Celtic’s latest attempt at crisis management has failed spectacularly, under Michael Nicholson.
To be fair to the £1m a year silent CEO, under-performing is something that he excels in, some might say world class.
Pushed into the limelight he doesn’t cut an impressive sight, much like when he enters into transfer negotiations.
Nicholson has had more attention in the last six weeks that he had had in the previous four years as Celtic’s CEO.
SQUARE PEG IN ROUND HOLE
Clearly it isn’t a job that the ‘leading sports lawyer’ was cut out for.
Nicholson’s latest embarrassment came on Monday night when he reluctantly agreed to meet a range of Celtic supporters led by the newly formed Celtic Fans Collective. Those encountering the £1m a year CEO for the first time left the meeting completely underwhelmed.
Other than an admission that communications and fan engagement could be improved everything at Celtic is working just fine.
Having lived in a corporate bubble is backslapping and bonus payments for four years that attitude is hardly surprising.
For the fans attending and those online Monday’s meeting summarised to detachment and contempt of the executives.
Club Executive meets with fan groups.
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) October 7, 2025
Despite the gloss and top spin applied by the club statement Monday’s meeting didn’t go well.
All of the concerns of the Collective were confirmed. Basically Nicholson and Chris McKay threw the September 6 statement back at the entitled fans.
Instead of UEFA Financial Sustainability Regulations they were hit with European tax issues!
For £541,345 a year McKay should have been all over that issue.
THE DELAYED MINUTES
More than 40 hours after the meeting closed the Minutes have yet to be published. The July 2024 Fans Survey may see the light of day before the club allow the Minutes to be shared.
Backtracking over the half hearted excuses offered by Nicholson is fine in a statement but not following a meeting.
The bad news is never ending for the Celtic executives, over the next fortnight full details of their 2025 pay should be published.
Next Thursday the club is expected to actively promote the latest Adidas launch across their social media channels.
The kind folks at Adidas are about to see a fresh side of the support that they’ve patronised and milked for five years.
With leadership from Nicholson things are only heading in one direction, and it isn’t upwards.
And took zero accountability or responsibility.
Get them to fuck.
— Bhoy in Red ?? (@BhoyinRed) October 7, 2025
Got to hit the suits where it hurts…
Their pockets!
No food at games.
No merchandise.
No programmes.
No windfall tickets.Give them no more than we’ve already given.
Sitting on £100m while they send silly texts to each other during games & take us for mugs?
— TheHoops?????????? (@67_Celtic_1888) October 7, 2025
A new Head of Business Ops wont solve the problems. Squirrel FC
— E-Tims (@ETimsNet) October 7, 2025
You treat the fans like the government treat the poor ?
— celtic Jaime ? (@celtic_jaime) October 7, 2025
Stock piling cash in the bank, totally disengaged with supporters who pay their fat cat salaries, collecting hefty bonuses and constantly spamming email inboxes with every method possible to generate more money.
Shameful behaviour!
— Eddy Grady (@EddyGrady) October 7, 2025
Fluff. Plain fluff.
This club is washed
— Cadsy (@thecaddies7) October 7, 2025
Backstabs manager
Sells top goalscorer & winger without having replacements in place
Fail to qualify for CL 5/5.
No refurbishment to stadium till no longer in SPL?? No pride shown.
We’re doing a great job no heads will roll. We know better. Absolute frauds taking fans for fools.— ?? Marko?? (@UsualSuspect717) October 8, 2025
Stock piling cash in the bank, totally disengaged with supporters who pay their fat cat salaries, collecting hefty bonuses and constantly spamming email inboxes with every method possible to generate more money.
Shameful behaviour!
— Eddy Grady (@EddyGrady) October 7, 2025
Custodians Are We
Who’s life’s are pledged to ?— Joe Miller (@joe_averagejoe) October 7, 2025
Nicholson and McKay are not the brightest, are they?
They couldn’t even play the game for 2.5 hours with the support,
make encouraging noises, and suggest establishing some sort of regular meetings with supporter reps.
to ‘review and address’ their concerns over the coming months.
i.e. buy some time / kick the can down the road – and past the AGM?
But, no they offered nothing.
They just confirmed what the support thinks about them.
The potential negative outcomes of offering nothing were rather obvious…?
They really are a bunch of horrible tory bastards. They would never get that salary again in their life. Enriching themselves at the bank of Celtic, their own personal cash machine. All funded by the hard working Celtic supporter.
Give them absolute dogs abuse every opportunity possible, no more silent protests. These cockroaches need to be removed, before they kill our club.
It’s time to move up a level we now must target Dermot Desmond at his golfing games and functions. Time to put a really great big negative spotlight on him embarrassing him and making it as uncomfortable as possible, and get a banner up urging all Celtic fans not to buy Addidas an uncomfortable phone call from them will get the ball rolling.
It’s time for some real organised action against these charlatans. I’ve already cancelled my HCTS after 28 years and won’t part with a penny in merchandise until there gone . Their contempt and lack of respect for the faithful is staggering . We all stood shoulder to shoulder during the covid season and paid our season tickets without witnessing a single match . The cash reserves belong to us , the fans not the board . We have to modernise and quickly or we’ll be left behind and struggle to make champions league participation in the future. Staying ahead of a really poor rangers is not enough . Sack the board .
They Have for them an unfortunate Big Problem and that is the General Celtic Fanbase are very Smart People who are very Difficult to Con..
Well Done Kieran v Rodger Hannah there The Board tell Lies again
The sleepwalking CEO Nicholson and sidekick CFO Chris “Muttley” McKay gave another PR condescension masterclass.
“I’m rather vexed Muttley, pandering to these hopeful beggars demands for meetings. The underlings wanted me to submit to some Utopian idea about transforming my perfectly defective money making operation into some sort of charitable organisation to benefit their recreational needs. I didn’t get where I am today by giving away Adidas synthetic fibres, listening to reason or being a philanthropist.
They’ve the impudence not to ask regulation questions, Peter said he didn’t do it, so the matter is closed. Instead of politely applauding my phony foreign tax excuses for failed transfers or slyly side stepping the seven trapdoor questions, that ill-mannered bunch of groaning undesirables had their elbows on the table, clutching their heads in their hands like they were annoyed or something.
I’m glad Muttley, you kept an eye on my silver snuff box, tea-pots and salvers, all that crowd talked about was wanting more silverware. Next time Muttley, I’ll wave a handkerchief for you to get rid of them, and in future fetch my birch rod before they leave!
I thought I did rather well all the same!”.
Think we all knew fine well that’d it be ever thus – A waste of fuckin time !!!