At the risk of touching on a topic that is best left until the end of the season, Leicester City were relegated to the third tier of English football yesterday, 10 years after being champions and five since they won the FA Cup.
The title win, Champions League campaign (and subsequent European runs), and revenue from selling some of the countries hottest talent at their peak, should have led to the reinforcement of the model which took them there and a lengthy period of top flight football.
Instead, they overspent and lost £92.5m in season 2021-22, then did the same the following season, resulting in am £89.5m loss, leading to the departure of manager Brendan Rodgers. Winning the FA Cup against Chelsea in 2021 is one of the greatest football days for any Leicester fan, but it provided the seed for their downfall. Confidence was sky-high, so there was no resistance when the football department wanted to change the model.
What’s it got to do with us? Successful business models are difficult to put in place and easy to destroy. Once they are gone, there is a lag before performance catches up, but it inevitably does. We have football games to win over the next five weeks, but whether we win the league or not, I have concerns.
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BSR @ 6:50 pm,
That’s very true…
Another treble seasin would have been nice and would have shut up them Brendan fan bhoys too;)
Hail Hail
“I shall not have my name associated with a hun pigsty. My lawyers will be in touch. ”
Eddie Munster.
It’s more incredible that Nicholson actually spoke (Garbo talks) than we’ve already appointed someone. Whatever appointed means. Maybe it’s an Eddie Howe style appointment. Also, suprised that this utterance hasn’t been mentioned elsewhere.
https://www.google.com/maps/@55.8481974,-4.2032306,124m/data=!3m1!1e3?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDQxOS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D
The headline of today’s article should have been enough, but I guess that I can’t help myself, and I read what followed.
Good lord!
Isn’t it enough to disparage Rodgers over something with which he is actually potentially connected? Such as the reasons for Celtic PLC completely soiling the linens of season 2025/26. These attempts to drag him into the failures of any football enterprise with which he has a past connection are as unwarranted as they are unfounded.
I had started the day in the same position as the Green Brigade, wholly committed to supporting the team, and without the need to urgently scratch my “sack the board itch”, but that mantra (idiom if you prefer) is still there waiting for it’s moment in the sun. Today’s nonsensical tripe [tenuously] linking Rodgers to the downfall of the Foxes, is poor and lazy journalism at best!
Maybe we should be looking further back (I’ll get there in a minute) to properly examine the broader nefarious influence of Celtic FC in the downfall of the East Midlands giants. Let’s start with a quick simple comparison, as the one-time EPL winners, recent FA Cup winners and UEFA semi-finalists are clearly not giants. Celtic is a club that by any measure, except for perhaps one, is dramatically bigger than they could ever wish to be. The truth is, only the billions of Thai Bhat irresponsibly ploughed into the King Power venture betters the number of pounds punted by the Irish billionaire into Celtic. Both were investments, and at one point the Srivaddhanaprabha family were sitting fat and happy, with a paper gain on their funds of circa 50%.
Just as LIONSROAR67 already posted, their owners/board have already accepted full responsibility for their failures, the crushing downturn in the club’s fortunes, and disappointment of their support. How refreshing!
Meanwhile, at Celtic PLC, we have a board that prefer to blame the fans and even insinuate that a previous manager is responsible for their calamitous reign. They have done little to nothing to either publicly accept responsibility, or suggest that they are competent enough to fix things. Let’s remember that the first step in fixing a problem is actually identifying and acknowledging that it exists. Naturally, as a PLC, such proclamations of failure would have consequences, not least of which would be for the share price, and the many millions of “paper” gains that still sit on the ledger for all of those who control major shareholdings. Rest assured, there will be no bad news or market impacting admissions until it is unavoidable.
As for examining the connected history, it could be just as relevant to highlight that Leicester’s troubles really started when we convinced MON to move to Parkhead, and Lennon to join him. MON was a two-time League Cup winner with them, delivering their first senior silverware for 25-years. Or was it perhaps the moment when MON persuaded Steve Guppy to head north? The attempts to undermine the Filbert Street outfit continued to haunt them even at their new home, and in case one forgets, they immediately went into receivership as they were demoted to Division 1. Although briefly returning to the EPL, they were soon condemned to another 5-year spell in the second tier, which is when Celtic hit them with a double whammy, first selling them Rab Douglas for £2M and then swooping in to steal away Dion Dublin. All of this before the ignominy of dipping into the League one as recently as 2009 for a single season that preceded another 5-year stint in the Championship.
They were not a basket case club, but they were a prime target for an opportunist investor. As had become the norm, a foreign billionaire stepped in and paid the asking price, in cash, while selling the supporters on a dream. In 2010 they were bankrolled by the new ownership group and a few years thereafter ascended to the EPL, and their apparently short-lived years of trophy laden glory. Celtic were not done, and committed a series of acts tantamount to “criminal vandalism”, first convincing Johnny Hayes to stay in Scotland when leaving Aberdeen, rather than return to his one time employer, Leicester, and then when procuring the highly rated Filip Benković for a season long loan. The final straw, must have been when Kelechi Iheanacho was convinced to allow his deal to expire so that Celtic could pick him up as a free agent.
If the headline was a meek attempt to conjure up the “be careful what you wish for” adage, then while that is separately valid, it appears that this was just a clumsy reaction to the press surrounding the Bernard Ponsonby speech AGAINST Dermott Desmond & The Celtic Board. To again add context to my personal “sack the board” position, I consider the board unfit for purpose on the evidence of this season, and for the years of poor decisions/lack of strategy which have led to it. With that said, I’ve also advocated that a passive billionaire investor could be preferable to a hands-on PE firm with an eye for a deal. The problem remains, that our particular billionaire appears to be either disinterested in the Celtic project, meddling in the workings of the club, or simply intent on exerting control because he can. Either way, my wish is more simply for change that brings about “greater harmony between the ambition of the support and the expectations of the investors”.
This topic was best left not til the end of the season, but untouched completely. it is the very essence of a fools equivalence.
#ifyouknowyourhistoryCSC
Chairbhoy
What not to do?
is appoint a lower division football guru that describes himself as a Doctor of Football, and who would wouldn’t know CL quality footballers other than on TV.
What not to do?
is take a double winning team that was 90 mins from a treble last season and instead of adding 3 or 4 quality additions sign 11 players and resort back to throw shit at the wall and hope one is a diamond.
What not to do ?
is to sign players for cheap and sell them on for more, while that should be taken into consideration it shouldn’t be the number one in a business model , the number one objective at Celtic should be to try and improve the team on the pitch every year, with proportional reinvestment
They didn’t they’re weren’t asleep at the wheel they were unconscious
💤💤💤💤
HH
From AI:
Yes, a Celtic Investors Lunch was held yesterday, Tuesday, 21 April 2026.
During the event, CEO Michael Nicholson reportedly provided significant updates regarding the club’s leadership and strategic direction:
New Manager Appointment: Nicholson confirmed that a new first-team manager has been appointed to succeed the interim management.
Strategic Planning: The club stated that work is already underway to integrate the new appointment and prepare for the upcoming season.
Last thing…we might not win the league but we had absolutely no chance with BR in charge.
BlesshimCSC
Correct because he did not win any other league for CELTIC.
F F S
Chairboy (no h in your name)…..Celtic were NEVER EVER winning this league under BR.
Anyway, time to park it.
Enjoy your day on Saturday when you’ll be cheering on Falkirk on your illegal firestick.
Have you ever supported Celtic financially?
ST STIVS – “i get a bit puzzled as to why anyone feels the need to tell me how to support my team.”
I think that this is just an “age of the internet thing”, and perhaps not directed at anybody, but it’s just so easy to make a post which one may perceive as a “rallying call”, and another might consider just unnecessarily prescriptive.
It is super frustrating that the club does not have a facilitated system for filing seats of those who could register as unable to attend. I’d always hoped that it would be possible to sign up and donate unused seats for a list of vetted beneficiaries. A little bit of the Br. Wilfrid and all that.
An Tearmann on 22nd April 2026 6:14 pm
Great to meet and share a few beers as well as talk all things Celtic 👍
Never mind the Turnstyle ,a couple of fanzones is needed for the hundreds of fans who stand around in all kinds of weather,and yes there is a underground railway along Dalriadia Street to the Railway Station many many years ago,
Saint Stivs on 22nd April 2026 6:44 pm
Is that work not something to do with the new SWG3 type venue being built in that area.
BSR @ 7:01 pm,
Spot on again….
Yes, at least Brendan tried to support the mental guru, that’s ’cause he’s a team player, although he did take the p¡$$ a little…
“Rodgers laughed at Tisdale’s “football doctor” moniker…
…He said: “He won’t live that down, will he?
“He probably said that in his first week as a manager or something!
“Paul’s a good guy. I didn’t know him that well before this summer. But I knew of his work and I had known his longevity and the work that he’d done at Exeter.
Turns out Dr Paul won’t live it down, certainly not in Glasgow…
Also he didn’t know him that well before he came to Celtic that summer…
Seems like some have been telling porkies…. Again…
On the ridiculous model….
Why did they resurrect the failed strategy over and over, when after a decade what worked was very obvious.
To create a HVP they had to come from a dominant domestic team, with the player holding their own on the UCL stage.
Wonder what great analytics you’d have to run to work that one out.
Hail Hail
Laxalt @ 7:19 pm,
“Chairboy (no h in your name)…..”
Wow, you do know how to wound a fhellah:)))))
Brendan Rodgers has won every league that he has competed in, in Scotland, mostly by a hefty points margin and a hefty goal diffetence.
Celtic will win this league, if they don’t, it will be by the odd point, the points that we threw away under Wilfried Nancy’s tenure, that would never have happened under Martin or Brendan is the only reason this league is so tight.
Brendan is a first rate manager…. Dr Paul was a first rate charlatan…
Hail Hail
Gedinte 7.00pm
Sound essay and
If I may say very well done spelling :-))
Sriv Sriv i mean Hail Hail :-)))
SS- it’s in the area you described behind Turnstiles, they aren’t involved, as KB said it,I read the same it’s a music type venue, permission was granted a while ago,makes you wonder if it will happen.
Brendan and Wilfried lost 22 points this season.
Brendan was tracking to lose 40 points this season and it was getting worse.
Anyway if he was keeping on the same track we would finish on 74 points which isn’t enough.
The man is a disgrace.
The only reason I despise him is that he claimed to be a Celtic fan AND he aimed to con the Celtic fans into thinking he was a victim just like he done at Leicester.
If you can’t see this as a Celtic fan then that’s a shame….if you agree with it then you’re anti Celtic.
BlesshimCSC
How it started………
CHAIRBHOY on 14TH NOVEMBER 2025 10:09 AM
Tim Malone Will Tell @ 10:00 am,
Brendan Rodgers and Co have moved on. So have I”.
How it’s going five months later………..😂
CHAIRBHOY on 22ND APRIL 2026 7:41 PM
BSR @ 7:01 pm,
Spot on again….
Yes, at least Brendan tried to support the mental guru, that’s ’cause he’s a team player, although he did take the p¡$$ a little…”
Hey Bada, can you confirm we’ve “appointed” a manager?
Asking for a friend.
Chairbhoy
Your factual evidence serves you well , as ever.
‘Show your workings’ verse anecdotal BR is an in your favourite insult wins every other day when the pro board propaganda blog strikes
12.00
If any good comes out of this season, aside MON’s miracle double, it’ll be the expose of the fiefdom and nodding dogs. Some balls in fact, world class balls, talking about the next appointment, even if they were tiddly.
What an advert for ST renewals they should stay stume, like they normally do
HH
GM78- according to the best CEO Apponted by the Best Majority Shareholder, we’ve ever had….yes….but to believe the charlatans, and chances in charge ,is up to the individual
Cheers👍
I’m sure the rags will be all over it.
Gedinte @ 7.00pm,
Very good, very pertinent post.
It is a worry, when you think of the CQN connection to the Celtic Board and posters like Burnley78’s connection, his firm was a Celtic sponsor, so he schmoozed in those circles…
The culture and ethos around that hierarchy must be minging…
I believe you might be in the States – having worked for American companies and many large corporates, I find it incredible that this type of culture could fester in a 200 mn+ PLC.
Emotional intelligence was certainly a prerequisite for any senior role (even if it was faked, it would still be a necessity to behave accordingly.)
As for custodians of Celtic Football Club, it is the complete antithesis of what the club stands for and all should be ambassador’s for the club. As indeed the Lions and many players, coaches and managers have been.
You get the feeling they have been participating in an old man’s jamboree* for years, rather than taking part in the Leadership and Governance of a great sporting institution.
*Lenny in the showers,
Hail Hail
Fans will cease investing emotional energy when it’s consistently mismanaged.
They will walk away and not return, the empire is always destroyed from within.
One need only ask a Mughal or a Han for confirmation.
BSR @ 8:21 pm,
Yes, when CQN and the groupies bring up their favourite obsession…
It is good to just give out a few saliant points…
Weaponising the facts is not in their armoury…
Hail Hail
Brendan left under a cloud….
The sun will be shining when Celtic kick off this Saturday afternoon….
Ye gotta roll with it…
MOM,
I may move in the wrong circles but I have yet to meet 1 Celtic supporter who is even thinking of walking away; plenty who are unhappy with this season’s performances but not a single 1 who won’t be renewing. In my own case, e.g., my family wouldn’t begin to understand. We owe so much to Celtic.
Maybe my generation experienced too many of the bad times that we fully appreciate what we have achieved since the mid-60s.
Collective Architecture submits plans for homes near Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome
21 Apr 2026
Clock icon Reading time: 2 minutes
https://www.scottishconstructionnow.com/articles/collective-architecture-submits-plans-for-homes-near-sir-chris-hoy-velodrome
Celtic Mac @ 8:50 pm
You will find he left under a drunken tirade…
Very professional…
Hail Hail
Last Post and question ( for today anyway )
Did BR try and veto any player sales that went thru in his time as Celtic manager?
Naw he didnae.
He did however veto the sales of Maeda, Hatate and CCV.
He also wanted to sell Yang but the board told him they ran out of time to get it done because they knew he was sabotaging.
He also pushed to sign Iheanacho from Seville for £2m and keep him on his Seville wages.
Celtic done the deal at much less.
Affootcsc
BOURNESOUPRECIPE on 22ND APRIL 2026 8:21 PM
Chairbhoy
Your factual evidence serves you well , as ever.
‘Show your workings’ verse anecdotal BR is an in your favourite insult wins every other day when the pro board propaganda blog strikes
12.00
If any good comes out of this season, aside MON’s miracle double, it’ll be the expose of the fiefdom and nodding dogs. Some balls in fact, world class balls, talking about the next appointment, even if they were tiddly.
What an advert for ST renewals they should stay stume, like they normally do”
CHAIRBHOY on 22ND APRIL 2026 8:49 PM
BSR @ 8:21 pm,
Yes, when CQN and the groupies bring up their favourite obsession…
It is good to just give out a few saliant points…
Weaponising the facts is not in their armoury…”
Thank for translating Chairboy 😂
BRRB,
Rumours Celtic are looking at the sacked Chelsea managers son as our next manager,
Rojunior.
Those blinking pesky facts getting in the way again:))))
“Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers insists Swansea target Adam Idah will be going nowhere unless he is guaranteed a replacement….”
…”However, because of where we’re at within the squad, then there was no way that we could let Yang go. I know that if he stays here, Yang, he plays a really important contribution for us in the squad throughout all the games that we’ll play.”
https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11787/13420687/celtic-transfer-news-adam-idah-and-hyun-jun-yang-not-allowed-to-leave-until-replacements-found-says-brendan-rodgers
Hail Hail
chairbhoy@8.55pm
He should’ve steered clear of the Shipbank…..
Ye gotta roll with it….
Simpson Craig n Gemmelll
Murdoch McNeill n Clark
Johnston Wallace Chalmers
Auld n Lennox.
Bet you were never taught that Chairboy.
Never ever a Celtic fan.
911pm…pash
Solomon Grundy, drunk on a Wednesday.