29 Jul 2026 17:58:45
The whole statement from Celtic F. C. reads like classic corporate PR. Lots of words, very little substance.
The first thing that stands out is that there's no real accountability. They admit there was "work to be done" on supporter engagement, but they never explain why we got to this point in the first place. It wasn't an accident. Fans have been raising the same concerns for years and were largely ignored until the pressure became impossible to dismiss.
The solution they've come up with? Another executive role and another fan forum.
A Head of Supporter Engagement sounds impressive on paper, but why should supporters need another middleman? If the board genuinely wanted to engage with fans, they could have done that already. Appointing another employee doesn't fix the fact that the people making the decisions have been largely absent when supporters wanted answers.
Then there's Celtic Connect. Again, plenty of buzzwords like "input", "engagement" and "collaboration", but nowhere does it say supporters will actually influence decisions. There's no commitment to publish minutes, explain why suggestions are accepted or rejected, or hold the board accountable. It sounds like consultation without any obligation to listen.
What's most telling is everything they don't mention.
Last season wasn't just about communication. Supporters were frustrated by recruitment, a lack of ambition in the transfer market, ongoing European failings, ticket pricing, fan treatment and the general feeling that the club only reacted once criticism became too loud to ignore. None of that is addressed here. Instead we're told about "digital transformation" as if better emails or a new app were ever the issue.
Brian Wilson quotes Jock Stein saying "Football without fans is nothing", which everyone agrees with. But if that's really the philosophy, why did it take so much supporter unrest before the club suddenly decided engagement mattered?
The statement also congratulates itself by saying there's already "a lot of good work" being done with supporter groups. If that engagement was working so well, why was there such widespread dissatisfaction in the first place? You can't claim the existing system is effective while simultaneously admitting it needs overhauled.
The biggest problem is that this changes the process, not the culture. Fans haven't been crying out for another committee. They've been asking for transparency, accountability and a board that listens before problems escalate rather than after.
There's also nothing measurable here. No timelines, no commitments, no reporting back to supporters and no way of judging whether any of this has actually made a difference six or twelve months down the line.
Trust isn't rebuilt by creating a new job title or another discussion group. It's rebuilt by actions. Better communication is welcome, but it's meaningless if the same decisions are made behind closed doors and supporters are simply informed afterwards.
Until the board shows that supporter views genuinely influence decisions, this feels less like meaningful reform and more like a well-written corporate exercise designed to ease criticism without addressing the reasons supporters lost trust in the first place.
29 Jul 2026 19:35:58
??As soon as I read the email about supporter engagement I knew weenie would be typing a story?.
29 Jul 2026 21:11:31
We are becoming statement fc a bit, need some actual actions, need some people in there who can get something done. Statement reads fine, the more words there is the more there is to hold them accountable for.
29 Jul 2026 21:37:18
It's a lot of crap. The board will control it. They don't give a feck about fans!
29 Jul 2026 23:20:09
Didn't want to disappoint you steff. ?
Agreed, they don't care one iota about us.
30 Jul 2026 09:22:17
They have done nada to allow the support to put any trust or faith in them and a few token signings changes nothing. For most fans, everything they do going forwards is viewed with suspicion. There is no route back. Nothing they have done over the last few years, and that’s being generous, suggests they give a toss about the people who ultimately fund this operation.
Their silence speak volumes for the utter contempt in which they hold the lifeblood of this club.
Vive la collective.
30 Jul 2026 10:51:20
@Chas - I mentioned this earlier in the summer. Anyone expecting things to be different should prepare to be disappointed. The board is still the same, the person driving the bus is still the same, and the strategy appears unchanged. So far, I've seen nothing to suggest they're prepared to take supporters' concerns seriously.
I also said in another post that I'm concerned they're laying the groundwork for a confrontation with the ultras. My fear is that they'll take a heavy-handed approach, hoping to provoke a reaction, and then use that as justification for banning them. If that happens, I expect they'll try to marginalise the ultras and persuade other supporters to turn against them.
That would only recreate the divisions we saw last season and deepen the rift between the support and the board. I think they're badly misreading the mood of many fans, a lot of whom would sooner back the ultras than back the board.