If the Celtic board are not intent on downsizing, then WHAT is it exactly that they’re doing?
Eric Knott 
Ian MacNicol/Getty Images Sport
So today, I’ve decided to play the conspiracy theorist when it comes to Celtic.
I mean after all, most of the time we bloggers are called exactly that.
We’re accused of speculation, scare mongering, and being conspiracy theorists.
What I would say is that we have theories for the behaviour that goes on at our club.
That doesn’t necessarily make them conspiracy theories, because for there to be a conspiracy going on, there must be a secret plan by a group to do something unlawful or harmful.
The Celtic board are extremely secretive, that cannot be denied.
Sometimes that’s a good thing, and sometimes it’s not.
They definitely aren’t doing anything unlawful.
So, I guess that just leaves harmful.
And the question I’ve got to ask is this; is the board’s current behaviour harmful towards the progress of Celtic football club?
There are two perspectives that you can look at this from.
Firstly, the fans’ perspective.
I am a fan first, a blogger second, and I see everything through the prism of the fanbase.
In a lot of instances, I follow my heart instead of my head when it comes to Celtic.
I get engrossed in the passion and love all of us Celtic fans feel towards the club.
It is a special thing, a raw thing, that many football fans throughout the world do not get to feel.
For us, Celtic is a way of life.
Hell, for me it is a way of life because I write about it every day.
I’ve written three books in my lifetime, but nothing ever supplies me with as much subject matter as Celtic.
Simply because Celtic is a living breathing thing, something that will outlive me, and be there long after I am nothing but ash.
The imprint I make on Celtic will be one of millions throughout the lifetime of the club.
But the imprint Celtic has made on me is unique, and will be with me for the duration of my life.
However, if I take the heartfelt passion and feelings I have for the club out of the equation, in my full time job, I run a business, where at the end of the day, all that matters is the bottom line.
So I understand how a business works.
I also understand how certain business models work.
The company I work for was formed in 1992 from very humble beginnings.
Since then, it has grown into a multi-billion pound operation, operating out of Ireland, the UK and the US.
As a company, it has experienced this kind of growth because the men who founded the company were never afraid to speculate to accumulate.
The bottom line to them, was an opportunity for growth, and they used the profits the company made to continually grow it into the huge operation it is today.
It continues to grow at an exponential rate.
Yes, it is a different kind of business to a football club, but the principles for it’s growth are the very same as those of a football club.
Make profits, invest those profits in the business to help it to grow continuously.
So, with that much said, I will now attempt to look at things from the Celtic board’s perspective.
Peter Lawwell, and all of the men charged with running Celtic football club state that they are, first and foremost, Celtic fans.
If they are Celtic fans, then they must care deeply about the well being of the club, right?
You would certainly like to think so anyway.
As custodians of the club, just like any other business, they are charged with making it profitable, and sustainable.
I think it is fair to say they have achieved that, and then some.
To many people, Celtic is a prime example of a well run business.
Many other football clubs aspire to be like Celtic.
If you were in the board’s shoes, you would be entitled to think you are doing a great job.
You are keeping the football club on a sustainable, healthy footing, all while ensuring the shareholders are kept happy, and also the principle shareholder, Dermot Desmond.
Who ultimately, you answer to.
From the board’s perspective, they feel they are doing exactly what they are paid to do.
And let’s not forget, they are being handsomely paid for their endeavours.
So the board are keeping everybody they are paid to keep happy, including themselves, well…..very happy.
Chapeau to them.
Well done.
But it seems to me they are forgetting about two very important cogs in the machine they run.
Without these two cogs, the machine would grind to a shuddering halt.
What are these two cogs?
Well, you don’t have to be a genius to figure it out.
The Celtic fanbase, and the footballing operation.
Without wanting to sound too cliched, football without the fans is nothing.
We know this because of how that impacted us and our club four years ago.
Without the footballing operation, well, the club simply doesn’t exist.
So I’m going to play devil’s advocate, and put a conspiracy theory out there.
Is it fair to say our board is neglecting the lifeblood of Celtic football club, the fanbase?
Would you say that me stating that is conspiratorial?
And in turn, in addition to neglecting the fanbase, is it fair to say the board is neglecting the football operation?
Are those statements conspiratorial, or are they fact?
Well, here’s the thing, through the eyes of the majority of the fanbase, those statements are fact, because the evidence is there for all to see.
The fanbase consistently hands over it’s hard earned cash to the football club, and in return, the majority of the fanbase feels it’s being short changed.
The fans feel they’re being short changed because the product on the pitch is systematically being weakened season upon season since a certain individual returned to the boardroom.
And there it is!
The ultimate conspiracy theory.
One man is the common denominator behind all of what is wrong at Celtic right now.
I told you I was playing the conspiracy theorist today.
But here’s the thing, Peter Lawwell would look at someone like me, and state that I am exactly that.
A conspiracy theorist.
Because in his mind, he feels he is doing the best he can for Celtic.
But the unfortunately reality is the majority of us just don’t see it from his perspective.
We just don’t see it that way.
And the evidence to the contrary at the moment is overwhelming.
All you need to do is look at the current transfer window.
As I highlighted in yesterday’s article, £1 million spent so far, £3 million into the club’s coffers so far.
We are hurtling headlong into this coming season weaker than we finished the last.
That is a fact, not a conspiracy, and unless it changes radically in a short space of time, it will remain so.
I headlined this article with the question, if the Celtic board are not intent on downsizing, then what is it exactly that they’re doing?
And that’s the £100 million question.
What is it exactly that they’re doing?
Well, the answer to that lies with Peter Lawwell and the people in his boardroom.
I can only theorise about what their thinking might be.
Whether that’s conspiratorial or factual, only time will tell.
Because thus far, this transfer window shows no signs of coming to life in any meaningful way.
David Low, one of the men instrumental in helping to bring Celtic back from the brink in the mid-90s and facilitating Fergus McCann’s takeover, stated that the financial gap between Celtic and the Ibrox side is now at an unhealthy level.
In a recent conversation over on the Celtic Exchange, he asked a very pertinent question when he said this:
What does Mike Tyson get out of sparring with Barry McGuigan? Very little.
That is the perfect metaphor for the position Celtic currently finds itself in now.
But isn’t it all very coincidental David Low has come out with all of that at this particular juncture?
And here’s the conspiracy theorist coming out in me again….
Is this why the board does not want to spend big in this transfer window?
Is it because they know that if they do, it will essentially kill off any competition from the Ibrox side?
Effectively causing Mike Tyson to beat Barry McGuigan into a pulp, so to speak.
And who wants that?
I do, and so does every other Celtic fan out there.
We’ve always wanted it.
But Peter Lawwell and his board feel that something like that would be bad for business.
They’ve always felt that way.
The crisis unfolding over at Ibrox scares them, and make no mistake about it, that club are in a crisis situation at the moment.
The chances are we’ll beat them to a pulp just by standing still and not improving at all this season.
Because they are downsizing, they have no choice now.
Forget our European aspirations, we just can’t be seen to be using our main rivals as a punchbag.
It’s just not good for business.
So I’ll leave you with the question I started this article with.
If the Celtic board are not intent on downsizing, then what is it exactly that they’re doing?
Only Peter Lawwell, and Michael Nicholson et al can give you the answer to that.
But the conspiracy theorist in me, and my gut instinct, is telling me it isn’t good.
If Matt O’Riley is sold, and not adequately replaced, then we are significantly weaker than we were last season.
Just about a match for our main rivals?
Who knows?
But I’ll tell you this much, unless we start to see major signs of life in terms of transfers in the next two weeks, the signs will become very ominous.
I hope I’m proved wrong.
I hope to God my gut instinct is wrong.
But it’s in my Celtic DNA to worry.
And right now, I’m worried.
Saw the headline. Ignored the content. The same old whining bollix from you. Your one track mind is as dull as dishwater mate. It suits you just fine for your tinpot blog that transfer activity has been relatively slow so far. You would be unable to write a positive word had it been a flurry of multi million signings. Goes against your USP. That is to say Ultra Snide Pish.
Yet here you are again Brian. What is it that draws you back to my Ultra Snide Pish again, and again? Only you can answer that. But I’ll make you a deal, here and now, if we start this season stronger than we finished last season, I will eat my words. In fact, I’ll go one better, I’ll dedicate a full article to all of you people who think my work is Ultra Snide Pish, but mainly to YOU. In it, I’ll spologise for everything I’ve said that’s wrong, and retract everything I said about the board. I’ll absolutely eat humble pie. Can’t do fairer than that. So let’s see what happens between now and the start of the season. I’m sure you can’t wait to prove me wrong?
Brian McAllister
says:
19th July 2024 at 12:46 pm
Saw the headline. Ignored the content. The same old whining bollix from you. Your one track mind is as dull as dishwater mate. It suits you just fine for your tinpot blog that transfer activity has been relatively slow so far. You would be unable to write a positive word had it been a flurry of multi million signings. Goes against your USP. That is to say Ultra Snide Pish.
—————
Brian
It’s sad that there are tims like you with the same attitude wandering around.
Last 14 matches in Europe W1 D3 L10.
Yet guys like yourself seem more than content.
A 3rd plan could be at play here, and one that none of our fans should be welcoming.
All the cash could be squirreled away to make us a prime target for countless hedge funds or Arab oligarchs.
A fckn frightening thought!!!!
DD may just be up for it.
Agree with you there Jas. It’s something I’ve been thinking about but steering clear of, because as you say, it’s a frightening thought. The board continuously pushes the fanbase, and the fanbase rarely pushes back in any meaningful way. It was teetering on the edge last season during the Hearts defeat at Paradise. Fan feeling was like a tinderbox waiting to ignite. If us being sold to a hedge fund or some Arab Oligarch was floated, you wouldn’t be seeing the fanbase igniting like a tinderbox, you’d see the Fanbase exploding with the force of a hydrogen bomb. I honestly believe that is something we’d never stand for or let happen.
Brian are you jealous of Eric’s success? You are embarrassing yourself with your personal attacks . Its scary how many celtic fans like you go on the attack when someone questions quite rightly a board who could do much more with 100 million plus in the bank .
Hi my first time here but I totally agree with everything you have said and I am truly worried about this as we should be so far ahead of that mob across the road and we really struggled with winning the league last season and that should never have been the case and we need to make sure it doesn’t happen again and that we make a good account of ourselves this season in Europe instead of being battered by teams that we are much bigger than or at least should be .
Let’s hope that the board has finally listened to the majority of fans and not the idiots that are happy to just be scrambling over the line.
I read both the headline and the comment and think the overall piece is well balanced and excellently written. The business comparison was a good one. Imagine a business that has grown and expanded over many years to become large and successful, but without sizeable profit reinvestment to grow the changing infrastructure to meet demand; staff employment/upgrades, equipment renewal, order processing, the all-important customer-relations element, etc. Well, pretty soon that successful company is going to start failing and lagging behind competitors as performance levels drop and customers lose confidence. That’s exactly where Celtic is at with its product and fans right now. The profits are being hoarded to please shareholders and Board beneficiaries while the team gets weaker and struggles to keep up with competition, and the fans lose heart because of the clear absence of speculating ambition in those with the purse strings. There is no question that Peter Lawwell’s signature is all over this sad state of affairs; this is conspiracy fact, not fiction!
What that Board is doing to the club and to fans may not be unlawful, but it is morally criminal and repugnant to the minds and hearts of all who hold Celtic to be about more than large bonuses for an elite few.
I said at the end of last season that if Celtic don’t invest in some quality additions in the close season, we can chuck it. Rodgers came back because Desmond wanted him, Rodgers must have sought, and been given assurances that he would have more resources and less interference from Lawwell, his son or anyone else.
My concern is primarily Europe. There was a scenario that if Benfica hadn’t finished in 2nd place in their league, Sevco would have qualified AUTOMATICALLY for this seasons Champions League due to their far superior coefficient position. (Despite being runners up) It could well happen next year, even if we win the league we will need to play qualifiers (and we all know how thats likely to end) Sevco could walk straight in to the Champions League (even as runners up to us in the league!) We MUST invest to strengthen the team to start making some headway in Europe which is what we all want to see. We need to have a team ready to win through qualification games to ensure regular Champions League income.
I meant to add that there is also a definite mindset in this Celtic Board, as expressed in the article, that the club shouldn’t stretch too far ahead of the other lot across the city, since that would be bad for business. I mean, if it’s a one-horse race every year then promoters may think twice before investing in the Scottish game. So profit and maintaining the status quo is what these people are about. They are not about progress and giving back to the fans. Watch what happens between now and the end of August; I guarantee there will be few, if any, serious additions to the squad and the European adventure will be yet another nightmare.
There could be another reason why the board and shareholders are building up the cash reserves and increasing the share price in the club anyone got any thoughts on that one ?
Andy,
It’s about time Rodgers started to stand up for himself before this Board. He knows what he needs and he has to start talking tough about it. No point in him telling us his aspirations and sending subliminal begging messages to the Board in his interviews. He needs to man up, kick the door of the board room and and demand resources.
I don’t give an eff about that lot in Govan, if the boot was on the other foot they’d bury us, permanently.
No mercy, obliterate the feeeenians, 1690 and all that.
Lawwell is happy being the biggest fish in the SPFL puddle. No ambition and with him in charge we’re going nowhere.
Tell you what they are not doing, signing strikers, they should be signed and bedding in by now
Great to read when its TIM Against Tim and you are all arguing with each other. Must be the Celtic blood in you.
Fuck off and worry about your own club. Believe me, you’ve a lot more to worry about.
There is No Point Preaching to Brian the FUD a well known Board Apologist
Billy Boy
says:
19th July 2024 at 2:57 pm
Great to read when its TIM Against Tim and you are all arguing with each other. Must be the Celtic blood in you.
————-
That’s the difference between Celtic fans and the fans who supported the club that died.
Your support listened and never questioned the pish that your club told them till it was too late and your old club died, whereas we don’t just accept any old shite that the Celtic board tell us.
I think Celtic are on the horns of a dilemma the more supporters have an understanding of the just how much supporters will be able to compare what Celtic spend compared to Rangers as result of FSR changes.
To spend to FSR limits to raise player standards or stick to last years model where R2ngers outspent us.
FSR introduces an element of transparency which leads to a calling to account for what is revealed.
I have copied my comment from another blog that hopefully explains my point.
‘If at end of transfer window BR walks then I would hope that all fans reconsider their position .
Perhaps then and only then might supporters have Celtic where they want them.
Given that is the last thing Celtic would want my hope is that they sign players of a standard BR would be happy to participate in the CL with.
If Celtic ignore the possible consequences of spending affordably within the limits of FSR they deserve a response like your self.
I have mentioned before factors that have changed since 2012.
I’ll add a new one.
FSR in defining football earnings and football income that has to align with audited accounts introduces a level of transparency that has not existed until FSR arrived.
Ok it is going to take some smart Celtic supporters with accountancy legal and business experience to interpret the rules and do the sums, but with that level of information the ability to call Celtic to account in a way not possible before can exist.
In fact it might be worth while trying to establish a small group of supporters with requisite professional skills to make it happen.
Thoughts?
Something must be in the post , why else would we have Rodgers as manager, agree lawwell is someone who sympathises with sevco being an absolute skint basket case but we cannot allow this to be a gauge on the celtic squad, we have to start performing well in Europe again and even lawwell must realise this failure is damaging the clubs reputation and image, if he doesn’t, he’s as well as leaving before he’s ousted, no 1 person is bigger than the club .
Totally agree 👍
I read this article and find it refreshing that the odd fan here and there actually wants to see the wood from the trees.
I’ve followed Celtic all my life and in my humble opinion those who run the Club have nothing but disdain for our great Support. I don’t need to back up that statement. There is countless examples to support it and if you disagree then that is your prerogative.
For me it comes down to voting with your feet.
I recently met a fellow fan in a bar on holiday and he is a Season Ticket holder. I asked him if he would be going to the CL games and his response saddened me. He said that the CL ticket money comes off his Direct Debit.
Nobody on here needs a lecture on how much revenue the CL brings in but if it is optional to go and watch Celtic competing without the improved resources needed to do so effectively, then you have a decision to make.
I understand that CL nights are great and we all look forward to them. How many of them have we looked back on fondly in recent years.
Those who run Celtic only care about the bottom line and it’s only when they’re hurting that they take any kind of action. So instead of being proactive like the original poster was suggesting, our Club is always going to be reactive.
I couldn’t give a toss about the Orcs. They should have no bearing on our aspirations and it’s been evident for years that the environment Celtic needs to improve in is Europe.
If we build an improving team to give us a competing chance in the CL, then the SPL should take care of itself. If we don’t and you are happy to pay to watch Celtic in the CL, remember, it was your decision.
You could alternatively, have made a statement to the Board.
Yes, they will sell your seat to someone else, but the message would have been loud and clear that those who pay week in week out have had enough.
I too, hope I am wrong, and we see the Club make the kind of signings we hope will improve our starting eleven and give us an improved showing in the CL.
Celtic is brilliant mainly because of our fans. Does our Board ever feel that this loyalty is fragile? I’d suggest not. Does our Board appear to take this loyalty for granted? I’d suggest absolutely.
I totally understand that nobody would want to give up their Season Ticket because they’d probably struggle to get one again. But as for paying through the nose for optional CL tickets, that is where fans could display their own resentment at the disdain shown to them by those who run our Club.
Ending on a positive note, we know that we all want to improve from a position of strength. Champions again is great but isn’t continual improvement and the avoidance of complacency part of the Manager’s mantra. Let’s hope he’s given the funds to make that happen.
Eric, keep up the good work fello Celt, keep calling out the BS and don’t let the snowflake perpetuators of boardroom apologisers like Brain deter you from highlighting important issues. Brain is clearly a very soft and sensitive individual that can’t handle opinions that dont alline with his own deluded perspective of the world, facts hurt Brian’s feelings. Keep Speaking you mind Eric.
I therefore am calling Brian out and challenging him to write an article of his own to disprove any of Eric concerns about the deliberate and malicious mismanagement of Celtic Football club (from a European stand point), but before he doses (if he does) let me jog Brains memory with a few facts, which are as follows:
The enemy within, Celtics Keyser soze’s Peter Liewell and his continued influence
1: Constantly interfered with the recruitment process
2: Continuously undermined managers to pursue his and the boards money-hoarding agenda.
3: Wasted millions of much needed money on project players & journeymen.
4: Held back on money that was needed to help the manager’s and the team progress within European qualifiers.
5: Liewell and the board have regressed Celtic to a joke & laughing stock of
European football to the point that we’ve become the whipping boys for Europe’s smaller clubs.
6: Under Liewell and the boards money-hoarding mismanagement, we’ve only qualified for the Champions League twice in the last eight years.
7: Under Liewell and the boards money-hoarding mismanagement, we’ve lost out on £280 million of much needed Champion’s League revenue.
8: Under Liewell and the boards money-hoarding mismanagement, they’ve flushed £35 million down the toilet, blew the 10iar & called it progress.
9: Under Liewell and the boards money-hoarding mismanagement, sevco were resurrected in order to save the ‘Old Firm’ brand & the long-term financial future of the SPFL.
Celtic fans handed over their hard-earned cash and backed the board and club during a global pandemic, Liewell and Co were so grateful that they responded in kind by flushing £35 million down the toilet & blew the 10iar, erected barricades, ignored the concerns of the fans and used the blue nose tainted elements of the British media to insult & labelled Celtic fans with untrue, deceitful slurs of ‘entitled’, ‘mob’, ‘scum’ & ‘dirt’, yet, and still the fans back them, coming back for more of the same, renewing in their thousands ???? beggars belief you’s want champions league fitba, aye right, we’re downsizing! now shut up & give us your money
Well said wullie if celtic only want to buy players good enough for scotland boycott europe wasnt long ago top stand was closed at home games board are tory scum
If the Celtic board is holding us back because we are miles ahead of Sevco, then that would be a gross dereliction of duty. We should be trying to bury them once and for all as that is what they would do to us and enjoy every moment. The only way to hurt them would be to boycott nonleague fixtures until they realize who has the real power. I tend to agree with Eric that this is beginning to look like an intentional ploy to keep us ahead by a baw hair, well the board needs to read the room as the vast majority of our fans are on the verge and it won’t take much to push them over. What I want is a team that wipes the floor with them and competes with Europes best to the point where we never get humbled again. We know we are not winning the CL but with the resources available we should be getting group stage more seasons than not.
Very tetchy answer Eric.
You lot keep arguing among yourself while all the Famous Glasgow Rangers fans keep laughing. The divide and rule strategy of the Masons is working a treat.
I’ve been trying to get the boycotting of all merchandise message across to the fanbase for longer than I can remember !
It’s fine to buy season books but as Wullie says,everything else is optional because we can keeps our seats but we can affect their beloved balance sheet by not buying anything else.
How long does anyone think Adidas would hang about for if their three kits per season gathered dust on the superstore’s shelves ?
Instead of buying a pie and bovril at the game,eat something before or after the match…..You won’t die of malnutrition !!
We have the power to affect their thinking but refuse to use it.
We are going to have to bite the bullet and start taking action against these tory parasites or the alternative is we continue to bite the pillow as they arse fuck us again and again.
They can ram their Champions league package so far up their hole an expert proctologist would be unable to locate it but a dentist might and as for their unfair allocation of tickets every season under the HCTS,they can poke that scheme as well !
I can find more satisfying ways of spending my time rather than getting hummed at home in Europe every season by teams we should be obliterating without breaking sweat.
Time to get fuckin real with these parasites in the boardroom or else stop complaining about our lot.
We DO have a choice in this !!!
It’s actually quite astounding how arrogantly disdainful this Board is towards the fanbase. We’re now well into pre-season with the league set to kick off in a matter of weeks and they still haven’t even signed Idah and Bernardo on permanent contracts. All they’ve done is recruit an out-of-contract veteran keeper and a project backup – that’s it!
The team desperately needs quality players who can hit the ground running and who have time to bed in, yet it’s all quiet on the Boardroom front. They could easily spend £20 – £30 million on those players and still have plenty left in the profit account, yet all we hear are whispers about Brendan speaking to some young winger in Belgium who no one has ever heard of – another project.
The contempt for the fanbase is actually palpable now – it’s as if they’re viewed as low-life trash by the suits. And I have to say again that Brendan Rodgers is not man enough to stand up and be counted in the matter, he’s just an apologist for the Board feeding us the same old line about how difficult it is to recruit according to the “club model”, which just happens to be the ‘ten bob and a pickled egg” model.
Ange Postecoglu had every single piece of the playing puzzle in place before pre-season started and was clearly not a man to accept, much less excuse, sloth in the transfer market. What does that tells us about Brendan’s loyalties? They are clearly first to the suits who pay him well to keep the masses in check with his blarney.
Billy Boy
says:
19th July 2024 at 7:53 pm
Very tetchy answer Eric.
You lot keep arguing among yourself while all the Famous Glasgow Rangers fans keep laughing. The divide and rule strategy of the Masons is working a treat.
—————-
I dont recall much laughter from huns when Clement confirmed the club had no money to spend on new players or when your club told the fans that they couldnt give a confirmation date for when they would be playing again at ibrox.
But tims everywhere laughed themselves sore.
It’s always an interesting when someone puts an interesting point across, but more interesting is the inane post like “your talking p*sh”…. No counter argument….if you disagree with the post give an alternative point.
There is something dark and unholy about Peter lawwell. Something of the night about this man. He chased Martin O’Neil and Gordon Strachan and Neil Lennon. Three managers who won three league titles each and walked away. They chose unemployment rather than work with Lawwell.
Lawwell needs to go but I don’t think he will. If things go pear shaped this season he will be forced out again.
Bring Martin in as chairman. He is everything Lawwell isn’t. He is smart. He is a football man. He is a Celtic man. He is ambitious.
Bring back Martin.
Hi, new to the site..I think your article articulates the concern that a lot of fans feel and try to ignore..it’s not a comfortable thought to believe those in charge of the club we genuinely love..don’t share the same dreams and ambitions as the fans..if this window ends with us weaker than last season..then how can there be any doubt..? It’s OK not to agree with criticism of the board but to attack those who express these concerns isn’t healthy..just authoritarian.. .hh