Former Scotland international and current BBC pundit Michael Stewart has defended Celtic fans as protests mount against the board.
The ex-Hearts, Hibs and Manchester United defender said he “can understand” the dissatisfaction of Celtic supporters. Additionally, Stewart made the compelling argument that the circumstances are worth considering.
Speaking on BBC Sportsound yesterday (6.32 onwards), Stewart said:
“I think there’s so much pent up frustration and anger at the situation they find themselves in, they’re looking for an avenue to show that.
“This is what the banners are, and you can understand. I’ve heard a lot of discussion and talk about how the Celtic supporters are spoilt, that there’s a generation who have only ever experienced success, and to a certain extent that could be true, but it’s all about relativity. These fans have experienced a lot of success, and they’re looking at what could be an iconic season, potentially, and they can see it slipping away.”
Environmental circumstances at play
Stewart added:
“It’s a crazy time that we live in. If this was normal, the fans would be in the stadium, they’d be booing, they’d be screaming, they’d be shouting. Perhaps there would protests outside the ground, but I don’t think they’d be at the level of knocking over fences and barriers – that level of aggression I don’t think would be there.
“It’s a difficult, difficult situation at Celtic. Football fans, when they’re frustrated with what’s going on the park, they show it. They vent their frustration, they protest – that’s nothing new.
“I just think the level of it is perhaps because of the environment that is in society at the moment.”
Our view: Stewart has it spot on
It’s difficult to argue that if fans were in the stadium, the bad scenes outside Celtic Park wouldn’t be taking place (Sky Sports). Not nearly, at least, to the same extent.
Football is an outlet for supporters. There are few other avenues in life where you can scream and shout without anyone stopping you. If you’re booing human beings in a non-sporting context, it’s probably a bad sign.
I’ve no doubt that fans would absolutely be railing against the board if the season had gone the same way. Fans at games or not, these performances haven’t been nearly good enough. Blame must be apportioned fittingly.
It’s rare to see a pundit actually taking the side of the supporters, to any degree. Instead, we’ve been treated to an ongoing onslaught from ex-players.
Yes, the scenes outside Celtic Park have made for bad viewing. Finally, though, a pundit is willing to contextualise the situation on a national broadcaster.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
