New Season, New Dawn...........

Well it is now upon us. We go into the season as champions but under a cloud, which will sure to get darker when the annual abusing of the chairman takes place when he hoists the league flag high.

Our pre-season debacle has left everyone wondering what the hell is going to happen this season and GS has probably lost all the goodwill that the doubters allowed him because he delivered the championship.

The pre-season world tour- still dates left get your tickets- looks to have snookered the wee ginger one’s plans with regards to his tough training regime. Too many games mean not enough time to coach and gel the players together.

The team in pre-season has lacked sharpness and any cohesion. The team has been left weak by the departures of experience that haven’t been replaced yet. It looks like for this month, a crucial month, we will need to fly by the seat of our pants with the young un’s setting the pace.

Off the park it is just as important than on it this year. The fact that UEFA have told the SFA to clamp down on sectarian chanting in games and the fact that r*ngers have got their knuckles rapped- mint again in the paper today spouting off- means that we are the prime target.

I also think it’s no surprise that the games where the political, or buckfast fuelled, element of our support are at their most vocal are or 1st three away games. Hearts, Inverness and Aberdeen. One’s a cocktail of hate and the others are long journeys made easier by copious amounts of drink and rebel tunes.

This season will be the 1st when a Celtic fan will lose his teamcard for his behaviour at an away game. I fully expect over the top polis at every away ground ejecting guilty and innocent fans and cautioning them with some law that the government have conduced to stop Islamic preachers promoting terrorism.

With Celtic promoting that everyone should have a team card, season ticket holder or not, Celtic now have the ability to bar anyone from CP. Celtic have done what Thatcher failed to do and introduced an I.D card, which will control whom they let to watch Celtic, reward those who spend vast amounts on Celtic and also Celtic have shown to the SFA, Uefa and the Scottish Parliament that they are taking steps to control who goes to the games.

You may say that they already control, but this is a tighter rein, this is almost dictatorship material. When the full teamcard system is up and running Celtic will take away the spontaneity of deciding to go to the game they will decide if you can go or not.

All it needs is a check of the card.

Was thinking about this the other night, that if Celtic wasn’t such a cause, wasn’t more than a club and wasn’t such a way of life for me, this, commercialisation, diluting and dispersal of the Celtic ethos would maybe see me give up and go and watch lower league football.

But I can’t and the reason is Celtic are more than I club. Maybe I don’t like what is happening but I will conform in my own way but won’t sign up totally for new Celtic fan experience. I also when I watch football not involving Celtic the emotional attachment is not there.

The emotional attachment begins again tomorrow. For the next 10 months or so, I will hurt when we get beat, will feel joy when we win and will take pride in performances of players who are playing for OUR CLUB. Something that we all want to do.

Remember what ever happens it is OUR club and we should be proud of that.

Hail Hail

KevinG