This is not what Fergus McCann wanted for Celtic when his five-year plan was successfully concluded.
Having ousted the old board, the last thing he wanted was for the club he saved to become an absolute monarchy.
In the long, sad story of the work experience PR effort at Parkhead, this is probably the lowest so far.
This from a source inside the room today:
Someone should have ripped that statement up, but of course, no one stands up to the Kaiser. Now you see what Rodgers was up against. The unbridgeable gap is not with Europe but between the fans and this toxic board.
No strategy, no communication. Lawwell telling grown men and women who have invested their hard earned in Celtic to “behave” so we can listen to the son of a billionaire telling same fans they are bullies, sums up where we’re at as a club.
It’s hard to disagree with that take.
The anaemic delivery from the Prince of Shares merely added to the unedifying spectacle.
There was no doubting the message; it was Double Down, Don’t Back Down Day.
This was Black Friday in Paradise.
On the top table, it was clear that a few souls had been reduced to clear.
Sold at a discount.
Peter Lawwell telling the meeting to “behave” was quite the moment.
These are people who travel every week from places like Gaoth Dobhair to away games as far as Aberdeen to support the club they love.
Then, using a septuagenarian interim manager, adored by the Celtic support, as a deflector shield could be categorised as “shameless”.
It is worth remembering that Fergus assembled a real board of business heavyweights who would hold him to account.
Compare and contrast.
Across the city, it was an excellent day to bury bad news.
That was clever PR in operation.
If in nothing else, this most recent iteration of the Sevco High Command is streets ahead of Celtic.
As I write this, Rugger Guy has unexpectedly come off the bench to be an impact sub and is sending me his take.
More of that anon.
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I was at the AGM. The start of the AGM was met by chants and that should have been it. But no, Jeanette Findlay took it upon herself to walk aggressively toward the chair and shout her demands for the agenda to be changed. She was, quite rightly told no. The disruption began then, the Trust and others (All holding red cards) proceeded to continue shouting despite being given multiple opportunities to stop. Them being told to behave was, in my opinion correct.
The meeting was adjourned.
The video Jeanette didn’t want was shown anyway, so the protest was moot. Yet after the video, the chair called on Ross to read out a prepared statement from his Dad.
Now, there were numerous calls asking where DD was, cat calling, shouting, language that in my opinion has no place in an AGM.
As soon as we get the chance to hear what DD has to say, a lot of home truths regarding some toxic elements in the support, the cat calling, shocking language etc began again.
If I’m sitting chairing a meeting (Which I have over 25 years of experience doing) and this sort of behaviour is happening I’m doi g what Lawwell did. No way I’m allowing a seemingly aggressive, non compliant, vociferous entity overtake the agenda.
Yes they tried to harass, bully and disrupt the AGM and were successful.
The vast majority of shareholders there were victim to this mob, we never got the chance to present questions we wanted answers to, unlike the Trust and Collective who have had a few meetings with the board.
I don’t like Lawwell or DD and want them gone but this behaviour isn’t how you make them go.
So yes, behave.
Sacking the board is as logical as blaming a ventriloquist’s dummy for an offensive joke. Until Desmond goes the sh*tshow will go on. Lawwell and co are nothing more than Desmond’s rent boys who do as they are told. The fact Desmond junior, a proxy for his dad, was given the floor when he has no more status than any other proxy at the meeting shows that Lawwell just obey orders.
A sizeable amount of money could be saved if Desmond replaced the current board with some of his groupies who have posted above. I suspect the occasional free programme and packet of crisps would be sufficient incentive for them to do his bidding.
Who knows who has bought the 1.5% Lindsel Train have sold. Could be an ally of Desmond!
Sack the board?? WHO exactly is going to sack the board? The board?
Oh aye, while I’m here. There is NO comparison between the situation now, and the situation at the start of the 1990’s, other than disgruntled fans.
As is regularly pointed out, the Desmond’s are billionaires. The White’s/Kelly’s hadn’t a pot to piss in. Celtic were hours away from going tits up under the old regime. That WON’T happen this time round.
There needs to be a major cooling down on both sides here before the situation can move forward. There are clearly personnel and systems failures in the background, but throwing tennis balls on to a pitch or disrupting games in any way is not helping anyone and for the life of me I can’t think why anyone would think it will.
For all the stuttering start to the season, the Treble IS STILL a possibility. There’s only two teams who can do it now, and they might prove me wrong, but I really can’t see St Mirran doing it!!
Phil, my first time that I’ve felt obliged to pass comment on your post, but beforehand a quiet follow on to your previous publications (please review) “outstanding”. Here’s my perspective today, they will attack, we will respond, shutdown. We all know there are rules and regulations around these meetings and until ONE and ALL stand behind them why have them or why be involved. Keep up the proper big man.
Unfortunately the shareholders played the cards the board wanted them to. Too much disruption, withdraw from the agm, no need to answer difficult questions that would make us uncomfortable.
We all see how football has changed. No longer a game just for the fans, but a money-spinner for the billionaires and TV companies. The words and actions of the Celtic Board today battered that into our heads with a sledgehammer. Team on the pitch and season-ticket holder enjoyment is secondary to end-of-year financial results.
I’m being lazy I really should know the timeline of how Celtic have morphed from the Kelly/Whites to the Desmonds. Not what Fergus envisioned. I hope David Low’s recent shareholder initiatives makes a difference
Not much bothered about the mark 2, but I’m a little bit disappointed that fans couldn’t ‘behave’ enough to get through a fairly important meeting in Paradise. There was no real need for red cards and chants, that’s for outside protests, and the board know exactly what those fans think. There should have been a bit more patience to get a chance to have an actual meaningful interaction. I think these protests are harmful. At the matches they are cheap easy and dangerously self defeating. Protest, especially mass protest would be best served in public places outwith match time.
Imagine the effect of organising 30,000 or more fans in a peaceful protest at Glasgow Green, for example. That would be something to get our point across.
So, c’mon, let the bhoys play football!
Ok, so they go in happy clapping the board, then that statement was delivered, you sit and accept that!!
Thomas you are spot on . in the 90’s we had a board that was putting the club on the road to liquidation. we have a board that has delivered more success than failure, yet I hear this sack the board stuff . be careful what you wish for . there’s a lot of Craig whyte types out there . Just back the team there’s always going to be times when things don’t go the way we want that’s football.
hail hail 🇮🇪🍀
If we had qualified for the CL this public embarrassment would never have happened. That’s the crux of the matter.
Everyone to a man was delighted with last years champions league progress. Delighted. No chants of the board must go. Nothing.
Roll on 6 months and everything is a very public shitshow
Everyone involved needs to grow up. Mostly those who brought shame to the club today at that AGM.
We have witnessed a unprecedented period of success in our history these past 2 decades, Without doubt.
Yet we have a section of supporters, who pay under £700 a year, turn up at a AGM and demand a guy who has £60 million invested in the club leave…Because????
Be careful what you wish for. The Desmonds might just have the last laugh.
Spot on, sadly a section of our support have become “entitled weans”. I agree that the board fucked things up to an extent. However too many think it’s easy to entice quality players to Scotland and do deals quickly. They cite the skint tramps transfer dealings across the city but they’re shopping in the bargain bin full of players with no real options. Quality players take their time and pick and choose because the have options and Scotland is normally low on the list unless they have a genuine affection for the club. Could the board do better, yes are they totally at fault, probably not. It doesn’t warrant the hysteria in the support,
That’s a ridiculous statement. 60 million invested? Completely wrong. Tell us what he has actually put into the club? If you are referring to his shares purchase, then that is ludicrous. The share price he paid is well below the share price now. What are you talking about? Please tell us.
Sadly, this is how real billionaires behave.
Someone needs to tell moneymen that a huge bank balance doesn’t equate with acumen.
Their contempt for our fans is only matched by their inability for introspection.
We’ve had domestic success despite the suits not because of them.
They still have some flunkies over on CQN but that’s just attention seeking by those happy with mediocrity.
As Alan Morrison said, either fix everything or fix nothing. DD & his lapdogs are stunting us.
Anybody who has the final say at a company, should be accountable to the shareholders & customers, Desmond’s no show is all the evidence that is required that this crony board has run its race. Time for a new board.
On the other topic across the city, the Sevco financial results are as believable as a Trump statement. It’s Time UEFA started investigating Sevco financial statements more thoroughly.They were not at home until October & their attendances were way down.📉
The whole lot of them need cleared out. Brian Wilson smugly laughing at the fans airing their grievances followed by Ross Desmond reading daddy’s speech lit the touch paper for what followed.
SACK THE BOARD.
BACK THE TEAM
Best bit of writing for good while . Particularly like the bit about how disconnected the club are too the fans listening to the billionaires son read his prewritten statement. No Questions please . It’s time for change at the club again . Dermot and co need to either change or leave . There’s no room for continued neglect and I don’t doubt they are Celtic men or the board . We need better .
Hi Paul, It’s all right saying we need change, in 1992 we had people ready to oust the board. Now all we here is sack the board but we have not heard about who is going to remove the board now.
Are we talking about the Americans or the Arabs with there money, the first thing they would do is to rename Celtic Park and then all our history is gone.
Sometimes it’s better with the devil you know than the devil we don’t know.
Renaming your stadium doesn’t get rid of your history but I take your point.
We don’t exactly have a queue of folk lining up to buy Desmond’s shares.
We don’t know if there is a queue to buy Desmonds shares. That hasn’t been tested.
Lindsel Train have recently sold approx 1.5% of the Celtic shareholding so there are buyers there. Whether there is anyone (or a group) willing to take 34% of the shareholding is a different matter.
in what way would ‘all of our history’ be gone if someone took us over?