ANGRY Celtic fans chucked missiles at their own ground as a protest against the board turned into an ugly farce.
The Celtic Fans Collective arranged the rally tonight to continue their action against Dermot Desmond, Michael Nicholson and Peter Lawwell.
Supporters from the Green Brigade and Ultras Celtic were front and centre but most wore green snoods to hide their identities.
Unfortunately for the Collective, a speech by one fan was cut short by supporters bursting into chants of ‘Sack the Board.’
Activist Professor Jeanette Findlay had to bin her speech completely as the rowdy mob upped the volume.
Several missiles including a can of Strongbow was lobbed at the stadium, eventually landing at the feet of the Jock Stein statue.
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Disgusted fellow fans began to argue with each other as the protest threatened to turn violent.
Barriers put up to keep the fans back then partially collapsed while pyro waving youths jostled other supporters.
As bemused punters having dinner in one of the Celtic Park suites looked on, the protest petered out within 20 minutes.
The Celtic squad and Martin O’Neill’s management team had already arrived about an hour earlier and faced no trouble.
But as it approached 7pm at Celtic Park, thousands of fans lined the walkway up to the main entrance to chant for the board to be removed from their positions.
Many held up placards for the ‘Not Another Penny’ campaign, which encourages supporters to avoid spending money inside the ground.
When announcing the demonstration, the Collective released a statement which read: “Yesterday, Celtic Football Club confirmed that Brendan Rodgers had left his position as manager. The signs of decline have been evident since the summer, and this crisis has come as a direct result of a clear absence of planning and the latest poorly executed transfer window.
“Supporters hold differing views on Rodgers, but regardless of how anyone feels about our former manager, the ultimate responsibility for our current position lies with the board who appointed, reappointed and managed the manager as well as holding responsibility for all other operational matters. With conflicting accounts now in the public domain about what happened in the summer, it is difficult to reach a full conclusion about specific dealings, but we do know the following to be true:
- Only weeks ago, the Chief Executive assured the Celtic Fans Collective that ‘the Club did not accept there is a disconnect between the board and the manager’, which has now been directly contradicted by the Principal Shareholder in a statement hosted on the Club’s official platform.
- The Principal Shareholder has insisted that every pound generated by the club is invested into its success, despite the large sums the club holds in the bank.
“With these points in mind, it is understandable that for many fans, their trust in club communications has completely broken.
“It is also important to note that Dermot Desmond, by releasing his own statement before the Chief Executive had made any comment, has publicly undermined him and made it clear that he alone holds power over Celtic Football Club.
“Michael Nicholson, Chris McKay and the rest of the board have shown they lack the strength or independence to stand up to Dermot Desmond. They are incapable of developing and executing a strategy that will allow Celtic to reach its potential and have repeatedly let down both the manager and the supporters.
“We invite and encourage all Celtic fans to join us outside the Main Stand from 7pm tomorrow to send a clear message – it is time for them to go.”
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