By Alan Pattullo
CELTIC supporters are having to indulge in a lot of slightly embarrassed shuffling of feet at the moment.
They don't know where to look. It's bad enough when one of their player of the year awards goes to someone who only joined the club on loan at the end of January. But they must also deal with the horror of seeing a great corner stone of the club's reputation kicked away in recent weeks.
• Swathes of empty seats at Celtic Park have been evident at recent games. Picture: SNS
The ever-swelling number of Celtic fans estimated to have followed their team to Seville for the Uefa Cup final seven years ago has become something of a running joke. Over the last fortnight it has been suggested that the tendency to exaggerate is still apparent in the east end of Glasgow.
One newspaper report claimed that no more than 15,000 could have attended the first post-Ross County game, when Motherwell were the visitors to an eerily quiet Celtic Park. Celtic have been quick to refute this, although the club's own stated figure – 22,000 – still does not do much for the fans' reputation – admittedly, one that is largely self-appointed – for being prepared to go that extra mile for their club. Not that this attendance is recorded on the club's official website. The crowds at the last two fixtures are logged as "unknown". The last recorded attendance is for the game against Kilmarnock at the end of last month, when 41,000 – almost 20,000 below capacity – were present.
Many Celtic fans are alert to the problems being stored up by claiming – via such songs as Over and Over – that they are faithful through and through. Because when it comes to the crunch, they clearly aren't. This isn't to say they are any worse than fans of other clubs, but when their own shtick is the claim to be the most loyal supporters in the world they surely cannot be surprised if such a low attendance is remarked upon.
Last Saturday's attendance, for the visit of Hibernian, was slightly better, but anyone who caught the match on television could not fail to be distracted by the acres of empty seats which formed the background to the action. It will be interesting to note whether the visit of Dick Advocaat's AZ Alkmaar will prove tempting next midweek in a game designed to appease season-ticket holders owed a game due to the absence of home Scottish Cup ties this season.
Many Celtic fans, alert to having set themselves up for a fall through years of self-mythologising, had braced themselves for low turn-outs at the end of one of the bleakest seasons in recent times. They have duly got them, even if some present at the last two home league games believe far fewer than claimed attended. This isn't so, according to a Celtic spokesman yesterday. He also denied that all season-ticket holders, whether they attended the game or not, were included in an effort to help swell the total. The club has been accused of this ploy in the past when seeking to massage crowd figures. The figure against Motherwell was comprised solely of those who clicked through the turnstiles – or at least, in this digital age, bleeped through them.
But how are we to judge quality of supporters in any case? Over 7,000 – more than 2,000 more than the population of Dingwall itself – watched Ross County gain the result which has all but finished Celtic's season. But this is a one-off occasion. The First Division side have not played at home since, but it is fair to say this number won't cram into Victoria Park on Saturday when they host Partick Thistle. Yet, their last home fixture was watched by just over 2,000 – not bad in terms of population/attendance ratio. The Celtic attendance, in comparison to those who travelled down from the Highlands, was, though, undeniably pitiful. Just over 16,000 felt compelled to support the team in a game which represented Celtic's last chance to win a trophy this season, and which took place just four miles from Celtic Park. This fact alone is enough to warrant being stripped of any 'best supporters' title, if it was possible to even award such a thing.
In reality, Celtic fans are no better and no worse than fans of any other club. They are as fickle as the rest and will be attracted by the thought of watching a winning team. If what they see instead is a team in a state of some distress then many Celtic fans remain consistent with one part of their great supporters' anthem. They walk on.
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