Opinion – ‘The Celtic Board – Major change needed,’ Joe Bloggs City

The Celtic Star

·15 September 2024

Opinion – ‘The Celtic Board – Major change needed,’ Joe Bloggs City

The Celtic Board – Major change needed…

Celtic v Hearts 14/09/2024. General view inside Celtic Park, Photo Malcolm Mackenzie/ PSI

There is a certain comfort that all at Celtic seems to be so rosy at present. We have a domestic hegemony, straight into the Champions League, and a highly valued developing squad along with an enviable healthy financial position on the books. Yet despite all that I feel we may have set ourselves up for some complacency, and none more so than in the boardroom.

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I appreciate that this may seem a negative time to make such a point, but as whilst on-field we are progressing in the right direction I think that if we don’t open our eyes to address the obvious issues then we’ll once again repeat the errors of the past when things can turn sour rapidly. The next time we may not get an Ange Postecoglou to turn things round so incredibly swiftly.

Celtic v Hearts 14/09/2024. General view inside Celtic Park, Photo Malcolm Mackenzie/ PSI

Only a few years back, there were some “Celts of Change 2” movements which won attention but have since mostly petered out. Albeit I am NOT of the opinion that the current situation is in anyway parallel to that of the early 1990s, I do feel that it was still fully understandable for fans to air our grievances.

The board’s underwhelming record

Iain Bankier, affable as he may have been personally, was completely out of his depth and Celtic paid the price for that with poor management and appointments. He lasted so long at Celtic, as he was fortunate to be Chairman during a golden era, but it masked the underinvestment required at the club (and I’m not necessarily talking all financial). Peter Lawwell, despite what anyone says has historically been positive for Celtic, but that doesn’t make him immune from criticism.

Peter Lawwell, the Celtic Chairman is seen during the match between Celtic and Hearts at Celtic Park on September 14, 2024 . (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

The shambolic appointment of the short-lived Dominic McKay and the perceived nepotistic appointment of Mark Lawell, really showed incompetence. It’s fair to say that these experiences did not provide much confidence. It’s too early to fully assess Michael Nicholson as Chief Executive, and admittedly credit where it’s due, the past summer transfer dealings appear to have been well dealt with.

The elephant in the room though has been the return of Peter Lawwell. Admittedly, there are strong arguments for his chairmanship, having the contacts and experience required. However, after the debacle in his last seasons as Chief Executive, it’s fair to say it was a lazy appointment, and undermined the current Chief Executive.

Celtic v Hearts 14/09/2024. General view inside Celtic Park, Photo Malcolm Mackenzie/ PSI

The previously mentioned Mark Lawell was papped out after just one very poor and costly set of transfer dealings, and really the buck should NOT alone have been borne by him. The lack of actual knowledge on how to navigate the transfer markets last season was embarrassing of a club of our size, with not one having establishing themselves to date as a first team regular.

Actually, I am generally positive on Dermot Desmond, who has actually not abused his position at Celtic, but when you look at recent moves down south by West Ham and Aston Villa by faceless faraway owners simply crushing their fans and pushing many traditional supporters away, we have to be vigilant else this will certainly happen at Celtic. I’m not saying this would happen under Dermot Desmond but power can transfer easily.

Moving forward, what are the plans?

Celtic v Hearts 14/09/2024. General view inside Celtic Park, Photo Malcolm Mackenzie/ PSI

Our concerns on the board composition in my opinion still have not been addressed. There has been little change in the board at the club, with Bankier retiring as much due to age as due to the pressure placed on him by the support on the warpath. New blood with experience in the current environment (i.e. commercial, online, social etc) is needed to ensure the club is moving in the right direction.

Add in the recent calls for stadium re-development, then to be upfront, I have little confidence. Admittedly it’s not an issue that affects Celtic immediately as heavily as certain other clubs, such as theRangers, Manchester United and even Murrayfield, but it will be one that needs addressed for the main stand. It’s a long-term project but then you need to invest in the right people to manage these plans, to ensure we get the best value.

The Main Stand is now the poor relation of the stadium, but whatever is the best option, there must be the right people to review the various options, else we’ll be saddled by debt and a white elephant of a new stand. The events of the early 1990s have left an indelible mark on many of us. Other off-field project seem to have halted or disappeared (e.g. the Celtic hotel, museum, new superstore etc).

Overall, we are seeing little note of future development off the field which would benefit the club and the support. On the field, this summer has been more positive, but the buy low sell high strategy can easily come unstuck, and two of our major investments this last summer has really come from loan conversions. The loss of so many key youth players in particular shows that there are major issues in our coaching structure below the first team, when really they should feel they have an opportunity to better stay rather than take a gamble to leave. The boys’ network in the coaching staff is a cause for concern.

Time for Change

This is a time we should look to push through some positive changes in management, and it would benefit everyone across the club. It’s laughable to suggest that there aren’t more experienced people interested in taking on the managerial roles in departments at Celtic that they have to rely on the same old boys network. The salary and longevity of the roles tells you it would be very attractive to many. Add in the incredible voluntary work done by supporters that benefit the club, saving them bucket loads of money, it’s a win-win situation for anyone willing to take on a commercial or relations role at Celtic.

Celtic v Hearts 14/09/2024. General view inside Celtic Park, Photo Malcolm Mackenzie/ PSI

There’s so much that qualified project managers and experienced contractors could potentially make a difference at our club which would benefit the support and the board. Improvements in the youth coaching and structure, better fan liaison with more support to the current liaison officers and expansion of the team there, improvement to the media output (Celtic TV is a bad sell for the club), review of the ticket away system and especially helping with travelling fans, and so on. Sadly, these things appear to be too often way too out of the comfort zones, interest and experience of the board members to address or tackle. I’ve always felt that often the Celtic liaison officers are underappreciated by the those at the higher end of the club hierarchy, and that is to the detriment of the club.

We need change at the club at the top, not just for the sake of it, but also as acknowledgement of the failings of some of the current incumbents. Without this, we will be stuck in the same rut, and we’ll potentially fall further behind in Europe. We need to cull the boys’ network at Celtic not just at the board level, but also in the coaching staff.

Celtic v theRangers – ScottishPremiership – Celtic Park Fans hold up a Let Celtic Flourish banner during the match at Celtic Park on Sunday September 1, 2024. Photo Steve Welsh

It should always be acknowledged that those in the cheap seats are the bedrock of the game, providing the culture and colour that the wealthier wish to experience. The board needs new blood who should have a greater remit to work with the general support as priority and not simply continue to just try to manage to sell them season tickets and over priced home and away tops. The support is faithful through and through but we do have our limits.

Joe Bloggs City – For the Glory of the Green, TheCelticWiki!

Follow at @joebloggscity

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