Boycotting today’s Celtic game against Dundee in the Scottish Cup for me is simply not an option I can support…
I will be going through the turnstiles with my head held high but I do respect the decision to stay away that’s being taken by fellow fans.
The Celtic Fans Collective has pushed forward with their intentions to oust the club of the incompetent directors that occupy the corridors of power inside Celtic Park.
I’m fully behind the collective in 99 percent of their itinerary, but when it comes to boycotting games, it’s not for me, as that doesn’t harm the board in the slightest, it just affects our players on the pitch and harms our chances of progressing to the next round of the Scottish Cup with the ultimate objection in this competition, like every other, is to win it.
So the Collective’s subsequent message was at least a crumb of comfort, in regard to their stance on a total boycott of Saturday’s cup clash with Dundee, to which they said stated wasn’t their intention.
I was willing to participate in a total boycott to get rid of Wilfried Nancy, but that was only because the players were already in harms way, and going only one way but downwards. But at this present moment they are challenging for a title, as well as competing in two other competitions, under the more than competent management of Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney.
Such a move not only affects the players, it hurts me and you, the ordinary supporter, who like to go to the football as a way of escaping the pressures of life, it’s our mecca of sorts, and any attempt to deny fellow supporters that pleasure is unjust in my humble opinion. We need football in our lives, and the players need us, to cut that out would do no one any good.
It doesn’t make us ‘scabs’ if we go, far from it. We can show our displeasure at our incompetent custodians from the stands, or protest at the front door. They will get the message without affecting the players who remember, have done nothing wrong.
I’ll always back the team, I make no apology for that. Of course at the end of the day, if you want to boycott, you do what you feel is necessary, it’s your right as a paying customer. Just as it’s mine and a lot of others right to back the players.
The boycott call certainly got a reaction from the Boardroom with interim chairman Brian Wilson using his old Westminster box of tricks to gaslight the Celtic supporters. He has reached out to various supporters associations but NOT the Celtic Fans Collective.
You will remember last autumn the club invited the Celtic Fans Collective to the meeting at Celtic Park so they are merely playing games at the moment trying to isolate various groups. The United We Stand, Divided We Fall’ motto is in play here.
To their credit the Green Brigade refused the offer of a meeting with the Celtic Board without the involvement of the Celtic Fans Collective and hopefully other groups will do likewise.
The Celtic fan media can be divided into two groups, the ones that were still working with the club before the ban and the rest who either dropped out or where never part of the agreement in the first place. As things stand NONE of the first category have been contacted by the club.
It’s possible that the club will NOT resume this relationship going forward and that’s a bigger loss to them than the fan media. As was mentioned the other night on The Celtic Star, the biggest losers in this has been the Celtic FC Women’s team which is now starved of just about all coverage as awareness and interest goes through the floor.
The Celtic Board needlessly dragged women’s football into this situation, just the latest damaging decision that they’ve taken regarding the women’s team.
If you’re at the game today make as much noise as you can for the team. If you’re watching on TV, haste ye back and come on you Bhoys in green…
Just an Ordinary Bhoy
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Strange for the Green Brigade to refuse a meeting when it has been complaining for weeks about the club refusing to meet them specifically. Are there not specific issues to be addressed with the Green Brigade, such as its readmission to Celtic Park. It is questionable as to whether this is sign of solidarity as opposed to avoiding some of the issues that pertains to their ban.
Agreed. It’s self defeating and the zombies rubbing their hands in glee at this fan fallout. It is an ineffective method at this point in time. There is an element of nihilism in certain quarters who are all ‘to hell with the league and cup we need to oust this board’. Sorry. I’ll never be able to countenance that. Back the team. Enter dialogue with Dermot’s sock puppets and move forward. There’ll be no rose garden. They won’t resign but they will change and in time a new forward looking governance of the club will evolve out of this.
I applaud the GB for refusing to meet the club unless it is an open invitation to all suppoerters groups. That way the club can’t lie about what was said exactly. I for one don’t trust any of the board to be honest.
Well said. Boycotts don’t work and as the writer has said, harm nobody but the team on the pitch.
Peace breaks out incrementally, not with the sort of grand gesture that some seem to demand. Why would any club sack its CEO in advance of talks with a self-appointed “collective”, just so the meeting can go ahead?
The Green Brigade have made previous promises and broken them regarding behaviour. Yet both groups seem to think they “represent the fans”? I’m a season ticket and shareholder and they don’t represent me.
Today the game kicks off at an awkward time, amid poor weather conditions, plus its live on TV. It was never going to be a sell-out, which is probably why it was chosen so that the “collective” can claim support for their wrong-headed boycott.
Here’s a question for some of our self-styled “rebels”: Do you want Celtic to win any trophies this season, or would that cause you a problem?
Whats the betting that all the detracors said the same kiech about the kellys
Absolute nonsense!
We don’t need the fans to beat Dundee so it’s a great opportunity to send a message to this dysfunction board.
If we can’t beat Dundee then we don’t deserve to go further in the cup
You my friend are using that as an excuse to go ,for whatever real reason I don’t know.
To the ” Boycotters” —Will you be happy if Dundee beat Celtic today ? ( which is a possibility) . Will you be happy , if you open the door for the Huns to romp to the final and win a trophy ? What will you do , when the next rounds of the Scottish Cup are being played without Celtic ?
Will you shout from the parapets; ” We knocked Celtic out of the Cup “. I ‘ll bet you won’t —-You are hurting :- MON , the players and the Celtic tradition in the Scottish Cup , and all other decent Celtic fans who want Celtic to succeed and prosper . You are not hurting the Board .Have your meetings with the Board in a sane and civilised manner ; talk through your differences , unite the club and most of all get behind the team .
so your prepared to complain when it suits to fill your column but never prepared to take a stand to force change ,,,,,,don’t make the team your scapegoat ,they’re paid professionals
You are supporting the board by going but kid yourself on if you like it’s your choice. But if there is a big turn out the suits will see it as support for them.