There is one of two scenarios unfolding at Celtic, the first we are in total dread of, the second would result in huge celebrations…which will we get?
Eric Knott 
(Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Watching how things are unfolding at Celtic Park at the moment, I can only come to the conclusion that one of two scenarios is going to play out this season.
As with anything in life, there is always going to be two scenarios.
Its like when you wake up on a Monday morning before work, you envisage two scenarios.
You know that Its either going to be a shit Monday, or a mildly tolerable one.
Its very rarely anything in between.
The same applies to Celtic and our board.
Because as much as we don’t trust these guys, the unfortunate reality is that they’re the ones in charge.
As fans, all we can do is watch and hope that they make the right decisions for the club we love.
For many out there, well, a huge 3% according to Joe’s poll on his Trinity Tims article today, the Celtic board are doing a fan-tastic job.
As I’ve said before, if I was a happy clapper, then I’d worry about very little.
I would live in my own happy world, fully immersed in the belief that the Celtic board are geniuses, and that Peter Lawwell is the lord and master of all things Celtic.
I would vote for a statue of the lord and master to be erected after all he has achieved in the service of his beloved Celtic.
But the reality is, I’m not a happy clapper.
I have been a Celtic supporter since I first watched the team play Rangers 1872 on a grainy colour tv in my Grandfather’s house at an age I cannot pinpoint.
I’m guessing I was four or five.
I attended my first game at Celtic Park on St. Stephen’s day 1983.
It was a 1-1 draw against Dundee United, with Brian McClair and Eamonn Bannon the scorers on the day.
I was eight years old.
This club has played a massive part of my life for the majority of my living memory.
Sometimes my wife tells me that if it came to a choice between her and Celtic, I’d choose Celtic.
Thankfully, I’ve never been put in that position, because she understands and accepts my deep, ingrained love of Celtic.
So when I sit on the Trinity Tims and call out our board for their repetitive behaviours, I’m not doing it for the sake of being a bollocks.
I’m doing it from a place of love.
And believe me when I say this, I’ve been through it all with Celtic, the shittiest of times and the best of times.
This club plays with my emotions like nothing else.
My friends have seen me kick a table around a bar in rage during the 90’s, when Andy Goram continually broke Celtic hearts with unnerving regularity.
My wife watched me cry unashamedly after we lost to Porto in Seville in 2003.
Wondering what the hell all the fuss was about.
“Jesus, it’s only a game!” she said.
We were only two years together then. I just said, “You wouldn’t understand it.”
But she does now, and she accepts it, albeit still reluctantly sometimes.
I have seen many scenarios unfold as a Celtic fan.
In 1994, I was in utter despair at the thoughts of not having a Celtic to support if we went under in those dark January days.
Back then there was no Celtic cyberspace.
I got most of my Celtic news from the Celtic View.
I topped that up with bits and pieces from the old, great football publication, 90 minutes.
After that, I had to catch the rest in the tabloids, and living in the west of Ireland in the 90’s, that was no easy task.
So, when you decide to comment on my articles and tell me that I don’t know shit when it comes to Celtic, believe me, I do.
Its fair to say that I eat, sleep and breathe Celtic.
Do I love Celtic more than Peter Lawwell does?
Well, I’ve no doubt in my mind that Peter Lawwell loves the life Celtic has given him, and that he is loathe to let go of it.
But my love for Celtic and his love for Celtic are two very different things.
Let’s just say that if Celtic had afforded me the lifestyle it has afforded him, I would be doing everything, and I mean everything, in my power to ensure Celtic was the very best version of itself.
I don’t feel he is doing that.
And yes, that is my opinion and it differs from other people’s opinions.
But Celtic has not given me the things in life it has given Peter Lawwell.
Rather, it has given me a pure and passionate version of itself and all from a football fan’s perspective.
I love Celtic for what it has given me throughout my life, as I’m sure Peter Lawwell does.
But as I said previously, he is reluctant to let go of the trappings it has afforded him, and maybe, just maybe, he has put himself before the club, and the betterment of the club.
In some ways, I cannot blame him for that, and if I was in his position, who knows?
Maybe I’d think completely differently?
But I’m not, so therefore, I don’t.
Which brings me back to scenarios, and the two scenarios we’re facing right now.
While I took a trip down memory lane, I digressed slightly from the opening parts of my article.
But there is a moral to this story, you’ll see.
Firstly, I spoke of the scenario we all dread, so what would that scenario look like?
No more investment in the squad, with a line up of wingers that included Marco Tilio.
Getting knocked out of the Champions League.
Losing to Aberdeen at Pittodrie and then at Ibrox.
Selling Daizen Maeda before the window shuts.
No commitment from the manager regarding his future at Celtic before the start of the season.
Thus leaving the fanbase wondering what’s going happen come the end of the upcoming season.
There you have scenario number one, the worst case scenario.
Have we seen this before?
Well, yes we have, in terms of selling our biggest asset in the aftermath of failing to qualify for the Champions League.
In 2018, we did not strengthen sufficiently for the Champions League qualifiers, and we paid the price.
We have not yet strengthened sufficiently in this window for our upcoming Champions League qualifier.
Our lack of strengthening could also result in us slipping up at Pittodrie and Ibrox.
So no, its not inconceivable that any of the above things could happen, they could.
The opposite of that, the best case scenario, is this.
The club announces that the manager has extended his contract.
Daizen Maeda signs a new contract.
The board delivers all of the players, for all of the positions the manager needs filled, before the transfer window shuts.
We qualify for the Champions League.
We win at Pittodrie, and then go on to win convincingly at Ibrox.
Thus laying down a marker for the rest of the 2025/26 season.
That is scenario number two, and that represents the best case scenario.
Which of those two scenarios do you expect to see happening?
Now, considering Peter Lawwell’s history at Celtic Park, do you think he and Michael Nicholson are going to pull out all the stops to deliver all of the above?
And let’s not beat around the bush here, only a blind fool would believe that Peter Lawwell has no influence over decision making at Celtic Park.
Everybody knows he does.
Because the club’s M.O. has reverted back to exactly the way it was when he was in charge as CEO since his return in 2023.
It has been moulded entirely in his image.
Therefore, that does not instil in me the faith that the right decisions will be made before this transfer window shuts.
Or that the right transfer decisions will be made before we name our Champions League squad.
And that time is fast approaching.
The season kicks off on Sunday.
We are starting it significantly weaker than we finished last season.
The two scenarios I’ve laid out?
Well, one is far more realistic than the other.
And you don’t have to be a genius to figure out which one.
So, the longer things drag out, the more feelings of dread start to creep in.
Will the Celtic board do the right thing by the fans?
Well, if they do, it will be a first.
And what, you ask, is the moral of this story?
In the world of football, greed will always trump love.
We, the fans, follow Celtic to the ends of the earth out of love of the club.
The Celtic board have lodged themselves in the Celtic boardroom out of a love of what this club gives them.
And they are less, and less, inclined to share it with us.
They are less, and less, inclined to invest it in the footballing operation, as is evidenced in the current transfer window.
Our love of Celtic has to be used to pressure them into spending money on the players the manager requires to fill the gaps in his squad.
Can we achieve that?
Who knows, but we’ll sure as hell keep trying to.
If the board really loved Celtic as much as we, the fans, do, then we wouldn’t have to try and influence them at all.
They would act in the best interests of Celtic out of the love they supposedly say they have for the club.
They are certainly not doing that right now.
The scene in George Orwell’s Animal Farm, where the pigs have painted a new slogan on the farmhouse wall comes to mind.
All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others.
The Celtic board feel they are ‘more equal than others’.
This is a paradoxical statement.
It contradicts itself entirely.
Because nothing can be more equal than equality.
Our board would do well to realise that when it comes to the club they claim to be custodians of.
Because we all know what happened at the end of Animal Farm, don’t we?
I’ll leave you with that thought.
I don’t believe it’ll be one extreme of the other. As much as I dislike that our Board runs Celtic like something ran in the 60s, I believe they’ll get some signings in, but not all that’s required. Maeda will stay this season, but Rodgers will leave at the end of his contract because of PL etc and who can blame him. They have a lot of making up to do to the fans in order to get us back on side. Otherwise they’re staring down the barrell of a gun. #Kellys&Whites?
Because we all know what happened at the end of Animal Farm, don’t we?
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och dont spoil it for me.
You don’t know???
Difficult to disagree with your points other than PL is a die hard 100% Celtic man. A lifelong Celtic supporter through thick and thin. However also Terry Cassidy’s Financial Controller and hard nosed Scourge of MON who told MON that under no uncertain terms that Austerity on Steroids has arrived. PL also structured the deal for DD to assume control and have perpetual dividends. So DD owns Celtic and PL does his bidding. And they both make hundreds of thousands of pounds a year from that ownership.
Celtic is not a true PLC in the correct sense of the word. It’s owned by Dermot Desmond, he can do what he likes. And the Supporters like us are simply Customers. You’d be easier trying to get Michael O’Leary to give a damn.
I think to be fair we all know how this will play out. BR is on his way. PL will have him gone before the clocks go back and the board will appoint a Yes Man ( my money on John Kennedy)
And Celtic will go on and on under Desmond family forever.
That’s my gut feeling Eddie. However, I think the fans have had enough of mediocrity under the PL regime. There’s knowing better than everyone else and thinking you know better than everyone else. PL is at the thinking he knows better than everyone point, and it clearly is not working. On the surface, Celtic looks like a well oiled machine, but one look under the hood tells you its clearly not firing on all cylinders. A breakdown is inevitable and I feel we’re at a crossroads. Appointing a yes man will send the club backwards, and I really don’t think the fans will tolerate that. While all of these guys are very firmly lodged in the boardroom, going out and facing screaming, disgruntled fans, with banners calling for your head will get to them eventually. That’s what they risk if they continue on this path. They are holding this club back, and everybody is starting to wake up to that fact.
If sevco were in our position, I truly believe they would blow us out of the water. Its hard not to have feelings of contempt for the board. They feed us with shit like it’s inefficient to stock pile money then sell players and don’t replace them and the stock pile gets higher.
Significant Shareholders
As of 15 May 2024, the Company was aware or had been notified that the following individuals or organisations held 3% or more of the classes of shares comprised in the Company’s listed issued capital:
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James Mark Keane 5,909,847 | 6.24%
Tom Allison 3,357,505 | 3.55%
Yep, couldn’t agree more Eric. PL, in his own mind, has built the current Ultra Successful Cash Rich Celtic Juggernaut who is the envy of every football club in the land and he has made the owner and himself many millions whilst doing so. He’s not about to let some Football Manager ( MON, Ange, Brendan) spend millions just to get a few notches further up the Food Chain and anyway Peter knows best about the game and how to pick a player. ( and he’ll still be very VERY pissed off at BR getting Lawwell Jnr sacked and derailing PLs Dynasty. Revenge is sweet)
But you ain’t shifting DD or PL. They don’t recognise the credentials of the great unwashed no matter how long their dedication or how loud they shout.
I don’t believe in fairytales but I do believe in scenario number 1 as I think all right thinking celtic supporters will and this is a car crash happening right in front of our eyes . It’s cheap and nasty and an insult to the supporters, stop spending money that’s when they might listen otherwise its scenario 1
I agree with the whole sense of your article Eric. The comment that stands out is:
“Let’s just say that if Celtic had afforded me the lifestyle it has afforded him, I would be doing everything, and I mean everything, in my power to ensure Celtic was the very best version of itself.”
This is the difference .
I said elsewhere this morning, that Dominic MacKay was a light in the darkness, but was removed (by Lawwell) because Dominic brought professionalism to the board, which frightened the living daylights out of Lawwell and co. Had Dominic still been here, I would be confident that we already would be a clearly defined Champions League club attracting players of extremely high quality.
Well done to you on a fine response today to what’s going on. I, for one, appreciate it.
The board will probably try to walk the line as usual between spending a lot of money and enraging the fans. I, for one, am ready to get enraged even by their usual tightrope walk however. The only way to force this board into any real change is to withdraw that which they love: the almighty dollar. A match should be picked to boycott. A cup game that’s not on the season ticket. Take a couple of million out of their pockets and see if that gets their attention. They will just pay lip service to anything else. I fear the Celtic fans are too loyal to their team to countenance this kind of approach though?
Somewhere in the middle between 1st and 2nd options.
Think we will beat Aberdeen and the other lot but fail to qualify for the Champions League.
Maeda will be sold.
Good run in the Europa League, which will fill the stadium and more merch to sell us.
PL is guiding us to control Scottish football but do nothing elsewhere.
It’s a shambles.
Saint Stivs on 30th July 2025 3:13 pm
barrowfield drone update.
why cant celtic just keep the support informed,
https://youtu.be/3t7MzvgK_28
Great article Eric especially the insights into your background and how your love for Celtic grew.
Call me naive however i still believe good money will be spent before the window closes in part because if they don’t I’m pretty sure they won’t be able to handle the vitriol that will follow from the fans.
It’s a sell out on Sunday.
Let’s see what the reaction is from a full stadium of Celtic supporters.
Eric, I would love for those Celtic sites with media access within Celtic Park, to bhoycott pressers until further notice. Or until that fkr Lawwell is kicked out of Paradise. Permanently. This would create quite a stir, don’t you think?
Hail Hail.
Eric. I’ve said for a long time that PL has his bonuses all counted up every year. We will have a bad season as we did when we failed to strengthen and then sevco went on to win the league with the weakest team I’ve ever seen and that’s including both Rangers teams. We will win nothing this season. We won’t qualify for the CL and will flop in Europe at all levels. This board are a disgrace.
PL and that hopeless board saying we are a well run club is a joke. We are downsizing again and risking CL qualification with this irresponsible board
Whilst I do not disagree with most of the above ,the statement about PL receiving bonuses now is a complete fallacy , easily verified by checking the annual accounts of the PLC which is available to all shareholders!
He may exert influence on other Board members , true , but he definitely doesnt get a an annual bonus!
If Sevco had £100 mill they have Spunked the lot and be £20 mill into an overdraft and then tapping there maws for money.
Eric
The heat from the furnace has reached a temperature way above boiling point, and it is understandable. I try to avoid repetitive points, but it is not easy to do. A long time ago, I Personally abandoned the possibility that change, from what we have become accustomed to under this Celtic Board, is not going g to happen. I have also said that Brendan Rodgers will go when the door opens for him, simply because he now knows, and surprisingly it has taken so long, that the appointment of Manager at Celtic is of little significance.
Managers manage and Brendan Rodgers is not allowed to do so. As an example, I put it this way:
The Board go shopping and bring in the grub, it is then placed in the red-hot kitchen for the cooks (coaching staff) to prepare the banquet for Upstairs. The job of Head Chef (No. 1 Coach) is to ensure that the pots and pans (the players) are gleaming and ready for the next dinner party to which Brendan Rodgers is not invited.
That is the level of respect shown by Lawwell & Co to Brendan Rodgers. They just don’t value him at all.