The Celtic board are under the microscope for all the wrong reasons.
A sub-standard transfer window has left Brendan Rodgers’ squad significantly weaker – a fact made especially damning by the Celtic boss being in the final year of his contract.
Ultimately, the club has it easy domestically. Rangers have been a shambles for years, making Celtic look perfect in comparison. But Celtic are far from perfect.
And they’re trending in the wrong direction. The club have failed in seven of their last nine Champions League qualifying campaigns – and every one of those defeats has been to a side with weaker resources.
Europe exposes Celtic – and so does the constant mixed messaging coming from the club, which continued with Michael Nicholson’s comments in the recent release of the club’s financial report.
Michael Nicholson’s message to Celtic fans
Nicholson’s comments were clearly intended to appease fans with a self-aware recognition of responsibility. But they shouldn’t – and won’t – make them feel any more positive.
The financial report was a wordy statement filled with jargon and self-congratulations. But they were kind enough to acknowledge the Champions League failure against Kairat.
READ MORE: How much Celtic have paid in tax over the last ten years as mammoth figures revealed
In the report on Celtic’s website, Nicholson said: “Our objective each year is to compete in the Champions League. Unfortunately this season, we suffered a loss on penalties in the tie against Kairat Almaty, which resulted in Europa League entry instead.
“As a Board, we take responsibility for the failure to achieve that key objective and commit to improving going forward.
“We now look ahead to our Europa League fixtures against FK Crvena Zvezda, SC Braga, SK Sturm Graz, FC Midtjylland, Feyenoord, AS Roma, Bologna FC 1909 and FC Utrecht, where we will hope to perform strongly and progress in the competition.”
Many fans won’t be at the Europa League games, with patience with the club hierarchy at a breaking point.
Why Celtic fans won’t buy Michael Nicholson’s words
Celtic care deeply about PR, and that in itself is a problem. If you do everything you can to show supporters that you care, the PR will take care of itself.
Nicholson and the board’s silence in the week after transfer window, followed by a ridiculously timed statement which essentially said “it’s not our fault”, speak much louder than Nicholson’s comments on Friday night.
They could have learned from previous mistakes. They could have, at the very least, acknowledged that the widespread anger was completely justified.
Instead, they wait until the rage has (slightly) settled, the team have won a game and they can bury their non-apology beneath a load of nice-looking numbers.
It couldn’t be more choreographed.
It isn’t just change that’s needed – it’s fundamental change. And no one has any hope left that we will see it for as long as the club’s leadership remains as it is.
Nicholson’s words aren’t a welcome apology to supporters – they are salt rubbed firmly in their wounds.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
