Celtic fans demand better on and off the park

“MICHAEL Nicholson shrugged his shoulders.” Unfortunately, that statement is the most noteworthy recent event for Celtic. It came during a meeting between club representatives and supporters, as fan protests were halted by a meeting arranged to provide some answers to the wider support’s most pressing concern.

The minutes, published on Celtic’s own site, certainly showed the Celtic Fans Collective as the more composed participants, but the inclusion of that one line—as the Celtic CEO was pressed on Brendan Rodgers’ approval of signings—has surely set alarm bells ringing.

That the CEO of the club could only muster a shrug of the shoulders as reassurance for concerned supporters suggests he either doesn’t know enough about the current state of the club, or that he doesn’t care enough about the ambitions of supporters to provide a proper answer. Either way it is damning.

For supporters’ concerns to be addressed sufficiently, much more would need to have been offered, but what characterises even a quick glance through the thorough account of the meeting is a lack of accountability and a chasm between what supporters regard as success and the more moderate measurement the Celtic board uses.

Failure dressed as success

While supporters are pushing for Celtic to show serious ambition in Europe, the custodians of the club are happy to regard Europa League group stage football as a success—a position which studiously ignores the fact that Celtic can only enjoy the second tier of European competition if a failure has occurred, either domestically or in qualifying for the Champions League.

The reality for Celtic is that the club are competing in this year’s Europa League because they were not in good enough shape to find a way past Kairat Almaty, and they now look a level or two below what would be required to make a dent in that competition.

Should Celtic manage to get enough points on the board—far from certain at this point—to advance to the next stage of the competition, it is highly debatable if they will have the wherewithal to end Celtic’s decades long losing record in European knockout football.

Even in Celtic’s foray into the third tier Conference League, they were promptly dealt with by Bodø/Glimt—losing home and away to a team who could hardly be described as European giants.

In no way can this be classified as a successful record on the European stage, yet a reading of those minutes provides a clear message for concerned supporters—the Celtic board regards these failures as achievements.

Collective power

Many fans have reacted with frustration to the meeting, calling it a waste of time and predictable impasse as the irresistible force of Celtic fan ambition met the immovable object of an inert Celtic board, but it has shown in black and white, through the agreed minutes, how differently the two sides view what has gone before and what is yet to come.

What has changed now, is that the Celtic support has a coherent vehicle—with widespread backing—through which fans’ concerns can be brought to the table, and a chance to apply some scrutiny to the activities of the club. Now that a meeting has been held, and promises of continued engagement offered, there can be no going back to the old ways.

That is all positive, and despite the glaring issues that supporters can take with the answers offered by Celtic’s representatives in the meeting, the very fact a meeting was held at all shows that there is great potential in fans organising collectively and advocating for shared ambitions.

Lacklustre displays

On the park, meanwhile, Celtic have been gathering points without offering too much to get supporters off their seats. In the league, the club remains unbeaten and—despite the efforts of Hearts to build a credible challenge—clear favourites to lift the title once again. The chaos at their city rivals has only served to strengthen that position.

In Europe, though, two lacklustre showings have generated only a single point from six available.

One thing which could help offer some relief to those inside the club would an improvement in the side’s goalscoring efforts, both in Europe and at home. The football so far this season has been tired and predictable, but the next few weeks offer the perfect opportunity, with big matches against Hearts and Rangers, and European fixtures coming thick and fast. If things click now, it could provide the boost in confidence the players and supporters need to combine in the way which has brought such great trophy hauls over the last decade.

Saying it is much easier than doing it, however, and those fixtures have as much potential to increase the pressure as to relieve it.