Sevco Needs Celtic: That’s The Bottom Line

This weekend was notable for an excellent Celtic display and two more Leigh Griffiths goals, as well as an imminent signing which will answer some of the questions I posed last week.

Griffiths said after the game that those who want to talk about him as a future “Celtic legend” are jumping the gun.

He might be right.

But if he keeps on going as he is then there’s no reason at all why he can’t go on to wear that title with pride.

51 goals in Celtic colours so far.

He’s well on the way to that 100 total, and what lies beyond. He’s got the stuff to make it, and I never doubted it for a second.

It was a very decent Celtic display, anchored by a magnificent performance from Tom Rogic, who Leigh apart looks like a Player of the Year contender.

But I want to talk about something that happened elsewhere.

On Friday, at the press conference for Hibs match with Falkirk, one of Scottish football’s lesser known hacks asked a truly bizarre question, which has generated a raft of absolutely ridiculous headlines and, frankly, made our media look more barmy than usual.

The question was in relation to Anthony Stokes, and according to several media sources, and in particular The Daily Record, Stubbs “toiled to find a response.”

That had the sum total of nil to do with his taking the question seriously, and was more about how absolutely left-field ridiculous the question was.

Imagine if someone turned up at a press conference for NASA and asked a question relating to tomato growing in Herefordshire.

I think their media people would “toil to find a response” too, after first making sure the question wasn’t some kind of put-on.

There are times when I’m madly sure our entire media is some kind of put-on.

At other times I think they’re just outright useless.

And then there’s most of the time, when I think they’re idiotic beyond all rationale or reason and play so much to the “core audience” that they forget there actually are a bunch of Other People in the country who view them as completely unhinged.

The question was on Anthony Stokes, of course, who this site is delighted has chosen to go to Hibs where he’ll be involved in a genuine title battle and could make the difference in it.

Stubbs was asked if he was surprised Celtic allowed this when it could “cost us £10 million.”

I don’t know who the “journalist” who asked it was, but if the smell of cheap whiskey had caused everyone in a five seat radius to clear out I would not have been dreadfully surprised because the febrile mind that produced that question could only have been inspired by wine if it wasn’t just a moment of outright twattery.

Stubbs, who clearly knew what the question inferred, did “toil” to find an answer, but only in the same way he would have had it been on nuclear physics.

When he finally did, he used the words “Pass … pass …” before discussing the footballing merits of signing Anthony Stokes rather than any hypothetical, theoretical, metaphysical or even paranormal consequences which might accrue from it.

I have seen media spin of all shades and colours before, but this has to be one of the most blatant examples of twisting logic I’ve ever come across.

I don’t know whether the hack asked it in an angry, accusatory tone “Just what in the Hell do Celtic think they’re doing?”; or a baffled one; “What do they hope to gain from this?”; or even played straight; “Do Celtic not realise this could cost Sevco the title and that could cost them £10 million?”

I don’t even care if he was screaming “Why? Why? Why?” as he was dragged from the press room, prior to being sedated and sent somewhere with padded walls.

To use a Hibs press conference to question Celtic’s policy in such a way, to question our intentions, is crass, bitter and utterly cowardly.

This guy wouldn’t have dared ask the question at Parkhead; there it wouldn’t have drawn bafflement but frank contempt and said hack might well have found his press credentials revoked on the grounds that he’s not an impartial journalist trying to elicit information but a hack trying to stir the soup and create a story where none exists.

Could loaning out a player to Hibs backfire on Celtic?

Of course not!

The idea is patently absurd.

Could it really cost us £10 million?

Of course not.

Let’s deal, once and for all, with the elephant in the room, and especially on a day when we’re about to spend upwards of £1.5 million on an international defender whilst Sevco plays “hardball” with St Johnstone for a few hundred grand.

Without being in the same league as Celtic, Sevco will die.

There it is, in black and white, with no sugar coating.

It’s a pure and simple fact.

Now, I think they’re in grave danger whether we’re in the league or not, and in some ways their desire to “challenge” us actually makes the prospect of their demise even greater when the two clubs are actually playing in the same division, but that’s a digression at this point.

Because that’s avoidable.

All they have to do is be realistic in their goals and objectives and they’ll have a shot at leaving the fans a club to support at the end of it all.

But their entire business model is bound up in being “Rangers” and Rangers, for all their claims to be something special, needed Celtic and the zombie outfit playing at Ibrox now has bet everything on getting the SPL and constructing a rivalry on which to sell season tickets.

The simple fact is Celtic does not need a club called Rangers playing in its league.

The much vaunted “£10 million lost” that Lawwell has talked about …. It’s reflected in Celtic’s own decision to cut the price of season tickets and it is small beer compared to Champions League income that’s gone bye-bye in the last two seasons.

But more than that; it pales into insignificance next to how much Rangers stole in their various guises during the financial doping years, and Sevco shows every indication of being willing to play by the same ghastly rules – spending what they don’t have in the hope someone else picks up the tab and blackmailing Scottish football to play ball.

Exactly what incentive is there for us to give them a free ride to the top flight when we can help prevent that?

Even if you accept the fabled number – which I don’t – we’re constantly told of what Sevco will do when they are firing on all cylinders.

Celtic fans will be outraged if they’re allowed to catch us, and that will cost a hell of a lot more than a mere £10 million.

Without that £10 million – even if it were real – we would survive.

We’ve structured our business model according to our own needs, and we’re in no danger of losing our way.

Their club can’t say the same.

Without being able to resurrect the hated Old Firm rivalry, in some perverse form NewCo Rangers is finished.

Today Hibs drew 1-1 with Falkirk.

That gives Sevco a clear lead at the top of the Championship.

If Hibs overcome them, with or without Anthony Stokes, it will not be the fault of Celtic or any other club.

The blame will lie squarely at Ibrox, and it’s telling that their media lackies are doing what they can, even now, to divert attention from that simple fact.