THE WAR ROOM

Celtic AGM halted after half-an-hour amid all-out mutiny

- BY MI CHAEL GANNON

THE infamous Rangers gazebo has been gazumped.

Celtic's AGM yesterday made the Ibrox tent affair from 11 years ago look like a kid's Wendy house in comparison.

A lot of people's jaws were on the floor after Scotland on Tuesday night but they were practically detached from skulls in the Kerrydale Suite on Friday morning.

Astonishing doesn't quite cut it. The AGM barely lasted half an hour in total before it was called to a halt amid all-out mutiny in the stalls as Ross Desmond took a flamethrower to his father's critics.

Peter Lawwell stepping in to stop the fight was only half of the story. The chairman had already suspended the meeting for half an hour after earlier disruptions. It was incredible stuff - and rather than a first step towards peace, the gap between the board and the support ended up a chasm.

It almost had to be seen to be believed. It was like the famous Limmy sketch. Don't back down - double down.

This is a club that's dominated for two decades yet is now ripping itself apart. And it all seems so unnecessary.

The anger from the fans might have been a bit much early on in the dispute but the responses from the club - or the Desmonds - has been equally OTT.

It's like a married couple who start arguing over the dishes and end up lobbing frying pans on the way to the divorce courts.

Both sides dug in deeper and deeper and it's barely possible to see daylight any more.

Right from the off there was trouble brewing here.

The board got booed when they walked on to the top stage, with a sizeable group holding up red cards.