Want to Write for TC?

Interested in writing on behalf of the site?

Talk Celtic is offering the opportunity to give at least one member (if not more depending on the quality of the submissions) the chance to join the TC Staff, as a member of our Newswriting Team.

Whilst providing TC with previews and reports for the matches, there is so much more that the team do for the site. Following on from the triumphant 2011/12 season, the new campaign promises even more to look forward to, which by extension means that there will be plenty to keep us all occupied.

Speaking personally, writing for the site has been extremely rewarding, and I would strongly urge anyone who think they can do better than that of the succulent lamb brigade in the * * et al, (and let's face it, to produce better copy than Traynor or Jackson is not that difficult) to give it a shot.

The theme of the article we would like to see written is as follows:

"The O** F*** is Dead - Long Live Celtic"
​

While the title does not have to be word-for-word the above (indeed, some creative headlines are always welcomed), all entries need to be on this broad theme.

Just to get you started, this can be viewed in any number of ways, including (but not limited to) the influence that Celtic have on the situation involving 'Club 12', what lies in store for the year ahead, should Celtic be looking to move elsewhere, etc.

Anything any of you deem important for the club as a whole to move forward and prove once and for all that we are a fully independent club, and not just merely one half of that accursed 'O** F***' tag.

We look forward to reading any / all submissions, and I hope that any contributors enjoy the chance to showcase their talents.

Please submit your entries in this thread, or if you prefer, you can PM a member of the Newswriting team.

Beginning today, this will run for the next 2 weeks.

Please note that the deadline is: 3 July 2012.

On behalf of the Newswriting staff, good luck to all.

Thanks in advance,

Taz.

 

I'll be contributing. Looking to get into football journalism and would love to write for the site. I'll begin writing tomorrow.

 

I might give this a shot soon.

 

Good stuff guys.

There is a couple of weeks til this closes, so plenty of time to put something together.

 

Great fun by the way guys. Strongly recommend signing up

 

If I can find the time I'd love to give this a go.

 

Can ex-writers join in? I had to depart my role a few years ago when i lost my internet, but i'm back online now.

 

Can highly recommend this to everyone. Greatly enjoyed my time writing here a few years back.

 

Just echo what the guys are saying, was a great experience and would strongly reccomend it

 

also going to echo what the previous writers are saying that is a great job, also to see your article posted on NewsNow.com and Twitter is a great feeling.

Give it a go folks if your interested, Taz is quality in terms of helping newbies out

 

Definitely going to give this a shot. Thinking of journalism as a future career path so this would help

 

Taz asked me to post my effort here as an example. Please see below:

 

The O** F*** is dead - long live Celtic

As you read this article it is perhaps a little too easy to imagine the proverbial corpse of what was once Rangers Football Club (1873-2012) being lowered into the Scottish football graveyard. But while the old-co rests in pieces alongside the likes of Dundee Wanderers, Third Lanark, and most recently Gretna F.C, a new-co is already clawing out of the soil eager to start from where its original form left off.

With old-co Rangers resigned to such a fate, is it perhaps time for Scottish football and its fans to call time on one of the most maligned terms in its lexicon: “The Old Firm”? The term has often been contested in the past, most often by Celtic fans who eagerly pointed out that their club, its history, and its very ethos has little connection with their local rivals other than sharing the city of Glasgow. Fans outside of the two Glasgow clubs however have historically pointed to a special relationship that they claim existed between the clubs when it came to achieving shared financial aspirations and inter-league politics. Side-stepping the historical validity of such an argument, considering the very different plights that the two clubs currently find themselves in, is Scottish football now in a position to put “the old firm” tag to rest neatly alongside one of its two founding members?

"What’s in a name?" ​

The historical origins of the term “the old firm” has been discussed and debated for long enough without a need to discuss it in any great depth here. But the almost unanimous understanding of the phrase is that it came to the fore at the beginning of the 20^th century when both clubs began to dominate Scottish football, and enjoy the mutual financial benefits of playing against each regularly. Since then this term of association has become unsurprisingly unpopular among most Celtic and Rangers fans, and is cited in almost wholly negative terms by other fans of the SPL who complain of an old firm sporting and financial duopoly in Scotland. But enough of the history...

"This is a modern world" ​

With this definition in mind, can such a term really hold any weight or significance when we consider the current financial positions of the two clubs? The 2012 reports and accounts of Celtic show that the club increased its turnover by 3.1% to £29.3m during the six months to 31 December 2011, while reducing bank debt by £2m to around £7m and pocketing a pre-tax profit of £180,000. Player transfer activity accounted for a profit of £3.15m during this period, compared to a profit of £13.2m from the previous year. Expenses increased roughly in line with turnover and a similar trading pattern was predicted for the first six months in 2012.

To try to make any real comparison to the accounts of old-co Rangers is of course impossible, but the financial gulf between the clubs in perhaps most aptly demonstrated in two transaction made only last week. One week after Charles Green completed his £5.5m new-co acquisition, Celtic reportedly rejected a bid in excess of £6m from Rubin Kazan for Ki Sung-yueng. On 20 June 2012, a reported £11m was being planned for the takeover of Rangers’ assets, which would likely be more than enough to buy Ki but would probably close to the likely asking price for arguably Celtic’s most valuable player – Victor Wanyama. The purpose of these comparisons is not to gloat, but to simply suggest that going forward it is hard to see how the financial fortunes of Celtic and the new-co can be linked to each other in any meaningful way.

Of course both clubs will seek to benefit from the revenue generated from derby day, and like the rest of Scotland both will look towards Sky for additional TV revenue. But the approximate £2.5m a year that Celtic received from Sky last season while undoubtedly a bonus is a modest sum in the context of overall total turnover. It is also worth remembering that the most recent balance sheet represents the position of Celtic devoid of champions league income for several years, and without a league title in three. In short the popular notion that Celtic could not survive without the income of four derby games a season and £2.5m from TV seems rather unfounded when one considers the clubs overall financial position.

Likewise any notion of a financial duopoly existing between Celtic and new-co does not seem likely, even if new-co are lucky enough to find themselves in the SPL next year. Of course if new-co starts its life in the third division a financial duopoly could not even be possible, but even if it was, I would suggest controlling the Scottish market is no longer the financial golden ticket for either Celtic or new-co.

As is the case with many of Europe’s elite clubs, Celtic’s marketing and brand focus no longer is focused upon domestic markets but rather in the new-world football markets. In May 2012, a report by Brand Finance, the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy, stated that Celtic’s brand had increased by 30% over the past 12 months, putting them among the top 50 footballing brands in the world. To quote Matt Hannagan, Sports Brand Valuation Analyst at Brand Finance, “Celtic are miles ahead (against Rangers) in terms of the strength of their infrastructure, revenues and brand awareness and are doing everything right in terms of marketing.” Such comments are particularly encouraging considering the relative failure of Celtic on the field of play over the past four years both domestically and in Europe. To have increased brand power by over 30% in a season in which Rangers entered administration, were deducted 10 league points, and were ultimately liquidated, also suggests than the future success or failure of the Celtic brand has little correlation with the fortunes of old-co Rangers, or indeed new-co.....

 

....


"One team one vote"

Regarding the often cited political association between “old firm” clubs, we may have a better idea of any such relationship after the vote on new-co is made when SPL clubs meet at Hampden on the 4 ^th July. Speculation remains rife however over the possibility that Celtic may give support to their biggest rivals against the near unanimous wishes of the clubs support. Peter Lawwell has so far given very little away as regards the board’s position on the subject other than to say “Our guiding principle is that we will do what is in the best interests of Celtic Football Club and our supporters, consistent with upholding the interests and reputation of Scottish football.”

Could the Celtic board possibly vote in favour of new-co despite almost inevitable fan rebellion on the matter? As much as I hope they don’t, I would suggest that it is possible. Leaving all questions of fairness and sporting integrity aside, a new-co in the SPL would undoubtedly be the safest financial option for Celtic. Especially if the new-co could be further punished with transfer bans and a reduction in income from TV and sponsorship deals, the board may see this as an opportunity to both financially cripple new-co from the outset as well as guaranteeing the revenue associated with derby day. Furthermore, it would likely be the only way of Celtic keeping the often criticised 11-1 majority voting structure in place – a structure arguably linked to peoples understanding of the “old firm” more than any other factor.

This said I am happy to concede that I, and other Celtic fans, may be worrying unnecessarily over the issue. After all, from a PR perspective I think Celtic are being quite astute in refusing to act first on the issue. An early statement denouncing the merits of new-co would no doubt have led to an outpouring of accusation from many in the Scottish media that Celtic was somehow part of the destruction of Rangers. In saying very little on the matter Lawwell is rightfully letting other clubs take the lead and letting other clubs grab the headlines. Similarly, regarding the financial motivation behind a potential “yes” vote we are ignoring the potential financial fallout from a fan rebellion. Lawwell is no doubt more than aware of the potential reduction in season ticket income, and perhaps even full out boycotts that have been suggested if the board were to vote “yes” on the subject. In any case, if recent reports are to be believed regarding the voting intensions of other SPL clubs, the Celtic vote may soon be devoid of any value. Perhaps this is the intension of Lawwell in order to completely remove the position of Celtic from the equation.

Any more speculation on this subject I feel is wasted, but this issue is arguably central to what the “old firm” represents to fans outside of Celtic and Rangers. It cannot be denied that Celtic and Rangers have traditionally formed a block vote to protect their mutual financial interests – the main reason why both clubs have so far opposed any changes to the 11-1 majority rule. Indeed, one of the opposing arguments against a change in the voting structure is that the “old firm” contributed around 85% of the SPL’s revenue and such a change could negatively impact future sponsorship deals. Looking ahead however, I sense this attitude may be coming to an end for a very obvious reason: for a duopoly to exist there must be two similarly sized companies involved who enjoy mutual benefits and add mutual value to the said duopoly. Otherwise what we are talking about is a monopoly. The notion of a political and financial “old firm” for example was less prevalent in the early nineties as a near bankrupt Celtic club languishing 3 ^rd and 4^th in the league could not be considered as a partner in any real sense against the superior free-spending, tax avoiding, Rangers side. The gulf in financial and arguably political parity between the clubs is now even greater, only reversed.

A vote against new-co from Celtic could be seen as the start of a Celtic monopoly on Scottish football even greater than the ill-gotten monopoly enjoyed by Rangers in the nineties. Others may argue a new-co free SPL could allow other clubs to catch up with Celtic and bring about a much more competitive league in the long term. In any case, I would argue it seems highly unlikely that the future of the SPL will be defined by any “old firm” political and financial relationship that may have existed during the old-co period.

"The winner takes it all"​

With all this in mind, can we really look forward to a future free of the “old firm” tagline? Sadly, I don’t think so – at least not in the immediate future. Because even though the financial and political implications of the term may soon vanish, the most obvious association with the term will likely exist for years to come: success on the football field. Even without all the factors discussed in this article, this is arguably the most obvious and tangible factor used to define the “old firm” by so many fans out with Celtic and Rangers. We support a league where no club has won the league outside of the big two since Aberdeen in 1984-85: this equates to two generations of Scottish football fan who cannot recall a time where Celtic or Rangers did not win the league. So while it is unlikely that new-co will be in a position to win the SPL for a long time to come, the likely success of Celtic in the coming years will no doubt be seen by many SPL fans as simply “more of the same”. For even if we lose the financial and political status quo, like it or not many will continue to reflect on how “one half of the old firm” is dominating. Coupled with the habits of lazy journalists this is a term that is unlikely to disappear in the next couple of seasons.

But while it may not disappear any time soon, I believe it will disappear eventually. There is only so long an out-of-date term can be continually applied before it falls out of favour with even the most stubborn writers, and looking ahead there seems to be very little to connect the fortunes of Celtic Football Club with those of any new start-up club. We may not yet be in a position to bury “the old firm” tag quite yet but I sense next season may represent the beginning of the end for the oldest of terms.

Sween

 

Well done mate, good read.

 

Celtic : Newfound Responsibility post O** F***?

I have never turned my hand to writing in many a long year so I’ll offer some apologies in advance for my somewhat disjointed ramblings. In fact you would have to go back to my high school days in 1999 to find anything penned by Idlewildered. It was different time back then. My beloved club (thanks Dad!) were just off the back of a losing season unfortunately, the SPL’s inaugural season if memory suffices, but the quality of football on show was excellent at the time. We may have lost out on any silverware but I got to watch Larsson, Lubo, an impressive Viduka and countless others. It wasn’t all bad.

Flash forward 13 years and it’s a different story altogether. Make no mistake, Scottish football as a whole is about to be changed irrevocably and I don’t look at this for one second like it’s a bad thing. 1999 was a time where money was being spent wildly, the world wasn’t in a financial scrape, more a period of unrivalled growth and our rivals hadn’t yet been proved to be using the Bank of Scotland to fund their (tainted) title wins.

Anyway, I completely digress from my point. As per the aforementioned title does Celtic, in this new era, have newfound responsibility?

This won’t always be the popular opinion, with the Celtic support, or with fans of other clubs. This may come across as elitist to the supporters of other sides and it may, to some of our support come across as all too charitable. It is however, something I wholeheartedly believe.

For too long, Scottish football has been floundering. This is by no means our fault. It can be traced back to reckless spending by that lot, to the Setanta deal that screwed us all, there are plenty to blame. What pointing fingers doesn’t do is take the game forward.
We are a Scottish club, in the Scottish league system, and for the good of all we need to take a lead in fixing what has become increasingly dire.

Whilst I was always a Strachan fan, I did to a certain extent bemoan the fact that the heady days of spending £6 million a player were over. My mind boggled that we were replacing Agathe’s with Telfer’s, Sutton’s with Miller’s, the list goes on. I soon came to understand that these were necessary changes, our wage bill was unsustainable. Nonetheless this was by no means easy to take but soon enough it clicked and I enjoyed some of my most cherished nights at Parkhead in the Champion’s League over the next couple of years.

I do wonder on occasion where would we be now without Peter Lawwell? Whilst debts have continued to skyrocket throughout Scottish football, ours have slowly stabilised to the point of almost being completely debt free and investing in some of the UK’s brightest young footballing prospects. This is something that other clubs in Scotland don’t have. These clubs are stuck with increasing debt, relying on players that don’t exactly get the blood pumping and can’t offer their fans attractive enough football to even bring them to their grounds. We are a shining example of how it can be done correctly.

This is where our newfound responsibility comes in. It is our time now. The O** F*** no longer exists, if it ever did, and for the first time in a long time we have a chance to make this league a fair one. One without a club using any means necessary to grind others underfoot. One without an utterly bigoted, elitist and heinous organisation that we are forced to focus on as our main rivals. It is possibly the one and only shot that Scottish football has to reinvent itself.

For Scottish football to evolve, its one true giant needs to step up. We can show the rest of the league how to be fiscally responsible, we can show the rest of the league how to build an exceptional youth system, and we can show the rest of the league how to build a product that their fans want to watch.

Some of you may question as to why we should do this for other clubs that depend on the income we have helped provide for years? It’s a valid point but one I feel we absolutely have to put aside. It’s time to let the prejudices of the past die with the club that promoted them. To turn the SPL into a league that can afford to ignore the confines of an abysmal Sky deal, one where new rivalries emerge and are embraced, without the need for hatred and violence, one that we can call ourselves proud to support.

I can’t claim to know exactly how this will be achieved. I don’t have the financial know-how. I don’t have the education. What I do have is a firm belief that it will take a massive effort from our governing body, all other member clubs and the only remaining giant in Scottish football to take the lead. A league that we can be proud to support, one in which the mistakes of the past are forgotten, one with a coefficient steadily climbing in Europe and best of all, it would be a league that looks back on years of being cheated by an entity that no longer exists, and laughs.

 

Both pieces thus far have been well conceived & thought provoking. I doff my cap to each. There is just over a week to go for those interested to submit entries & really am very encouraged by what I have read to date.

 

The Old Firm is Dead​

The Old Firm Divide

The divide between Celtic and Rangers is an ancient one and one which is no secret to people all around the world. Many consider it the fiercest rivalry in not only football, but sport itself.

Since 1904 Celtic and Rangers have dominated the Scottish game. Every year the old Firm would battle it out for bragging rights and the title of champions of Scotland. Many people all across the globe, from Ireland to Thailand, live and breathe Celtic. Many people across the UK and parts of Africa such as Algeria live and breathe Rangers.

Many clubs across Scotland have rallied title charges against the Old Firm over the years such as Airdrieonians who finished second in Scotland's top flight 4 years running from 1922 - 1926 and Motherwell who won the league in 1936 becoming the first team outside of Glasgow to do so in 32 years. Hibernian, Hearts, Dundee United and Aberdeen have all had their top flight glory over the years but none have lingered near a title challenge for any prolonged period of time.

Misinformed people across the world put the Celtic and Rangers down to a Catholic/Protestant divide. This is clearly the case for the latter however Celtic have always and will always be a club open to all.

Willie Maley:

Rangers, on the other hand, had a non-Catholic signing policy for years. One of the most high-profile incidents which highlighted this policy was the incident of former Rangers centre forward Alex Ferguson who was forced out of the club for marrying a Catholic. Only 4 Irish people have ever played for Rangers (Free State and Republic) while an uncountable amount of English men have played for Celtic such as current players Gary Hooper, Fraser Forster, Kelvin Wilson and Kris Commons. The suggestion that Celtic are anti-protestant is simply ludicrous.

Rangers tax Avoidance

Since the takeover of Sir David Murray in November of 1988, Rangers have been involved in tax avoidance schemes in the form of off-shore accounts, the infamous EBTs (Employee Benefit Trust).

Sir David 'for every £5 Celtic spend we'll spend £10' Murray​

Payments from an EBT should not be made on a contractual basis, as it would make them part of an employee's salary and subject to tax and National Insurance. Rangers ignored this law and continued paying their players wages without tax. Huge signings have been made under this scheme such as Tore Andre Flo for £12 million from Chelsea.

In 2010, HMRC issued Rangers a bill of £35 million in unpaid tax and interest as we well as £14 million in penalties. This bill has been looming over the shoulder of Rangers Football Club since 2010 yet somehow they always thought they'd get away with it. Rangers has effectively been run by criminals for the past 24 years. They are not getting away with it. They are not 'too big' a club to die.

 

The Newco Vote

On the 4th of July 2012 clubs in the top flight of Scotland will be able to get their own back for the cheating which has gone on in the league we love for the past 24 years. Many clubs have been cheated out of a chance at the big time in Europe. Celtic have been cheated out of an estimated 11 trophies. Cheated.

Hibernian, Hearts, St.Johnstone, Dundee United, Aberdeen and Inverness CT have all signalled their intent to vote 'no' to the Rangers NewCo getting a parachute landing into Scotland's top flight. The NewCo will need 7 out of the 11 SPL clubs to vote yes. Therefore all it takes is for 5 clubs to vote no. 6 clubs have already signalled their intent to vote no with Motherwell and Celtic almost certainly prepared to nail the Rangers coffin firmly closed.

Rangers owe over £2.3 million to 12 clubs in Scotland, England and throughout Europe including Hearts for the unpaid transfer fee of Lee Wallace, Dundee United for unpaid ticket fees and Dunfermline.

Rangers have been a burden to the Scottish game for decades and the vile conduct of their supporters - such as their trip to Manchester - has tarnished the reputation of the people of Scotland, the well behaved Rangers supporters and Celtic supporters. the NewCo vote is the time for SPL clubs to unite, make a new beginning for Scottish football. A beginning free of cheating and disgusting fan behaviour.

Dignified Rangers fans in Manchester​

The threat of fans boycotting clubs who vote yes to the NewCo has made the possibility of the vote being 11 no votes to the 1 yes vote of the NewCo itself is becoming ever more likely.

Many people feel that the SPL needs Rangers in order to prosper. This has been wholeheartedly denied by Celtic Cheif Executive Peter Lawwell. There has also been a suggestion that Sky will pull the plug on their SPL deal if Rangers do not feature in Scotland's top flight. These rumours have also been knocked back by Sky representatives.

Moving Forward

It is becoming ever more likely that Rangers or any club under a new name i.e. Sevco Scotland (Sevco 5088) -will not feature in Scotland's top flight next season.- < Edit

Rangers Football Club is on a conveyor belt into a wall of spikes. A new beginning in the bottom tier of Scottish football alongside clubs like Peterhead, Stirling and Stranraer. They won't be owned by the same people, they won't have any history, they are unlikely to have many of their current crop of players after Steven Naismith, Steven Whittaker, Rhys McCabe and Sone Aluko have all left the club. However, they will still be playing in front of the same people. That is all they have left, they're fans who apparently 'don't do walking away.'

Rangers' fans don't do walking away - Stadium at full time after Rangers lost 2-0 at home to Dundee united in front of an estimated 15,000 Rangers fans.​

Sevco Scotland will be lucky to see half of that turnout for their games in Scotland's 4th tier next season.

There have been suggestions for Celtic to move to the Barclays Premier League, The npower league 1, the Dutch Eredivisie and the MLS. None are likely to materialise and Celtic will almost certainly be staying in Scotland.

Next Season

The minimum expectation for Celtic supporters next year is to comfortably win the SPL and make the Champions League group stages, bringing back memories of reaching the last 16 in Europe under Gordon Strachan.

These are exciting times for Celtic fans across the globe, with a team full of youngsters such as Adam Matthews, James Forrest, Victor Wanyama and Thomas Rogne. Players such as club captain Scott Brown (27) are considered old, yet the squad seems so mature and ready for Europe's big stage. They have already proved they are good enough for Europe's top flight after drawing home and away with one of Italy's top sides and beating one of France's top sides 3-1 at home.

Rangers, or should I say Sevco Scotland will have a tough promotion battle on their hands next year, battling it out with Queen's Park, Stranraer and Peterhead for promotion to Division 2.

Celtic won the first ever Old Firm match 5-2 and won the last ever old Firm Match 3-0.

Celtic celebrate Player Of The Year Charlie Mulgrew's opener in the 3-0 victory over Rangers in April of 2012. The last ever Old Firm game.​

The Old Firm is Dead. Long live Celtic.

This is just the beginning. ​