Leaked report on Collective meeting highlights the contempt of Michael Nicholson

Michael Nicholson delivered a lecture on entitlement mixed with contempt to Celtic fans on Monday night.

Protests from supporters led to the formation of the Celtic Fans Collective, since the original open letter was published by the North Curve things have escalated drastically. More than 420 different groups have signed up behind the open letter.

The actions of the club in doubling down/gas-lighting/reading the room has fired up the support, confirming beyond any doubt that contempt is in the DNA of those inside the boardroom, the consequences of the over bearing influence of the current Chairman over the last 20 years.

Seven representatives of the Celtic Fans Collective attended the meeting inside Celtic Park last night alongside the usual tea and biscuits mob that have been involved in these box ticking exercises for years.

Focus, or expectations are now firmly on the Collective, a group that only came into being over the last month covering traditional supporters buses/clubs, groupings and fan media outlets. About as broad a group as you could wish for unifying behind seven key questions.

From the widely leaked report on the meeting Nicholson has basically blanked those questions with a token concession towards improving communications and fan engagement.

Apparently the CEO has a yellow Post It up in his office to remind him of fan engagement- from the guy that has never provided a one to one interview during his four years as CEO, not even a tummy tickling exercise with Gerry McCulloch on Celtic TV to underline what a huge Celtic man he is.

Yesterday evening, 06/10/2025, the Celtic Fans Collective met with Celtic Football Club to discuss the collective concerns of the Celtic support. The meeting was to seek answers to the questions addressed to the Celtic Board in the Open Letter of 03/09/2025 which amassed over 420 signatories, as well as to understand what lessons have been learned and what changes will be made to avoid similar mistakes being repeated.

Representing the Celtic Board at the meeting was Michael Nicholson, Chief Executive Officer, and Chris McKay, Chief Financial Officer. Also in attendance from Celtic Football Club was John Paul Taylor, Supporter Liaison Officer; Kevin McQuillan, Head of Commercial Operations; George Campbell, Head of Legal and Governance; Mark Hargreaves, Head of Safety, Security and Operations.

At the beginning of the meeting, a representative of the Collective clearly laid out the context which brought us to this point and set out the Collective’s expectations of the meeting. It was made clear that the Collective expected reasonable answers to the existing questions and some form of tangible action points moving forward. The Collective acknowledged that while the positions of Michael Nicholson and Chris McKay are in our view untenable, there was no expectation of agreement or progress on that during the meeting and discussions would remain respectful and constructive.

The meeting was structured by working through the questions of the Open Letter, although there was some natural deviation. A recurring theme, through all answers and discussions, was a lack of humility, awareness and accountability. At various points, the Club deferred to communication and perception being the causes of concern rather than structure, performance or culture.

The Club also repeatedly questioned or rejected the premise of questions. The Club defended its footballing strategy although accepted it could be better communicated to fans. Overall, the Club believes the football strategy is working and pointed to participation in European competition as evidence of its success.

Similarly, the Club defended its transfer strategy citing different factors for transfer activity being difficult (for example tax laws in different European countries) while pointing to examples which they believe is evidence of the strategy working.

The Club said that transfer business involves a multi-disciplinary model and no part of that model has ultimate authority, however did cede that there are thresholds where the Board of Directors must authorise increased transfer payments. When pressed on this point, the Club claimed emails would be sent to Board members for authorisation where necessary.

When pressed on accountability for failings, the Club rejected the premise of the question but referred to internal reviews and the experience of long-serving Non-Executive Directors. The Club provided little evidence of independent oversight and no belief that substantive change may be required.

The allegation of a senior Club official briefing against the Manager to The Sun was described as “closed” by Michael Nicholson. The Club was unwilling to divulge much information although claimed a conversation took place between the Board and the Manager. The Club suggested that the allegation was unsubstantiated and did not require further investigation.

In conclusion, the Collective expressed disappointment that the Club remained unwilling to engage meaningfully on questions of leadership, governance, and accountability. The meeting produced no tangible outcomes, and many participants left with the view that the Club’s leadership remains detached from the concerns of its supporters and reluctant to confront the need for change.

Full minutes of the meeting will be published as soon as possible.

The Celtic Fans Collective will continue to consult with members to plan next steps in our campaign for positive change at Celtic Football Club. It is our strong belief that yesterday’s meeting compounded the necessity and urgency of change.

It is easy to go through each line and pick apart the baseless claims put forward by Nicholson that he leads a well run club.