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)
Nepotism was raised with Celtic employees in a face to face meeting with the Celtic Fans Collective.
There is definitely examples of nepotism but cronyism is a far bigger problem.
If your surname is Strachan or Lawwell and you are in need of a job or pay rise the chances are that there is a job about to be created inside Celtic waiting for your unique skillset.
Beyond that many jobs at the club aren’t advertised. Rather than look for the most suitable candidate it seems that word goes out in certain circles, often involving the Old Boys network from St Aloysius.
That approach leads to appointments like Paul Tisdale which brings in managers like Wilfried Nancy.
Celtic never advertised for a Head of Football Operations. In October 2024 Tisdale was announced in that role, the self styled Doctor Football who had previously managed Exeter City and MK Dons.
Tisdale left Celtic in January 2026 alongside Nancy. Celtic haven’t advertised for a replacement Head of Football.
CELTIC- WHERE NEPOTISM MEETS CRONYISM
Tuesday’s meeting involved two members of the Collective sitting down with John-Paul Taylor.
As well as no Head of Football Operations Celtic have an interim Chairman entering his 10th month in that role.
There is no Head of Scouting and Recruitment and no Professional Pathways Manager.
All of those jobs have been vacant for more than eight months.
The irony of Tuesday’s meeting is that the contempt that the club has for fans/customers is highlighted by Celtic Connect.
Michael Nicholson raised the prospect of a Fan Advisory Board at a meeting with various supporter groups last October.
At a meeting in February the idea took interim Chairman Brian Wilson completely by surprise. In June Celtic Connect was announced in a Supporters Update. There has been no follow up to the announcement, no social media messaging promoting the benefits of Celtic Connect.
THE BOX TICKING EXERCISE THAT IS CELTIC CONNECT
Until May 2025 Celtic used the secretive Fans Forum to box tick supporter engagement.
Now the club is looking to select, select being the key, one fan from each of the four stands at Celtic Park to occasional meetings of Celtic Connect. No voting process involved, fans reps approved by Nicholson and his boardroom buddies.
While that would appeal to the Celtic Quick News readers and a large number of fans on Facebook it would be completely pointless.
At the meeting that viewpoint was put directly to John Paul Taylor, George Campbell and Jennifer McGrath.
Taylor is one of the very few decent guys employed inside the club.
Campbell and Taylor were recruited by the same system that identified Nicholson and Chris McKay.
The Collective email reported:
The meeting followed a commitment from Brian Wilson that Celtic would engage with the Collective. In anticipation of that discussion, the Collective undertook detailed work on a proposed Fan Advisory Board and sought to arrange a meeting from June onwards.
At the February 18 meeting Wilson promised a follow up within a month. He then broke off all contact with the Collective.
Instead, Celtic published its Celtic Connect consultation online without discussion. It was promoted with little fanfare and the Club appeared reluctant to issue reminders to supporters.
For a consultation intended to improve engagement, remarkably little effort seemed to be made to encourage engagement. A meeting was eventually offered the day after the defeat at Ibrox.
We placed Celtic Connect within the wider context of a culture supporters increasingly associate with compliance, nepotism and a lack of transparency.
Nepotism, directly put to the club ahead of the boardroom refresh that appoints Mark Keane as a Non Executive Director. A boardroom guest for 20 years, owner of 6% of club shares to bring in fresh ideas!
We also raised the Club’s failure to learn from last season’s mistakes, both on and off the park, and the growing disconnection many supporters feel from those running Celtic.
The Club acknowledges that communication and engagement must improve, but its approach to Celtic Connect has done little to demonstrate that it has understood the problem.
It seems standard over the last 10 months for the club to acknowledge problems with communications and engagement. And do nothing about that issue. Thinking that Celtic Connect is part of the solution sums up the problem/
Our central criticism of the Celtic Connect proposal is that a body cannot credibly represent supporters if the club appoints each supporter representative and retains significant control over its leadership and agenda.
We explained that this position is supported by:
- The 2021 Fan-Led Review of Football Governance, which warned that club control over appointments and agendas can weaken supporter engagement.
- Football Supporters’ Association guidance,which rejects clubs hand-picking the people intended to represent and scrutinise them.
- Established supporter-engagement models across Scotland, England and mainland Europe, which demonstrate workable alternatives involving supporter elections, nominations by recognised fan organisations, independent oversight of selection and representation based on meaningful supporter constituencies.
- University of Glasgow research involving 7,791 Celticsupporters, which found substantial support for a representative and institutionally protected Fan Advisory Board.
Our wider criticism was that Celtic Connect reflects many of the problems it is supposed to address.
The Club would control the selection of every supporter representative, without clear published criteria explaining how applicants would be assessed or chosen, while retaining considerable influence over the chair and agenda.
Most representation would be organised according to where supporters sit rather than how the support is actually constituted, with insufficient consideration given to its diverse needs, experiences and demographics.
The model also offers no guaranteed voice for established supporter organisations and lacks clear institutional protections against the Club changing or withdrawing it. This risks creating a managed consultation forum rather than an independent body capable of representing supporters, raising difficult issues and holding the Club to account.
We then presented the Collective’s alternative model. This would give representatives a genuine mandate through supporter nominations and democratic elections. It would also provide greater protection over representation, chairing, agenda-setting, transparency and accountability.
Celtic FC reps appeared to recognise that aspects of our proposal had merit. However, there was clear reluctance around democratic selection and whether elections were necessary. Some exchanges were challenging, but the meeting remained professional and the Collective position was presented robustly.
We concluded by asking Celtic to commit to continued engagement with the Collective before finalising its model. George Campbell did not provide a firm commitment, but John-PaulTaylor agreed to provide a response to this quickly.
We will update members with any developments in due course.
The contempt for fans is an on-going process.
Ticket money seems absolutely assured but other income streams are under pressure.
The Collective are currently discussing the future of the highly impactful Not Another Penny campaign.
Celtic’s next box ticking exercise will be the AGM in November, shareholders will be hoping to hear from CEO Nicholson this time, last year Chairman Lawwell crashed the AGM to avoid questioning of his malfunctioning clone.
What should Celtic Fans Collective do with Not Another Penny?
CONTINUE- This is the main way to protest
SUSPEND- Let us see what Celtic Connect produces
ABANDON- No longer required or useful
Strange that the Collective should include some of the same people who were integral to the workings of the “secretive fans forum” and who made statements at this body which pointed to them looking after number one. I appreciate I didn’t attend Collective meetings so only have myself to blame, but in my opinion there is a lack of bottle in the collective to actually take decisive action that will rid us of the board and the Irish dictator. I’m afraid our club is lost and only the grim reaper will dislodge this board.
Managed decline is now well underway, They will never listen to the fans,that is so apparent and a parochial football club suits them. What can the Collective do now
It’s a real battle of willpower with Desmond’s finger on the destruct button. And the board fiddling while the club burns.
Celtic has, probably forever been, a closed shop of Jobs for the Bhoys.
Under the “ownership” of the Billionaire Despot DD, following his incredibly sweet sweetheart deal offered to him by Peter Lawwell, DD has pretty much continued the culture and operating policy of only employing pals,relatives, former employees, avowed “Celtic Minded” people etc. It is the Celtic equivalent of Staunch.
Celtic is the dictionary definition of The Self Preservation Society.
And, not so sure about the St Aloysius, nothing so middle class ( other than Mute Mike of course! 🙂 ) at least the less entitled working class school of Bellarmine I think for Lawwell and his school mate McKay I think?
Never – Trust – A – (George) – Campbell !
Nepotism – The ultimate form of entitlement.
Taking Martin a long time to tell us about where he is as regards Celtic job one week away already in international break.
At the time when Fergus left he stated that his wish was that Celtic would never again be in the hands of a controlling family. He had brought in Quinn, Sheehy etc, responsible, professional businessmen with City Reputations.
Peter Lawwell then pitched the sweetheart deal to Desmond, it was a no brainer for DD, control without buying the whole business, perpetual dividends and at that time DDs 2 Irish mates McManus and Magnier were socially super kudos in with their shareholding in MUFC.
This was DDs ego boost and an easy win on his own. His own Irish Heritage Toy to brag about and socialise with. He was never ever putting any of his money in under any circumstances. Simple investment opportunity with benefits.
It was a toy and he could speculatively foresee ( wrongly as it turned out!) joining the EPL and massively multiplying his investment. He has no interest in Celtic ( he’s an old grey man in a grey suit with no input other than ROI KPIs, an absolute dinosaur in management terms.
He’s like Abramovich, massive financial muscle but an investor only. His motivation is money money money.)
He has no humility. But if you’re in the inner circle you’re in!! He won’t be hounded out of Celtic, he’s too pig headed and arrogant for that.
He has an ego the size of a planet.
Think Mike Ashley but a much much bigger ego! 🙂
“…often involving the Old Boys network from St Aloysius.”
No need to incriminate the whole school: only aware of the unfortunate MN connection. 🙁
It’s a complete culture change required at Celtic plc – and they do take time.
Starting with not “world class”, but just professionally competent recruitment processes
would be a significant shift in the right direction at the club…?
Editor: There are St Al’s lads in all sorts of jobs at Celtic, all of them agree that mute Mike is a fine old boy.
Thanks for that.
Every day is a school day. 🙂
Hope the collective are not tempted with tea and custard creams.
SERIOUSLY
No meeting to be held with Celtic FC PLC until DD & Son are out the Door
We are going nowhere we love Celtic.We can topple the regime by
the use of Not One Penny More which will lead to the share price tumbling (it has already dropped 30% this year)
Season ticket holders who want to hold onto their season ticket,that is fine. I would ask that season ticket holders who have already contributed £600.00+and upward per seat treat it as a worthwhile donation to keep the club going.
However if season ticket holders do not go to the games empty seats and the sound of players shouting at each other would not go down well with SKY and the other sponsers.
A simple ultimatum given to the club.
UNTIL DD & SON ARE OUT THE DOOR NO FANS WILL ATTEND ANY GAME AT CELTIC PARK.
The removal of DD & Son must be the first step to Save Our beautiful Club.
Green brigade can still follow the team to away matches.
With the banner “Football is nothing without fans”