Stephen McGowan’s attack on the fans in cheap seats as he turns on Celtic chairman Ian Bankier

Stephen McGowan has decided to turn the clock back to the Celtic AGM in November rather than confront yesterday’s news that one SFA member club has held constructive talks with the ruling body about a match referee and leaked the details to Sky Sports. 

That is surely the burning issue today but it seems that lumping the two Glasgow clubs together and having a dig at Celtic shareholders is the priority for the Daily Mail reporter.  

Two months have passed since Celtic chairman Ian Bankier used the club’s AGM to express ‘concerns’ about the nations officials. 

Celtic have won more trophies in the 21st century than the rest put together. If they’re the victims of a conspiracy by the men in black, then it’s clearly the worst stitch up in history.  

Faced with hostile shareholders however, Bankier saw an opportunity to play to the cheap seats. And he grabbed it with both hands. 

If you are Nick Walsh or Bobby Madden, you should be asking first and foremost when VAR will finally be brought in to offer a helping hand. 

After that you’d want the referees’ union to write to the SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell querying why the Compliance Officer has let the Celtic chairman off the hook 

Celtic’s AGM is a very controlled affair with the Q and A kept as brief as possible with contentious issues brushed aside with a reminder that other shareholders have got questions to ask. 

Bankier and before him Peter Lawwell had one awkward hour a year to face in front of shareholders, other than that it is back to boardroom hospitality and carefully controlled information leaked to favoured media outlets. 

Lawwell’s last comments outside of in-house media was to Keith Jackson in the Daily Record in June 2020. As CEO Nicholson hasn’t spoken outside of club media while Bankier also avoids any comment, in June 2021 he opted out of joining Ange Postecoglou and Dom McKay meeting Celtic fan media. 

If McGowan wants to clear matters up between clubs and the SFA he could pose some detailed questions and publish the answers or non-answers. 

Such as why Nick Walsh was put in charge of the Celtic v St Johnstone League Cup semi-final a month after handling a league game between the two clubs. 

The booking of Cameron Carter-Vickers in that match for being kicked twice on the ground prompted the question at the AGM that caught Bankier off guard. 

Can Crawford Allan explain why a player being attacked on the ground is booked? He was quick enough to appear on Radio Scotland when Kris Boyd got upset and emotional over a goal by Kyogo Furuhashi against Hearts. 

Perhaps McGowan could ask why Bobby Madden has refereed five of Celtic’s 21 SPFL Premiership matches to date (Hearts home and away, Aberdeen away, Livingston at home, St Johnstone away). On Wednesday at Tynecastle John Beaton will referee his first Celtic Premiership match, he did take charge of the League Cup tie between the two clubs in August. 

Rather than talk down about the fans in the cheap seats perhaps publishing detailed questions and the failure of the football authorities to explain matters would better serve McGowan and his readers. 

CLICK HERE for Bankier’s deep concern about referees.