SENTINELCELTS

So that footballing bastion of the NorthEast gets bought by a James Bond style baddie and the fans,,,
Celebrate in the streets !?!

MASH was their version of Dermot.
Slowlane, safety first, no care for the fans opinion, modernization off the menu, shut up and pay up for the most part knowing love of the club and matchday habit would continue the cycle.
He was despised, but yet the fans never organized enough to even begin taking him on, never mind removing him.
He set a price, and didn’t care for the character of who paid it,,,it was business not personal.
I don’t think he has ties to unsavoury activities or individuals, he was a businessman without scruples who put money not Newcastle United first, that was his biggest crime as far as I’m aware.

The Toon Army however have pushed any thoughts of Fit & Proper to the background, and just want the injection of cash they perceive shall bring them to the next level. From what I’ve read since the takeover completed ‘only here for the team’ is the prevailing mindset.
The richer the better, character be damned.

We, of course, have problems with our owners and shareholders, and many wish change, yet there’s been precious little conversation regarding just what type of people we are willing to accept at our club of choice. And what happens if ‘they’ aren’t to our liking?

When I look around the footballing landscape I see very few clubs that are genuinely aligned with their support, and very few fanbases totally happy with their operators. I’m sure most would wish for change making unwanted owners the new normal in the sport. Maybe it’s always been so, but in today’s modern world it’s more than easy to discover who and what you’re funding exactly.
Merely lining the pockets of a few fatcats may not look too bad, given what’s circling out there.

Domestically perhaps the Tangerines faithful are happy with their lot? The American owners of Aberdeen and Hibs haven’t done much, it’s too early to call Hearts fan owned model a success or failure.
Livi’s support might be happy with their overall position, but surely not the pitch or the footballing style on display.
Buddies fans are probably happy with just being in the league, who am I to judge?
Both St Johnstone and Motherwell are top flight teams, but never seem to have a plan, and are never strong enough to take advantage of a bigger club slipping up.
Across the way there are supposed true fans of that club at the helm, and it’s probably fair to say their support are happy with their owners at the minute. Yet there’s no long term plan for dominance, no significant players to bring in reinvestment cash, and debt remains the preferred method of catching us on the field of play.
Unhappiness is just around the corner.
Given we want rid of Dermot, it’s easy to claim unwanted owners are the majority in the Scottish top flight.
I would make the same claim of the English top flight.
Real and Barca fans can’t be very happy with their incumbents, Pep can’t win the Champions League without Messi for love nor money so he’s been a failure at City and Bayern now, while #OleOut trends on Twitter every Saturday around 4.45pm.
Don’t even mention the words unwanted owners to Arsenal fans.
The question is no longer are you happy with your club’s owners, it’s how unhappy are you, with only a little being top prize.

As for Glasgow Celtic FC there has no doubt been an erosion of what were once considered core club values under this particular board and ownership model.
This was successful primarily for three reasons,
The fanbase is without a strong organization,
It was done discreetly in the main,
The team was winning.

Most seem content to file events of the last decade under ‘Exceptional Circumstances’ which is somewhat understandable given there was an unprecedented death and break in our regular business arrangement. The tug of the team and day/night out with mates trumped our boards terrible mishandling of the affair.
During that mishandling many core values were slowly tossed out the window, values such as truth and standing up for what’s right ala Turnbull Hutton, but being bundled up in the entire liquidation affair the fans granted extra leeway.
Exceptional circumstances and all that.
Resuscitating Rangers and the questionable practices that act entailed was deemed a necessary evil, so noses were held and the deed was accepted by almost all.

New owners though, are not exceptional circumstances through which one can hold one’s nose just the once. They aren’t a necessary evil. For a club and support with our history, a certain type of owner is called for.
Certainly no one with blood on their hands!
Racists and xenophobes need not apply!
No to planet polluting corporations!
No Anti-gay Israeli Tory Arms Manufacturers!
Etc etc.

Yep, a certain type of owner is called for by us, but yet we aren’t listened to, we are lectured to.
We aren’t asked, we are given.
The average Tims moral requirements for those controlling his club will almost certainly not be taken into consideration, something sure to sting.
Already asked to put with a lot, already experiencing grumblings of unhappiness, the support shouldn’t be provoked, but many would see unsavoury characters in the boardroom as a step too far.
More than any liquidation, more than any Resolution, more than the season(s) of honest mistakes,,,
Allowing the wrong people up the marble staircase might just force us all to unite and fight for the club.

By Mahe