The Offical Glasgow Celtic thread

[Gaoth Dobhair Abu]

Your not far wrong LB.
We are still in Europe and will still be getting ticket money, TV money, Merchandising etc, etc...
Not that worried about the cash as we are financially healthy, looking forward to getting some strange teams and places to travel to away this year, flights will have to be booked early! 

[illdecide]

This is my opinion...If Sky TV realise the viewers are dropping off and they need to spice it up a bit then it will be Sky TV who decide who joins what...they call the shots and as much as the smaller clubs do have a vote/say etc when it comes down to the coupons and Sky tell the EPL accept the 2 Glasgow clubs or we cut your money in half...what do ya think will happen?

As it stands Sky are prob secure enough with viewers and if it's not broke don't fix it but things can change and the money men are the ones to change it...all the above will need UEFA approval I'll assume before Sky have a say...

Usually I decide but in this case Sky will decide

[Evil Genius]

This is my opinion...If Sky TV realise the viewers are dropping off and they need to spice it up a bit then it will be Sky TV who decide who joins what...they call the shots and as much as the smaller clubs do have a vote/say etc when it comes down to the coupons and Sky tell the EPL accept the 2 Glasgow clubs or we cut your money in half...what do ya think will happen?

Why on earth would SKY tell the EPL that? SKY quite clearly don't much care about the Old Firm - otherwise why would they have let Setanta outbid them for Scottish football rights last time around?

In the end, SKY are influenced by selling subscriptions and with the whole of Scotland only having a population of around 5 million, they are no more important to SKY than 7 or 8 English regions outside London with a similar population eg West Midlands. And with Villa, Birmingham and Wolves, the W.Mids already "outvotes" Celtic & Rangers 3 to 2.

As for who calls the shots generally, whilst SKY are clearly influential, ultimately it is not they or the FA or UEFA etc who call the shots, it is the 20 EPL Chairmen, each of whom have an equal vote.

And as for how they will exercise those votes, clearly they will sell the rights to whoever gives them the most cash. On which point, you must remember that SKY were not just the highest bidder, but they were also first (successful) bidder. EPL football allowed them to build up a subscriber base which other broadcasters have found difficult to emulate to date. However, so successful have SKY been, solely on the back of the English football market, that huge American broadcasters such as ESPN are now starting to sniff around.

Therefore, the demise of Setanta notwithstanding, once we emerge from recession, the EPL Chairmen will  very possibly be in a seller's market, playing one buyer off against another.

More to the point, with the technology of Satellite Broadcasting etc having already been established, ever more cheaply, they will likely soon be in a position to tell SKY and ESPN etc that if they don't make an acceptable bid come renewal time, they'll set up their own TV company, and sell the rights unpackaged, directly to the subscribers themselves.

In the end, whilst marketing, distribution and technology etc are all very important, by far the most important component is control of the product itself, and that is in the hands of 20 men, most of whom are billionaires. Somehow, I can't see even Rupert Murdoch "playing ducks and drakes" with that lot.

Meanwhile, like a boy whose spent all his pocketmoney for the week, Rangers and Celtic can only press their nose up to the window of the sweetshop and dream.

[Gaoth Dobhair Abu]

Looking like Donati is going to Bari for 1.5 million.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/celtic/8225760.stm

Tone the Korean is coming in January.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/celtic/8219721.stm

Now for the draw for the Europa league!

[Gaoth Dobhair Abu]

Ah fcuk we got the nazi of Hamburg, at least we'll have the St Pauli boys behind us.

[Gaoth Dobhair Abu]

Jesus have now gotten Israeli side Tel Aviv

[Gaoth Dobhair Abu]

Celtic
Hamburg
Tel Aviv
Rapid Vienna

[clarshack]

no mugs in that group.

[clarshack]

dont celtic owe rapid vienna one after one of their players took a dive after pretending to get hit by something from the crowd in 1984? and the match had to be replayed at old trafford?

[clarshack]

http://sport.stv.tv/football/45232-celtic-the-european-victory-that-never-was/

[Gaoth Dobhair Abu]

Celtic's opponents in the Europa League will be Hamburger SV, Hapoel Tel-Aviv and Rapid Vienna.

The Parkhead side were in pot two for the draw, which took place in Monaco at 12 noon today. The first round of matches is scheduled for Thursday 17 September, with the final taking place in Hamburg, Germany, on Wednesday 12 May, 2010.

If they were to reach the final it means that Hamburger SV would have the honour playing in their home city, so under the circumstances they'll be tough opponents for Celtic to crack. Last year they finished fifth in the Bundesliga.

Hamburger SV are one of the Germany's oldest, most well known and best performing clubs, with the unique distinction of having played continuously in top-flight German football since the end of World War I. They are second after three games of the new season with two wins and a draw.

Hapoel Tel-Aviv is an Israeli football team based - you guessed it - in Tel Aviv, who last year came second in the Israeli Premier League. To date, the club has won twelve championships and twelve State Cups, making them the country's second most successful club after city rivals Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Known in their home country as Sportklub Rapid Wien, Rapid Vienna finished second in the Austrian Bundesliga in 2008–09. They underlined their strength by beating Aston Villa on away goals in a play-off to reach the group phase.

The 48 participating teams have been split into 12 groups of four, with the top two qualifying for the next round. They will be joined at that stage by the eight teams that finish third in their Champions League group.

[lynchbhoy]

Some interesting points, ID, but in analysing what Celtic and their fans want etc, you are overlooking something far more critical i.e. what the EPL wants.

What would the presence of Celtic and Rangers add to the big teams in the EPL, who manage to fill their stadia every week as it is? In the end, C&R would either be uncompetitive in the EPL, in which case there is no point in adding them, or they would be competitive, in which case they'd be a threat to the existing big clubs.

As for the smaller clubs, which of those is going to vote for a measure (i.e. adding two Glasgow teams) that would inevitably see two from within their own ranks be forced to leave the EPL?

As it is, the whole pressure (from UEFA and FIFA) is to see the big European Leagues reduced to 18 teams (though that is being stoutly resisted by the EPL).

Unless something changes significantly, imo there is no prospect of the Old Firm being invited to join the EPL, though there may be some chance of them being admitted to the Football League, or any European Super League which might be created.

correct
it is all about what the epl wants. celtic and rangers can do nothing much about it.
However what you say is true for the current time (though I still see the scots clubs rampingup demand for tickets everywhere and not all top clubs sell out their games from recollection).

But, the last time there was any real meaning and some kind of intent from epl and epl clubs , was when there was doubts and worries over the tv revenue and contracts and with the itv soccer sponsorship thing going bust, it sent shockwaves into the business world and the feeling or fear was (with some justification and feedback eminating from broadcasters) there would be massively reduced tv monies in comparison t what they were used to.
this would have toppled some of the clubs into administration.So it was something they had to think about mitigating against.
That answer was to rejuvenate the epl and bring new sparkle to the games by adding in two of the bigger supported clubs in the world. Plus that they were the old enemy - england v scotland, it would def add a bit of spice to the epl.
I believe that this ace is still yet to be played by the epl when revenue problems with the league come up again - as invariably the business world has highs and lows.
Interesting to see michel platini come out today with a plan to disallow any club from competing in the cl in three years time if their financial status isnt to a certain level.
At risk woul dbe the likes of rangers, man u, liverpool and a lot of other fringe clubs.

[lynchbhoy]

not an easy draw at all in the eurpoa cup.
However if Celtic want to be a top level team they have to start doing it here.
Again I dont think Mowbray has any exp of europe other than the 4 games he has just presided over.
None of the venues are enough to get me booking flights. May go over to Celtic park for a home leg - so GDA/ Tone/anyone else on here let me know if you are doing likewise and we'll have a cheap pint of heavy after the game!

I know my israeli pal will be over the moon he can get to see his beloved Celts so close to home !

[Gaoth Dobhair Abu]

not an easy draw at all in the eurpoa cup.
However if Celtic want to be a top level team they have to start doing it here.
Again I dont think Mowbray has any exp of europe other than the 4 games he has just presided over.
None of the venues are enough to get me booking flights. May go over to Celtic park for a home leg - so GDA/ Tone/anyone else on here let me know if you are doing likewise and we'll have a cheap pint of heavy after the game!

I know my israeli pal will be over the moon he can get to see his beloved Celts so close to home !

Hamburg with my St Pauli brothers! 
Whens the dates being announced?

[lynchbhoy]

not an easy draw at all in the eurpoa cup.
However if Celtic want to be a top level team they have to start doing it here.
Again I dont think Mowbray has any exp of europe other than the 4 games he has just presided over.
None of the venues are enough to get me booking flights. May go over to Celtic park for a home leg - so GDA/ Tone/anyone else on here let me know if you are doing likewise and we'll have a cheap pint of heavy after the game!

I know my israeli pal will be over the moon he can get to see his beloved Celts so close to home !

Hamburg with my St Pauli brothers! 
Whens the dates being announced?

dont know
suppose you keep looking at uefa.com or skysports website and they will be announced soon enough.