Board stiffs a disaster
Former Celtic director Brian Dempsey has warned the current board they must regain the title from Rangers immediately or face years in the wilderness.
Dempsey, front man for Fergus McCann’s takeover of Celtic in 1994, also insists current directors should admit the blunders which scuppered 10 in a Row.
Dempsey said: “Should Rangers win the title again next season they could automatically qualify for the Champions League group stage with all the millions that brings and it will be harder for Celtic to come back from that.
“The first thing to do is for the powers that be to explain to the fans what they are trying to do and accept where they have gone wrong.
“The current directors need to tell the support what they intend to do moving forwa rd. One of the problems with a PLC is that people focus on share prices but, if they lose the goodwill of the support, they’ll have serious problems.
“The first thing you need to be is completely honest to the point of holding your hands up when you make mistakes. What you don’t do is try and cover them up.”
Dempsey also wants answers as to why former manager Neil Lennon was hung out to dry for so long.
He said: “There was an obvious need for change at Parkhead after the 4-1 home defeat by Sparta Prague.
“Every human being deserves respect and justice and Neil Lennon didn’t get that when it was becoming apparent that he couldn’t motivate the players, that he couldn’t win them over or win them back.”
Dempsey also stressed that the way forward for the Hoops is fan ownership.
He said: “If you harness the commitment of genuine Celtic supporters, people who pay their way week-in and week- out, then it can be done.”