26 Aug 2015 09:43:18
Here's a crazy idea I had when AmateurHorticulturalist took me on a sampling tour of his greenhouse. Bear with me. Or actually shoot me down just for the 'banter'.
Just reading some old news of Bolton fans setting up some sort of cash pool to sign Adam LeFondre. Now things must be as bad in the Bolton households as the Club's treasury because they raised a few grand. But Celtic?
Guessing the worldwide number of 'fans' is about as easy as guessing the Dulux colour tone of your next dump. But I think a conservative figure would be 500,000? So for arguments sake i'll just say that.
Now imagine your average working man chucked in a tenner. Then you've got your high-profile more mobey than sense bhoys. Rod Stewart could spend just one night away from a Vegas bar and chuck a few grand in. Heck if I knew it was worth it I'd throw a couple hundred in. I've spent that the past few months on polyester New Balance gear.
Now I know the obvious counter to this - 'why should we?' Well we shouldn't really. But I personally would see it as worthwhile under the current regime and environment. Just think of a player within reason you'd like and ask if you'd pay a tenner to see them in the hoops.
So, using a conservative fan base of 500k, and a rough average of 20 quid a man. My Casio reads that's £10m.
£10m every summer could get a good proven and experienced player in on a three or four year deal. After a few seasons you've got a good spine. The club could continue to use their own £2.5m ceiling to bring youth pedigree. The players bought might even turn in a good profit. Ed, DN30 or even Chris02 picks the targets of course. JP wouldn't be allowed to touch OUR budget.
Sorry for that. Taken up a bit of Paradisewon's post match journal space but like I said it was a crazy idea. Not sure if it's even possible with financial rules or UEFA sticking their nose in. Could it possibly effect the ownership status for better or worse?
Thoughts?
26 Aug 2015 10:37:22
Sounds like a cracking idea myself and I would most certainly buy into that IF I definitely knew the money was all going towards one decent quality player in a position we vitally needed strengthening. Especially a striker.
Has it ever happened anywhere else high profile though? I can't see it working though sadly but I'm pretty sure most of us would buy into this sort of thing for a tenner or so instead of wasting that tenner in the club shop just to fund our next Bangura/Pukki/Balde/Boerggter player. Still don't see it ever happening, who would be in charge of bringing the player in and scouting him makning sure it's a player most fans would want?
Anyway nice idea but sadly unrealistic imo.
26 Aug 2015 10:55:06
Jim its a great idea. I've said for years we should be doing this along with farming out our youngsters to foreign lands. My idea was 10 a month with a few hundred thousand fans eventually. Wud bring in a fortune. Problem is who runs it and who says where money goes.Suppose with the internet nowadays it might be easier.
26 Aug 2015 10:56:35
I think its a fantatic idea. it could be set up and managed by celtic supporter clubs so the board couldn't fiddle the money (shocking I think this of our own board) then handed in for transfers
26 Aug 2015 11:33:58
Virgil will go and the transfer money will be put towards covering the shortfall of us not qualifying , I know it , you know it , everybody knows it , I know Lawwell is merely a club employee working to a remit , the board gambled on qualifying with minimal investment in the team and yet again it has blown up in their faces , we have not really progressed at all under Deila and his style of play is not what Celtic fans are expecting to watch , our club is sliding backwards into mediocrity at an alarming rate!!
It is frustrating to watch .
26 Aug 2015 11:36:22
I get the sentiment of your idea but serious give millions of hard earned money to millionaires and billionaires?under your idea they would only cut somewhere else sadly
26 Aug 2015 11:54:24
I(f we could get 100 celtic minded millionaire to invest coca 1980s). Jim Tim are you Michael kelly in diguise
26 Aug 2015 15:29:25
Well the idea was that it ensures fans' money goes back into our team, rather than the pockets of the billionaires.
26 Aug 2015 21:32:02
My thoughts on this are different than yours , if I thought that the billionaires were getting a bigger slice of the cake than they deserved, I would be taking a long break from supporting Celtic .
Equally if I thought Deila hadn't been the players needed to beat Malmo over the two legs , I would be wondering about the manager .
I think the players and the manager are to blame .