Suggested Answers to those Seven Questions, Michael. You’re Welcome

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The Celtic Star

·26 settembre 2025

OneFootball Video

The same goes for the closure of the club’s tired old store on Argyle Street to be replaced by the bigger, better and more prestigious city flagship store which was many months in the planning. Ordinarily that too would have been a sign of a club on the up and would have been celebrated by the club and the support alike.

After all, the announcements came on the back of chaotic boardroom statements, negative tabloid headlines and mounting supporter frustration and unity.

Then there was the timing, the sudden media push alongside the carefully stage-managed fanfare all bore the hallmarks of the new PR firm apparently recently brought in to steady Celtic’s image.

Better communication is of course welcome. Especially in the absence of any lately, but no amount of slick messaging will matter until the board confronts the football problems that have angered supporters for years now.

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Immagine dell'articolo:Suggested Answers to those Seven Questions, Michael. You’re Welcome

Celtic Fans Collective, Founded September 2025.

The Celtic Fans Collective captured those frustrations in their communication on 3 September, posing seven direct questions to the board.

Since then, two public protests have followed. And since then, the club’s silence since has remained resolute. So, let’s have a reminder what those seven questions were –

1. What is the club’s long-term football strategy, and when will it be communicated to supporters?

2. Why was there no decisive investment in key positions despite obvious weaknesses and clear requests from the manager?

3. What accountability exists for repeated failures in player recruitment and transfer execution?

4. How will the club modernise its football operations to compete in Europe and end years of early-round disappointment?

5. When will the results of last year’s supporter survey be published, and how will those findings shape club policy?

6. Why have the results of the Fairhurst Inquiry into policing and supporter treatment not been released, and what action will follow?

7. Why does the club continue to resist meaningful collaboration with fans on match-day experience, ticketing and atmosphere?

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)

None of these questions are complicated and they aren’t going away. All could be addressed with a clear statement and a plan of action. Instead, it seems the board has focused on managing perception, outsourcing PR, while retaining tight control over football operations, the very area where its methods have been repeatedly exposed as outdated.

If Celtic’s chief executive truly wants to reset the relationship with supporters, here is the kind of response that Michael Nicholson could deliver that could change, or at least open, the conversation…

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

A Long-Term Strategy – “Our football strategy is to dominate domestically and compete consistently in Europe. Key pillars include modernising recruitment, a clear pathway from academy to first team, and an agreed playing model across all age groups. We will publish a detailed plan before the January transfer window.”

Investment in Key Positions – “Last summer’s window fell short of our supporters’ standards, we recognise it and we intend to learn from it. While we brought in several players, we did not deliver the specific targets Brendan identified early enough. To prevent a repeat, we are restructuring recruitment so that priority positions are addressed early, with a dedicated ring-fenced budget.”

Recruitment Accountability – “Responsibility for transfers has been spread across too many hands. From this season, an experienced Director of Football, appointed before Christmas, will have final say on football recruitment and will report directly to the CEO. Performance metrics for signings will be shared with shareholders and supporters.”

Modernising for Europe – “European competition requires a modern structure, and we intend to invest significantly in this area. We are expanding analytics, adding specialist recruitment staff, and investing in sports science and logistical planning to ensure squads are ready for early qualifiers. The new Director of Football will coordinate all of this, will employ his own team in due course, and moving forward will communicate with the supporters via press conferences with the mainstream media and supporter groups on a regular basis, with the view to welcoming scrutiny and offering ongoing transparency.”

Supporter Survey Results – “The survey results will be published in full on our website, feedback will be welcomed, encouraged, collated and discussed at the AGM in November. Key themes, such as match-day experience, ticketing, communication etc, will inform a Supporter Engagement Plan formulated with the input of our fans, and we will implement in 2026.”

Fairhurst Inquiry – “We have received the Fairhurst Inquiry report and are reviewing it with legal counsel. It will be published, with necessary redactions to protect privacy, by the end of next month. We will also work with supporter groups and Police Scotland to ensure match-day policing is proportionate and respectful moving forward.”

Fan Collaboration & the Celtic Fans Collective – “I want to acknowledge the Celtic Fans Collective for their constructive role in raising these questions. Rather than a one-off supporter forum, I will meet directly with representatives from the Collective to discuss these issues in detail and agree on ongoing dialogue. This group reflects a broad cross-section of our support, and engaging with them is the best way to ensure all voices are heard.”

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Michael Nicholson, Chief Executive of Celtic FC looks on from the stands prior to the William Hill Premiership match between Celtic FC and St Mirren FC at Celtic Park on May 17, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

If external professionals can be trusted to sharpen the club’s messaging, why not invite the same calibre of expertise to run football operations?

Why not appoint a fully empowered Director of Football, with an agreed annual budget, backed by modern analytics, and allow them to lead recruitment and squad planning free of boardroom interference?

Why not publish the supporter survey and the Fairhurst Inquiry findings, and engage with the Celtic Fans Collective to create a formal advisory board where fans have a real voice?

Celtic Supporters at Hampden Park during the 2024 Scottish Cup Final between Celtic and theRangers. Photo Vagelis Georgariou for The Celtic Star

These steps cost little compared to another wasted transfer window and would buy more goodwill than any glossy launch video for infrastructure projects we’d love to celebrate, but feel we can’t.

They would also free the chief executive and the board to focus on governance and strategy, not micromanaging football matters they are ill-equipped to handle.

Delivered sincerely, and with the commitment of ongoing dialogue and supporter engagement, these commitments would turn Barrowfield from a PR distraction into what it truly is, an example of a modern, forward-looking football club making progress.

Until then, infrastructure successes like Barrowfield will feel a wee bit hollow. Fans can see the difference between spending and spending wisely, between the impression of communication and actual engagement and, of course, a willingness to change.

The employing of a new PR cohort feels like board still believes the problem is merely one of messaging, like they still think they are a rip-roaring success, somehow cruelly misunderstood by the fans.

Celtic supporters, Kairat Almaty v Celtic, UEFA Champions League, Play-Off Round, Second Leg, Football, Almaty Central Stadium, Almaty, Kazakhstan – 26 Aug 2025Almaty Almaty Central Stadium Kazakhstan Photo Nikita Bassov/Shutterstock

Celtic’s board, it would appear, has already proved it can outsource PR for a quick win. The next, and far more important victory will come when it does the same for its football department, steps back, lets real football people lead the way and starts building bridges, through genuine, sincere, and ongoing communication with a support who could actually help.

Celtic CEO Michael Nicholson during the match between Celtic and Hearts on May 04, 2024. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

It shouldn’t be difficult. So why the ongoing silence, Michael?

Niall J

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