SENTINELCELTS

Morning, all.

As I have mentioned before, the main criticism of the new Financial Sustainability Regulations is that it rewards clubs who churn over players at an unhealthy rate and punishes those who like to build a team. (Even though that player churn seems to ignore the hidden costs of transfers, such as agents fees and signing on fees for incoming players, not to mention the 20% VAT applied.) Be that as it may, when only football-related earnings from the previous three years are eligible for use, it actually makes sense to sell players within that period of time in order to to keep transfer income and expenditure within its use by date. 

For instance, the financial rewards to Celtic of selling Jota and Starfelt are no longer relevant. But the £22m we are apparently receiving for Engels is. As is all transfer profit inbetween. We might not like the idea of selling a 22yo midfielder whose best days are clearly yet to come, but FSR makes it a sensible move, even while every other metric in football is screaming about how big a mistake this is. Apart obviously from the one where he didn’t want to stay and renew his contract. That’s just the way it is now. 

His departure means we have a large hole in our midfield. Fortunately, we’ve just signed another 22yo, Baur from Paderborn in Germany. Big shoes to fill, young Mika! Welcome to the greatest club in the world, show us what you’ve got!!!

With these two changes, and the likely absence due to yet another injury of AJ, we certainly won’t be seeing the same starting XI tomorrow as we did the previous two weekends. Scales is back too, having served a suspension carried-over from last season. Add in Hassein, who I’d expect to start, especially with the midweek qualifier looming, and we might see at least four changes. Managers are unfortunately used to dealing with this during the season as injury and suspension takes its toll. But they prefer to have a settled side at the start of the season. 

There may well be more to come yet too. There are still 20 days of the window to go, and I doubt our wheeling and dealing is done for the summer. AJ’s injury means he won’t be amongst those leaving and we haven’t received any offers for Hatate-which will come as a blow to a player with a very high opinion of himself and who clearly wants to leave. Hell mend him then. Clubs tend not to buy players with his kind of attitude, never mind his form over the last two years or so. To get a move, he will need to convince our manager that he can be trusted. Good luck with that. 

Changing the subject slightly, though with a referral back to a previous point. I mentioned that Scales is back after suspension. His suspension was actually carried over from events last season, where his name was unfortunately just too popular with the referees. McInnes also has time to serve as a result of last season. Three games plus one suspended, if I recall correctly. He and his club decided to stretch this out by means of the appeals process, which suspends any penalty pending a final outcome. They clearly decided his presence in the dugout was vital in the two opening games against Dundee Utd and Hibs. Unfortunately, that presence didn’t have the desired effect of galvanising his players into an electric start to the season. Far from it, with only one point taken from six so far. 

Maybe the players looked over to the bench for inspiration and saw just another guy in a suit and brown brogues. From a distance, these guys all look the same-it could have been Rohl or Wee Barry or Beale standing there. And it’s not like they could tell the difference either just from how he sounded. All they could hear, after all, was the well known Ibrox Chorus…

BOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

They tumbled out of the Europa League last night at home to Jagiella Byalistock, their only goal once again coming from a penalty. Four goals all season, two penalties and two own goals so far. Next stop, a home tie against St Mirren who I hope will maintain their 100% winning run.  The reason I mention this-I don’t usually mention our suicidal soo’side neighbours in articles-is because the SFA may soon face a major conundrum.

Personally, I can’t see the huns firing McInnes even if they are bombed out of the League Cup by St Mirren, then out of Europe altogether two weeks from now. But it remains a possibility, which would then mean that he could be looking for a new job-with any future employer knowing that he can’t be in the dugout for the first four games! That’s harsh. But then I remember the reason for his disciplinary issue, and all sympathy disappears. 

We can then look forward to reading articles by the same “journos” who were pushing for Ibrox to sack him supporting his candidature for the still vacant Scotland job. Amazingly they will do so in all seriousness, with after all no credibility left to lose. Where next for an Ibrox failure if not the Scotland job? It’s a path well trodden by many a brown brogue beforehand. And he won’t be subject to the issues caused by that four match dugout ban either. 

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Above article by BMCUWP