Having real Rangers men on the Ibrox board, individuals who had grown up cheering on the Glasgow club and were more concerned with lifting silverware than banking a profit on any investment, was of paramount importance to their supporters in the wake of their 2012 financial implosion.
Yet, successive seasons of failure and frustration meant that prerequisite for ascending the marble staircase to a position of power at the Govan giants quickly became irrelevant for their longsuffering followers.
They were dancing on Edmiston Drive last year when a consortium which was fronted by Paraag Marathe of 49ers Enterprises and American healthcare tycoon Andrew Cavenagh bought a controlling 51 per cent stake from major shareholders such as Dave King and John Bennett.
At the moment, in the afterglow of a rousing 3-0 triumph over their bitter city rivals at home in the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final last Sunday, Rangers fans are quite unconcerned that their current custodians are not steeped in their traditions and history.
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Having individuals in charge who have the financial wherewithal, professional expertise and burning ambition which is needed to meet the myriad challenges of the modern professional game and deliver both on and off-field success is all that matters to them now.
Many of their Celtic counterparts are clearly, judging by the reaction to the appointment of Mark Keane as a non-executive director yesterday morning among certain sections of their support, of a similar mind.
The rabble rousers who made the 2025/26 campaign such a turbulent one for the Scottish champions had expressed unhappiness both with the corporate governance of their beloved club and the make-up of the board.
You would have thought that drafting in two new directors – Raymond Buchanan, the former BBC correspondent and presenter who is currently the director of corporate affairs at Scottish Water, has also been brought in – with considerable business acumen to replace Tom Allison and Peter Lawwell would have met with their wholehearted approval.
Keane - the founder of Slievemore, a family investment office with interests in retail, property, leisure, development and investment, as well as a longstanding major shareholder - would certainly seem to bring an awful lot to the party. There were many who wholeheartedly approved.
However, his allegiances have not impressed some. The fact that he is the son of their late honorary chairman John, a former ally of major shareholder Dermot Desmond, provoked a bit of a backlash online. Among the more publishable comments which greeted the news were “more in house b******” and “casting the net wide again” and “another nepo baby”.
Those remarks were in no way a slight on Keane Snr. The late Irish businessman rode to the rescue of Celtic when they were facing administration in 1994. He stumped up £1m of his own money to prevent the unthinkable from happening and then backed the Fergus McCann takeover with further capital.
The man who had the privilege of unfurling the league flag before the opening game of the 2013/14 season has his own special place in their storied history.
Turning to someone with such strong ties to the existing hierarchy, though, has done nothing to convince those who want to see sweeping changes in how the Parkhead club operates that a revolution is imminent despite interim chairman Brian Wilson promising that “refreshment will continue”.
The move may even increase the anger among the more partisan element among their global fanbase, who were already at breaking point following the unprecedented Champions League play-off collapse to LASK, the lamentable Premier Sports Cup loss to Rangers and the dire Europa League reverse to Ferencvaros, further.
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The performances and results of Martin O’Neill’s team in the last few weeks suggest the agitators have, despite the highly unfortunate and counterproductive manner in which they conduct themselves at times, justifiable grievances.
Celtic may have spent over £30m bringing in no fewer than 10 new recruits, including Mika Baur, Camilo Duran, Haissem Hassan and Kasper Høgh, before the transfer window closed at the beginning of this month. But the side have been vulnerable against a high press, porous at the back, bullied in midfield and toothless in attack of late.
The fact that an eight figure profit was made on their transfer dealings this summer and a physical No 6 who could offer their rearguard some much-needed protection was not brought in has not gone down well.
A growing number are, rightly or wrongly, convinced the club is paying a high price for their dysfunctional and archaic practices and adamant that they will continue to toil as long as billionaire Irish financier Desmond holds sway.
If Callum McGregor and his team mates can put their disappointing recent form behind them – and it is a very big if given how insipidly they have performed in their last two outings – and record a win over Rangers in the East End tomorrow they will move eight points clear of their nearest challengers at the top of the Premiership table. Crisis? What crisis?
There is always a hysterical overreaction to early season setbacks. The side could and should improve as the new arrivals become more familiar with their new surroundings. Oliver Sorensen has still to complete 90 minutes.
Still, there is a definite feeling at the moment, a widespread sense of foreboding in fact, that the significant failings which very nearly led to Celtic losing the title last term could cost them dear this time around.
Why were more signings not made earlier? Why was Arne Engels allowed to leave before the LASK games when a £40m payday was on the line? Why were they scrabbling around in the final days of the window trying to get in bodies? They are valid questions.
Mark Keane is a lifelong fan who has a proven track record in business. He will doubtless bring energy and expertise to his non-executive director role. But it will require a lot more than getting another good Celtic man in to placate the snipers in the stands.
