Time to stand up for the Green Brigade?

After a bit of time away, I am hoping to get back to writing more regularly on this site – if Joe continues to publish my ramblings …

A few funerals in quick succession, broken ribs, being on holiday and a new job are pretty much the reasons for my recent lack of writing. After the Green Brigades display at Parkhead v Inverness, I feel it’s quite appropriate to come back with a piece on them.

To begin, I have to make it clear that I am a massive fan of the Green Brigade. I have been lucky enough to have gone to a few grounds over Europe, the two that stand out are PSG and Real Madrid. They have an equivalent group of what I would describe as hard core fans who live and breath the club and who do what that they can to create an atmosphere inside the stadium.

Not being a part of the Green Brigade, I do not know what goes on behind the scenes with them and what sort of dialogue occurs between them, safety folk and club officials, it’s perhaps worth keeping that in mind when reading this piece.

When it was time for this seasons ticket renewals, there was a bit of a thread on some discussions forums to say that Celtic would not allow the green brigade to renew as a number of fans are unwilling to sit down during the match. Personally, I don’t have a problem standing during the game as long as the people behind me can still see.

The issue here is not anything that the club have decided. Glasgow City Council issue a safety certificate to allow Celtic to use the stadium. In the past the health and safety people (who in my opinion should all be shot – we could always replace them with common sense but that’s not a football related issue so I wont waffle on about it here) have told the club that they will not allow the stadium to be used if all fans are not seated.

How is that issue resolved, do the fans show an act of defiance and fight that decision? If so, how do they fight such a decision? Do they do it by official channels? Perhaps a mass petition to the department that says they should say seated? Instead of going to away games, do you protest outside the buildings of the health and safety people who are trying to enforce this rule?

Or do you just stick up two fingers to the police and stewards who are under instruction to enforce this rule and remain stood up anyway?

Next up, how do the club act on it? The club can’t risk not being able to use the stadium but they also want to keep the most colourful and noisy group of fans happy.

From that point, I guess it must be a tough thing for the club to deal with but I think if it came down to it, they would have to go with the health and safety side of things and enforce the ‘no standing up’ rule.

At the end of the day, the Green Brigade are a minority. Granted a very noisy and colourful minority but a minority none the less.

The next thing that I will touch on is the banner at the match which referred to the alleged sectarian singing. The Irish folk / political songs that we often hear are not illegal but for me, political songs should be kept for outside the football ground. 

I have virtually no interest or knowledge of politics in Scotland so the same applies to any other country. We live in a society with freedom of speech and freedom of thought so if someone wants to exercise that right it would be hypocritical or me or anyone else to tell them otherwise.

My own view is sing political songs if you like but why do it in the football ground? Is parliament not supposed to be the place for people to air their opposing political views?

One of the great things about supporting Celtic is the variation of people who support the club. People come from all different walks of life, cultures etc. It stands to reason that with such a variety of people will come a a variety of views on everything including politics.

I feel that singing Irish political songs actually goes against what the club stands for. It is a club that is opened to all, regardless of who you are. Singing about Irish politics will make some fans who have no interest or opposing views feel isolated. That’s not the point of Celtic.

As for no lateral movement, what idiot decided that? You can move whilst seated, is that the health and safety people who came up with that rule? The fact I am asking what ‘idiot’ came up with that idea shows ignorance on my part as I have no ideas why such a decision has been arrived at.

Can the club arrange for members of the Green Brigade and other supporters groups to meet with these health and safety folk in a controlled environment to find out why so many rules and irritations are in place and try and come up with alternative ways of supporting the team without breaching these rules?

The club is nothing without the fans so I feel that, if it’s something that supporters groups wanted, the club have a duty to work with both groups to come to a viable solution.

As I said at the start of this piece, I am a big fan of the Green Brigade, others may not be. What cannot be argued is that they do go a long way to creating an atmosphere within the ground. The first half of the game when they had their silent protest was certainly noticed within the ground. Generally, the atmosphere isn’t great for a league game but without them, is it going to get worse?

I fear that we may end up losing this group or have them broken up to different parts of the stadium. If that were to happen, would it just be the same as losing a star player? That no group / individual is bigger than the club and eventually some other group will fill the gap that they have left? I sure hope it doesn’t come to that but I do feel it’s time for the issues highlighted to be addressed.

I suspect that the crowd will be in a much more boisterous manner for the Udinese game – I certainly will be as it’s my birthday so here’s hoping for a double celebration which will, no doubt, be lead by the Green Brigade.

CLICK HERE for Neil Lennon and players praise the Green Brigade

CLICK HERE  to find out who Paul George is

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