A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for our fan’s forum on Monday where supporters had the chance to hear from Nigel Jones and James Kinsey ahead of an exciting new chapter for the club.

We had over 110 in attendance at Bower Fold Events for a really positive evening.

After introductions from both Nigel and James, the latter revealed to the room that former Celtic player Greg Wilkinson had re-joined the club as a player/coach and would be part of his team going forward.

James also introduced his assistant Dan Whiteside and first team coach Nick Farrington to the audience before Nigel, James and Phil Hall took questions from the fans.

Here is a roundup of some of the questions and answers that were given on the night.

Q: Who out of last season's squad are we interested in retaining?

JK: We contacted all of last season’s squad and so far, we’ve had four or five responses. I can’t say who as none of the players are contracted to the club. I only want players that want to play for the club. Those that want to come back, we’ll chat with, and they’ll be invited back for pre-season.

Q: The club has become unsustainable in recent years especially with the lounge and Bower Fold Events leased to third parties. The main revenue streams are not coming to the club, how will this be addressed so that the club becomes sustainable?

NJ: We want the club to be sustainable on and off the pitch. Paul and I have funds to put into the club, especially over the next few months when the club hasn’t got any matchday income. We’ll be taking small incremental steps, it’s important that we tap into the local community and see what we can do to make a difference. But we’re taking things step by step and when we have a more stable base, we can start to push on and build sensibly but the goal is for the club to be sustainable.

Q: Local people have been willing to sponsor and support the club but in the past, these offers have never been followed up. It’s important for the club to create its own income and revenue streams. Will things like this be followed up?

NJ: We’re looking at a range of income streams. From kit sponsors, to advertising boards to stand sponsors - anything that builds extra revenue. That’s not to say we are being greedy, but the more revenue we can gain, the higher the playing budget and better chance of on the pitch success. We need to work with everybody to help the club thrive and go on a journey, I am more than happy to chat to everybody who wants to support the club. I said to Pav in a recent interview that we are in the discovery phase of a business, we’re looking at what we have got and then we’ll quickly decide what steps we can do next. But yes, we want to look at all sources of revenue to help us maximise the playing budget to achieve success.

Q: James, what made you want to join Nigel at Celtic?

JK: We’ve worked together for a number of years. I trust Nigel and Nigel trusts me. The club has been divided in recent years and Nigel trusts me to help bring that connection back between the fans and team. I want to build a relationship with the fans and for the fans to enjoy supporting this club. That’s what Nigel knows I can do and is why he trusts me to do my job. We have to get off the pitch running successfully as well as on it and to ensure the match day experience is right. I will help to do both of those as I did at Wythenshawe, working with the community to bring us together.

Q: Is the club looking at including the SCSA on the board?

NJ: The SCSA has achieved so much already since it’s re-formation in November. Everybody wants us to be successful so why wouldn’t we want the SCSA to be on the board? It has to happen; it would be ludicrous for it not to be and basically sub optimal. I think you’ve got my answer!

Q: Have ticket prices been decided for next season?

PH: Tickets will be priced the same as last season.

Q: Are we having a new shirt next season and have things like sponsorship been sorted?

PH: We will be having a new shirt, yes. Sponsorship is currently in the works, watch this space for both.

Q: What is your long term plan and vision for the club?



NJ: We are being realistic but also optimistic. We want promotions but we also want financial stability. I think it’s important to look at the next three years rather than looking too far ahead. We want promotion back to step three as a minimum.

Q: How will you improve the match day experience other than on the pitch success?

NJ: We’re going to work with the SCSA to build on their achievements. We want everyone to come to a game, enjoy their day, buy a programme, get a shirt or scarf and eat and drink. We want it to be somewhere you can come with your family and enjoy it. Everybody needs to work together but we absolutely want the fans to enjoy supporting their team again.

Q: James, being a relatively young manager, how will you be attracting players?

JK: Myself and the management team have a strong work ethic and we are good at what we do. You’ll always get some bad words from former players but we know that the experience we give to our players is second to none. The engagement the players and fans have is also a big plus and something our players enjoy. You won’t find any of our players going home at 5pm, they’ll be in the bar chatting to you and building relationships.

Q: Will there be any changes to personnel other than players?

JK: We have Bill Shepherd who is a photographer that will be joining us and working in Taran’s media team. Bill has worked with us at East Manchester and Wythenshawe and will be a huge help in capturing moments throughout the season and helping us to build engagement. Dave Pover will have a new sports rehabilitator joining his team as well. We know change is needed and once we’re off the ground, things will be looked at by Nigel and Paul.

Q: James, what’s your target for the season?

JK: Winning games. We want to finish at the top end of the table and I think if we can get things right on and off the pitch, we’ll have a good chance at doing that.

Q: How are we going to integrate Celtic Juniors (and the youth teams/academy)?

JK: We want to build a relationship between the first team and the juniors set up. We want them to feel part of the club. At Wythenshawe, we’d often have first team players going to watch the youth teams and then the kids would want to come and watch the first team. I’ve chatted to Jill and on the footballing side, we’ll always want to have our own young players coming through. Sometimes it’s not always possible but we’ll be integrating the first team and Under 21’s.

Q: Will the players have a dedicated training facility?

PH: There will be a set venue that both the First Team and Under 21’s will use throughout the season.

Q: Would there be plans for a player/supporter coach for away travel?

JK: We need to build relationships between the fans and players so that everybody is on the same boat. We need this first but I’d definitely have no problems with supporters and players travelling on a coach together.

Thanks to all who joined us and for your questions. We hope you enjoyed meeting Nigel and James and look forward to pre-season which begins on Friday 14th July with Abbey Hey the visitors to Bower Fold.