Troubled times- are supporters an after thought?

December 21, 2013

Categories: Fans

“Football without fans is nothing.” Unfortunately, this quote is no longer true.

The modern equivalent of that quote has replaced ‘fans’ with ‘money’. For me, a change of fixtures doesn’t really cause any major problems. If there’s an early home game on a Sunday, I can’t get public transport to it but I can stay with friends or family the night before and make my way to Parkhead on the Sunday morning.

Unfortunately, the same doesn’t apply to a large number of fans. A large number of fans have already made travel arrangements to come to the game versus Kilmarnock which has been moved from a 3pm kick off on Saturday 11th January to a 7.45pm kick off on Wed 29th January.

The original reason for this was that the players had an early start to the season and have had a high number of games to play since the Champions League qualifiers.

This seems fair enough, the league doesn’t have a winter break so why not take a few weeks off to allow the players to re-charge ?

However, this isn’t what is going to happen. Instead the players are travelling to play a friendly game versus Trabzonspor followed by another game against either Galatasary or Ajax.

After the recent events in Amsterdam, how anyone can think of Ajax as a friendly opposition is beyond me, although, that’s a view of the fans but probably not of the club.

So what is the benefit of this tournament? Is it just the case that the players are fed up with the Scottish weather and fancy something that will probably be a bit more pleasant?

I doubt that comes into it but I am pretty certain that the club will benefit financially from it, however, long term will we really see any financial benefit?

The fans who have already booked and paid for accommodation, flights/ transport and match tickets before the re-scheduling of the fixture of the match was announced will lose out.

The same fans, I’d guess, will be wary of buying tickets for future matches and can anyone blame them?

Being from Glasgow, I don’t have anything against the place but I doubt being able to see some of the tourist sites will be a suitable replacement for going to the Celtic that has already been paid for.

The next fixture which will prove a bit more difficult to get to is the 1st January home game versus Partick Thistle. I do know that Celtic asked to have the fixture moved. For unknown reasons, Thistle refused to move the fixture.

On new years eve, like most fans, I will be at some form of party which will almost certainly involve large amounts of alcohol. Will I be in a legal state to drive the next day? Almost certainly not. What about get the bus or train? No, there’s none on New Years Day.

My options are to have nothing to drink, pay about £40 on a taxi there and about the same amount going back or miss the game. As much as I hate to miss the game, it’s certainly the most viable of the options that I’ve listed there.

Now, what about fans who have long journeys to make? Has anyone considered them ?

As an example, fans travelling to this re-arranged mid week game will need a day off work to travel to it and they will probably also need the next day off work as well as having to arrange accommodation in Glasgow for the game.

For me, it’s about time that the fans became part of the game again. We are not taken into account at all and I firmly believe that is the single biggest factor in declining attendances.

Yes, there’s other things like lack of competition, over zealous stewarding/ policing etc. but if things keep going the way the are, less and less fans will go to the games.

Thereafter, I can’t see that many TV companies will have any interest in covering football matches played at empty stadiums.

If that happens, then where do the clubs go? Perhaps if the clubs, not only Celtic, took the thoughts of paying customers, aka, the fans, into account, they might be in a better position. A position that won’ leave them so reliant on the money that comes from the TV companies.

Other than that, thanks to everyone who reads and comments on my blogs, I’d like to wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy new year. If you don’t celebrate them, then enjoy the time off work.

Hail Hail.