Dermot Desmond urged to wave the white flag at Celtic and make honest confession amid fan protests
A Celtic-daft businessman has told their majority shareholder enough is enough as a new campaign against the board is launched.
Willie Haughey believes Dermot Desmond and the Celtic board have ‘dropped the ball’ this season as he launches the Season Ticket Alliance campaign.
The Glasgow-born businessman has been a Hoops supporter his whole life but has been very vocal about his disdain for the club’s hierarchy at present. With his new plan, he hopes Celtic supporters will be given a voice in the boardroom.
In the Season Ticket Alliance, Haughey is willing to invest £2 million of his own shares per 10,000 season ticket holders that sign up, which is free of charge. These shares would go to the Celtic Trust and would give fans a bigger voice in board matters. There are currently around 54,000 season ticket holders at Parkhead, meaning if each was to join the Alliance, there’d be £10 million worth of investment.
Haughey has consulted with Celtic Fans Collective, who’ve launched several protests against the board themselves this season. He also claims he has a ‘Celtic legend’ on board to front the campaign who is yet to be identified, however former striker Chris Sutton believes Haughey could be on to something.
Desmond urged to listen to fans after ‘dropping the ball’
Upon the launch of his new campaign, Haughey told Go Radio: “It’s a wee bit like the political situation at the moment. If some of the things were happening, that the club aren’t happy about… if they weren’t happening, and the fans were taking it, would you think that things are alright, when you’re third in the league? What would the board think? What would Dermot think? Dermot’s a winner. He’s been a winner all his life.
“I think there’s just a better way of saying: ‘Listen, things have been brilliant for 25 years, right? For a wee bit, over the past, we might’ve dropped the ball a wee bit.’ And the club have come out and said, ‘we’ve got this wrong, we’ve got that wrong’. All we’re saying is, we want you to look a little bit broader. Why we think we’ve dropped the ball. What are we doing?
“For me, as a fan, we had an opportunity there in the window to bring in players, and it looked as if we just used the same old system to bring in those players. I think most fans, watching the games, that none of them have enhanced what we needed. That’s not me having a go. That’s just a fact. What I would say to Dermot, Ross and the guys is: listen to what the guys are saying, because a lot of it is spot on!”
Sutton ‘optimistic’ about Haughey’s plans
The former Celtic striker wrote in his Daily Record column: “It’s a big, bold plan from Lord Haughey to get everyone at Celtic pulling in the same direction again. We have to see how it unfolds, but I am genuinely optimistic it could be a positive first step for the club. Some people are sceptical about Haughey’s Season Ticket Alliance, but we are talking about a smart guy here – someone who has always been a huge Celtic supporter.
“Thank goodness for Willie’s plan and voice of reason. He’s offering to put his money where his mouth is by potentially investing up to £10m. But it’s about more than just money. It’s about giving supporters more of a voice at the club.
“That can only be a good thing – Haughey’s plan would give a sizeable portion of the fanbase a decent amount of shares – and that alone would at least get them a place at the table. Celtic should embrace all of these things – but it will be interesting to see how Dermot Desmond and his son Ross react, and how they would feel if they felt their power was being diluted.”