I received an email from John Paul Taylor, Celtic’s recently appointed Supporter Relations’ Manager, asking for some help getting the message of his appointment out to the support, and explaining what he is there to do. This, for a guy whose inbox will never be empty, was a refreshingly proactive approach.
Here are the questions I put to John Paul, with his answers below:
So what is the scope of your Supporter Relations remit?
“The role is basically to provide a link between supporters and the Club. Since starting I’ve had a number of issues to deal with including the 5:15 Kick Off, Hearts away and what supporters should do in terms of submitting ticket applications given their current financial plight, supporter behaviour and specifically the Section 111 issue.
“I’ve also travelled to Sweden to provide information and assistance to supporters and officials of If Elfsborg at our UCL Qualifier and more recently I have been working with supporters who have been trying to obtain visas for Kazakhstan. In addition to this I have been working with colleagues relative to Stadium Catering and providing feedback in order that we can assess what happens next, so as you can see a wide and varied range of issues to work on.”
What will you be able to do if supporters come with issues around policing or stewarding?
“These are basically matters which come under the remit of the Operations Director, however there is a responsibility on my part to ensure that they are being addressed. Consequently any issues raised will be discussed and action appropriate action taken.
“Naturally any action has to be consistent and appropriate to the nature of the complaint. The issue of Policing of Celtic Supporters is very much to the fore at the moment and we welcome feedback and specific examples of inappropriate or unfair treatment.”
There are tens of thousands of contacts between supporters and the club, between getting entry to the ground, to buying a cola to using the toilets. Lots of these interactions don’t hit the mark, if you are successful in getting things done, you know it’s only a matter of time before you’re swamped, unless the supporter experience reaches legendary levels?
“I think this is a good point, however I think in the main supporters are generally satisfied with their match day experience. Quite clearly though there are some things that we could do better, equally there will be times where we just get it wrong. This is where the service aspect of my role comes into play and I would ask that on such occasions, supporters make me aware in order that we can provide a swift resolution through the relevant Departments.
“That is a particularly challenging aspect to the role but I believe that we are putting processes in place which are helping us turn around our complaint handling very quickly.”
Are there limits to what you can talk to fans about?
“Football and Finance are really areas where I can’t offer any real assistance. Although, like almost every football fan in the world I would consider myself to be a football expert its one area that there are people more qualified than me to speak about these things when it comes to Club matters “
Have the club established a route for you to get things done?
“I think because this is an entirely new role we are working on a ‘let’s see how it develops’ basis. Naturally I have KPI’s and specific projects that I need to complete but I am working for a lot of the time on my own initiative and providing feedback on the key issues of the day so it’s important to keep a handle on everything that’s going on with the support and what the main topics are.
“I think being close to supporters and having a wide circle of friends and family who are supporters is a real benefit in this respect.”
Final question, who are we going to sign?
“Ha, see the answer to question 4!!!”
I made the point to John Paul that if CQN is anything to go by, in many areas, satisfying one group of supporters is almost certainly going to compromise relations with another – the nature of a divergent club, open and tolerant of all from inception, perhaps, so this is not an easy shift.
That being said, news today suggests he’s off to a good start, which as Mo Bangura will tell you, is half the battle at Celtic.
CELTIC PAY THE PENALTY
I’m sure your mind has already cast ahead to Wednesday night. We will have plenty of possession inside the Shakhter box, which will increase the likelihood of being awarded a penalty kick.
Failure to properly prepare for penalty kicks has cost this football club more than I am prepared to recall in recent seasons, so we must be aware of the following:
There is a high probability we will be awarded a penalty.
Shakhter will know that Kris Commons is likely to hit any penalty.
Shakhter will know that Kris hit his last penalty straight down the middle.
We should prepare not just for a penalty kick competition, but for penalties during normal time.
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I read the quotes Onlooker. Thanks. It looks like Derk won’t be playing on Wednesday.
Does this site have moderators?
Cult movie fans, Filmfour has the jaw dropping ‘El Topo’ on tomorrow night. This is a work of utter bampottery.
Podcast fans, you have to listen to Desert island tims. There are some terrific life stories.
Summa you are AN excellent poster, well you knew I’d say that, didn’t you? :))
It is a real shame the get together at the end of September wullnae huv the fantastic Supporters from far away lands.
tonydonnelly67:
Haha. Mate, it’s been a long and stressful week. I came on here for a bit of light reading, not to get dragged into a debate.
This is one of the reasons I’m not on here as much. Conversations like that one. Before I know what’s happened, I’ve written War & Peace, eight hours have passed and not a sodding other thing has been done.
Retiring for the night.
All the best to all of you, and I’m looking forward to the game tomorrow!
A stir mo chroi:
Because you wouldn’t say your club doesn’t give a toss about them. If you treat them with such disdain that they are ammo for your attack on Celtic then it’s you that doesn’t give a toss about them.
Ah Believe that…
Some Guys are simply… Injury Prone.
And
Some Guys are Injury .. well… Un-Prone.
Noo, Ah am no talkin aboot . Serious Injuries,here..
No..
Ah am talkin’ aboot..well… The Run of the Mill… Thigh Strain, Dead Leg, Calf Strain, Back Strain,Pulled Muscle… Types..
And those are the Mair Prevalent Kinds.
Some Guys jist are no cut oot tae run aboot fur Ninety Minutes, without
Pickin up wan of The Above.
Heck… That’s Life.
They should hiv picked anither Kind of Joab..
wan,where they wid Nevan need tae.. run aboot a Field .. Fur Ninety Minutes,chasing a Fitba’
like a ..well.. Light- Hoose Keeper..
Maks sense tae Me.
Kojo
Still, Laughin’
canajunbhoy
16:35 on 23 August, 2013
Wonder if there should be a haggis slaughter ritual before the Shakhter game?
60,000 haggis suppers being consumed before kick-off should do it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Maybe we could sponsor them to run round the stands-widdershins,of course.
Their shorter left legs would render running in the opposite direction dangerous in the vicinity of a fan who had just sampled CP catering.
canamalar prays Oscar can do it again
16:48 on
23 August, 2013
Me too. Half the time I don’t even believe the nonsense I right, it’s just to present an opposing point of view and get the ‘opposition’ to properly make their point.
:)
Cadizzy
Has anybody heard from the excellent CQN ‘er Summa of Sammi?
Strangely I was also about to enquire as to the well being of excellent CQNer Summa of Sammi?
A Stor Mo Chroi
I really admire the way you post even if I dont always agree with your points. I guess it would be an odd world if we always agreed with each other.
I do agree Celtic is very different, in many ways, to the one we both had the pleasure of supporting in the 60s and 70s and 80s even for that matter.
But the micro and macro environments in which it operates are also hugely different too. Whether it is the ‘greed is good’ Thatcher inspired culture, or the ‘global sports environment’ or the ‘big getting bigger’ or the TV domination of the game, or the ‘all seated stadia’ or the introduction of ‘leverage’, or the banking / Murray led ‘boom bust’ dynamic in the Scottish game, the growth of new counties, the Eurpean Super Rich Leagues, the EPL phenomenon etc etc.
The sad thing is our custodians post BQ have pursued a path of fiscal pragmatism, in the main, as our closest rivals ‘vanity’ has driven them to try to ‘spend to achieve and impossible dream’ from the base market in which we operate in a wee nation of 5 million.
There is a false cap imposed on clubs from countries such as ourselves and sadly our board has not done enough to change or address that dynamic. We had a position of strength to work from in 2004, sadly this is no more.
Rivalry is critical in any sport in order to have long term ‘box office’. We no longer have that domestically. We can, at best, seek to be competitive on a European scale but we are not an attractive proposition for any established players or agents. Our leadership failure is not in not spending £5m or £6m or whatever ransom might be asked for a player who really does not want to come to us (4th teir football), it is in not having spent the right £2m or £3m on a couple more ‘Balde’ or ‘Wanyama’ signings a year ago which might now be baring fruit as they become 1st team regulars.
The option of paying ‘over the odds’ for talent not motivated to perform for us really has no appeal to me though. Although I get that folk seem to have a strange view that signing anyone for £5m would excite our ‘need for a hero’ supporters.
Yes we are watching a different club, in a different stadium and surrounded, in many cases, by a different social class of people, than we were 30 years ago. We are doing it in a different world I am afraid……I guess we can either accept that or watch the old sepia tinged footage of a bygone era…….
.
Cadizzy..
Oops..Meant to Add..
It has to be a Excellent CQNer that Says it..-((((((
Summa
Having watched McCoist wave his list etc …… how long before Charles Green declares that Ally is an embarrassment to the club?
Hebcelt – no point in complaining to Celtic – they dont listen. I just wont buy tickets any more.
As for the £50M I said income – not profit.
JF,
I disagree the public route is cowardly, I believe secret messages are the cowardly route but that’s just my opinion.
I also disagree with A Stors dig we all have days like this at least that’s what my mama always told me.
Must be his time of the month:o) it was mine last night
TnT
I will say that you’re an excellent CQNer if you say that I am too. Neither of us has to believe it. Just like that endorsement rubbish on linkedin where people say that their work colleagues are great at their jobs.
Twitter.
Why is it every time Rangers break the rules, it’s the rules that have to be looked at?
Modren banking / Murray led ‘boom bust’ dynamic in the Scottish game is rubbish.
DBBIA/GordonOttershawCSC
Cadizzy
Not only are you an excellent CQNer, you are my most favourite CQNer of all time. If this blog was the Lisbon lions…you’d be jinky!
Weeminger,
I know that, I’ve enjoyed watching you do 180 on arguments over a couple of weeks, debate is magic we all love it, it’s what keeps brining us back.
Hail Hail
So big Dek is unlikely to be fit for Wednesday I hope this is a one off and he is not living up to his nick name of sick note in Holland. This means we are likely to go with Sammi on the left and wee Jamsie on the right I feel the wee man owes us a match winning performance as in my opinion he has been poor for a while.I also hope Stokes will be fit for he is the one most likely to score the goals we need.Wednesdays game wont be easy we need as many fit players as possible if we are to overturn our deficit and progress into the CL proper. H.H.
hen1rik
to give them the benefit of the doubt, they have never looked at the rules before they broke them.
Alistair admitted as much yesterday that he didn’t know the rules on betting so it’s safe to assume that they didn’t know that you had to declare all salaries in contracts or are not really supposed to cheat your way to umpteen titles.
@Gourock 15.47
Sad news about the wee man,a rare talent ,had the pleasure of performing with him in the 90’s he could hold a crowd spellbound with his poetic tales. R.I.P.
glass raised.
Wee Alistair doesn’t kno much
His parents would have done better to send him to a Kfflick school.
burnley78
A good post but no excuse for us consolidating our club firmly in the Old Firm domain and ostracising using various methods those of us that want nothing to do with them. Why dont they buy Rangers and leave us alone. I think they are ready made for the huns. They would do what they are best at. No need for pretence from them and we can get our club back to where it should be.
HH
A Kfflick school is usually found in Bloemfontein or Pretoria.
So if Forrest has had sciatica seatica a sore back for 10 months, why has he been keeping a fit player out, copulating disgrace. Lenny finger out or get out, take your favs to dinner stop imposing them on us.
Off topic
I’d just like to say that twists n turns is only an excellent CQNer because there isn’t a more magnificent word than “excellent” to describe him. If this blog was “Heavy breestit wummin” he’d be Christina Hendricks
EndorsementCSC
glendalystonsils-5/2 a penalty in the Sevco game,like El Madrigal i couldn’t see red card markets for our game HH
Joe Filippi’s Haircut
Yes..Ah hiv hoid the same thing.. aboot.. The Flying Dutchman , being..
Possibly…. Ah said..Possibly, Mind Ye!
Wan of the They Guys Ah wiz jist Talkin’ Aboot..
Ye know,,
The Guys who are Jist… Injury..well.. Prone!
It wid behove Pierre and Company, tae check up Oan a Player’s Past Injury Record.
If it shows that He is wan o’ …”THEM”..
Pierre, should fold His Tent..and Depart from the Scene.
Ah hope ,The Flying Dutchman is No wan o’ “THEM”
Hmmmmmmmmmmmm..
Kojo
Still,Laughin
Bada…,
Any others at all ?
Cadizzy
You have not see him with a perm flares and platform shoes (boats) and a skinny rib jumper. You might change yer mind
TwistsCSC
Summa a more excellent cqner Mags Mc Gill apart I have never read.
HH
As someone said on here last night, Fat Ally getting mixed up wi BETs & EBTs c’mon it’s an easy mistake, cut the guy some slack ;)
Morrisey23
Once you have sh## yerself ať 5000 feet and landed safely. I will buy you a present next time I’m over. A qaulity Geeeeeetarr my bhoy. As I am paying. I am picking ….as in choosing. ;-)
Well done. Your a good lad.
Never to old to learn CSC
HH
Awe Naw, was it a tank top? Was that him dancing on TOTP behind David Bowie the first time he was on doing “Starman”? That poor boy holds the record for the most aired “most embarrassing moments”
A finer dancer I have very often seen.
turkeybhoy
14:52 on 23 August, 2013
I know where you are coming from but do you think the squad we have is good enough to beat SK over two legs?
If so, then why the major panic over signings for this qualifier?
James Forrest:
I have not a clue what you are talking about, no mater how simply you put it. I don’t do face book, what I was referring to is what you wrote on here. You were callous and hateful, but in your defence if that is the appropriate word, you were not the only one.
Now I thought at the end of your initial post you said you were not going to converse with me because I was something or another although you agreed with everything I said or something like that.
Now if you want to cross swords… my knees are knockin’.
Fantasy Football!
You have until 11.30 this weekend to prepare your team; you are allowed 1 free transfer for an injured, suspended or downright rubbish player!
I foolishly had Bale in from the start, with him injured and probably in Spain for the weekend a certain Frank Lampard finds himself with the big boys of team Patrick27……
As for Celtic, predict 3-1 at the weekend, with Balde scoring twice considering he’s likely to start. If he scores, I think he plays Wednesday from the off
HH
P27
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS:
Do me a favour mate, If somebody has a dig at me, I’m quite happy to go it alone.
Dontbrattbakkinanger
17:19 on 23 August, 2013
“A Kfflick school is usually found in Bloemfontein or Pretoria.”
Orange Free State?