ntv survey 2009

 

1. If you had to congratulate the board for one thing what would it be?

While quite a few responses to this question were either blank or explicitly stated ‘nothing’, most of our readers accepted that the present board have brought to the club a degree of financial stability in uncertain times for football in general, at least in the environment in which we operate. Reducing the debt while still allowing Gordon Strachan some money to spend was top of the list here in terms of pats on the back, although they were also commended for their tributes to Tommy Burns a year ago.

One reply congratulated them for ‘not being the Kellys or Whites’, which definitely falls into the ‘damned with faint praise’ category and another reader thought they should be given credit for the pitch being in good nick.

2. If you had to pick a bone with them what would it be?

The most frequent response to this question was along the lines of not addressing the quality of the first team squad by buying good players during the most recent transfer windows. The feeling is that some more investment would virtually have guaranteed the SPL title this season and, by extension, hammered another nail into the coffin of Rangers.

Among the other bones of contention were a perceived willingness by the board to agree to joint sponsorship venues with Rangers at a time when everyone else is doing their best to put some distance between the two clubs, to the extent of attempting to drive the term ‘Old Firm’ out of existence, a focus on business as opposed to listening to the genuine concerns of the supporters (one fan described their attitude to commerce as ‘immoral’) and concerns about heavy handed stewarding in sections of the stadium, especially at a time when we’re trying to encourage more fans through the turnstiles by creating a better atmosphere at home games (see questions 5 and 7).

3. If you could direct a question or a comment to the board at the next Celtic AGM what would it be?

If you are going to the next AGM and can get a hold of the microphone for the Q and A session, you might consider trying to get John Reid and company to address one of these, from a selection we were offered:

What are you doing to kill off the ‘Old Firm’ tag?
How can you justify the Thomas Cook rip-off?
Why was no money released for players during the last transfer window?
How do you intend to get us out of the SPL so we can start making some real money?
Why not reduce prices for SPl games against bottom six opposition to get more fans through the gates?
Why is there no fan group representation on the board?
Where do you see the club being in 5 years time?
Why not ensure one major signing every year as opposed to five or six ordinary signings?
Why was Bobo not given a pay-off?
Is the Atlantic League idea totally dead?
Are we now content to only win the SPL?
Why do you use the term ‘Old Firm’ in official publications and statements?
Why does the Celtic Shop sell sweatshop goods?
Are you serious about taking the club to the next level?
When will Celtic Park get a Five Star rating?
Why does the club push gambling so much, through the website etc, during a period of financial instability?
Why are you holding us back? (an ‘are you still beating your wife’ question if ever there was one!)

4. In general, how do you feel about the direction the club is heading under the stewardship of the present board of directors?

I suppose most boards of directors would be happy with a popularity rating that indicated around 60% of their customer base were either very happy or reasonably happy with their stewardship of the club. If only everybody inside Celtic Park was a reader of NTV, eh?

Comments

On the positive side:
Suppose they have to be careful during a recession.
They seem to know what they’re doing.
Keep it up.
Compared to most we look financially sound.
Doing well under present economic circumstances.
They have kept debt down but still spent money on the team.
A very good board on paper.

On the negative side:
They will not push the boat out on class players.
Meaningful communication from the club to the fans is poor.
They are lucky that Rangers are in such a state.
Is there any way we haven’t been exploited financially?
They are moving too far away from the founding principles of the club.
They don’t show enough ambition.
The fans don’t seem to be a priority with them.

5. Use the following scale to rate each of the categories below:

1 = very happy
2 = reasonably happy
3 = indifferent
4 = quite unhappy
5 = very unhappy

Comments:

Attitude to Fans
Fans are taken for granted.
we’re paying more but getting less in return.
Catering
catering in the stadium is truly awful.

Approaches
The surroundings of the stadium are looking shabby.
Outside the stadium is a midden. Sort it out!
The stadium needs more money spent on it.
The bus and car parks are a mess.
Changes to bus organisation has added 30 minutes on to the journey to Celtic Park.

Transport links
There’s no train station near the stadium.

Stewarding
Stewarding in some sections is terrible.

Tickets
Ticket services are a shambles.
Celtic are still too small-time in their attitude towards ticketing and the website.
Tickets are too expensive.
Reduce prices for tickets and more people will turn up for the games.

Celtic Media
The programme is better but there’s still too many adverts in it.
Programme too expensive.
You can read the View in 5 minutes.
The View ain’t what it used to be.
The Celtic View and the website are only marginally better than Celtic TV.
The official website seems to always last to report Celtic news.
Content of the website is poor.
Do the board realise these products are poor value?

6. Using the same scale of 1-5 above, how would you rate your attitude to the first team management?

Three weeks on from the issue in which this question appeared I suspect this popularity rating might have taken a dip.

7. What would you suggest to enhance the atmosphere inside Celtic Park?

There’s no doubt that as fans we have a part to play in creating an atmosphere inside the stadium, and it’s inarguable that groups such as the Jungle bhoys and the Green Brigade are doing a tremendous job in that respect with their tifo displays. But the club has to do its bit as well. The suggestion that we should have safe standing areas within the stadium is one which has a lot of merit but which is hampered by current legislation. Singing sections might be easier to accomplish and the board should do all it can to co-operate with the groups who are trying to make this possible.

Ultimately, there was a recognition amongst most of the replies that playing more exciting football and seeing better players is the best way to get the fans off their seats and into the game.
And less aggressive stewarding might help.
To get involved, contact:

campaigning for safe terracing to be restored
www.susd.vitalfootball.co.uk

celtic fan groups
www.thejunglebhoys.net
greenbrigade.proboards.com

 

8. Celtic have tried a variety of pre-match and half-time ‘entertainment’ over the years, such as Stars in their Eyes etc. Ideally, what would you like to see happening on the pitch at half-time?

Pro-celebrity boxing - Joe Calzaghe versus Mark Hateley.
Public stoning of referees and ex-referees and other well-known celebrities. Suggestions included Mike McCurry, Donald Findlay and Warren Feeney.
“I’m a Hun - Get Me Out of Here (Alive!)”
Pole Dancing (not sure of this meant Artur Boruc or the other kind)
Feeding Rangers players to lions without muzzles. (Not really fair on the lions to take the muzzles off the Rangers fans, I thought)
Hoopy getting chased by a pack of wolves.
Invite a football pundit to a half-time challenge for charity. They have to run around the track with a dead rabbit tied to them. Give them a 50 yard start then release the attack dogs. See who can run the furthest before being caught.
Police dogs re-enacting the Manchester riots using real Huns.

9. Which player in the domestic game would you try to buy for Celtic?

Most frequent suggestion was Fletcher of Hibs followed by James McCarthy of Hamilton. There were a few votes for Sandaza of Dundee United and Driver of Hearts, but just as many replies were not in favour of buying any more players from the SPL. One of the more intriguing replies was in favour of buying Boughera from the Huns on the basis that we were founded as a charitable club and it might help them out a wee bit.

10. Which international player would you attempt to buy?

Lionel Messi, agreed, but could we persuade him to swap Las Ramblas for the Gallowgate simply on the basis that the Gallowgate has better street entertainment on a Saturday night? I like the idea of buying the Hulk from Porto, though. He’s the right colour and everything.

11. Which of our current squad would you cash in on in the coming summer transfer window?

Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and Artur Boruc were equal top in this category, presumably on the grounds that we could cope with the loss of either (or both). I shudder to think what we’d be like without some of the other players mentioned, though, such as Aiden, McDonald or Naka. The other suggestions (McManus, Samaras, Donati, Naylor, Doumbe and Mark Brown) lend a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘cash-in’.

12. Rank our top 5 players this season:

1. Scott Brown

2. Gary Caldwell

3. Aiden McGeady

4. Scott McDonald

5. Shunsuke Nakamura

13. rate the players using the following scale:

5 = Indespensible
4 = Useful squad player
3 = Jury’s still out
2 = Slightly better than a man short
1 = Taxi!

The NTV Readers’ preferred starting XI (assuming we still play 4-4-2) would therefore be along the lines of:

14. Rank the following clubs in terms of their detestability, where 1 is pretty close to Rangers and 10 is almost tolerable and their ground in terms of an away trip:

Expect outrage if you show this to any of your Aberdeen supporting mates. No surprises at the bottom of the table. If you look at it for long enough you can almost see the flies hovering around.

As far as away trips are concerned the results were: 1. Dundee United (7.1); 2. Aberdeen (6.5); 3. Hibs (6.0); 4. Hamilton Accies (5.3); 5. St. Mirren (4.7); 6. Falkirk (4.3); 7. Inverness (4.2); 8. Kilmarnock (3.8); 9 = Motherwell and Hearts (both 3.6).

15. Which is your favourite English team (if any)

A very lukewarm response compared with previous years, but Liverpool edged it over Manchester United. There were honourable mentions for Wolves, Man City, Crewe, Everton, Arsenal, Leeds, Wigan, MK Dons, Sunderland and Thetford Town (Who they? Ed).

16. Which is your favourite continental team?

Barcelona are very popular these days, for obvious reasons, although it was good to see that neither St. Pauli or Villareal have been forgotten.

17. which ref would you most like to see thrown to the Galatasaray fans?

Most popular answer was ‘all of them’ as you might expect, but when push came to shove it was the Sinister Minister who got the popular vote. If you had your way, McCurry would be followed into the home end at the Ali Sami Yen by Brines, McDonald and Hugh Dallas. Yes, even after all these years.