GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - MAY 16: (L-R) Celtic Interim Chairman Brian Wilson, Majority Shareholder Dermot Desmond and Chief Executive Officer Michael Nicholson during a William Hill Premiership match between Celtic and Heart of Midlothian at Celtic Park, on May 16, 2026, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Foy/SNS Group via Getty Images)
The Celtic board spent the final stretch of last season telling anyone still willing to listen that it was in “listening mode.”
Big changes were coming, we were told. Lessons had been learned. The club understood the anger. The relationship with the support had to be rebuilt.
The silence, the arrogance, the drift, the contemptuous mismanagement of the season, the lack of professionalism, the shocking hiring practices; all of it was supposedly being processed inside Celtic Park by serious people who finally understood the scale of the damage they had done and the changes that needed to be made.
Well, here we are. The season is over. The double is won. The pressure of the run-in has passed. And what have they done?
They have moved again against members of the Green Brigade, with that group accusing the board of betrayal after two members were barred from renewing season tickets over a disciplinary matter linked to an incident before the so-called peace.
We have watched the managerial search collapse into the familiar orbit of Martin O’Neill and Robbie Keane, with Keane now being reported as having held constructive talks over the job. They have allowed Shaun Maloney to be interviewed for a major football-operations role despite the obvious question we have already asked on this site: what experience does he have for a post of that magnitude?
So let me ask another obvious question.
What exactly is different? Unless by different they mean worse. Because if this is “listening mode,” then God help us when they stop listening.
I wrote the other day about the Green Brigade and the way the timing of those renewed bans burned trust to ash. That is not hyperbole. The board allowed that section back for the run-in, benefited from the return of the atmosphere, watched the players respond to a stadium that had life in it again, and then, once the season was safely over, went back to the old war. If these people wanted to persuade supporters that peace was merely tactical, they could hardly have done a better job.
If they wanted to say, “we needed you when the title was still on the line, but now that the trophy is in the cabinet we can get back to screwing you over,” they have said it more clearly than any statement ever could.
That is the problem with this board. Its words are meaningless because its actions keep contradicting them.
I wrote about Robbie Keane as well, and I meant every word of it. I said he should think very carefully before taking this job. I said the manager is the rod that catches the lightning. That remains true. I said he’s not going to be welcomed by much of the support.
If they appoint Keane, with all the baggage we have already discussed, the outcry will be off the charts. Celtic fan groups have already protested the possibility, and the backlash is not theoretical. It is already outside the front door.
What kind of board looks at a divided club and thinks: yes, let’s do the one thing guaranteed to divide it further?
What kind of board watches months of protest, anger, distrust and supporter mobilisation, then decides that the correct response is a managerial appointment many supporters do not merely doubt, but morally reject?
What kind of board says it wants unity, then reaches for the matchbox?
This club is not interested in peace in our time. Not really.
If it was, it would not be doing any of this.
A club interested in peace would not pick fights with supporter groups the moment the title was won. A club interested in peace would not frame a global managerial search around the same old familiar names from the same old emotional comfort zone. A club interested in peace would not take a role as important as sporting director or head of football operations and treat it like another internal promotion exercise for someone who knows the club.
That is not reform. That is not modernisation. That is not ambition.
That is this board doing what it does, and this is where I keep coming back to the same question. What is wrong at Celtic that they act this way?
Because this is not normal institutional behaviour. It is not rational. It is not strategic. It is not even politically clever.
If these people were cynical masterminds, they would be better at this. They would understand when to lower the temperature. They would know when to give ground. They would know when to throw the support something real. Instead, they behave like men who have mistaken stubbornness for strength.
They seem to believe that if they simply endure the anger, it will pass.
They seem to believe that season-ticket renewals are consent. They seem to believe that supporters will shout, protest, write, organise, rage, then turn up anyway and eventually forget what they were angry about.
That is a dangerous belief. I wrote in the communication piece that silence is not strategy. It is the sound of people hoping nobody notices they do not have a plan. This is worse than silence. This is action which looks designed to piss people off. Think about that. It looks like a calculated snub to large sections of the support.
This is movement in the wrong direction. This is a board apparently determined to prove that every criticism made of it over the past year was not only fair, but understated.
Celtic Supporters Limited produced a document that diagnosed the problem properly. I disagreed with them the lack of desire for regime change, because I do not believe this board can be reformed into competence.
But their central point was devastating: Celtic’s problem is not only what it does badly, but what it refuses to do at all. It refuses modernity. It refuses strategy. It refuses communication. It refuses accountability.
And now, apparently, it refuses even the most basic act of self-preservation.
Self-preservation would mean making an appointment that unifies the support. Self-preservation would mean pausing the petty wars. Self-preservation would mean appointing experienced, serious football operators with track records in the roles they are being asked to perform. Self-preservation would mean proving, through deeds, that “listening mode” was not just another phrase fed into the supporter-management machine.
Instead, we get this. Green Brigade bans. Keane talks. O’Neill as the safe fallback. Craig Bellamy floated around the edges. Maloney interviewed for a major football-operations role. Not one thing that suggests a club preparing for the future.
Not one thing that suggests lessons learned. Not one thing that suggests humility. It is almost impressive how comprehensively they have misunderstood the moment.
The club came out of last season with a chance to reset. It had a double in the cabinet, a support exhausted but still emotionally invested, and a summer in which it could have shown seriousness. It could have appointed a proper sporting director. It could have named a manager with vision and pedigree. It could have repaired the relationship with the support. It could have communicated a strategy.
Instead, it has behaved like a board that heard the supporters demanding change and decided the answer was to show them who was boss. That is not leadership. That is provocation. This board could have lowered the temperature. Instead, it broke out the flamethrowers. It is now, obviously, willing to go scorched earth.
If they do appoint Keane, if they do push through the one appointment almost guaranteed to set fire to the summer, then nobody should pretend they did not know what they were doing. Nobody should pretend the reaction came from nowhere. Nobody should say the support was unreasonable, impatient or impossible to please.
The warning signs are everywhere. As I said the other day, you cannot find a single blog that is willing to endorse this guy. Not one. The unified whole of Celtic fan media is against this, and it was made clear that many of us felt this way when his name was put into the frame over the closing months of the season.
The rejection of this whole idea has been written on banners, in articles, in fan statements and done the rounds on every podcast out there.
These people said they were listening. Maybe they were.
But the whole time they were doing that they were loading the cannons.
So be it. War it is then.
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Desmond will not give a flying f@ck what the fanbase think. Especially if the mythical “BIG WAITING LIST” for season tickets truly exists. And there will be plenty of mugs out there ready to snap them up without a single thought about the welfare of our club. I’m alright Jack, f@ck you sort of attitude. Desmond has run his worth. He is now the obstruction to progress.
You are correct the self interest of season ticket holders could delay the enviable the Expulsion of Desmond & Son and the total replacement of the entire board.
60k season ticket holders renewing for season 26/3027 will delay our victory.
CELTIC FC have a fanbase Globally of millions.The global fanbase contribute far more than the 60k bums on seats. With the purchase of Celtic TV and merchandise.
The 60K are in effect the tail wagging the dug!
The Not One Penny More campaign is so effective that they have had to reduce sales of merchandise to Rock bottom prices Example £20.00. For the 25/26 season shirt.
The deadline for season ticket renewal was extended by four days.Which would suggest sluggish demand for renewal to say the least.
Solution;
Keep calm,and continue the Not One Penny More Until Desmond & Son are out the Door Time is on our side we will love and follow Celtic for the rest of our lives. Desmond & Son will dump their shares when the Price of the PLC starts to tumble on the LXC. Institutions who invest major funds in Celtic PLC will pull the plug when the news of the People power starts to bight.
The Green Brigade and The Bhoys Now grouped together in the stadium can use banners,flags and song to name and shame the destructive forces.
Global and local direct action to save CELTIC FC.
“THE GLOVES ARE OFF”
I’ve stated on earlier posts that I wouldn’t have any strong feelings against a guy who spent a short time managing an Israeli team getting the job. I now feel that for all concerned, especially Keane himself, it would be a foolish move and would be a very devisive appointment for the club to make. It’s a pity, as I think Keane has the makings of a very good manager.
It could be that DD and the board are intent in stoking the divisions within the club, and this appointment is part of that plan. If that’s correct then they ‘re obviously full of bitterness, and even more stupid than I thought.
In My opinion, MON, Maloney and Fotheringham, after rescuing the club not once but twice from the debris of the past season, earned the right to manage Celtic in hopefully calmer waters.
This is Celtic under The Despot Dermot Desmond. The only Billionaire in world football who hasn’t put in a penny of his own money but has taken out millions over his 20 years of De Facto ownership. There is a book on Politics worth the reading “Why is this lying B*****d Lying to me!” It fits perfectly for supporters who believe DD and his grey suited old Lackey Yes Men and his cardboard cut out CEO will change anything at all in their supremely successful ( in their eyes) management of the business.
The Celtic board “has behaved like a board that heard the supporters demanding change and decided the answer was to show them who was boss” and Robbie Keane ticks every single box for that!
If after all this, MON gets it then we’ve wasted a week of preparation. If Keane gets it, then he probably knew he was getting it when he handed his resignation in to Ferencvaros and we’ve wasted a weeks preparation time. Just get on with it.
That last line speaks volumes…
Says a helluva lot for sure…
“SO BE IT – WAR IT IS THEN”
Who fuckin suffers – Celtic FC does – That’s who suffers…
And therefore by dint – Celtic supporters…
They have dragged their heels yet AGAIN…
They won’t wanna be seen to be caving in to Celtic supporters about Keane…
Who suffers – Celtic supporters and a split support is the greatest gift that Sevco could ever be handed…
If it’s Keane I’ll give him a chance – Fuck I even gave that tragic bastard Nancy a chance till the League Cup Final at least…
But if his results match Nancy’s then he’ll have to go as quickly as Nancy Boy did…
If he starts by getting to The Champions League and winning The League Cup then all is good till Christmas anyway…
I don’t know enough about the politics of far far away to comment confidently on it – I have used a lot of ma political energy trying to get a United, peaceful, Gaelic and free Ireland and haven’t quite got there just yet !
“So be it. War it is then.” James, you are talking about a football team, this “war” will never happen! I’m not disagreeing with you because you raised some very good points, but you know as well as I do that though there are many people who disagree with the possible appointment of Keane, and I definitely disagree but not for the same reasons as you, there are probably many thousands more who don’t care either way, they just want to see a successful team.
I totally agree with your comments about the Board, especially DD, who has entrenched himself into a no holds barred position which it’s virtually impossible to remove him from. I said in a previous post that we need to form a dedicated group with the sole intention of removing this dictator and that there are many intelligent and experienced contributors to this blog, including yourself James, who would be able to carry out such a task. I would be very willing to join in but for the fact that I’m in my 70’s with a serious health condition. However, if a group could be formed, within a legal framework of course, I would be very willing to kick off funding by donating a few hundred £’s and a monthly direct debit. Maybe it’s now time to put down the keyboard and take some action in order to rescue our club from the clutches of this despotic dictator!
Desmond tried to ruin Celtic last season and it didn’t work.
The lesson he learned was that the rest of the league were still garbage and Celtic would still be the strongest.
He is having another go at giving sevco a second chance to compete with us.He is obviously fed up of winning all the time with no serious challengers.
His arrogance towards the support is unbelievable.
It really is time to stand up and be counted as a support.
HH
The proof of the pudding will be on the first home game of the season…I fully expect RK to be in charge that day, and based on the level of vitriol and anger that I read…regarding him and the Board…it seems odds on that the stadium will be nearly empty…Because hardly anyone will support the Board…by not renewing their Season Ticket..in protest. MY ARSE…TALK IS CHEAP.
James, your comments re some of the purported candidates are spot on regarding lack of proven experience. I agree that Keane and Maloney do not have long established managerial records, but they should get some credit for taking more diverse positions with foreign teams and not simply looking to start off as an assistant to some other ex-celt teammate.
These non-domestic forays, may just provide the wider, modern approach that you’ve been pushing for.
Are/would they be guilty of propping up/adding credibilty to the the despised Irish billionaire and his lackeys on the board? Who nows. The political angle for Keane, I have no interest in, although I understand others feel differently.
The other thing I think has been missing from the ongoing managerial debate is “Would Martin O’Neill be considered in the same light if he accepted an extension from DD?”
Martin’s reputation is stellar at Celtic, and he has nothing to prove on a footballing level. I can only see a downside to his reputation and relationship with fans if he is seen to be supporting of and too close to the faceless cowards running this great club.
Nows! Knows. Fat finger typing.
I agree with a lot of what you say James but tbf the board v GB theatrics were only ever on ceasefire mode from both sides. Its good that both of them could concentrate on the football for the run in but it was never going to last.
You haven’t really addressed the reason the 2 members of the GB have been banned but the GB and the board are pretty much in agreement to what took place. There was a bit of aggressive shouting and swearing directed at the ex cop. The board exaggerated it slightly and the GB underplayed it.
I dont believe it’s possible that 2 members of the GB would be capable of intimidating Hargeaves in a dark alley never mind a busy night at CP.
The problem for the GB is that in any other environment the 2 people would be banned. If they had a go at the security chief at the ovo hydro in the same manner it would be an outright ban, even at tescos that behavior is unacceptable. Football clubs as much as we would like it to be different are under the same rules.
Let’s be honest the 2 guys will be at the games anyway using someone else’s ticket.
Why would I address it? I know what happened. You’ve just made it clear that you know what happened.
So the club is fucking at it.
And “having a go at the security chief” justifies a ban now? What is he, a sacred cow?
Fuck him.
Thanks for the reply James. I really meant for the folk who didn’t know what happened. I fully understand your view that the club are at it and they are certainly being cute.
We all know that the GB v Board war was going to recommence no matter what. I would have preferred it to de- escalate on both sides. Either that or we go all in against the board, if not it goes on for years.
Regarding the incident. Unfortunately Celtic FC will have full backing under current employment law. In fact they will probably be expected to do something.
These 2 guys played the wrong cards and the entire ultra section (conveniently for the board, all now in the one section) are going to have to be careful from now on.
I guess we as a support might well be having the same arguments as we lift the 10 iar!
All the best.