Tensions between Celtic supporters and the club’s hierarchy show little sign of easing after two contrasting statements emerged following Monday night’s meeting at Celtic Park.
The sit-down between senior club executives and the Celtic Fans Collective was arranged in response to growing unrest among the support, which has been building since the summer transfer window. The Collective’s open letter to the board, published last month and signed by more than 400 fans, accused the leadership of poor communication, flawed football strategy, and a lack of accountability at the top of the club.
Following Monday’s meeting, the Collective issued a statement describing it as a “disappointing” exchange that “produced no tangible outcomes.” They claimed the club’s leadership “remains detached from the concerns of its supporters” and described what they viewed as a “lack of humility, awareness and accountability” from those in charge.
Celtic’s version of events could hardly be more different. In their response, released a few hours later, the club conceded that “mistakes have been made” in both the summer transfer window and Champions League campaign, an admission notably absent from the fans’ summary of the discussion.
While the Collective’s account portrayed a board unwilling to accept criticism, Celtic said they “valued the opportunity to hear from supporters” and outlined several supposed outcomes from the meeting, including commitments to review supporter engagement processes, establish a new safe standing working group, and involve fans in upcoming discussions with Police Scotland regarding the Fairhurst Report.
For now, the two statements tell very different stories about the same meeting. One rooted in frustration and mistrust, the other in cautious acknowledgement and promises of improvement.
Both parties say full minutes will be published in due course. Until then, supporters will be left to judge for themselves which version rings truer.
We have been hearing for years about the lessons learned and nothing changes. The board are taking the piss and continue to lie to save their skins. I, for one, do not trust them. Patronising charlatans !!
Or if course what we are seeing is a group of so called “Celtic supporters” who are only out to cause chaos for chaos sake! Let’s be honest! The status of our club shows that there is not much wrong with it at all! Sure, it’s not perfect! But which club is?
This group want to control the club! That’s a fact!
Here’s another fact!
They couldn’t control their bladder!
The board have, in their statement today, admitted PUBLICLY, that they made mistakes during the transfer window and it cost us in Champions League qualification!
What have these protesting louts admitted? Have they admitted to being idiots? Because they are!
Have they admitted that they don’t have a clue WHY they are protesting? Because they don’t!
Have they admitted that they aren’t REALLY CELTIC FANS? BECAUSE THEY AREN’T!
They want the biard to concede to EVERYTHING while they take over the running of our club and do EXACTLY what Trump is doing the the USA right now!
GROW UP!
Joe, yer talking mince
You were doing well until you mentioned Trump. Now you sound like another Trump deranged woke a whole.
Can’t be easy typing with sausage fingers.
Joe could well be Lawwell’s alter-ego – could those ‘sausage fingers’ be the giveaway? 🤣
Sack the biard!
The criticism of the board’s approach to communications certainly ring true. The fact that the transfer window could have been better is also true. Personally I think the board’s non executives should be more independent, especially when one man is wielding so much influence from a minority position of c. 36%
However I really object to protests being held before and during games. There’s no doubt it has impacted players and performances, and has a depressing impact on match atmosphere and ordinary fans.
As I tried to say before (and my posts were not published, what’s that about?), we are not R**g**s and nor should we behave like them imho
🤣
The Board statement confirmed rather than conflicted with the statement issued by the Collective in as much as it diverted from the real issues to side issues that few are interested in. The main issues are accountability, ambition and transparency going forward. Did the board address these? No! What they did instead was make a cursory admission to mistakes in the summer window and cite off-topic subjects like commitments to review supporter engagement processes, establish a new safe standing working group, and involve fans in upcoming discussions with Police Scotland regarding the Fairhurst Report. In other words, they failed to address the elephant in the room and what is most important to fans right now – club progression, especially in Europe. They really must think we all came down with the last shower.