Tony Haggerty's deep dive Celtic AGM assessment

Then came the wave of tremendous roars for Celtic's manager Ange Postecoglou as he took his place at the top table. And the cheers went up as clips shown of the Australian's on-field speech after lifting the Scottish Premiership trophy against Motherwell on the final day of last season filled the screen.

What a difference a year makes. Last year the Hoops' hierarchy were put through the wringer and given a serious grilling at the club's annual AGM after blowing the ten in a row. It was such a different story this time around. No winter of discontent. No baying mob this time at the AGM.

The thunder from down under that is the manager has brought the feelgood factor back to Parkhead. Postecoglou's managerial wizardry had dug the Scottish champions' board out of a hole entirely of their own making.

Although supporters are still waiting to find out who will replace Iain Bankier as club chairman after he took part in his last AGM after 12 years at the helm. Many supporters feared that the board was going to announce former CEO Peter Lawwell as the new chairman, but surprisingly his name was not brought up in the proceedings, which lasted over 90 minutes.

Speaking of Bankier, it was he who laid out the nine-point resolution agenda to be discussed.

1. To receive the Company's annual accounts and the Auditors' Report, the Strategic Report and the Directors' Report for the year ended 30 June 2022.

2. To reappoint Dermot Desmond, who retires by rotation, as a director of the Company.

3. To reappoint Tom Allison, who retires by rotation, as a director of the Company.

4. To reappoint Brian Wilson, who retires by rotation, as a director of the Company.

5. To reappoint Christopher McKay, who retires by rotation, as a director of the Company.

6. To reappoint BDO LLP as auditors of the Company.

7. To authorise the directors to determine the remuneration of the auditors.

8. To grant the directors authority to allot shares.

9. (Special Resolution) To grant the directors authority to disapply pre-emption rights.

Resolutions 1 and 2 were easily carried, and Dermot Desmond was re-elected alongside Tom Allison, Brian Wilson, and Chris McKay, all of whom were also overwhelmingly re-elected as directors of the club.

The Chairman then proceeded to rubber stamp all the remaining resolutions with BDO LLP reappointed as company auditors and the directors given authority to allot shares.

Off the pitch, the club continued to be in rude health as Chris McKay outlined Celtic's financial position thus: "Revenue up £27.5m and that’s purely down to covid. The club currently has a net funding amount of £30.2m, which shows a great recovery from last year, where the figure was a little over £16m."

It had been a wonderful year of success for the Hoops who wrestled the Scottish Premiership back from Rangers and captured the League Cup in Postecoglou's debut season.

The Aussie also guided the Parkhead side into the Champions League group stages for the first time in five years, and CEO Michael Nicholson, who was making his debut speaking at the AGM, admitted a sense of relief at being back among European football's elite clubs. He also reiterated how the Champions League cash would help the board support Postecoglou properly moving forward.

Nicholson said: "Domestic success is important…but the feeling of release and relief of being back in the Champions League - and guarantee of funds - allows us to work properly with Ange and to take us forward."

It was all going rather swimmingly, and positivity abounded.

There was laughter when the Australian was referred to as Jock Stein reincarnated, and applause when Nicholson was asked what Celtic ware were going to do about a fans section with an unsavory songbook as well as their penchant for landing the club in trouble by racking up fines from UEFA.

Here is a breakdown of the key events and issues raised at the Celtic AGM:

On Ange Postecoglou restabilising Celtic

Bankier said: “The appointment of Ange was the start of restabilising the club, and that was needed before we restructured the rest of the club.”

On proposed Champions League changes in 2024

McKay said: "The Champions League is vitally important in terms of finances, and the radical overhaul of the format from 2024 - the Swiss model - and gone is the concept of a home and away tie. We’ll play eight games - four home, four away, as part of one large league. The financial distribution will change, but Celtic are at the forefront of discussions on that."

On 'growth' plans for the future

Nicholson said: "We’ve gone toe to toe with the best club in the world this season…we want to continue to build and grow. We’ve upgraded the facilities at Lennoxtown with a new gym facility as well."

On his final AGM

Bankier said: "I’ve tried to be a team player and you’ve got to have ambition and a plan to achieve that ambition. I think over the last 12 years the club has always stuck to that plan and we’ve achieved almost everything we’ve aimed for. I wish the supporters the very best moving forward."

On progress/ personal highlight/his working relationship with the board/the squad of players/being in the Champions League

Postecoglou said: "We wanted to progress more than anything else, and the team showed promise but we still had work to do. Last year our hard work bore that fruit and this year we’re even stronger. This competition for us is the priority but we have to be at our best all of the time. There isn’t a player we’ve signed who hasn’t made a contribution and embraced what the club is all about.

"Last year we were a bit thin squad-wise, and we’ve had work to do to make the squad more robust, and with a couple more I think we’ll be in good shape The board are very supportive of me, and the working relationship is really strong. I was intent on tackling it (the Champions League) a certain way - probably not the easiest way - but in order to get the most out of the experience, we had to stick to our beliefs and we’ve done that. If we want to be a Champions League club we have to be that on and off the pitch."

On Celtic's aims going forward

Postecoglou said: "To keep improving. Never stand still. My ambition is to make us a Champions League club. Hopefully, as our players progress and as players leave, hopefully, we can bring in others and improve. I think bridging the gap between us and the elite in Europe is one we need to keep chipping away at. It’s a little bit surreal. For some people, it’s a special moment. They’re taking a selfie with the Celtic manager, not me."

READ MORE: Where did Celtic fall short in the Champions League and is Joe Hart part of the problem? - James Dailey

On season-ticket prices

McKay said: "We’re acutely aware of the situation around the globe just now, and it’s something we’ll be taking into account in the weeks and months ahead. Your point is well made and it’s taken on board."

On plans to increase the stadium capacity inside Celtic Park

Nicholson said: "We have limited financial capital, and it’s just not possible at the moment. Longer term, we’d like to look at it but not at the moment."

On what the business needs to do to help Celtic achieve at the European level

Postecoglou said: "I guess I don’t think the business and football visions need to be aligned together. The first thing is I make the football vision clear and try to fit the business model around that. We can make gains by being aggressive and agile in the transfer market. Other clubs our size are very agile.

"Every couple of years they’re regenerating, and we need to maximise the greatest amount of revenue into the club. We need to push forward aggressively over the next two to three years."

On the 'Anti-social element' within the Celtic support and inappropriate singing

Nicholson said: "We’re aware of issues. It’s not unique to Celtic, and we believe it’s a small minority of the Celtic support. One thing that unites us is our love of the club - we’re a club for all. The club’s long-term position has always been chants like that should be left outside the stadium."

On Postecgolou being Jock Stein reincarnated/Celtic being more composed and ruthless in Europe compared to domestically

Postecoglou said: "I’m truly humbled by your kind words but I’m Ange, or Big Ange if you’d rather! It’s a fantastic question. I wrestle with it every day. It’s not just about success it’s about the way your football team behaves and presents itself is really important. I’m determined to translate that into the Champions League. There shouldn't be any compromise in standards if we’re playing Real Madrid or Dundee Utd."

On the glass bottle incident at Ibrox back in April where the Celtic physio was injured and there was a bottle inside Joe Hart's penalty area

Nicholson said: "I don’t know… I didn’t receive any update on how that got on the pitch. We were told there was no CCTV. It’s a poor show, but we’ll discuss that with the club in question privately and appropriately."

On season-ticket exchange scheme to allow fans to recoup some of their investment in season tickets similar to other clubs across Europe.

McKay said: "We’re actively looking at it at the moment and if it brings benefits, we’d be open to it. We considered it in the summer, but our contract with Ticketmaster was up for renewal, and it wasn’t the appropriate time."

READ MORE: 'Naive' pundits still don't seem to get where Celtic are heading under Ange Postecoglou - Tony Haggerty

On the five-way agreement and if Nicholson has seen the document

The CEO said: "The five-way agreement is between 5 clubs not involving Celtic. I don’t see how it’s relevant in terms of the operation of our club."

Chairman update?

Bankier said: "The decision to step down was my decision. It wasn’t something that was on the agenda. As soon as the board has made a decision, it will announce it to the stock exchange and markets. There’s a search team underway, and it wouldn’t be appropriate to comment on names or individuals."

On the club taking action against the officials behind the decision not to award a penalty in the 4-3 Premiership victory at Tynecastle recently.

Nicholson said: "For many years, we’ve lobbied the SFA and SPFL to make sure we have the best officials possible. We did ask questions about the specific incident, but I think it’s clear there are still going to be teething issues with VAR. Rest assured, we’ll continue to improve standards for everyone."

Bankier then brought a rather tame AGM to a halt by playing a video for the Celtic foundations Christmas appeal and ended it all by thanking the Hoops fans for their support during his tenure.

It started with a wave of goodbye from Rogic and Bitton. It ended with a wave of goodbye from Bankier. However, what is apparent after yet another club AGM is that the Hoops are currently riding the crest of a wave under Postecoglou.