GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - MAY 25: Glasgow Celtic FC fans hold up scarves and banners during the Scottish Gas Mens Scottish Cup Final between Celtic and Rangers at Hampden Park on May 25, 2024 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)
So the fixture list is out. And the only good thing to say about it is that it’s out early. That’s it.
There’s nothing else good to say about it, because the first game after the split is at Tannadice.
A simple chance for the SPFL to do the right thing by the vast, vast, vast majority of Celtic fans—by giving us the first game at home, doing the title presentation and everything else on the same day—has been flogged.
Now listen, I’ve had people tell me they’ve booked all sorts of things for the last game, predicated on it being the home fixture. I’d have had some sympathy for those folk had things panned out different.
They were never going to though, were they? Not in Scottish football.
Because they’ve only been able to plan like that because they know the SPFL is going to stick to this nonsensical idea that there has to be some kind of last-day spectacle. There doesn’t.
There are so many ways this could have been done better, like giving the majority of our fans the chance to see the title being won at home and to watch the presentation on the same day. This attempt to create some artificial theatre doesn’t impress me one bit, and it shouldn’t impress anyone else either.
The reality is, a small number of our fans will be at Tannadice—a small number—and so the real day of drama, the real day that matters, will be held away from Celtic Park. And we’ll have to wait weeks to get the trophy.
I’m sorry; there’s no universe in which that is not idiotic if we’re being generous.
And whilst I’m on the subject, let me just say this: the number of sites running stories about the circumstances that would allow us to “win it at Ibrox” makes me want to punch something really hard.
Because yeah, of course we can win it at Ibrox.
We always could, as long as we lost the other fixtures before we got there.
If that’s your primary concern the solution is simple; pray that we lose at Tannadice and your wish is granted—although I suspect that’ll put you in a very tiny minority amongst the support, who probably haven’t even given Ibrox a second thought.
I could just as easily look at the fixture list and see we’re at Celtic Park for the third game—should I hope we lose the next two so we can win it there instead?
No. That would be stupid. That would be bone-headed. I frankly couldn’t give a toss about “winning it at Ibrox”, and I don’t believe I know a single person who genuinely does.
At the same time as I’m mildly stewing over this, Hampden has started sending out semi-final tickets via its app, and already I’ve got loads of people telling me they haven’t received theirs—because the SFA is claiming their personal details are wrong.
Either because they don’t match what the association has on record, or because folk who just aren’t that tech-savvy are suddenly being asked to do something ludicrous that they’ve never had to do for a football ticket in their lives.
That this is heading for one big car crash shouldn’t surprise a single person who reads this blog or who’s looked at this in any detail. And there’s something I’ve been meaning to say the last couple of times I’ve talked about it, so let me say it now: it’s very easy for those of us who are familiar with tech to forget a simple truth—not everyone else is.
You’re probably reading this on a smartphone.
If you’re not, you’re reading it on a desktop.
And you might be under the mistaken impression, because you’re comfortable with this stuff, that it comes naturally and easily to everyone else. It doesn’t. And I’m the same way; I forget all the time that nobody is online all day every day.
It’s not just that some people don’t have smartphones. It’s not just that some folk don’t fancy taking their smartphones to Hampden for a football match when they cost about £500 apiece.
Even many who do have them aren’t terribly familiar with all the bells and whistles.
They don’t automatically know how to do everything on them. The stuff those of us who use tech every day take for granted isn’t second nature to everyone else.
A lot of it might as well be written in a foreign language.
We spend so much time online that we forget this.
So what we’re seeing now is fans being disenfranchised—not only those who don’t have a smartphone or who don’t want to download the SFA’s little bit of software and hand over their data to all and sundry, but also those who do have the tech but simply aren’t comfortable using it.
And I just know how this came about.
This is the new thing. The latest fad. And because it’s new, and shiny, and looks like the future, some little SFA subcommittee—made up of people who have their smartphones glued to them 24/7—decided to inflict it on everybody else.
For the simple reason that they are familiar with the tech and they are so myopic or unconcerned for what other people’s situations might be that they don’t give a damn who might not like this idea.
That they eliminated any option for fans to have a paper ticket is, and will remain, scandalous.
It puts Hampden pretty much off-limits to a large number of fans, including those who simply won’t attend on this basis because to do so would be to endorse this rubbish.
Football without the fans is nothing, yeah?
Which I guess explains why the governing bodies seem determined to make it as difficult as possible for as many fans as possible to attend the games that really matter and that supporters want to see.
And yeah, we blew chances to win it at home and that’s our own fault, but when the fixture list was not set in stone it would be a simple matter to consider our supporters and to change things up on their behalf and nobody at Hampden thought that was a good idea. Nobody at Hampden wanted to change their wee preconceived idea about this, and fans be damned.
Well, I have a question I’ll be sending out, to Hampden and to Celtic and it’s this;
This “digital only” policy; is it absolute?
And whilst the media offices at Hampden and Parkhead might want to simply respond to this reflexively, I strongly advise them not to be so hasty and to answer it properly.
To put it another way, I want to know if there are any non digital tickets available, to anyone, for the semi-final fixtures – that is both semi final fixtures – at the weekend, and I’m going to be very interested to see what answers I get back.
At least this way, after winning the league title at Tannadice, we can look forward to the huns ‘Guard of Honour’ when we go to Ibrox and rub their big blue hooters in it.
Aye right!
It is a ludicrous situation to put fans in James but I look forward to the day the SFA and any third parties have pay out thousands in compensation when the inevitable data breach occurs and data is stolen by criminals .
I had all of my data stolen , by criminals during a hack of a pension administrators system was breached .
Still waiting on the compo nearly 2 years down the line but it will come as they have set aside 25 million to pay those affected.
There will be a breach, SFA, look out you have been warned
Mixed views about this as traditionally the league winners are always given a home game at the end of the season when the trophy is presented.Party time.
At the end of the day Celtic made an arse of it by losing to St Johnstone.
Need to party disagree on parts of this one James…
All very well a home game v say Hibernian to start with – But what if we don’t win it ?
The party is kicked down the road to the last home game which would then be before the end of the season…
Nothing to play for League wise therefore in the last two games (presentation day)…
This is one that I looked forward to immensely – A final day presentation at home as Champions, it just seemed such a fine and fitting end to the season – yet Celtic and absolutely only Celtic blew the golden opportunity of two big Glasgow parties by failing abjectly to beat St.Johnstone – yep bottom of the league St.Johnstone…
I think the 17th May* will be such a beautiful day a 12.30pm Kick off live on TV and once the presentation is over ample time for a big and happy street party in The Tronny, The Merchant City and The Gallowgate…
*(Those match going fans please take care as I seen on Wallow Wallow there is a parade of Orange Bastards heading from Wishart St. thru George Square and to the south side that morning around 11am)*
I have always likes presentation day to be the las day and at home if nothing else to rile The Sevco Huns that I have to share certain pubs with by keeping on at them about our impending presentation and ‘massive party’ !
On The SFA debacle – When is there never one involving these inept bastards ! – My iPad is 10 years old, I cannot even get into BV Booking with it now or even Scottish Citylink so I doubt I’d be able to get into The Scummy SFA dump of a site, not that I’d be goin anyway these gays but in ma day of going to finals and semi finals, I was able to source these from a non Celtic supporter debenture holder at Hampden (English lassie) and didn’t feel bad about taking then as I did attend Parkhead every home game from quite a distance but if I wanted to go nowadays I’d be truly fucked by The Scummy SFA !
So it’s (Quote Brendan) 150% agreement regarding the tickets James, but respectfully disagree regarding presentation day – I love it being at Paradise and look forward to (all being well) seeing all these happy happy Celtic supporters wandering happily west for our big street party on Saturday 17th May !!!
EDIT – For fucks sake – Need to PARTLY disagree and not party disagree as it reads !
Edit – For seriously Fucks sake now – Not That I’d be going anyway these DAYS and not gays as it reads !
Time to upgrade your tech . Get a second hand Samsung lol
Ha Ha – That’s Just put me in the mode to play The Samsong on Alexa !
Having to use the Hampden app is bad enough, but how they have operated this is ridiculous. I bought the tickets using my member network, me and my adult son, received email to register for my tickets. Created an account, where I had to agree to share my data with this 3rd party, and received 1 ticket. Spent the morning trying to find out where my other ticket had gone, phoning and emailing ticket office. I was finally informed the ticket had been sent the email address they had linked my sons account. They then explained they couldn’t tell me the email address they had on file as it wasn’t my account. I then pointed out the payment for both tickets had come from me and at no time had they requested a second email. Thankfully we finally tracked down the email address they have, unfortunately the SFA now have personal details from 2 members of my family. Surely if you are receiving e tickets, an option from preferred email would be available.
SFA – Probably cyber agents for Police Scotland and The PSNI and The Butchers Apron Loving Labour Government at the highest level…
Be aware Ghuys n’ Ghirls – Be Very Aware !
Back to the post-split fixtures. While some of our fans are unhappy with our fixtures, it’s worth noting that Sevco have three consecutive home fixtures covering the period when the Europa League semi- finals are due to be played. How fortuitous!
Only if they get there Big Wolf – Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeze NOT !
But good spot nonetheless !
Aye but James it’s random, right !
James re cup tickets Peter who sits beside me at celtic park never got balloted for a cup final last year first he was going to miss since the 50 ies so I gave him mine, he doesn’t have a mobile phone so what can he do, or as the sfa say fuck him
The only thing I’d say about the fixture list is it shows how much of a farce the split is.
It is the sole reason this is even a conversation.
If we were a normal league format of playing opposition home & away once a season then this isn’t a debate at all.
Just another reason for everyone to look at Scottish football as a joke when it’s so clear that it is manipulated for the required arrangement.
Not that it will happen but the SFA will have a real headache when there is an actual title challenge season where it goes down to the wire like it used to in the early 2000s