When Celtic were battling for the three points up in Dingwall yesterday afternoon, the club’s largest shareholder, the Irish billionaire Dermot Desmond was collecting more silverware at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship at St Andrews…
Celtic has dominated Scottish football in first quarter of 21st century
Dermot Desmond no doubt was also keeping an anxious eye on his phone to see if Brendan Rodgers’ side could turn around a 1-0 half-time deficit to take the three points against Ross County.
Desmond Desmond doesn’t say too much publicly about Celtic, but he is a passionate supporter and has been known to drop into Celtic supporters clubs around the world to catch a game. An initial £4m investor in Fergus McCann share issue shortly after wrestling control of the club from the old board, Dermot Desmond has gone on to become the powerbroker, the man driving Celtic into the 21st century and a period of dominance that the club has never experienced previously.
Celtic is a well run business, generating incredible revenues and with a current bank balance that is the envy of many a football club up and down Britain and maybe most obvious down river in the Dear Green Place.
Dermot Desmond always has a big input in managerial appointments
The Irishman is perhaps at his most active around those times when Celtic is in need of a manager. He had a zoom call with Ange Postecoglou before the Australian was formally offered the Celtic job and Dermot Desmond had an input in bringing Brendan Rodgers back to the club and smoothing over any lingering internal bad feeling from the first time around, where blame was never only on his fellow Irishman’s side.
Having been hammered 7-1 in the Champions League in Dortmund last Tuesday night, it was a particularly interesting time to hear from Dermot Desmond to get his take on that and how Celtic generally are doing this season.
“We have played good football”
“I think we have played good football. We had a good start and could have played bad football, but we have played very good and exciting football,” Dermot Desmond said, in a short interview with the BBC at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship in St Andrews yesterday.
On the events in Dortmund, Dermot Desmond reckoned Celtic weren’t at their best, an understatement if ever there was one. “Unfortunately, we weren’t at our best on Tuesday, but I like what we are doing, what Brendan is doing and I think we have a good squad.”
“I would like to see some good results”
Asked about his hopes for the rest of Celtic’s Champions League campaign, Dermot Desmond was optimistic about the home matches while being slightly more realistic about our chances of getting much on the road.
“I would like to see some good results, home results and maybe nick a point or two away,” he said. “I think we have done exceptionally well so far.
“It’s interesting to play eight different teams, four at home and four away with all different rankings. I think it makes it exciting for the club, the supporters and people generally.”
