Brian Dempsey immortalised his name within the Celtic fan base in 1994.
Uttering those legendary words, ‘The game is over. The rebels have won.’ when Dempsey, Fergus McCann and others ousted the previous Celtic board, will live long in the memory of the Hoops support.
Dempsey once suggested that a Celtic fan takeover was the way forward for the Parkhead club back in 2021, but that notion was furiously thrown out by Dermot Desmond.
As fan unrest is set to become very public in Celtic’s trip to Kilmarnock this afternoon, Dempsey sends the board a warning tinged with some advice about how to deal with the current crisis facing the Parkhead suits.
Brian Dempsey warns the board the Celtic fans ‘know the club is theirs’
Celtic fans are known for their passionate support of the club the world over. So much so that when the club’s very existence was threatened in 1994, the supporters took drastic action to safeguard its future.
Whilst it is not financial pressure that is causing fan action this time around, Dempsey has warned the Celtic board with a timely reminder of who exactly owns the club.
Dempsey told the Daily Record, “The Celtic fans are the salt of the earth and the club must never overlook that fact.
“To have a feel for Celtic you have to understand the depth of feeling for the club that exists among families who go without in order to back the club to the hilt.
“They know the club is theirs because it is in their minds, their hearts and their pockets.”
Brian Dempsey tells the Celtic board how to begin to heal rift with fans
Whilst it seems that the relationship between the board and the Celtic fans is damaged beyond repair, Dempsey believes that the situation is still recoverable by those sitting in the Parkhead seats of power.
Dempsey continues, “The supporters, by their overwhelming vote of no confidence in the board, clearly feel they have been failed by the hierarchy and fear that Celtic have lost their way.
“The inability to qualify for the Champions League and the unsatisfactory transfer window that has left the fans in uproar does add up to failure.
“This situation is not irretrievable if you really do want to make amends for what has happened.
“But it has to start by having proper dialogue with the supporters. And that begins by saying to them: ‘I’m sorry.’
“If it was me, I’d have walked into the centre-circle at Celtic Park in front of 60,000 people and said those words to demonstrate my contrition.
“In adversity there is opportunity – as was proven to be the case in 1994.
“Now Celtic must take steps to repair the loss of trust that has arisen between people who should all be pulling in the same direction for the sake of the club.”
It’s really unlikely that an apology from the Celtic board will do anything to appease a fan base who have been angered at being treated like fools.
Only regime change will appease the vast majority of Celtic supporters, and action begins today at Kilmarnock to force that.
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