UNLIKE BRENDAN RODGERS I’ve been to Murrayfield on quite a few occasions, twice to see Celtic and even to attend a few Scotland Six Nations matches – my boy plays rugby so that’s the excuse! I even saw U2 play there back in the day!
So what does attending these events in football, rugby and a live concert tell us about the semi-final match between Celtic and Hearts at the end of the month?
The first thing to note is to state the obvious – Murrayfield is a rugby stadium and is well used to capacity 67,000 crowds but is not used to the implementing segregation within that crowd that is necessary at a high profile football fixture.
The Police did not have a plan to accommodate the changes in the size of the away crowd at the recent Glasgow Derby and that almost led to a very serious incident behind the North Stand at Celtic Park. What faith should we have in them for this fixture?
The idea that they will use their usual Murrayfield policing plan is frankly, scary. Do they have another plan? Who knows. Have they any experience of dealing with 67,000 football supporters at Murrayfield? No, they don’t as it has never happened before.
Let’s look at how the supporters will get to Murrayfield.
Many Hearts fans like the Scotland rugby folk, will have a few pints in the centre of Edinburgh and will walk past Haymarket station towards Murrayfield – just as the Celtic supporters are getting off trains. There’s a clash right there.
Many Hearts supporters will use the trams and there is a stop right next to the stadium. Is that the Hearts end or the Celtic end? Are Celtic and Hearts fans going to mix on those trams making their way to the stadium.
Some Celtic fans may choose to park up in one of the car parks near the airport and jump on the tram to do the Park and Ride thing – this was a proposed by Edinburgh transport officials before the two Champions League qualifiers in 2014. It didn’t work that night and there was huge delays at the stadium waiting to get on a tram.
Are the Hearts supporters going to be in these queues after the game? Will there be a Celtic queue and a Hearts queue or just everyone mixing together?
Then there’s Haymarket station. I took the train the night we lost to Legia Warsaw – where the crowd at Murrayfield was estimated to be around 30,000. After the game there was a huge squash inside Haymarket station and this actually led to some arguments breaking out among supporters – it was not a nice atmosphere to be in and the crushing was uncomfortable to say the least. I’d say avoid the train option.
This time there are going to be even more supporters trying to use the trains and remember it will be a Sunday service. Anyone who has any recent experience with Scotrail will tell you, good luck with that!
The Legia Warsaw fans gathered outside the stadium, near the tram station before the match and they were loud and enthusiastic – they came to Edinburgh with a 4-1 lead remember. The Celtic fans were in close contact with them and there was no trouble – but that was down to the two sets of supporters. There was no Police plan to keep the supporters apart and Murrayfield has not been built with this in mind. Rugby fans sit where their ticket is, rather than in their own section among their own fans. So even when England come calling their fans are scattered throughout the stadium. This works for rugby but will not work for football.
So how are Celtic fans going to there? Those on the supporters buses will have a dedicated parking area and presumably will have a police presence. That’s not the issue. It is the thousands of fans making their own way to Murrayfield, in cars and on public transport, that are at risk.
When you consider this, you can see why the Police might not want 67,000 coming from out of town to Edinburgh for the other semi-final. Imagine the train stations with those two sets of fans all waiting on the platforms.
The visiting supporters at Tynecastle are carefully kept apart from the home supporters before and after the game but this type of plan is almost impossible to replicate at Murrayfield where Celtic could easily bring around 40,000 supporters if that number of tickets are available. Forget any Boycott talk – that won’t happen.
Murrayfield is frankly unsuited to host high profile club football matches in Scotland, as we are about to find out. Yes, it could stage Scotland games but not Celtic v Hearts or Aberdeen v Rangers – it isn’t suited to these type of events.
Celtic need to do all they can to ensure that this game is as safe and hassle free as it can be for the supporters, given the decision has now been taken to send us there.
SEVEN other features to read on The Celtic Star…
Salzburg v Celtic: Expected team as Broony is sidelined…See HERE.
Paul Larkin said it best – “Anyone but Celtic” – Celtic Noise…See HERE.
Jack in the Box, Social Media Sticks and Stones……See HERE.
Jim Craig – Pat Crerand, Celtic’s loss was Man Utd’s gain…See HERE.
‘Embrace the challenge,’ Celtic boss aims to exploit Salzburg ‘weak points’…See HERE.
Celtic condemn ‘irrational and discriminatory’ SPFL decisionSee HERE.
Celtic condemn ‘irrational and discriminatory’ SPFL decisionSee HERE.
