So, the plans to increase Elland Road from 37,000 seats to 53,000 seats, has the media wetting themselves today. They somehow imagine that if the 49ers consortium takes over at Ibrox, at the top of their priority list will be the expansion of Ibrox.
Dream on, I say.
While Celtic will have converted the main stand and increased the Celtic Park capacity to 80,000 seats, they’ll still be waiting at Ibrox.
The finish date of this “massive” expansion at Elland Road is expected to be completed sometime in 2030.
Do the media, and Ibrox fans for that matter, really believe the consortium will invest in the expansion of Ibrox while they’re investing hugely in the Elland Road revamp?
I often wonder whether the journalists at the Daily Record ever actually communicate with each other?
Or has actual journalism been completely forgotten about at that title?
Yesterday evening, Scott Burns of the Record released a story painting a much more realistic view of the takeover.
He covered the impact FSR rules will have on any prospective Ibrox takeover.
James did an extensive piece on this over on The Celtic Blog.
Suffice it to say, Burns painted a much bleaker picture of what’s coming down the line.
If it’s actually coming at all.
Uefa Fair Play rules, however, restrict new owners from simply pouring money into a club.
This is what Burns said verbatim.
Because he seems to understand what UEFA FFP, or FSR, is all about.
So, this story is published yesterday evening, and then this morning, you have this lovely, flowery, fantasy story from Grame Young in the same paper, telling us that effectively Marathe’s vision for Elland Road, is a blueprint for what’s coming down the road at Ibrox!
Seriously?
One journalist is saying they cannot pour money into the Ibrox club due to FSR regulations.
(Photo by Alan Harvey/SNS Group via Getty Images)
And another is telling happy bears that soon Paraag Marathe will be contemplating a multi-million pound expansion of Ibrox?
And how exactly would he pull that off?
More to the point, WHEN would he pull it off?
Especially when you take into consideration the Elland Road project would not be complete until 2030?
Does Young think that in five years time the Ibrox club will be so wealthy and so successful, that they’ll be able to turn Ibrox into a UEFA 5 star arena?
Of course, they all seem to think that following the Fergus McCann blueprint is the way forward for the Ibrox side.
The likes of Young is imagining that the first step after the takeover will be stadium expansion.
Similar to what Fergus McCann did with Celtic Park.
However, that was 30+ years ago.
The footballing landscape was entirely different then.
And UEFA FSR was not a thing like it is now.
The 90’s actually was the decade of the Sugar Daddy, with the likes of Jack Walker pouring millions into Blackburn Rovers, both in stadium expansion, and massive player purchases.
He practically bought their EPL title in 1995.
It was the epitome of a flash in the pan.
The same club was relegated to Nationwide League division one four years later in 1999.
Blackburn Rovers are a prime example of the pitfalls of the Sugar Daddy, and how it really is a thing of the past.
Jack Walker’s legacy, in reality, is a club that has yo-yoed between the top flight and second tier of English football for most of the 21st century.
Fergus McCann’s legacy is a stadium that keeps us ahead of our nearest rivals as a result of having 10,000 seats more than them.
McCann was no Sugar Daddy, he invested very wisely in Celtic, generating a return very quickly.
(Photo by Ryan Crockett/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
His legacy is exactly what you see today at Celtic Park.
It’s what they dream of at Ibrox.
Hence that fantasy article by Graeme Young today, which is nothing more than a pipe dream.
The reality, as I said from the outset, is that Celtic will have revamped the main stand and increased our capacity to 80,000 and Ibrox will still have a capacity of 50,000.
They will still be waiting for that imaginary Sugar Daddy when that happens.
Scott Burns says it’s austerity coming down the tracks.
Graeme Young thinks the American consortium will pour money into a stadium revamp and player transfers.
Yet Burns has proven that this is impossible.
Which in turn proves nobody communicates in the offices of the Daily Record.
Nobody bothers to properly edit the work of the stenographers employed there.
Journalism and the Record should not be mentioned in the same sentence.
Real journalists see that paper as a stepping stone onto better things.
Burns has some chance of becoming a decent journalist.
Young will remain at the Record, writing fantasy stories for their targeted readership.
Living the dream.
Just like his favourite club is about to starting living the American dream, yeah?
Most Americans will tell you these days that the American dream is a dead concept.
Enough said….
