Dermot Desmond

like most billionaires he’s got people that attend agms for him, give me the choice of playing golf in Barbados or an agm in dreich glesga, well it answers itself especially as club is so successful. Still I like to call dd our absentee landlord as he is

 

I think it's because (unlike Rodgers IMHO) he is a fan the same as you and me. If I'm right, then he's always talking about us for the same reason we are on this forum.

I don't think he's that deluded, surely.

Although I think Lenny did a good job apart from his final season (yes, I know most people would disagree even with that but I'm sure Lenny would see it like me ha ha), there are 2 differences with Rodgers.

1) Rodgers didn't do a good job; he did a stellar job. He completely changed the culture at the club. He also has a coaching pedigree that Lenny currently doesn't have. Sad to say it (because I think Lenny is a Celtic fan and I don't believe that Rodgers is), being that outstanding at your job buys a lot of forgiveness in a way that being quite good at it doesn't.

2) He can't pretend the final season didn't happen. That was the worst job I've seen at Celtic since John Barnes, perhaps even further back than that. I don't necessarily blame him for that (I'm more and more suspect there were very understandable mental health problems involved FWIW), but he'll never be accepted back as manager.

I'm pretty sure he must know that. Maybe he wants to come back as a coach or something though (if he's given up on a managerial career). That wouldn't be that unrealistic. I doubt there'd be dancing in the streets, but I can't see fans organising major protests if he was brought back as like a youth team coach or something.

 

He also said some truly daft things in that article, like how we've invested in "quality managers" (MON, WGS, Ange and Rodgers were quality; but Lenny and Ronny were just OK and Mowbray was quite poor) and how we reached a European final in Desmond's time (a Hun team that spent half a decade in the lower leagues managed 2 finals in that time, so I hardly think we've overachieved TBH).

 

74 years of age he is now. He has brought some great times while being the majority shareholder of our club but also some depressing times too. Wonder how long he'll keep going for or will he sell up or pass it in to his family. It'll be interesting to see in this decade will things change or continue to be the same old * with spending.

 

He has zero say in the running of the club IMO, that's Peters job, Desmond just looks at the balance sheets and pats Peyer on the back. Both need chased

 

I think the opposite mate.

I actually think it's HIS directives that are hurting us.

Lawell might be Darth Vader, but Desmond is clearly the * Emperor. With the rest of the board those twats in grey uniforms who get * force choked if they step out out of line.

Ange may have been our Luke Skywalker, but Rodgers is looking like Princess Leia, and Nicholsen transformed himself into * Jar Jar Binks since Ange took off.

Apologies for the clumsy analogy, but that's as close an explanation as I can make it.

DD rules the roost. Hand picks managers, and more importantly, gives Lawell and by proxy, the BoD the guidelines to follow for transfer business etc.

You just have to look at thecKay fiasco. I know there were rumors he was out of his depth. But ram for hills after one transfer window? That screams to me he was being puppeted, and didn't like it.

Desmond is an arrogant *. A majority shareholder who swerves fan concerns by refusing to engage with them, or even journalists under this "why should I talk to you? I know more about Celtic than you do. Tell me the score of the game on February 14th 2017 and I'll answer one question".

What type of * * is that?

I've zero doubt that he and Lawell do actually want what's best for Celtic.

The problem is that they're so * out of touch with the modern game, and so adverse to any financial loss, that they hurting the club.

It's mars bar time. Plastic shark o'clock.

The AGM will be the usual North Korean viewing stand, with actors waving flowers at these *, but the it needs protested, disrupted, whatever.

Desmond needs chased more than Lawell imo. But unfortunately the * is going nowhere. And his shares and influence will likely pass to his son.

 

I thought we put a stop to that of families running Celtic after the Kelly and whites fiasco and thought Fergus mcCann had a situation in place that wouldn't be allowed to happen.

 

Didn't know that.

But is that holding the positions , or owning shares? I doubt he can be stopped handing over his shares to his brood.

 

theres another question that needs to be asked at the agm

 

Excellent post. Fact - Liewell and Nicholson are just 2 senior employees at the club and in the case of that vile slug Liewell, disgustingly overpaid (when CEO). What they do is follow instructions given to them by DD, the monkeys to DDs organ grinder.

 

The softening of two club ruling in Scotland should be benificial to us I can see city buying into the board likewise I can see Desmond buying more into shamrock rovers as a result of it too


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We all know we could have maximised our success much better and the way we are run is extremely frustrating at times.. our European record is a disgrace..

The Summer transfer window was unacceptable too.

However he has presided over our most dominant domestic spell in our history, that's included 6 trebles and 9 in a row.. we are now a whisker away from overtaking the Huns trophy hall.. That achievement shouldn't be undervalued against a backdrop of cheating, bigotry and hun refereeing since our formation. And we should enjoy it, when it comes and it is coming!

We absolutely need new direction in the boardroom, but when we look at the faults we need also give credit for the success, maybe the domestic domination has created a slightly spoiled mindset, where domestic success is taken for granted..

Don't get me wrong, Europe should be our benchmark, so the frustration is shared..

 

Just hope all this does not effect his Golfing game

 

There is no families running the club thou. Giving his son his shares is no where near what we had before with the kellys and whites. It's not even close to it so pointless comparing the two.

 

Actually annoys me more than any other board member. He’s the guy that could release the handbrake a little but doesn’t. Hasn’t really seemed interested in years.

 

Agree with that, in part.

Some of our supporters do have a "spoiled" mindset.

But in terms of European progression, it's absolutely what we should be doing. We have been in a position of unparalleled dominance in Scotland for a while now, and the club aren't looking to grow further.
The attitude of DD and the board is "look at all the domestic trophies! Stop your yapping!".
But there's no such thing as standing still in football. That's going backwards.

If we build a culture around to be an actual European club again, then domestic matters take care of themselves by extension of that investment.
Hoarding money in case the bad times happen basically ensures the bad times WILL happen. "We won't always make the champions league" means we WON'T make the champions league.

It's like DD actually wants Sevco to take the title so they can react after the fact and say "see, we invest when it matters!".

We should be actual * light years ahead of Sevco in terms of quality. LIGHT YEARS.
But the sad truth is we're not.

We're a couple of long term injuries and they're a couple of good signings away from a real problem, and that's with us sitting on a mammoth budget nearly 5 or 6 times what they could muster without going bankrupt.

That's all down to DD , and by extension Lawell, and this obsession with loss mitigation.

I've said three or four times now, you look at psv and Feynoord, THATS how to handle your budget. It doesn't matter whether they make 1m or a 100m in the market, they go and they spend 50% of it on the best quality they can attract.

We on the other hand have actually gone * backwards.
We now won't spend anything over 6m unless it's a loan to buy.
Imagine we tried to take Chris Sutton on loan from Chelsea instead of buying him outright, or Hartson etc.
We're paying the same fees for players we were 20 * years ago!

If anything, it's not undervaluing domestic success, it's protecting it, making sure it's the status quo and using it as a springboard to grow and develop. And we could do it twice over with our bank balance right now.

 

Fair points. A board for the naughties. But very stale, outdated and lacking in ambition. Parochial is the best term.

I'd say the success earned by hard work, was a must given our resources against the rest and 2 clubs mired in financial turmoil. But fairs fair, they were part of it so, get their share of recognition.

But should be questioned rightly for the failure to progress the club. A lack of vision of what our aim for the next 10 years is. We've become a successful business, but a poor football club and our ethos (can't think of the correct term the now as shattered) is at odds with the fans and our roots it seems.

No pathways for youth to first team. Promising youth snapped up by bigger clubs early. Failure to stand up for the club so many times I've lost count, but happily proactive against our own. Fences up. Never forget that. Have we even had the review published that DD personally undertook??

That's just what cones to my head the now. He just leaves it to Lawell to get on with...or did so previously. Who calls the shots now for him? Nicholson hasn't been seen since his jolly to speak wi BR in Majorca.

He's had his time in the sun, and it's been good. But if we're not progressing, then we're regressing. We're just lucky that we're in the SPFL to get away with it. Look to other clubs in Europe at our level. Some have gone passed us comfortably.

Myself, I think I was so relieved at what Ange delivered after that absolute shitshow during the covid season, and believed we were on to a winner, with a clear path and vision, that I cast aside their narrow minded, limited self serving ways.

Enough's enough. Time for a change. Time to move on Dermot and thanks.

 

Remember about 10 years or so ago when this * said it wouldn't be long before we're in a European final again.

 

* tory golfing *.gtf.HH

 

'We've become a successful business, but a poor football club'; thats on the money.

DD is a successful business man and they usually avoid getting involved with football clubs (as usually they're money pits). He has a complex relationship with Celtic, he overpaid for Fergus' shares in 1999, felt Fergus duped him and had a bit of a downer on the club; this was at a time when DD was wealthy but wasn't in the billionaire's club, that came in 2006 when he sold London City Airport. He had to put money in in 2001 after MONs first season which in the share prospectus at the time was supposed to go to a first team training facility. It didn't, instead it went to repay a 15m bank loan with Co-Op that he'd guaranteed and which funded Sutton, Valgaren and Lennon coming to Celtic in 2000 (we were absolutely broke at the time as Barnes had been given a fortune to spend - and wasted - Berkovic, Scheidt etc. - the previous summer). MON put together a CL competitive squad but in 2002 we didn't get there and DD knew he was going to have to put in more money as the wage bill was too high - this triggered the appointment of Liewell whose brief was simply 'get the business self funding as I don't want to put money in again'. This triggered to break-up of the Seville team between 2003-5 and was ultimately the main reason MON left. All was going to plan until Artmedia in 2005 and no European football of any kind - this triggered the next share issue which DD had to anchor and the building of Lennoxtown which should have happened 5 years previously. 2005 was absolutely seminal in Celtic's post war history, as this was when the 'business model' was introduced i.e. we won't spend money to bridge getting in the CL, if we get there great, but we won't spend money trying to get there.

That isn't going to change whilst the ownership stucture stays as it is, and with Ross Desmond now running his dad's business interests day to day we shouldn't expect anything to change - the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

What will make them take notice is if you don't give them your money anymore, but sadly, there is a big rump of Celtic fans who are happy for Celtic to pick up easy (worthless some would say) trophies in Scotland, lord it over 'Rangers' and slavishly hand over their money for season books every May. Whilst you continue to do that, don't expect change.