There’s no need to go into the abject failures at Paradise this year.
We all know them, and we are all feeling the absolute despair of those failings.
What makes matters much more frustrating is the wall of silence we, the support, are being met with from the current board.
Most of the supporters are now in agreement that the manager, Neil Francis Lennon, is the main cause of our on the field failure.
Lennon’s experimentation with players, positions and tactics, have been abysmal.
Yet despite having shocking a shocking record of a Celtic manager this season, he has stated he is going nowhere and indeed is looking forward to rebuilding the team in the summer.
Of course, that’s Lennon’s take on things and has not been backed up by the board or anyone else. But the boards continued silence is causing more fear and alarm at the thought Lennon could be speaking the truth. Which gives me, personally, bloody nightmares.
So what is happening behind the scenes with our board and the custodians of the club?
The simple – and shocking – answer is that no-one knows.
The global health crisis has actually protected the manager and the board because fans have been unable to attend game, and the board have isolated themselves from the human element of the game because of the situation.
Why would the board at Celtic allow our team to fall so far from grace?
Is it just a combination of poor luck, bad management, some injuries, no crowds … or is there something else in the boards antics and lack of action?
Here’s a scenario for you to consider, and maybe you’ll think a little farfetched, but believe this; in failure there’s money to be made.
Desmond Dermot is not the owner of our club, yet at every turn he seems to be the voice of authority around the decisions made in the boardroom.
Desmond does not put his hand in his pocket to finance the club and owns just over some 20% of the shares from what I understand.
He also does not like to be pushed into decisions nor told what to do.
The “absentee landlord”, as he is often referred to, will not like the calls for Lennon’s removal, nor that of Lawwell … indeed, he tried to prevent Lawwell from going.
Has Desmond, who is a businessman after all, decided to rundown the share values in order to purchase shares at lower prices in order to obtain control of the club as an outright owner?
I was always under the impression that Fergus McCann had set up the club in such a way that such a scenario could not happen, lest we find ourselves back on the days of the Kelly’s and co.
However, in business where shares are concerned, there’s always ways around such things, and believe me, if he really wanted a family dynasty and un-checked control, Desmond and his team would certainly find them.
I believe it’s time for the shareholders to take action and call for an EGM, in order to find out why the present custodians in the boardroom are acting in the manner they are.
The non-executive directors, in particular, seem mute and clueless.
We need to gain whatever knowledge of the plans the present board have to turn matters around that we can, because in all honesty, by their inaction, they are devaluing the club shares and the club assets (players) as well as jeopardising sponsorship deals, none of which is good.
The board appear to be, acting against the best interests of the club and the shareholders, and unless our shareholders get answers that are different from what we appear to be witnessing, they themselves have a duty to propose a vote of no confidence in the present custodians and have them removed from their posts.
We need to keep the pressure on until our board realise they have a duty to us all, shareholders, supporters and sponsors alike, and to respond to our requests and offer suitable solutions.
Or else the rot that’s set in at Paradise will continue to fester.
Fergus, who wanted to hand this club over to the fans, must be in despair at how things are going at Paradise just now … because what’s happening is what he tried so hard to prevent.
Jimmy The Bhoy is a Celtic fan from Scotland. This is his second article for the site.