Just a few hours after Celtic announced that Dom McKay was leaving his role as CEO for personal reasons he finds himself under attack from a trusted Celtic source.
Former Celtic View reporter Allison McConnell explains to readers of the Herald that McKay had made an inauspicious impression in his first 72 days in the job.
It seems that there is no respect for someone that left a job for personal reasons.
McConnell has very strong connections inside Celtic. In February 2019 while at the Evening Times she came up with an incredible double exclusive that forced the failing Glasgow publisher to produce a special printed edition.
Not only had McConnell discovered that Brendan Rodgers had bolted down the road to Leicester, she also knew that Neil Lennon was coming in as caretaker. You don’t get exclusives like that without having very, very senior sources inside the club. No Celtic fan needs reminded of how badly that appointment ended.
Sharing her insight on McKay, the now freelance explained to Herald readers:
It is understood, however, that the reasons behind the departure came after what was regarded as an inauspicious impression in the opening months of McKay’s time in charge. The feeling within the club was that it would be best for all parties if ties were severed now rather than a continuation with an appointment that was deemed to have been an imperfect fit.
Tellingly, the article quickly adds:
Lawwell, despite much social media frothing, has had little influence over proceedings since leaving his post at the end of last season.
Lawwell may have left the building but his appointments are all over the club such as McKay. When a CEO overstays his welcome to the tune of almost 18 years it leaves a company vulnerable with senior executives struggling to accept a different way of thinking, a change of direction from a new face.
Celtic’s statement yesterday left many questions unanswered. For reasons best known to the board there was little thanks for McKay while they were fulsome in their praise for acting CEO Michael Nicholson. Apparently he is an absolute team player.
That will be part of the team that has driven Celtic backwards since July 2018, the one that has failed in four successive seasons to reach the group stage of the Champions League.
In July 2018 while the club was unable to complete the signing of John McGinn there were three domestic trophies in the boardroom and the riches of successive seasons in the Champions League driven by an ambitious manager.
This morning Ange Postecoglou leads a very different club. One that has no trophies, where the Champions League is a distant memory and one with no recognisable recruitment structure.
It has an acting CEO who was their legal advisor 24 hours ago, no Head of Football Operations following Nick Hammond’s resignation in March with Gordon Strachan halfway through his consultancy exercise looking at the club Academy, Woman’s team and B team.
