There’s a couple of reasons why It’s a real pity and a damned shame that the Sevco board took a disastrous decision to cut Celtic’s allocation at Ibrox.
First this isn’t a footballing call; it’s purely a business one of Mr Magoo proportions.
But really, it’s about the picture at the top of the piece.
That’s what they really don’t like.
The late, great Jock Stein famously said: “Football is nothing without fans”.
I’ve not set foot in Ibrox for many years and can recall when we got the Enclosure, the full Broomloan and some of the Govan. I have good and bad memories but I point blank refuse to pay £50 for the “privilege”.
But there are tens of thousands who would. And it’s them I feel for.
These are guys who live and breathe Celtic and spend most of their hard-earned cash on them.
Home and away; faithful through and through.
They are the lifeblood of the game and many of the other clubs in Scotland exploit this fact. This isn’t confined to Celtic of course. There are Bluenoses who do the same; their twice annual journey has now been halted at Dalmarnock Station.
They, too, have been thrown under the train by their masters.
With this decision it’s even more unlikely that I will ever visit Ibrox again, but that’s my choice. This decision has left the consumer without any.
It’s Willy Wonka time now. Tickets for these showdowns are now gold dust.
Things have change dramatically since Sevco crawled out of the grave.
Their fans have galvanized greatly and they are undoubtedly the word record holders for the Third Tier In Football Attendance Trophy, should said trophy exist. I’m sure UEFA will confirm this. My fears would be the ASA won’t. One thing is for sure, some of them fill the ground out of sheer blind loyalty and not for the quality of football on show. For others, as ever, this is All About The Celtic. They drag themselves there to make a point. They don’t want the embarrassment of empty seats at a stadium that holds 8,000 less than Celtic Park.
If you didn’t already know, yesterday confirmed it; this is definitely season ticket renewal time at Ibrox. The charade of statements and empty promises will be heralded by a stadium full of Gullibilly’s with Pied Piper King leading the way.
We’ve had the Warburton Revolution but the former city trader failed to pull anything from his Magic Hat. Then the bold Pedro stormed into town on his white charger only to exit on a donkey with its tail between its legs. The new Messiah, Gerrard, we’re told will wrestle the SPFL from Celtic’s tight grip. This will indubitably end in tears for the Scouser, with Brendan Rodgers taking a treble of scalps. Gerrard has no management experience to speak of, and his squad finished third. Now, magically, they’re all-conquering, swashbuckling Glasgow Galacticos?
Wake up. Smell the coffee.
An extra three to three and half million isn’t going to take the title away from the Hoops. Celtic is spending more on lights at Paradise. Celtic will spend in the summer whilst offloading players who could get a game right away over on the Southside.
Many Sevco fans see this as an “off-field” victory.
Through their sheer blind, bigoted hatred they want Celtic expelled completely from the “Old Lady”. They don’t want our fans goading their goalie for 45 minutes but they want to goad ours for 90 minutes; apparently it’s a “sporting advantage”.
Many refer to this decision as “it’s ma baw and yer no’ playin'”.
Fine – Celtic just took the baw aff thum.
If it is a victory, then it’s a hollow one.
These games are about the atmosphere and this has been diluted by short-term thinking and possibly financial gain. There are Sevco fans who love going to Celtic Park to support their team; I should know. My season ticket is the last section before the divide. That will now sadly disappear as Celtic struck back. I used to love it; 0you are within shouting distance and in full view. That, too, is gone. But Celtic were left with no choice. If it were up to the Parkhead board I’m damned sure they’d have stuck with the status quo. Sevco fans fawn over King and speak of dignity. This has been done for no other reasons but spite and greed.
Yet King has played a blinder here. He’s hoodwinked his own fans into believing that he’s repaying their loyalty whilst dipping their pockets at the same time. It’s a gamble, and a brazen one at that but this unfit and improper, convicted criminal has no shame.
But all this only works as long as his own fans are attending games … and when the Gerrard bubble bursts we’ll see how long they do.
Like all King’s other gambles, this one only ends one way. In tears.
Gavin McCann is a writer and Celtic fan from Glasgow. He will miss taunting the Sevconuts.