Celtic released the financial results for the year ending 30 June 2013 yesterday, allowing Etims to have two articles starting with exactly the same sentence in the same day.<\/p>\n
As expected, theres a few quid in the bank, and thats without the money from player sales made after the closing date, which means everyone in the boardroom is happy, and now is the time for them to submit their expenses claims.<\/p>\n
Whilst that sort of thing is of little interest to most of us, it gives us a chance to see where our money goes, and also reminds us of the day to day costs which sometimes we are not aware of.<\/p>\n
And its nice that the club is transparent on matters fiscal.<\/p>\n
Over at Ibrox, charles Green made good on his promise to compare balance sheets, and, in the interests of clarity, he sent us this summary of their balance sheet.<\/p>\n
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The upshot is, based on Celtics \u00a0figures, whatever entity of Greens \u00a0club survives ( if any ) the current onslaught from the financial rapists, it will be a long, long time before they can mount a serious challenge to Scotlands champions.<\/p>\n
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Back to the on field action, and Celtic host Morton in a west of Scotland derby tonight, and Neil Lennon is looking forward to adding the elusive League Cup to his honours list. He took time to dismiss reports linking him with the now vacant Sunderland job, after Paolo di Canio became the first fascist leader not to commit suicide in a bunker or \u00a0be hung upside down after losing the support of his people.<\/p>\n
Lennon told Sky Sports, and anyone else who cared to listen;<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not aware of me being linked with anything. You are asking the wrong person.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe you should ask the people linking me with the jobs. I\u2019m not aware of who they are. I\u2019m very, very happy doing what I\u2019m doing at the minute.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ally McCoist, Scotlands brightest young manager, ruled himself out of the running, and rumours from our own Rui Milla concerning \u00a0a dream team of \u00a0Walter Smith, Alex MacLeish and John Greig appear to be wide of the mark.<\/p>\n
Very wide of the mark.<\/p>\n
Peter Lawwell also played down the \u00a0links with Sunderland, and almost praised the manager;<\/p>\n
\u201cIt would take something special to lure him away.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a special club. It\u2019s a special job. If I was advising him as a friend it\u2019d have to be something different.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf he continues to do as he is then there will be approaches. It\u2019s inevitable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Translated, that means Lennons not getting any more money, but its a great job he’s got, so he doesn’t need it anyway. If Lennon ever does move on, and he might when he’s secured the ten, then expect a low budget replacement who is currently unemployed and has \u00a0always been a Celtic fan etc, etc.<\/p>\n
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Whatever did we see in that fellow ?<\/p>\n
Lawwell also took a moment to answer the press, who wanted to know about this huge debt with the Co-op bank that has been fluttering about on the interweb.<\/p>\n
“We have a committed facility for another 16 years or something so we are comfortable with that,” he said. ” If anything happened, we would have a fall-back position. We are comfortable with our present banker and we are comfortable in a fall-back position if things change.”<\/p>\n
But that didn’t pacify the hacks, who , as ever when they scent a whiff of a financial story in Scotland \u00a0 ( Ed-have you got the right country ? ) moved in for the kill, and wanted more details on this supposed financial black hole…<\/p>\n
“We have a long-term loan. That is our debt. We are not using the overdraft and we have enough money in the bank. Say that term loan is \u00a320m – we have \u00a323m in the bank so that gives you \u00a33m [net cash at bank]. So we have more in the bank than our debt.” He said the club could pay off the loan “at any time”, adding: “We have no bank debt and money in the bank.”<\/p>\n
Perhaps the MSM have learned from their mistakes in ignoring the er, financial irregularities that saw one of Scotlands biggest clubs beaten, raped and murdered , and are being over protective of the games remaining cash cow.<\/p>\n
Or perhaps they are just a bunch of loyal lapdogs trying to drag Celtic into the mire that drowned their favourites.<\/p>\n
Incidentally, the new Second Rangers club don’t have any overdrafts, bank loans or indeed any obligations to any bank.<\/p>\n
Thats because none of the banks \u00a0are stupid enough to give them any..<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the supermarket giant Tesco has brough out its own brand tablet, which it has called the Hudl<\/p>\n
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This means that they can now cut back on security staff, as the people who usually nick anything thats not nailed down will now be boycotting the store.<\/p>\n
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Anyway, back to tonights game, and its just a little to early for new arrival Nicolas Mezquida, who has arrived on trial.<\/p>\n
![\"Nicolas](\"http:\/\/www.scotsman.com\/webimage\/1.3108227.1380010178!\/image\/3740650929.jpg_gen\/derivatives\/landscape_595\/3740650929.jpg\")
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