GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - SEPTEMBER 01: Celtic CEO Michael Nicholson during a William Hill Premiership match between Celtic and Rangers at Celtic Park, on September 01, 2024, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Williamson/SNS Group via Getty Images)
In his usual roundabout way Martin O’Neill has praised Michael Nicholson. Sort of.
The so called leading sports lawyer has been an absolute disaster as CEO of Celtic.
Leading the club from the Round of 16 Play Off in the Champions League through to third in the SPFL in less than a year.
His managed decline to sicken Brendan Rodgers went too far, quickly getting out of control.
Nicholson’s decision to appoint Wilfried Nancy will go down as the worst decision in Celtic’s other than the 2003 appointment of Peter Lawwell as CEO.
THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF CEO NICHOLSON
Nicholson’s decision to chase out Rodgers then appointing Nancy has led to two stints in charge for O’Neill.
Recently the interim boss discovered how useless Nicholson is in transfer dealings, in and out.
Back in January 2022 Ange Postecoglou and Frank Trimboli showed Nicholson how to do the job. Without them the leading sports lawyer has presided over one disaster after another.
As well as Nancy, Nicholson appointed Mark Lawwell and Paul Tisdale to horrific effect.
It will take years and millions to clear and pay out the dross accumulated, mainly on five year contracts.
O’Neill likes to say two things at once, the key point in his latest comments is repeating ‘we’ve got to learn’.
It has a familiar ring to it, Brendan Rodgers said similar. Of course no lessons are ever learned, Nicholson has been operating without scrutiny for years.
Asked about the Celtic CEO, O’Neill told The Scotsman:
I’ve been absolutely fine with him. Michael has taken on this role and I don’t know how long he’s been in situ with that. I had this month working closely with him and anything we’ve tried to do, he’s tried to push forward. That’s been really encouraging.
But it’s like anything else, we as a football club, whatever we say about it – we’ve got to learn. Seriously, we’ve got to learn.
O’Neill knows fine well that Nicholson has been draining a salary as CEO since September 2021.
ZERO LEADERSHIP
His coronation was completed after the 72 day interruption of Dom McKay. A CEO without any obvious talent or ability. A yes man who when questioned by fans about the term ‘club signing’ used by Rodgers shrugged his shoulders. As noted in the club minutes.
During that time as CEO Nicholson has carried out two solo media interviews.
Both with Gerry McCulloch for Celtic TV. Both to praise the brilliance of Wilfried Nancy and the inspired decision to appoint the Frenchman as Celtic manager.
To the surprise of no-one there hasn’t been a single rumour suggesting another club is lining up a swoop to take Nicholson away from the easiest money he will ever make.
Allowing Nicholson to continue as CEO would be as dangerous as sticking with the Nancy/Tisdale combo leading the team.
Before anything progresses at Celtic an experienced Director of Football needs to be appointed who has no current connections to the club.
Someone with a track record of success, someone with autonomy, leadership qualities and vision. Someone who is everything that Nicholson is not.
How do you rate Celtic's January transfer window?
OUTSTANDING- exactly what we needed
DECENT- it is notoriously difficult
HORRIFIC- typically Nicholson
Dom McKay was to good at his job a breath of fresh air which unsettled Lawwell who had never gone away was just just taking a season off the fact he came back and appointed MN was proof we were always gooing to go back to the old ways of fiddling our thumbs while Rome burned
Nicholson, the Norman Wisdom of celtic, 1s reasonably funny….the others a fkwit.
He still subtly put the watery bag of diarrhoea held together by skin in his Fu**In place !