Brendan Rodgers yesterday provided some hope for those of us in the Celtic support who wish to see a resolution to the current dispute between the Green Brigade and the club that has resulted in the Ultra group having their season tickets suspended and access to away tickets removed.
The best option is to talk and Rodgers signals a willingness from Celtic to do just that. The club and the Green Brigade have previously had a good working relationship but that has been damaged with both sides outlining their own complaints very publicly over recent weeks.
If both parties do want to bring this current dispute to a close and for the Green Brigade to get back to the games then both should calm down on the public statements and briefings and instead work together on a framework for a deal that both parties can sign off on and we can all get back to supporting Celtic.
The Green Brigade members should be encouraged reading this, especially as Brendan Rodgers is well aware of their opposition to his re-appointment in the summer. If the manager’s words can help find a solution that everyone can live with then that would be great news.
“The club, and hopefully the guys who are out of the club, can find a solution. Because they are amazing, I will say that,” Brendan said, as reported by Scottish Sun.
“Take away the political stuff, it’s my understanding that the club had the first standing area in Britain. So, the club have clearly reached out to supporters to put that in place. So, the club wanted to work with the supporters.
“I just think in life you always have to be careful. If you offer a hand, make sure they don’t want the arm. So, you put out your hand to help supporters, and they take the arm, not the hand.
“For me, our club’s strength is being together behind the team, and hopefully very, very soon we can find that, and we can support the football. Football clubs are about football. That’s the simplicity of it for me.
“When you come to the football, you’re coming to watch the players on the pitch and support the team. The social media stuff, gladly I’m not involved in it and I have no interest in it, so a lot of what goes on in and around that I actually don’t know about.
“I’m not naïve, I know what’s there, but there’s no way I am trawling through stuff to understand it, you know? But I understand what’s happened, and at any club – especially at a club like here – that synergy is so important because it is such a force, Celtic.
“Football is for families to come along, support their team, have a day out and enjoy the football. There should never be any risk going to any game of football.
“Listen, for Celtic, in the main that’s what it’s about. Supporters come from up and down the country here, they come on boats and planes to get to games. It’s a brilliant day and if their team wins, even better.
“That’s the end game for every game and hopefully we can get to that point.”
The Celtic manager was happy to talk about the current dispute between the Green Brigade and the club but insisted that it has not affected the players or management up at Lennoxtown.
“No, and we’re not specialists in it! I don’t know why we get asked about all these things whenever our lives are all about football. But of course, as a manager – and especially as a manager of a big club – it’s multi-functional in terms of what you are required to do.
“When you are experienced, you can also offer your support and experience to players, but it’s very, very straightforward for me in terms of I know the end game for me is to be successful on the field.
“I can laser my focus in on the football very easily. It’s very simple, I concentrate on the football. To be fair, politics never comes across my path until I speak to you guys.
“No one touches base with me on that. 99.9% of this fanbase are amazing, the support they give the club and the team is fantastic. Of course, it’s clear we have a situation with a really small group of the fanbase.
“The dialogue and everything else is there with the board and they will speak on that. I will always speak for the club, of course, but it’s very easy for me to narrow my focus in on the football.
“Ultimately, that’s what brings the club together.”
Matt Corr’s new book Majic, Stan and the King of Japan is out now and Neil Lennon, the Celtic captain that season, has written the foreword for us.
You can get a signed copy of the hardback version direct from Celtic Star Books by clicking on the image below. It’s also available an an e-book via Amazon Kindle and please note that all colour photographs that appear in the beautifully presented printed hardback book are also available in the Kindle version of Majic, Stan and the King of Japan…
