The general malaise that has swept across the vast theatre we call Paradise, has been a slow burning fire that was ignited more than a few years ago. The unparalleled success on the field over the last decade has helped mask a old problem experienced by Celtic managers and fans for years when the club was under the guidance of the Kelly family during the 1980s and 90s.
The current dynastic success on the pitch at Celtic park can only be matched by the stranglehold our regime and board of directors have over our club. Plagued by nepotism and cronyism, the current regime have sailed a steady ship in terms of profit, divided and balance sheet. That success has been driven by an aggressive marketing scheme pulling at the heart strings of supporters willing to pile as much cash as they earn on merchandise, season tickets and 3 to 4 new kits every season.
As fans, we cannot complain, right? Lennon, Deila, Rodgers, Lennon (again), Big Ange and then Rodgers (again) have delivered an avalanche of silverware that is unmatched at any point in our history. The reality is though, while we have held trophy after trophy aloft at the end of the season, the club have not progressed in terms of building a squad to look beyond domestic dominance or even compliment the talent we are allowed to enjoy for a season or two. Our much heralded business model of buying players and selling them for significant profit looks wonderful on the balance sheet, but provides no continuity or allows us to build on successes on the field of play.
The revolving door at the top of The Celtic Way has become a Merry-Go-Round for the same stale board members, executives and managers. Peter Lawwell left the club, only to return shortly afterwards, this time bringing his son as head of recruitment. Dermot Desmond, the business financer behind the club is shaping his own son as heir to the throne in Paradise. All of this with no input from fans, not meaningful vote on succession. It’s like the Kelly’s and Whites never left.
Celtic are a club heading in the wrong direction and the people in charge of the operation are too blind to see it. The annual AGM passes off without any whiff of discontent , as those voices are muted and laughed at. Any challenge to the regime is deemed insignificant and pointless and our executives laugh and lap it up - they win every time and pat each other on the back.
The Celts For Change group picked through the rubble of a broken football team 30 years ago and helped secure a future for our club. The Sack the Board chants we heard in the defeat to Hearts serve as a timely reminder to our current custodians that the club always has been and always will be the fans – the longer this is ignored by the suits in the directors box, the more irreparable damage will be done.
