Livingston boss David Martindale on Lions financial gulf with Celtic and how they consistently top Hoops on points per pound

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Livingston boss David Martindale knows every penny counts at the club.And the gaffer has consistently found a way to get the most out of his budget - to the extent that per pound spent on player wages Martindale insists his side come out on top every single year over tomorrow’s opponents Celtic.With Livi’s wage budget being around £1.3m, Martindale says a ‘conservative’ estimate is that the Celts’ boast a budget ‘30 to 35’ times bigger - and some Hoops stars earn the equivalent of the entire first team squad at the Tony Macaroni Arena.He concedes, of course, that the Parkhead side have earned the right to have that sort of budget and hailed their ‘fantastic’ business model.

He also knows points per pound doesn’t win you trophiesBut it’s a stat he’s proud of and one, he says, that got Graham Potter the Brighton gig and is being looked at more closely in this day and age.Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s clash, Martindale commented: “What’s their budget?

We are £1.3m. I know one player at Celtic who is on the same as our collective weekly wage. That’s where you are and you’d be foolish to go toe to toe with them.

It would be like racing a Ferrari with a Renault Clio. You are going to lose so you need to find a way to win the race.“Ange was a wee bit vocal on it and Gio too in terms of budgets and opponents they were coming up against in Europe.