The scale of background unrest at Celtic has been made more plain than ever after the club’s annual general meeting was abandoned after only 25 minutes as a result of heckling from supporters towards board members.
Celtic shareholders, who are unhappy with the way the club are being managed, held up red cards, booed and chanted “sack the board” as directors arrived. A half-hour adjournment was called, after which pre-recorded interviews were shown.
Ross Desmond, the son of Celtic’s principal shareholder, Dermot, read out a statement that criticised supporters for their treatment of the leadership. “Our board, led by Peter [Lawwell], and our executive, led by Michael [Nicholson], are dedicated Celtic people,” said Desmond Jr. “The attempts to dehumanise them and vilify them are shameful.
“They love the club as much as anyone here and they have suffered just as much as anyone. They work tirelessly, often under intense pressure. They do an outstanding job at this club and we are very lucky to have them.”
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Amid more protest and before any formal resolutions or question-and-answer session could be heard, the meeting was closed. The club now have the option to complete necessary business in private. A perceived lack of serious communication from the club is one key point of annoyance for supporters.
Celtic said: “Regrettably, due to the continuing disruptive conduct of a small number of individuals preventing the orderly management of today’s AGM, we were required to conclude the meeting earlier than we had planned. Such conduct is completely unacceptable and hugely disappointing, and while today’s events are completely outwith our control, clearly we regret the impact on our shareholders who were deprived of the opportunity to take part in an orderly and constructive meeting.”
Celtic, who reached the knockout phase of the Champions League last season, have been widely criticised for their approach to the summer transfer window. Brendan Rodgers resigned as the manager in late October but is yet to be replaced. Dermot Desmond used Celtic’s website to launch an extraordinary attack on Rodgers at the time of his exit.
Martin O’Neill, who is in caretaker charge of the team, watched the extraordinary AGM events unfold from the top table. “I thought it was a really sad, sad morning, really sad morning,” he said later. “I just wonder what the great Jock Stein would have thought of it all, who preached unity at the football club, said that a club not united would never be successful.”
However, O’Neill is convinced the disconnect can be repaired with the help of a new manager, whose appointment he hinted might not be far off.
“It’s as sad a morning as I’ve seen. I mean I’ve been to a few of these AGMs before and I suppose because we’ve been doing well at the time that it was nice. Not even sure I was ever asked a question in them at the time. But that was rather raucous.
“There were people who would have wanted to ask questions and the board have said that they’ve made mistakes.
“There’s only so many times that you can apologise and then you have to get on with things again. So we’ll start again and hopefully that will start when the new manager comes in.
“A united Celtic will be far better equipped to compete and try and win again.”
The Northern Irishman believes unity is achievable.
“It shouldn’t be impossible, really it should not be impossible,” he said. “There’s got to be a coming together again from this. There’s an obvious disconnect at this minute, but that surely can be rectified.
“You asked me a question, would my interim period fuse things together? I don’t think that was ever going to happen. But you’ve got to now realise that that has happened, mistakes have been made, and they can be rectified and hopefully rectified quickly.
“If I’d got an opportunity, I would probably be saying what I’m saying here, so I wish now I had said a few words.”
O’Neill will take charge of a fifth game when Celtic face St Mirren in Paisley on Saturday.
“I’m probably a bit surprised that I am (still here), I thought maybe something might have got sorted out in the international break,” O’Neill said. “But I think that there is definitely progress being made in that field.”
The Frenchman Wilfried Nancy, currently in charge of Columbus Crew, is the clear favourite to succeed Rodgers but the delay in hiring a manager is merely adding to the anger of fans. Celtic, who trail Hearts by seven points in the Scottish Premiership while holding a game in hand, travel to St Mirren on Saturday evening. – Guardian
