Celtic's board has thrown out a proposal demanding an apology from Ross Desmond after last year's explosive statement, but the director should still attend the upcoming annual general meeting with a conciliatory approach, according to Chris Sutton.
The Hoops board rejected the resolution that would force Ross Desmond to apologise for the statement read out last year that resulted in uproar in the room and the AGM being abandoned.
Writing in his column, Sutton said it is not an unreasonable position to request the man making the big decisions at Celtic turns up at the club's annual general meeting. However, he doubts Dermot Desmond will attend, noting he has not been to one in 20 years.
Board's response to apology demand
The board's official response to the proposal was given short shrift, with a statement saying: "The board will not apologise for permitting a duly authorised representative of a shareholder to address the meeting, nor will it accept the false characterisation of his remarks or the circumstances surrounding the meeting's conclusion."
Sutton said that does not sound like there is much mood to back down, but in person it can be different, and Ross Desmond can set the tone for the entire meeting. He stressed there cannot be a repeat of last year's chaos.
He added that if Ross Desmond addressed the shareholders and admitted things went a bit awry 12 months ago, it would be a positive start. Sutton also said Celtic fans need to hear from Michael Nicholson and Brian Wilson.
Celtic's regression and European failures
Sutton said it is a difficult balancing act because the board is going to have to accept reality that Celtic have regressed. There was anger 12 months ago but things have arguably got worse.
The main issue with Celtic fans has been the repeated failure in Europe. Sutton said the big question is whether Celtic are the best version of the club they can be, with answers that are pretty obvious. The best version of Celtic replaces players who have been sold in time for the games that matter, like the Champions League qualifiers.
He said it is about having a proper recruitment model rather than waiting until the final days of the window and throwing in a raft of loan players. It is about not just trying to be one point better off than Rangers or Hearts every season and then being happy to turn up in any group stage of European competition.
Fans want progress and a truce
Sutton said fans see their club having money in the bank but going backwards at the same time. He noted Hearts had an incredible season last time and Rangers were in the fight until their bottle crashed, but the points total showed Celtic came back to them rather than those clubs improving to catch up.
The board took a big step with their appearance at a supporters' club meeting in Greenock, where they took some heat and faced tough questions. Sutton said Martin O'Neill shielded a lot of them and there were not enough concrete answers, but it was something.
He said shareholders cannot have protests or disruptions in there, and they need to park the emotions at the door. He referenced the tennis ball stunt at St Andrews last month, saying it undermined the more mature efforts from fans to engage with the Celtic board.
Sutton concluded that shareholders need to stay in control, and so does Ross Desmond, otherwise there is no chance of the breakdown in relations between the club and fans ever getting closer to being healed. There has to be some kind of truce, and while Dermot Desmond might not attend, his son can take the first steps.
