Celtic Connect Looks Like Another Board Disaster Waiting to Happen — Have We Learned Nothing?

Here we go again. Celtic have announced the opening of applications for Celtic Connect, a new supporter engagement group which supposedly aims to give fans a greater voice in discussions with the club’s senior leadership.

On the surface, it sounds like exactly what we have been asking for. Better communication, more transparency and supporters having a meaningful say in the future of our football club.

But forgive me if I’m not jumping for joy just yet.

We’ve heard plenty of promises from the board about improving relationships with supporters. We’ve had statements about listening, consultation exercises, meetings and commitments to doing better. Yet here we are, still questioning whether the people running Celtic actually understand the frustration among the support.

To be fair, there have been some changes to the original Celtic Connect proposal following feedback. Membership has increased from nine to eleven, season ticket holders will be represented across the stadium rather than individual stands, and a place has been created for a match-attending supporter without a season ticket.

Meetings will also take place four times a year, with a rotating three-year membership structure.

Those are welcome adjustments. But they don’t address what I believe is the biggest problem with this entire initiative.

Who actually chooses the people who represent us?

Under the original proposal, applications were to be considered by a selection panel involving a Celtic PLC board member, the Head of Supporter Engagement and a former Celtic player.

The latest announcement lists five changes, but doesn’t announce a move towards supporters electing their own representatives.

And that’s where the whole thing starts to fall apart for me.

If Celtic supporters are supposed to have an independent voice, why should the club have such an important role in deciding who gets that voice? We don’t need representatives who are simply acceptable to the board. We need people who are prepared to ask difficult questions, challenge decisions and speak honestly about the concerns of ordinary supporters.

There is a massive difference between being invited into a room to discuss the club’s future and actually having the power to influence it.

The areas Celtic Connect will cover are also significant. Strategic direction, the club’s history and heritage, stadium development and the matchday experience are all important subjects. But will representatives genuinely be able to challenge the board on recruitment, financial decisions, footballing strategy and the way the club is being run?

Or will we end up with four meetings a year, a few polite conversations and another statement afterwards telling us how constructive everything was?

We’ve already seen how easily supporter engagement can become a public relations exercise.

The recent Greenock meeting was a welcome opportunity for supporters to put questions directly to Brian Wilson, Michael Nicholson, Chris McKay and Martin O’Neill. But the wider support has been left wanting a fuller account of what was asked and what was answered.

That’s the problem. Celtic cannot keep telling us that communication is improving while supporters are still questioning how much information they are actually being given.

And let’s be honest, this isn’t happening in isolation. The relationship between the board and the support has been damaged over a long period. Recruitment failures, managerial decisions, communication problems and the general direction of the club have all contributed to the frustration.

Celtic Connect won’t magically repair that relationship.

In fact, if the club gets this wrong, it could make things even worse. Imagine appointing eleven representatives, presenting the initiative as a major step forward, and then discovering that supporters don’t believe those representatives genuinely speak for them.

That would be another own goal from a board which really cannot afford many more.

I want Celtic Connect to work. I want supporters to have a genuine say, and I want the people running our club to understand that they are accountable to the people who make Celtic what it is.

But that means giving supporters a democratic say in who represents them, being transparent about the consultation feedback and publishing meaningful updates on what actually changes as a result of these discussions.

The applications close on 23 November. There is still time for supporters to get involved, and I would encourage anyone who believes they can make a difference to consider applying.

However, the board needs to understand something very clearly.

We aren’t looking for another committee, another talking shop or another initiative to make it look as though everything is fine.

We want change. We want accountability. And we want a football club that listens when its supporters speak.

Celtic Connect could be a positive step, but unless the club gets the fundamentals right, I fear we’re going to be having exactly the same arguments this time next year.

Another initiative, another promise and potentially another board disaster.