Few Celtic fans could reflect on what they have done for the club with as much satisfaction as John Keane, the former director, who died yesterday. In 1994, when the Bank of Scotland gave Celtic 24 hours to repay their borrowing or face administration, Keane was one of a group of Celtic supporters who had engaged ‘the old board’ with a view to brining about a regime change.
The board resisted, but when faced with the inevitable, they looked for help. John Keane was the only man who stepped forward. As I understand, he paid a banker’s draft for £1m into Celtic’s Bank of Scotland account. This put the club in credit, Keane had no claim on the money or the club, it was completely an act of faith. The board, in theory, could have continue to trade, but they immediately opened negotiations with Keane, Fergus McCann and others.
John joined the board when the new regime, headed by McCann, took control. As one of the largest shareholders in the club, his influence was larger than his public profile. The Irishman remained on the board as a non-exec and eventually honorary chairman until 2019.
Football is full of blowhards who like to shout about others, but very few of us did what was necessary to prevent our club from collapse. Without John’s £1m, a brutal administration would have followed the next day and Celtic’s history since then would be very different.
Those who knew him and worked with him held him in great affection. Our thoughts go to his son Mark and the family.
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BRRB- The Romanians round there will be happy….
We need the suits to be the force of our ire when things go wrong.
And even when things go right but we feel they are not going as right as they should be.
John Keane was one of those suits. A member of the Board of Celtic from 1994-2019, he was included in the collective abuse that has been loaded upon them. I never heard any Board critic, exempt John Keane from the blame for anything. Nor was Celtic historian, Brain Wilson. In fact he got it even more so, because he did not follow the majority view on Independence.
There have been regular calls on here, and across Celtic social media, for the removal of all non-exec Directors, as a collective waste of space, and that was exactly what John Keane was (a non exec, not a waste of space).
We weren’t, during his lifetime, grateful enough for his financial gesture to bother to learn what exactly he had done, was doing or what he continued to do as a non-exec member. It was just enough that we did not know, and, to be fair, John was never shouting out loud about what he did, to justify our calls for his removal.
But, having had the decency to pass from us, all his sins as a member of our Board are washed away and there is universal praise for his role in our history. No one today is digging him up about his failure to encourage the Board to spend more on players or to speak out about the old 2012 Switcheroo that shamed Scottish football, Scottish politics and Scottish news reporting. All that is washed from our memory banks along with our recollections of all the collective criticism there was of the Body he was a part of.
Shakespeare reckoned that ““The evil that men do lives after them; The good is oft interrèd with their bones” but John Keane has seen the opposite reaction. We have forgotten what we were calling him during most of his service to the club. We have forgotten our cries for his removal from the Board. Instead we recall and associate him with the one event in his life where we know he was a positive influence for good.
Maybe it was his one and only good deed.
Personally, I doubt it, and I never met or knew the man.
May he rest in peace and get the appreciation he always deserved.
MAJESTIC HARTSON on @9:41am
418-9,
I’m with St Stivs here. There are 3 sides to every story. Listen to the podcasts on the Celtic Exchange on the takeover. They’re very interesting. Brian Dempsey doesn’t mention anything about having £7m in the bank – to my memory.
Also, everyone mentions how much Fergus McCann did not like the limelight. He was very savvy so was maybe aware that being interviewed alongside such a great orator as Brian Dempsey he was never going to come out having won everyone over.
I mean here we’re here, still the same club, being as successful as we have been, in the stadium Fergus had built, 30 years on and he’s still not won you over. 😅
………………..
Why after stopping the Huns winning 10 in a row did Fergus come onto the pitch to hoist the league flag…if Fergus didn’t like the limelight?
The vast majority of the stadium booed Fergus on that what should have been a memorable day, yet Fergus made It all about him on that day because he forced League and Cup double winning manager Wim Jansen to jump before he was pushed…and replaced Wim with a manager who was assisted by the planted “spy in the camp” Eric Black who was recruited by Fergus and Jock Brown….and it took Fergus almost 3 months to replace Wim which added extra unnecessary tension to the flag day booing protest by the majority of fans in the stadium.
Also, Saint Stivs uses David Lowe’s comments in a recent video as some sort of reliable word that nobody had any money apart from Fergus which is just plain wrong.
This is he same David Lowe who helped the PLC board to throw the 10 in a row season under the bus to prevent Sevco from going into administration and a long period in the wilderness had Celtic won 10 in a row.
How did David Lowe help the PLC…by hijacking a Celtic Trust motion to propose a season ticket boycott until Lawwell was sacked after the sneaky way in which the PLC appointed Neil Lennon as manager, in the shower room, after the PLC had promised fans that Neil Lennon was only brought in as a temporary replacement of the departed Brendan1 at that time.
David Lowe effectively mugged off the Celtic Trust boycott before hastily leaving the Celtic Trust [Job done eh] and therefore sacking of the PLC at the Celtic Trust motion at their AGM paving the way for the PLC and Neil Lennon and Broony to all do their bit to sabotage a Landmark 10 in a row season to AGAIN help out Sevco. 👀️
Just ask Shane Duffy fae Derry about “The crazy goings on behind the scenes…”
Which SD referred to during the 10 in a row season. 👀️
PS, Its Brian Dempsey who does not want any limelight and that is why the only reason he ever mentioned that he and John Keane’s Bank of Ireland account was because Fergus tried to smear Dempsey with lies about BD not wanting to put his money in, which BD twice on live tv on Scotsport on STV offered Fergus a head to head live on tv for fans to weigh up both men’s evidence.
This happened at the start of the 1998/99 season when Fergus was publicising a possible sell out of the ownership of the club to a Japanese company, and then it was Jim Kerr and Kenny Dalglish’s turn, which BD pointed out that this was a desperate attempt by Fergus to raise the share price on the stock market and increase McCann’s leaving pay off in increased share value,
Which BD highlighted as one of the many reasons why he and others simply could not back McCann’s plans, especially after Fergus reneged on his promise to sell the club back to the fans at the price which the “Rebel Consortium” had all agreed on [and which David Lowe has never mentioned demonstrating how “bought” he really is] as well as backing Lou Macari which Fergus went back on his word on also and sacking Macari led to another 3 years of on field failure which BD and others also predicted.
PS, The first episode of Scotsport which BD publicised his joint Bank of Ireland account with John Keane, was after a home draw with Killie in August 1998 and Reggie Blinker was our scorer with Paul Lambert red carded for us.
PS, If Brian Dempsey had had his way Celtic fans would own the majority of the club, just like Bayern and Dortmund fans own the majority of their clubs…and…we could have moved to Robroyston as BD opined and the stadium would have been more accessible, jeez we might even have got to the EPL by now? HH
🍀️
….oot.
No wonder I drink.
SETTING FREE THE BEARS FOR RES. 12 & OSCAR KNOX on 17TH JUNE 2024 4:18 PM
Excellent post. I wholeheartedly agree. The board are always the bogeymen.
RIP John Keane
No words can emulate the late great John Keane
Thank you and God Bless you
Rest in Peace
67ECW
My memory is that Brian Dempsey would own the stadium if the Robroyston plan went ahead and he would allow Celtic to lease it from him.
He would then make money out of Celtic and we would be his tenants, potentially leaving Celtic in the same position that led to us moving from the original Celtic Park.
What needs to be brought to the boil in Celtic fans minds is.…
That it is Fergus McCann’s shady pro Old Firm cronies who NOW run Celtic F.C.
Not Brian Dempsey’s. 👀️
🍀️
Hmmm.
…oot.
That’s true…
Argentina lost their first game in the World Cup and went on to win it………………………if your a betting man get your money on Scotland…………………………………..
To get …”nil pois” ……nought ….zadda….nufink…..effall…
Actually think we’ll be lucky to score a goal…yet again I have been proven wrong before…….many times…🤪🤣👍
Slovakia population 5.4 mullion
Giving it tight to Belgium, population 11.69 mullion
more relevant is that slovakia and scotland have a near identical population, but slovakia are miles ahead in terms of skill, pace and technique than scotland are.
not that those are always deciding factors in games but why do scotland not produce enough players to play like that?
Exactly
Any slovakians on CQN care to comment as to why?
Or more likely – anyone know a slovak and maybe ask?
Celtic fans need to make it clear that this “fake” Sir Rod prik and his puppeteering for swamp individuals and agendas is disassociated from pronto!
https://youtu.be/T13zPhFtDWs?feature=shared
“Thank you Boris for keeping the Corbyn trash out of Downing street.”
Said this fraud in 2019.
“I hope the Royal family reign over us for hundreds of years to come. I love the Royal family.”
Said the fraud after the Queens husband died.
PS, The Queen’s husband was interviewed after he crashed his car when he said…
“I didn’t die this time, but when I do die, I want to come back as a ‘Deadly Virus’ to help depopulate the human race.” 👀️
The Queen’s husband said this 👆️ not long before the c19 scam was rolled out. 👀️
Spooky!
🍀️
….oot.
However……..
There is always a however lol
Slovakia are ranked 48 in the fifa rankings
Compared to Scotland at 39 and Belgium at 3
They possibly just having a game?
Lets look at their last 5 games
Bosnia-Herzegovina 1 – 2 Slovakia
Slovakia 0 – 2 Austria
Norway 1 – 1 Slovakia
Slovakia 4 – 0 San Marino
Slovakia 4 – 0 Wales
Apart from wales, they look very much at our level
Apart from the wales game….should read
agreed in terms of results which maybe backs up what i said about deciding factors in games because there are different ways to get results.
but they just look better on the eye with the way they play than scotland do
im watching this game in the bar of a south lanarkshire hotel. there are only 3 other people watching it but madly 2 of them are belgians who are staying here.
but they keep creaming themselves every time one of their players produces a top bit of skill.
which is fair enough, but they are still 1-0 doon with 25 minutes to go!
“ We don’t want season-ticket holders, they are nothing but trouble.”
Jack McGinn
Apart from the offside goal, Belgium have had a lot of the ball and rarely threatened the goal….
Belgium have had 60% possession and
Shots on target – Belgium 5 Slovakia 4
Shots off target – Belgium 3 Slovakia 4
Blocked shots – Belgium 5 Slovakia 2
Goalkeeper saves – Belgium 3 Slovakia 4
“ We don’t want season-ticket holders, they are nothing but trouble.”
—
to be fair there were very few season ticket holders until the hampden season.
never really needed one before that. could get into home games no bother and also away games and hampden with a bit of early morning queueing for tickets.
they were the days, queueing at 5am for hun and pittodrie tickets 😆
RIP JK
VAR sucks.
CelticTopWatch – Spotted in the Slovakia fans.
Come on, Slovakia!
Handball VAR controversy ………..what a surprise 😳
Slovakian tims do it 1-0
BSR
If flashed up 4 or 5 mins after the incident, Belgian defo handled and moved the ball forward
Harsh decision, but fair
WARNING TO ALL
If a man comes to your door asking to see your cock, do not show him your cock. He only wants to see your cock.
I felt so stupid and cheap
KINGLuBO
Record reporting,with gleeful relish,that Darts players,Littler and Smith,did not know who MOR was !!!!!,or what nationality he was.!!!!!!!!!!!!!Shockeroony.
Loved seeing the Dlovakian fan wearing the old NTL sponsor Celtic top jumping up and down when the Belgian goal was disallowed.
Terrific game ,Belgium,Slovakia.Our much reported on Dubravka had a very decent game.Clean sheet.
KINGLUBO on 17TH JUNE 2024 7:02 PM
I don’t keep poultry , so I’m relatively unconcerned .
be more worried if the chap asked to see the cuck
Thanks to Celtic Mac for the further updates on the beast, ironically if it hudnae been for Dave Mackay he could have signed for us, Jock had him training with us with the view of offering him terms when Iron Man Dave former jambo captain was up on holiday from Spurs and when he found out that his former club were goin tae lose out on this outstanding prospect went straight back down and intae Bill Nicholson’s office practically demanding he sign him instead.
But in typical narcistic beast fashion, although still a teenager he told, not asked, Bill, the manager who had led a Spurs side to the first 20th century double as well as bein the first british side to win a European trophy when they gubbed our old “friends” A Madrid 5-1, he should be selected for the first team, he only made one first-team appearance for Spurs, in a UEFA Cup tie as a substitute before he was offloaded as a troublemaker to Middlesboro managed by Stan Anderson at the time.
The following season Jack Charlton took over the reins there and his first signing was Bobby Murdoch, who even the beast has admitted was a major influence in his career, however once Jack was gone then he left ayrsome park in acrimonious circumstances for annfield where another exCelt, KK, helped further enhance is career and so it continued Genoa, Glasgow, Liverpool etc as it always was about him.
Now a couple of things of note regarding his temperament, in the final game of the section against Uruguay if scotland had defeated a uruguay team which had just been thrashed 6-1bt denmark they would have made it through as one of the four best third-placed teams.
However, sir furious, acting manager in place of the late Big Jock, refused to pick him for such a volatile fixture as he couldane guarantee he would finish the game, which is all the more galling as it has gone down in history as one of the dirtiest games ever played in the competition, especially with uruguay going down to 10 men in just 56 seconds, well at least scotland finished the game with 11 men.
Also, when the goal/shoot magazine had a competition to pick the best players in various regions around the uk, denis law said after his top 6 didnae include sourpuss that no matter how good he was he couldnae justify choosin a player who set out to injure fellow professionals, oh and KK was the only player to be chosen for 2 different regions.
Hand ball,enough to keep the ball moving in his direction.Tough,but correct.
Great post earlier,Saint Stivs.
correct decision to give that handball. he clearly gained an advantage – even if it was small – by keeping the ball moving in the direction he was running
nothing controversial about it