Simon Jordan has turned his attention to Celtic supporters this week, taking aim at the Celtic Fans Collective and their campaign calling for the removal of chief executive Michael Nicholson.
The comments have landed badly with many Celtic supporters. It is one thing for fans to disagree among themselves about the board, the squad, or the direction of the club. It is another to be lectured by a former chairman with no stake in Celtic, particularly when frustration has been building for years rather than months.
Some fans are content with the current squad, spending approach, and lack of visible progression. That is their choice. Others are not. The size of the discontent is not made up solely by the Collective. Protests, boycotts, and statements have gathered pace, reaching levels of anger not seen since the late 1990s. This has not appeared out of nowhere.
Celtic bring in consistent profits on balance sheets, earn regular European income, and sit near the top of the take in the Scottish Premiership, yet fans keep seeing short-term solutions, slow decisions, and poor communication. That explains why a large number of supporters feel driven to act now instead of waiting quietly.
Jordan said: (talkSPORT), “They’re not going to sack the CEO because a group of fans are activist in their mentality.
“They’re not going to let the Green Brigade back in, and neither should they. Some of their behaviour has merited them being excluded.
“The only thing they could possibly do is let the fan TV’s back in, because they’ve let them in previously. They’ve opened that door, if they want to let them back in again and cope with the fact that they’re a little bit dissentful. I think they can manage that.
“And they’ve got to win on the football field. That’s the job that Martin can do. Martin’s not the head of the UN; he’s not going to go in and make speeches on behalf of the board.
“He’s got to make a football team that wins. If his football team wins, some of the noise will drip down.
“Ever since Covid, we’ve got this activist mentality that’s increased in certain sections of supporter-bases. They’re fully entitled to their views; they’re a valuable part of the football club.
“There’s a balance between having a view and being dissenting, and having a view about the team’s performance and being militant and activist and disruptive.
“I think they’re veering towards that territory. There’s one thing saying that a club’s being run badly, there’s another thing adding no value yourselves.
“Because it’s all well and good shouting about what you want, it’s much more difficult to provide a solution. We can all tell people what we don’t like, it’s all well and good to do that. It’s about what you’re going to replace it with.
“I think Celtic may not be as well-run as it has been previously. They may well have made some mistakes. They may not be investing the money.
“But I’m telling you, some of the rabble-rousing and some of the context that’s been created by people like Brendan Rodgers that’s created and fuelled some of this is not right either.”
Jordan’s comments feel removed from the mood around Celtic. Supporters are not looking for interviews through club media. They want clear decisions, proper leadership, and ambition that fits a club of this size.
People can disagree on whether Nicholson should stay or go. That argument will keep running. What cannot be brushed aside is how many fans now want change, and how that feeling keeps growing. Calling it noise misses the point of why it has built up.
Results can quiet things. They usually do. But wins on the pitch do not always fix trust off it.
That comes from listening, not being talked down to, and fixing the club from top to bottom, because it has become clear over the last 18 months how the Hoops hierarchy intends to operate behind the scenes.
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