The Rusting Hull and the Boardroom “Deadwood”
· Yahoo Sports
Peek Behind the Curtain: The Rusting Hull and the Boardroom “Deadwood” – Colin Dempster wants to talk about Dermot Desmond…
Brian Wilson, Dermot Desmond and Michael Nicholson overseeing 2 x £40m Champions League misses…
There is a particular kind of madness in watching a massive cultural institution run as Dermot’s personal super yacht, parked in anchorage in the east end of Glasgow.
Visit asg-reflektory.pl for more information.
For years, we’ve been fed the same patronising corporate line by the boardroom: that this is “sound business management”, a masterclass in financial prudence, a tight ship run by men who know what they’re doing.
But if you look at it through an engineer’s eye—stripping away the PR gloss and looking purely at the load-bearing walls—the whole narrative collapses.
Let’s talk about Dermot Desmond
Businessman, Dermot Desmond, tees off on the second hole on day one of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship 2025 at The Old Course on October 02, 2025 in St Andrews, Scotland. (Photo by Luke Walker/Getty Images)
Let’s talk about Dermot Desmond. Over the years, he’s made roughly £80 million from his share price alone. To a man with a multi-billion-pound international portfolio spanning finance, private assets, and heavy industry, that kind of sum is a rounding error. It’s a drop in the ocean of his actual wealth. Which means something very specific: this isn’t about wealth generation. Celtic isn’t a core business engine for him; it’s an idle plaything.
The super yacht is aging and rotting badly
And like any neglected vessel left sitting in the harbour without proper maintenance, that super yacht is aging and rotting badly.
Peter Lawwell, Chairman of Celtic, Dermot Desmond, Non-Executive Director of Celtic, and Michael Nicholson, CEO of Celtic, are seen in attendance prior to the Premiership match between Celtic FC and Rangers FC at Celtic Park on March 16, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)
Anyone with an engineer’s eye knows the golden rule of heavy assets: a complex system is only as good as its upkeep. If you refuse to invest in engine upgrades, if you let the hull scrape and the paint peel because you’re terrified of spending a quid, it stops being a symbol of prestige. It becomes an embarrassing hulk taking up space while everyone on the dock watches it rust.
The image is becoming impossible to disguise
On a global stage, the image is becoming impossible to disguise. When a multi-billionaire treats a living, breathing cultural heartbeat like a remote-controlled toy from a golf buggy, it stops looking like elite stewardship and starts looking ridiculous.
Billionaires like to think their money insulates them from looking foolish, but arrogance has a funny way of making a spectacle out of people—and he deserves every ounce of the embarrassment coming his way.
So why do they keep doing it? Why let a massive institution drift backward while the rest of the footballing world moves on to modern, high-speed vessels?
Control and self-preservation
The answer is as cynical as it is lazy: control and self-preservation.
Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou Unveiling – Celtic Park Celtic new manager Ange Postecoglou right and Chief Executive Dominic McKay pose for a photo at Celtic Park Glasgow. Friday June 25, 2021. Photo Jeff Holmes Getty Images
Look at what happened when the club briefly flirted with a CEO who had a vision. Dom McKay lasted a mere 72 days before he was frozen out.
Why? Because a modern, forward-thinking operational structure is an existential threat to the boardroom “deadwood.” A visionary leader demands actual work, transparency, and high standards. They expose the people whose primary skill is coasting on historical inertia and keeping their heads down.
If you run a club properly…
If you run a club properly—modernising operations, leaning into a genuine feel-good factor, and matching the ambition of a global fanbase—it requires effort. It requires a willingness to rock the boat.
Instead, the board prefers managed decline. They know the stadium will sell out regardless because our bond with Celtic isn’t transactional; it’s tribal and lifelong.
Businessman, Dermot Desmond, looks across the second hole on day two of the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship 2025 at Carnoustie Golf Links on October 03, 2025 in Carnoustie, Scotland. (Photo by Jan Kruger/Getty Images)
They know they can treat a multi-generational institution like a low-risk, zero-liability holding pen, keeping their cushy jobs safe while the rest of us deal with the smoke and noise down in the engine room.
Structural rot
They call it stability. Anyone with half an eye for how systems fail under stress calls it what it is: structural rot.
You can’t fool people who understand how machinery works with buzzwords about a “self-sustaining model.” A system that actively resists upgrades, protects incompetence, and treats its supporters like cash-cow passengers isn’t a business plan. It’s a complete mechanical failure waiting to happen.
And it’s about time someone told these boardroom deadwoods that no amount of corporate spin can keep a rotting hull afloat. It’s time to let the rope go, Dermot.
The yacht Celtic needs a refit…
Colin Dempster
HAVE YOUR SAY – Join the Celtic conversation in our comments section below…
Celtic Shorts is the new home for the team from The Celtic Star
NEW FROM CELTIC STAR BOOKS…Celtic in the Fifties by Matt Corr, in two volumes, available now…
Celtic in the Fifties by Matt Corr. Both Volumes out now. Click to order at celticstarbooks.com
Celtic in the Fifties by Matt Corr, in two volumes, both published on 4th September 2026 by Celtic Star Books. Click on image to order.
Quick Tip –Add Celticshorts.com as your ‘Preferred Source’ on Google News for quick access to the Celtic content you value the most. It takes just a few seconds and you’ll notice the difference straight away! – Click HERE….Hail Hail!
Click to join Celtic Pools