Luke McCowan on support’s anger towards Celtic Board

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The Celtic Star

·24 November 2025

Luke McCowan on support’s anger towards Celtic Board

Luke McCowan has opened up on fan anger towards the Celtic board and how the players are currently dealing with it…

Celtic fan protesting at Paisley. St Mirren v Celtic, 23 November 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

Although Saturday evening’s Scottish Premiership encounter could hardly match the drama of Friday’s PLC AGM, Callum McGregor still delivered a dose of late excitement with his stoppage-time rocket, sealing Celtic’s 1-0 victory over St Mirren at the SMiSA Stadium.

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The win cut Hearts’ lead in the Premiership to four points following their 1-0 defeat to Aberdeen at Pittodrie yesterday afternoon, and it also meant that Martin O’Neill preserved his perfect league run since stepping in as interim manager following Brendan Rodgers’ departure.

Celtic fan protesting at Paisley. St Mirren v Celtic, 23 November 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

Fan discontent has been a constant theme this season, with demonstrations, board-directed criticism, and frequent banners becoming part of the backdrop at Celtic matches.

As the players emerged from the tunnel, the away supporters signalled their displeasure towards the Celtic hierarchy by waving red cards, and repeated chants of “Sack the board” echoed around the stadium for much of the match.

Now, McCowan has had his say on how the players are dealing with supporters’ anger towards the club’s custodians.

Luke McCowan – St Mirren v Celtic, 23 November 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

Speaking the media post-match at Paisley he said: “I can only speak for myself. As you know, obviously, growing up being a Celtic fan and that, it is actually easy for me to block out the noise.

“I think you get maybe the nervousness from yourself in terms of just playing in general and wanting to win that badly. Being desperate to win, being desperate to get the three points, probably because of the slow start in the league as well. As soon as that desperation starts, I think you’ve just got to try and calm yourself, as we’ve said there about Cal,” Luke said as reported by Daily Record.

“That’s why he leads by example, that’s why some of our other guys lead by example because they stay present, they stay in this football game, they remain in this situation as it is in the game.”

McCowan added: “You want to stay in that, and that’s the only way that you go forward: by taking those moments, dealing with them, onto the next. So you go on to Thursday, you deal with that, you go as a team, you go as a club together, you go to the game, so you try and stick together.

Luke McCowan . St Mirren v Celtic, 23 November 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

“Listen, the players haven’t got any say or control on what’s happening, but we just need to go and do a job for this club, and that’s the main thing that we need to do. Regardless of how the fans are feeling, regardless of what’s going on with the board and all that kind of stuff, we as players need to go and get three points, and it’s as black-and-white as that,” the Celtic midfielder continued.

“I’ll always say it, that’s what we need to do, and that’s, at the end of the day, what we’re judged on. I mean, if we go away and we have a bad performance, it’s: ‘Those players weren’t good enough today,’ regardless of what’s going on.

“It’s us players who need to take a bit of pride in our performances and the qualities we’re showing, and that’s probably why we’re hammering that message of: ‘you need to keep showing that you’re a top Celtic player.’

“Celtic is a massive, massive club. I’m getting passionate about it, but when you play in a big club, that’s what you need to do, you need to block out everything, regardless of even nothing’s going on.

“Even if you start the game slow, or start the league slow and nothing’s going on with the board, you’re still going to get fans judging you on how you’re playing regardless of that. So you need to put yourself in that bubble because you want to stay present.

Michael Nicholson, Celtic CEO. St Mirren v Celtic, 23 November 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou

“I hear it constantly, aye. Twenty-four seven. That’s all we talk about, day in, day out, every single day. That’s probably why I hang about in the house myself! Every family gathering, we’ve had a few birthdays, we go on Sundays, whatever, my whole family talks about it. It’s just about staying out of it and just, as I said, following this guy [Callum McGregor].”

“You’ve just got to try and keep yourself in that bubble, and the message he puts across to even the guys who have played here many years before me. I’ve just got to try and add on to that and kind of put on that message that we need to keep doing that.”

Conor Spence

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Celtic in the Eighties and Willie Fernie – Putting on the Style both by David Potter. Photo The Celtic Star

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Danny McGrain signing copies of Celtic in the Eighties by David Potter. Photo: Celtic Star Books

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