The Celtic Fans Collective have promised to ‘scale back’ their protests until the final day of the season.
That’s after Celtic announced the return of the Green Brigade ahead of the season run-in, indicating a willingness to unite the support until the end of the season.
It’s been a season of protests at Parkhead, as fan patience with the club’s hierarchy has reached a breaking point.
Despite this, with the team locked in a three-way title race, fan sentiment has shifted towards backing Martin O’Neill and his players in recent weeks.
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Celtic Fans Collective say focus must be on ‘backing the players’ for season end
The Collective’s statement, available on X, reads: “This week’s announcement of the imminent return of the Green Brigade to Celtic Park promises to lift the stadium on Saturday against St Mirren…
“And with six league games left we all need to come together and get fully behind the team to help drive them over the line in the title race.
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“Given the position the team is in and the importance of retaining our championship, matchday protests and actions have been scaled back.
“We acknowledge that the shared focus of supporters for now must be on backing the players in these final weeks.
“However, that does not mean the wider issues at the club have gone away. The failures of recent transfer windows, disastrous managerial and football department appointments, and the mistreatment and dismissal of supporters over the course of the season means that change is still needed within our club.
“It remains our firm belief that Michael Nicholson and Chris McKay should be removed from their positions and replaced with suitable professionals willing to stand up to the presumed authority of Dermot Desmond and his family.
“With season book renewals to be released in the coming weeks, we are asking supporters to withhold their renewals until the final day possible.
“This is a simple way to send a clear message to the current custodians of Celtic Football Club that fan anger over this season is not limited to a small minority.
“A huge swathe of the support has had enough and is demanding change.
“We urge all fans to loudly and colourfully back the team as they push for the title and the Scottish Cup, but also to use their renewal to send a message the board that change is necessary.”
Your thoughts on the news?
Are things aligning for Celtic’s run-in?
Reaction to the Green Brigade’s return has been positive, with a majority of supporters acknowledging the benefit of a boost to the atmosphere for the run-in.
The group themselves have also spoken out on their return, maintaining that their ban was ‘unjustified’ and listing recommendations to the club for meaningful change.
On the playing side, the general consensus is that the post-split fixtures favour for Celtic (though this is simply the way that the games have been balanced for fairness, rather than a conspiracy).
The returns of Alistair Johnston, Arne Engels and Callum Osmand from injury also won’t do any harm.
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