Not everyone shared the thrills and excitement of the Balance Sheet Bhoys as Celtic announced their record breaking turnover and profits for the 22/23 season.
Discovering that there was £72m sitting in the bank account at the end of June was a sore point for many fans underwhelmed by the summer signings.
In two years of incredible success, rebuilding the squad almost in its entirety Ange Postecoglou left an amazing legacy but rather than strengthen the playing squad it is very clear than piling up the bank account in anticipation of a rainy day is the priority.
Tonight in Rotterdam Brendan Rodgers has little option but to attack Feyenoord in their own stadium, simply put he doesn’t have the players to dig in, to be pragmatic against the free scoring Dutch champions.
Celtic lack a dominant, defensive midfielder. Over the last two years James McCarthy, Yosuke Ideguchi, Oliver Abildgaard, Aaron Mooy, Tomoki Iwata, Odin Thiago Holm and Hyeok-Kyu Kwon have been signed, none will start against Feyenoord, the team has been sold short in the hunt for bargains.
There was bad luck with Mooy retiring but none of the other signings ever looked ready for Champions League football, the level that the Celtic board talk about as they prepare to mark the 20th anniversary of the club last winning a knockout tie in Europe.
Inviting back the failed former CEO to become Chairman with his son, of very dubious background, fronting up Scouting and Recruitment just about sums up the attitude and ambition of Celtic where they take safety first to new levels.
As the directors congratulate themselves Season Ticket holders took another price hike while two matches were taken from their package before they were paid out for increased Champions League ticket prices.
The list goes on and on as progress on the park takes a distant second to the Balance Sheet with rainy day preparations driving the club sideways.
£119.9m revenue (up 35.8%)
Profit £40.7m
Cash in bank £72.3m
Heaters in the stands here we come
— Harry Brady (@HarryBradyCU) September 18, 2023
£20m being spent on Barrowfield. New main stand would be circa £60m – £80m.
— Harry Brady (@HarryBradyCU) September 18, 2023
Lawwell & Son FC
— Stef1888 (@stef18881) September 18, 2023
So lovely bonuses for the suits this year. Meanwhile back in the real world we’ve got Liam Scales at centre half in the champions league and David Turnbull featuring regularly
— thisdidnotgotoplan (@Itswayoverthere) September 18, 2023
Let’s be honest the club just wants to do a wee bit better than sevco and encourage fans to give, give, give with zero ambition for Europe
— CeltiCRa9??-IAR twice? (@CeltiCRab19671) September 18, 2023
Would be cool to know what the vision is for all that cash
— Séan Walsh (@walshybhoy) September 18, 2023
Just a look across to our opponents summer window:
Ivanusec 8m Croatia International (Zagreb)
Lingr: Loan to buy Czech International (Prague)The exact profile Celtic fans were crying for this summer. Internationals with big euro experience
— FPL_Bhoys (@FPL_Bhoys) September 18, 2023
Mike Nicholson & the remuneration committee to the Celtic board: pic.twitter.com/iJt7X9kMC8
— DaveDaveDave (@DD621) September 18, 2023
Be nice if we had some ambition to back the bank account & actually have a go in Europe or even update the stadium…
— Anton Patrick (@anton_white123) September 18, 2023
A board who are happy to dominate the domestic game but unwilling to have a go in Europe.Celtic fans deserve better than this.
— Derek Hayden?? (@DerekHayden69) September 18, 2023
Or wifi that works. Outside toilets. We don’t ask for much
— Steviebhoy67? (@ssteviewalls) September 18, 2023
Not before the driveway is heated
— Stephen W ? (@CelticRockRoars) September 18, 2023
More chance of extra heaters in a certain some ones driveway
— al_gordon (@flashbhoy) September 18, 2023
Catering and toilets for most fans a disgrace as is the front entrance cheap uneven weed strewn paving and old windows
Trophy room like a vestry in a church
Spend the money on modernity and improving basic services— Ciao paolo (@Ciaopaolo3) September 18, 2023
LIEWELL is back BIG TIME and so are thr cuts in the budget for buying players.
The less spent on players to get the league won on the cheap the more BONUSES for BILLY LIAR and his mates.
But as I said previously I don’t blame LIEWELL the FLYMAN for this,it’s the fans who show up every other week selling out the stadium and buy as much merchandise as they can,well KERCHING£ to LIEWELL,as I would keep doing it on the cheap while MUG punters throw their money at me to run all the way to the bank.
The timing of these impressive financial results is not the best for BR.
If we get humped by Feyenoord tonight,
the torches and pitchforks might be getting dug out for the Lawwells…?
Tone deaf Board, as per. 🙁
Season tickets and champs league prices should be same as last year.fans groups need to meet with them and tell them face to face about the present cost of living problems not that is a problem for them. By the way £3-40 for a pie ?.
Very impressive figures…
Hope that we are outta sight from Sevco by January…
But if not there is PLENTY, PLENTY, PLENTY to spend, spend, spent –
And we had BETTER spend it if Sevco are still in the rear view mirror !
Lol spend,spend,spend I will dovthe jokes.The board see it as nothing is broken so why fix it.
KERCHINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGG£.
I had the courage to give up my long held ST in protest at the Board’s mis-handling of the Club’s affairs.
But I’ll bet there are thousands of “greetin’ faced ” on-line moaners…complaining and bitching about the Board…who still buy their ST…strips…etc.
You can’t have it both ways…Put up…or shut up.
Complete lack of ambition.Dermot Desmond has surrounded himself with yes men. Old grey suits with no ideas how to take Celtic forward,even with 72million sitting in the bank ,they will trouser there bonuses and say nothing.These nodding donkeys will avoid rocking the boat at all cost.We will soon have enough money in the bank to build a brand new stand at Celtic Park. The extra revenue generated by building this stand and the increased capacity it would generate would see us leave Rangers in the dust.Plus the spectacle these extra fans would generate would be something to behold.With these people in charge,don’t hold you’re breath.
Zero Public Relations. Personnel Department? No sniggering!
For a plc with a turnover of over £100 million, that might be unique!
We will be the whipping boys and laughing stock of Europe again,but until we do something about it ,this Celtic board will continue to strangle any ambition we the fans have to Celtic compete in the CL,a boycott is the only thing that these greedy Tory bastaarts on the board will take heed of ,but they know Celtic fans and their blind loyalty so nothing will change .
Finish the stadium no more bs ! The waiting list list is there the money is now there!! Cash rich! This board prey on our good will and micro manage to the extent its normalised fans to think ” we can’t compete in Europe, we could fill a bigger ground”! All utter garbage!! We sell out every home game regardless of others that oickk their games! We can easily compete with the Dutch and Portuguese clubs! We bring in more!! Even in that garbage set up! Fergus built 3 stands in 4 years this lot done nothing in 25 years of note to the ground!! I detailed what can be done previously on Celtic blog, as my background is construction and engineering the stadium if symmetrical would hold 72,000 bring corners up first then run stelel over to meet for main stand 18 months done! Every big club would donee this decades ago the ground was build to be finished !! It’s a true structure unlike the 4 seperate stands of other Diddy clubs in Brigadoon Scotland, Mordor in Govan is basically just a bigger version of mcdairmond park!!Desmond has allowed lawell to run this like his family business, employing ex players all through youth and scouting and the Strachan family now heavily involved like his own son! Now they may well be great at their job but we’re they the best we could get?! Come on !! I get it you like to surround yourself with employees you like but this isn’t his family business!! Desmond on the whole has held us back as he now in his 70s and is happy with the status quo the board don’t matter. A jot he is king!! Tho they are very happy to be there alright no real self made men any them ! Lawell was an employee of the old board! For God’s sake! Maybe briely but still there! There no way in a million years he got near Celtic under Fergus not a chance!! We need real visionarirs with ideally Celtic connections and some body of fan elected representation!! Decades over due! Decades!
Have 54,000 season tickets , sell out and have 18,000 on a waiting list ! Lawell held our club back for decades wilhile making his family millions! Also creating jobs for his son and friends! Lennon the worst example of that a disgraceful appointment both times lost nearly every big game at Hampden ! It took Rodgers to show what should be achieved domestically! The fact that guy is back is scandelous!