There’s a new kind of conversation between the club and Celtic Fans Collective | OneFootball

ARTICLE EIGHT OF EIGHT FROM NIALL J ON WHAT THE MINUTES FROM THE MONDAY NIGHT MEETING TELLS US AS CELTIC SUPPORTERS…

Celtic Fans Collective, Founded September 2025.

Monday’s meeting between Celtic executives and the Celtic Fan Collective was never going to solve everything in one night. But it mattered, because it marked a new kind of conversation…

For the first time in a long time, supporters’ frustration was voiced directly to those running the club, and those same executives were forced to listen. What followed was a night of candour, confrontation, and, cautiously, perhaps the beginnings of something better.

Celtic CEO Michael Nicholson at Rugby Park, Kilmarnock v Celtic, 14 September 2025. Photo Vagelis Georgariou (The Celtic Star)

Michael Nicholson opened the meeting by acknowledging that the club “was not in a place where it would want to be” and accepted that recent communications “had not been well received.” It was a rare moment of self-awareness from the top of the club.

He invited the recognised supporters’ groups, including the newly formed Celtic Fans Collective, to engage, stressing the shared goal, “We respect that everyone is entitled to their view… we all want success for Celtic and we want the team to win.”

Supporter representatives, led by Paul Quigley, agreed with the spirit of dialogue but wasted no time in pressing their case. They reiterated their seven key questions and outlined why the Collective had been formed, a broad and diverse movement united by the belief that change is needed at the top of Celtic. Personnel, strategy, accountability, all were on the table.

The Collective argued that the 2025 summer transfer window and the subsequent club statement had been a breaking point. Poor preparation for Europe, five consecutive failures to qualify via the Champions League rounds, and the tone of official communications had combined to create what one representative called “a flashpoint.” The club’s ambition to be “world class in everything we do,” they said, had become hollow without the structure, clarity, or leadership to make it real.

Nicholson confirmed that Celtic’s strategy was clear, to dominate domestically and compete in the Champions League through developing and trading top players, improving facilities, and investing in the academy. But supporters pushed back. That vision, they said, had become a catch-all phrase. Aspirational, yes, but lacking tangible delivery.

Paul Tisdale, manager of Exeter City prior to the Emirates FA Cup Second Round Replay between Exeter City and Forest Green at St James Park on December 12, 2017. (Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images)

The CEO pointed to presentations at the Fans’ Forum as part of the strategy communication. Yet fans know that isn’t enough. Paul Tisdale may have met some fans, but a tiny fraction of them. That needs to develop. The club must use its media platforms, such as Celtic TV, even Fan Media, to communicate its football vision globally and consistently, not as a tick-box exercise, but as a core part of modern engagement.

Transfer strategy was another sticking point. Fans highlighted that the club routinely fails to complete business early in the window, leaving the team underprepared for European qualifiers.

Peter Lawwell, Michael Nicholson and Chris McKay applaud during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Livingston at Celtic Park on August 23, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Nicholson defended the club’s approach, insisting Celtic seeks to complete business as early as possible and that its investment model allows flexibility. But supporters challenged the notion that the model was working. But we need to be more honest about that, otherwise the same mistakes will happen. Go outside the club, review it like the Fairhurst Report. It’s not working. Admit it, ask for help, and implement recommendations.

There were also deeper questions about football operations. Supporters asked who precisely controls transfer negotiations and valuations. The club said it used a multi-disciplinary model, led by football operations and concluded by the executive team.

When asked why the manager had referred to “club signings,” Nicholson shrugged. That gesture summed up much of the night, fans saw evasion where they wanted clarity. The call for a Director of Football, with a defined budget and authority, is obvious and it needs to be recognised sooner rather than later.

Celtic’s leadership highlighted the investment at Lennoxtown and Barrowfield, citing homegrown success stories and a pathway for youth players. But Kieran Tierney remains the last Champions League-level player produced by the academy, and he debuted a decade ago. We have the bricks and mortar now, but the professionals running it have dropped the ball. Revamp the Academy coaches and leadership. It’s time.

When asked about European performance, Nicholson pointed to “19 out of 20 years” of group stage qualification as evidence of success. Supporters saw it differently. You’re not judged on participation at Celtic. You’re judged on being competitive in the Champions League. We must stop settling for participation and start striving for genuine progression in the top competition.

You cannot state qualification for Europe is enough, 19 out of 20 years sounds grand, but finishing 4th in the Scottish Premiership, will almost get you that. That’s not ambition, that’s hiding behind settling for complacency. Aim higher. A star on the shirt means striving for Champions League competitiveness is a non-negotiable KPI.

Celtic supporters shows their support at full-time following the team’s victory in the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup Semi Final match between St Johnstone and Celtic at Hampden Park on April 20, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

As the meeting ended, Paul Quigley voiced the feeling of many in the room: “Discussions were candid and wide-ranging, but ultimately failed to produce concrete outcomes or commitments.” Supporters would report back to their groups, disappointed but undeterred.

Nicholson acknowledged their frustration and accepted that confidentiality limits how much detail could be shared publicly. He reaffirmed the club’s commitment to reviewing supporter engagement and communications, including ongoing work around safe standing and the Fairhurst Report. Most importantly, he offered further meetings, signalling that dialogue, however tense, could continue.

This is where the glass-half-full perspective matters.

As our editor put it last week, “Rome wasn’t built in a day, but work has started.” The key now is refinement. Future meetings should involve smaller, focused groups, half a dozen at most, with expertise in specific areas like communications, finance, and football operations. Let those with relevant knowledge hold the club to account effectively.

There should be regular, structured meetings, perhaps every two or three months, with clear agendas, follow-up actions, and transparent updates shared publicly. Fewer fan representatives could act as a primary liaisons, ensuring continuity and clarity.

The brilliant Celtic End – Celtic v Chelsea, UWCL, Wednesday 13 November 2024. Celtic Park. Photo AJ (The Celtic Star)

Above all, both sides need to avoid falling into “goodies and baddies” narratives. Fans must recognise that confidentiality and compliance are part of being a PLC, while the club must understand that accountability is not hostility, it’s healthy governance.

Michael Nicholson, by background, is a cautious administrator. He came into Celtic to ensure the club would never face the financial chaos that destroyed Rangers FC. That caution has served Celtic well, to an extent, but it also breeds inertia. The challenge now is to evolve from caution to conviction, to take the same professionalism and apply it to communication, vision, and delivery.

The story of this meeting is the story of Celtic in 2025, a club caught between its immense potential and its own conservatism. Supporters are no longer content with platitudes. They want plans, progress, and proof.

Yes, the meeting was frustrating. But it was also a start. For the first time in years, the door is open. The Celtic Fan Collective earned its place at the table, now it can use that position wisely, persistently, constructively, and strategically.

Celtic, meanwhile, has a choice to make. It can continue to manage supporters, or it can start to work with them. The difference between those two paths will determine not just the next few seasons, but the culture and legacy of the club itself.

Celtic supporters at Fir Park, photo by Vagelis Georgariou

The creation of a Fan Advisory Board could be the key conduit for that progress. If designed properly, it can sit between the supporters and the board as a formal mechanism for dialogue, helping to turn sporadic confrontation into structured collaboration. Done right, it could give fans a recognised seat in shaping policy and hold the club accountable on its promises.

It’s not about replacing the fan voice, it’s about giving it permanence, process, and purpose.

Niall J

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Celtic legend Danny McGrain is seen during the League Cup Final between Aberdeen and Celtic at Hampden Park on November 27, 2016. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

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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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