Andy Walker believes Dermot Desmond is set to oversee major change at Celtic

By David Walton

January 14, 2021

Sky Sports pundit Andy Walker believes Dermot Desmond is set to make a major change at Celtic to get fans back on-side.

The Hoops supporters have been left hugely disconnected with the club this season. The decisions from the boardroom to keep Neil Lennon in his post haven’t gone down well with a fanbase who have had to watch 10-in-a-row crumble before their very eyes.

Lennon has also overseen a disastrous Europa League campaign and an early League Cup exit. Should Celtic be knocked out of the Scottish Cup over the next few months, our season could be over.

But Walker believes Desmond will now know the severity of the situation in Glasgow. And he’s backed him to make major change at the club in the near future.

“An endurance test”

Speaking to Sky Sports, Walker said: “What does Dermot Desmond do now? I reckon he’ll realise it’s fast becoming an endurance test for the supporters between now and the end of the season. The harsh reality? Supporter apathy will kick in and the renewal of season tickets for some is in serious doubt.

“When this has happened before, Desmond took matters into his own hands. He spoke directly to both Martin O’Neill and Brendan Rodgers and convinced them that Glasgow, Scottish football and producing an exciting, winning Celtic side can be as attractive as anywhere in Europe. Well, for a short time at least.

“Right now, Celtic fans are being short-changed. Unable to see the best players at the club due to arrogance over an ill-advised trip to Dubai, they need a boost, something to get their juices flowing again for next season. Right now, Celtic fans are being short-changed. Unable to see the best players at the club due to arrogance over an ill-advised trip to Dubai, they need a boost, something to get their juices flowing again for next season.”

Walker will again have Celtic fans agreeing with him; Desmond needs to act

You know it’s cray times when Walker continues to talk a lot of sense about the club’s situation. He does seem to thrive in crisis situations in all fairness. But even so, once again he isn’t wrong.

The most recent example of getting supporters back on-side after an ill-fated spell was when Ronny Deila left. Deila announced in April 2016 that his time in Scotland was up. He would see out the season and be off. Celtic fans accepted that as they knew where they now stood. They knew a new set-up was going to be invested in. The appointment of Brendan Rodgers soared confidence levels at Parkhead.

The difference there though is that Ronny was on course to win the title. He ended up doing so. It doesn’t matter if Rangers weren’t in the league either. It was won, so there was already an element of satisfaction there from supporters.

Dermot Desmond and Peter Lawwell / (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Celtic couldn’t afford to do the same thing with Lennon this season. They had to act before the 10 was lost as waiting too long was always going to kill off our season. Unfortunately, that’s exactly the route Desmond has taken. He could’ve pulled the trigger on this fiasco of a season at any time.

But Walker hits on a key point regarding season-ticket renewals. They normally hit the post-boxes and email accounts over the next few months. The club could see a monumental decline in interest for next term given how it’s operated this season.

So that could be the determining factor that strikes Desmond into action this time around. There’s a major disconnect between Celtic and its supporter base. If the majority shareholder doesn’t make major moves, he could be about to see just how major it is.

In other news, a tempting January offer is reportedly on the table for Celtic.