The Board

We have today released our half year trading statement to The Stock Exchange. I want on this occasion to make a separate statement to address various issues raised by supporter shareholders, season ticket holders and the wider body of Celtic fans.

In recent weeks, the Club has been the subject of widespread comment mostly concerning, but not limited to, the team’s performance. I have received correspondence from fans expressing their anxiety and seeking information. These messages and feelings are not being ignored and I accept with due humility what has been said. The frustration that is expressed is clear and unambiguous. It is shared throughout the whole Club. That includes, the Directors, our Football Management Team, staff and the players.

Across all media platforms, we have been asked to communicate our reaction to events on and off the park and to reveal our decisions and intentions. It is worth saying that over the period in question, the football manager has addressed each and every game we have played. The Club has made announcements dealing with speculation over the Manager’s tenure, the Covid outbreak amongst our players in January, the appointment of a new CEO and player sales and signings at the end of the January transfer window.

It is acknowledged that the season, to date, has been a disappointment. We approached it with justifiable confidence. Having been crowned League Champions for the ninth year in a row, we looked forward to making it a Quadruple Treble in the delayed Scottish Cup. We retained a number of highly sought-after players, so as to have the strongest possible squad going into this season. We supplemented our player pool by investing in new player registrations. We had in place a Manager with a proven record and the core of a squad who had created history for the Club.

But the harsh reality has been that, thus far, we have not achieved the results we have sought. We have not met the consistently high standards that we have become accustomed to. We do not shy away from these cold facts.

Across the plethora of media channels, comments and criticisms are instant. Evaluating our options in order to make the right decisions at this time in the Club’s history cannot be instant. As things stand today, we are operating under Government-imposed restrictions with no clear horizon.

We are in the period of review we indicated in our announcement of 7th December. I must state clearly that all decisions we take will be taken calmly and rationally. We will not make hasty decisions that we might regret. There is considerable uncertainty as to how and when the game will get back to normal. Equally, there are opportunities ahead of us, as the structure of European competitions evolves over the next three to five years. Amongst other things, we will be considering how to take full advantage of what comes our way.

Meanwhile, we cannot alter the timeline of the pandemic. Therefore, we face the prospect of further challenges, whilst we play to an empty stadium where our fans belong. The virtual season ticket scheme has not been and cannot be a substitute for the real thing. We do recognise that. We thank all our season ticket holders for the fantastic loyalty they have shown the Club and, of course, we are working on ways in which we can acknowledge that. Your commitment to a season ticket supports our playing squad and allows us to invest in players, giving Celtic the best chance to deliver the playing success that we all want. The Celtic support at our matches is something we have missed, of that there is simply no question.

The Covid pandemic has cast its shadow over all aspects of normal life and it continues to present many challenges for our supporters and the communities we all live in. On behalf of the Board, I send our continued thanks, appreciation and warmest wishes to all our supporters. The job of your Board is to look to the future and we should do so with a sense of togetherness in the coming months.

IAN P BANKIER
CHAIRMAN

 

I took a look at Desmond's wiki page, and just as I had thought: the majority of his wealth had nothing to do with football. To him, the decline of Celtic won't even be that painful financially. He probably feels slighted by the fans' display of anger last year.

I suspect he'll just sell the share in CFC if the fans decide to withhold their money this summer. Would be good to have the club not owned by a man who does not care for it.

 

did that * bankier really just blame covid for keeping lennon get the * out you tory rat!

 

Also something else I picked up on


"It is acknowledged the season to date has been a disappointment"


That's it there is the review right there get him sacked then. Basically they're saying the season has been poor but we can't be arsed to change it

 

Yes. They are going make a * of this again. They have had * ages to change it, anyone could see it needed changed months ago even if they had started looking then they should have brought in a replacement by now. Instead we have Lennon in his interviews basically saying "haha * yous am going nowhere"

Such a staggeringly bad season, so fixable for so long and they did nothing but treat the fans with contempt. Siding with the * media all the way through as well. You'd be * mad to commit to a season book, mad.

 

'thus far' * must think lennon can still turn it around ! they aint got a * clue

 

2 main points from this statement that is a lot of words for not really saying * all.

1. They are still blaming everything bar themselves. They acknowledge the season is a disaster, but continue to blame covid and the lack of support - even in a back handed compliment way

2. It certainly sounds like they are steering clear of directly talking about Lennon now. To the point that this all looks like stalling for time till they can announce him leaving at end of season and then let McKay deal with the mess.

A lot of us had started to assume this was the case, which in some small way is understandable - but they really need to come out and say this.

The reason though they can not say it, is because it's too early to get away with "he will leave at end of season" line.
Because, let's be honest here, from their own words they have known this season was * at least by the 7th December, if not earlier.
They knew this, yet thet done * all.
They literally threw away this season months ago..the "review" was a stalling for time, a desperate hope that Lennon would surely * wise up, he didn't. Then it got too much that they couldn't turn against him and financially don't want to go through the hassle of it all.

The entire thing is stalling for time.

It was said last month, I give it till second week of march and we will hear of him leaving (Lennon) come end of season. It's always been the plan since early December.


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Amazing so many words and they managed to say nothing.

 

Stalling for time implies they think there will be a solution in the summer, but not now. I don't think they have a solution, even if they were actively looking for a manager. Nobody with any self-respect wants to manage a club where the board impeded an invincible treble winner (Rodgers will certainly mention this to any UK-based people who show interest), and where the CEO admitted to have discarded applications for the vacant managerial spot without assessing any.

 

Almost every line in that statement has me seething ,but the last one ' it's the job of your board to look to the future ' each and every one of them can * right off because they have failed to do that for years

 

Stalling because come summer things change at the club.
The CEO who * Rodgers and tossed applications in a draw is gone, the new guy is in.

That's what they are stalling for.

The rumours of lawwell leaving have even around for months now and you can get the board themselves knew this for fact months ago.
Even McKay would have known no ths ago, even as far back as the summer.

I honestly now believe the entire season has been cast aside after November and we are just stalling from pulling the trigger on Lennon because we are gonna need to let McKay be the boss and bring his own manager in.


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Lennon is here for 10IAR

Some folk need to get their heads around that

 

Why wasn't McKay brought in immediately, and Lennon sacked? The season could have been saved. A monumental season, so not one to be discarded. It's strange Kennedy wasn't just promoted to interim manager. * forbid him becoming the permanent option, though.

 

Ego, money, contracts.

Lawwell has known for a long time this was his last season. He wouldn't just walk out and forgo the ego trip of potentially winning the ten.
Once accepted it was *, the ego not to admit he * it with appointing Lennon in the shower kicks in.

Then remember he's on £1.5mill a year...he ain't walking away from that either.

It's a business at the end of the day for these guys, they don't walk away willingly.


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All they had to do was get rid of Lennon and put a caretaker in place, acknowledge the size of the rebuild and get the supporters back on board.

It must be financial, rumours about Lennon's bonus to secure the 10 may not be wide of the mark and they're waiting for it to be mathematical impossible..

Can't think of any other reason.

Put Kennedy in and pay off Lennon, nah we'll be as well sticking with Lennon as we've reacted far too late in any case.

 

The reality is too that in the long term the huns winning isn't a bad thing for business. So they aren't really bothered that they've blown it.

 

That statement is pure waffle, with the continual mention of the pandemic as a distraction. There's plenty that's gone wrong on the park that has absolutely nothing to do with the pandemic.

 

What really got me was when they said the supporters money goes to the playing squad more or less ssying withold your money your getting declan gallagher and Jamie mccart jokes om them because weve got the same pish for years

 

Pointless statement, says nothing.

 

Yeah agreed. They've always been happy to saddle up with them. Joint sponsorship deals and all.
In fact, even when we both looked to go our separate ways with magners and blackthorn, guess what - same company owns both.

Little things like the old sponsorships meant both clubs seemed to benefit, we clearly do with media coverage as well.
I also don't think (ramble in the Hun thread) that then winning and even potentially making the champions League proper, is gonna do much for then either. It'll save them for another season or two, but they desperately need it.

Unfortunately for us, the board always seem to think the two clubs benefit from each other.

When reality is, £54million turnover when the Huns weren't here and we had deila(who I like) and things were underwhelmed.
The day they brought in Rodgers though, the fanfare from our support to our club was off the scales, next year's over £100mill turnover.

Invest in Celtic and out Celtic first, the fans will quite literally double our money and that backing goes a long way.

They must surely realise the turnover for next year(on the back of Covid and Lennon) is gonna be likely less than the deila years.




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