Talks between the club and the ultras have been kiboshed after information leaked online
Celtic Chairman Brian Wilson, Chief Executive Michael Nicholson and Chief Financial Officer Christopher McKay(Image: SNS Group)
Former Crystal Palace owner Simon Jordan warned the Celtic board they should not “justify” to fans why they won’t axe chief executive Michael Nicholson.
Despite talks with the club, the Green Brigade‘s ban is set to stand for now after info from a meeting with the Parkhead higher-ups leaked online. The ultras group have been locked out of Celtic Park since October following an incident during a Premiership clash at home to Falkirk.
Earlier this month, the Celtic Fans Collective – who are backed by more than 500 supporters club worldwide and have been vocal against the club’s decision-makers throughout the campaign – demanded the removal of Nicholson while calling for ultras group to be reinstated. Boss Martin O’Neill revealed earlier this week that “some progress” has been made to ease tensions.
And despite the club legend issuing a call for unity, the lockout remains in place for the Europa League clash with Stuttgart. Jordan – who regularly appeared with O’Neill on talkSPORT before his return to Celtic Park – offered the club advice.
He told Jim White on talkSPORT: “There has to be a balance. There is no benefit in becoming entrenched longer term. You can’t be bullied or subjected to mob rule, but at the same time you are accountable to some extent to the value of your football club and that is in a sense your supporters.
“So, there has to be sensible, adult conversations. I am not going to sit with someone and justify why I won’t fire my chief executive. I will have a conversation, I will have a dialogue.
“I am quite happy to have a conversation, and subsequently a confrontation, to air out the issues if we can move on a positive sense.
“I won’t have a group of supporters telling me who I am going to fire and who I am not going to fire, but I will explain the club’s position and explain why we don’t want the Green Brigade in, and ‘if they change their behaviour then we will have them back in – but we have danced this dance before.
“This is not a debate.’ I think it’s probably sensible. Especially with such a passionate, powerful fan base, as you have in these sort of clubs.
“You’ve got to find a way to keep them reasonably on-side, as much as you possibly can. You don’t have to sit there and be dictated to, but you do need to find a communication mechanism.”
“I think some of the things that Celtic have done are silly. I think that going in that board meeting and wagging their finger at the behaviour of certain people in the shareholder meeting probably wasn’t the most wise thing.
“You can’t be bullied. I agree with Dermot for coming out and filling in Brendan Rodgers, and not allowing Brendan Rodgers to control the narrative and have his little say so that all that’s left is the marks that he leaves behind, rather than the challenges that he, actually, was part and parcel of creating.
“So I think there’s rights to that. But to answer your general question: should you communicate with your fans? Yes.
“Because when it comes to it, most of them, when they get in front of you, are a very different animal than the ones issuing ultimatums and shouting through loudhailers.”
The comments follow a rare public address from Nicholson, who congratulated boss O’Neill on reaching 1000 games as a boss.
The clash with the Bundesliga side will see the Irishman hit the landmark, who is now being inducted into the League Managers Association Hall of Fame.
Nicholson said: “Martin’s life in football has been characterised by some phenomenal achievements and by such longevity, as evidenced by reaching this remarkable milestone.
“Almost one third of these matches have been achieved with Celtic and everyone at the club is so grateful for the wonderful contribution Martin has made and continues to make to Celtic.
“He has given us and the wider football world so much over so many years and we send Martin our sincere congratulations on reaching this real landmark achievement.”
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