How to increase the thunder

Folks, it’s almost upon us. Yes, it’s time for us football fans to awake from our hibernation and time for us to start living again. In short, it’s only a few days away from the start of the SPL season although for Celtic it’s still quite a while away from our first home match.

Given that we still have a few weeks until our first home game, I am wondering what the atmosphere will be like? Will the thunder be back like Neil Lennon said he wanted? Or will it be something resembling a theatre show in the fact that you go along, sit quietly and give an appreciative round of applause at the end with a bit of occasional booing for the bad guy (the referee in the scenario that I’ve described).

For anyone, like me, who sits in the Jock Stein lower stand, you will be aware that the TV screen at the opposite end of the ground will probably not be working so bang goes any chance of us sitting and watching highlights of old games or even highlights of recent matches.

In the build up to kick off, we get to stand about and listen to music that, in my opinion, is usually pretty awful. Yes with close to 60,000 people in attendance, I think it’s safe to say that you are not going to get music that will suit all tastes so just don’t bother playing anything. As a child, I was told, I think by my Gran, that if I had nothing good to say, I shouldn’t say anything.

The same applies to the music, if they have nothing good to play, then play nothing.

Prior to the game, no matter how early you arrive, you tend to have music blasting through the PA system. Do the club get paid royalties on music that we play? If not, stop it.

I do know that the club sell CD’s (or certainly used to) at the official shop and I am also aware that any source of revenue coming in, especially in the current financial climate, is welcome but why don’t they play DVDs that are going to be on sale at the shop? I think they could survive with cancelling the music for a bit.

I remember going to games, especially bigger matches, European or against Rangers, when the atmosphere about 15 minutes or so before the match was electric. The stadium would be full or pretty close to it and with not much to do but wait for kick off, the fans would generate their own music.

At this point in my writing, I realise that I am probably just sounding like someone who is having a moan for the sake of it so I will let you know what my alternatives would be – and there are a few, some may work, some may not. Let me know what you think.

I’ve touched on the point above, that I’d quite like to see, well hear, the Celtic fans being able to make noise in a quiet stadium before the match so that the opposition know they are in for a noisy time before they even step out at kick off to start playing against us.

That on it’s own, will be enough to take some players concentration away. In Henrik Larsson’s book, he wrote about a Barcelona player who was physically sick when he heard the noise of the Celtic crowd so if we can unsettle a Barca player then we can probably unsettle a lot of SPL opponents.

When Neil Lennon took charge before last season he said that he wanted to bring back the thunder, so I think it seems like we should oblige him. Usually when a manager comes into a club and says something like that, I treat it the same as I do when I hear a foreign player say they grew up supporting the club but with Lennon, he’s played in enough games to know what the “thunder” can do for both Celtic and the opposition.

It doesn’t seem that long ago that by kick off you could barely talk as your voice had pretty much given up as you had been singing for so long before the game.

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There will be many good reasons for the lack of atmosphere at a lot of home games but I think a part of it is because of the pre match entertainment?

Does it kill the atmosphere or am I just being sentimental and thinking that things were better a few years ago when they were not?

Maybe lack of atmosphere isn’t correct given that things certainly did pick up last season, but the atmosphere isn’t what it used to be like. Is it the Glasgow city councils fault?

They issue the safety certificate for each match and they’ve said in the past if the fans do not remain seated at Celtic Park they will not allow the stadium to be used. This means that the club are forced to employ some heavy handed stewards who have to do what their boss employs them to do.

With the new laws coming into play that states just about any negative thought or word is offensive, therefore sectarian, it might be the case that it will be more like going to a theatre instead of a Celtic game.

As a collective group, the fans came through so much together last year so it’s time to start where we left off and get the Celtic songs (not religious or political ones) sung at the top of our voices and frighten the life out of any opposition.

I would like to see the club just playing Celtic songs before the games and at least 15 minutes before kick off just turn off the music, I am certain that doing this before bigger games will improve the atmosphere at the ground so why not give it a go?

If it doesn’t work then I will admit to this being rubbish and we can try something else. In the past, we have heard some bands playing some music which seemed to go down ok but I just think, in footballing terms, that nothing beats the collective sound and sight of a full house singing the Celtic Song or Walk On or whatever other song you care to mention.

How about putting a speaker in the stand and give someone from the Green Brigade access to it ? A few years ago at a PSG match, their fans had a massive speaker and the atmosphere was fantastic throughout the whole match.

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