Celtic Fans Protest During Livingston Match

Celtic TV tried their best but they couldn’t silence the protests against the board at the match against Livingston.

Fans in the UK were able to pay £12.99 for a live, official and authorised stream.

What they got was heavily muted audio, almost as if the club was trying to play down the fabled atmosphere that they are usually quick to highlight.

Fortunately Simon Donnelly was on co-commentary duty rather than Peter Grant. Donnelly allows a break in the audio, allowing viewers to watch and listen.

Grant, much like Stephen Craigen seems to have an allergy to silence.

CELTIC TV- THE TURN OFF

The moment Paul Cuddihy pauses Grant is straight in to witter on about anything and everything. You barely hear the fans when Grant is in the commentary box.

Donnelly allows the viewer to think without being bombarded.

There was no invite to boycott the Livingston match from the Celtic Fans Collective.

Celtic do seem to have an unfortunate run of unattractive midweek fixtures.

Distant and not so distant Season Ticket holders are increasingly opting out.

Sure they are missing late drama but in successive matches it has largely been 90 minutes of tedium before the stoppage time drama.

A few pockets of fans are trying to get some songs going but there is no covering up for the absence of the Green Brigade.

Celtic have the tarpaulin drawn over their corner of the stadium. Without the prompters there is nothing for the joiners-in.

As John McGlynn recently remarked that without the Green Brigade Celtic Park is a very different obstacle.

Would any other sporting club wilfully harm their prospects of success?

Football is often a game of small margins.

Getting the Green Brigade back inside Celtic Park could be the small margin that makes fixtures like that last two a little more comfortable.

NICHOLSON ON A MISSION TO STAMP OUT DISSENT

Michael Nicholson thought that banning the Green Brigade would stamp out the dissent. Those pesky anti-establishment fans that distress the Desmond family so much.

Like most things Nicholson got that badly wrong.

Throughout 80% or more of the matchday support the Celtic board are hated. Nicholson, Brian Wilson, Chris McKay and the rest of the free loaders.

They discovered that uncomfortable truth during the recent home win over Falkirk.

At home to Livingston on a February evening there was no let up in that message.

Not even with the offer of talks with fans. Not even with Wilson’s man-of-the-people tale about meeting four young lads. Fans can see straight through the spin, fiction and deflection tactics.

Last night’s attendance was the absolute core of the Celtic support.

There were maybe 15,000 or more empty seats.

For anyone in the boardroom taking comfort from the fabled Waiting List a shock is on the way.

Sure, they will almost certainly sell out next week’s match against Stuttgart. But there is no supressed demand to watch dull predictable performances against dull predictable opponents.

Livingston haven’t won any sort of match since August.

Thanks to Martin O’Neill and him alone Celtic remain in a title race.

The decision to undermine Brendan Rodgers has had long term consequences. Much like the appointment of Wilfried Nancy.

Dermot Desmond might think that Celtic’s problems cleared on October 27 with a resignation. His decision making in recent times has been deeply flawed.

RETURN OF THE GREEN BRIGADE?

There seems to be credible reports that interim Chairman Wilson and George Campbell are meeting with the Green Brigade today.

Ideally they should be meeting with the Celtic Fans Collective but Wilson has been playing at hide and seek.

An invite was sent to a dormant email account. A meeting was proposed this week, Celtic bailed out when an agenda was put forward.

If he isn’t required on Labour Party duty Wilson is expected to meet the Collective next week.

A Green Brigade return against Stuttgart looks ambitious. If they aren’t back for the Hibs match three days later an opportunity will have been missed.

It seems that Nicholson has been side-lined from the Green Brigade decision.

It is a very low benchmark but Wilson is more capable than the ‘leading sports lawyer’ draining a salary as CEO.

His Unionist politics will never be popular but if he gets the Green Brigade back inside Celtic Park Wilson’s 20 plus years of free loading will at least have a small consolation.