Yesterday Celtic launched the club’s season ticket renewal campaign featuring a brilliant video with dressing room audio of Callum McGregor, Joe Hart and Ange Postecoglou addressing the team ahead of the League Cup Final against Hibs in December.
The Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou’s words are iconic….
“Walk out there today boys feeling ten feet tall. Do you know why? Because you’re representing a club that has achieved the greatest of achievements.
“You stand on the shoulders of the players who have achieved all that before. Walk out there feeling invincible, ten feet tall, at the end of the game you’ll be a little bit taller. From what you’ve created, what you’ve added to this football club.”
…there were one or two grumbles about the modest increase in season ticket prices after a few years of the price being frozen – when the support gave Celtic unbelievable backing renewing season tickets firstly for a season behind closed doors and then for a second season when we were without a manager as Eddie Howie led us in a merry dance before Peter Lawwell finally got round to checking the CVs in his bottom drawer, locked away since the 2019 Scottish Cup Final win over Hearts, and found the resumé of the former Australian national manager.
There is no denying the marketing video is great, but it’s disappointing that Celtic have opted to increase the price of season tickets at a time when households are really struggling already at the escalating costs of living. https://t.co/QMdubpdCto
— Celtic Shared (@Celtic_Shared) March 31, 2022
It’s fair to say that the Celtic support are 100% behind Ange Postecoglou and the season tickets will be selling out this year as indeed has been the case over recent seasons, despite the pandemic and its aftermath.
Meanwhile over in Govan theRangers had an altogether different kind of day yesterday. Morelos apparently is a major injury doubt for games this month – although given its them we take nothing for granted and wouldn’t be surprised if the crutches we saw yesterday weren’t part of some double bluff that allows spirits to be raised at Ibrox on Sunday when the teams are announced.
Their decision to pull out of the Sydney tournament in Australia in November is extraordinary and is significant on so many levels. Ange Postecoglou explained shortly after this event was announced that Celtic had to exploit the opportunities for the club not only in Australia but across Asia and without the huge TV income available to clubs south of the border, this is essential for Celtic as we look to compete in the Champions League – Ange’s ultimate ambition for his time at Celtic.
Again there were grumbles among the Celtic support about the association with theRangers – few if any in the Celtic support reckoned it was a good idea to involve theRangers in this Ange Homecoming, there was one banner from the Green Brigade just after the event was announced, but after that most were content to take the popcorn eating approach and watch the angst and anger turn into a catastrophe in Govania.
After weeks of bitter infighting and rank opportunism from the GSL, theRangers board finally surrendered issuing this statement on their official website:
“Rangers (sic) can confirm the club will not be participating in the Sydney Super Cup in November 2022. After it became clear the tournament organisers were unwilling to fulfil their commitments to Rangers (sic), we have, with immediate effect, terminated the club’s agreement with the organisers.”
The Australian organisers woke up to the news and immediately responded pointing out that this was completely wrong. They will of course take heed of the content appearing from sources like various theRangers media partners which indicate that adverse fan reaction was the motivation behind their decision to withdraw from the contracted event.
A joint statement from TEG Sport and Left Field Live read:
“We were disappointed to wake up this morning to Rangers FC’s statement that it will not be participating in the Sydney Super Cup.
“The Rangers board committed to these matches following extensive negotiations over eight months. Seemingly in response to negative fan reaction, they have pulled out of their contracted commitment.
“We have worked closely with all stakeholders to bring this exciting event to Sydney and we refute any suggestions that we were unwilling to fulfil our commitments to Rangers. We have acted in good faith and have put the event on sale with a great response from fans here.
“In changing their minds, the Rangers board has let down many fans in Australia and the Asian region. We will now consult with our stakeholders before determining our response.”
Just one of many issues being kicked into the long grass by Sevco. It’s an Ibrox tradition that TUPEd over to the new club.
— Rangers Tax-Case (@rangerstaxcase) April 1, 2022
Apparently theRangers complaints are the use of the term Glasgow Derby rather than Old Firm – the latter being a intellectual property term which Celtic have a share in and a veto over its use. Some Celtic fans occasional moan when this is renewed – at a very low cost – but this is the perfect example of why that is done.
The paradox on theRangers desperately trying to promote the Old Firm brand – an association between Celtic FC and Rangers FC (liquidated in 2012) – then wanting nothing to do with Celtic is unanswerable.
Celtic don’t use the Old Firm tag to describe these games, since 2015 when matches against Charles Green’s club started these have been referred to as Glasgow Derbies by Celtic. In terms of the timings of the announcement, Celtic got in early, maybe a tactical call, maybe not but after that early outrage there’s been little sign of it causing too many problems for Celtic.
The rumours that Celtic were getting paid more may or may not be true – however as part of a propaganda war it was certainly effective and the disarray all of this was causing across the city was clearly not something that would have concerned anyone at Celtic at all.
Now the event organisers – who have a valid contract, entered in good faith have now got a decision to make as to their legal response given that theRangers board has alleged that the organisers were unwilling to fulfil their commitments to the latest Ibrox club.
This looks like heading to the courtroom and that could be costly for theRangers who were stating at the start of this soap opera that they were making more money from this than they get from an entire season of TV money from the deal that the SPFL has negotiated with Sky Sports.
The two clubs meet on Sunday when the Old Firm terminology will be in top gear – John Hartson, have a word with yourself big man – and anything other than a home win will leave the Ibrox club with a mountain to climb as they seek to retain their first ever title win.
They will have one eye on season ticket renewals too and the scenario of trying to sell their season books at a time when their fans are in open revolt because of the Sydney Super Cup participation and also because a six point lead has been thrown away as Ange Postecoglou drives Celtic towards the title. War-gaming that through, with the GSL active in the background, perhaps resulted in the decision yesterday that they’d have to take the hit by losing the (much needed) Sydney cash in order to secure their season ticket sales.
There’s a silver lining in this too for anyone who wants to see the return of the larger allocation of away tickets for these Glasgow Derby matches. If their renewals are lower than has been the norm then they might have to look at taking 7500 x 2 x £52 from the Celtic support next season by freeing the Broomloan stand. Stranger things folks, Ange really is working miracles at Celtic! Maybe a 2500 allocation is more realistic because Celtic have high demand anyway.
And a few other points to make. The Scottish media can be relied upon to take a sympathetic approach to any story involving the Ibrox club. They after all on a daily basis support the big lie in Scottish football, the Continuity Myth from 2012 but that is NOT the case with the Australian media who today are piling into theRangers.
And the final point is hugely important for Celtic. When at any time in the future a brand manager of marketing executive says to Celtic that in Glasgow they need both Tom and Jerry if they are going to make a cartoon together then Celtic now have the perfect response. The breached contract on the Sydney Super Cup.
At last fellow Celts, Celtic is free of this mob. Hallelujah.
