Partick Thistle have added a little difficulty to one of the biggest issues inside Celtic Park at this moment.
Running in tandem with the appointment of a manager is the thorny issue of Season Tickets. What ‘added value’ or refund do they offer to the 50,000 who have watched a stream this season and how do they entice those fans or others to pay up for another season of uncertainty.
One fundamental is that a winning team makes all decision making a little easier. If 10-in-a-row had been delivered the euphoria would have rendered dealing with 20/21 Season Ticket sales a minor issue.
The fact that the title was surrendered in the meekest fashion imaginable with minimal communication with supporters will test every ‘engagement’ lesson that Dom McKay picked up at the SRU.
Yet another Scottish club treating their fans fairly. As much as we have repeatedly made clear that we do not wish for cash refunds, this action taken by a Glasgow team proves it is possible for football clubs to prioritise supporters, even during the pandemic. #sharesforvalue https://t.co/qp5LI6g3ZO
— Celtic Shared (@Celtic_Shared) May 4, 2021
Thistle seem to be a club fully engaged with their fans, harnessing the anger of last season’s relegation, turning it into a positive after a couple of seasons on the slide.
How Celtic discover a common ground and cause with their fans will be exercising the mind of McKay and the club’s executive team.
There is a lot of goodwill and passion for Celtic out there but that has been flipped into a negative with the relationship viewed as one way by supporters.
For months almost anything from Celtic’s Social Media team has been instantly sabotaged, in contrast Supporters Liaison Officer John Paul Taylor has almost total respect for his honesty and showing face while others ducked out the way.
Perhaps a more public role for JP and less emphasis on gloss and spin could turn the tide but after two weeks of silence fans are still waiting to hear from the shadowing CEO.
Celtic Shared has over 5,000 Twitter followers and is campaigning for Season Ticket holders to be offered shares as part of the Added Value on Season Tickets.