The Offical Glasgow Celtic thread

Started by Gaoth Dobhair Abu, January 26, 2007, 10:41:11 AM

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Gaoth Dobhair Abu

Quote from: Croí na hÉireann on February 02, 2007, 02:33:01 PM
QuoteBit of irony there surely, you could just as easily argue that Hearts took Hartley from obscurity and he repays them by moving to Celtic!

Celtic stood by Maloney during his rehabilitation and he led them on a song and dance for nearly a year about signing a new contract. Still though £1 million is a super fee for a fellow who's out of contract in the summer.

I've gotta say MON has made us a fortune since he's taken over Aston Celtic!  ;D
Just wait til Stan comes home for £1.5 million!  ;)
Tbc....

Lamh Dhearg Alba

Quote from: Croí na hÉireann on February 02, 2007, 04:11:03 PM
If Maloney came out and said he wanted to run down his contract and then look at his options I think most would accept that as well within his rights, whilst not being happy with his decision. However he didn't, he hummed and hawed and when one agent had more or less agreed a deal with Celtic he dropped him and hired another. Again they were near a deal and then, low and behold, he was off to Villa. At least Brown came out this week after removing his transfer request and said he intended to run down his contract and then consider his options. I don't think Celtic fans have a problem with MON or Villa (especially after they paid 1 million for him) so the fact that you say Celtic fans are hypocritics for "having a go at Maloney" even though their club signs other players on Bosmans is factually incorrect.

Move as far away as u like from the party line, but there's no need for every post on SPL matters to include a dig at Celtic. Like I said, u don't like them, we get it, move on.

Of course its not factually incorrect, Celtic fans have a history of throwing a hissy fit when a young player leaves them yet they welcome similar players from other clubs with open arms. Its not the kind of point which could be factually correct or incorrect.
As for the second point only the most paranoid Celtic fan would claim every post I make has a dig at them. All I was doing earlier in this thread was raising a point about the Maloney thing...your "u don't like them, we get it, move on." line was irrelevant, uncalled for and also a strange to say on a discussion forum. Is this KWB with a new username??

Anyway Celtic cruising through to the last 8 of the cup today and looks like a very open competition, the draw will be interesting.

Lamh Dhearg Alba

Inverness Caledonian Thistle v Celtic
Queen of the South v Hibernian
Motherwell v St Johnstone
Dunfermline v Partick

Tricky enough draw there, Celtic got a lucky victory at Caley Park last weekend so wont be easy. Decent draw for Hibs and another chance for them to bury their Scottish Cup hoodoo, 105 years and counting :o

Gaoth Dobhair Abu

Quote from: Lamh Dhearg Alba on February 04, 2007, 03:09:55 PM
Inverness Caledonian Thistle v Celtic
Queen of the South v Hibernian
Motherwell v St Johnstone
Dunfermline v Partick

Tricky enough draw there, Celtic got a lucky victory at Caley Park last weekend so wont be easy. Decent draw for Hibs and another chance for them to bury their Scottish Cup hoodoo, 105 years and counting :o


I think Caley in the league is different then the cup.
Today we more then dismissed Livi, some might say big deal, but this Celtic team are improving with every game, there are new faces making their mark each week, the futures bright, the futures GREEN!!!
Tbc....

Lamh Dhearg Alba

Quote from: Gaoth Dobhair Abu on February 04, 2007, 09:01:40 PM
I think Caley in the league is different then the cup.

And much harder if history is anything to go by ;D

Gaoth Dobhair Abu

Quote from: Lamh Dhearg Alba on February 04, 2007, 09:25:48 PM
Quote from: Gaoth Dobhair Abu on February 04, 2007, 09:01:40 PM
I think Caley in the league is different then the cup.

And much harder if history is anything to go by ;D

Touche.  ;)
But a Celtic Hibs final is on the cards.
Tbc....

Gaoth Dobhair Abu

McGeady agrees new deal at Celtic

McGeady has made 60 appearences for Celtic since 2004
Celtic winger Aiden McGeady has agreed a new four-and-a-half-year contract extension at Parkhead.
The 20-year-old Republic of Ireland international had more than a year remaining on his pre-existing deal.
However, following Shaun Maloney's recent transfer to Aston Villa, Celtic were keen to extend McGeady's stay.
Speaking to the official club website, McGeady said: "I'm delighted to agree this new contract with Celtic and commit my future to the club."
Interview: Celtic winger Aiden McGeady
Interview: Celtic manager Gordon Strachan
McGeady insisted that his decision to extend his Celtic stay had nothing to do with the departure of former jersey rival Shaun Maloney.

It's a strong commitment from both sides


Celtic manager Gordon Strachan
"To be honest, it didn't really play a big part because players make their own decisions," he said.
"Shaun maybe thought that his time at Celtic had turned him into a better player and it was the right time to go to England.
"I wish him all the best but even if Shaun had stayed I would have still been here fighting for a place in the team."
Celtic manager Gordon Strachan was delighted to have secured the Republic of Ireland international on a long term deal.
"It's a strong commitment from both sides," he said.
"Aiden is showing trust in us to look after him and we trust him because we believe he has got a lot to offer.
"There is still a lot of work to be done with him.
"That will be a great challenge for Aiden, myself and the rest of the coaching staff but he is going to be a great asset."
McGeady has also withdrawn from the Republic of Ireland squad ahead of next Wednesday's Euro 2008 qualifier with San Marino at the Serravalle Stadium because of a knee injury.       


Great news!!!
Tbc....

Lamh Dhearg Alba

Some posts disappear from this thread??? Anyway thats a good bit of business by Celtic. Now McGeady has to show an extended run of form.
Was really impressed by Paul Hartley for Celtic the other day, he drove the team on and looks like he will improve the midfield.

Lynchbhoy how do you hear Alloa u19 scores in Ireland...they hardly mention them over here :oThey did win their derby against Stirling the other week.


lynchbhoy

I see young Cillian sheridan (ex underage Cavan Gaelic footballer) was on the bench for Celtic on saturday....

have read he has been playing well for the reserve team/underage team and has been scoring a few recently

well done young fellow.
..........

Gaoth Dobhair Abu

Celtic plc interim results

Newsroom Staff
INTERIM RESULTS FOR THE SIX MONTHS TO 31 DECEMBER 2006

SUMMARY OF THE RESULTS



Operational Highlights

• Lead the Bank of Scotland Premierleague by 19 points

• Qualification for the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League

• Continued participation in the Tennents Scottish Cup

• 18 home matches played at Celtic Park in the period (2005: 15)

• Successful launch of international and domestic away kits

• Construction of the training academy at Lennoxtown progressing well



Financial Highlights

• Group turnover increased by 41.6% to £46.80m.
• Operating expenses increased by 8.5% to £32.04m.
• Profit from operations of £14.76m (2005: £3.50m).
• Gain on sale of intangible fixed assets £7.12m (2005: £nil)
• Profit before taxation of £17.94m (2005: Loss of £0.96m).
• Period end bank debt of £10.94m (2005: £8.57m).
• Investment in players of £6.32m (2005: £6.55m).



Click here for the full report.




CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT
Thanks partly to the coincidence of a number of favourable factors, Celtic's financial performance during the half-year ending December 31 2006 has been exceptionally good. Participation as Scotland's sole representative in the European Champions League has had a transforming effect on our interim results when compared with a year ago; and we have also benefited significantly from transfer activities during the period.



By most measures our football results have also been the best for many years.  It is, however, part of the Chairman's job to bring perspective to the Company's performance and we cannot reasonably expect to repeat the outstanding features of the first half in the remaining months of the year.  That said, we are currently enjoying one of the best periods in the Club's history.



Group turnover rose by 41.6% over the corresponding period a year ago.  Celtic played 3 more home games, 2 of which were European ties and 1 SPL game.  As a result, revenues from ticket sales increased by 42% to £21.6 million; and income from multimedia was up by 144% to £14.1 million.  Merchandise sales were down by some 10%, largely because there were 2 kit launches in the period, one fewer than in the corresponding period a year ago.  However retail gross margins showed a clear improvement over the period, reflecting careful management of costs and pricing of our merchandise products.



Operating costs as a whole rose by 8.5%, unsurprising in the light of the increased activity for the Company on almost all fronts.  The bulk of the increase occurred in payments to the playing and football management teams as bonuses for domestic and European competitions earned under a new remuneration scheme took effect.  We believe this new scheme will establish a better relationship for both players and Club between pay and performance, enabling us to control costs more effectively and rewarding players for the success on the field.  The ratio of labour costs (total and football) to turnover was 40.7% and 31.6% (respectively), compared with 51.9% and 40.1% a year ago; and 56.6% and 44.5% at the end of June last year.  Amortisation costs fell by some 16% over the period as several members of the previous squad left the Club to pursue their careers elsewhere.



It is in the measures of profitability that Celtic showed the most striking improvement compared with last year.  Operating profit rose from £74,000 to £11.9 million; and after taking account of gains on player transfers of £7.1 million, profit after interest and taxation amounted to £17.9 million.  The corresponding figure a year ago was a loss of £1.0 million.  This turnaround in our financial performance demonstrates in the most vivid way the importance of European football to clubs playing outside the leading five European countries; but it is also a testament to the professionalism of our executive team.



Gordon Strachan's football squad also continues to excel.  At present the first team leads the Scottish Premier League by 19 points, has progressed to the quarter final of the Tennents SFA Cup and, for the first time, the Club has qualified for the final 16 in the UEFA Champions League.  On the face of it, and given the quality of the opposition, our involvement in that competition is expected by many to terminate at that point.



However the squad have already shown on several occasions this season that they will not accept defeat until the game ends and I am confident they will extend Celtic's growing reputation in Europe, whatever the final result in the next round.



The emphasis on careful and patient use of our financial resources will continue to characterise our efforts to strengthen the first team squad; and we will also continue to find and develop players of quality from our youth and reserve squads.  Our reserve and under-19 teams lead their respective divisions and we aim to contribute to our younger players' development by making them available on loan to gain regular playing experience at a higher level.



We recently secured the services of John Park as Football Development Manager.  Our scouting network now covers 16 countries and, taking account of our youth development programme, there was a need for a person of proven experience for that task.  John presided over these activities with great success at his previous club, Hibernian and we have now re-structured our Sports Science and Fitness function by recruiting two new highly regarded sports scientists.



In a separate initiative we have recruited a new fitness coach from Australian Rules Football, a sport in a country in the forefront of sports science and fitness. I now believe strong foundations have been put in place to find, develop and train future generations of footballers for the Club.  The construction of the new training ground and academy at Lennoxtown is progressing well and is expected to be available for next season.



I am greatly encouraged by our progress on these fronts. As I mentioned in our Annual Report last year, the very substantial additional amounts of money going into football in England from new television contracts have created a wide gulf between what Scottish clubs and their English counterparts can bring to the transfer market.  In some cases transfer fees and wage deals for players in the Championship south of the Border are beyond the reach of even the top Scottish clubs.



To a much greater degree than ever before, there are two separate markets with traffic between them largely moving in one direction in terms of evolving talent.  There is no point complaining about this.  The only remedy is to work hard to compensate by strengthening our capacity to identify, attract and develop our own players.



Celtic's appeal outside the UK continues to grow.  We have an opportunity to visit Japan and the United States – where we will meet the MLS All Stars in July –when the current season ends; and we have received other enquiries from other countries to play there.  I cannot recall a period when interest in the Club has been higher.



Of course popularity is, as a famous US Presidential Candidate once said of flattery, "Fine so long as you don't inhale".  We will look positively at further possibilities of spreading the Celtic brand, but not to the extent that we damage it through excess.

Off the field, things are also going well.  We have consolidated our charitable and community operations under the Celtic Foundation. This will bring greater cohesion to all of our social and charity activities and increase the financial contributions and other tangible support we make to Scottish life.  This, of course, is our heritage and we will continue to make every effort to live up to it.



We continue to push ahead with our anti-sectarian activities and have fully supported the initiative of the Scottish Executive to remove the blight of religious bigotry from football.  Our supporters have responded magnificently to our appeals in this regard and I believe we are well on the way to disassociating the Club completely from offensive behaviour in this aspect of Scottish life.



In October Eric Hagman retired from the Board of Directors of Celtic plc and I would like to thank him for three excellent years of service to the Company. Kenny McDowall also left us to pursue his career elsewhere after 10 very successful years in charge of our reserve team.  We wish him well – relatively speaking – in his new job.



The last few weeks have seen the departure of Alan Thompson, Stephen Pearson and Shaun Maloney and we wish them luck at their new clubs; while welcoming Stephen Pressley, Mark Brown, Jean-Joel Perrier Doumbé and Paul Hartley to the Club.



These are exciting times at Celtic. It may be difficult not to be carried away by our successes on and off the field these last six months. Both our shareholders and our supporters certainly deserve the rewards we are currently enjoying. But what is more important is that there are signs that our efforts over several years to establish lasting improvements in our infrastructure, both as a football club and as a company, are now delivering a measure of success.



Our management team, led by Peter Lawwell, is showing great energy and initiative on all fronts. Gordon Strachan and his support staff are delivering outstanding consistency and resolve. And our supporters, as always, are our ultimate strength. I thank them for their dedication and commitment.

Brian Quinn CBE

14 February 2007



Tbc....

lynchbhoy

sack that accountant that allowed the books to show a profit !
:o
..........

Gaoth Dobhair Abu

#26
With the league in the bag (the only question is when not if), I'm wondering what the other Celts on the board think of this weekends match against Aberdeen?
Not sure but half of me is saying, give them the three points as they are the only real challenge to the men from Mordor!


http://[color=green]for%20it's%20a%20Grand%20Old%20Team%20to%20play%20for[/color].....
Tbc....

lynchbhoy

Quote from: Gaoth Dobhair Abu on February 16, 2007, 01:07:23 PM
With the league in the bag (the only question is when not if), I'm wondering what the other Celts on the board think of this weekends match against Aberdeen?
Not sure but half of me is saying, give them the three points as they are the only real challenge to the men from Mordor!
http://[color=green]for%20it's%20a%20Grand%20Old%20Team%20to%20play%20for[/color].....

Aberdeen are a great club for producing home grown talent.
They are always up there or thereabouts and have no money to spend on players, so their table position is always commendable.
They always make it hard for Celtic and indeed they and hibs seem to tbe the teams that give Celtic the most trouble in the past 5 years - more so than rangers or hearts.
The last couple of years there have been a few draws and maybe only a goal seperating the teams, Pittodrie is a hard place to go and win at.
Celtic if they are being pro, need to go and try to set a pattern that will carry over into their game v milan.
otherwise they are fecked.
I think GS's tinkering with the team has had a bad effect. Also Celtic traditionally this past three years seem to lose all continuity after an international week/weekend - so are still trying to find form. Hibs almost caught them, Aberdeen will be a banana skin.
the league is won , but Celtic want to play somewhat decently in the CL, if not to try and progress.
..........

laughinpaddy

I think the Celts as lynchbhoy states need to be going into the Milan game with a big result behind them.  Aberdeen always make it hard for celtic with their defensive formation, so GS should put out his strongest side and hope that they play to thier potential which would bring them into the milan game with confidence and conviction.

In the past no teams have 'given' celtic the points so why should they 'give' the dons the points?
Hail Hail
I ain't gettin on no plane!

tyroneman

Good to see young Stokes setting the Championship alight with his 10 min here and there cameos from the bench. Behind David Connolly in the pecking order........ :D