Will the Celtic board answer for summer failure at the AGM?

By daniel.cole

November 20, 2018

The Celtic board are in for a tough afternoon on Wednesday at the club’s annual general meeting.

This year’s AGM is sure to attract a demand for answers surrounding Celtic’s failures in the summer.

A disappointing Champions League exit and obvious lack of investment in the playing staff left many Celtic fans unhappy with the board.

Brendan Rodgers responded to talk by saying he would leave the club if he felt he couldn’t progress any further with what he had at his disposal.

Despite success on and off the field, the Celtic board still came in for criticism. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

The manager voiced his concerns when the John McGinn transfer saga left Celtic without the coveted midfielder.

A recent resurgence from Celtic domestically, and a victory over RB Leipzig, has improved the mood around Celtic Park.

However on Wednesday, the fans will get their chance to demand answers for what happened in the summer.

High on the agenda will be the exit from the Champions League at the hands of AEK Athens.

Celtic crashed out of the Champions League in Greece. (Photo by Dimitrios Karvountzis/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Celtic broke their transfer record to secure Odsonne Edouard on a permanent deal in the summer.

However, not enough was done to ensure qualification to a third successive Champions League group stage.

Emilio Izaguirre returned to the club on a free transfer, and Scott Bain made his loan move permanent too.

This was not enough for Rodgers. Dedryck Boyata refused to play in Athens, leaving Celtic short at the back.

It was clear Celtic needed reinforcements before even contemplating a Champions League charge.

Although Filip Benkovic and Youssouf Mulumbu are good signings, they were signed three weeks too late.

Peter Lawwell has come in for most of the stick from the fans. (Photo by Vagelis Georgariou/Action Plus via Getty Images)

Fans anger at Lawwell

Peter Lawwell, the club’s chief executive, will come in for most of the fans’ ire this week. He is the public face of the Celtic board, so will undoubtedly be targeted by the fans.

It will be interesting to see if Dermot Desmond turns up to the event this year.

Desmond has a habit of missing the Celtic AGM, despite being the club’s majority shareholder.

He’s the power behind the throne at Parkhead, and has been seen more since the arrival of Brendan Rodgers.

Two things are required on Wednesday if the Celtic AGM is to be a success:

1. A clear answer/apology from the board on where they went wrong in the summer.
2. A clear indication that they won’t make the same mistake next summer.

Failure to secure both, and not even another domestic treble will stop the fans from voicing their concerns.