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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Are Rodger’s fourth placed in the Saudi League Lamborghini’s or Nissan Sunnies.
Lionroars67 @ 6:40 am,
Thanks for the update on Res12, Celtic Trust, I fell for the anti-DL guff at the time.
Rage bait Ha Ha
Well, it has to be done:)) the dutch courage brigada need an excuse to vent at the Celtic support…
Enjoy the play – sounds like some great themes examined…
Hail Hail
GM78- needs to step away from the gin,reposting stuff from me from October……the very guy who regularly says ‘ living rent free in your head’……10 months ago? …..funny….
bigrailroadblues on 3rd June 2026 7:17 am
Good morning all.
_______________________________________________________________________
Early start as always. I suppose in your quest to see a handsome Hun, you’d have to be up early. I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed in your quest yet again today…
McPhail Bhoy
Aye indeed. 😂
Why wail and gnash wur teeth ?
We are a great club, not a big club.
Our exec ambitions are domestic with sporadic second tier Euro runs.
It’s a harsh truth and so moderately successful ex EPL types with Celtic connections are more than adequate to maintain the theatre of bigclubbiness.
Last seasons finale was manna from heaven for the local game and our keen chasing pack.
We fsns may want us to think bigger but this is wur bread n butter it seems.
Dermot Desmond walking about as if owns the place🤣
I posted this last week but I see the topic raised again in this thread. Hope this helps clarify a few issues:
Dermot Desmond; “The Owner” or Otherwise?
This discussion was seeded by MON a few days ago when he referred to prospective discussions with Dermot Desmond about taking on the manager’s role for the coming season as “talking with the owner”.
Celtic plc has 3 classes of shares: Ordinary shares, Preferred Ordinary shares and Preference shares.
Ordinary shares and Preferred Ordinary shares are voting shares. Each voting share has one vote.
Preference shares pay a fixed dividend of 6% each year but come with no right to vote.
The breakdown of shares is as follows (as at end June 2025)
Ordinary shares 94,878,000
Preferred Ordinary Shares 12,655,000
Preference Shares 15,690,000
The total voting stock is therefore 107,533,000 (mind Preference Shares have no vote)
Of these, Dermot Desmond holds:
Ordinary shares 32,772,073
Preferred Ordinary Shares 8,000,000
Preference Shares 5,131,300
Dermot’s voting stock amounts to 40,772,073, which is 38% of the total voting stock.
At face value, he holds a minority position (less than 50% of the voting stock) albeit he is the single largest shareholder in the club.
However… It’s been fully 30 years since Fergus first took the club public and sold shares to supporters and investors. In the intervening years many original shareholders have become detached from the club or passed away and their shareholding has become dormant, lost or forgotten.
Further, many other shareholders don’t participate in the AGMs and don’t cast their vote.
As a result, of the 107 million voting shares, typically only about 83 million are cast at AGM any given year, about 77.5% of the total.
Dermot always casts his vote.
In these circumstances his vote counts for 49% of the total ballot. Practically, that means every decision taken will be decided by Dermot’s vote. Consequently, he has virtual control of the club.
It’s worth noting here that the Preferred Ordinary shares are ‘Convertible’ into Ordinary shares at the ratio of 1 Preferred share into 2.08 Ordinary shares. Were Dermot to convert his Preferred Ordinary shares his voting stock would increase to 48,932,000, being 42.3% of the total.
So…
Dermot is not “The” owner of the club, he is one of 30,000 or so shareholders. All of us shareholders are all owners in that sense. Dermot is “An” owner.
Dermot is though the largest shareholder, the ‘principal shareholder’ as he has become styled lately, and exercises effective control over the club.
In the wholly unlikely event that the missing shares/shareholders were found and allied with other shareholders in a united front threatening his control, he could convert his Preferred shares and lock down any dissent.
In any event, there’s no show without Punch, and no decision without Dermot.
What Dermot says, goes.
R.I.P. Peabo Bryson
top tune
try not to start getting all lovey-dovey with each other.
BRRB
Walking about the Sooside as if he owns the place 🤣
BSR
Only 51%. 🤣
AULDHEID on 2ND JUNE 2026 9:07 PM
I think it’s unfair to post hear say on a forum attacking someone’s character.
I’m not the internet police so you carry on but it’s an unfair behaviour imo. People will always give a side of any story that paints them well and someone they dislike badly.
But even if BR was untrustworthy, there’s ways for a football club to behave then there’s what we seen from Desmond re his statement.
BR should have been publicly thanked for his success and left at that. That’s what I expect from Celtic. That’s the standard.
Desmond strikes me as having a moral compass not fully aligned to Celtic’s roots and I suspect we’ll see more evidence of that this week or next.
Meanwhile in the real world Celtic won the league again and the cup and got rid of a manager with a totally self serving agenda.
Work behind rebuild now progressing at pace but of course plenty of sad old gits on here could do it much better and are far smarter.
Maybe those who were so sure BR was somehow tooled up to respond to DD…….I wonder why that didn’t happen eh ?
Kinda sad to see all the misery and disappointment Celtic keeps giving some folks though.
Blogger GM
You really should know these malcontent folks are always right. No matter what they post.
Dermot Desmond’s statement on the circumstances of BR’s resignation is not hearsay. It’s evidence, the reliability or otherwise of which hasn’t been tested. One is permitted to accept it at face value or not.
Similarly, Auldheid’s recollections of what he was told directly.
Bournesouprecipe told me this.
With regard to Despot, how does a 18-year-old school-leaver from a modest civil service family land a job at Citibank in 1968?
Interesting to note that is mother’s maiden name is unavailable across the internet.
One would conclude that this is where the answer to the above question lies.
Malcontents: quote Jack McGinn RiP in the Noughties
“ Season Ticket holders we don’t want too many of them they’re just pure trouble “
An Dun
“ BR should have been publicly thanked for his success and left at that. That’s what I expect from Celtic. That’s the standard.”
———-
He was in the Celtic FC statement a full 10 minutes before DD’s evisceration
John James apparently saying Keane is the new manager.
Has this been confirmed?
The Battered Bunnet
There was no evidence in Desmond’s statement. But let’s treat it as such. Like all evidence, it’s reliability must be established.
So, here’s what I know for a fact about Desmond and his character – as established by The Moriarty Tribunal.
Dermot Desmond made several payments to former Taoiseach, Charlie Haughey. Desmond swore under oath that these payments were loans. This was dismissed out of hand by the tribunal that stated the payments filtered through off shore accounts were undeclared gifts with absolutely no evidence to support Desmond’s assertion of loans.
One of the politicians who received off shore payments was Minister Michael Lowry. The Tribunal established Desmond’s ESAT business partner, Denis O’Brien, paid Lowry significant sums prior to their company being awarded a highly lucrative state contract.
Desmond took legal action against the tribunal and failed. The findings of the tribunal were upheld. That’s Desmond. I suggest his evidence ain’t reliable.
Lucky Cody
Since when did CV’s come into it at Celtic?
Did Dermot not make his money selling macroom bars at Parkhead ?😉
Hopefully CCV come back into it next season 😉
Oh that was a close shave …I’ll get my gillette ..😉
You mistake evidence and proof.
A fiefdom is historically defined as the territory or estate controlled by a feudal lord. In modern, everyday language, the term is used informally to describe any organization, department, or area of activity that is completely controlled by a single dominant person or group who resists outside interference
Dermot Desmond here for 33 in a row 🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪 CSC
Good morning CQN
What a great dayto be a Celtic fanatic.
Champions again.
And a cheeky wee cup win for good measure
Transfer window opens on 15 June for 11 weeks
Interesting times – work to do for sure.
Obviously you know who have jumped the gun on this and the preseason cup.
Understandably so.
Difficult to sell season tickets when you’ve won zilch, nada (without the más), TSROFA, the big polo mint, hee haw
B2B
The transfer window to look forward to
Engels, £25M, Nygren £10M , Maeda £10M Hatate £6M
Kerching CSC
BSR – interesting outlook.
My fag packet estimates would be
Engels, £28m, Nygren £15m , Maeda £12m, Hatate £4m.
On a serious note – the four players you’ve named are, IMHO, the four players most likely to leave in that “I don’t want them to leave category”
Hatste might go early, Engels too but the others won’t until after the World Cup …
… at which point we’ll have some August horse trading to do.
Before that happens, I’d suggest we need to beef up the squad early with solid good ‘uns … as a replacement for all the current loanees we’ll send home.
Loans are fine with me if they come in early.
new article posted.