The mood around Celtic changed dramatically tonight.
Between 5-6pm tonight two events 1,000 miles apart gave a weary support some signs of hope in the future.
First up Willie Haughey outlined plans for what he has called the Celtic Season Ticket Alliance. A plan to put fans in control of the club after 26 years where apparently Dermot Desmond has been at the heart of every decision.
After 29 seconds of play in Stuttgart Luke McCowan put Celtic in front of their Europa League opponents. That proved to be the only goal of the game, Celtic went out but after back-to-back home defeats some hope was restored.
McCowan, Vil Sinisalo and Dane Murray came in from the cold to stake claims for a place at Ibrox on Sunday.
From the despair of losing 2-1 at home to Hibs O’Neill now has options and a degree of confidence for Sunday’s match.
Go Radio, shortly before kick off in Stuttgart, Haughey explained:
Over the last few months, I’ve been looking at what’s been going on, and if you’ve not got harmony in a business, then you’ve got no chance. Some of the stuff has been a distraction over the past few months.
After last week, and the fantastic and all that to be killed within two minutes, I think we need to come up with a better solution about how the fans can get a voice.
I’m going to look at setting something up. I believe that the 54,000 season ticket holders are the core. They are the heartbeat of Celtic. I’m going to set up a thing called The Celtic Season Ticket Alliance.
I want the 54,000 people, whether you’re in corporate, the directors’ box, whether you’re in the standing section, I’m going to set up an office, a small secretary – I will pay for it. I’m not looking for money from anybody.
I want the 54,000 individuals – all we need is your email address or your mobile number. You get a number, and you’ll be part of that season ticket alliance.
For every 10,000 fans that join this, I will put £2million in to buy shares for this trust… If everyone joins, it’s £10m.
Let’s get harmony, let’s get the Green Brigade back in the stadium, and let’s get everybody singing from the same hymn sheet.
I’m going to get a Celtic legend to front it… Over the next few weeks, there will be more and more details about how people can become a part of this.
After Celtic beat Stuttgart 1-0 O’Neill hosted a media conference
REACTION TO MCCOWAN’S GOAL
I got carried away with myself. I thought ‘we’re going to do this here,’ you know.
We had to create more chances in the game away from home and it wasn’t to be.
It might have been interesting if we’d scored in the last couple of minutes, it might have been a bit nervy for Stuttgart but overall, yeah, I did, I thought we could do it
I genuinely thought we could do it but it was not to be, unfortunately.
O’NEILL’S FINAL EUROPEAN MATCH
The evening has absolutely nothing to do with me, you know. It really doesn’t.
Look, I’ll miss it, absolutely I’ll miss it until they put the brown lid on top of me. I’ve always missed it.
And here I am in many aspects in dreamland really, just to be given the opportunity to manage the side here.
It’s the first win for the club on German soil, which is nice. That’s bittersweet, in that sense, because the tie was tough for us because of last week But overall, yeah, I miss football, and I always will.
VIL SINISALO
I think he’s done really well. I’m delighted for him, he’s a lovely lad. He did great in the game and so did a few others as well.
Not a few others, everybody did well in the match. And yes, it gives me food for thought ahead of Sunday.
We don’t have that much time to get ourselves ready for it, but we’ll go again.
We’re staying overnight here and we travel back tomorrow and get ourselves ready for it.
Results of course are in the lap of the gods, but I think the players do deserve an enormous amount of credit here.
7 Comments
by Cowdenpix
This Fergus McCann attitude can only help towards the betterment of our GLORIOUS club , that’s sadly been missing since the bunnet.
by Michael Craven
Could be the catalyst for ‘total’ fan ownership of the club, in the meantime this can only improve fans position ie. there’s power in numbers
That’ll hit the boards bullseye, they can see their end approaching fast
This glacial speed grey boards days are over & they know it fine
Willie Haughey, I’m in🍀
by Tim Malloy
Why another “initiative?” Can’t the initiator of this initiative get together with the Collective and help to present one unifying scheme that will bring coherence and harmony? I don’t back the current dictatorship nor would I join this nonsensical scheme. #Fuckoffdastardleyandnicholson
by Pablo
I hope this works out
Anything to get this lot to fu**
Even if it doesn’t work out but forces change from this set up then it’s a step forward isn’t it
by Jim Curran
Careful who you get into bed with
by Editor
Absolutely- who would jump into a bed laid by Desmond and big Peter and find Nicholson?
by Valentine's day massacre
I strongly sensed a feeling of shock and disbelief from the Scottish scoops at that presser after Celtic beat Stuttgart in Germany !
Pre game most of those horse back fence menders were anticipating a cricket score win for Stuttgart which then would flatten Celtic’s confidence for Sunday’s derby in Ibroxland making the tribute act a shoo-in to win the game destroying Celtic’s title hopes !
I could feel the smugness and complacency draining away from the scoops after the result . Now they are transferring their hopes onto Beaton and McLean ? Unfortunately that is a different ball game altogether!