Dermot Desmond’s Worst-Case Celtic Scenario Has Now Unfolded
What many Celtic supporters feared most has now come to pass. Dermot Desmond’s greatest nightmare for the club is no longer theoretical — it is playing out in real time.
Celtic find themselves led by a manager who appears hopelessly overwhelmed, installed by a Head of Football Operations who somehow convinced the club’s principal shareholder that he could be trusted with absolute authority.
This was not limited responsibility. Paul Tisdale was not simply given oversight of minor operational matters — the kind of decisions Michael Nicholson still needs approval for. Instead, Tisdale was granted full control of the football department: manager appointments, recruitment strategy, and squad building.
The consequences of that decision are now impossible to ignore.
How long this situation continues is anyone’s guess.
Desmond Trapped by His Own Decision
Removing Tisdale — and the manager he personally selected — would require Dermot Desmond to publicly acknowledge a monumental misjudgment. And that is something he has historically been unwilling to do.
Celtic supporters have learned the hard way that the thin-skinned Irish billionaire struggles to admit fault, even when the evidence is overwhelming. Unfortunately, this error may be among the most damaging he has ever made.
Somewhere between Kyogo’s departure last January and the summer transfer window, Tisdale’s grip on the club tightened completely.
When Kyogo left, Brendan Rodgers was offered Shin Yamada as a replacement. Rodgers rejected the move, unconvinced that the Japanese forward was of the necessary quality. At that time, the manager still held veto power.
By the summer of 2025, that authority had vanished.
Shin Yamada turned up for pre-season training regardless — a clear sign that Rodgers was no longer in control. Tisdale was now calling the shots, and the manager had little choice but to work with what he was given.
Warning Signs Ignored
To their credit, Rodgers and John Kennedy persevered. Despite the growing constraints, they managed to guide the team through a respectable start to the campaign.
Rodgers was determined to complete the three-year spell he believed would restore his standing with the support. Kennedy, a lifelong Celtic man and a highly regarded coach, stood beside him.
But the damage was already done. The direction of travel was clear from the summer onwards.
The unanswered question remains: how did Tisdale convince Desmond that he was more qualified to shape Celtic’s future than two men who had already delivered sustained success?
When Rodgers and Kennedy finally walked away, Desmond reacted aggressively. He appeared deeply offended that a serial title-winning manager would dare question the wisdom of allowing Tisdale unchecked authority.
The Exeter Connection and a Costly Gamble
Tisdale’s next move was to appoint Wilfried Nancy to implement his vision — a decision rooted more in personal connections than elite-level credentials. The justification? A shared link through Exeter City’s youth system from more than a decade ago.
Michael Nicholson publicly described Nancy as the standout candidate.
The results speak for themselves.
It is staggering that a club of Celtic’s stature is being steered almost entirely by a single individual who rarely attends matches and prefers the golf course to the stands at Celtic Park.
For Desmond to now dismiss Nancy would be an admission that he was badly misled — and billionaires rarely acknowledge such failings.
A Club Without Accountability
Within Celtic’s hierarchy, no one else truly matters.
Nicholson has no real authority. The board is powerless. Decisions are dictated from afar, and only executed by those placed in position to take the blame.
Tisdale was handed complete control. He signed the players, forced out a proven winner who rejected his ideology, and selected his successor.
Now, the fallout is unavoidable.
No Good Outcomes Left
The nightmare will only end when Dermot Desmond allows himself to accept responsibility.
The transfer window is open. The squad is visibly unraveling. Supporters see exactly what is happening — even if those in charge refuse to acknowledge it.
There is no communication, no transparency, and no accountability. Fans are simply expected to endure whatever decisions are imposed upon them.
Desmond can continue to hide, allowing others to absorb the criticism.
Or he can sack Nancy — a move that would inevitably expose Nicholson and Tisdale as untenable.
Either way, Celtic’s principal shareholder faces embarrassment.
And the club’s structure will be laid bare as the dysfunctional mess many supporters have long warned it to be.
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