Alan Brazil tells Dermot Desmond that enough is enough

Alan Brazil tells Dermot Desmond that enough is enough as far as the Celtic support is concerned…

Alan Brazil on talkSPORT. Photo TalkSPORT.

The talkSPORT host has returned to work after a serious health scare and of course we’ll all want to wish him all the best.

Brazil of course is well known for his love of the Hoops and he talked about the team he supporters this morning as he gave his assessment of where things currently stand at Celtic, with the season now underway, a huge exodus from the squad still on-going with the latest exit being Portuguese midfielder Paulo Bernardo and just two signing in the door in Camilo Duran and Kasper Hogh.

“The problem that Celtic have, the support is unbelievable. People know that. They’re everywhere,” Brazil said on his popular talkSPORT breakfast show.  “And yet, I just get the feeling that the board expect: ‘The fans will turn up anyway, if we spend money or not. It’s a religion to them, it’s in their blood. They’ll come’.”

“A lot of empty spaces”

However what caught Brazil’s attention was the grassroots boycott of the friendly match against Middlesbrough which the former Ipswich Town and Scotland striker reckons points to the support reaching a breaking point with the Celtic Board, the de-facto owner Dermot Desmond and the way that they run the club as a PLC business focused on profit and not as a football club trying to be the best version possible.

A general view of swathes of empty seats as fans boycott the club ownership Celtic v Middlesbrough, Pre Season. A general view of swathes of empty seats as fans boycott the club ownership Celtic v Middlesbrough, Pre Season. 18 July 2026 Celtic Park. Photo Phil Oldham IMAGO Shutterstock

“But I did notice this pre-season, Middlesbrough going to Parkhead, and there was as many red tops, shirts and scarves as there was green and white. A lot of empty spaces,” Alan Brazil stated.

“That’s the fans saying: ‘Enough is enough’.

“I remember, as a kid growing up, European nights at Parkhead. I’ll never forget… unbelievable. I used to think about it a week before the game.

“And Celtic, with the crowd they have… but Dermot Desmond, the owner of the club, who’s done a remarkable job. They won the league last year – how they won it, I’ll never know, but they did – Martin O’Neill, brilliant, absolutely brilliant Martin…

“But I think Dermot has said – I don’t know if he’s on record saying it, but I believe he’s said – ‘I’m not the bank. I’m here to look after the club and make sure it’s run properly. You’ve got to use your own money’.

“So he’s not one of these chairman who says, ‘Go on, I’ll give you another £50 million, or another £100 million’. He’s not like that. He can; I think he’s a very wealthy man – but it’s just a business to him, and it’s so frustrating for the fans. They want players.

Celtic manager Martin O Neill Celtic v Middlesbrough, Pre Season Friendly, Football, Celtic Park, Glasgow – 18 July 2026. Photo Phil Oldham IMAGO/Shutterstock

“And even now, Martin must be pulling his hair out, saying, ‘get me some quality signings!’.

“At the moment, there’s a couple of players that I thought were going to leave. I thought McGregor might leave as well, so it’s not over yet, but Martin needs to get players in.”

Celtic supporters at Paradise last night. 3rd August 2026; Celtic Park, Scottish Premiership, Celtic versus Dundee; Celtic fans David Young IMAGO/ Action Plus

No Celtic supporter is asking Dermot Desmond to write a cheque

Alan Brazil misses one or two points here. There are no Celtic fans asking Dermot Desmond to put his hand in his pocket to fund signings. The club has over £70m in the bank. The two incoming transfers will be covered by fees coming in for exits, and the Board will no doubt be looking to retain all the funds at their disposal and probably add to it.

If Martin O’Neill gets us through the Champions League playoff against Austrian Champions LASK then there’s another £40m on top. Celtic supporters once again bought our season tickets but the spending on club merchandise and friendly tickets is now drying up.

The support through the Celtic Fans Collective and other groups such as the Celtic Supporters Association will be ready to act if the club fails to back Martin O’Neill in the transfer window. He is no suffering from the same strategy as all previous managers – with the exception of Wilfried Nancy – suffered from going all the way back to Ronny Deila.

Brendan Rodgers, Manager of Celtic, applauds prior to the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off second leg match between FC Bayern München and Celtic FC at Allianz Arena on February 18, 2025 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

And the result is that Ronny, Brendan Rodgers, Neil Lennon and Ange Postecoglou have all suffered shock Champions League playoff defeats in their time due to the club’s failure to back the manager.

It can’t be allowed to happen to Martin O’Neill surely? If it does then there will surely be an uproar.

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