Today the rumour mill has churned out a good story; that we are on the brink of being offered nearly 3000 tickets for Ibrox. That’s a major jump from where we are but it’s still an awful long way from where we were, and I personally don’t think it’s enough.
But really, the feelings of people like myself – people who will probably never set foot inside that stadium again and do not want to – are a secondary consideration here if they are even that.
The only people who need to be satisfied are Celtic, and they basically have two criteria they have to think about.
First, do they think this settlement is fair? And that is not as easy a question to answer as you might immediately think it is.
Right from the start of this situation, Celtic has had to walk a very narrow strip of ground, and so far we’ve done that very well indeed.
We have mirrored their behaviour exactly, and although we have been accused of being petty and vindictive and although the club has been accused of pandering to the fans (although why it shouldn’t listen to the views of its supporters on this has never been properly explained; after all, it’s exactly what Ibrox did and that’s exactly how we got here) we have done none of those things.
But the decision we have to make now may make us seem that way.
Now we have to decide if we want to continue making them reciprocal offers. Because we’ve been messed about here to a fare-thee-well and a lot of people might think they’ve gotten a result if we simply accept their pitiful offer at this point.
There are elements of our support who wrongly, who might consider any “new normal” to be entirely on their terms, and I think the club would be right to take that into consideration.
But here’s how I see it; we have them on the ropes, and I see nothing to gain from letting them get back on their feet. A couple more punches and this really is over.
Secondly, and this, of course, is the more important consideration, this club has to decide whether any allocation cut and the housing of our fans in a smaller section of the ground, represents a truly safe environment. To be honest, it is difficult to believe that it will. I personally cannot see any way that any scenario where their fans are surrounding ours is safe.
Until it is we will refuse an allocation. There is a reason this story has leaked; they leaked it. They want to look as if they are trying to meet up halfway; this isn’t even halfway and if there aren’t some serious security measures put in place then it’s not even worth discussing.
You get the feeling that this is still a game to them. This is still them messing us about, but in a different way, and the thing is, even the offer shows the level they’ve been working at this whole time.
Because if they are seriously telling us that the derisive offers they made us in the past two years are all they can manage, then how can they up the number of tickets now?
At every stage here this lot have been at it, they’ve been pushing to see how much they can get away with and Celtic really shocked them when we refused our allocation and banned their fans.
And they know we can keep on doing that until the cows come home. Celtic fans know that our team has gone there in front of a 100% hostile crowd and gotten results.
They know we’re confident of doing that. They know they would struggle to do the same. So, whatever they had hoped to accomplish, whatever advantage they hoped to gain, is gone and the longer this goes on the less chance they have of ever having friendly fans at Celtic Park.
So, I am not surprised that they want to renegotiate, I am not surprised that they are throwing out offers, but still Celtic has to ask itself if they’ve suffered enough and if our fans are safe.
If we answer no to either of those questions we can, and we should, continue to refuse them tickets for our ground, because yeah, we’re entitled at this point to be petty and to seek a resolution on terms of our own because to all intents and purposes here, we’ve won.
No deal without safety netting must be Celtic’s stance.
Full Broomloan of 7,500 or Fcuk All please Celtic…
They (Sevco) are so Bloody well arrogant they probably think they can win the league at Parkhead and really rub our noses in big time just like 1999 –
And this is a bribe so they can have a similar amount of hoards in Parkhead for the reason stated in the above paragraph…
I think Polis Alba will tell them to go and get Donald Ducked – There again, ya never know –
As I say Full Broomloan of Fcuk All Celtic…
And how bloody well apt is that to have a stand called Broom Loan –
Broom – That swept all their thriving and sorded debt under the carpets…
And Loan – That they never ever paid back a penny, not even to the face painting lady, and got to keep the trophies (in Doncaster’s eyes if not UEFA’s) !
James the glib one set this in stone to give celtic the stand of 7000 meant he lost season ticket value twice year discounted tickets simple hh
I genuinely think they want supporters at parkhead because they believe theyll get a result at ibrox,and with their fans at parkhead,would give them a lift and a push to the title.fly bastards, give them fuck all
Fk them all, the long and the short and the tall.
Safety netting is a contradiction in words. There’s nothing safe about broken glass, darts or even hot tea or bovril or acid being thrown.
Take nothing and give them nothing. It’s not safe and that’s down to them and there hun support.
They think they’re a pure galas team again, imminent champions and soon to be treble winners and because of that fantasy want to be able to celebrate it in front of us, particularly in Paradise. HH
Tell them to f*** off. Still far too dangerous to even consider the old allocation(7500). Rub their noses in it with an official CFC board statement to this effect.
I would accept the 3000, I think that’s a wee bit more like it, sometimes in life you have to meet in the middle of things. Both clubs have been petty here with this ridiculous situation, were it does not happen anywhere else. The glasgow derby really is embarrassing with things like this
Only ONE club has been petty here goodguy and it’s called SEVCO !
Any lurking Scottish Football Media editors lurking on here will be clamouring for your services should they have a vacancy…
Because that is their opinion also that it’s both clubs at fault –
And that simply isn’t the case buddy…
Sevco 100% at fault with this one !
I get what you’re saying pal.. but a just can’t see us getting the allocation that we had previously, hope I’m wrong off-course. I just feel there needs to be a middle ground here, if we hold out for the full broomloan road stand, then I’m not sure that’s a possibility, certainly at this stage. They are our biggest rivals, there is nothing better than beating them at there ground, plus our players will also benefit from our support as well.
safety netting ? what a disgrace name another ground where that is used
I think they now possibly feel the league is in their grasp but still feel going to parkhead witty support might get them over the line