{"id":4385,"date":"2014-01-07T12:10:02","date_gmt":"2014-01-07T12:10:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/etims.net\/?p=4385"},"modified":"2014-01-07T12:10:02","modified_gmt":"2014-01-07T12:10:02","slug":"celtic-the-line-in-the-sand-is-nigh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/etims.net\/?p=4385","title":{"rendered":"Celtic – The Line in the Sand is Nigh"},"content":{"rendered":"

Contributor The Doc<\/strong><\/span> gives his thoughts on the current state of our club, its board and its relationship with the support :<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Celtic – The Line in the Sand is Nigh<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n

I started going to watch Celtic with my dad around about 1965-66, the start of possibly the greatest era in Celtic\u2019s history. <\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nWhen I became a teenager, I no longer wanted to go with my dad and instead started to go to CP with my mates from the scheme. Being teenagers, we wanted to be seen and be heard. We were loud and we were quite happy annoying people from the older generation, particularly those in authority. Every other Saturday the adrenaline was flowing, the excitement of the Celtic experience was one to be savoured.<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nOnce inside CP we would generally stand behind the goals at the Celtic end, able to take in the noise and excitement form the fans behind us. In those days it was not unusual for fights to kick off and that just added to the level of excitement.<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nAs I got older, I started to go into the Jungle and this became my usual standing place up until CP was redeveloped.<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nIt was in the Jungle that I learnt the rebel songs, the ones that are now so frowned upon by the PLC, as I had no exposure to them in the house .The rebel songs were sung loud and long, as this was our heritage, the Irish background that separated us from the other teams in Scotland. These were the days when every application for a job asked you which school you had attended, a way some employers used to ensure Catholics wouldn\u2019t be employed. The songs were our way of rebelling, our answer to the sectarian abuse we received everywhere we went in Scotland (it\u2019s not just the West of Scotland that has a problem with sectarianism), our way of sticking 2 fingers up to authority. We knew they classed us as second class citizens and we knew how much they hated the songs.<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nHow many of the Celtic fans who started following the team in the 60\u2019s \/ 70\u2019s had a similar rite of passage?. <\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nHow many learnt and sang the rebel songs in the Jungle or the back of the Celtic end?. How many of us behaved in a manner then which would be frowned upon today? <\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nWhen we moved back to CP after the redevelopment I got a parent & child seat in the front stand. My son was happy there until he turned 14 or 15 and then wanted to move up to the top of the Jock Stein stand where his mates sat and where there was singing and chanting. So I got him a seat there. <\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nHis child seat was passed on to my younger son and he sat with me quite happily until he also turned 14 or 15 and spent as much time watching the crowd as he did the football. I then managed to get him a ticket in 112, next to the Green Brigade.<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nHis child seat then passed to my youngest son, but he also wanted to move to 112 to be near the noise and excitement of the Green Brigade, so I managed to get him a ticket in 112 as well.<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nOn Champions League nights, my middle son likes to go to the game with his mates. They want to get the train, to go into town first, experience the build up, feel the excitement growing and get the adrenaline flowing. He\u2019s too grown up to take his younger brother with him, so I\u2019m left with that honour. So on CL nights I walk my youngest round to his turnstiles and wait with him until he\u2019s in before going to my seat in the front stand.<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nAs I have been stood there waiting, I have witnessed an unbelievable level of harassment towards our young fans entering 111\/ 112 from police and stewards alike. Youths approaching the gates being stopped by police for no reason other than they were youths and were intent on entering 111 \/ 112 \u2013 why the harassment?<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nOn one occasion, after having seen my son into the ground safely, I headed to the front stand and passed a steward standing adjacent to the police control box with arms spread-eagled in a crucifix stance holding a green and white flag that had some Arabic looking writing on it. I asked him what he was doing and he said they had taken the flag off a couple of guys and he was holding it up to the control room so that they could get someone to translate the wording in order to determine if it was illegal. Meanwhile the owners of the flag were held outside until their fate was decided. The game had either started or was just about to start so the owners would have missed the start of the game. Whatever happened to the premise of being innocent until proven guilty?<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nWhy were the police and stewards so determined to criminalise someone when they didn\u2019t know if a crime had taken place ? Imagine being stopped by the police as you walked home from a shopping trip and asked to empty your pockets \/ bag just so they could see if you had done something wrong \u2013it wouldn\u2019t happen, would it, so why were the owners of the flag treated this way?<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nThe stewards on my turnstiles couldn\u2019t be any more helpful \/ sociable. There are rarely if ever police at the turnstiles and when they are there, nobody is stopped unless they are doing something wrong. On one of the CL nights I took in a bag of books for one of my mates and when the policeman asked me what I had I said jokingly it was my carry out and was told to make sure I kept one for him. Can you imagine that happening at 111 \/ 112?<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nWhat is the difference between my turnstiles and the turnstiles at 111\/ 112? \u00a0Are the only potential trouble makers in 111 \/112?<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nMy adult son goes to all the away games. He and his mates had tickets for the Motherwell game in the section immediately in front of the GB, the section that was vandalised. When he arrived at the game his seats were already taken. He asked a steward to sort this out and was told to just find a seat and sit anywhere.<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nThe section was badly overcrowded as due to the lack of stewarding, all the young ones had headed there in order to be near the GB. The first damaged seats were caused by the crowd surging forward in an overcrowded section when Celtic scored. Thereafter there was wanton damage by some Neds and this is completely unacceptable \u2013 I hope the culprits are identified and treated accordingly. However, the situation was exacerbated by the stewards and police not doing their jobs properly. Why weren\u2019t fans made to go to their own seats?. Why was the section allowed to become overcrowded and dangerous?<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nNext day the PLC laid the blame squarely on the GB. They were all suspended and the section disbanded.<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nOnce again what happened to being innocent until proven guilty? <\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nSubsequently it transpired that none of the GB were involved, but the PLC had already hung the GB out to dry \u2013 why?<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nThe PLC were quick to feed the Scottish media with stories about what the GB were doing to the club and what they intended doing to them. Why, when it was discovered that the GB wasn\u2019t to blame, was there no retraction?<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nWhy didn\u2019t the PLC take Motherwell to task for their poor stewarding?<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nWhy haven\u2019t the SPL taken Motherwell to task for their poor stewarding?<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nThis follows on from the mythical Dundee riot. I have spoken to fans who were there and have told me that there was no riot. We\u2019ve probably all read reports from fans, some on here, that there was no riot.<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nThere was a lot of drunken youths and I am led to believe, there was one skirmish, which appeared to be between two youths continuing a feud from their scheme and nothing to do with Celtic. <\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nThe numbers of arrests, four, of whom at least one was a Dundee fan, would attest to the fact that there was no riot and that there were no\u201d scenes similar to the worst of the football hooliganism of the 70\u2019s\u201d.<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nBut once again the GB were hung out to dry by the PLC \u2013 why? <\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nAnd why were the media given the ammunition to fire at us from the PLC?<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nThe CL game against Milan and the GB are pilloried, by the PLC once again, for having a political banner. The next round of games and UEFA order that before the games start, every team has to display a banner honouring Nelson Mandela\u2019s life. I am very much pro Nelson Mandela, but he was a politician, so the banners were political \u2013 why did the PLC accept the fine so readily? Why not fight the fine and defend the GB? We won\u2019t even mention the fact that Nelson Mandela was seen as a terrorist by Western governments before apartheid ended.<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nAs far as I\u2019m aware, Barcelona still play the Catalan Hymn at the end of each match, this is as political a song as you can get, so why haven\u2019t they been brought to bear for this?<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nWe\u2019ve also had the incident with the fireworks being let off at a CL game \u2013 the GB got the blame even though they denied it had anything to do with them. Everyone knows the scrutiny that the GB are under from CCTV and from the police wearing cameras, if they had let off the firework do you not imagine they would have been caught? <\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nWhy then was the PLC so quick to blame them?<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nThe F@@@ UEFA banner that we got fined for \u2013 almost every ULTRA group in Europe have raised a similar banner \u2013 you can find the evidence easily on the internet \u2013 why are Celtic the only team (I\u2019m aware of) that have been fined for this? Why didn\u2019t the PLC point out all the other team\u2019s displays \u2013 if they did, why were we fined and why then has nobody else been fined \u2013 why were the PLC happy to let the GB to be painted in a bad light once again?<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nWhy have the PLC given out names and addresses of members of the GB to the police, surely this is an offence under the Data Protection Act unless a criminal act has taken place? \u00a0I don\u2019t know how many members of the GB have been convicted of crimes, but don\u2019t believe that police have only been given names and addresses when a criminal investigation is ongoing.<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nAnd why are arrests carried out at dawn, why not during the day \/ evening and why are the media always on hand to capture the moment? Who is alerting the media? What part have the PLC in all of this?<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nTo me it appears that the PLC have an agenda against the GB \u2013 why? <\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nHas the PLC been promised entry into one of the English leagues if it rids the support of its Irish political rebellion? If this is the reason, why not tell us, if it\u2019s not, tell us what the real reason is. I\u2019ve reached this conclusion on the basis of how quickly and how often the PLC have condemned the GB recently, mostly unfairly. It would appear that the PLC are trying to blacken the GB\u2019s name to the other supporters. The PLC seem to be happy to point the finger at the GB for all its transgressions in order to set the rest of the supporters against them \u2013 why?<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nThe PLC have been happy to profit from the GB when it suits them \u2013 Glasgow\u2019s Green & White, Just Can\u2019t Get Enough & the Barcelona display are three which come easily to mind, so why try to alienate them?<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nThe PLC are happy to play \u201cLet The People Sing\u201d and \u201cThe Fields Of Athenry\u201d both \u201crebel\u201d songs \u2013 why are they acceptable and \u201cRoll Of Honour\u201d and \u201cBoys Of The Old Brigade\u201d aren\u2019t. Are there different levels of acceptability of rebel songs? Surely if rebel songs are wrong, this means all rebel songs and not just certain ones? <\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nI, like many other Celtic fans, have cd’s containing rebel songs in my car that I listen to on the way to the game. I never listen to them in the house, only in the car. Is this acceptable?<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nHow many of the people complaining about the singing of rebel songs at CP also listen to them in their own car \/ house?<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nIt\u2019s a bit like complaining about pornography on the TV \/ in magazines whilst having your own stash in the house. If it\u2019s wrong, it\u2019s wrong, you can\u2019t make up the rules to suit yourself, which is what the PLC appear to be doing.<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nMy children all have season tickets, but have missed games for a variety of reasons that I wouldn\u2019t consider missing a game for. When I started going to see Celtic there wasn\u2019t a lot of alternatives on offer and going to the game became a habit. It was where the working classes spent their Saturday afternoons, especially when the pubs closed at 2.30pm. Nowadays the youth are spoiled for choice for what to do with their money and time. If we don\u2019t capture their attention now, we will lose them forever. It\u2019s highly unlikely that someone will suddenly decide to start going to see Celtic when they are in their mid 20\u2019s when they haven\u2019t been in the habit of going up until then. Whilst us old ones are happy to sit on our hands in the Main \/ Front stand, what happens when we die or become unable to attend games. Who will take our place?<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nCeltic face the real possibility of losing thousands of season ticket holders at the end of this season. The attendances at CP are embarrassing these days as are the attempts by the PLC to cover up the truth by giving out false attendance figures. <\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nThe Hearts game, normally one of the biggest on our calendar, saw an attendance of less than 20,000 (the PLC claimed there were 46,000). The Thistle game, even with free tickets being given out, saw less than 30,000 in the ground (the PLC claimed 52,000). We have a problem \u2013 what has gone wrong and how do we sort it? <\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nBoth games witnessed no GB and the flattest atmosphere and football at CP for some time \u2013 coincidence or not?<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nThe youth are the lifeblood of Celtic. The PLC should be doing everything in their power to encourage them to attend CP not harass them into staying away. <\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nWe need to find ways of reversing the current trend and finding ways to entice the youth back to CP. <\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nMake following Celtic a habit, not an afterthought. <\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nHow do we do that? <\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nFirstly, we stop harassing the youth. We find out what they want and look for ways to deliver that.<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nSet up safe standing areas behind both goals and one at the front of the away supporters section. Encourage flags & banners, streamers, drums etc etc. Allow the youth to create an atmosphere, to provide the excitement, the thunder to get the adrenaline going again. How many times have you sat at CP and watched the GB because that is more exciting than the football? <\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nOver the last few seasons my favourite days at CP have all had the GB central to everything. The Four Horsemen was as stunning as a display as I\u2019d ever seen, and completely dominated the game.<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nThe whole stadium, including the hospitality doing The Huddle, Just Can\u2019t Get Enough and Having A Party as Celtic demolished rangers (RIP) in the last ever Old Firm derby match. The display and noise at the Barcelona game (the noise during the CL song at the beginning is as loud as I\u2019ve ever heard at a football match). <\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nGames where the fans and the team seemed to be as one and orchestrated by the GB.<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nIf the GB don\u2019t come back, who will provide the noise, the excitement, the thunder?<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nWill CP gradually empty more and more each season as the young ones choose to stay away and the old ones become too infirm to attend?<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nMy children have told me what they want \u2013 they want to be part of the noise, the excitement, the jumping about \u2013 they don\u2019t want to sit in relative silence in the front stand.<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nMy children are no different from anyone else\u2019s children. They want the excitement and if they don\u2019t get it, they\u2019ll find alternatives – it\u2019s already happening.<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nCeltic are at a crossroads \u2013 change needs to happen soon or we will be overseeing the slow demise of the club we have all been brought up to love. I don\u2019t like the whole cleansing of the support, the move to a more corporate support, the denial of our origins \u2013if it continues I\u2019ll think long and hard about renewing my season ticket. The PLC seem happy to play down our Irish origins, but are happy to play it up when is suits them financially – tricolours on sale in the club shop, NL\u2019s tracksuit collar, the clamour every time a blue chip signing is Irish (Robbie & Roy Keane).<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nIf the PLC really have the interests of the club at heart, they will find ways of brokering a deal with the GB and getting them back to CP. They will find the energy to fight the SPL \/ SFA and insist in safe standing areas at CP. <\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nThe PLC have done a great job with the finances, but unless they act quickly they will find the cash flow drying up. If we start losing fans our turnover will suffer, which will lead to less money to be spent on players and a lower calibre signing and annual humiliation in the CL qualifiers.<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nThe time to act is now<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nCan I add, I am not a member of the GB, am not their spokesperson, do not know anyone who is a member of the GB and have never, to my knowledge, ever spoken to anyone in the GB. \u00a0I am not even sure the GB would approve of what I have written.<\/span>
\n\u00a0<\/span>
\nFurthermore, I am Scottish and proud to be so. However, I acknowledge the part Ireland and her politics has played in my club\u2019s history and do not wish that legacy to be cleansed away.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Doc<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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