Yes we know, Dermot Desmond doesn’t do AGMs and all that.
In fact, the last one the club’s majority shareholder actually attended was all the way back in 2006. Why then would he attend the one yesterday?
Well, things couldn’t be going worse at Parkhead at the minute and it all points to Desmond’s decision-making in particular.
Celtic have been working for nine years to secure a historic 10-in-a-row, and just as we get set to get our hands on the fabled achievement, we’re doing our best to rip up the dream right before our eyes.
Celtic have only won four games of their last 14 in all competitions. We’re 13 points behind Rangers (with two games in-hand) in the league. We’re already out of the Betfred Cup after a 2-0 loss to Ross County. We’ve exited both the Champions League and the Europa League – with all other British clubs remaining in their respective competitions.
Barely any of Lennon’s signings have come good either. The likes of Vasilis Barkas, Shane Duffy, and Albian Ajeti have all struggled to impress, whilst David Turnbull and Mohamed Elyounoussi look like making an impact.
And this is all coming from the man Desmond has continually backed when supporters wanted Lennon gone. The manager has let slip on several occasions that he’s been getting private backing from the majority shareholder after several of the recent disastrous results (The Herald). Desmond has yet to actually tell supporters why.
Desmond absence distances himself further from supporters
With such a disconnect between himself and the club, the AGM represented the opportunity for him to attend and show supporters that he does indeed care. That Celtic isn’t just his toy and that this is a priority for him. Let’s not pretend he never has the time to make it over – he always manages to make the glamour games.
Desmond instead sent his son Ross this year – a move he also made last year too when things were going much more swimmingly. That was fine 12 months ago when there were no major issues at the club.
But for a supporter base that will continuously question his true commitment to the football club, not showing up doesn’t reflect well on him. He’ll have known when this date was for some time, there was plenty of time for Desmond to make this date a priority.
Attending the AGM would at least have sent a message. It would’ve silenced those who believe he isn’t fully invested in the club. Instead, he once again decided to patch supporters and shareholders. With Celtic consistently banging on about unity and strength in togetherness, Desmond has undermined that message by failing to provide an explanation to supporters for the decisions the club has made.
He should’ve been front and centre for the Q&A to answer for what’s been a horrific campaign and explain why he’s taken the steps he has all season.
Of course, we won’t kid ourselves. Desmond turning up wouldn’t have had everyone kissing his feet and thanking him for taking the time. But it could’ve helped to mend some of the disconnect we’ve all felt with our majority shareholder.
The AGM was a missed opportunity. It would be interesting to know what he was doing that day that was too important to miss…
In other news, a Celtic-minded pundit believes Lennon’s most expensive summer signing should be last-choice.
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