Scottish football has not provided much of a challenge to Celtic this season. A 29-game unbeaten streak certainly tells the tale on the pitch, but could it be that this is the new-norm for the Hoops?
Celtic’s performance under manager Brendan Rodgers has many wondering if the Bhoys are ever going to drop a domestic match this season. However, the real question is — will anyone be able to mount a real challenge to Celtic anytime in the long-term future?
The answer to that question is an easy one — no.
Not just because of the level of play on the pitch, but also because of what is happening off the pitch. In particular, what is happening in the boardrooms across Scotland and in Celtic’s boardroom in particular.
Earlier this week, Celtic reported an £18.8 million ($23.4 million) profit for the first six months of the fiscal year. It also reported revenue up 94.7 percent for the same time over last year.
There’s no doubt that getting to the Champions League, hosting three games on the European stage and getting access to the money distributed to participants played a large part in those numbers.
It’s a level of access that changes the game for clubs that can’t count on domestic money. Celtic certainly are in that boat. After all, Celtic made as much (if not more) off of one game against Manchester City in the Champions League as they did for winning the Scottish Premiership title last season.
Even if Celtic don’t make a dime the rest of the season they have £18.8 million that no one in Scottish football can bank in a given season.
Most importantly, Celtic have a business model that has been working for them and fully expect to keep that model going forward.
Therein lies the reason Celtic are going to run domestic football for as far as the eye can see. Until someone else figures out how to use Celtic’s model to its own advantage, no one is going to be able to compete.
Even if a team is able to find quality players, get maximum performances out of them and compete at a better level than this season, Celtic can still offer the carrot of Champions League football and higher salaries than anyone in Scotland.
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It isn’t like anyone is going to suddenly get richer than Celtic are today. As long as Celtic keep winning titles, no one else has access to the cash cow that is making the Champions League group stage.
Unless a rich foreign entity comes in to flip the Scottish game on its head, who exactly can compete with making £18.8 million in a single year?
Add in the fact that Celtic have talent the rest of Europe wants, and you have a recipe for success as far as the eye can see.
From Virgil Van Dijk to Victor Wanyama and Fraser Forster to recent signees like Jozo Simunovic and Moussa Dembele, positive transfer fee flow is likely to be a steadying force for the club.
With talks of a £40 million price tag on Dembele and a huge transfer market for 19-year-old Celtic product Kieran Tierney, the Celtic bottom line is likely to be flush with cash in the summer transfer market.
Say the transfer market only allows for a total of £40 million. Add in the £18.8 million and suddenly the profit becomes nearly a crazy £60 million in one offseason.
Is there anyone in Scottish football that can meet that amount of profitability?
With that kind of cash, Celtic can find quality replacements for the players it may loose and still bank a huge chunk of change for the long-term health of the club.
There simply isn’t a single player in Scottish football worth as much as either Tierney or Dembele will fetch on the transfer market this offseason or next.
Celtic are also not going to overspend just because they have the money in the bank. Instead, the club may look to be smart about finding ways to increase weekly wages and spend wisely to be able to sell on again in the future.
It has been the model of success to this point, and with Champions League football never a given under the old or new system, the Celtic boardroom is likely smart enough to know it can’t go hog-wild on spending.
After all, it is that chase that got clubs like Rangers, Hearts and Hibernian in serious financial trouble in the past.
While finances alone aren’t a guarantee of future success, the reality of today’s footballing world is that having a solid financial footing certainly is a massive help to success on the pitch.
That financial advantage certainly is a massive advantage in a domestic league that isn’t flush with cash like England or Germany or Spain. When you are playing on a different financial playing field than the 11 other clubs you compete with on the pitch, you have a built in advantage.
So, as we as a Celtic supporters revel in what is happening this season on the pitch, what is happening off of it may be all but guaranteeing this becomes the new-norm in Scottish football.
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It is why Rodgers and Co. continue to talk about becoming more than a team that makes the Champions League group stage.
Celtic clearly have their sights on lofty goals, and it may be a long time before they come down from their domestic perch.
Enjoy the run, because 20 years ago none of what is happening today was indeed guaranteed.