CELTIC FANS “BHOYCOTT” MIGHT BE DIVISIVE, BUT IT’S ALREADY WORKING
- BY LIAM CARRIGAN
- 5 minutes ago
- 3 min read
I’ve seen my fair share of protests over the years. Some, like confronting the illegal practices of former employers, were largely peaceful. Others, like I witnessed in Hong Kong during my time living there, were less so.
However, there is no denying that protests work, if done correctly, and if those organizing them stay clearly focused on their goals.
It’s clear for all to see that there’s a whole lot of, entirely justifiable, anger towards the current occupants of the Celtic boardroom from large sections of our support.
I wasn’t privy to the exact discussions that took place at the Celtic Fans’ Collective’s most recent meeting earlier this week, but I don’t doubt that the decision to call for a Celtic fans “Bhoycott” this coming weekend wasn’t a decision they reached lightly.
Board Clearly Spooked by Celtic Fans Bhoycott Plan
We are now several months into the Celtic Board’s latest version of their tried and tested “ignore the problem until it goes away” approach to fan discontent.
Unfortunately, as I have seen in previous protests outwith football, when your opponent remains intransigent, and unwilling to even begin discussions on how to resolve grievances, sometimes radical action is the only way.
The “bhoycott”, as it is being called, is a radical action. There's no denying that. It’s been more than 30 years since Celtic fans have taken such drastic steps in the face of a boardroom that refuses to listen. It worked in 1994, but I’m not convinced it will work now.
Judging by the, at times quite fractious, discourse around the issue among Celtic fans over the past few days, clearly there are plenty of others out there who share my skepticism about this strategy.
Despite this though, just announcing the action has already prompted an almost immediate response from the Celtic Board. Interim Chairman Brian Wilson. Albeit, it was the typical, highly stage-managed, Celtic TV production. I’d expect nothing less from a politician like Wilson. I also wasn’t the least bit surprised at his utterly vacuous answers to the softball questions put to him.
He claimed that he is willing to “engage” with disgruntled fans. He has done nothing to work towards this, despite calling for “unity” in another spew of meaningless rhetoric about a month ago.
His vision of a “full Celtic Park, with a everyone inside the ground behind the team” is disingenuous at best.
That can’t happen while The Green Brigade remain banned, without any justification given.
That can’t happen while fan media are no longer permitted to ask questions and get answers from the club.
That can’t happen while the current, utterly unfit for purpose corporate structure at Celtic remains in place.
I am not convinced that a boycott will work. However, after hearing Wilson’s latest empty words, I am convinced it may be a necessary step.
Also, go ahead and prove me wrong, but doubt his trite little anecdotal “meeting with four young Celtic fans” ever happened.
Wilson has been at Celtic for decades, the fact that he is only now even pretending to listen to fans shows just how unfit he and indeed the rest of the current board are.
I think the greatest insult of all though, was to say that he was “too busy with transfers” during the entire month of January to have these necessary discussions with fan groups.
Somehow, despite all this effort and concentration, Wilson still found time to continue writing his Scotsman newspaper columns pushing the same failed New Labour narrative he has for over 30 years.
Wilson has taken a wage from Celtic for over 20 years for doing very little other than attending games, and engaging in collective head-nodding sessions along with the rest of the boardroom drones whenever our largest shareholder (not our owner) Dermot Desmond, decides to tell everyone the next stage of his grand plan to continue milking Celtic for all its worth.
Actions speak louder than words. I grow tired of Wilson’s words, and I have yet to see any meaningful actions from him. The Bhoycott may not have universal support, but it will happen and it will not look good for an already under-fire board, unless Wilson finally backs up his rhetoric with actual, meaningful action.
The Celtic Board created this mess, only they can clean it up.
