1. Play entertaining football – Be honest it’s pretty desperate far too often. We tried a midfield diamond away to Hearts and Motherwell and played terrific football before reverting back to 4-2-3-1. Why? We aren’t playing in the Champions League. Don’t start Sami and Jamesy until they merit a place on form or when others don’t perform rather than them being guaranteed starters. Earn a place. We don’t need 5 in midfield tor the SPL. Take the chains off the players and allow them to express themselves playing attacking football with players high up the pitch, overlapping fullbacks and one protecting midfielder. Be imaginative. We have an incredible financial advantage over the other SPFL teams. Sure we’ll have the odd poor game but this shouldn’t be the case as often as at present. If we lose 2 goals so what? Let’s score 3 or 4 or 5. Cavalier football. It’s the Celtic Way….
2. Celtic Park stewards – Tell them and their boss Ronnie Hawthorne to behave and wind their necks in. Their behaviour at times is appalling. Picking on teenagers for standing up and trying to bring an atmosphere to the CP morgue (see crap fitba above!). Unless they are battering someone over the head with a wine bottle or being neds let them be.
3. The Green Brigade – Get their dedicated section up and running again. Only a fool would deny they have been a breath of fresh air at CP. Without them it’s a morgue (see point 2) and more of a morgue when the football on offer is poor (see point 1). Work with them and embrace a major asset. Just can’t get enough, the lonesome boatman, Glasgow’s Green and White, 125 years tifo v Barca, 4 horsemen of the apocalypse. Absolutely bloody stunning. Aye they are rough round the edges, aye they like their politics like most of our support but they are ultras for goodness sake not school prefects! They should ditch the pyro at CP but for goodness sake work with them and stand up for the fans rights.
4. Offensive Behaviour Bill – We know some on the PLC played a central role in this primarily working with Stephen House who has driven this ridiculous bill through with the support of the Scottish Government. Time to now work to remove it from the statute. It creates division with our support as it’s an abomination of their liberties. You called it wrong now work with House and Salmond to change at earliest opportunity.
5. Academy players – Give youth players a run in the team to prove themselves. League is guaranteed. Let’s see the best of them (Henderson, Findlay, Johnstone, Atajic) given a start of two to three games (not necessarily at the same time) to see what they can do. These kids have dominated the youth system in Scotland for years regularly beating the best Dundee United’s much heralded academy has to offer, There’s a very strong chance that some of our players are even better than theirs……
6. Young ‘Projects’ – Why aren’t these guys given a chance to prove themselves? Rogic? Balde? Give them a chance rather than same old faces doing predictable things. If it doesn’t work out then sell them or move them on. It’s not as if we are going to lose the league and who knows, we might just might have one or two players on our hands!
7 Reduce ticket prices – Sure season ticket prices were reduced by £100 but they were way overpriced for years. £300 at maximum for an adult with the kid’s season ticket free. It’s £50 just now, Reduce and make up the revenues elsewhere with smarter marketing. Also offer cheaper day tickets. £15 for most domestic games with a top price of £20. The days of season tickets being a must are gone for now. They must be given an incentive to renew ST’s as it’s guaranteed revenue. Offer domestic cup games and Euro qualifiers on the ST’s and access to all U20 youth team games for free.
8. Stadium catering – Provide better quality affordable food, not crap pies at way overinflated prices. It’s 2014 now (almost!) so start acting like it is and not the 1970’s. Better caterers, more choice and make the fans or customers as you like to call us, feel like we are getting treated with respect. Put seats at the catering areas. Offer more choice and people may be inclined to spend more and not fill their faces pre-match.
9. Merchandise – You have the club superstore and a cabin outside the ground. Provide a place inside each stand that offers this facility. You can do it for a bookies so why not do it with something to do with Celtic inside Celtic Park. But here’s a wee suggestion. Make the club merchandise more affordable. Yet again we pay more than you do on the high street. Make it competitive. Make the support feel as if we are all in this together and not being exploited. Better prices, happier fans and more fans = more sales = more profit.
10. The Celtic supporters are Celtic – Don’t treat us like second class citizens. Do most of the above and make us feel that we are all in it together again. Take the lead. Pay our lowest paid staff a living wage. Provide more support to the poorest in our community. Not just using a charity fund to pay that admirable as it is, is pretty much the supporters paying again. Be at the forefront. Our club roots are second to none. It’s about helping those in desperate need in desperate times. Well for many it’s desperate right now. Look at that statue of Walfrid outside the front door of Celtic Park. What would he have done? Given big bonuses and paid the minimum wage while people are starving? Of course not. Community comes first. A socialism without the politics? Not really it’s just feeling proud of who we are, where we come from and what we can do to help. We are Celtic. Be special and lead the way and we will back you in our droves.
Peter Lawwell. The ball (literally) is in your hands.
What’s your thoughts on making Celtic Park the place it should be? Please leave your comments here or drop us a note to etims.contact@gmail.com
A load of twaddle
Well thought out response mate. Go Back to .Sevcovia.
And your a prick.
Well said.
Great points I’m sure your season ticket will be taken away for expressing an opinion.
Very few of those are possible.
The concessions in the stand turned over to sell club merchandise? Those are contracted out over several seasons. It would cost a small fortune to buy them back.
Stewards? They do a good job, what’s wrong with wantin people to sit down? They can still sing and cheer sitting down.
The GB? A bunch of idiots obsessed that they are bigger than the law.
Cheaper ticket prices = less money to spend on players.
Just about the only point I agree with I giving the youth players an extended run in the first team.
On cheaper ticket prices meaning less money, you do realise what the point in lowering ticket prices? Lower prices mean more punters coming in, making up the revenue lost through lowering prices. Not to mention the extra revenue coming in through selling more food, drink, programmes etc.
All reads a bit critical for the sake of being critical. I was a big green brigade fan but no more, they undoubtedly were a massive asset one to be really proud of, but too many of them think they can do as they want, break seats, fireworks etc. Unfortunately they blew it, they wont be told. Why not just let everyone in for a pound, stadium filled but can we then pay our bills? think u are wide of the target here Hector mate.
Not one member of the Green Brigade has been arrested for the Fir Park incident. Stop reading the propaganda from the MSM.
The jobs yours. Happy New Year. HH
All of the above !
Spot on with all those points….fire a copy over to the powers to be…..
I wish I’d written as I agree with it all. This may have been written with the critical head on but each point made is valid and these changes could be applied. They may not be immediate or easy but they are all possible.
The Kerrydale suite and more like it, a pint, a heat, watch whatever dinner time football is on and the grub is actually not bad and reasonable, that is the way ahead, make it a day out
You just don’t get it do you ?, the green brigade have embarrassed Celtic enough and it had to stop, how can you condone the money it has cost Celtic in fines ? ( I did not see the green brigade offering to pay all the fines ), or the cost of seats at Motherwell, never mind the safe aspect of flares, get a grip, most of us go to support Celtic not for all that nonsense.
John,
Stop wetting your pants about GB.
Hector,I agree wholeheartedly with your 10 points.
I have 2 of my own to add.
11. Standing area a must.
12. For all the PC Brigade on here,like john,a band on the park,
before and at half-time.By band,I mean a RFB with a colour
party.
I remember going to Alan Hunter’s testamonial,at Ipswitch, in
1981.The Wolfe Tone Flute Band played on the pitch.What an
atmosphere.
How would the PC Brigade at CP,react to this ?
Think the GB have probably paid for all that through the money they’ve made the club in the form of revenue from t-shirts bearing their slogans and prints of the 125 display.
The most successful catering shops in the country are Greggs. The grub’s decent, reasonably priced and they’re usually queued out the door. Give the fans a break and outsource the catering to them.
Kevin R
“they can still sing and cheer sitting down”
Yes we’ve been deafened by this “sit down” singing in recent matches, haven’t we. Even the away games are now eerily silent. This “sit down” singing must be what Ibrahimovich, Messi and Xavi keep raving about.
Agree with most of the points put forward in the article,especially re- the usual suspects always getting a game. You can add Stokes(aka Buster from Mrs Browns Boys, if you’ve seen it)to that list.1 goal in 14 or so, pathetic.
Rather than playing with freedom ,they seem more intent on “grinding out” results in pursuit of a meaningless stat.(staying unbeaten)Vanity ahead of progress it would appear.
If we can’t test the young team now,when can we.
Daft article. 2,3 and 4 are stuck in the Stone Age. Let’s be real the biggest issue is we are playing in a shit league. Look at the crowds at European Nights. The last comment re-Lawwell is right…..feckin do something….there is no future in Scottish Football….what….we are waiting for the huns to return?
I agree 100% with your comments. I sent an email to John Paul Taylor(fans liaison officer) recently and it looks as though you’ve copied most of it. I’ll give him his due, he read it and asked me to get in touch to discuss, which I intend doing soon (are you JPT?).
CP is a morgue – the official attendance v Hearts was 18,000, normally one of our biggest games – if this is what we get for a big game, then the ba’s burst. It won’t be long until the whole upper tier is closed and everyone is sitting downstairs.
We need to find a way of getting the youngsters back into following Celtic – we need to allow them to jump about, sing , dance and rebel – it’s what attracts them to CP as the football isn’t these days.
Sitting down has killed the atmosphere, so get a safe standing area behind both goals, then the old ones who want to sit on their hands during the game can do so in the main & south stands.
Reduce the cost of tickets – there are maybe 6 or 8 games worth watching each season – if you go up to the ground on the day of the game you are guaranteed a ticket in a good area for £26. £26 X 8 = £208 – a bit cheaper than the £450 we are paying just now.
I buy most of my kid’s strips from Sports Direct as they are much cheaper than the club shop – how can this be possible?
Good post Andy.
We’ve spoken to JPT a couple of times and he comes across as a top guy. The issue is, how much power does he have? My own view is very little but I could be wrong.
Those running Club needs a big dollop of common sense to put in place a workable strategy that gets the fans onboard – otherwise the crowds will dip even more.
The young (GB) are our future. We need to find ways of attracting them, not harassing them.
My adult son was at Fir Park, his seats were in the section that the ones were broken. When he arrived at the ground the seats were already taken – he asked the stewards to sort it out and was told to just find a seat and sit there – the initial seats were broken accidently as the crowd surged forward when Celtic scored (afterwards it was vandalism) – the section was badly overcrowded, so why aren’t the stewards / police being brought to bear? Why did the GB get the blame only to be found innocent later on?
I sit in the front stand – my youngest is in 112 at CP – on European nights I take him round to his turnstiles and wait for him to get in before going to my own seat. The level of harassment of the youths going into 111 / 112 from police & stewards is unbelievable – the stewards on my turnstile are completely different and there are rarely any police – why the difference? The PLC’s behaviour towards the GB has created a them & us situation – why?
The vision the PLC seem to hold for CP is not the one I have – if they continue with the way they are going, I will think long and hard about renewing my season ticket, which I’ve had for over 30 years. I know quite a few people who are feeling the same way.
If the PLC don’t do something positive, we will be playing in front of crowds of 25,000 which will mean less money in the coffers, a lower class of player being signed and guaranteed humiliation in Europe.
My kids have had ST’s for about 10 years, but missing a game is not the same to them as it is to me – I was brought up with football being the only thing to do on a Saturday afternoon and developed the habit of always going to see Celtic. The kids today have alternatives and missing a game isn’t as big a deal as it once was, so we need to entice them back and give them something that will keep them there.
Andy, you on twitter or have an e-mail address we can contact you on? Drop us an e-mail to etims.contact@gmail.com to keep it off here.
Cheers
Hector
Andy, you answer your own question. To stop nights like Motherwell happening in CP, fans sitting in the wrong area, causing trouble which is then blamed on the GB experience, Celtic have to check all the tickets of fans going into that area. At times you can’t see the walkways due to the extra fans coming from other areas of the support.
Extra checks which aren’t done on other fans, yes, but there are not thousands of young fans wanting to stand and sing in section 407 though!
1. Spot on.
2. Spot on.
3. Green Brigade are damaged goods.
4. Spot on.
5. Spot on.
6. Balde and Rogic have shown very little to merit a place.
7. No way the board will reduce tickets further.
8. Catering was changed a few years back. No one bought it so they changed it back. 9.
9. Spot on.
10.Club legally bound to pay minimum wage not living wage. Moral argument is different.
Lawwell has to go for changes to take place
Very naive. PL is an employee doing what the board tell him. In the main a good job, benchmarked against the Zombie Tribute act, a superb job !
Agree PL is working to a remit given presumably by DD.
However, as I’ve posted before, in the same way as a manager is said to have “lost the dressing room”, PL seems to have lost the crowd.
Also, our failure to strengthen in the summer cost us dearly in CL. There were games there for the winning, we just didn’t have the firepower to take advantage ( match days 1,2 and 4)
Have fans forgotten the Fletcher/McCarthy signing failures .
3 titles (plus 10’s of millions CL money ) gifted to a poor Rangers side: all for the lack of strengthening when in front.
Feels like history’s starting to repeat itself.
Football , as in business ,you can’t stand still. You either go forward or you slide backwards
I think the same thing happened with Finnbogasson and this seasons CL. Now I think there is no way we could afford him. He’s ony 24 so still has a few years until he peaks, he doesn’t have a team of superstars helping him and if he continues scoring at this rate (17 league goals so far) he will be one the the top scorers in Dutch football, thats more than than Cruijff (33)and close to Van Basten (37). Another piss-poor piece of business by PL.
Hector,
Blame the yanks for introducing money and analysis to our beloved game. Everything has to be measured for efficiency and excess both on and off the park. If the PLC can make the same dough with half the players and half the crowd they will. The reason they don’t spend is that no one can convince them of an equal or better return on investment than what they achieving now with limited spending. Ticket and general price reduction’s are unlikely as crowds (income ) dwindle.
Players, yes its time to push the new and younger players although now that we are chasing a loss-free season Lenny may not take any risks.
Food, yes how about some quality, I don’t mind paying for that.
The GB, I’m on the fence. Left to their own devices we could quickly return to the days of guys pishing down the back of your legs.
Can’t say I’m optimistic about you getting your wishes as long as the tic ply their trade in Scotland, that we know is the root of the problem.
It’s irrelevant if I agree wae Hector’s piece or not because this is a busted flush Board. How can we realistically expect change after nearly three years of evidence. This Board has said nothing while deadco and the SFA have robbed us blind of prize monies and trophies while colluding wae everbody between the devil and the clype when it comes tae banging up some of oor weans and shaking down the rest of us.
Give me back the Colgans Grants and Whytes. At least they were just dafties this lot are coniving, treacherous, ivory tower dwelling motherf**kers.
As an old Bhoy of 58…..grew up watching the Lions….your points are bang on……can I just say to the young Bhoys of the green brigade…..I and my age are still with you, But please. Stop all the garbage….that’s what we expect from the dark-side…..We are Celtic…..Don’t lower yourself…..Peter Lawell ,believe me has been magnificent for OUR Club…..Work Together….that’s what makes our Club Unique……CELTIC FOR EVER…
I’m 58 as well, don’t remember when I first went to see Celtic (65 or 66), but remember my first cup final,1967 when we beat Aberdeen 2 – 0.
I stopped going with my dad once I hit my teens and was a regular in The Jungle – why, because as a teenage boy I wanted to sing and jump about and be a bit rebellious (and that’s where I learned the rebel songs that are so un-PC these days)- are the GB any different?
My teenage kids want to be near the GB – they want that excitement, the noise, the atmosphere – take that away from CP and you’ll find the teenagers disappearing.
Yes, the GB overstepped the mark at times, but rather than banning them / dispersing them, the PLC should have been working with them to try and make them see what they were doing was wrong and was hurting the club – finding a middle ground.
With regards political banners – every CL league game started with a banner to Nelson Mandela – 20 years ago he was a terrorist in the eyes of the governments of many countries – this was a political display.
So why did the political display from the GB lead to a fine?
Why didn’t the PLC put up more of a fight?
Did it suit the PLC to have the GB tarnished?
Why have Barcelona never been brought to bear for playing the Catalan Hymn at the end of their home matches – it’s a more political song than anything the GB sing?
UEFA hypocrites?
We’ve already had the Fir Park escapade explained, but why were the PLC so quick to blame the GB, whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty?
The Dens Park (non)riots were the same – the media had a field day, fuelled by the nonsense coming from the PLC – another kick at the GB. Why?
Why have the PLC got such an agenda against the GB?
Our club is at a crossroads – read some of the other Celtic websites and see how many people have already decided or are contemplating giving up their ST – why?
It’s not just because of the treatment of the GB, that’s part of the issue, but fans are getting fed up with the match day experience – it’s an over priced product – we are being charged far too much to watch poor quality football in a stadium with little or no atmosphere.
The PLC needs to start listening to the fans (and the young ones are the lifeblood of our club).
The PLC need to make radical changes – reducing the costs (use some of the CL spoils to finance this), creating standing areas and respecting the paying customer.
Peter Lawell has done an absolutely brilliant job with the finances, but he has done so at the expense of the ordinary fans – he wants a corporate fan base, but with that comes no atmosphere.
This is not the club I want.
Well Stated Hector
Gach pointe díreach ar an bpointe.
Sin iad na rudaí atá ag teastáil.
Ceiltigh Abú!
Séamus Mac
“Gach pointe díreach ar an bpointe”
Gach pointe díreach ar an phointe.
Tut tut.
Pedantic FC
I typed a translation which disappeared.
My first language is Gaelic which was the language of the majority of the Irish people who started our club.
Translation: “Every point directly on the point. These are the things that are needed.
Up Celtic Forever!”
I will add: Coinnigí an Creideamh! (Keep the Faith!)
Séamus Mac
I used to take my 10 year old niece to home games but it was getting to the stage where I was paying £50 every second weekend to go watch second rate football, eat stale pies and sit in fear for the big brutal fat Guy behind us f’ing and b’ing all 90 mins. So id say main reason I stopped taking her was money. Simply got better, cheaper more entertaining places to go now on a Saturday afternoon. The season and atmosphere is dead, why not go back to £10 adults/£5 kids??
How long before we are expected to sing “We are Celtic Supporters, faithful through and through. This statement does not represnt the views of Celtic PLC, its Board or any its employees or sub contracted associates”
Divide and conquer…that old tactic seems to be working well here. Celtic fans moaning for and against the Green Brigade and all while the Board just laugh and dismiss any question on their stewardship as irrelevant.
Thats what Celtic fans are now, irrelevant. We only become relevant when the projections for next season are done and the figures show we are the lifeblood of the body that is Celtic, corporate or otherwise.
The word irrelevant may soon apply to Celtic for many many people…watch a game on computer, possibly piped up to your big telly or watch it in the pub is becoming more and more favourable for many, especially as kick off tomes get spread out even more these days ( or games rescheduled for a Turkey tournament!)
Im just rabbling, its all just so tiring and tiresome…the one thing im sure of though, this has nothing to do with an absence of Rangers, despite anything the Press may try and say.
All sensible points, the only one I disagree on is Point 3, if the GB are to be allowed back in theu must agree to only have banners and songs that are relevent to Celtic, no political crap, no pyros etc and that they will agree to obey H&S laws.
Too many PC old timers who forget they were once Tim’s that sang the songs.
Finger wagging old farts in truth jealous of the GB.
The board have allowed our support to be criminalised and our culture to be wiped out… Aye all you Irish deniers are turning Celtic park into the PC library that you wish for, well done.
Better craic watching the game in a Celtic bar.
As someone who has attended games since 1979, I can assure you all the Ira stuff is the biggest turn off about watching Celtic. It’s not the club’s heritage, we were never ‘political’- proud of Irish roots yes, but bobby sands? What a joke. GB are not to be trusted- they will inevitably get the ground shut down in Europe. The club already had a sit down with them- the GB lied- get them to f***. They are nothing but old firm bigots- different side of same coin. Heartbreaking because they brought a good atmosphere.
We were never political??? Your are someone who does not know the history of Celtic
Agreed with all 10 points and I wont be back at CP until the board start to action some of them. However the green brigade need to drop the political banners and concentrate their efforts on footballing matters only.
Johnd,
I’m Scottish, not Irish. Those songs are not part of who I am – a Scot living in Britain.
Jealous of the GB when they are ruining the clubs reputation?
Good points put across well. Will the Board listen? Not holding my breath though.
Hector
I have arrived late as usual and find there is little to add. I simply ask that we make a resolution for the new year to work together to find solutions and not tear at each others throats. It is now time for calm all round before we devour each other and then it will not matter whom or where we play. We will have “died” like others around us but ours will be through shooting ourselves in the foot.
H H
Wise words
Celtic fans united not divided.
My new year’s resolution is for ALL Celtic fans to be as ONE.
We should be enjoying the turmoils at Ibrokes.
But, instead the IN- FIGHTING is possesing TOO MANY.
I would love to see a standing area next season, to bring CP
back to life.Everybody is equal.Old and the young,Green Brigade and PC brigade,standing shoulder to shoulder for the
ONE cause – CELTIC !!
Is this too much to ask for ?
Agree with Andy Docherty, Pensionerbhoy & Holy Sea……
There is NO atmosphere at Celtic park just now…..culmination of things in my mind…1stly Players gone have knowhere near been replaced…..Manager & Board make the Decision that way…..and let’s face it players brought in are NOT Celtic standard……2ndly Neil…..please stop saying the team played well….when week after week…Yes they are winning….but OMG leaving parkhead just now, is not a good feeling….entertainment wise….you just have to look at the Punters faces….it says it all….and again 3dly….wether we like it or not ….no GB…no Atmosphere………I ask you Peter….communicate with the Bhoys…..We are supposed to be playing in Paradise……does it seem like that to you,at this particular time ?……..CELTIC FOR EVER