The Parkhead fans made their feeling clear once again in the opening seconds of the 2-0 defeat to Dundee
17:14, 19 Oct 2025Updated 17:51, 19 Oct 2025
Defiant majority shareholder Dermot Desmond won’t make any changes to the Celtic hierarchy amid rising anger from the Parkhead support.
That is according to Hugh Keevins, who reckons that the meeting between the Celtic Fan Collective and CEO Michael Nicholson alongside CFO Chris McKay was a “token gesture”.
In the latest of a string of protests by irked punters, the travelling legions at Dens Park caused the start of the champions trip to Dundee to be halted.
Fans held a 12-minute protest at Kilmarnock before thousands of anti-board banners were held aloft at Firhill in the Premier Sports Cup victory over Partick Thistle.
Referee Matthew Macdermid was forced to pause the game while the pitch was cleared of balls thrown from the away end.
Brendan Rodgers’ side then slumped to a shock 2-0 defeat to the Dark Blues following the stand against the Celtic hierarchy in their latest domestic stumble.
That result gives Hearts the chance to move eight points clear of the Hoops next weekend at the top of the table – ramping up the pressure on boss Rodgers and the struggling players.
Peace talks were attempted last month between the board and a selection of representatives from Hoops supporters clubs under the Celtic Fan Collective banner – but only served to fan the flames in Glasgow’s east end.
But Keevins believes Desmond will not be pushed into any changes despite the unrest.
(Image: SNS Group)
The Mail Sport columnist told Clyde 1 Superscoreboard: “The board won’t be changed. Because Dermot Desmond runs the club. There will be no changes anywhere.
“The Celtic fans want clarity. The board want insularity. They have the running of the club. As I said, there will be no changes of a structural nature.
“The meeting, I thought, was a token gesture. But I agree that fan protests are detrimental to the team. The whole day at Kilmarnock recently was a mess, with fans coming in after 12 minutes and so on.
“I watched them at Firhill in the Premier Sports Cup; there were protests, but not of the sort that got in the way of the football.”
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