Celtic has won the PR war against the club across the city.
Some of that is down to the appalling behaviour of the supporters over there, but the rest of it is down to good old fashioned common sense and an understanding that when your enemy is making a mistake you let them carry on doing it, until they either wise up or it pays off to your advantage.
There is no sign that our rivals are going to wise up.
This is the perfect time for building bridges with everyone they are pissing off.
The media is now openly at war with their club.
The rest of the SPLFL is stunned, and disgusted, with their overall conduct.
When I heard about their new “media policy” I thought that Celtic had to do likewise, or risk a wholly hostile environment made up of those who had pledged fealty to the club across the city by virtue of paying for access.
But so many outlets have boycotted on the basis of this that I can only conclude that it’s those who did pay who look and feel ridiculous.
What has it bought them but ridicule and scorn from their own industry?
Now they have to share a room with people like David Edgar and Mark Dingwall in spite of knowing who and what these Peepul are all about.
Those who stayed away look as if they are smart and have integrity to boot. Celtic’s own refusal to play ball by doing media duties at their stadium last weekend only makes the club look more isolated and actively punishes those “partners” who paid.
Far from locking the media out, Celtic has actually rolled the red carpet out more than ever, with the expanded media section in the main stand only one proof of it. Our guys know that the contrast is devastating, and they are taking full advantage of that.
These people are never going to be our pals, but we’re viewed as far and away the more professional of the two clubs and the more honest broker.
Celtic treats the media with respect no matter the cheap shots and the negative digs. We look responsible and sane, and our openness to the press corps says loud and clear that we have no axes to grind and nothing to hide.
This club has done it right here, all the way right.
The media has its claws into the club across town, and even if they ignore this fan media story they are waiting to pounce on every negative they can over there now, in a way they haven’t for years.
You either feed the beast, or the beast feeds on you.
How did so called professionals forget that great truism of the media?
The stupidity of it is manifest.
Celtic Is on a winner here and all we have to do is keep on doing things as we’ve always done them … and watch for the fireworks elsewhere.