WHAT DOES A POSITIVE, REALISTIC OUTCOME FOR MONDAY’S CELTIC FANS MEETING LOOK LIKE?
- BY LIAM CARRIGAN
- Oct 4
- 5 min read
Tempering expectations with reality seems to be a necessity for following Celtic these days, both on and off the park.
Fan anger remains palpable right now, and the Braga result the other night has only further highlighted the almost unprecedented decline in team performance since we pushed Bayern Munich all the way just 8 months ago.
Celtic fans want change, that is their aim going into Monday’s meeting. They want to see the Celtic Board take their concerns seriously and outline concrete steps to remedy the situation.
The Celtic Board’s primary aim will be to pacify fan unrest, and to “get back to normal” as soon as possible.
Celtic Fans and Celtic Board Goals Seem Contradictory, so Where Can we Compromise?
The continuous message from Celtic fan groups since the inception of this latest protest movement has been: “business as usual is no longer an option.” They want to see changes in personnel and in how the club is run on a day to day basis.
Up until this latest dispute between fans and the board began, The Celtic Board’s constant strategy when dealing with any kind of prolonged fan discontent, or persistent complaints has been “stay silient, ignore anything that goes against the “company line” and just wait until it all goes away.”
By agreeing to this meeting both sides have, to varying degrees, already conceded that they aren’t going to get everything they want.
Any form of response and willingness to engage in dialogue regardless of how the meeting on Monday pans out, represents a significant change in policy from the Celtic Board. I’m not going to praise them for doing it. After all why would you thank someone for undoing a problem that they, themselves created?
But this means that attitudes have already shifted in the boardroom, at least at a superficial level. Fan action has already achieved part of its goal, in this respect.
However, Celtic fans have also, through a number of their supporters associations, passed motions of no confidence in CEO Michael Nicholson, CFO Chris McKay and Chairman Peter Lawwell.
The fact that two of these three executives will be leading the Celtic delegation on Monday tells me that their removal, at least for now, is not up for debate as far as the Celtic board are concerned.
So, what kind of compromise would Celtic fans accept?
This is something that we’ll all have to debate and discuss once Monday’s meeting is over and the details of it are made available online. Again, as was the case when we organized the initial protests last month, Celtic fan group unity and cooperation will be essential in this regard.
I do not speak for all Celtic fans, nor would I ever profess to do so. But, for the sake of argument, I’m going to outline what I think would be some acceptable outcomes from Monday’s meeting, if all goes well.
The “S*n Rat” is found, and removed
Whoever leaked that story to The S*n newspaper about Brendan Rodgers, has committed what would, in most companies be considered a sackable offense. Purposefully, and maliciously undermining a fellow employee, to the detriment of both that person’s reputation and that of Celtic as a company.
Whoever did it, needs to be removed. I’d prefer that the person be publicly named and shamed, to prevent them from engaging in similar conduct with another company in the future. However, if the person is just quietly shown the door, or asked to resign, then I think that’s acceptable too.
I don’t really care how this toxic presence is cut out of Celtic, just so long as it is removed, permanently.
The Appointment of a Fan Liaison Team
John Paul Taylor, our current Celtic SLO does a tremendous job considering he is just one man and his resources are extremely limited. However, for Celtic to only have one individual acting as the go-between for millions of fans worldwide and the higher-ups in the club is amateurish and insulting.
I’d like to see a team of at least 5 to 10 competent and externally recruited individuals brought into the club to take on this task. Ideally, bring in people with specialist knowledge in specific areas of fan concern.
Have a designated Ultras Liaison, a designated outreach officer for international fans and those who, for whatever reason aren’t able to get to games every week, and so on.
An Up-to-Date and Fully Transparent Disclosure of the Costs, Required Work and Timescale for Rebuilding the South Stand
Celtic insisted that rebuilding the creaking and claustrophobic south stand is “too expensive while the club continues to play in the SPFL”.
Why is this the case? How much would it actually cost, and what options have the club explored for financing this potential upgrade?
Again, if there’s a legitimate reason why it can’t be done then fine, but I’ve yet to hear one that’s even remotely convincing, considering Celtic’s current financial footing.
A Commitment to Recruit Players Earlier and to Appoint Staff who can Conclude Negotiations Smoothly
Again, the exact details of this could be ironed out between now and January, but an acknowledgement from the club that the current recruitment strategy isn’t working, and discussions on how to improve this would be a start. An actual apology for this summer’s clusterf*ck of a transfer window would be nice too.
Peter Lawwell Leaves the Club Before the End of the Season
I don’t like to get personal, but it seems pretty obvious that Peter Lawwell has gotten far too comfortable in his role at Celtic. He has been with Celtic in one capacity or another for more than 30 years.
He has, on numerous occasions, by numerous former staff, been singled out as the most difficult to work with of the executive team. He’s been accused of interfering in transfer deals, player contracts, and management issues that, as an executive, have nothing to do with him.
His lack of communication with fans has also been a persistent source of anger and tension over a number of years now.
I think its best for all parties if he steps aside. He could retire in a few months, or announce at the next AGM that he will be departing the club at the end of the financial year.
I don’t expect him to get his p45 next week. Afterall, the board will not want to be seen to capitulate publicly to such a specific fan demand.
However, it seems clear that Lawwell’s time at Celtic needs to end. The fact he’s, apparently, not involved on Monday tells me this is something the club must be actively considering.
These are just my own thoughts, but if the Celtic Fans Collective and other groups attending on Monday can depart Celtic Park afterwards with even a couple of the above concessions, I’d call it a job well done, and certainly something to build on in future dialogue.
This list is by no means exhaustive, but these all seem like fair, and attainable goals, that the club could easily accommodate and fans would probably be happy with.
