The Glasgow Times has spectacularly put the boot into Celtic fans as they celebrated winning the 24/25 SPFL Premiership title.
Leading with comments from the Merchant City and Trongate Community Council all sorts of mayhem and chaos was associated with Celtic fans with the implication that the club has control over supporters.
That is clearly not the case.
For whatever reasons the City Council that spends fortunes organising Orange hate marches every weekend through the summer made no provision for the celebrations of Celtic supporters for the fourth year running.
Some basic steps could have been taken but in the build up to Saturday it seemed that the Police, Council and Celtic were all involved in distancing themselves from the inevitable celebrations.
STV, Glasgow World and the Daily Record provided similar coverage, blissfully unaware that half of their target audience are Celtic fans who are now very well served by independent fan media outlets.
“It is clear Celtic cannot control its supporters.” 😡 pic.twitter.com/XHEyaG1Ds2
— Glasgow Times (@Glasgow_Times) May 17, 2025
Wading in OTT to demonise your potential audience isn’t the smartest of moves, Glasgow Times reports:
A group representing the local community has claimed that the club ‘cannot control’ its fans and slated the ’11th hour’ statement they made on Friday.
A spokesperson for Merchant City and Trongate Community Council (MCTCC) said: “Once more, streets in the centre of Glasgow were taken over by thousands and thousands of Celtic supporters and turned into a No Go area for residents, businesses, and traffic, including emergency services and public transport.
“An historic monument, traffic lights and a subway station roof were climbed upon. Flares and firecrackers were set off. Normal life in and around Glasgow Cross and Trongate was brought to a standstill.
“Several hundred police did their duty at great cost to the public purse. Glasgow City Council cleansing staff faced the massive task of clearing up the mess – yet another expense to taxpayers.
It seems that the MCTCC have no such issues with the weekly Orange Hate Marches approved by the Council throughout the summer months. Or the Glasgow Times doesn’t report on their opposition.
Glasgow City Council, Police Scotland and Celtic appear to be in a three way stand off over the failure to provide a designated fanzone for supporters to get together in the same manner as fans across Europe will over the coming weeks.
Later in the report Glasgow City Council spokesperson said:
We have been clear, this season and in previous years, that we would support any effort made by our football clubs to organise safe, sustainable celebration events for their supporters.
We know from our discussions that an organised event is also the strong preference of Police Scotland. However, there has been no request from them for the council to organise or host such an event.
The job of the Police is to secure safety, not to be event organisers.
That task falls on Celtic and the Council, plans should be in place every year for an authorised fanzone to minimise impact elsewhere, it seems that Celtic didn’t have a desire to be associated with such an event.
There is every likelihood of a similar scenes this Saturday with Celtic going to Hampden looking to complete the treble by winning the Scottish Cup.
In advance of the expected celebrations the City Council dismantled many of the bus shelters to prevent damage, unfortunately providing skips for rubbish and additional toilet facilities was beyond them.
Throughout the year thousands of Celtic fans pay Council Tax, shop in and spend money in the city. Every matchday hotels, pubs and restaurants get a big uplift in business from fans travelling to watch Scotland’s Most Successful Club, providing some basic facilities seems to be too much for a Council than panders to Orange hate marches for four months of the year.
Glasgow without Celtic would be a ghost town, Glasgow without Orange marches would flourish.
Every weekend in every major UK city litter is dropped, there are incidents of anti-social behaviour and people arrested.
Cry more.
Glasgow is Green and White.
It’ll be the same next year, and the next and the next so get used to it.
— We welcome the chase 120 🏆 (@Hahahasevco1) May 17, 2025
Tell the council to take it out of the estimated £200m Celtic fans contribute to the city over the course of the season and tell the unnamed local to dry his or her eyes. It ain’t going away you know 🍀
— AM 🏴🍀 (@annemarie6377) May 17, 2025
Blame the council
— Robert California (@DundieKing) May 17, 2025
Alexa . Show me a paper in terminal decline . Now off ye pop
— The Suly shamrock 🍀 (@Jk6315) May 18, 2025
So this local business person has questioned why a fanzone on the Green was not considered 🤔 that’s a question to be asked of Glasgow CC and Police as it’s them that’s declined it!
Still, the Times headline speaks volumes of them and their reporting style 🤫
— Jaz (@SlyFecker) May 17, 2025
You cunts were silent on this. pic.twitter.com/rAAIPIEh9b
— 𝓟𝓪𝓭𝓭𝔂 1️⃣🏆2️⃣🏆0️⃣ (@Magnificent7kok) May 17, 2025
It’s a public place, people can go where they want.
— Silly Silligan (@Crabby_Patty_) May 17, 2025
I think what needs to happen in future is that an official area needs to be provided for fans to congregate. As Celtic have won 13 out of the last 14 titles it’s not a surprise to anyone. This could be a joint venture between Celtic & the council. Celtic could pick up the tab.
— ZeroSeven 🏴🏴 (@ER07070707) May 17, 2025
Up ye 🖕 pic.twitter.com/n133gWaPwa
— MICKYBHOY 🕊 (@BHOYS81) May 17, 2025
Absolutely fuming 😂😂😂 the large hun element in this country is spewing beyond belief, with a high percentage of them working in journalism, lovely to see 😎😂
— KR (@KR1888C) May 17, 2025
Stay in the area, went to the game today and loved it. Went elsewhere whilst the carnage happened and tomorrow the place will be back to normal. No issues from me so I wonder who these “locals” are that have issues
— Brian De la Haya (@B7I4N_) May 17, 2025
You want to talk about this when earlier there was a march that hates anything catholic.
— Brennan Bhoy (@BrennanMatin) May 17, 2025
Glasgow Times?
Thought you’d ceased publication & circulation a long time ago..around 2012
— Alan Brady (@bra26247359) May 17, 2025
Why can’t a media outlet have a normal
Conversation about things. Why is it always about click bait— Spam Rogic | イギリスの女王は死んだ (@SpamRogic_) May 17, 2025
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