There are a few irrefutable facts concerning the appointment of Celtic’s permanent manager. The most obvious is that recent assertions in the media are contradictory and therefore cannot all be true. The same people who brought you, “Martin will be appointed tomorrow”, also brought you “Robbie will be interviewed tonight”.
The second obvious fact is that Celtic are doing their business without keeping the media in the loop. No one is getting the tip-off on what’s going on, not a single scribe. The result of this will not be a discussion on the finer points of Celtic’s glorious double win, there are only so many days that sells. Speculation sells better than anything in the business, be it players or managers, and we are in peak Speculation Season right now. If you are in the news business and you are not selling Speculation, take a good look at yourself!
Beyond these obvious truths, the everyday process of recruitment continues. Agents will have been pitching to Celtic since the day Wilfried wilted. Celtic (should) build relationships with agents, and I know for a fact that they have interviewed managerial candidates in the past as a courtesy to the agent. That does not mean they were seriously considered.
Leaks also happen, but try picking the genuine ones from the fakes and you are a better man than me. Information can leak, only for it to quickly become bad information. Davie Provan once reported live on radio that Martin O’Neill had agreed to leave Celtic for Leeds United. It didn’t happen, Provan was on the receiving end of a barrage of abuse from Celtic fans, upset at his undermining the club during a crucial season (2002-03). Years later, we learned Provan was right, but Martin changed his mind.
There are human practicalities as well. The only thing Martin was clear about at the end of the season, was that he was unclear on whether or not he wanted the job. If he has been offered the job (hmmmm), is he entitled to consider the prospect over a holiday? Dermot Dermond gave him 10 minutes to consider the interim position in October, the situation is considerably different now.
You know as much as I do, and we both know as much as anyone else who is reporting on the subject. The third irrefutable fact is that tomorrow is another news cycle and there will be news on the Celtic manager, even if there is no news. You can bank on it. Forgive me if I roll my eyes.
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HH
‘Not a single scribe,’
Not even the one who got the BR story?
Looks like our board has learned nothing from last year’s open divisions between them and a large section of the support.
We don’t expect them to tell us what they’re doing or make public, private negotiations, but we do want to know that changes/improvements in the football department and communication with supporters are areas where they want to improve.
Won’t hold my breath.
Facts???
We don’t need no stinking facts.
A strong statement signalling a refersh across all departments , and the appointment of a new manager before the World Cup would have sent supporters into the summer with a sense of optimism and purpose.
Instead, the vacuum of silence has been filled by the very speculation you refer to, further entrenching differing views on the club’s direction. Questions remain unanswered: who approved Yang’s contract extension, and who was responsible for allowing Stephen Welsh to walk out the door? The lack of communication only fuels uncertainty and frustration among supporters. Celtic’s public relations strategy has been poor for a long time, and this latest episode has done little to suggest we have learned any lessons.
Desmond continues to show that he either trusts few other suits to do anything at the club or he continues to think the club is being run well and all is as it should be.
Either is worrying. And depressing. But not surprising. I won’t let the enjoyment of the last few weeks be overshadowed by the ego of Desmond or the backward thinking club we will always support.
Tangbhoy
Played 👏
Kenny Dalglish is having treatment for cancer. It was disclosed accidentally.
He wrote: “As my inadvertent social media post has indicated, I am currently undergoing treatment for cancer.
“Unlike my mobile phone use, the treatment is going well.
“Ideally, this would have remained private because that’s the way it should be, but my useless technology skills have forced my hand.
“Obviously I did not mean to make this matter public so I would appreciate it if the privacy of my family and myself are respected.
“As ever, thank you to the wonderful medical staff who have shown incredible care and discretion, not just for me but for many, many others. They are a credit to themselves.”
Liverpool said in a statement: “Sir Kenny Dalglish has confirmed he is undergoing treatment for a cancer diagnosis.
“The support, best wishes and love of everyone at Liverpool FC are, and will continue to be, with Sir Kenny and his family.
“The club would also like to underscore his request for privacy moving forward.”
The same people who brought you, “Martin will be appointed tomorrow”, also brought you “Robbie will be interviewed tonight”.
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i wonder if P67 has any evidence to back that up.
i bet he doesnt.
quadrophenian on 2nd June 2026 10:39 am
Amazing that a player from a Scotch Championship team is set to feature at the World Cup; no Googling; which club will get a 200k quid windfall as a result ?
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they finished that far down the league, i lost track of where they finished but is it THE RANGERS ?
The only thing I know from what I’ve heard / read is that Martin was going to have a sit down with DD.
Bhoys Town on 2nd June 2026 9:48 am
I see the DR are describing Shankland as ‘the r*ngers missing link’. That made me laugh. He’s clearly the one to lead them towards the Neanderthal stage of development.
———————–
Meanwhile a lawyer acting on behalf of the Neanderthal Appreciation Society has stated that his clients are considering legal action due to the deliberate mis-representation that Shankland is the missing link between their species and humans.
The spokesman said “obviously his foreheid is too big”.
Found it a bit bizarre of MON to refer to DD as “the Owner” during post match Scottish Cup media duties.
Largest shareholder, most influential…but the “owner” ?
Saint; close but no coconut. 🥥
It’s Martindales Marvels and Tete Yengi 🇦🇺
Meanwhile, surely we’re not just doing interviews for managers DoFs, recruiters 4 months after Wilf was paid to do walking away?
Who’d win a spat between a wilf and a milf?
Photo of the year
https://i.postimg.cc/KY6YFd9f/IMG-0115.webp
Gedinte on 2nd June 2026 5:00 am
Saint Stivs – AI does you no favors with this shite that you copy and paste. A minority shareholder, is, a “minority owner”, and only under a circumstance where the balance of other shareholdings are inactive, or just function in deference, does this minority shareholding become anything other than a voting percentage that is not in a majority position! It’s just math.
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I am not arguing that he has the majority shareholding.
I am demonstrating, in corporate law, he can act as , and will be accepted as “the owner” because he has a controlling voting shareholding. What part of this do you not understand ?
The podcasts are full of it again this week, how very dare Desmond go pick a manager, who does he think he is, well he knows what he is, and probably all lawyered up to make sure of it, he can act as the owner, well BECAUSE HE IS.
The arithmetic (not math) of all this, with a 34.7% shareholding he is able to control 97% of the AGM voting (well when it actually goes ahead instead of being shouted down).
So thanks for agreeing.
Meanwhile, a tiny volume of shares are being traded today at their highest ever price – Ones and two selling at £2.50.
Not that it matters to him, In 6 months Desmonds share value went up by circa 60%.
People like to claim he is vindictive, and a despot, if he is why not just sweep up all the shares you can and buy out the whole club ? easy peasy for him.
I wonder if he has read the Supporters Limited White paper, and came to any conclusions himself.
Lets see.
Celtic will host AC Milan in a pre season glamour friendly 25 July
Quad, would you be surprised? Surely that was the most likely outcome from this lot?
UnsurprisingCSC
notthebus on 2nd June 2026 12:42 pm
Found it a bit bizarre of MON to refer to DD as “the Owner” during post match Scottish Cup media duties.
Largest shareholder, most influential…but the “owner” ?
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I agree that it is a bit bizarre in that it is, of course, inaccurate.
It does seem ,however, to reflect a generally held view within the walls at Parkhead that DD is the de facto owner, however incorrect that actually is.
I thought it was Keevins who peddled the martin meeting Leeds in a service station to be threatened with court action and pulled back on it. However, I may be wrong.
TIMMY – it’d be pretty inept for any major corporation to delay this long without doing anything of a contingency or preparation nature.
In an autocratic family company, mibby less so.
As P67 sez, we know little to nothing. Except that little to nothing is what seems to have happened: least to my and other greatly unwashed eyes 👀
Saint Stivs
I think you’re placing too much emphasis on our rising share price. The stock market is on quite the bull run and I believe as regards our share price, it’s a case of a rising tide raising all boats.
Paul67 et al
“I know what what is going on………I’m going on” (Martin O’Neill 02.06.2026)
Actually that was Harold Wilson during a Cabinet Meeting in the late 60s.
I do know what is going on, Martin arrived back in London last night and is meeting Dermot Desmond today.
Doubt if it will be in a Cafe down the Kings Road, the ‘Chelsea Potter’ would be my preference for no reason other than it got mentioned in a Rolling Stones song, also back in the late 60s as BRRB will tell ya….
“The only thing Robbie Keane has got going for him is that he is younger than Martin O’Neill”
That wasn’t Harold Wilson btw, hope Martin quotes it word for word this afternoon though….
AN DÚN on 2ND JUNE 2026 1:15 PM
Celtic is listed on the AIM market which has performed poorly recently. Most of the big gains in the bigger markets have come from the volatile tech sector.
There are so few trades in Celtic shares that its price its rarely a reflection of anything much at all.
I dont know as I dont know how someone like DD thinks but my guess is that he wouldn’t have invested as much as he has, and underwritten share issues to the amount he has without having control over the decisions that affect his large but minority shareholding
I also wouldnt know whether he would have been willing to go over 50% had the rules allowed it, I dont think that an extra 10m here or there would make much difference to him. so my guess is that its convenient
He wouldnt be thinking much about it though. Its all just minor details for him probably
bournesouprecipe @ 1:00 pm
Celtic will host AC Milan in a pre season glamour friendly 25 July
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I think you’ve blown any chance of a career in the SMSM, BSR.
What you should have said
“Celtic will host AC Milan in a pre season friendly 25 July”
😉
An Dún on 2nd June 2026 1:15 pm
Saint Stivs
I think you’re placing too much emphasis on our rising share price. The stock market is on quite the bull run and I believe as regards our share price, it’s a case of a rising tide raising all boats.
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I disagree.
This is a very very small plc, the shareprice imho is not affected by the global market conditions. It is too parochial and insignificant.
The shareprice is , again, imho, driven by supply and demand.
There is a scarcity of willing sellers. There are significant groups telling the fan base and owners, we want to buy any shares we can get out hands on. They have declared this on podcasts, websites and in white papers.
There is however a scarcity of stock available to sell.
The volumes traded are miniscule is comparison to the total shareholding.
Single shares, and single digit volumes are being sold now.
The price reflects the market conditions, willing buyers clutching fistfuls of pounds, while the big boys with millions of shares are not selling anything.
Last to do so was Lindsell Train last christmas, who bought these I continually ask.
Selling shares reminds me of the sold out football amtches, people outside offerning money for a ticket.
5 months and counting.
..the well oiled machine that is Celtic…….
https://www.londonstockexchange.com/stock/CCP/celtic-plc/company-page
As is normally the case the board sitting on their hands waiting on direction from our absentee landlord.
Decent money for not a lot.
Good article Paul but, IMHO, this is a terrible sentence.
“If you are in the news business and you are not selling Speculation, take a good look at yourself!”
Remove “not” and you might be on to something.
Speculation isn’t news.
It just pretends to be.
It’s a tool for those with nothing to say but who need to say something to have something to say.
I believe it was that august, noble, erudite online institution, E-Tims, who first coined the phrase
“Made up pish”
Genuine question to all.
If this is all the SMSM have to offer why do we even need them?
Just make up some stuff yourself and share it with some people.
It’ll inevitably sprout online.
SAINT STIVS on 2ND JUNE 2026 12:36 PM
Neanderthals get a bad press. Bigger brains, quicker and better hunters than humans but we understood the importance of banding together to protect the tribe against outside enemies. So we survived and they didnt.
Lessons for us all, or something
Doubt if it will be in a Cafe down the Kings Road, the ‘Chelsea Potter’ would be my preference for no reason other than it got mentioned in a Rolling Stones song, also back in the late 60s as BRRB will tell ya….
—————
I happened to watch the Beckham documentary episode 1 last night, I found it quite interesting, nearly 30 years ago for the France world cup, and that infamous Argentina v England game with David getting sent off.
Pans to a vociferous crowd scene, and there in the middle of union jacked up heavy bellied sunburnt engerland crazies, is an old man, in a peach outfit, died black hair, with a unique clapping style and a set of big lips, mouthng off some chant.
The bold Michael Jagger.
If you bought shares in the 2005 share issue, minimum allocation 500 shares at 30p, David Low and Willie Haughey are each prepared to give you the equivalent of a family holiday week in the sun for them.
Hang about and it might be a fortnight.
Back to Basics – Glass Half Full on 2nd June 2026 1:28 pm
bournesouprecipe @ 1:00 pm
Celtic will host AC Milan in a pre season glamour friendly 25 July
———-
I think you’ve blown any chance of a career in the SMSM, BSR.
What you should have said
“Celtic will host AC Milan in a pre season friendly 25 July”
========
“Celtic will play Italian minnows AC Milan in a meaningless pre season friendly 25 July.
It is expected that UEFA beaks will force the game to be played behind closed doors after the last league game of the season had to be abandoned after numerous assaults on Hearts players and when shocking decisions throughout the season allowed Celtic to pilfer the league. ”
the ac milan game is part payment for the arne transfer.
Saint Stivs on 2nd June 2026 1:35 pm
Doubt if it will be in a Cafe down the Kings Road, the ‘Chelsea Potter’ would be my preference for no reason other than it got mentioned in a Rolling Stones song, also back in the late 60s as BRRB will tell ya….
—————
I happened to watch the Beckham documentary episode 1 last night, I found it quite interesting, nearly 30 years ago for the France world cup, and that infamous Argentina v England game with David getting sent off.
Pans to a vociferous crowd scene, and there in the middle of union jacked up heavy bellied sunburnt engerland crazies, is an old man, in a peach outfit, died black hair, with a unique clapping style and a set of big lips, mouthng off some chant.
The bold Michael Jagger.
——
Young Mick would have been 54😉. One of the benefits of always having had a well lived in face. He does sport a fine mullet, mind you.
TLWIO @ 1:54pm
🤣🤣🤣