Poor Brendan supposedly had a clause he got £25m if sacked or something mental like that. Would have been sacked ages ago otherwise. Not sure if he is winning or losing in that scenario.
Actually no. Winning. Definitely winning.
He will probably get the Palace job or something in the summer
Acknowledging the gulf in resources versus the opposition, I’m still mildly surprised that the huns have won all their games since losing the League Cup Final. I thought the Beale bubble might fully burst after that. I’m interested to see if he tries to be more expansive after getting heavily criticised for the crude approach in that last Celtic game (hoof long balls up to Morelos who was playing on Starfelt’s side & have Sakala looking to run onto any breaks). I guess that’s how they scored twice in the New Year’s derby when Celtic/Starfelt had 5/10 minutes of madness but Starfelt stood up to it the last time & the huns had nothing else. I think myself it would play into Celtic’s hands if he plays Tillman, Kent, Cantwell etc & goes at Celtic. But I also think we should beat them at Celtic Park if he tries to keep it tight & plays Lundstram, Jack, Kamara etc.
The standard of the SPL is absolutely abysmal this year outside of the old firm. In the past, you’d always struggle at a few away games, and games at hearts, Hibs, Aberdeen etc could be fraught enough affairs as home advantage was a leveller. Unfortunately, and I genuinely mean unfortunately, hearts Hibs Aberdeen and co are a shambles. The SPL is as uncompetitive as I can ever remember it. It’s no preparation for any kind of European football. The Huns still have an expensive squad on a wage bill on a different planet to Hamish McJ. Fatigue and inevitability have smeared the early season spring in the step from every other club along the floor, whilst the huns have a brown brogues bounce.
Having said that, I thought they’d have dropped a game or two by now, but Beale seems to have them all pointed in the same direction at present. They’ll turn on him.next season if Celtic get ahead (they’ll actually start if we beat them next weekend).
Their supporters genuinely believe they are a European superpower.
Ange obviously loathes beale. It makes me inclined to think that Beale was slithering around behind GVB’s back long before his appointment.
This isn’t based on any research & is more a feeling/hunch, but I think the financial disparity between the top teams & the rest is getting so big across multiple leagues that’s it becoming almost impossible for others to bridge the gap on the pitch.
Obviously it’s all relative because the EPL stands out on its own & then there’s the other top 5 leagues. But Celtic & the huns getting CL money on top of having massive matchday revenue & far more sponsorship funds than the rest puts them way ahead.
The same applies to the likes of Benfica, Ajax etc versus their competitors in these leagues below the top 5. €30m annual CL revenue is a game changer. There has to be complete organisation turmoil/ineptitude like in Lennon’s last season for things to seep down onto the pitch & that competitive advantage to be surrendered.
That said, Hearts, Hibs & Aberdeen should be much better than what they’ve shown. Their budgets are still favourable compared to the sides they invariably get knocked out by in the earlier European rounds, the teams that come 3rd to 6th in Scandinavia & in small leagues in Eastern Europe. They should be better at putting it up to Celtic & the huns in one off games & taking points here & there.
Dont know if that’s true mate. Liverpools’ wage bill is 75%higher than Arsenal’s and Arsenal are winning the league. Napoli are too, despite much smaller budget than the milan 2 and juve. It certainly loads the dice but if you get a good manager you’ll always have a chance.
Yeah, you’re right but I want to draw on the spirit of Kev & say we’re both right (kind of). I’m more looking at leagues outside the top 5 where CL money totally changes the landscape. For example, Celtic’s revenue goes from c.£60mn a year to £100mn if they’re in the CL, and Hearts’ is around £25mn (+/- 10mn, margin for error!) I know they’ll have more costs too & it’s not all profit but it gives them more funds to buy players, makes them a more attractive option for players & I imagine it helps on the unseen side too in terms of planning & preparation (facilities, analytics, sports science, other expertise & all that shite). They should be way ahead of the rest (bar the huns), if the club is operating any way professionally, when that’s loaded on top of a strong starting point.
I’m plucking figures from my arse here but there’s such riches in the EPL, for example, that the likes of Arsenal might report £600mn annual revenue instead of £750mn or something, if they miss out on the CL. They’re still hugely wealthy but they wouldn’t want to be missing out on it for too much longer than they have done. But they’ve been in the CL as a regular for many years before the recent lull so they have a solid financial base.
As I say, you’re right that a good manager with a good set up can bridge the gap to the top teams despite having a lower wage budget. But I think it applies when those clubs have that solid financial standing like Arsenal (& Napoli are now a CL regular too). As in, it’s theoretically easier for Arsenal to bridge the gap to Liverpool/Man City than, say, Hearts to catch Celtic/Rangers.