Honestly, when I read the latest statement from the Celtic Fans Collective, I thought to myself: finally, somebody is asking the right question.

And not just asking it, but demanding something that should have been perfectly normal at Celtic Football Club for years: accountability.

The Celtic Fans Collective has called on Dermot Desmond to publicly commit to attending the 2026 Annual General Meeting in person and answering questions about his role in the running of our club.

And I wholeheartedly support that demand.

In fact, I would go considerably further.

Let me examine this situation because there is something fundamentally wrong when a man who exercises such considerable influence over Celtic can remain so distant from the supporters who ultimately make this football club what it is.

According to the statement, Dermot Desmond has not attended Celtic’s AGM for twenty years. Twenty years. Let that sink in for a moment.

We are talking about two decades during which Celtic have experienced extraordinary success, considerable financial growth, managerial changes, boardroom controversies, European disappointments and increasingly strained relations between the club and its supporters. And where has Dermot Desmond been when it comes to facing the shareholders and answering their questions directly?

Apparently, nowhere to be seen.

Now, I understand that Desmond is a businessman, a minority shareholder and not somebody who necessarily wants to spend his time answering questions at a football club’s AGM. However, there is a rather inconvenient little detail here: influence comes with responsibility.

You cannot enjoy the authority and influence associated with running a football club while treating accountability as an optional extra.

Well, Mr Desmond, unfortunately, that is not how it works.

The Celtic Fans Collective has made another important point concerning last year’s AGM, when Peter Lawwell brought proceedings to a premature conclusion.

That decision left many supporters feeling that the Board of pricks had effectively avoided further scrutiny. And honestly, can anybody blame them for questioning the way that meeting was handled?

This year, the message is different.

The focus must be on scrutiny rather than simply protest. Supporters want answers, meaningful dialogue and, above all, the opportunity to question those responsible for running Celtic Football Club.

And I completely agree. What exactly are we supposed to be afraid of?

Questions? If I were a member of the Celtic Fans Collective and Dermot Desmond actually walked into that AGM, I would certainly make my presence felt.

I would want to know precisely what his vision for Celtic is, what his involvement in the club’s decision-making really looks like and why supporters have been left feeling increasingly disconnected from the people sitting in the boardroom.

I would want answers about the football department, recruitment, managerial appointments, our European ambitions and the relationship between the club and its supporters.

I would ask why Celtic repeatedly appear to operate without a convincing long-term football strategy and why the people running the club seem so reluctant to engage with legitimate criticism.

And yes, I would ask about the Green Brigade, the Celtic Fans Collective and the wider breakdown in communication between the boardroom and the stands.

These are not unreasonable questions. They are questions that any responsible leadership should be prepared to answer.

An AGM is not supposed to be a celebration of the board’s achievements, accompanied by polite applause and carefully prepared statements.

It is an opportunity for shareholders to scrutinise the people entrusted with running their football club. And if I were sitting in that room, I certainly would not waste the opportunity.

Dermot Desmond needs to understand that Celtic belongs to something much bigger than the boardroom. Celtic is its history, its traditions, its supporters, its identity and generations of people who have given their hearts to this football club.

Supporters spend their hard-earned money travelling across Scotland and Europe, buying season tickets, following the team through good times and bad and defending the club when necessary. They deserve to be treated with respect.

And respect means communication.

It means transparency.

It means accepting criticism rather than hiding behind corporate language and sending somebody else to do the talking.

The Celtic Fans Collective has made a perfectly reasonable demand: Dermot Desmond should attend the 2026 AGM personally.

Not his son. Not another representative. And certainly not another carefully prepared statement. Him.

So, Mr Desmond, here is a rather simple question: have you got the courage to face the people who support this football club and answer their questions? Because if you refuse to attend, supporters will inevitably draw their own conclusions.

And frankly, refusing to face legitimate questions about your influence over Celtic would look like an extraordinary act of cowardice.

You cannot expect supporters to remain silent, renew their season tickets, spend their money and blindly trust the people running the club while offering them so little meaningful engagement.

That relationship works both ways.

I want Celtic to be successful. I want proper leadership, a clear football strategy, ambitious recruitment and a board that understands the importance of its supporters. I want a club that looks forward rather than constantly congratulating itself on what it achieved yesterday.

But none of that will happen without accountability.

Dermot Desmond, the ball is now in your court.

Come to the AGM.

Sit in front of the shareholders.

Listen to the supporters.

Answer the difficult questions.

Please, for once, do not hide behind somebody else’s statement. Twenty years is quite enough time to avoid an AGM, don’t you think?

It is time to face the music, Mr Desmond.

And I suspect that this particular Celtic choir has quite a few things it wants to sing about.

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