So Celtic finally confirmed today that the Gutter-Ball will take place in November, in Australia. The reaction from most fans has been outright apathy.
I don’t doubt that the ex-pat Aussies will snap up tickets, but short of acknowledging its existence and continuing to condemn the club for taking part in it, many others won’t be participating in any of the build-up or even watching it when it airs.
If you asked me to draw up a hierarchy of Celtic games that I would watch I would start with first team games, followed by women’s matches followed by games from the Development Squad followed by pre-season friendlies followed by charity and benefit matches, followed by intra-squad training games with legends games after them and sixes after that … and then, and only then, would we come, perhaps, to the farce in Australia.
I’ll make other plans that day.
Our club shouldn’t be near this. It’s a step on a slippery slope, and I’ll be writing about that later on. The whole idea of this fixture is rancid. It reeks.
Those inside Celtic who have approved it and allowed it to go ahead will bear the shame if it ends ugly, and it is almost certain to end ugly.
At a time when the supporters across this city are disgrace themselves weekly, and a section of our own away support is dragging us through the dirt, the very last thing our club needs is some toxic reminder to the world that there was once a fixture here in Scotland marketed solely on hate. I cannot fathom what they are thinking at all except about money.
And once you’re going down that road the question really does have to be asked; where would our board draw the line in the interests of making a few quid? That question haunts me in light of what is going on elsewhere in football and it should haunt every Celtic fan.
The idea that this is a good opportunity for Aussie fans to see the team – the defence that has been offered up by some people – is fine as far as it goes. But we could have played any one of a thousand teams and still achieved that goal.
This board chose this team, knowing we were against it, knowing the idea of it is toxic, and then hid that decision behind the public face of the manager. Not a single Celtic official involved in organising this fixture has had the guts to step forward to defend it.
Even Ibrox has spoken to its own fans about it. To me, that compounds the disgrace.
Nothing will make some of us accept this fixture, because we know what the future holds if we do. “Look forward” to this being a regular affair. Having done it once the people who run Celtic will, without a doubt, do it again … and far worse will follow.
Mark my words, this is just the start of it. Too many of our fans have just shrugged this off as if it was nothing. But we’re on the slippery slope here now that this is confirmed.
Our club actively involved in financially assisting that club makes me sick.
Appalling.
I would love to know what the reaction of most shareholders has been to this development? Are they happy ir are they going to demand an EGM for answers? This match may generate a bit of extra cash but the board risk our reputation by association with that klub. They may be desperate for cash but we are not and shouldn’t be helping prop-up an organisation that loves the concept of arsing about in big pools of our bodily fluids.
The passage of time had been a wee bit helpful since this Australian idea was first exposed. I was absolutely furious about this ‘first step’ by the Celtic board but that reduced to absolutely gutted.
My 3rd generation Aussie cousin lives in Freemantle. I haven’t seen that part of the family in more than 20 years. She contacted me by email last night to ask if me and wifey would consider going over and to let me know they’d travel from the west to Sydney and meet us, spend a few days with each other and watch the “Old Firm” game.
The “Old Firm” game – I’m F.cking Furious.
James, I live in Nz and have followed Celtic for over 55years and along with 7 friends, four of whom are Rangers supporters have secured tickets for this game. I know there are many more groups similar to us travelling over to Sydney to see the game, yes there will be a lot of banter from both sides before and after the game but from our perspective this is an opportunity to watch what is the closest game we will possibly ever see to the famous Glasgow derby on this side of the world and I and many like me fully support our club to participate in this tournament, why does there have to be so much negativity from bloggers such as yourself , leave that to the other side, by the way I do enjoy most of your posts . Hail Hail from down under.
Into bed with vipers.
Have to agree with George Morris here lads I live here in Oz and only get to see the bhoys when I’m home in Belfast
I don’t care who we play if it’s the Huns or rapid or Linfield
I’ll be the to watch celtic and for all the fans giving off that we are helping them stop going to the Glasgow derby’s and stop going to scottish cup games but I guarantee everyone of you naysayers will be scrambling for tickets for the 3 Glasgow derbies coming up
The narrative has been “ but we are raking in far more money, they are only bit part players” .
Unfortunately many of the fans have fell for this and find it funny, but there is not one thing funny about this game.
It’s a disgraceful idea. It undermines the whole of Scottish football and it undermines Celtic. (Why not invite Aberdeen, Hibs or St.Mirren? after all it’s only a friendly)
Not half of anything my Arse!!!
Your kidding yourself.Just look at the attendance and demand for tickets when we play them,go on any forum before games and there’s 40/50 pages talking about them.See how many working shifts will be lost when guys are up at 3am watching the games.We can call them sevco or the rangers all we like but your deluding yourself if you think this won’t have the majority of the Celtic fans support
There has been a lot of interest in Oz since Ange was appointed and the game will get huge coverage here. For the past 30 years I have been getting up in the middle of the night to see games live sometimes at 3am and going to work the next day along with many deficated Tims. Can’t wait for the chance to take in a live game and can only see this growing the overseas support. Beating them just makes it sweeter.
I Will watch the matches in Australia ???????????????