EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND - FEBRUARY 07: Ex-Celtic player Chris Sutton during a cinch Premiership match between Hibernian and Celtic at Easter Road Stadium, on February 07, 2024, in Edinbugrh, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Foy/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Chris Sutton has backed the fierce criticism of the Celtic board delivered by Brendan Ponsonby.
A recording of a speech last weekend from the former STV Political Editor last week has gone viral among Celtic supporters.
Ponsonby was highly critical of the Celtic board but made it very clear that the source of the problems at the club lie with Dermot Desmond.
Those currently on the Celtic board are conditioned towards showing zero ambition and take zero risk. Taking zero risk has cost Celtic millions of pounds and condemned the club to the side-lines of European football.
Under that policy the dud signings have piled up and been written off. Masked by the occasional Matt O’Riley, Jota, Moussa Dembele, Victor Wanyama or Virgil van Dijk.
This season alone £13m and four and five year contracts have been squandered on Shin Yamada, Michel-Ange Balikwisha, Sebastian Tounekti and Hayato Inamura.
Tounekti has a role as an impact sub, the rest are complete write-offs. Just like Marco Tilio, Odin Tiago Holm, Kwon Hyeok-Kyu and Maik Nawrocki from the class of 2023. Don’t mention the wastage of January 2026, thankfully only on loan.
There is barely an area of the club that is competent. The treatment of Brendan Rodgers, the abandoned AGM and five month ban on the Green Brigade are the tip of the incompetence iceberg.
Ponsonby highlighted all that and more.
SUTTON SEES THE CELTIC MUTINY GROW
Michael Nicholson, Brian Wilson and Chris McKay are the barely capable nodding dogs. Doing their masters bidding which has taken Celtic into third place in one of UEFA’s weakest leagues.
Sutton has heard the recording, in the Daily Record he gave the comments his full backing as he covered Callum McGregor’s comments.
It also followed on from the speech given by broadcaster Bernard Ponsonby at the recent Celtic Foundation dinner.
It might have been a bit naughty taping his address from a private function but his words hit home. Ponsonby was right to pay tribute to the work done in establishing domestic dominance over the past 25 years.But he also didn’t miss when it came to the club’s current strategy and changes needed.
I’m sure when he was booked he would have looked like a safe pair of hands. Coming out and being critical of the Desmond’s and the board wouldn’t have been part of the script.
It just highlights the situation right now. We’re not talking about fans overreacting or lashing out because results haven’t gone their way this season.
It’s intelligent supporters recognising there are problems that need to be tackled.
McGregor hit the nail on the head when he admitted even a Double this season wouldn’t paper over the cracks and lessons had to be learned.
Ponsonby was speaking at an event staged by the Glasgow University Celtic Supporters Club. It was held for the Celtic Foundation, not by it.
Had it been a Foundation event Tony Hamilton would have switched off the microphone. Not that Ponsonby would have got near the invite list to an official Foundation event.
How many away fans should be at the May 10 Glasgow Derby?
2,500 Welcome bears
Allow 800 like other clubs
Zero angry bears
