the price isn’t right

downsizing continues but the price remains the same

By the looks of things the current board’s downsizing of Celtic continues again this season.

Those who doubt the veracity of that statement would do well to compare the current Celtic team to that of a few years ago.

Where once we had players like Mjallby, Balde, Petrov, Lambert, Lennon, Moravcik, Sutton, Larsson and Hartson. Today we have Caldwell, McManus, Loovens, McDonald, Samaras and Killen.
The first group of players mentioned above took us the UEFA Cup Final.

Unless there is some dramatic reversal of form in the Europa League in the forthcoming group fixtures, the second set are taking us to the final of the Golden Rose of Montreaux Comedy Festival.

Since 2007-8 I make it that we have played 22 games in Europe. Of those we have won 5 in 90 minutes. 5 out of 22, less than 25%. Another 5 have been drawn in 90 minutes while 12 have been lost.

This season alone we have
played 6 European games of which only one has been won. Yet to listen to our board all is well with the good ship Celtic.

It would seem from the Manager’s comments that he realises the extent of the problems on the playing side, and they are extensive. Wisely, he has suggested it will take several transfer windows to bring in the quality of player required to turn things round and, equally important, gete is shot of those players who are letting him down on a regular basis. He must have his fingers crossed that he gets the financial backing from the board that he needs, otherwise our rapid decline into mediocrity will continue apace.

The laissez faire attitude to the club also extends off the park.

The bus park is still a swamp come any kind of rain. Facilities in the shape of toilets and food and drink outlets for those arriving early in the bus park from all over Britain and Ireland are basically non existent.

The urban nature reserve stands untouched behind the Celtic End. The walkways around the back of the traditional Celtic end are still made from ash and dirt, no properly drained tarmac walkway here. Again, when it rains they rapidly turn into a swamp.

The directors might be limited in what they can do to improve things on the park but they should be able to sort things out vis a vis the bus park and the approaches to the stadium. What sort of message do they think this shabby treatment of the support sends out? That we can be taken for granted and treated as so much cash fodder? This lack of ‘facilities’ would rightly not be tolerated by those in the posh seats so why should it be viewed as good enough for the majority of the support? It all adds to the sense of
drift, decay and decline.

Despite what the directors seem to think the Celtic support are not mugs. We can see week in week out that the current team are nowhere near good enough.
The number of empty seats visible at Celtic Park each matchday should send a message to the board, not to take us for granted. At the very least, is it too much to ask that we are offered more evidence of an imaginative pricing strategy in the current economic climate that simply charge the punters more money for everything?

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George of the Jungle