The Scotsman did an interesting article today on the fact that recent attendances at Celtic Park have fallen well short of the circa 46,000 paid for tickets, the majority of which are season tickets. It touches on several issues.
Suggestions that a league in which Celtic inevitably process to the title is less attractive to the spectating public than a league with a competitive challenge is not a surprise. It would be bizarre otherwise.
Still, many Celtic fans continue to support the club for a whole variety of reasons: we want to see it prosper, we enjoy going to games with our family and friends, and, unsurprisingly, we enjoy watching football.
Anyone who doubted that attendances would soften after Rangers were liquidated should have widened their survey sample. For most of us, this was a welcome change. The joys of beating Rangers were undeniable, but most of us have a deeper relationship with Celtic.
The Scotsman predict that in the event there was never a “team called Rangers in the top flight” Celtic would endure some serious downsizing. If we remained within the confines of Scottish league football this is undeniably true. So what? There would be little competition, less income, fewer signings and more promotion from the youth team.
In this scenario there would inevitably be fewer Champions League nights too, but in the big scheme of things, would we want it any other way? Of course not. Celtic will be there, in sunshine or in shadow, playing football and paying their bills. I’d sign up for this right now.
There is, of course, the question of how welcome our continued presence in Scottish football would be with the prospect of not just winning 10-in-a-row, which I hear our favourite Sevconian, Ally McCoist, is now discussing as a possibility, but the realisation that 10 would soon become 20, or 30-in-a-row.
All Celtic can do is continue to win football matches, pay their bills and see off all challengers. The game here is irrevocably broken; the consequences of this will continue to emerge in the months and years to come. All we know for sure is that Celtic will prevail, no matter which scenario plays out.
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Cork Celt give barely missed a game in 90s the football was a million times more dreadful an bar one season very few games were must win. We didn’t compete with rangers, sometimes we weren’t even 2nd.
Same faces went every wk. I went every wk til few yrs ago when became unemployed shortly b4 first child arrived. I invest my soul in Celtic but alas do not make the amount of games i wud like. Has nothin to do with demise of the tax dodgers across the city.
benny bheula,
Did not realize that Fisher was ill.
Maybe a bad example.
However the point is still the same- Lenny’s boys get in no matter what, and that is has a significant contribution to the falling gates.
MON was the same in his last season – too familiar with the same old same old.
Personally I don’t give a monkey’s if we go undefeated – I’d rather develop the squad.
Part of the fun on the drive to the game is picking the team with my son and Dad. Unfortunately that is no longer a challenge.
Let’s be honest – Balde and Atajic would need to score more that the current 1 up deal. Is that really going to get the fans back ?
Seville67
For me it’s not about the current standard of football. We could have 11 skillful brazillians in the hoops but still playing in this bent set up then where’s the joy? In my opinion the number one reason for a demotivated Celtic support Is simple. A corrupt league! We all felt it over the years but it’s now been confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt. Until apologies are aired and the SFA are cleansed from top to bottom then what we are watching is not sport. Sevco seem to currently hold many world records. Most red cards for their opponents and most pens awarded to a team in a season. With the recent news of Dougie Dougie’s return, we’ll soon be seing similar records broken in the SPHell! The sickening thing is sitting here as an individual Celtic supporter, I see no real prospect of this changing anytime soon.
Who wants to watch a product like that?
HH!
clashcitybhoy
16:05 on 30 December, 2013
Good post.
ryecatcher
17:07 on
30 December, 2013
Hrvatski jim…..
Unfortunately,most world class journalists pay with their lives eventually.
——-
OK – I’ll settle for someone who researches and reports the full extent of a story. Is this too much to ask?
Bourne
Celtic were always going to suffer for their liquidation.
In its immediate aftermath, you had their fans and reporters alike saying we needed a strong team to stop Celtic running away with the league year on year, having more money to spend on players etc.
The irony was lost on them – they wanted a safety measure against us doing exactly what they thought they were entitled to do, indeed used EBTs to enhance – only our books were square.
No one was bemoaning Scottish Football when they were in the ascendancy! There were no cries for a fairer and more open league – they were too busy fawning over articles about Jardel’s wife or Eileen Catterson.
And over and above all that gash – the little spoken fact remains that they burst Scottish Football (A game they had in their pockets anyway!), whilst bursting themselves.
And I think how the Footballing Authorities responded to their morass, took the heart from a lot of supporters, it did me.
So attendances will shrink and belts will be tightened accordingly and Celtic will endure, but the high tide mark will be if (When) that mob get back in the SPFL and how our club responds.
That could be a heartbreaker and a point that our club’s stewards severely underestimate.
That clock is ticking away…
U
overseasbhoy
16:48 on
30 December, 2013
I’d like to see the games back – the players seem to want it too.
—————————————————–
Easy to see why you are oversea then, where you here when they done their 9 in a row and lorded over us? I was, and never want to see them again. Happy going to CP with my family Hun Free…..
We dont need No Stinkin Huns
HH
WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED.
Dontbrattbakkinanger,
I love a monumental sporting contest, sadly this series has been a damp squib.
Australia have really got even after the dodgy calls they had against them in the Summer.
I wanted England to win the series initially, now I would like the Aussies to win 5-0, they deserve it.
Being rigid in thinking is easy pickings for societal engineers.
Junglism
I dae appreciate yer not likely to get the olde Drum n Bass, well who knows.
HH
I cannot understand some of our supporters.
When Rangers existed we had the constant calls to “speculate to accumulate”, after they’re unlamented passing they had to find a new angle. Sevco come along and then we have Celtic accused of collusion to fast track them into the SPL, the fact that only one team abstains in the vote and the other 10 vote no is conveniently ignored as it was “fan power” which forced them into it”.
Last year we had a fantastic run in Europe punched well above our weight, finally got our away group stage win and beat Barcelona. Were they happy? Hell no. We only had 25% possession, that’s just not on. We now move on to Gary Hooper and Victor Wanyama. There was no deal Celtic could have offered either player which would have kept them at Celtic. They had chosen to leave and we had no say in the matter. We then go full circle and have the board castigated for not “speculating” with the cash to have a proper go at the Champions League, how our one CL quality player was going to beat Barcelona’s eleven on the pitch was never properly explained. There is no denying we did not do ourselves justice this year in Europe but we did better than some pot 4 teams and not as well as others, no disgrace there in my opinion.
This season we have had some cracking own goals from club and supporters alike. We also have the absurd notion that Celtic are deliberately driving paying customers away from supporting the team to suit the sanitised apolitical agenda of the grasping capitalistic board. Economic lunacy like that is hard to imagine in men like Dermot Desmond etc who like making money not losing it.
Now we have the standard of football cited as a reason for low attendances, matches at inconvenient times in the run up to Christmas or storms discouraging travel have no effect obviously, I have had my season ticket since the Hampden season and can assure you not every game was a swashbuckling 5-0 thumping. We had some but we had as many, if not more, scrappy, come from behind, last minute wins.
Sorry for the ramble but I used to love this blog for its humour, intelligent debate and all around decency, now it has lost most of its appeal. The constant negativity is depressing and I dread coming on now to read how even our wins are not good enough.
Not being a regular poster I cannot even flounce off as no one would notice :-)
That was my immediate response to your article, Paul67.
Of course, Celtic will always be playing if we have a league to play in.
Greenpinta-i would give up European football for a few years ,and start at a lower tier English league now.
ryecatcher 17:07 on 30 December, 2013
Hrvatski jim….. Unfortunately,most world class journalists pay with their lives eventually……..
ryecatcher, you’re not being flippant, I hope……………. FYI, 76 journalists have been killed/murdered in the Philippines in the last 20 years……….
TBM
TBB,
Numbers again?
Sadly the only positive numbers I see in youth development are those from the companies who make the daft wee plastic cones, which are the be all and end all of youth development
Celtic will always prevail because of Celtic supporters and NOT any NEW FIRM!
Do you remember the Kentucky Fried Movie back in the late 70s?
This is my take on the huns .. they’re deid .. we know it, they know it.
They can dance round the body all they like .. even when its sitting face down in its dinner .. but the fact remains .. their club did not pay their debts and died.
Whoever this team that play in blue at Ibrox are .. they are a new team.
Whenever they come to play us, I’ll support the Celtic just like always.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kXl8LyD_JA
In the past year over 800,000 Rangers fans have lied.
Despite millions of pounds of legalities, debt continues to be Rangers main killer.
Hello, I’m Alastair McMoist speaking to you on behalf of the United Appeal For The Huns.
Although, so far, there is no known treatment for debts crippling effects, still everyone can equate themselves with the early warning signs of death
1 – Administration
2 – Liquidation
3 – Occaisoinal Whitaboutry.
Its also important to know what to do when you die
1 – Do not attempt to play football
2 – Do not operate as a football club
3 – Do not sign poisonous songs
You’re past contributions to this cause have already been absolutely worthless .. many Celtic fans have laughed at your uselesness
Right now I’d like you to meet The Hillbillies ..
2 years ago our Rangers died, but then we discovered The United Appeal For Huns, they showed us that despite Rangers handicap, they could still be a useless member of the family and the community.
Our United Appeal For The Huns case-worker showed us that the absence of life from the CLUB didn’t have to mean their absence from our daily lifes.
We realised the constant joy that could be ours as we could pretend he was still in our daily activitites.
The United Appeal For The Huns has turned misery into happiness, we have them to thank for our families togetherness.
This is Alastair McMoist saying please give generously when debt kills your club!.
Emerald bee
I free with a lot of what you say with regard to other SPL sides
I would not be bored with winning the league by Christmas every year if we were seeing some decent football.
NL makes a big deal of our unbeaten record but frankly the last two performances have been turgid to watch.
A theme that CQN readers have often touched on is “bang for our buck”
When we consider our turnover and overheads and individual and collective superiority on/off the park, can anyone reasonably argue this is reflected in what we’ve seen recently? (Apart from the two displayed at mwell and hearts)
I do not think that our undoubted superiority is reflected in performances and NL is kidding himself on if he thinks the vast majority of the support will be enthused by such performances on the basis we remain unbeaten.
As far as the forward positions are concerned, IMO this is the time to say to the likes of Balde that he is getting 10 consecutive games to see if he has what it takes. Atajic will only improve further if he is pushed to the next level and there is no obvious sign of that happening in the near future either.
I am able to recall that 4 years ago there were many here howling for the removal of GS because the football in offer was dreadful. It was no worse that what is in offer now.
Eileen Catterson ?!
Thebarcamole…
I was being deadly serious mate….
Sorry if you read this as flippant,it was never my intention.
Lets put to bed this unbeaten record jibber jabber. Yes in the SPL, however, Celtic have been beaten by some European giants this season..Barcelona, AC Milan, Morton and Ajax.
The doctors looking after Michael Schumacher are being very guarded about the likely outcome.
Eurochamps67
There are so many good posts on the state of affairs
including your own this morning ,it’s hard to keep up.
But when corruption pervades the air, and it does in
Scotland, some Celtic fans, have had it.
A lot of them don’t know why they’re turned off themselves
and blame it on this that and the next thing, but it’s the carry
on regardless nature of CFC that in itself, is damaging active
participation.
Long trousers at New Year is just not flair.
ryecatcher 17:26 on 30 December, 2013
Thebarcamole…
I was being deadly serious mate….
Sorry if you read this as flippant,it was never my intention…………………
Fair play to you then ryecatcher; no apology needed. It’s an issue that means something to me personally, and I tend to get a wee bit bent out of shape when I hear some people talking about so and so as being ‘a brave journalist’…………FFS, have even heard H. Keevins being referred to as such……….
Cheers.
Regards & Hail Hail
TBM
Owen – actually, today there have been some excellent posts on CQN of which yours was one. It has made for good reading this afternoon. There’s hope for the ole blog yet!
Dickseybhoy69
If you’re, awe the best for the New Year to you , your family and friends…..Hail hail
Petec
Hiya,pally…?
Nice tae greet ye,again.
Thanks fur the enquiry.
Awe Ma ..Nears n No Nears,,tae.. are in the Pink.
… As Ah hope Your ain wans,ur…tae.
Ah expect Celtic,hiv ..by noo.. decided, tae ..Cross the Rubicon..n sign oor visiting…Japanese Tourist.
collie, reports… that.
The Cousins..hiv told him… that….
If we Sign this Guy.. Yamada… He wull maka da Fans.. ALOATA.. Glada!.
Fur the Guys ,whom we hiv… They… Maka Da Fans.. ALOATA… SADA!
Yamada, seems tae be a “Heady , Type”.. Big Change! Fur Us!
When hid we last ..in oor Engine Room…a Guy wi Guile?
Lubo.. That wiz the Last wan..
Haud the Phone.. Waita minute!
Naka, wiz pretty, “Heady”.. WIzn’t he?
He wiz..
So.. Anywey…
Ah hope that Neil.. is as Impressed wi the Lad , as the Three Cousins wur..N .. He signs, Yamada.
We need ,a Guy, who knows the wey tae the Cross.
Although…The Wans who Populate oor Mid-Field… noo..
Also..Know…. the “way tae the Cross”..
But, Ah am too Feart tak the Risk, tae
let them Go There, By Themsels…
Fur..
They wid Get Loast…oan the Wey… Back!
Howevahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…
Noo..when Ah think aboot it..
That’s No Such a Bad Idea!
NIce chattin’ ,Pally..
Kojo
Still,Laughin’
Season Ticket holders are reminded that the club will be providing a free bus service for supporters to make the journey to Celtic Park on New Year’s Day for the Glasgow Derby against Partick Thistle.
Around the greater Glasgow area, several buses have been hired by the club, departing at 1:15pm from the following points:
– Cumbernauld (Town Centre at Shopping Centre, Central Way, Westbound Carriageway).
– Baillieston (Glasgow Road Westbound at Iceland).
– Castlemilk (Castlemilk Shopping Centre, Castlemilk Drive, Northbound direction).
– Victoria Rd (Victoria Road, Northbound, at LIDL).
– Cambuslang (Hamilton Road, between Westburn Road & Clydeford Road, Westbound).
– Clydebank (Clydebank Bus Station, Chalmers Street).
– Partick (Dumbarton Road close to Kelvinhall Subway Station, between Mansfield Street and Subway Station).
– City Centre, Buchanan Bus Station (Buchanan Bus Station, Stance 25, Tour Stance area).
Supporters accessing this special bus service will be able to use the same buses to return home to the same pick-up points after the match.
Each Bus, operated by First Group, will follow a single route to Celtic Park. However, the bus should be available exclusively to fans travelling to the match only.
This service is available to fans from both Celtic and Partick Thistle with no charge for transport to and from the game.
Full details of the service can be found here
Season Ticket holders still have until 3pm tomorrow (December 31) to claim their Christmas Gift of TWO FREE TICKETS for the Glasgow derby against Partick Thistle at Celtic Park on Wednesday, January 1, 2014 (KO: 3pm).
If you’ve not yet claimed your free Christmas present, download the form here, fill it in, and then visiting the Ticket Office to pick up your tickets.
Alternatively our staff can provide you with a form at the Ticket Office when you visit.
The Ticket Office opens from 9:30am – 3pm on Tuesday, December 31, and the opening hours over the remainder of the festive period can be found here
Tickets are subject to availability and will be issued on a first come, first served basis.
Watching Star Wars just now with Evil Emperor about to be destroyed ….did anyone buy his history?
Jediknightscsc
margaret mcgill
17:28 on 30 December, 2013
Keep up with us, darling……we’re talking SPFL…..the bhuns choose not to recognise this….
Couple of wee questions.
(1) Anybody know what McCoist did say about us?
(2) It has been suggested once again that we seek admission to the lower tier of the English League; would CQNers be happy with this. (I would be.)
parkheadcumsalford who is supporting the amsterdam 5
17:38 on 30 December, 2013
I would be VERY happy with this….
CCB
Good point, but you mustn’t underestimate the impact of a full set of bibs, pref 4 colours per set.
Oh, and a rope ladder. Gotta have a rope ladder. Stepping hurdles optional tho.
After the so called ” shame game” Alex Salmond called a summit at which a Joint Action Group consisting of Rangers, Celtic, football authorities, government and the police.
It is astonishing how often JAG emphasised the need to cement and expand joint Old Firm initiatives.
It is as if in 2011 the establishment knew themselves was doomed and wanted to make their departure unthinkable, which is just about what Salmond said when news of their imminent demise broke.
They are like the Norwegian Blue; deid!
For we only know that there’s gonna be a show (maybe not as good as we would wish) and the Glasgow Celtic will be there.
PCS-Just posted same ,i would
TBB,
Is that your 2014 investment portfolio tips?
When there is a gold rush, the smart invest in those making spades
uly @ 17.13 ☆;:*:;☆;:*:;☆;:*:;☆;:*:;☆
Not a word of that, with which I would disagree.
One of their dying slogans was that “they’d take the rest of us with them”
We have an assumption from high impeccable sources the Celtic silence
will not be broken, presently, or in future.
I think the single silence factor, added to the confirmation that they were
officially corrupt is the biggest turn off.
The Sevco phantom controls the old media and the only time liquidation
wasn’t liquidation was when they went under.
Celtic need clever people to chart the way forward, and I don’t mean clever
as in free buses for the Glasgow derby, on new years day.
Petec
One of my favourite places in the world is Loch Humphrey. To walk, no fish. Will probably be there on Wed morning before the Jags game, but maybe The Saltings, weather dependent. Love your Fenian’s of the Rock song.
ParkheadCS
Sally was at 8s and 13s trying to speak and think at the same time.
… he wants to stop us getting to 9 or 10 in a row and obviously they might not be able to compete right away, although them having the amount of season ticket holders that they do means that some people might think they should be competing at ‘that’ level right away, and they would like to be competing at that level right away and they have every intention of doing so, although money constraints mean they might not be able, although they will try to, even though they might not, but then again they might and they should be…
And so on in a continuous Moebius loop to infinity and beyond…
U