Dominic McKay

Celtic have been rocked by the departure of Dominic McKay after the chief executive quit after just 72 days in the role amid a Parkhead power struggle.

The club announced to to the stock market the former SRU chief was stepping down for ‘personal reasons’, with club legal eagle Michael Nicholson taking the role on an initial temporary basis.


But Record Sport understands McKay jumped before he was pushed after major players behind the scenes admitted the appointment was not working.

McKay oversaw a major rebuilding mission under boss Ange Postecoglou with 12 players coming in and even more heading in the other direction.

There was friction in the background, however, over the direction the club was going and the structural changes that were on the way.

 

He got away with it for it 16.5 years.

Only when * hit the fan in November 2020 did the majority accept he’s a dud.

There’ll be some immediate moaning, but then the drivel of 9 titles in a row and record profits will get spewed out.

 

Band of brothers HH KTF

 

Utter garbage and anyone falling for that is an idiot.

All the changes made during his tenure have been PLC changes, including the appointment of Postecoglou.

 

They haven't got a clue..

We've known this for age's..

Hiring some rugby * for our biggest ever rebuild and then we're supposed to be surprised when it goes * up. LOL..

 

OUTGOING Celtic chief exec Dominic McKay outlined his vision for the club just weeks before his shock exit.

McKay arrived at Parkhead in the summer looking to overhaul the club following the failure to claim 10-in-a-row last season.


The former Scottish Rugby boss also had to oversee the appointment of a new manager after the pursuit of Eddie Howe turned into a dead end.

The lifelong Hoops fan had said it had been a dream come true to land a job at his boyhood heroes and vowed to make Celtic the top team in the country again.



And just weeks before his surprise departure this evening on “personal grounds”, McKay sat down to chat with the Celtic View quarterly magazine to outline his vision for the way forward.

He said: “Celtic’s been a part of my life for a very long time and a very happy part of my life, and I couldn’t be prouder to be offered the opportunity to work with a brilliant team here and lead the club.


Football has the ability to affect people’s moods in ways that very few things can and as a club we’ve got an incredible support across the whole world.

“We’ve got an incredible support that back us at Celtic Park, so we’re just going to keep working really hard to make sure we put smiles on as many people’s faces as we possibly can.”



Celtic have been rocked by the departure of Dominic McKay after the chief executive quit after just 72 days in the role amid a Parkhead power struggle.

The club announced to the stock market the former SRU chief was stepping down for ‘personal reasons’, with club legal eagle Michael Nicholson taking the role on an initial temporary basis



But Record Sport understands McKay jumped before he was pushed after major players behind the scenes admitted the appointment was not working.

McKay oversaw a major rebuilding mission under boss Ange Postecoglou with 12 players coming in and even more heading in the other direction.


There was friction in the background, however, over the direction the club was going and the structural changes that were on the way.



It’s understood suggestions the decision has been taken because ex-chief Peter Lawwellr remains a presence despite standing down in the summer have been dismissed as wide of the mark.

Hoops officials dropped the bombshell statement last night, which said: “Celtic Football Club announced today that chief executive Dom McKay has stood down from his position for personal reasons.




McKay said: “I’d like to thank the Board and everyone at Celtic for their support and wish everyone at Celtic every success for the future.”

Celtic Chairman Ian Bankier said: “We thank Dom for his efforts on behalf of the Club and everyone wishes Dom and his family very well for the future”.

Director Nicholson will step up after eight years in the background with the 45-year-old initially joining the club as company secretary and head of legal in 2013 before being promoted to the board as director of legal and football affairs in 2019.

The Hoops statement said: “He (Nicholson) has been at the centre of executive decision making at Celtic during his time at the club, working directly with the Board, the chief executive and the football department.



Michael carries the confidence of the Board and his colleagues. He is widely known and highly regarded in football circles in the UK and in Europe.”

Chairman Bankier said: “It has been my pleasure to work closely with Michael for more than eight years now. Having been at the heart of the senior executive and reporting to the Board, he has a solid grip on how to achieve our immediate and future objectives.

“Michael is an absolute team player and he will lead an experienced and talented team of executives and colleagues at Celtic


Everyone at Celtic will of course work collectively and focus strongly on ensuring we continue to drive the club forward in every area, on and off the field.

“The board, Ange, our management team and all our staff will continue to work together with the ultimate objective, as always, of delivering success for our supporters.


Nicholson is expected to eventually take the role on a permanent basis with several short term targets still to be addressed – including the search for a director of football and a head of recruitment.

McKay arrived in April to shadow outgoing Lawwell ahead of his official unveiling in the summer, where he vowed to modernise the club.

 

Even if we win the league this year, I don't think we'll properly progress until Desmond is gone, it's clear he's a major problem.

We got lucky with Ange imo, not giving them an ounce of credit for that appointment.

 

Sooking up to that rat. He's no daft..

"Just the 2 sugar's Mr Bankier?"..

 

Maybe that's why he wasn't allowed to make the changes he desired.

 

Aye, because they were probably progressive and to the benefit of Celtic.

 

Hired by Lawell 8 years ago. The more you look in to this, the more it reeks. Signs everywhere. Dom states WGS isn't coming in....he's here albeit for 3 months but it wouldn't surprise me if it was permanent as a DoF soon enough.

The statement today by the club tells you everything. Very little said about Dom if its for 'personal' reasons. But very heavily loaded with praise for Lawells stooge. The following lines tell you why Dom walked, and the new guy is in.

"he has a solid grip on how to achieve our immediate and future objectives.

"Michael is an absolute team player and he will lead an experienced and talented team of executives and colleagues at Celtic."

Although a temporary appointment, can see this being another Lennon type job. In as a temp, hired with a hot shower and the tickle of that * moustache, thereafter made permanent.

The board need * strung up. They're running us like a backward 1800's * masons club.

 

Again, hopefully there is nothing horrible going on in his or his family’s life.

that is the main thing.

If not, could it just be as simple as a get out contract clause exercised because he was the wrong person for the job?

It was clear during the transfer window that the manager wasn’t impressed by our speed.

 

Your name is probably half right.

 

What other ones are really possible?

 

CEO gone. No club doctor. No Director of Football. No backroom staff for the manager. No revamp of the sports science department. No revamp of the Data Analytics department.

Gordon Strachan in. Peter Lawwell "representing" the club at European committees.

Who'd have thought?

All of the above I've just copied from a post I've just seen on KDS. Really hammers it home what's happening here..

 

There's going to be speculation, sniping and assumptions from this, we'll never really know. But he left a right cushty job to come here, so you've got to assume its right personal issues as too why he wont continue, recent hierarchy shenanigans makes us suspect otherwise.

I just hope we get someone brought in soon, and someone too look over football operations.

 

* tinpot in the boardroom. We're so out of touch with modern football it's frightening.

So the board didn't like that someone actually wanted to drag us into the 21st century and make us a modern, progressive club with a proper footballing set up. *, the lot of them.

See when people were defending the Strachan appointment, because "uck it's only for a few months". This is why most of us were raging. Because it's just Celtic all over. Jobs for the boys. Don't like anything new or different.

 

Those 6 words give me the absolute fear, it basically tells the whole story.

Dom wouldn’t do what he was told and actually wanted to deliver change. Where as our Michael will do as he is told and get in line with Desmond and the other big shareholders programme, none of who have any real interest in Celtic as a football club just a business.

We will likely bring in a sporting director or director of football but it will be someone like all our coaches who is extremely grateful rather than qualified for the job.

 

Said a few months back I expected him and Ange to be out the door by next June. Desmond and his chums are our biggest barrier to success and will continue to be so until they are hunted

 

Strange that, my first concern on hearing that it was for personal reasons was for his & his families well being.