Another day, another saga unfolding across the city. You couldn’t make this stuff up. It’s a series of calamities, each worse than the last, and now we have the starkest development yet. The Athletic reported earlier that Ibrox Chairman John Bennett was on the verge of resigning.
They claim he’s had enough of the pressure and that the club has no immediate plan to replace him.
The club just released a statement announcing that he has gone with immediate effect.
They are saying it’s for “health reasons.”
John Gilligan is temporarily in charge.
That club is a shambles from top to bottom. There’s no other way to put it.
They can’t organise themselves into any sort of coherent, sensible structure. And if they are indeed without a chairman and a CEO, then the entire upper echelon is in chaos. You have to wonder who is actually running things behind the scenes.
This comes just weeks after Dave King praised Bennett, urging the fans to back him.
It makes you wonder if this is somehow paving the way for King to return. I find that suggestion absurd, with no benefit for the club, and certainly none for the manager, who—as this website and others have pointed out—was conspicuously absent from King’s recent statements of support.
Bennett’s tenure has been marked by chaos. His appointment as chairman was met with derision from Celtic fans, who remember his background and what he represents. And he hasn’t disappointed in terms of delivering one disastrous decision after another.
It was under his leadership that the club embarked on its ill-fated stadium development scheme. It was under him that Philippe Clement was handed a new deal. And it was under his watch that the cost-cutting began in earnest. If he’s been forced out, what does that mean for the club’s future?
As this site has pointed out time and time again, the real issue the fans have with Bennett is the cost-cutting.
But this is not just his decision—it’s a necessity forced upon them by the financial realities of modern football. Whoever replaces Bennett will have to do the same. It’s not a choice; it’s a requirement. This isn’t about a lack of ambition or desire to spend; it’s about survival.
Here’s the harsh truth: even if a tech billionaire were to buy the club, they couldn’t just pour in their own money. We’ve said this over and over—UEFA regulations prohibit overspending beyond earnings. That’s the reality they face. So, whoever is at the helm doesn’t matter much in the grand scheme of things. These financial policies aren’t voluntary; they’re imposed by circumstances.
If the reports are true and Bennett is leaving, it’s likely because he recognises this grim reality and doesn’t want to be the one dealing with the inevitable backlash from the stands. Frankly, I don’t blame him. It’s not just the fans who are on his back either; the media is relentless.
They don’t seem to grasp that this is the only way forward, and they won’t give him a moment’s peace to implement any kind of strategy.
They’re just going to keep piling on the pressure.
As much as anything else, it’s the media that is pushing them closer to another administration event. That’s been a fact for a while. If the fans are delusional and believe in fantasy solutions like “sugar daddies” or “magic money trees,” it’s because the media feeds them these lies. Talk of a £150 million takeover was salivated over in press rooms not long ago, even though there wasn’t a single credible detail about who was behind it or what it would actually entail.
It’s the same mentality that allowed Craig Whyte to sweep in and take over the previous incarnation of the club for £1, with only Celtic sites scrutinising his background. We were proven right then, and we’ll be proven right again if history repeats itself.
Over and over, I’ve warned about the dangers of unscrupulous owners stepping in and seizing control by buying up shares. The consequences for them would be dire, but the media wouldn’t question it. As long as the new face arrives with enough bravado and promises them the world, the press will cheer them in the front door.
I have no sympathy for Bennett or any of the directors at Ibrox.
They’ve allowed lies and spin to substitute for reality for far too long. The harsh truth—that the club is overdue for a major financial realignment—is something their fans won’t tolerate. Someone at the club is eventually going to have to spell this out to the supporters in no uncertain terms: there is no alternative. There are no other options. But the person who does that will be despised, not just by the fans, but by the media as well.
John Bennett clearly doesn’t want to be that person. I don’t feel sorry for him, but I can’t blame him either.
I wouldn’t want to be in his position. Luckily, I’m not, and I’m certainly glad I’m not a Sevconian.
Dangerous times (again) for sevco. If the lying King returns, he will use every trick in the book to mask spending which he will source from a variety of gullibles. Everything will be hidden from scrutiny. He will vehemently deny doing anything untoward, while his history suggests that everything he does will be shady. The thing is, FSR will be a new set of regulations for him to find a way round. King will go to endless lengths to achieve his aims. That’s the danger. His financial shenanigans are likely to lead to another financial meltdown. And they wonder why we laugh.
I posted just the other day King the CHISLER was sniffing around wanting daddy’s chair back,and now the rumours are out there Bennett is Joe the Toff.
I commented on 10 September that Bennet wanted out.
King will take the opportunity to return.
What I’ve never understood is why the currant buns think they are superior and their sense of entitlement. When Celtic had their troubles we sang “always look on the bright side of life” but we acknowledged the harsh realities. i.e. we had no cash and Murray had access to plenty. I’m 63 years of age and attended my first Celtic game 58 years ago. Over the piece Celtic have easily been the most successful club in the country and that includes the “Murray swindling years”. The Sevco support seem unrealistic, delusiónal and so totally aggressive and angry. I’m so glad I wasn’t born into that hell.
The huns being run by someone called Gilligan?
How unstaunch!
The unseen Fenian hand.
Bwahahahahahahahaha.
Gilligan is a total bigot and us Celtic fans should be greatful to him as he was the one who riled Dermot after they beat us on penalties in 2016,this resulted in Dermot hiring Brendan and we know the rest, always amazes me when they hire real Rangers men as it was these people who screwed them in the first place.
Jelly and ice cream keeps coming,,, bit disappointed with the lackey chums,,, with all that’s been going on not even a hint of a broken crest to be seen,,,any points dropped tomorrow surely it’s got to be pulled out,,
The thing is James it wouldn’t be another administration event. It would be their first. Remember they are a tribute act ?
Extinction is forever … no matter how they all try to spin and falsify their narratives. Eventually that heavy ,heavy burden crushes and destroys everything trying to maintain the illusion of being the same clumpany as in 2012 … The truth will always out .
So doppelganger klub is heading for the GRAVEYARD as well,they can keep Rangers company.
Speaking of the Glib one, is he still not PNG by the Regulators.
If so the SFA will be on the spot if they declare him as Fit and Proper.
It will matter not a jot SFATHENADIROFCHIFTINESS if The SFA are on the spot or ten thousand spots…
They will declare him fit and proper regardless –
They did it before and they’ll do it again as the spoilt child Sevco MUST always get what Sevco demands…
Just as their deceased ‘Daddy’ club had to get and got what it wanted…
If the likes of Putin, Netanyahu, Shipman, Letby, and Brady and Hindley if these latter two were alive (thankfully they’re in Hell) wanted to be Chairman / Chairwoman of Sevco then of course The SFA and The SPFL would without doubt see them all as fit and proper persons for the chairmanship…
Well – The seen King as fit and proper did they not !
Just a simple question if I offered £2 to Craig Whyte and he made 100% profit would I own them
Lets all just hope he and his family will be ok going forward. This is Scottish football after all, its more than just a game to some.