What’s so funny? Celtic CFO McKay leads the WhatsApp laugh in

There was some amusement for Chris McKay during Celtic’s 2-0 Europa League defeat from SC Braga.

Shortly after the opening goal the TNT Sports cameras switched to the Directors Box, almost instantly Peter Lawwell and Michael Nicholson decided it was time to put their phones into their inside pockets.

Chris McKay wasn’t so clued up, he lingered longer on his phone, laughing at whatever message he had been sent, perhaps looking forward to getting Kasper Schmeichel removed from pay roll at the end of the season. Surely a win for the Chief Financial Officer.

Five matches into the protests from the Celtic Fans Collective the suits are looking very uncomfortable, after taking a month off Peter Lawwell attended last night’s match to pick up on the levels of anger over the club that he has shaped.

The Chairman is street wise, he is well used to criticism, his arrogance is obvious to anyone that has attended an AGM, he genuinely thinks that the entitled customers don’t appreciate how lucky they are to have had him on board.

Nicholson and McKay are very different, being held to account, criticised and having the spotlight on takes them way out of their comfort zone. It shows.

Both of them looked very uncomfortable as the Sky Sports cameras pointed their way at Rugby Park as 75% of the away support delayed their arrival for the win over Kilmarnock.

The highlight so far for the Celtic Fans Collective was at Firhill in the League Cup. A sunny afternoon with Celtic handed an open stand hosting 6,000 was the perfect platform for the poster protest.

When the Premier Sports cameras caught Nicholson and McKay fumbling with their phones rather than face the protest it was an epic own goal.

Clearly McKay hasn’t learned any lessons, his antics after the opening Braga goal confirmed all the suspicions of supporters who see the directors as distant and detached from the real issues.

Someone inside Celtic has decided that meeting the Collective is the smart move to make, it is highly unlikely that Nicholson or McKay opted for that course of action.

After a decade of self congratulations inside the bubble provided by Celtic PLC it will be a culture shock for the ‘dynamic duo’ to face questions from the customers that they have treated with contempt by default.

The make up of Monday’s meeting will be fascinating, it seems that there are over 20 on the Steering Group of the Collective but surely a maximum of six will be put forward to meet McKay and Nicholson.

Communications Manager Iain Jamieson is likely to be present, SLO John Paul Taylor should be there, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Celtic want professional media handlers to be present as well.

For the Collective there can be no distractions and deflections. The seven points raised in their initial Open Letter need answered, those issues are critical to the current state that the club is in.

Face to face the Collective should be able to run rings round Nicholson and McKay, they will have a far greater understanding of the issues, they are supporters not hired hands, grossly overpaid compared to what they would get outside of Celtic.

Once/if the seven questions get answered attention can switch to the senior figures that run to a friend of Roger Hannah at The Sun and the horrendous Club statement that followed.

Thursday night was deeply uncomfortable for the Boardroom Bhoys, hopefully the pressure is cranked up on Monday forcing them to follow Mark Lawwell out the door and replaced by competent professionals capable of doing the job and facing up to supporters.

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