GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - AUGUST 20: Peter Lawwell (L) and Michael Nicholson during a UEFA Champions League Play-Offs First Leg match between Celtic and Kairat Almaty at Cetic Park, on August 20, 2025, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Rob Casey/SNS Group via Getty Images)
One week into 2026 and the position of Michael Nicholson is untenable.
On the fifth of the month Wilfried Nancy and Paul Tisdale were sacked.
Technically that decision would have been taken by the CEO but every fan knowns that Celtic have their own bespoke form of governance.
Nothing beyond the trivial gets done without the approval of Dermot Desmond.
NICHOLSON THE NO MARK
On Monday Celtic’s largest minority shareholder made his CEO look very trivial.
The year of 2025 was utterly disastrous for Celtic. Results tanked, more importantly for Nicholson every income stream was significantly reduced with the exception of player sales.
Position is untenable.
Next to go. https://t.co/KuMN1el6dX pic.twitter.com/skQiScS7mG
— Liam (@LK95_) January 5, 2026
There won’t be any worthwhile fees coming in this year for the squad trashed by Tisdale.
The former Exeter City boss trashed the value of the product on the park. At the end of 2025, through his mate Kwame Ampadu results went the same way at the end of the year.
Famously, as Nancy was appointed, Nicholson said:
We have been aware of Wilfried and his quality of work for some time – he was our number one candidate when we began the process of appointing a new Manager and we are delighted that he as agreed to join the club.
I know he is hugely excited about this opportunity to be part of Celtic’s future. We will give Wilfried every support to face the challenges ahead, with our aim as always being to deliver the success for the club which our supporters deserve, this season and beyond.
Nancy is the worst manager in Celtic’s history, miles worse than John Barnes and Tony Mowbray.
Logically that makes Nicholson the worst CEO in Celtic’s history but the Five Way Agreement of 2012 spares him from that title.
FAN ENGAGEMENT?
Until last summer Nicholson was able to retain a very low profile, his hero and mentor Peter Lawwell took almost all of the flack from anti-establishment fans.
Big Peter stopped going to away matches. Nicholson and his mate Chris McKay became the focus of supporter ire.
Nicholson was forced into releasing the Fairhurst Review. There was an uncomfortable meeting with the Celtic Fans Collective. He even released the July 2024 Fan Survey.
But nothing was as uncomfortable and humiliating as reading Monday’s statement about Nancy and Tisdale.
For four years Nicholson has got by adding nothing to Celtic while extracting a ridiculous salary.
Monday January 5 was surely a landmark too far for the nominal CEO.
Today ought to be Super Tuesday as Silent Mike steps down to resume his career as a ‘leading sports lawyer’.
Should Michael Nicholson be sacked as Celtic CEO?
YES- The clear out of dross must continue
NO- Mikey is a leader and a right good Celt
He’s just a symptom, Joe. The dead hand of DD is still suffocating Celtic. Until everything changes, nothing changes.
Editor: I’m well aware that he is just a symptom. He should be sacked this morning because nothing will be lost, there would be some gains. Just like yesterday’s actions, get rid of those that have been winging it.
Let’s hope Joe we see the back of that useless Nicholson especially after Fancy Nancy, his three side kicks and the football doctor got put on a one way flight back to Columbus circus and well done to you and the fan collective for keeping the spot light where it belongs at the board room table. Well done
Nicholson thinking he can throw away a couple of doughballs in Sammy&Paul will smooth things over not having the brains to realise that he is the cause of them having to go.
But in binning those 2 fuds he actually thinks he has saved himself,not.
Who will sack him?
Ironically, WN he would have more success (not hard really) if he came in at the end of the season (a season O’Neill should have been allowed to complete so as to continue confidence and momentum and ultimately secure the title) and was given a pre-season to buy players he wanted, implement his system and build from there…if it didn’t work at the start of that season he could have been binned with no great damage done and no threat from an SFA sponsored Sevco (like this season)….ultimately while O’Neill was working his magic the agreement to secure Nancy was too far along in the process and could not be reneged….in short Nicholson has to go.
Michael Nicolson is the dictionary definition of The Peter Principle. Michael Nicolson did not appoint Michael Nicolson. He was handed the job after Peter Lawwell jettisoned the moderniser Dominic McKay. I have met Michael Nicolson on a number of occasions. Anyone who has met Michael Nicolson knows that he is as much a CEO as Yang is a full back. He was appointed as an empty suit into an empty seat. A Patsy who would continue to do his masters bidding. A safe pair of compliant hands. Everyone with a brain was in on it but many chose not to see it, to ignore it, to not report or expose it And therein lies the CFC grift so perpetrated by DD and PL and the rest of the cosy cabal running the business. I mean Jeez, a NED calling the shots in every way. It’s a Privately owned company masquerading as a PLC.
A management and board who are so cosy that they have neglected their primary, legal responsibility to invest the company’s profits in maintaining, developing or future proofing the business. And we’ve all been in on it. Managed Decline. Chronic Underinvestment and sub standard management with Nepo babies, Cliques and jobs for the bhoys. Shocking. Celtic is Grace Brothers…..
Grace Brothers? Nicholson must be Mrs Slocum’s famous pussy.
🙂
I think Michael Nicolson is PLs Pussy. He’s certainly his Patsy!
Rasputin’s assassins had less difficulty than we’ve had, persuading Nicholson to go.
Nicholson thinking he can throw away a couple of doughballs in Sammy&Paul will smooth things over not having the brains to realise that he is the cause of them having to go.
But in binning those 2 fuds he actually thinks he has saved himself,not.
Doing what he does best ,, hiding
Remember that pic with Susan Whelan at the game with DD etc after Rodgers left, I wondered at the time if that was a long term move, ie I’m sure I read somewhere that nicholson almost or did offer his resignation but my thinking was more that maybe she’ll replace him towards summer….based on the chaos at present and that DD doesn’t want involved in the day to day running, maybe she could replace him, (and McKay), bring in her own exec team and whoever we have going forward from summer as manager, we’ll then have a new exec team too. Martin would be great as D of F – I’m sure he has a good life with his wife and might not fancy full time in Glasgow so a gig upstairs could be easier. Just guessing but that would make sense that he’s not punted yet, as much as he should be nowhere near any decision made, it might be we don’t have a replacement until summer.
I have to add, so glad that parasite is gone. DD must be absolutely raging. I bet he sees the club money as his, so he’ll feel tisdale personally fleeced him of a small fortune (to most). Possibly one of the most disliked rats we’ve ever paid a salary to. I actually felt he had to go before anyone else, the danger in leaving that charlatan in charge of funds would be a nightmare. Thought your take last night Joe was maybe right, that he appointed the manager by convincing the board/DD and they were daft enough to believe him. HH
That clown Nicholson & the old golf fanatic must think we’re stupid..acting as if they’ve done nothing wrong and it just didnt work out with Nancy and Tisdale… Desmond wishing them all best after leaving a complete mess behind them…but he felt the need to verbally attack and discredit Rodgers..one of the most successful managers in our club’s history…unbelievable.. this won’t pacify any reasonable supporter… these idiots need to take accountability.. if not the pressure on them has to intensify.. Nicholson has to go next…MON in the dugout doesn’t change that…The GB must also be allowed back in..
The impostors in the Celtic boardroom happily welcomed over 2,500 scum in to our stadium last Saturday to sing about killing catholics, slander our most successful manager and call us pedophiles..but banned our own supporters.. its sickening and Desmond and his wee minions proved they not Celtic..
I look forward to the Collective’s next move. Hail Hail
Come on Scud its bad enough you jumping through your list of alternative identities but you’ve now started to duplicate your posts, as in 06 January 09:15 am and 06 January 10:42 am.
Get Lucan OUT !
Agreed Joe.
Nicholson has to go now and we should then look to get rid on any other non-contributors and failures one by one and replace them with proper professionals of the calibre of Dominic McKay. The club should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves for having useless parasites on the board instead of quality performers such as Dominic. We would be in a much better place has he been still in post.
Apologies – should be ‘of’ NOT ‘on’ in the first line.