Ange Postecoglou has made a passioned plea with Michael Nicholson to speak to supporters after he watched his side go through a second fixture with minimal vocal backing from the stands.
The hoops boss made a telling reference to last season being played Behind Closed Doors when clubs were tripping over themselves to claim that without fans at matches the spectacle was severely diminished.
Six weeks ago the Green Brigade staged a 30 minute silence at home to Livingston as they asked for talks with the club about the rumoured appointment of Bernard Higgins to a security role.
The Green Brigade protest has developed into an open letter signed by more than 250 different supporter groups but that hasn’t brought the hierarchy into contact with the fans.
Celtic now face four consecutive matches away from home where they are likely to get full backing, Postecoglou couldn’t come out and criticise his paymasters but he certainly got his point across in his comments after the 1-0 win over Motherwell.
?? “My hope and desire is that this football club unites for 90 minutes…”
? Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou had his say on the silent protest currently ongoing at Celtic Park ?? pic.twitter.com/fhFxLpzxEp
— Clyde 1 Superscoreboard (@ClydeSSB) December 12, 2021
There’s definitely a difference. Can’t lie about that, there’s a difference. It’s not the same atmosphere when you walk out so we know the issues at hand.
My hope and desire is the football club unites for 90 minutes. Every 90 minutes of football is precious and we should be trying to embrace it and enjoy the moment because last year when it was taken away from us players, coaches and supporters playing in empty stadiums we found out how meaningless it was.
Now we’ve got the opportunity to come back in here and I just hope next time we walk back out at Celtic Park and we hear the noise we want to hear when we come out.
Still not a word from the Celtic Board…. pic.twitter.com/xumwj9IiHA
— Jeanette Findlay (@JeanFind) December 12, 2021
Frankly, I think the ‘silent treatment’ is counter-productive. Why should the playing staff be disadvantaged by something behind the scenes ?
I would speak to the green brigade using two-word statements.
Go away
Grow up
There’s a third one I can’t write here.
I disagree with Joe and Jim on this issue Higgins cannot and must not be employed by our club. This man cost Celtic supporters and other clubs supporters untold misery, some lost their jobs, homes, families and in some cases all three over spurious and trumped up charges which 99% were proved in court to be unfounded but the damage was already done as they had been deemed guilty by association.
Let’s not forget that also that over 250 supporters clubs around the world signed this petition so it’s not just the green brigade plus there’s forty odd thousand supporters in the ground too who aren’t singing so they must agree too. The GB get a bad press and I don’t agree with everything they do but this is all supporters clubs backing this not just them.
This board runs the club tyrannically with no regard for the supports opinion and in my view there comes a time when you have to take a stand and the appointment of Higgins would be the most devisive thing this board has ever done and that’s saying something, we can’t back down from this not now, not ever.
Hi Tommy. Just to be clear I am against the possible appointment of Higgins, just like the 250 supporters groups. My issue is the division that is simmering amongst our fans. Get back to supporting the team, if need be, protest in a manner that doesn’t have a direct impact on the players on the park.
No, but we know want they are.
On behalf of the Green Brigade ( they in fact would be reluctant to ),I will return the sentiment to you with the codicil that being grown up does not necessarily confer an automatic sense of wisdom or tolerance. As your post conclusively proves.
If your position is ‘I’ll be a happy clapper in support of the Board and don’t dare spoil my day’ then fine, that’s your right. However it is also the Green Brigade’s right, along with the over 250 other Celtic Groups who co-signed the email, to demonstrate their opposition to the potential appointment to the Celtic Board, of an individual who has publicly demonstrated his antipathy towards football fans in general with a particular emphasis on our own support.
What has gone unmentioned in the press was that the level of noise or rather the level of silence was
greatly in excess of the level that could be mustered alone by this ‘ wee bunch of toe rags ‘ that was spoiling everyone’s day out but in fact indicated that a considerable majority of the people in attendance we’re actually supporting the protest. The number of signatories to the email and the support online would bear this out.
To be clear my reply above was intended for Joe.
They rightly get all the plaudits for the food collections etc. This however is playing into the opposition’s hands. If you think not backing our team vocally is ok then you have a strange mindset. The board are a disgrace we know that, but this action of not backing our players is very wrong.
Their was obvious division today. Stick your silent protest up your arse was clearly audible. This is a very unhealthy situation and a solution is required before the division gets worse. Anything else will be hugely counter-productive.
The sheep should turn their anger towards the board not the GB
Time to go after the sponsors. the only thing this board understands is money. We can’t lose seats by cancelling tickets but we can call out sponsors. Sponsor product and service boycotts along with banners in the stands would have sorted this out within a few weeks. Sponsors hate bad press.
‘NoDoubt’ above proposes a course of action which, ironically. was the exact behaviour Higgins was being brought in to suppress.
The Board wish to sanitise the support.
Why you ask?
There have been persistent rumours that our ‘ absentee landlord’ is preparing to offload his shares.
Is the Board trying to sanitise and suppress the opposition of the significant number of fans who are still seeking answers on the Res11/12 issue, the Board’s complicity in the 5 Way Agreement, the Board’ seemingly irrational supine responses to SFA mis governance, the calculated assaults from the West of Scotland Media on our Club and Players, the disgraceful partisanship of the Refereeing Associations?
Get rid of all these malcontents ( The Green Brigade being the scapegoat) and it will be a lot easier for Dermott to realise a tidy profit on his investment.
Is this what it’s all about? Don’t you want the board to be transparent on their intentions?
Ultimately, do you want the Board to Be Accountable?
I’ve got to disagree that anges statement was a passioned plea to Nicholson to speak with supporters. From the statement he made I took from it that he wants supporters to vocally support the team