The real reason Celtic’s CEO can’t deal with agents, and it isn’t incompetence…

Michael Nicholson has been in the spotlight extensively over the last few days.

Unbeknownst to himself, he scored a brutal own goal at the AICSC’s AGM recently.

One which will probably come back to haunt him time and time again.

Nicholson openly admitted that he cannot do his job.

As a result, every major news outlet, every major news title, and every major fan media platform has picked up on his comments.

Now, of course, Nicholson has nothing to worry about in all of this.

His job is as safe as houses.

Incompetence is rewarded at Celtic Park, intelligence of any description is run out the door.

But let’s get real here, the incompetence at Celtic Park is ‘engineered’ incompetence.

It is driven by one individual.

That individual tells the Celtic board to shut their mouths, do and say exactly as he tells them, and they’ll be handsomely rewarded financially.

In other words, play the fool for me, and you’ll be richly rewarded.

The biggest aspect of the board’s accession to these demands is that they let Dermot Desmond act like he owns Celtic Football club.

When clearly, he does not.

I already touched on that particular subject in one of yesterday’s articles.

Even Martin O’Neill plays along with this charade, which could also prove to be to his detriment down the line.

As for Michael Nicholson?

He might have the title of CEO, but that is all he has.

Nicholson certainly does not have the authority of a CEO, and he clearly does not wield the kind of power Peter Lawwell did in his time as CEO.

He is a placeman.

Nothing more, nothing less.

He was recommended to Desmond by Peter Lawwell because he was Lawwell’s protoge.

In other words, Lawwell told Desmond Nicholson would do whatever he wanted him to do, and what was even better, he would do it for much less than Lawwell did it for.

You will recall that in 2018, Peter Lawwell was the highest paid CEO in British football, with an annual salary of £3.2 million.

Nicholson earns substantially less at around £837,000 per annum.

I would imagine when he was fulfilling his role at the club as a ‘leading sports lawyer’, Nicholson earned about £150,000 per annum.

His salary increased beyond his wildest dreams when he was installed as interim CEO in September 2021.

Clearly Nicholson was happy to be paid £837,000 a year to be a useful idiot.

Who wouldn’t be?

Because that’s really all he is.

So let’s study the reality here.

Michael Nicholson is not a stupid man.

You don’t go to law school and become a ‘leading sports lawyer’, and then spend 11 years at a reputable law firm without having a decent level of intelligence about you.

He had a pretty solid career before he joined Celtic as Company Secretary and Head of Legal in 2013.

Of course, once you’re on the gravy train at Celtic, the only way is up.

By 2019, Nicholson was promoted to Director of Legal and Football Affairs.

Nicholson had previously served as a Council Member for the Law Society of Scotland, and is currently an Arbitrator for the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Once again, roles that all require a fair degree of intelligence and the ability to make serious decisions.

Which then begs the question, why is he not given the autonomy to make serious decisions at Celtic?

Try not to laugh too hard at what I have to say next.

Maybe if Michael Nicholson was actually allowed to fulfil his role as CEO at Celtic, people would get to see his true ability?

Maybe he isn’t as incompetent as he leads us to believe he is?

In fact I’m pretty sure he isn’t.

In life, there is a fine line between intelligence, and common sense.

As an old boss used to say to me, commons sense is like deodorant, those who need it the most never use it.

I don’t think Michael Nicholson has a lot of common sense.

Because if he did, he’d be able to look himself in the mirror every day and say, ‘I’m better than this.’

He would have the common sense to understand that making the same excuses over and over again when it comes to player transfers, just will not wash now.

Common sense dictates that when every other football club in Scotland can manage to make signings, then the transfer market is not the problem.

Michael Nicholson is.

Common sense would tell you that admitting you cannot deal with the current transfer market is not an intelligent thing to do.

Even though you perceive yourself to be an intelligent person.

You are, after all, the CEO of Celtic Football Club.

But only in name.

And you accept that because you are paid handsomely to accept that.

You even accept the ritual humiliation that comes with the fact you are a laughing stock, and that nobody takes you seriously.

Dermot Desmond certainly doesn’t take you seriously.

If he did, you would have autonomy similar to that of Peter Lawwell.

But you don’t.

This isn’t incompetence.

This is being bought and paid for.

Selling your soul for a salary you would never have the ability to pick up elsewhere.

You know your place, and you know exactly what you are.

If Michael Nicholson is content with that, then more power to him.

But equally, he needs to understand that there are very little Celtic fans out there who are acceptant of that any more.

Would I have a problem with being paid £837,000 a year to be Dermot Desmond’s lackey?

I can’t answer that.

Because I’ve never been in that position.

Only Michael Nicholson can answer that question.

But when he decides to speak at events like AICSC’s AGM, he should have the common sense to know that what he says translates into something like this in the eyes of the Celtic support:

The reason I can’t deal with transfers is because every single move we make in the transfer market has to be run by Dermot Desmond.

Every penny we spend, has to be run by Dermot Desmond.

I have no autonomy when it comes to player transfers, that’s why the market is so difficult for me.

That would at least be honest.

But it wouldn’t garner any respect.

This board gets no respect from Celtic supporters because they have abrogated their responsibilities to Celtic Football Club as a PLC.

They are rightfully its custodians.

They have the right to call the shots at Celtic as they see fit.

Dermot Desmond does not own Celtic Football Club, he is its principal shareholder.

Although, somehow, he has managed to convince this small cohort of men, including Martin O’Neill, that he does own it.

And they are all paid handsomely to be complicit in this total farce.

They are paid to lie, obfuscate, mislead and fleece the Celtic support in every way they can.

This isn’t incompetence, it is malfeasance disguised as legal governance.

The very definition of malfeasance is derived from the Old French words mal (bad) and faisance (doing).

Well, I think it’s fair to say that the the Celtic board certainly isn’t doing any good for the club right now.

Don’t you?

That’s why Willie Haughey and Celtic Season Ticket Alliance are questioning the legality of Desmond’s control over Celtic.

Fans are starting to wake up to the fact that all is not what it seems to be.

And on the rare occasion that Michael Nicholson decides to speak to fans, people can see right through him.

People can see right through Brian Wilson, and Chris McKay too.

They are all Desmond’s placemen.

This is not incompetence.

It never was, and it never will be.

We all know what it is.

The fact that we struggle to do anything about is what’s most frustrating for all Celtic fans.

But I get the feeling that might be about to change…

Choose Read Celtic as a ‘Preferred Source’ on Google News for quick access to the news you value.