And so it starts…

Pre-season has finally arrived and the question has to be asked – has that much changed since last season? In my view, pre-season has always been the time to refresh things, in terms of personalities, tactics and of-course new strips!

At the end of a long, hard season, a lot of fans, both Celtic and Rangers, were glad to see the back of it. However, with the month of June passing quietly (at least for us) and a couple of friendlies under our belt, the most potent point has been that little has actually changed at Celtic.

Firstly, under Gordon Strachan, pre-season performances has always seemed to go quite slowly with little energy or vigour. This has culminated in the last few seasons starts being quite slow with last seasons’ opening game/letdown against Kilmarnock (that actually typified the season as whole to a large extent) and of course the infamous Artmedia Bratislava debacle both springing to mind.

Secondly, it also has an effect on the fans. Look at this time last year, Celtic’s performances against Newcastle United were a joke while the previous pre-season had seen morale sapping defeats against American opposition. If the management and the team aren’t going to put much worth into these games, then how can supporters? Consequently, the attendances at home friendlies in the last three years has also further entrenched the notion that a lot of season-ticket holders are picking and choosing their games more carefully (I know I was).

What all this has done is create a stale and negative atmosphere at the club before a serious ball has been kicked in anger. While Martin O’Neill’s pre-seasons were generally quite positive and noteworthy due to high profile games against English Premiership opposition, Gordon Strachan’s are exactly the opposite – games that have more to do with commercialism than entertainment or rewarding fans for their loyalty. Indeed, the club nearly scored an own goal with their Irish supporters when it was announced that the Celtic under-21 team would play Glentoran, a Belfast team with a large loyalist following!

My advice to Gordon is therefore very simple and pragmatic – plan at least some PR and passion into your next pre-season. Take the team to Ireland and/or the north of Scotland to reward fans to travel hundreds/thousands of miles and spend thousands of pounds to support the team. The team should then play a few home games against top-drawer opposition. It’s nice to be nice, and for once, the supporters might even give you the benefit of the doubt for a change….

Sean Huddleston