The Celtic Fans Collective has sent a clear message to Dermot Desmond and accused the Celtic board of lying about their relationship with Brendan Rodgers
Rodgers left Celtic in blaze of headlines after the Northern Irishman tendered his shock resignation on Monday night.
That then prompted Dermot Desmond’s Celtic statement where he accused Rodgers of being ‘toxic’ and ‘divisive’ and ‘self-serving’ as the major shareholder brutally attacked the former Parkhead boss.
The whole sorry episode is an absolute mess and has caused more division between the Celtic board and the fans.
And that division is set to go one step further as the Celtic Fans Collective announce a demonstration outside of Celtic Park before the game against Falkirk tonight.
Celtic board’s claim about Brendan Rodgers ‘contradicted’ by Dermot Desmond
Desmond’s statement was a direct attack on Rodgers and how the Celtic hierarchy viewed how his time at the club ended.
And what the major shareholder said was immediately flagged as contradictions are pointed out between what Desmond has just said compared to what Michael Nicholson told the Celtic Fans Collective in the meeting held just five short weeks ago.
The statement on X read, “Yesterday, Celtic Football Club confirmed that Brendan Rodgers had left his position as manager.
“The signs of decline have been evident since the summer, and this crisis has come as a direct result of a clear absence of planning and the latest poorly executed transfer window.
“Supporters hold differing views on Rodgers, but regardless of how anyone feels about our former manager, the ultimate responsibility for our current position lies with the board who appointed, reappointed and managed the manager as well as holding responsibility for all other operational matters.
“With conflicting accounts now in the public domain about what happened in the summer, it is difficult to reach a full conclusion about specific dealings, but we do know the following to be true
“1. Only weeks ago, the Chief Executive assured the Celtic Fans Collective that “the Club did not accept there is a disconnect between the board and the manager”, which has now been directly contradicted by the Principal Shareholder in a statement hosted on the Club’s official platform.
“2. The board declined to investigate a leak to The Sun newspaper which accused the manager of behaviours that the Principal Shareholder has now also aired in public.
“3. The Principal Shareholder has insisted that every pound generated by the club is invested into its success, despite the large sums the club holds in the bank.
“With these points in mind, it is understandable that for many fans, their trust in club communications has completely broken.”
Dermot Desmond accused of ‘undermining’ Celtic CEO Nicholson
Desmond has come in for some serious criticism from the Celtic support after his statement against Rodgers.
And now, the Collective have accused the shareholder of undermining Celtic CEO Michael Nicholson.
The statement continued, “It is also important to note that Dermot Desmond, by releasing his own statement before the Chief Executive had made any comment, has publicly undermined him and made it clear that he alone holds power over Celtic Football Club.
“Michael Nicholson, Chris McKay and the rest of the board have shown they lack the strength or independence to stand up to Dermot Desmond.
“They are incapable of developing and executing a strategy that will allow Celtic to reach its potential and have repeatedly let down both the manager and the supporters. We invite and encourage all Celtic fans to join us outside the Main Stand from 7pm tomorrow to send a clear message – it is time for them to go.”
The demonstration will surely be well attended as the Collective ramp up their action to force change within the Celtic board.
Nicholson and Lawwell’s silence since this all kicked-off has been palpable as the Celtic fans question the strength of their backbone.
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