Steve Smith

@EasyPeasy_3 @cartujakds No - we didn't either. Then again, we were a bit rubbish!

This redacted message has emerged following the investigation. I'm prepared to keep the sender's identity out of the public realm to give the team the opportunity to withdraw from the competition...

💥 SNAP CHRISTMAS QUIZ 2026 💥 You all know the drill. DM me with: ✅Team Name ✅ Captain Name ✅ Team Members' Handles Let your favourite nemeses know about the quiz.

@cartujakds @EasyPeasy_3 @DubCentral @welshjb @jimbauld @FantasyAnorak @SeanM_98 @iainboyle @duffster1975 @paolodilamio @CelticDown Celtic Down Under team assembling. Please put me as captain, team member handles to be confirmed later today. Thanks for doing this @cartujakds - I know you said last year was the last one, but I think we need this!

@Alan_Morrison67 Interesting. I connected with the Trust some time back. Their Drive for Five campaign was strategically good, but poorly executed. Also, I was amazed at how many fellow fans didn’t trust the individuals running the Trust. Need to tackle that last issue first.

The ONLY way to effect change at Celtic is thru boring shareholder engagement, coordination, pooling together and working together towards clear and achievable goals That and tons of patience whilst leaving the ego battles at the door it is the only way

@MMcculloch2563 @scotlandscoeff1 That’s amazing. What’s the trophy like for that?

@scotlandscoeff1 It's now 6 straight seasons Rangers have been the last Scottish team left in Europe (even the 22/23 UCL season they got knocked out MD5 and us MD6 before any of them start clutching about that). Complete DOMINANCE in competitions when there's no Scottish refs anywhere to be seen.

A gut punch for Celtic fans - they were on the brink of taking Bayern to extra time, and they deserved at least that. Everyone knew it was a massive challenge, but in true Scottish fashion, they fell at the final hurdle. Celtic have still never won in Germany, while Bayern remain undefeated at home against Scottish teams, boasting a now 15-match unbeaten run against Scots since their 1-0 Tynecastle loss in 1989. It’ll now be at least 22 years since Celtic last won a European knockout tie after Christmas. Sigh. On the bright side, Scotland’s Coefficient gained 0.2 points - which was unexpected before kick off tonight. However, to secure 12th place, we now rely on pretty much all teams from the surrounding countries being eliminated this week - and then Rangers mounting a deep Europa League run on their own.

Very worthy cause folks. Support if you can.

@danmcgin @celticbars @shaneb31 @Jarrod82_ - can you boys advise?

@celticbars Whats best option to watch in Melbourne on Thursday with Turf bar currently closed? Cheers

Sorry pal, nothing listed for Larne.

@cartujakds @FantasyAnorak @LLcoolPhil @fisksektionen Well done Team Brolin. And well done @cartujakds - fantastic quiz. Thank you.

In first place in The Cartuja Christmas Quiz 2024 with 32 points (and only 3 members) Team Brolin 👏👏👏 @FantasyAnorak (c) @LLcoolPhil @fisksektionen

@UnDiluted7 Ooops.

Absolute scenes in Wellington 👌🏻

@cartujakds No pressure @Jarrod82_ @shaneb31 @Sean_Down_Under @willieinnes2 @UnDiluted7 @Liam6783 @PaulMassie @Steven_in_Oz @amag1984 John and Gerard Thanks again to @cartujakds for a fantastic quiz. Today will be a mix of Boxing Day Test, AmgeBall by Rugari and quiz!

It should be noted that there as members of 'The Wild Colonial Boys (Celtic Down Under)' as there were Apostles. I'm expecting miracles.

@cartujakds @SeanM_98 @jimbauld @hollyborninjune @MccGoooo @FlumpsF @EasyPeasy_3 @FantasyAnorak @welshjb @MarkFunk23 @johnfreel1 @DubCentral @iainboyle @KevTGallagher @Plopps67 @duffster1975 Confirmed and suitably confounded already.

Could all team captains please confirm that they have received the quiz graphic? @SeanM_98 @jimbauld @hollyborninjune @MccGoooo @FlumpsF @EasyPeasy_3 @SteveSmithPS @FantasyAnorak @welshjb @MarkFunk23 @johnfreel1 @DubCentral @iainboyle @kevtgallagher @Plopps67 @duffster1975

@ETimsNet Nope - just Idah. Don’t think Balmer got booked.

Balmer and Idah booked.

Who would be up for the last ever Cartuja Christmas Quiz on here?

@cartujakds Abso-bloody-lutely! Also on BlueSky if easier.

This is really nice data. Great insight re who is pack passing, who is creating and who is converting. Really good stuff.

If anyone works at a football club or a company in the EU, Oz or NZ that has a data job available that pays a livable wage and can/could hire a foreigner Please send me a link. Or DM me. My wife and I have had many conversations this year & I am now looking at opportunities

🎇🟢⚪ #UCL

💰📊 RANGERS Vs CELTIC FINANCES 📊💰 (3 mins reading time) 📊 Some graphs to compare the finances and the way the two big Glasgow clubs have been run, starting with the most important - revenue. 🆙 Both have seen steady increases in revenue in recent years, primarily driven by European competition. Celtic have stretched their earnings gap over Rangers since they were earning about the same in 21/22. It's no surprise that in the three seasons Celtic reached the Champions League = over £100m in income. It will be the same again in next years accounts, as they again qualified for the competition where all the money is. 🆕 What do fans want to see income spent on? New players. Both have done this and can spend in one summer what everyone else in the country might not spend in 10 years. Note that the dashed line figures for 24/25 can increase in January, the figures I've included were this summer's spends noted in both club's respective accounts. ⚖️ Where the clubs differ markedly is on net spend. Rangers simply do not sell players at the same rate or level as Celtic have done consistently over the last 10+ years. This has resulted in Rangers having positive (bad) net spends almost every year (except for two: the year they sold Patterson and the year they sold Bassey). Conversely - Celtic regularly have negative net spends as they generally bring in more than they spend. 💷 Player wages are the biggest cost to a football club, and you can see that Rangers' total wage bill has steadily increased since their return to the premiership, topping out at £64m in 2022/23 - higher than Celtic for the first time. When their revenue and player sales are substantially lower than Celtic's, this quickly becomes unsustainable. Numerous departures last season including high earners like Morelos and Kent, as well as no bonuses paid to players for Champions League qualification saw their wage bill reduce by a few million to £61.2m. 📉 It wasn't enough of a reduction though, hence the £17.3m loss announced on Tuesday. Clement has spoken regularly this season about their need to reduce both the wage bill and the age of the squad, as seen in their summer dealings. They signed 11 players with an average age of 23, to replace the 13 departees that had an average age of 28. The dashed lines for 24/25 are wage predictions based on 1.) Rangers' accounts stating their cost cutting this summer will reduce their wage bill by a further £6m and 2.) Celtic's accounts stating they invested a further £31m on new signings this summer as they look to become more competitive in Europe and not just domestically - which will likely increase their wage bill. 📈 AT LEAST a £15m gap in total wages between the two clubs, seems more realistic than the less than £5m gap we've seen in each of the last 4 years - given there's now a gap of over £30m in revenue. 🏧 The Rangers directors and investors have, and continue to, fund the continued losses and attempts to close the gap, on and off the field. And so although a lot of Rangers problems - poor leadership and even worse transfer business - can be blamed on their board, without them Rangers' losses are completely unmanageable. Since the year end, the directors converted another £9m of their own existing debt into equity, and have already agreed to an extra £4m of debt funding and £8.6m in equity. 🆙 It's not all bad news for Rangers fans though - this was a record year for income, they are no longer getting sued, and their capacity is now at 51,700 which includes new hospitality spaces that bring in £10m. Their operating loss before player sales is now down at a £2m loss compared to over £10m last year. 🤷‍♂️ But fundamentally the dial on this substantial financial gap between the two can only be shifted if Champions League participation switched between the two. This would probably require Rangers to win the league, which of course seems unlikely at present. Indeed due to Scotland's poor coefficient (currently) all clubs may have to budget for the very real prospect of not having any guaranteed European football, never mind Champions League. 🏔️ If Scotland don't finish inside the top 15 in the UEFA rankings then after next season nobody is guaranteed any European league phase football and all of our clubs could conceivably be out of Europe by August in 2 years time.

Great write-up from @scotlandscoeff1 - really nice summary and great, simple format!