Fergus McCann must be aghast at what he sees happening to today. He would never have wanted it this way

In 1999, when Fergus McCann sold his 51% controlling stake in Celtic, I doubt that he expected the club to find itself right back where it was when he took it over in March of 1994.

True to his word, he only stayed at Celtic for 5 years.

But in those 5 years, he built Celtic into what it is today.

Or should I rephrase that, and say what it WAS.

Because what it is right now, I’d imagine, is the furthest thing from what Fergus McCann expected it would be back in 1999.

It WAS, for quite some time, the pinnacle of Scottish football.

Right now, it is a club at war with itself, mired in a battle between the fanbase, it’s current principal shareholder, and the board that does his bidding.

When Fergus sold his shares to Dermot Desmond back in 1999, I’m sure he imagined he was selling them in good faith to a man who had the best interests of Celtic at heart.

I would imagine he had many dealings with Desmond during his 5 years of running Celtic.

When he returned to North America after his time in Glasgow, I’d envisage he felt that he could not have left Celtic in a stronger position.

And he was right.

Celtic went from strength to strength after he departed.

Within 4 years of his departure, the club had reached a European final.

In hindsight, it would now appear that the Uefa Cup final appearance of 2003 was the pinnacle of Celtic’s European ambitions.

Late that same year, Peter Lawwell was brought in to curb extensive spending and return the club to a stable financial position.

Back in late 2003, nobody could foresee just how deep, and in some cases, how malign an influence Peter Lawwell would come to have over Celtic.

I’m not going to go down the rabbit hole of the history and direction the club has taken since then.

We’re all acutely aware of it.

It’s what has led us to where we find ourselves today.

I have no doubt that Fergus McCann must be aghast at what he sees happening at Celtic today.

His legacy was never meant to result in this.

Fergus himself understood the merits of a short custodianship.

That’s why he stuck rigidly to his 5 year plan, and delivered everything he promised he would in that time frame.

He may not have been everybody’s cup of tea during his time at Celtic, but that was because people weren’t fully understanding of what he was trying to achieve.

With the benefit of hindsight, we can look back on his time at the club with the understanding of exactly what it was he set out to achieve.

Bearing that in mind, I think it’s fair to say that we would give anything to have a Fergus McCann-like figure leading the charge for change at the club right now.

You see, Fergus understood about the need for constant change at Celtic.

That’s why he stuck to his 5 year plan.

I have no doubt that he expected the same sort of trend would continue after he left the club.

Look at how much Celtic evolved in his 5 years at the club.

Then look at how little it has evolved since he left.

Celtic Football club is now a reflection of those who been in charge of it for far too long.

Fergus laid the foundations for growth at Celtic Park.

He turned the stadium into a citadel, with a 10,000 seat advantage over it’s nearest rival.

He would be appalled at the fact that nothing has been done to further evolve Celtic Park since he left.

It has been a case of minimum input for maximum output.

We all know that there were so many things that could have been done in and around Celtic Park to help it to continue to evolve over the last 26 years.

Instead, it has fallen into a state of disrepair.

What was once a beacon of modern football stadium standards has now become the ultimate example of the result of standing still.

In 1999, Celtic Park was one of the most modern stadiums in Britain, and sat third after Wembley and Old Trafford for the largest football stadium capacities on the island.

In 2025, it is no different, and has been left behind by the rest of Britain.

Fergus McCann saw the value in meeting the demands of the Celtic support.

We all know today that if the main stand was refurbished to align with the rest of the stadium, the additional seats would sell in no time at all.

While it might cost the club in the short term, in the long term it would pay for itself over and over again.

Just like the original rebuilding of Celtic Park has.

Celtic has such a good credit rating, any financial institute would lend the money required to rebuild the main stand.

They would do that fully in the knowledge that their loan would easily be repaid.

Men with vision would see that, but we’ve become all too used to watching a bunch of risk averse charlatans control our club.

I sincerely doubt Fergus McCann imagined Dermot Desmond would turn into the despot he has become when he sold 19.8% of his shares to the Irish billionaire in 1999.

I also doubt he expected that the same men would be in control of the club as have been for the better part of the 21st century.

They have caused the club to stagnate over the course of this century, and Celtic Park is now a monument to that self-imposed stagnation.

I think Fergus McCann would fully understand why the Celtic fanbase is demanding change.

Fergus knew not to overstay his welcome at Celtic Park.

He had a clear vision of what he wanted to achieve, and the time frame in which he wished to achieve it.

Celtic has come full circle since 1994, and is right back where it was back then, albeit under monumentally different circumstances.

The club isn’t on the verge of bankruptcy, it is in fact one of the most cash rich clubs in Britain.

It isn’t being dominated by a club playing out of Ibrox.

And it certainly isn’t playing in a stadium that is on the verge of falling down.

It is suffering from rank complacency and stagnation under a group of men who have no strategy nor vision for it’s future.

They rely on short-term thinking and a strategy that may have been good enough 20 years ago, but is now archaic and out of touch with modern football.

Celtic is being left behind.

I bet that if Fergus McCann was 30 years younger again, he’d be chomping at the bit to lead Celtic out of the abyss once more.

The Celtic Fans Collective leads the charge for change now.

What we’d give for a man like Fergus to be amongst our ranks at this moment in time.

Maybe the next Fergus McCann is out there waiting in the wings.

If he is, now would be the time to step forward…