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The Media Bears A Lot Of The Responsibility In This Celtic-Ibrox Ticketing Row.

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The news has barely sunk in yet about how no away fans will be at Celtic Park or Ibrox but the media is indulging in its usual games. Sky Sports Scotland lies about incidents at our ground. Football Scotland reports on how both clubs are acting like children. McManus shrieks about how it is ruining the spectacle. Other voices, talking the same nonsense, will follow.

What none of these people want to accept is that this crisis was caused by Ibrox, and everything that has happened since has been the inevitable consequences of their initial spiteful act. We would not be in this position but for that, and whilst Celtic has tried everything to get us back to where we were, Ibrox has escalated this matter at every turn.

Back at the start of this, when discussions were taking place between the Ibrox fan groups and their board, and their board told Celtic that this was being requested, almost as if they wanted to hold it over us, our club informed them that if they did any such thing that we would mirror that action. Their own allocation would be immediately slashed.

They did it anyway, and we simply followed through on our stated policy.

The media freaked out and blamed both clubs. But it’s like blaming both parties in a fight although one attacked the other and the one who got attacked merely defended himself. It is not just dishonest; it is blatantly biased.

The media just didn’t want to criticise Ibrox.

Ibrox then sold season tickets for their end. Celtic sold the season tickets for the end which would have gone to the Ibrox club but with one important caveat. I know that because I sit in that end and to this day I still have to pay for that seat separately, in games against them, as though I didn’t have a season book at all.

The terms and conditions make it perfectly clear that the ticket isn’t valid for those games, with the inference being that they would give back those seats to their supporters if this matter was resolved.

In the meantime, I have to purchase them.

There is no reason why they couldn’t sell season tickets for our end of their ground with the same basic compromise.

To claim that Celtic is in any way responsible for this mess is simply a lie, and it is a lie that the media has continued to push all the way through this. And this is one of the reasons why we cannot find a solution to it.

Had the media been upfront about this from the off and placed the blame squarely where it belongs even this shameless Ibrox board might have changed course.

Yet the media was still putting part of the blame on Celtic when, last season, the Ibrox club cancelled our allocation for Ibrox at the last minute and we responded by telling them that their own fans would not be welcome at Celtic Park for the corresponding fixture.

That was one of the most egregious examples of their club trying to capitalise on the Covid crisis.

It was an utterly shameful and exploitative act using a national emergency as a means of sticking our club and I cannot put it more bluntly than to say that Celtic were outraged by the cynicism of it.

But again, the media decided to act as if this was simply two clubs locked together in a spiteful pissing contest. It was nothing of the kind. We were on the end of a screwing.

All we did was what we have said from the start that we would do; we responded in kind.

This was not any kind of knee jerk reaction.

They knew this beforehand and did it anyway.

The media has consistently tried to portray this as a two sided affair. There is only one side to this, one party to this, the whole thing happened because of the actions of one club and it continues to escalate because of the actions of one club.

I have some knowledge of the atrocious excuses and shoddy, half-hearted proposals which have characterised the Ibrox’s club’s responses to Celtic’s very real, very legitimate concerns about the safety and well-being of our fans. To call the Ibrox attitude dismissive would be to give them more credit than they are due. They simply do not care at all.

Ibrox websites are tonight writing about how the clubs are “looking for a solution” to these problems, which goes to show two things; how gullible they are and how completely the media has sold this garbage about this being a two-way street.

But in truth, their club is not in the least bit interested in resolving this matter, and their CEO publicly said so, in January last year.

“The challenge with actually changing that at the moment is both teams will have sold season tickets in those areas. How do you change that back? Those supporters have renewal rights. You have a challenge there in changing that,” he said, which as I’ve already pointed out is blatantly untrue. This would require a change to just one element of the season ticket; it is not valid for games against Celtic. That could be accomplished easily. “It’s not something I see changing in the short term, I certainly don’t see it changing in the short term.”

He went on to use a familiar phrase.

“The vast majority (of our fans) don’t (want it to change). They’re comfortable with it. I don’t know about the other side of the city, but from our supporters’ perspective, they’re quite comfortable with it.”

What he means is that he and his directors do not care what our fans think of it, and that’s the way they’ve acted throughout this. Hell they don’t even care if our fans are safe when we visit their stadium.

That’s a bigger concern for Celtic.

Celtic, behind the scenes, know that it’s not going to change in the medium term either.

The utter dishonesty of what Robertson said is just part of the PR campaign to spin this as something that’s out of their hands, which of course allows halfwits the opportunity to urge Celtic to “be the bigger club” and basically disenfranchise our own fans to nobody’s benefit.

As one of the guys who would be done over in that scenario, I am glad the club refuses to budge.

But the media needs to start taking this seriously.

Our club has pulled the plug on those tickets because our fans are in danger at that stadium, and we are in danger precisely because of the conditions which Ibrox’s directors have created and which we predicted, and warned about, from day one of this.

The utter irresponsibility of the press in this issue is hard to credit.

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  • Johnny Green says:

    I’ll repeat myself once again, Celtic can clear all this up by telling everyone the truth about this shitshow, so why don’t they?

    FFS, is Scudbookitis infectious? I’m beginning to sound like him, Henrik forbid. 🙂

    • Martin.H says:

      Exact point I was going to make Johnny, why is our club not putting the true facts out there, this is why we get frustrated with our board, we had them on their knees and our leadership stepped back.

      • Brian says:

        Exactly. Pull the media into Celtic park and we put the question to them, the corrupt shower of barstewards. Bloody grow a pair Celtic.

  • Dinger says:

    keep them out and keep the media out as well

  • Effarr says:

    Celtic would be within their rights to request that for Health and Safety reasons the game be played in a safer environment for both supporters and staff. After all, Old Firm Sevco have admitted it would be dangerous for pundits like Sutton and Lennon to work in their ground.

  • Scouse bhoy says:

    140 years of history ended they printed that fact lest we forget.

  • Martin says:

    This will end with around 50% of the old allocation being given and people being moderately happy. This has been clear for over a year.

    Must we go through this farce (Ibrox inflicted) until we get to that point?

  • SSMPM says:

    Celtic FC board get out there ffs and speak for your fans, your staff and the truth. You are our representatives so represent us. Let them know loudly and clearly, the rangers, the press, the media, and their fans where the blame lies and as such none of them are welcome back for the foreseeable years, not months or until they temporarily alter their behaviour before returning right back to it when they’ve had their way.
    Enough with the meally-mouthed pussy footing and cowardly back seat approach. If our own board aren’t willing to speak frankly on our fans’ and our club’s staffs’ behalf then we need to make them aware once and for all we’ve had enough of trying to take the moral high ground and being shat on. Enough.
    The press do nothing to represent us fairly or honestly and we don’t take ÂŁ25 grand for it. The media similarly deserve nothing but our contempt. The sky contract may bring in a few million a year, I don’t know the exact figure, or the pittance we get from the bbc but I know it’s not as much as we, the fans, give in season ticket revenue, in kits and memorabilia and our love and support for all things Celtic. But still you let Klit Blob into our ground cursing us repeatedly, snearing his hatred live from our Paradise. It’s not enough to keep allowing this corrupted foul mouthed version of events and misrepresentation of our bottle and missile attacked fans and staff. Some are murdered, some are racially abused, some ONLY assaulted.
    Enough is enough or we stop giving you our money. Protest like hell to our board. Enough is enough.

  • Eldraco says:

    Anything!! Anything at all to distract rabbits and all.

    We have a semi final to win . Hibs today and the cretins when they visit paradise.

    We never stop one game at a time

  • Eldraco says:

    And while am at it , saint Patrick’s Day the day and no parade? Through the city that took in the survivors of an gorta mor no parade?

    But you blog and talk about tickets! Awaaayyyy wi Yi man!!

    Do you all see the big picture now? The distraction? , A city that still let’s the Orange men take over for a day and yet no commemoration of saint Patrick’s dear me. Celtic brought out a 4th strip how twee.

    Is that really the best We Glaswegian can do.

  • Johnny Green says:

    The wheels will come off today as I fancy Motherwell to beat the huns 2-1. I’m looking forward to it, then the fun begins big time 🙂

  • Hunbasher says:

    They can stick their tickets. Celtic fans will be better off, and safer, not going to that dump anyway. Any time l get a glimpse of that place, it looks as if if it,s going to fall down on it’s own, so decrepid is Ibrokes. Not allowing the crazies into our Stadium in response is just an added bonus, as far as I,m concerned. A. We can have more of our own support in to enjoy the hammering of the hun. B. We won’t have any seats ripped out by the neanderthals either. C. Imagine 60,000 true football fans cheering from the stands, as we go 12 pts clear of them? They’ll be hoping for Europa League football next season anyway, after the batterings they got in the Champions League last year.

  • John says:

    James its about who has the pen. Is it defend or retaliate?

    The media will use the latter which makes us look bad.

    Its like a football player who is punched by another. He punches back. They both get sent off. Simple analogy.

  • John Copeland says:

    If memory serves , the reduction of Celtic fans from derby fixtures at Ibrox was championed by ex daily Record ,the Rangers supporting scoop Gary Ralston ! He was terrified of the amount of noise and support 7000 fans had over games and was adamant that the less Celtic fans in the stadium ,the less chance of an away win by Celtic . He was also the hack who dreamt up the ÂŁ7million mythical transfer by an anonymous Chinese club for big Alfoodo ! Remember ? Not too long later ,Ralston got pumped by the Record ….

  • Michael Clark says:

    If you look back not so long ago travelling away support at Ibrox was subject to unacceptable behaviour. In fact let’s be honest, bottles and missiles and then the contents of the bottle urinated on your head. Newco and the Police who were fully aware of the treatment being handed out placed them in the bottom section of the Broomloan stand for years. How health and safety allowed this is beyond me, to be a sitting target for the walking dead above. We were fortunate enough to be allocated all the Broomloan end so we didn’t have that morons above our heads. It’s nice going there and rubbing their brainless noses in it but it won’t make any difference if none of us are there. It’s even sweeter taking the points and them still singing “WERE SIMPLY THE BEST”. You’ve got to laugh

  • Adam Thomas says:

    The row began when the rangers took the huff that at ibrox a full stand behind the goal was allocated , but at celtic Park they where in the corner with restricted viewing. I have the article somewhere and I will forward it on .

  • John S says:

    The Ibrox club unilaterally excluded Celtic fans through fear on the pitch. Since then they have barred certain commentators because they cannot guarantee their safety. Frankly, if they can’t guarantee the safety of customers and tv personnel then they should have to play behind closed doors.

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