Celtic Supporters Limited have explained why they felt now was the right time to publish their Celtic Paradox paper, with the club entering a major period of change on and off the park.
Speaking exclusively to CeltsAreHere, Brian McLaughlin, one of the authors of the paper available on the CSL website, said the group wanted to create a proper route for supporters and shareholders to push for change through governance rather than noise alone.
The paper looks at what CSL see as the contradiction at Celtic. The club is financially strong, has money in the bank, and continues to dominate domestically, but supporters are still left without a clear public strategy for where the club is going next.
That is the heart of the Celtic Paradox. Celtic are successful, but the question is whether they are making the most of their position.
McLaughlin explained why CSL felt the paper had to be more than just another statement from a supporter group.
He said: “We sat down as a fan voice and we thought, what are we trying to achieve as Celtic Supporters Limited, and the key was that we unite the fans around one cause.
“Fundamentally, all fans believe the club should be run better, and how do we help that to happen?
“The protests, great, create a lot of noise, create a lot of publicity, but actually nothing happens.
“How do you sack a board? You don’t sack themselves, you have to try and make change incrementally from within.
“The paradox is that Celtic’s one of the best-run football clubs in Britain, if not globally, financially, anyway, that’s what it looks like on paper. But it’s one of the least communicative clubs on the planet.
“You can’t have a PLC, a public company, be 70-odd, 77 million in the bank, with no strategic plan, no major investment since the 90s in terms of club and the stadium.
“The board’s in transition, it’s a massive transition in the football club. The next few years effectively get decided now.
“CSL has to be more than just a talking shop and an action group. It has to be fundamentally research driven first, demand second.”
That final point is the one CSL are trying to drive home. This is not being presented as a protest movement, but as a shareholder-led attempt to make Celtic answer clearer questions about strategy, investment and communication.
That gives supporters something more concrete than just frustration after a poor transfer window or another flat European night. It gives them a way to measure whether the club is moving or standing still.
Celtic’s next few years will be shaped by big decisions in the boardroom. CSL’s argument is simple enough: if the club has a plan, supporters and shareholders deserve to see it.
“ The paradox is that Celtic’s one of the best-run football clubs in Britain, if not globally, financially, anyway, that’s what it looks like on paper”
I disagree. It’s not one of the best run football clubs. It’s extremely profitable. The 2 things can be mutually exclusive. It’s low cost base, its turnover, its profitability all contribute to it being a very profitable football business but it is very much not a well run business. If it was you would see a strategy, a competent management team and board with a strategic business plan to invest for growth. The fact that they have circa £70m cash in the back was described by the former CEO and now former chairman as “Not ideal” meaning they have no coherent plan to invest and grow the business with that cash!