MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 06: The adidas logo on the official Glasgow Celtic FC home shirt on February 6, 2023 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Visionhaus/Getty Images)
Leaked images have surfaced of Celtic’s latest venture with Adidas.
Kieran Tierney and John Collins feature in the Spezial range as the club looks to win back supporters sicked by the enthusiasm for commercial deals while the team on the pitch goes badly neglected.
Celtic, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest have been chosen for Thursday’s launch as Adidas seeks to reinforce their relationships with three major UK deals.
On the back of unrest that led to the formation of the Celtic Fans Collective the new kit is expected to get a hostile reception across social media.
With three first team strips launched over the summer and numerous accessories many fans are drawing a line in the sand.
Already this season many fans will have spent close to £1000 on a Season Ticket and cup match tickets.
For years Celtic fans had hoped that their club would link up with Adidas. In the summer of 2020 after 10 years with New Balance the Adidas deal was finally sealed.
Fans genuinely couldn’t get enough. There were two Irish heritage kits that were never worn by the first team that sold in volumes.
The best ever, and most expensive top came out in the summer of 2023, almost as plain as the Lisbon kit and again a strip that was never used in a match. It sold in the tens of thousands.
THE BREAKDOWN
Now it seems like the first bump in the road has been reached. There is no issue between fans and Adidas but with the Celtic board trust has been broken.
Despite pushing turnover to a record high of £143m the team has been neglected. So neglected that they lost to Kairat Almaty in the Champions League.
That and patronising club comments became too much for many fans to shrug aside.
Business at the Celtic stores is believed to have dropped significantly during September. Even at the newly opener city centre superstore in Queen Street. Those customers won’t be won back easily. Far from it, more fans could be joining the real silent protest. Silence at the tills.
If Adidas feel the chill of sales falling way below expectations there may soon be some external pressure on CEO Michael Nicholson to engage with those pesky, entitled customers.
The Adidas Spezial range is always expensive
£120 plus for a sweatshirt etc
Seems blindingly obvious: the Board now has to offer something back to the support,
or Christmas merchandise revenue targets are at risk?
The club announcing PL’s retirement before the AGM might be a good start…?
I have said said before they should put a strip out at Christmas for cost as a reward for all the years of support.
Unique gesture which would get world wide publicity.
Is this the launch of a stealth plot to install Collins as the next manager?
Buy NO merch
Fck me the brass neck of our board beggers belief, they can stick it up their hole wae the rest of the kits they’ve released since the summer, a never ending cash grab, scunnered doesn’t quite cut it HH
I really loved the look of the black Celtic training jacket and was going to purchase it from our online shop. But I’ve decided to buy a non-Celtic training jacket instead. I’m refusing to spend another penny on Celtic gear until we see real change. C’mon the Collective, stand firm and stay united.
Editor: Offer 20% of the real market value then email your Non Executive Directors for permission to add a tenner to your opening bid.
No merch cos of No merks is my take on it…
Might review in February if they give Brendan £20 million in January !
Collins has Fair aged these days…
Comes to us all I suppose !