Celtic CEO Michael Nicholson is reportedly earning £1m a year, but questions are mounting over the club’s January transfer approach. Duncan Smillie calls Dermot Desmond’s statement ‘embarrassing’, highlighting concerns over how decisions are being made at Parkhead.
The calamity that is Celtic’s season rumbles on, the January transfer window continues to embarrass the club as Michael Nicholson and Hoops shareholder Dermot Desmond come into focus.
Both Parkhead executives have been front and centre after Brendan Rodgers’ shambolic Celtic resignation made Desmond have a public meltdown as Nicholson just stood by and let the shareholder use Celtic as his personal toy to attack the former Hoops manager.
Besides all that, Celtic are limping as this January transfer window threatens to end the Bhoys’ stranglehold on Scottish football.
And who is responsible for all that? Celtic CEO Michael Nicholson, of course. He is the man heading up the club and being paid £1m for the pleasure of this season’s failures.
But then, who hired Nicholson? The man who calls all the shots at Celtic and now, Desmond has been labelled ’embarrassing’ by the Celtic Supporters Limited’s Duncan Smillie, as he allows the club’s failures under Nicholson to go unpunished.
Why Celtic are paying Michael Nicholson £1m per year
Smillie is a lifelong Celtic supporter and is looking to force change in the boardroom at the club through the Celtic Supporters Limited.
And here, he fillets Nicholson and Desmond as Celtic’s shambolic season unravels before the fans’ very eyes.
Duncan Smillie told A Celtic State of Mind, “You’re the CEO, the clue is in the title, you’re supposed to be the chief executive of that club.
“And there’s a reason why our current CEO, who’s never been a CEO, he was a lawyer. I have no opinion on whether he was a good lawyer or a bad lawyer. He was a lawyer.
“He went in there on an interim basis after Dom McKay left and he’s found himself in a job. He’s probably yanking out at least a million quid a year at that club.
“I’ve been a CEO, not quite as big as Celtic, but ever so slightly smaller than Celtic. You don’t get paid a million a year. You get two, three, 400 grand max.
“There’s a reason why he’s getting paid as much as he does. And the same with the CFO.”
Dermot Desmond’s statement is ’embarrassing’ amid Celtic January transfer chaos
The brutal analysis didn’t stop there as Smillie then turned his sights on Dermot Desmond. And he did not hold back.
Smillie continues, “The reason is, he does what he’s told and he does what he’s told because it basically goes from Dermot, to the chairman, to the CEO.
“And as long as you do it with Dermot, so he can do what he wants, when he wants, how he wants and behave. And it’s unbecoming of Celtic for him to behave like that. That statement that Dermot made was embarrassing.
“It was absolutely embarrassing. No winners in that statement. For a CEO to be mute over that and a chairman that he’s taking to mute, it’s embarrassing.
“So what am I doing as a CEO? I’m asking to apologize or there’s my resignation letter. But I’m not doing it because I’m getting a million quid a year.
“I dine out now in the fact that I’m a Celtic CEO. I’m the man. That doesn’t work for me at all.”
Celtic are shambles and those running the club from the top are responsible for that.
Hopefully, change is coming but it won’t if fans don’t keep putting pressure on the likes of Desmond and Nicholson.
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DD is the irish Donald Trump
Close to giving up on the club I’ve been a fan of for 60 years or more.STH’s and shareholders and never seen anything as shambolic.only thing to come close was the Covid title year and loss of our Opportunity for 10IAR where our then Chairman & CEO stood idly by when we were cheated by the SFA, ScottishGovernment and Police Scotland, all colluding to ensure the new club and Slippy won a title.Lets not forget our 16 players and staff being quarantined post winter trip or the 10 weeks it took to deal with Covid breaches Nathan Patterson whilst the Tav was injured.all that points to the well stated belief Lawwell wants ranjurs on a par or just behind. Well he’s fu–ed us now with this internal sabotage. shame on our board.
Sorry this may be a repeat. You have nailed it. Celtic have made very good managerial appointments and two or three naff ones.
Like you I have been a CEO of a small organisation. Celtic is enormous in terms of its resources, expenditure world wide reputation. You don’t make key appointments in showers or at wedding receptions.
A comprehensive and expensive recruitment process is essential for key appointments such as CEO and managers. Too many ‘old boys’ or mates who were fine at what they did but not up to the next step. These appointments are too important to worry about the cost of recruitment and salary taking money away from player recruitment.