1st March 2026; Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow, Scotland; Scottish Premiership Football, Rangers versus Celtic; Chris McKay and Michael Nicholson of Celtic
Celtic Supporters Limited has explained why it will be backing the AGM Resolutions to reappoint Michael Nicholson, Chris McKay and Brian Wilson to the Celtic board.
On the surface it seems the most ridiculous decision from a group that has been on the go for just over a year with the target of gaining support by highlighting corporate failings inside the club.
Nicholson, McKay and Wilson contribute nothing to Celtic while they enjoy the good life on the gravy train getting paid salaries that they wouldn’t get near outside of the club.
CSL have also backed the reappointments of Sharon Brown and Brian Rose. Two other Non Executive Directors whose contribution to the club could be written on the back of a postage stamp.
CAN THE CELTIC BOARD BE SPLIT?
But there is one crucial split in the voting intentions of the CSL. They are withholding their votes on Dermot Desmond and Mark Keane.
Which is where things get interesting.
Effectively they are splitting the Celtic board.
Nicholson, McKay and Wilson are being put on a year’s probation to see if for once they can operate independently or whether they are placemen following instructions.
It is a very interesting ploy. At first glance it seems an incredible decision but the more that you look into it the more you can see the logic.
Our Celtic Paradox paper scored Celtic’s governance 1.2 out of 5 against a peer average of 4.1. We stand by every word.
So why are we not voting against the whole board on 1 December?
Start with what has changed. Over 300 shareholders signed our resolution to trace the supporters who bought shares in 5 issues between 1994 and 2005 and reunite them with what they own. The board did not fight it. It backed it unanimously, and the directors will vote their own shares for it. For the first time in this campaign, supporter shareholders have asked for something through the proper channel and the board has said yes.
Now look at what a protest vote would do. Director votes at Celtic are decided by the largest holdings, not by supporters’ proxies. Voting against every name would not remove a single director. It would make one headline for a day, and it would tell the board that working with supporter shareholders earns nothing. We would rather spend our votes where they change something.
So we vote where the problem is.
We withhold on Dermot Desmond and James Mark Keane, the significant shareholders on the committees that choose directors and set their pay.
We vote FOR a published 3 to 5 year plan, which the board opposes.
We vote AGAINST new Articles that would let a meeting restart online with no guarantee of live questions.For every other director, our vote is a one-year mandate with three conditions, on the record now:
1Publish the strategic plan.2Make the Nomination and Remuneration committees independent.
3Answer shareholders’ questions in full, at this AGM and every one after.
Backing our resolution was a start. We will rescore the board against those three conditions before the 2027 AGM and vote on the result. If they have not moved, our votes will.
Disagree? Give us your proxy and direct your own vote on any director. We cast it exactly as you instruct.
https://t.co/80Gv4oKGal
— Celtic Supporters Ltd (@celticCSL) November 14, 2026
Since their first days at Celtic Nicholson and McKay have followed instructions from afar at Celtic. And been inside the shield provided by Dermot Desmond.
Every manager except Wilfried Nancy has referenced Desmond as the key decision maker at the club. Being in place for only 33 days Nancy wasn’t around long enough to understand the mechanics of how Celtic operates.
You’ll need to dig deep to find any reference from Martin O’Neill to Nicholson, McKay or Wilson.
The very thought of anything backing current board members kicked up some strong reactions last night on Twitter/X.
I was horrified, emailed CSL and got an answer an hour later.
When the answer is read through it seems a very smart move to split the board.
BOARD FINALLY UNDER PROPER SCRUTINY TO WORK FOR SHAREHOLDERS
Nicholson, McKay and Wilson have been split from Desmond for the first time. Incoming Director Mark Keane has been given notice that he is under scrutiny. He is expected by CSL to work and vote for Celtic, not to follow instructions from afar.
Clearly CSL has put a lot of thought into their plans for the 2026 AGM.
CSL Director Brian McLaughlin will propose their Resolution at the AGM.
Nicholson, McKay and Wilson have refused to even acknowledge the 64 page Celtic Paradox that the were presented with in April.
At the AGM McLaughlin will speak directly to the Board.
Although blind obedience is the mantra inside the Celtic Board there is also an instinct for self survival.
Breaking ranks at some stage to operate in the best interests of all shareholders might spare current executives from the full ire of their role in the managed decline that they have overseen during their time in office.
