The featured image is a memory of a distant era when Celtic fans really DID play a pivotal role in sacking the board.
I know, I was there.
From days outside in the car park, refusing to pay into the match, to being a few feet away from Brian Dempsey when he had his 15 minutes of Celtic fame.
That was a particular set of circumstances.
The bank was poised to foreclose on the Parkhead club if it saw a dip in home attendance.
Also, crucially, there was a new regime in waiting across the Pond.
Our superhero wore a bunnet.
The rest is unbroken history.
Celtic’s era of domestic domination starts when Parkhead is rebuilt and is 10,000 seats larger than Ibrox.
That took business acumen, guts and vision.
As my Stateside cousins would style it, we lucked out with Fergus McCann.
Not so with the current regime.
Now, an unpopular opinion from your humble correspondent is that the desire to sack the board, although entirely understandable, is impossible.
The only time collective action by Celtic fans could have any impact would be at season ticket renewal time.
For supporters, giving up their seat in the stadium is a big ask.
Other clubs with a passionate fan base have come against the same harsh corporate reality.
For example, Newcastle United is a one-club Toon.
In the Ashley years, they gave voice to their impotent rage at the Sports Direct guy.
It made not a jot of difference.
Now there is a very laudable campaign group among the Toon Army who want nothing to do with the new Saudi owners.
The green and gold scarves at Old Trafford didn’t dislodge the Glazers.
As the match against Kairat loomed, Brendan Rodgers was forced to say the same thing again and again in pressers:
I NEED NEW PLAYERS!
Of course, he did so without calling out the board.
Post-match, he was as clear as he had been in the weeks leading up to this crucial fixture.
Indeed, when I re-read these words this morning, they had a Maryan Shved quality to them:
“It’s not my decision in the end. I can prepare the players that are here. We are clear on where we need to improve, and for whatever reason we haven’t been able to.
“There’s only so many ways that I can dress up that we don’t have the players here. It was pretty clear. You don’t need to look into the future too far.
“You know these games are tough and you want to have players in as quick as you can. But it is what it is. I have to accept where it’s at.”
This season for Celtic and Brendan will be the long goodbye.
Last night, a forward line shorn of Kühn and Kyogo, both sold at a profit, was pleasing to the balance sheet and to the opposition.
Some in the Celtic support will want self-styled football doctor Paul Tisdale sued for malpractice and clinical incompetence.
However, my information is that the head of recruitment, whatever his official title is, and Brendan have been working closely together throughout this transfer window.
That isn’t where the problem resides.
The thing is, there probably isn’t a plan other than to limp along and be top of the pile in Scotland.
That isn’t good enough for Brendan Rodgers, nor for the thousands last night inside Celtic Park who, like the Gallagher brothers, recently reprised a number from the early Nineties.
When I think of these many damp squib European nights at Paradise, it’s difficult not to look back in anger.
Discover more from Phil Mac Giolla Bháin
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
No ambition, aspirationally and inspirationally dead.
The only way that we can make a difference is to first of all find the lost fan shareholders and then organise the 20% shareholding that the fans have into one voice by the way I was the C of sack that night and was outside in the rain with you on takeover night
DD has preference shares that receive a dividend. Your man in the street with ordinary shares don’t receive them but he does
Does anyone know why our board would rather give millions to the taxman instead of spending those millions improving the team?
I think the way to do this is to shun the Europa League games that are coming.
When the ticket packages are advertised, keep your money in your pocket.
At the weekend get right behind the team, but midweek Europa games the stadium should resemble the Ronny days with top tier closed. I now folk want to support the team but what if supporting them on these nights is hurting the club long term or hurting future iterations of the team. its the only way to get the boards attention. We pay champion league prices we deserve to see our team there.
hope I’m wrong and we pull it off next week but how many times are we going to be asked to put up with this?
I didn’t go to the game, I though the board can’t be bothered replacing players they have made good money on then I am not wasting my time and money. I wish I hadn’t watched the horror show on TV as that was a waste of an evening. The board needs new blood on it and we need a new CEO.
Buy the season tickets and merchandise and shut the **** up seems to be the attitude of the Celtic Park bean counters. I stopped buying the merch a long time ago. The failure to strengthen the squad before the CL qualifier is a huge dereliction of duty by the board.
As others have said, they seem quite happy to be top dogs in Scotland. Fans would like to see the good work of last seasons CL continued, but the incompetence of the board may have crushed that.
Brendan will be off at the end of his current deal. He has lost patience and trust in the board. And who can blame him.
i too have bought almost all merchandise from Celtic , but at 64 years of age i am finished , i am sick of these European nights & the boards inability to spend , the biscuit tin mentality is well & truly here to stay , i am also considering cancelling my Celtic pools tickets i have had for 43 years as i feel that any really good prospects coming through the ranks of real quality , will be sold to line this boards pockets
hope you are happy supporting someone else. us true fans will stay behind the team/company etc.
Are you related to Gerry McSherry, the guy from Daily Record phone in who supported the old board till its dying days?
The board can spout as much sh•te as they like at the AGM, the fact is a spend of approximately £3.75m to qualify for the top showpiece tournament is disgraceful, if Celtic do not progress it is on Desmond as he has the final say on big transfer spending.
how much has kairat spent on players, and what wages do they pay compared to
us
They’ve got two or three Brazilians, and they don’t move to the arse end of the world unless there’s good money to be had
Couldn’t agree more Paul Gaughan.
It’s nothing more than a retail operation – evidenced by the constant stream of emails trying to sell all manner of pish.
I removed myself from HCTS because I never get a ticket for Hampden games but year on year pay for every home cup game. The season ticket used to get entry to a pre-season friendly and first home cup game. Steady price increases and removal of these “perks” continue to devalue the product.
The manager and team need to look at themselves after last night – but they are likely also affected by the penny pinching lack of investment.
Scunnered!
Just got home to Burnley after a near 500 mile round trip. As a 71 year old lifelong fan, it really is beginning, (yet again!), to grind my gears about the absolute lack of ambition of the current board. If Brendan walks, which I’m sure he will, at the end of the season, who, in their right mind, will replace him? Despite this, as a perennial mug, I’ll no doubt buy my Europa League package. A fool and his money……. 🙄
I believe we are being set up for the next manager to be younger and more compliant, likely an ex-player who’ll be handed the job before they’re ready so that they will be committed but won’t rock the boat.
I am a ST holder who will continue to buy it to keep my place in Paradise. I don’t however spend anything else on Celtic by way of a personal boycott. No merch, no food on match day. no additional tickets………I’m sure if that protest was copied in the tens of thousands Adidas and the club would take notice without risking your ST for better times ahead hopefully.
Absolutely bang on. A couple of weeks and Adidas would be on the phone. It’s the only thing they understand.
I wonder if the recent sightings of Mr F McCann are an indication of changes 🤞
I don’t understand the need to have such a large balance sheet.. I certainly haven’t had a dividend in 20 years.. so it can’t be that… But what I do now see, clear as day, is that last season was the latest panicle of where this club will go…
I read a line today online that Celtic “are a retail and marketing organisation fronted by a football club”. Not a truer word has been said..
We’re consistently outperformed by so-called “smaller European clubs” who not only beat us but go on to surpass us in stature and ambition. Bodø/Glimt is a prime example. And that’s without even mentioning clubs like Club Brugge, Ajax, or Benfica.
It’s been said so many times but it is now Blatantly obvious that Celtic’s primary ambition is simply to stay just ahead of Rangers. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if the occasional league title loss is seen as beneficial for business—keeping the rivalry alive and the money flowing.
But this isn’t football anymore. It’s a rigged game. WWE…. If we continue down this path, we’re heading toward the stature of the League of Ireland or the Welsh Premier League. And the worst part? It seems no one at the top really cares, as long as the revenue keeps rolling in.
Well, not from me. I’m done.
I’m done too mate.. will never buy another football strip from the club even tho many of my previous purchases over the years still lie in their plastic bags in drawers
What gets me is it isn’t even rangers anymore so everyone is deluding themselves
The board have taken the most loyal support in the world and made mugs of them. The greed that surrounds our club with bloated directors that take take take. Desmond couldn’t care less about Celtic, its a toy for him as his golf buddies to discuss on some lavish course. He has put his cronies in place to manage the decline on the pitch all the while taking massive dividends. Rodgers is the proverbial croppy that wont lie down for them. He shares the spirations of the support, he’s a football man, the suits are money men, they see the fans as consumers, to be fleeced at every opportunity. They give nothing back, they sneer at fans and the manager alike. Rodgers will be gone and they’ll find a new patsy to coach the dross they supply. I don’t care what institution it is, if you neglect the foundations it falls. Desmond and Lawell et al take note!!!!
I don’t know where you get the idea DD is taking massive dividends. It’s a PLC and all shareholders would have to be paid a dividend if he is receiving one. As a poster on here has pointed out – he’s a shareholder and hasn’t received one. So that’s another myth. As for the 100m in the bank, it’s not available for spending on the squad. Can they spend more, yes but not as much as some of our support imagine can be splashed about. Our squad will be limited to 70% of the annual income. That needs to be managed on the cost of the current squad’s wages, coaches, manager etc plus incoming player’s wages and transfer fee (assigned pro rata over the course of the contract, of course offset by sales). To attract top quality players we need to pay them as much as we can within that budget and paying huge transfer fees eats into what the club can offer players often on 4 to 5 year contracts. That presents problems when we have big money duds we cannot/could not shift like Barkas, McCarthy the wee striker who’s name escapes me and countless other over the years. Effectively blocking a spot for top player in the first team squad. But aye, scream about the money in the bank… No supporter really takes the time to figure out what is really available within UEFA regs.
The board have pulled the wool over your eyes
I was under the impression that there are two types of shares – preference and ordinary shares.
I have ordinary shares for which I receive no annual dividends whereas I know people who have preference shares and have received substantial dividends in the past.
Dermot Desmond has mostly if not all preference shares and when he joined the board he also received dividends running into the millions.
I don’t know if this is still the case or things have changed and share dividends are no longer allocated.
Maybe our current preference share holders among our supporters can enlighten us as to whether they still receive dividends or not.
I fully understand the constraints imposed by UEFA regulations—but let’s be honest, these rules seem designed to preserve the status quo rather than promote genuine fairness. Yes, we’ve seen some investment in Barrowfield, but what about the stadium? Or even giving something back to the fans.. There’s a glaring lack of communication from the club about any long-term strategy or vision. As supporters—whether through season tickets, merchandise, or shares—we are all investors in this club. We’re not asking for transfer gossip or sensitive details, but we do deserve clarity on the club’s direction. A five-year plan, even in broad strokes, would go a long way in building trust and showing us that there’s a roadmap for progress.
Preference Shares are worth looking into.
There are 2 types of shares, 1 makes a dividend the other does not. We are making profits year on year & the money in the bank keeps increasing, so there is plenty of room to spend money & pay the wages. UEFA allow losses up to a point, now I am not saying we should spend all our money but we could make a slight loss now & again or even break even, money will sty in the bank for the rainy day.
While I am on, fans want the main stand rebuilt, refurbished, cost of £100m has been quoted. What if a share issue was made with the money going towards this, I am sure fans would buy these shares for this purpose. Why is this not being considered, or is it that it would dilute the existing shares & DD & board don’t want there power reduced.
Preference Shares take priority over normal Holdings when it comes to paying out dividends.
The downside is however they don’t hold any voting rights and so therefore are reliant on the business making money in order to keep a steady stream of income from them.
That could be problematic if you only hold Preference Shares and no other Holdings however at Celtic it is a high likelihood that the bulk of these Shares do belong to those who have more control at Celtic.
It is also worth noting that in the event of Liquidation those who have Preference Shares do have a bigger claim on any assets being sold.
The reason I stated it is worth looking into Preference Shares at Celtic is I believe that the likes of Dermot Desmond are annually making a tidy sum from the continued Financial success of the business which is fine on the surface because it means we are doing well on the Park as well as off it but as we see almost annually the priority at Celtic appears to be the success off of it is the main priority and not the success that could be realised on it.
In order to change that dynamic then there has to be a seismic shift in who ultimately controls Celtic.
Supporters historically were the difference in 1994 as the Club set a new record with the success of the Share Issue under McCann.
It is my believe that we as a fanbase could do so again by collectively buying large quantities of Preference Shares rather than small holdings of Normal Shares with voting rights attached.
By doing so then we are eating into the profits these guys are annually benefiting from.
Ultimately they will simply sell up and go elsewhere or as I suspect sell up and retire with the massive profits they make.
Just like Fergus did in 1999.