Dermot Desmond has broken his silence and addressed concerns raised by supporters this season. The Irishman is the major shareholder of the Parkhead club but has been on the end of some harsh criticism owing to his perceived lack-of-interest in the management of the team.
Speaking to the Celtic website, Desmond promised that the process was well underway in terms of recruiting a new manager and Desmond said that he was sure that success would return to the club.
When can we expect the appointment of a manager?
As with any key appointment at Celtic, there is a process which involves research, investigation, interviewing and negotiation. This process is underway and is taking place privately and when complete, the Board will make a public announcement.
Who is in charge of the process?
The Chairman Ian Bankier, Peter Lawwell and myself take a lead in the process, and naturally, the incoming CEO will also participate. Any decision made will require Board approval.
Could you give us some idea of the type of candidate you are looking for?
We are mindful of the fact that there is a huge amount of interest and speculation among our supporters and the press. However, we have to respect the privacy of potential candidates and the integrity of the process, and so I think it would be inappropriate to make comment on the type of candidate we are looking for.
What is your analysis of the season?
Firstly, the season is not over yet, as we are still in the Scottish Cup. However, my current thoughts are that this season has been extremely disappointing. Decision-making in football is not an exact science and I accept without qualification that we have made some wrong calls. We will endeavour to learn from those. However, the conjecture coming from some journalists, commentators and pundits that they foresaw the outcome of this season is entirely disingenuous in my opinion.
Regardless of whether we won the league or not this year, we knew that the 2021/22 season would be a transitional year for the team. A number of the existing squad would more than likely be departing or returning to their parent clubs, but we felt that, in order to give the team the best chance of success this year to achieve the overriding ambition, we should endeavour to retain these players, despite receiving a number of substantial bids. In so doing, we recognised that this would add to the recruitment requirements for the subsequent season. We recognise that we have under-performed both on and off the pitch and must do better.
It has been reported that you should sell your shares in Celtic as you are not a true fan?
This is a contemptible suggestion. I am as passionate about Celtic as any other supporter. My shares are not for sale. Brian Dempsey, in an article in The Times, is reported to be floating the idea that fans should own the Club and that we have reverted back to where we were in 1994. When I think about the strength of this Club today and the playing success that we have enjoyed to date, these are entirely attributable to being financially strong and being professionally managed under stable ownership. When I look back at the record of the Club since 2001, we have achieved remarkable success and encountered only a few set-backs along the way. This season has been one of them, but it does not re-create the conditions of the early 1990s, as Mr Dempsey would like to have us believe.
It is said that the Board is not fit for purpose. How do you react to that criticism?
One of Fergus McCann’s tenets was that the Club would be run professionally and that we should never return to the position he inherited where the entire existence of Celtic could be jeopardised by mis-management and unacceptable levels of indebtedness. Celtic is and will continue to be run on a meritocratic basis by the best executives available at the time. There is no member of the Celtic Board that I personally knew before they were appointed. We have maintained this policy and it has endured the test of time. In a professional manner we conduct our business behind closed doors, we don’t seek public acclaim for everything we do. Critics are in no position to judge what they cannot see.
We are very fortunate to have Ian Bankier as our Chairman and he leads a diverse and extremely talented Board. We could not have had a better CEO, nor a more committed Celtic supporter than Peter Lawwell. He has built a solid platform upon which our new CEO, Dominic McKay, can build. With every Board appointment we make, we undertake a thorough recruitment process of researching, investigating, interviewing and negotiating, unknown to all except the Celtic Board members. That will be the same process that is being implemented in recruiting our next manager.
What are your hopes for next season?
That we recruit a manager that plays football the way that all Celtic supporters want and that we give that manager the time to implement their own plans. After that, I am sure much more success will follow.
It was interesting to hear Desmond’s thoughts and have him engage with the support. It is believed that he took umbrage with Rangers celebrations in the 2016 Scottish Cup semi-final win on penalties and decided to get Brendan Rodgers. If the widespread scenes and comments of arrogance from individuals aligned to the Ibrox club are anything to go by, Desmond will hopefully put them to the sword with a great appointment.
There are two appointments expected to be made at the club in the coming weeks, a Director of Football and a new manager. Fergal Harkin has been widely reported as being the new Celtic DoF. The Irishman is the Football Partnerships Manager at City and is highly rated for his extensive transfer network. City and Celtic have enjoyed a close relationship in recent years and Harkin is believed to be a Celtic supporter.
Harkin is expected to bring a number of City analysts and scouts with him as part of the incoming overhaul at Celtic Park. This will likely give Harkin and incoming CEO the ability to appoint a new manager ahead of next season. Enzo Maresca, Eddie Howe and Jesse Marsch have been linked with the role in recent weeks as the club look to rebuild after a poor season.
Rumours never stop eh. The latest – Butt / Keane or just Keane….to be honest, I don’t mind the constant rumours, if the real candidate or candidates are being spoken to on the quiet, whilst the press froth about names. Keane splits the support. Some say like Gerrard, he doesn’t have top flight experience (not much successful anyway) but equally and unlike Gerrard, he isn’t able to start in a lower division with a new team and no great initial expectation. Maresca, I’ve heard rumours that City are thinking a job with a Spanish team for him. But you’d think it would be up to his own self. Then Howe, gone quiet with talk on him so who knows. Not seeing too many other names in the rumours. I’d like more names! Because the less names we have swirling about, the more likely it will be one of those names. The more we have, the less likely we’ll pick the one the press want us to. Ah well, I guess we’ll know, hopefully within say 3 weeks!