30 Aug 2015 22:03:24
Fellow fans of CFC
It seems to me that there is a growing chasm between the club's supporters. On one side we have the fans who will support anything, noting that by definition at least, that is the job (no more and no less) and then there are others who see their support as a contract of sorts that involves getting something back in return. Whatever side of the fence you are on, I would remind ALL of the following:
FANS will always be the lifeblood of the club because we are the income/revenue generators. As customers, we have the right to buy in and purchase at any level we choose, or equally, to opt out if the product isn't worth making time and money sacrifices over. Staying away and driving change can be as relevant as staying with the team and the board / management.
I for one believe that you can love celtic and point blank refuse to finance bad practice or lack of ambition, or general malaise. It is a 2-way street for me. That does not make one a glory hunter. Far from it. I loved watching Celtic steadily improve (when they weren't winning) and see that improvement manifest in a cup success and then a league success back in the day. It was all the sweeter because it was earned.
At the moment, our stadium is half empty.HALF EMPTY and yet the revenue collapse hasn't been worthy of back page news.
As our revenues slide, across the City, their revenues are building. Their home gates are around 50% higher than our own (in real terms, IE people count) and yet we are gearing up for another title tilt and a sincere go at the domestic treble.
The match-day experience at Celtic Park has become a damp squib and it must be a worrying time for those in the main stand with calculators. They see green seats and the the stay away hoards talk of malaise and lack of ambition, with the Green Brigade caught in the crossfire.
Granted, across the City they have been swept up in a wave of euphoria and promise, but it is a story in its own right. Rangers perhaps looking at sincere re-generation and rejuvenation with Celtic regressing, caused in part by in-fighting and indifference towards domestic success.
The imbalance reversal may create 2 glasgow giants with matched revenue and resource and thus, may be the catalyst Celtic need to get backsides back on seats and the tills clicking again. COMPETITION sells. it motivates. It inspires. It captures the imagination. it means going crazy in the 86th minute when Celtic win over Hamilton to snatch a comeback 2-1 win. If that happened this season, IE a goal in the 86th minute there would be about 10,000 left in the stadium, no one close for a hug or a head scratch, with the rest in Silverburn M&S weighing in to the Dine in for Two deals!
We have all been aware of Celtic's public enemy number 1 (complacency). It isn't Rangers or any other team for that matter. It is ourselves.; inside the club and beyond.
I remember the dark days pre Scottish Cup win over Airdrie when a league championship seemed like the impossible task. Now we have become miserable with our successive titles and countless cups and want to compete on another stratosphere. There is nothing wrong with wanting to dine at the top table, but rich food and wine can be the cause of gout. One should be reminded that the staple diet (domestic dominance) is no bad thing to create the right balance for a healthy existence!
Celtic are at some sort of crossroads now. There is a new craze sweeping the south west of the City and what should have been cannon fodder for a powerful, well funded, well oiled, high quality, easy on the eye Celtic is looking scarier by the week.
But what of us? The fans. When we feel like turning up, we turn up JUST on time and a good 30% start to leave after 75 minutes.
Again, no laws broken but it is quite telling is it not? Thousands missed the Malmo 2nd goal at Celtic Park. Those supporters probably cursed us down London Road and Gallowgate as they jumped in their Range Rovers and BMWs whilst the rest of us didn't know whether to applaud or boo. A huddle in the 75th minute and RD's name being chanted around our magnificent arena, and then question marks over our manager's future 90 minutes later! Welcome to the crazy world of Celtic FC.
ED, if we are A CLUB LIKE NO OTHER we all need to take a rain check and ask ourselves what that actually means. The team's indifferent displays are echoed by the fans' indifferent attitude to domestic duties. Only we can make our season an irrelevance before the end of August.
We should tread carefully. It is a different world, granted. The Kellys and Whites are gone and Sir DM will never be matched for financial stupidity, but we need to ask ourselves the more searching questions.
The relationship between team, fans, management and board is incredibly important. We can be the best and remain the best, but it will take effort on all sides and the contract being re-written
Hail Hail
30 Aug 2015 22:57:45
Paradise won probably my fault but I don't understand what your post is about .
I always thought the Celtic fans rejoiced in our victories and trophies won .
Defeats and titles lost always put us on a downer . We have always had a core support of thirty to thirty five thousand which could increase to near enough sixty thousand when attractive European nights come around . Not much wrong with our support levels and it compares well with all but the very best EPL teams . In fact I would imagine if playing EPL teams we would have fifty plus thousand every week .
I cannot compare with the current circus down Govan way as I don't think there has been much truth or honesty from that temporary club .
31 Aug 2015 07:52:15
The post is about complacency and indifference besieging the club and that being our public enemy number 1. Keep up