A photograph shows four men enjoying club hospitality, Celtic has just lost 2-1 to Hibs, marking a seventh league defeat of the season. And there they are. Some of fan-media’s loudest voices of the revolution, indulging in luxury.
The defence from some has been predictable. They say to keep an eye on the board and not get distracted by minor issues. They argue to focus on the real problems. It sounds reasonable, but it is completely wrong. This isn’t about the minor issues. It’s about the image. And the image matters.
Consider Tiger Woods. For years, he built the perfect brand centered around discipline, focus, and invincibility. Then came the car in the ditch at 2:25 a.m. and a single photograph that confirmed all the suspicions people had quietly held but couldn’t prove. No statement, no press conference, and no carefully managed comeback could undo that one image. It didn’t reveal who Tiger was; it confirmed it. That’s why it destroyed his brand overnight.
On an entirely different scale the photograph of Dykes and company in the hospitality box is this movement’s version of that moment. It doesn’t matter who paid for the tickets or what their intentions were.
CELTIC HOSPITALITY
PJ Dykes has been a credible and articulate independent voice. His credibility makes this image particularly damaging. He wasn’t just some random fan; he was the trusted voice when other outlets were simply serving the board’s interests. ACSOM reaches people who don’t follow every platform and may not see every Collective update. For thousands of Celtic supporters, Dykes was the vital link. That’s why this image cuts so deep and clean.
On one hand, corporate Celtic is damaging the club from the top down. On the other hand, here’s the smiling photograph while the title race falls apart around them. That’s the optics; that’s the reality. The source of the tickets and all the explanations afterward become irrelevant once that image is in people’s minds. The credibility is lost, and credibility, once spent, isn’t easily regained.
I wrote about this in October, referring to the Santa moment. In December 2023, at half-time against Hearts, trailing 2-0, the board sat comfortably in the directors’ box, and the fans directed their anger at them. Santa became collateral damage in the wrong place at the wrong time. But the board’s PR machine capitalized on it, framing it as Celtic fans breaking old Saint Nick’s heart and promoting it relentlessly.
NOT ANOTHER PENNY
It was such a transparent stunt that no self-respecting adult should have believed it. Yet, trophy day that season proved otherwise. Santa was wheeled back out, and the crowd laughed and applauded on cue. The board found their answer: when the moment suited them, the happy supporters would always show up. They can always depend on them.
This same tactic is at play now. Quinny appeared at the Celtic Store opening while the Not Another Penny boycott was just beginning. That was the first sign. Those who are easily swayed always find a way to indicate their true priorities. The board, not foolish though they sometimes act that wat, takes note of everything. They know who can be easily managed.
Brian Wilson isn’t promoting dialogue because he believes in it; he’s pursuing a strategy of division. He offers handfuls of Scottish Cup tickets for Ibrox, dangles media access as a reward, and provides hospitality for influencers. It isn’t subtle, and it doesn’t have to be. It just has to work on enough people regularly to ease the pressure. Some individuals are making it very easy for him.
The movement has a real cause to fight for: true accountability from a board that has treated its supporters as a captive audience rather than a community to serve. But a movement can only be strong if those within it are committed. You can’t draw a line and then quietly check if the other side minds if you step back over it.
WILSON’S CAMPAIGN TO DEFLECT AND FRAGMENT
The line is set, and it has been for some time. The only question now is who remains behind it and who has already been bought off with the promise of a decent outing.
Let’s be clear about what this situation is and what it isn’t. This is not about hating Celtic or wanting the team to fail. It is not about bitterness, negativity, or an obsession with the board for its own sake. Those still standing behind the line do so because they love this club enough to demand it reaches its true potential.
A Celtic run with ambition, transparency, and real accountability to the supporters who have stood by it through everything. A Celtic that cannot just collect league titles in a flawed domestic league and call it success while European campaigns end in embarrassment and the board remains detached from all consequences.
That is worth fighting for. That is worth the discomfort, the criticism from one’s own fans, and the accusations of disloyalty from those who confuse supporting the board with supporting the club. We are not the enemy of Celtic. We represent what Celtic should stand for. And no prawn sandwich, no hospitality box, no carefully managed unity talks from a chairman whose interest in unity is only as far as it benefits him—none of this alters that fact.
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by Ultimate
Lee Harvey Oswald … “ so you want me to work at the Book Depository today … just sit around and guard the special books ? You really think I’ll need a gun ? …. Ok , what’re ever you say boss “”
Patsy’s one and all !