Dermot Desmond held his hands up in an interview with club media, acknowledging mistakes that led to the collapse this season “without qualification”. In reality, there is usually a myriad of reasons why any project fails but ownership of mistakes is the first step in putting things right.
He challenged “conjecture coming from some journalists, commentators and pundits that they foresaw the outcome of this season”. In my preview ahead of the new season starting in August, I put our chances of winning the league at 70%, up from my estimate for the previous season of 50%. I doubt anyone expected the abruptness of the collapse, but many of us are not totally surprised to be in second place.
The interview discusses managerial recruitment, “process is underway and is taking place privately” and acknowledges the high turnover in playing squad ahead this summer and a commitment to learn from mistakes made.
I get that Dermot Desmond is reluctant to take a higher profile role at the club, the hostility fired the board’s way, even during the quadruple treble era, was unrelenting. Remoteness is not always a friend, though. Dermot might feel the same frustrations and disappointments as the rest of us, but if he never shares these feelings, a sense of aloofness builds in the vacuum.
The board overwhelmingly present to the fans through the chief executive, with the chairman on his feet one day a year and signing the odd statement, and the major shareholder a largely unknown figure. It is unbalanced; it does not serve the board and therefore the club well.
Dermot, in your statement you said, “football is not an exact science”, which is correct. It is as much an art, theatre for the millions. You need to put on the greasepaint more often.
Hearts, ha! Knocked Newco Rangers out of the Scottish Cup last season, lost to Brora Rangers this season, who have played only one game since Hearts brave but futile attempt to stop our record fourth consecutive triumph. Not that it made me worry about Falkirk…………..
213 Comments- Pages:
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- »
Celtic
CONNAIRE12 on 24TH MARCH 2021 11:40 AM
Will try again, excellent post👍👏👏
Perhaps the “interview” I read on the club website was only one of many because I do not recognise the “interview” this article references?
Did the interviewer ask him when his first game was?
‘ The board overwhelmingly present to the fans through the chief executive, with the chairman on his feet one day a year…’
You mean where they sit there and tell us what a great job they’re doing; use their block vote to dismiss any dissent; then press ‘play’ on the video for the Celtic Trust feel good clip?
It’s warpaint he needs. Not greasepaint. The only time he wore the former, he was sufficiently riled to recruitment a top class manager.
HH jg
I was expecting some sort of Russian military marching music to accompany the address from our leader !
He’s always struck me as being more of a moustache wax than a greasepaint kind of chap.
Never struck me as being a fan though, or as having any understanding or appreciation of the club.
More as the sort who could see an opportunity to make a lot of money by gaining entry to the EPL.
This could have been plucked from a weekly meeting of the Communist party in the old Soviet Union. Hugely disappointing and in truth pointless.
Even if he confirmed (or not) that we were appointing a DOF and Head coach that would have been something. Reading between the lines it now appears that the structure is not going to change very much and presumably the business model in general. Worrying.
Paul 67
The truth is that they were asleep at the wheel.
What Jamesgang said☝️….
Even a long ago as last May I was opining on here that the prospect of ten in a row was disappearing into the sunset. I was hunnified foe daring to have such an opinion,t
https://twitter.com/AlphonsoDavies/status/1374681142985510915?s=20
GENE on 24TH MARCH 2021 12:31 PM
Paul 67
‘The truth is that they were asleep at the wheel.’
####
Would you accept that TGD’s business career does not suggest that he is the sort to fall asleep at the wheel?
‘..the hostility fired the board’s way, even during the quadruple treble era, was unrelenting.’
Paul67
Appointing a manager in the showers who had been sacked from Bolton and Hibs who admitted that his previous type of management was obsolete, while never even looking at other candidates for the position.
Signing players that our highly successful manager didn’t want while messing up other signings in Lawwellesque fashion that he did want.
Putting in repeated derisory bids for McGinn for weeks on end while the club was hitting record turnover for 2 consecutive seasons, eventually matching the amount required when the players was at Villa Park, a shambles from the embarrassment that is Lawwell, which led us to signing a guy without a club, Mulumbu.
Paying EPL salaries to our CEO, while being told we can’t compete with said EPL salaries.
Never getting players in on time for our most important matches of the season, the CL qualifiers.
So as regards your dig at dissenters, I see you never gave reasons why, which is telling.
Desmond was disingenuous in his assertion that no one foresaw the collapse at the start of the season.
Everyone seen the collapse coming in October if not before. That was the time to act.
Even acting after our second Europa humiliation to Sparta ( or was that Slavia, Neil ? ) in late November could have changed the outcome.
Desmond and the Board have a very long way to go in winning back the support after what we’ve seen and heard from them this season.
I suggest Desmond does no more interviews until he has something to actually tell us.
Meanwhile we’ve less than 90 days before our first CL qualifier…
So the big cheese has done a soft-soaper with the website.
Fascinating stuff!
“As with any key appointment at Celtic, there is a process which involves research, investigation, interviewing and negotiation.”
———-
Hmmmm, yeah – we all remember how thorough that was last time.
———————–
“The chairman Ian Bankier, Peter Lawwell and myself take a lead in the process.”
———
Oh dear. That’s all we need!
———————-
“We have to respect the privacy of potential candidates and the integrity of the process, and so I think it would be inappropriate to make comment on the type of candidate we are looking for.”
———-
Errr, how would revealing the TYPE of candidate disrespect the privacy of a particular person?
Do you actually have a type or is it the usual random approach? If they are looking at Keane AND Lampard then it certainly looks like it, because you are not getting the same approach from those two.
—————————–
“I am as passionate about Celtic as any other supporter.”
———–
Well, quite. Like every passionate Celtic supporter he thinks Celtic is a great club with a great history. Oops – that wasn’t Celtic though, was it?
TANGBHOY on 24TH MARCH 2021 12:29 PM
Very worrying indeed
No structural change
A management appointment and if the previous history of managerial appointments is anything to go by he must have Celtic FC connections or Irish nationality connections………………..Roy Keane ? with Kennedy and Strachan as backup?
New CEO with zero football experience buying a new squad
What could possibly go wrong ?
If you mean DD then pride becomes before a fall. Even in the face of early European and league results it was “I see no ships” –
Hmmm, yeah. Isn’t it hilarious that a highland league team were able to do what we couldn’t do!
we have only gone box office on a manager twice in our history; O’Neill and Rodgers
O’Neill was in a really good place but anxious to move up to a top 4 club. The Celtic job is likely to have been sold as a chance to shine in Europe and bide his time for the big ones in England. He was brilliant for us but the timings of moves went against him professionally and for personal reasons. He definitely was pulled to Celtic emotionally as he could have leveraged a pay rise at Leicester and stayed in the spotlight
Rodgers was out of work and probably wanted to build his confidence back up. I was surprised he came to us but maybe he had more of a connection to Celtic than he has been given credit for after he left
as such, i do think that the Celtic job does catch the attention of top managers but the timing is crucial.
If we don’t get a box office appointment, it may not be for the want of trying or desire from candidates.
What we can’t do again is appoint rookies or near rookies like Barnes, Lennon, Deila.
Hail Hail
QUONNO on 24TH MARCH 2021 12:18 PM
Sunday’s events are proof that the evil genie is well and truly out of the bottle.
Anyone who colluded in its release should get on their knees and beg forgiveness from all of us, especially Kamil’s family.
——
Just leaving this here from the end of the last blog.
GLASSTWOTHIRDSFULL on 24TH MARCH 2021 12:38 PM
That post just got more brutally accurate as it went on.
HH jg
GENE on 24TH MARCH 2021 12:31 PM
Paul 67
The truth is that they were asleep at the wheel.
—-
I respectfully disagree.
Your O – – F – – – board knew damn fine well what they were doing.
GLASSTWOTHIRDSFULL on 24TH MARCH 2021 12:38 PM
Spot on
The board deserve every bit of criticism they get and are lucky there are no fans in the Stadium or they would see this and hear it at first hand.
DD is a billionaire because his companies do what he says and he appoints people to make sure this happens, this is an altogether different situation, Celtic Football Club relies on its core support to buy season tickets merchandise etc to have turnover, the way he is going about things does not encourage anyone to spend their money on his product.
Governance of the game here is a joke, decisions made on the hoof depending who is asking questions, there is zero integrity in it ,but our board are comfortable with it from licenses to refereeing decisions.
CONEYBHOY on 24TH MARCH 2021 12:42 PM
If we don’t get a box office appointment, it may not be for the want of trying or desire from candidates.
What we can’t do again is appoint rookies or near rookies like Barnes, Lennon, Deila.
———
Your first observation automatically heightens the risk of your second.
For those who seek succour in the fact that TGD is a wealthy businessman from other sources, so too was a certain Mr Ratner until the truth passed his lips
HH jg
Squire
They are not my OF board
AN DÚN on 24TH MARCH 2021 12:38 PM
Desmond was disingenuous in his assertion that no one foresaw the collapse at the start of the season.
I respectfully disagree, it’s the opinion of a man ,who is so out of touch with the supporters, and what is happening at Celtic Football Club. HH
GENE on 24TH MARCH 2021 1:02 PM
Squire
They are not my OF board
—-
They are OUR OF board.
I used ‘your’ in my initial response to suggest your as in ‘you’ as a Celtic supporter.
Paul67
So we’re lucky to have Ian Bankier and Peter Lawwell still in situ? in choosing the next manager. We have proof positive that their track record isn’t the best, if truth be told despite his latest G.O.D. He’s made at least three interventions of his own that we know of MON, WGS, and BR.
If theres a Celtic supporter alive he’d be best to come forward and ‘show us his workings’ in what Ian Bankier has achieved, that earns us the tag of lucky.
An ‘ aloof ‘ billionaire with a twiddly moustache?
Who’d have thunk it CSC
LAMBERT14 on 24TH MARCH 2021 12:35 PM
Superb and hits the mark 100% – Lawell has forever treated the Celtic support with distain and his all knowing not to be questioned attitude has gotten us to where we are today. If it were possible I would buy him a plane ticket….
The comments on this blog post ARE what makes this Forum the best. More like it Lhads n Lhassies, more like ti! por cierto.
I’m not a businessman….
…….but life as a semi-retired stank-lifter has taught me a lot about things,
not just tight stanks btw.
However , If you are a businessman first and a Celtic supporter second (?)….then the accumulation of Celtic’s recent successes and domination over the hun might give you a particular perspective on our League run……….
But….if like most who follow Our Great Club and Celtic means the world to you, then losing the Ten to an unspectacular, skint, liquidated manky mob hurts in a way that is as indescribable as it is unbelievable.
Dermot, ( with respect ) if you are going to get the “greasepaint” on then the next time please make sure you are featuring in a much, much better Production, and please make sure you follow the Script that the Supporting cast (…… see what a did there) are following – we are not in some O&& F$$$ Pantomime,
this is our Play For Today.
Places, everyone?
HH
SQUIRE DANAHER on 24TH MARCH 2021 12:48 PM
CONEYBHOY on 24TH MARCH 2021 12:42 PM
If we don’t get a box office appointment, it may not be for the want of trying or desire from candidates.
What we can’t do again is appoint rookies or near rookies like Barnes, Lennon, Deila.
———
Your first observation automatically heightens the risk of your second.
——————————-
SD
I seriously hope not! I should have said that I would accept an experienced manager if we can’t get a top drawer one. I haven’t a clue who that will be but hopefully enough gravitas and experience to get a reaction from the remaining squad (not sure who will be in charge of recruitment)
Football may not be an exact science, but the winning of the SPFLwith the biggest income and spending budget, is as close to it as you can get.
The signs were there in numerous Derby matches, Cluj, Athens and Ferencvaros. Our Manager was, totally out of touch with the modern game and complete out of his depth. This was clear from early August.
They ignored the warning signs because they fell asleep at the wheel. They let the fans down and then the players down by their handling of the Bolingoli incident. We hung a young player out to dry to appease folk- it backfired drastically. Holding on to Lennon sealed our fate.
A once in a lifetime chance to win 10 and consign the Huns to a fate like death. Now look at us and them. Sickening.
Yet, they were warned but they knew best. I will not forget this when they come begging. Time for change in the Boardroom or no more money from me.
Watched FMQs…
Murder of Celtic fan never even raised.
Jesus Wept.
SAN LUIS on 24TH MARCH 2021 1:38 PM
…. They ignored the warning signs because they fell asleep at the wheel.
——
What if they were tired and felt that the business plan needed them to take a nap?