Keith Jackson has claimed that Dermot Desmond felt personally insulted by the protests of Celtic fans after the Betfred Cup defeat from Ross County in November.
It was the fourth consecutive home defeat for Neil Lennon’s side as the season collapsed but rather than show concern about results and managerial failure a source close to the Irish businessman decided to contact the Daily Record reporter.
Following the Champions League defeat from Ferencvaros Celtic fans were voicing their concerns on Social Media. A 100% run through September covered up the cracks but October and November brought brutal results that confirmed their worst fears.
On December 7 the Celtic board announced a managerial review, in February Lennon resigned but six months after their statement Desmond has still to deliver a replacement manager.
Today in the Daily Record he explains the growing rift between customers (fans) and those in the Celtic boardroom:
The angrier they got, the less they were appeased. The more stubbornly their demands for change were ignored.
They first gathered to call for the head of Neil Lennon at the end of November after Ross County knocked Celtic out of the Betfred Cup at Parkhead. They sensed it was their moment to panic – with 10 In A Row hitting the buffers – and they did not allow it to pass them by.
But the louder they shouted the less they were listened to. In fact, majority shareholder Dermot Desmond felt so personally insulted by the scenes which unfolded outside his stadium that he felt inclined to send out a strong message that he would not be dictated to by a baying mob.
Which is precisely when this impasse – this shattering disconnect between the club and its own people – began to take hold.
Back on November 30, following the defeat to Ross County and supporter protests, Jackson had claimed:
Sources close to the Irish tycoon have revealed Desmond was outraged by the violent protest which saw fans clash with police following the Betfred Cup collapse.
Lennon and his players needed to be given an escort by cops to get away from the stadium safely and will give his countryman one last chance to save his job at the San Siro because angry fans had gathered in the carpark, ignoring Glasgow’s level 4 Pandemic restrictions to hurl abuse at the nine in a row champions.
And those shameful scenes helped convince Desmond to double down on his decision not to bring Lennon’s second stint in charge to an end.
Our source said: “Dermot Desmond is simply not the kind of man who will be dictated to by a hate mob – if anything what went on after the game on Sunday has strengthened his resolve to give Neil another chance to turn things around.
“It’s obviously been a terrible run of results for the manager but last Friday, despite the Europa League defeat against Sparta Prague, Dermot was absolutely unequivocal in his support for Neil. Yes, the defeat to Ross County was a bad one but the reaction to it was even more unacceptable as far as Dermot is concerned.
“Neil knows he can’t go on losing games indefinitely but he will also not be thrown to the wolves just because of the demands of a bunch of fans with an enormous sense of entitlement.”
That last phrase didn’t go down well with Celtic supporters. A source quoting Desmond making claims about supporters brought about a statement from Celtic but no direct action against the newspaper or reporter making the claim about the club’s biggest individual shareholder.
On December 7 Celtic stated:
The Board wishes to take this opportunity to thank all Celtic supporters for their support during this challenging year. The response of the support to the challenges that we all face together has been magnificent. It is therefore important to make clear that the Board has never, as it has been inaccurately reported, referred to any Celtic supporter as ‘entitled’.