The thing that struck me about Celtic’s first ever Fan Media Conference

The first thing that struck me in Celtic’s first Fan Media Conference yesterday – apart from “I want to hear more of this” – was just how relaxed and engaged John Kennedy was.

Straight off the bat Celtic’s interim manager clearly felt comfortable and was more than willing to be expansive in his answers. My own fear that there may have been an element of suspicion and with it the possibility of guarded responses was immediately allayed. Prior to the manager’s appearance, David Turnbull had seemed a little more uncomfortable, however that appeared more a lack of assuredness and an element of shyness rather than any suspicion, and indeed if you compare the presser to the mainstream alternative earlier it is clear John Kennedy was far less guarded when questioned by those representing the support rather than those, he would have been well versed in as simply looking for an angle. The fact he gave the Fans Media 45 minutes and the mainstream version just 15 minutes spoke volumes.

We’ve had fan media at the mainstream media conference before of course but this seemed different, as it wasn’t a sole voice in a room full of agendas. Previously when tactical questions have been raised by the likes of The Cynic they appeared to be seen as an angle being sought, one to be suspicious of, and to be used for future criticism. Subsequently the questioner was met with concern and the answers supplied even somewhat disdainful on occasion.

This season considering the divide that had opened up between the fans and the club, you could perhaps permit an allowance for the guard being up. Yet despite how his predecessor had approached fans media previously, this time around John Kennedy went into great detail as he discussed his own footballing philosophy, the impact of the last few weeks on the players as well as discussing openly the influence Ronny Deila, Brendan Rodgers and Neil Lennon had on him and what they all brought individually to the club. It certainly held the attention of the listener, something that tended to wander under the weight of the banality of questioning in the traditional format.

As a supporter this is what I wanted to hear, it was a breath of fresh air. It’s what I always hope we’d get even five minutes of during the traditional pre-match press conferences, but in truth rarely if ever did. This because the mainstream media come in with clear pre-conceived agenda’s looking for the headline that will fit their already outlined story, where we often had a Celtic manager willing to play along, out of habit and tradition to an extent, but still too guarded to give anything too much to those who stand poised to cut and paste and twist his words. Considering the press is supposed to be a conduit to converse with the support, that has sadly long since been lost, yesterday was a sign it could be a genuine possibility going forward.

The truth is Celtic as a club have nothing to fear from Celtic fans media, other than scrutiny with the best of intentions. There is no agenda and no angle to strengthen the hand of a rival, whilst at the same time weaken the club as we have seen all too often displayed in the mainstream version.

Indeed, many big clubs have embraced their own versions with great success in recent years, Liverpool in particular spring to mind as a large club who were quick to realise that the communication amongst supporters and their consumption of all things football had moved away from traditional means. That if they wished to be seen as modern thinking and on point with their support base, it was best to encourage and engage with the form of supporter’s media consumption that was increasing rather than declining.

As Celtic move into a period of change our new CEO Dominic McKay comes with a well evidenced communications background. If yesterday was in part his doing, as a means to eradicate old practices, then it bodes well. If it wasn’t and it was the club looking to impress before the new man arrives it was also a step in the right direction.

Outside the form on the field of play this season, communication and the lack of it, has been the single biggest issue. Even as recently as Ian Bankier’s 688-word January review the consistent message from the club appeared to be that communication was just fine, yet it’s fair to say the you don’t get frustration moving to angry protest if the lines of communication are free flowing. As such we can but hope yesterday’s Fans Media Press Conference was viewed as a starting point on a longer journey where the club and the support have a place where views can be exchanged, where fans can see the questions asked that they want and hear the answers without edit. The Club too will know that they will also be afforded the right to reply.

So far it is a one-off but it certainly seemed a success and one both sides will surely look to embrace and even develop further going forward. To me it felt like the first step to trust being rebuilt. That of course will be a long road walked, but at least we’ve started out.

Niall J

About Author

As a Bellshill Bhoy I was taken to my first Celtic game in the summer of 1987. It was Billy McNeill’s return to Celtic Park as manager and Celtic lost 5-1 to Arsenal . I thought I was a jinx, I think my Grandfather might have thought the same. It was the finest gift anyone ever gave me when he walked me through Parkhead's gates.

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