Celtic’s Boardroom Is Not fit for purpose – One Signing Will not remove the damage that has been done.

The Celtic boardroom is not fit for purpose. That may sound harsh, but the evidence is becoming impossible to ignore.

If Kasper Høgh completes his move to Celtic, supporters will be over the moon. He could be an excellent signing and provide Martin O’Neill with another genuine attacking weapon.

However, one arrival cannot remove the damage caused by months of weak planning, silence and hesitation.

Several vital positions across Celtic remain vacant or temporary.

• Head of Football Operations – Vacant for six months and 22 days following Paul Tisdale’s departure.
• Head of Scouting and Recruitment – Vacant for six months and 22 days, with Mark Cooper reportedly operating as acting chief scout.
• Pathway Manager – Vacant, leaving an important academy-to-first-team position without a permanent appointment.
• Permanent Chairman – Brian Wilson has been interim chairman for six months and 26 days.
• Non-Executive Directors – Two boardroom positions remain vacant.
• Head of Supporter Engagement – Still unfilled after the new role was announced as part of plans to improve relations with supporters.

That is not a healthy structure. It looks like a building site where the foreman has disappeared, half the workers have gone home and nobody can find the plans.

Why the Celtic Boardroom Is Not Fit for Purpose

Celtic begin their league campaign against Dundee in one week. At the time of writing, only one new player has arrived.

Meanwhile, the team has been severely weakened.

A club with Celtic’s resources should attack the transfer market from a position of strength. Targets should be identified early. Replacements should be ready before important players leave. New signings should have time to train, settle and understand the manager’s demands.

Instead, Celtic continue to behave reactively.

Every window becomes a last-minute dash. It is like watching someone attempt to assemble a parachute after jumping out of the plane.

This is amateur hour from a club that should be operating at Champions League level.

Martin O’Neill Deserves Proper Backing

Martin O’Neill deserves far better than this.

Celtic have the resources to provide him with the players needed to compete at home and in Europe. Yet he is being asked to prepare for another demanding season with one hand tied behind his back.

O’Neill should be handed the tools to attack Europe, not forced to patch holes in an incomplete squad.

The manager has repeatedly stepped forward when Celtic needed leadership. The board must now return that loyalty by backing him decisively.

Høgh would be welcome. However, Celtic require more than one striker. They need depth, balance and quality across the squad.

Where Is the Leadership?

Dermot Desmond remains Celtic’s most influential shareholder. Michael Nicholson is the chief executive.

Yet supporters are entitled to ask what visible leadership they are providing during this mess.

Nicholson has earned the sarcastic nickname of the “Scarlet Pimpernel” among sections of the support. They seek him here, they seek him there, but whenever Celtic supporters demand answers, the chief executive appears remarkably difficult to find.

Communication is almost non-existent.

Supporters do not expect the club to reveal every transfer negotiation. However, they deserve a clear strategy. They deserve evidence that somebody is planning beyond tomorrow afternoon.

The same concerns stretch beyond recruitment. Questions remain over the stadium footprint, supporter engagement and the number of senior vacancies throughout the club.

One Celtic Signing Cannot Hide the Damage

Three anti-board supporter groups have now been formed. That does not happen when supporters feel confident, respected and heard.

Some will dismiss the criticism as negativity. The so-called happy clappers may insist everything will work itself out because it usually has before.

However, last season should have destroyed that complacency. Celtic came within four minutes of potentially losing control of the title race.

Fine margins decide championships. Poor preparation eventually catches up with every club.

Celtic are a huge institution. They should not be run like Albion Rovers with a bigger bank account.

This is a club with an enormous support, considerable financial power and genuine European potential. Yet the Celtic boardroom continues to operate without urgency, transparency or a convincing long-term plan.

Supporters will celebrate if Høgh signs. They should celebrate him loudly.

However, one deal cannot erase the wider shambles.

Something has to give. Celtic the club deserve far better than Celtic the board are currently delivering.