Hugh Keevins has dismissed the Celtic Fans Collective as ill-timed and ineffective, but his assessment confuses Dermot Desmond’s ownership control with total control at Celtic.
Keevins argued that the Celtic Fans Collective’s call to delay season ticket renewals was “questionable” and “illogically timed”, framing it as a needless disruption to a club he believes has stabilised.
He went further, insisting Dermot Desmond’s authority is “enshrined in stone” and that removing him from Celtic is “impossible” due to his ability to secure majority control.
Keevins wrote, “Today, Celtic are a rich club by Scottish football’s standards. The statement issued by the Celtic Fans Collective on Thursday, asking supporters to effectively starve Celtic of season-ticket money until the very last day they can be renewed is a questionable tactic. And illogically timed.
“The idea of challenging the ‘presumed authority’ of principal shareholder Dermot Desmond, as referred to in the statement, is simply inaccurate. Desmond’s authority is as good as enshrined in stone.
“Removing Desmond is impossible because he can muster a majority shareholding at the drop of a hat to secure his position. I have been consistent in saying I believe Desmond has taken Celtic as far as he can but a successor has to make himself, herself or themselves, apparent. This has not happened. Yet.
“The Celtic Fans Collective have, with the timing of their statement, succeeded only in rocking a boat that had apparently righted itself in troubled waters.”
Keevins is right to highlight Dermot Desmond’s control, but he is wrong to treat that control as the end of the conversation for Celtic fans.
What would your message to Dermot Desmond be now that the transfer window has closed
Celtic fan unrest proves the club is not as stable as claimed
The idea that Celtic had already “righted itself” does not hold when measured against the current mood among supporters.
Recent coverage has made clear that Celtic fan unrest runs deeper than any single group, pointing to dissatisfaction that extends across sections of the fanbase.
That concern has also been echoed externally, with Chris Sutton issuing a warning about the direction of the club, reinforcing that this is not a fringe reaction.
This is not a club operating in calm conditions, it is one where scrutiny has been temporarily parked to ensure Celtic’s title race is not derailed.
Celtic supporters still hold financial and cultural leverage
Keevins is correct on one point, Dermot Desmond’s ownership position makes removal unrealistic, but that does not make fan action irrelevant.
Supporters have already demonstrated their willingness to apply pressure, sending a strong message to Dermot Desmond over recruitment decisions during the January window.
That reaction was rooted in clear fan dissatisfaction with the transfer window, showing that supporter sentiment can and does escalate when expectations are not met.
The timing of season ticket renewals is not a surprise, it is the one point in the calendar where supporter leverage is most visible and measurable.
Celtic fans cannot remove Desmond, but they can influence the environment in which decisions are made, and that pressure shapes behaviour even without structural change.
Keevins focuses on who owns Celtic, but misses how the club actually functions. Dermot Desmond holds the shares, but Celtic still relies on a supporter base that can apply pressure when it chooses. That is the part of the story he gets wrong.
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