Celtic Turmoil: Rangers Could Go Top as Boardroom Anger Meets a Season at Breaking Point

There is a cloud hanging over Celtic as the Premiership returns this weekend. After three straight defeats, two of them against Rangers, I cannot pretend I am heading into Sunday with confidence. I desperately want to be wrong. I want Celtic to win at Motherwell, restore some belief and make this feel like a difficult spell we can leave behind. But hope is not the same as faith, and right now I have very little of the latter.

Rangers play Kilmarnock on Saturday. A win would take them above Celtic, at least until our trip to Fir Park the next day. That is a brutal change in the mood after Celtic began the season so well. We had the chance to stretch our lead; instead, we lost at home to our biggest rivals. Now we return from the international break under pressure, facing a Motherwell side that cannot be taken lightly.

The warning signs were already there

This collapse did not appear from nowhere. Last season, Celtic won the league, and that was a brilliant day. But there were warning signs in a campaign when we lost eight league games. The club should have treated those signs as a reason to strengthen and prepare properly. Instead, this summer brought late signings, loans after Champions League qualification fell apart, and late appointments across the coaching staff.

The Champions League collapse against LASK was another painful blow. Then Celtic lost at home to Ferencváros in the Europa League. Those results matter because domestic titles cannot be the only measure of this club. Celtic have the resources and support to expect success in Scotland. Europe is where the board’s ambition and planning should face the toughest test, and the recent evidence has been deeply disappointing.

A divide that cannot be ignored

Chris Sutton’s description of Celtic as a “cesspit” reflects just how toxic the atmosphere has become. In my view, the divide between the board and supporters has never felt wider. I do not see how that relationship can be repaired while the club continues to be run in a way that looks inward, rewards familiarity and shuts fans out.

Dermot Desmond needs to be present and accountable. Supporters are entitled to question the influence of his son and the role he plays at the club. That is my view, and it is a question the board should answer clearly. An AGM should be a place for proper scrutiny, not a moment when the people with the greatest responsibility remain distant from it.

Celtic need more than a temporary lift

I have no confidence that this current setup can turn things around without serious change. Martin O’Neill’s position has looked uncertain, and I want a full-time manager with a clear mandate. I also have doubts about whether the manager and coaching staff are aligned or whether the group is good enough for the job.

This is an absolute shambles, and it cannot continue without consequences. The club needs a proper structure, with the best people appointed for the right reasons. A win on Sunday would matter, but it would not erase the failures that brought Celtic here.

I hope the players prove me wrong. I hope the mood lifts and the season recovers. But the board cannot keep asking supporters to trust a system that has produced late planning, European failure and a widening gulf with the people who make this club what it is. Celtic need answers—and they need them now.