Celtic: Dermot Desmond admits 'wrong calls' but vows to restore success
- Published
Dermot Desmond is not for leaving Celtic along with Peter Lawwell
Celtic's principal shareholder admits that "wrong calls" have been made this season but is backing the current board to restore success to the club.
Dermot Desmond was responding on the Glasgow club's website to criticism after their side failed to win a 10th consecutive Scottish league title.
The Irish businessman says the club are taking their time to pick the right successor to ex-manager Neil Lennon.
"After that, I am sure much more success will follow," he insists.
"As with any key appointment at Celtic, there is a process which involves research, investigation, interviewing and negotiation. This process is under way."
Desmond thinks it "inappropriate" to comment on the type of manager they were seeking but hopes they "recruit a manager that plays football the way that all Celtic supporters want".
He suggests that, while Celtic still have the Scottish Cup to play for, "this season has been extremely disappointing".
"Decision-making in football is not an exact science and I accept without qualification that we have made some wrong calls," he says. "We will endeavour to learn from those.
"However, the conjecture coming from some journalists, commentators and pundits that they foresaw the outcome of this season is entirely disingenuous in my opinion."
Desmond stresses that "whether we won the league or not this year, we knew that the 2021/22 season would be a transitional year for the team" because a number of players were coming to the end of their contracts or would be returning to the parent clubs at the end of loan spells.
He says it was "a contemptible suggestion" that he is not a true Celtic fan and stresses: "My shares are not for sale."
He rejects the suggestion in an article written by former director Brian Dempsey floating the idea that Celtic should be owned by their fans and that the club has reverted back to the troubled financial position of 1994.
"We are very fortunate to have Ian Bankier as our chairman and he leads a diverse and extremely talented board," he says.
Desmond paid tribute to departing chief executive Peter Lawwell and said he had "built a solid platform" for his successor, Dominic McKay, who is moving from his post with Scottish Rugby.