Anywhere else in the world, the financial acumen of Murray and his bars would be laughed out of the room, but not in Scotland.
Meanwhile, the football worlds most easily fleeced support got right behind them, and the newspaper worlds most easily fooled reporters got right behind them
Now, lets get away from all that, because heres a video and a song to look at.
The song features Wee Jay Celtic Bhoy and a portion of the song sales (available soon on iTunes etc.) Will go to #WeeJayCelticBhoy ‘s Charity..Down’s & Proud. If you do not shed a tear or two you need to brush up on your Celtic History.
If you would like to donate to help this hidden talent…
Use This Link: http://www.gofundme.com/m97jwo
If you donate leave your email address when you do and the artist will get the song to you as soon as it is ready to send.
Right, now go back and fill in that survey. We need to start somewhere, and we’ll need all the information on our product we can in order to sell it.
By the way, that new Fifty Shades of Grey is hitting the headlines. So i thought I’d have a look into it, and took the wife to see it. Next thing, I’m in B and Q trying to buy some rope and some duct tape, but apparently “all the other husbands have beaten me to it. ”
So, fuck it, I got a chainsaw and some bin bags instead.
Crackbeen ing Diary today Ralph a most excellent read.
On the Armstrong Signing I actually thought he will be the one we will move on in 3 or 3 years time as I think he has his goals set playing in the EPL at some point.
GMS on the other hand is evidently in dreamland at Celtic as he has been smiling from earhole to arsehole since he signed on the line.
He could well be a long term player at Celtic I think.
It makes absolute sense Celtic should be scouting and signing the very best in Scotland and I mean that at Development Level too we should be filling that squad with the best we can afford and find.
I think we may get a decent offer for Bitton soon myself much in the way we did with Ki if Bitton continues to develop as he is doing under Ronny he could be snapped up by a Palace or another Club down South with a few quid to blow.
One thing is for sure though we have the right Manager in place to go down the Rosenborg Route.
All we need do is add 1 0r 2 genuine quality European Standard players and I think we can progress at a fairly healthy pace.
2 or 3 years time’
Crackbeen ing… There’s a word you don’t hear every day 😉
Definition :
Lesbian Crack user.
A crack user in more ways than one.
I see what you did there andy 🙂
Oh the Banter! Cannae beat some crack craic.
i had a wee drink in me yesterday ma bhoy says celtic are 100 to 1 to win the europa leage in corals da 30 quid and it pays for oor trip sounds good to me says i i either need to stop betting when ime on the swally or maybe not COYBIG
the SFA/SPFL or whoever seem to be running the same business plan as the HUNs, who gave away, retail, broadband, tv rights, catering amongst other pieces of family silver.
I enjoyed reading that today. I’ve backed RD from the beginning (smug smile on my face!) and always hoped he’d be given time to prove himself. Really glad it’s all going well and his methods are getting results and performances in Scotland. The next test is Inter, to see if we can step up a level in Europe, it will be tough but I’m confident we’ll give them a game and will have improved loads since the Legia & Maribor debacles.
RD is obviously an intelligent guy and his views on developing young players, pitches and selling our game are all worth listening to. Not that anyone is SFA or SPFL will listen.
Just a warning which I’m sure you’re all aware of. The SMSM only have 2 approaches for Celtic managers and players. If things aren’t going well they ridicule them. If things are going well they try to get rid of them. Expect stories in the Daily Record soon that EPL clubs have targeted Deila as their new manager.
I’m dyslexic and can’t spell for shit, so when I tried to Goodle 50 Shades Of Grey I ended up woth loads of photos of Andy Grey wearing a variety of dodgy sunglasses and singing get yer tits oot
TAXI!
I’m not one for needlessly criticising the Board, in fact I think over the piece Lawwell has done a good job….but when I read that bit above about how bad the TV deal is, it triggered something in my memory that Lawwell was heavily involved in that deal.
Unfortunately after a quick google search it was confirmed.
http://sport.stv.tv/football/clubs/celtic/113014-neil-doncaster-and-peter-lawwell-in-london-as-spl-tv-deal-talks-continue/
Good read BTW Ralph. I was in the “juries ooot” camp on Ronny and still am to some extent (we’ve won nothing yet) , but I have to say that considering the financial restictions (/ reality) imposed on him , I can’t really argue with his philosophy. –
Its good to see that the fans are at last starting to buy into the managers way of doing things/formation and giving him some due respect/praise. Some of the comments aimed at him at the begining of his tenure which was always going to be difficult as a new boss coming to a new country to replace a popular boss whos team won trophys was frankly disgraceful and almost hunlike. Now the players appear to have bought into his methods we are clearly reaping the rewards, i am absolutely loving the energy of this team both on and off the ball. The poor Thistle players never got time on the ball due to the high energy pressing of Johansen and co and when on the ball every Celtic player allways has an option.
I hope your right about Ronnys plan for the centre halfs, i thought both centre halfs particularly VVD were outstanding the other night and would love to see them stay but know thats not gona happen. Hail x2
I do like your suggestion for possible centre-backs.But,will we pay the market rate?
What about persuading,our 2 solid centre-backs, to stay for CL qualifiers,before they move ?
Ronny realises NOW,what a massive club Celtic are.He was nervous at first,but is becoming more confident,by the day,with the demands of being the Celtic Manager/Coach.
I hope Guidetti keeps his place in the team tomorrow.Griffiths could also play.Maybe,Guidett
will get back on the goal trail,he deserves it,for his work-rate and application.
Post lost,my pal Charlie,must have stole it !
I’m reading The Quality Street Gang by Paul John Dykes and this paragraph jumped out at me. The narrator is Lou Macari.
“Looking back at the example the Lisbon Lions set, when you first get into the team you’re carrying the bags, you’re carrying the strips into the ground, you’re cleaning the boots. You’re taken down to Seamill only to look after things. You’re not in the squad or anything, but that’s the start of you getting close to the squad and when you do that you’re watching them training unbelievably hard in the morning. Most of them went for a sleep after their lunch, some of them got up in the afternoon, like wee Jimmy and Bobby Lennox, and went out doing some extra training and I’d be watching this and thinking, “Blooming hell”. So you would start to get into the swing of things with them. You do it and that extra training pays off.
“It was the secret to success. I think it was Bobby Lennox who said that when they won the European Cup, the Italians were amazed at their fitness because at that particular time there was one country in the world that was renowned for their fitness and that was Italy. They used to take their players to these mountain retreats. It was well documented that they used to lock them away there for a week before a game, allow them to play, and then lock them up again after the game and that’s the way they lived in Italy, so they were renowned for their unbelievable fitness. If you see any pictures of the Italian team in the European Cup final, they’re all trim and real athletes. At the end of the game they were saying how they couldn’t believe the pace and stamina of the Celtic lads.
“That happened with a group of players who, outside of Scotland, were certainly not household names before the game. Jock had got all these players together and made them into a European Cup-winning team through that dedication, commitment and an unbelievable level of fitness.”
By the by, Ralph, I just ordered A very different Paradise.
Excellent read. Review up soon.
I see we have kept Jackson Irvine out on Loan I wonder if he’s been earmarked to come in when either of the current pair go?
He’s 21 now (22 in March) and has played 43 Times for Killie and Ross County so far on Loan.
47 times’
Personally,Charlie,I hope not.Watched him a few times.Rather have Efe,m8!
That bad?
YEAH AND WHERE ARE THE WHALE MURDERING SCUM NOW
Away and shag a dolphin, or talk to the guy who does.
Deadhead – as Roy Castle used to say
“Medication – that’s what you need “
Any chance of finding my earlier post ?
done
Cheers
Ralph, fine piece of work. Rosenborg looks like a good model for the Scottish game and for Celtic.
Tomorrow?
Gordon
Matthews/Denayer/Van Dijk/Izzy
Brown/Bitton
Mackay-Steven/Johansen/Armstrong
Griffiths
I’m assuming Griffiths ankle will be ok.
If not, I’d pick Stokes over Guidetti.
Guidetti to feature though.
I see something like 2-0.
Griffiths and Johansen on the score sheet.
We won’t run riot up there but one day soon I’d like to see the whole thing come together based on the number of chances and shots on target we get. 5-0/6-0 someone’s gonna pay but it won’t be St. Johnstone.
Hail, hail. C’mon the Bhoys.
Devo Max,
Stokes over Guidetti ? To lead the line ? Surely not m8.Guidetti can’t be dropped after the shift he put in.
Ach, awright,point taken. Guidetti did put in a helluva shift, helping with the goals. He always works hard but I’d like to see him come good and start banging in some goals again.
OK, but Griffiths, if fit, over Guidetti. Have we all given up on Scepovich?
Griffiths is the striker most on form at the minute.
We need to think about Inter as well but that should take care of itself and our new signing(s) should help us out there.
Good post.
As a norwegian, I know a thing or two about Rsenborg in their glory days.
Rosenborg in their heyday is in many ways a good comparison to what Deila is trying to implement at Celtic.
Rosenborg relied for a large part on local talent, and monopolized the market for fresh norwegian talent, ensuring a strong local base of players and a steady stream of income from exporting players to european leagues.
They also tried to keep the base of their team on long term contracts, to ensure continuity in the style of play and player relations. This was doen to the point of several players staying in the team for about a decade – late into their 30’s – which proved a good thing, because these players were excellent, they knew their job and they would still not be hunted by the big money teams because of their age. They provided stability.
Rosenborg played an attractive 4-3-3 dogmatically. I think they even entered it into the club statutes at one point that Rosenborg plays 4-3-3.
Rosenborg did not have the same emphasis on high and intensive pressing as Ronny does, and were never in the forefront in fitness and diet. Player relations was however a big thing – having a system where everyone were in sync at all times and so could always anticipate the next move coming from teammates on the pitch.
Rosenborg would also keep bringing old players back after they had been in England or in europe for a few years. Steffen Iversen is an example. He came from Rosenborg, had a good career at Tottenham, Wolves and a norwegian team, was brought back to Rosenborg for another 4 successful years, then he was sold to Crystal Palace before returning to Rosenborg again.
This is also what Ronny was talking about – bringing players back after successful careers elsewhere. Rosenborg must have been his model in this respect. As long as the basic playing system stays the same – previous players will fit right back in again, and their experience from years of playing f.ex in the EPL would be another asset for the club.
Rosenborg grew rich and successful. Eventually it started to unravel as the organization balooned, salaries and other expenses ballooned, millions were spent on mediocre foreign players, and their playing style which had been their trademark became watered down and disappeared.
Today Rosenborg is just another norwegian club, struggling even to win the norwegian league, much less beating teams like Milan and Dortmund, like they did in their glory days.
So Rosenborg is a faded star, but it doesn’t mean the way they did things can not be repeated.
It makes perfect sense, really – monopolize the market for local talent and you will have 3 major advantages:
1. You will keep winning the domestic league and cups, keeping up enthusiasm and support, filling the stadium.
2. You will be the main outlet for domestic talent to leave for richer clubs, filling the coffers.
3. You will be more or less ensured yearly european football, which at CL level is extremely profitable.
This is the situation Rosenborg was in when they were at their peak, and of course it can be replicated in celtic. The chances of doing it in Scotland is even greater, celtic being a much bigger club with a much bigger fan base and international following than Rosenborg could ever dream of.
———
Regarding the scottish TV-deal, however, it is a total disaster!
The fact that Norway has a TV-deal worth more than three times that of Scotland is laughable.
The two countries have about the same number of inhabitants, but Scotland has far more football fans and far more football passion compared to Norway.
Scotland should have a TV deal three times the money compared to Norway, not the other way around! AT LEAST!
That would mean 150 000 000 Euros, not 18 000 000 euros.
They have totally sold scottish football down the river for years to come!
So I would be looking into illegal cartel acticity or downright corruption as possible reasons for ending up with such a totally disastrous shite deal for scottish football.
I can’t see this disastrous result coming out of a normal healthy process.
I smell a rat!
The Hampden rats collective. A reduced revenue to try and reduce the balance while the tribute act, of their former favourite team, tries to get on its cloven hooves.
BTW Thanks for your insight Fluke, but our club is always Celtic with a capital C.
fair enough.
The capital C mens something.
But the fact that the whole of Scottish football is cheated in the worst TV-deal of European footbal.
That also means something.
Absolutely. Agreed. Scotland has a tradition of its “heid yins” selling us out for a few guineas. They think we won’t do anything about it; just stay at home and pay their salaries.
Brilliant piece today.
Well done, ‘mon the diary.
Ronnys continental logic has a certain charm, don’t you think. It I’ll take some getting used to, mind.
Mr. Malph, with these Diary’s, you’re really spoiling us.
Even better than illegally betting and not having to turn up for one match, that you wouldn’t have played in anyway.
Don’t agree with your summation of the Centre backs CS . Are we going from two football playing Centre Backs to Two Agricultural Hoofers. I can’t see how they will fit into the style of football RD is trying to adopt at Celtic.
Agree and hope that RD is working on it but just not the two you have highlighted. Don’t get me wrong I like the players I just don’t think they will fit in.
I think Ronny will have CB’s earmarked to replace the 2 current incumbents.