There has been much gnashing of teeth on the twittersphere regarding Brentford’s forthcoming friendly with Scottish Legends[TM] Glasgow Celtic and although some comments are a little over the top I can see why people are uncomfortable with it.
My first gripe is that we are paying for the privilege. This smacks of the far-eastern tours held by top Premiership sides. Their aim is to increase their fan base and cream off lucrative deals in TV subscription sales and merchandise. The fact that in many cases they are in the position to command a substantial fee for turning up – over and above the travel and hotel costs – all helps. But this is not the case with Celtic as they are basically coming to play for their existing London-based fans [of which there are many]. It feels a bit grubby and rather than a set fee, a share of the gate would have been fairer for all as Brentford would then not be in a position of being out of pocket if the target of 9,000 required punters wasn’t reached.
My second gripe is the cost. It’s a friendly! A friendly that has been priced above that of a normal league match. How does that work? Clearly if it was priced as a normal friendly even a sell out crowd would not cover Celtic’s fee so it seems the club has little choice but to charge over the odds for a meaningless game.
Lastly, the allocation of the stands at Griffin Park. The wendy house is given over to Brentford fans only, with the other stands nominally for anyone. Trust me Celtic are going to sell shedloads of tickets. I went to the Fulham v Celtic game a few years ago at Craven Cottage and Fulham fans had the Hammersmith end while Celtic had all the rest and it was packed out. The cottage is considerably bigger than GP. Yes, it’s a friendly and we have no professional animosity towards a team we have never played and are unlikely to in any meaningful capacity [I still live in hope that we will one day get into Europe but I’m not counting on it]. But how will you feel standing or sitting amongst a load of opposition supporters who are likely to be very drunk [this is based on past experience!], perfectly friendly, jolly and creating a cracking atmosphere but are still supporting the opposition? I feel the club may have done a little more here but they know it will sell out with Celtic fans and on past form bees fans have never turned out in droves for friendlies. So, they have given bees fans the minimum selection of seats and terrace they can, pretty much guaranteeing a sell out.
I used the word uncomfortable earlier and I think this sums up how I feel about the whole thing. It makes me uncomfortable. It’s all a bit sleazy, expensive and a little unfair.
BUT, I don’t blame the club at all. A sell out crowd for a friendly is an absolute luxury; an estimated £75,000 profit for the playing budget will be more than welcome; a chance to see Uwe’s latest line up against quality opposition and a cracking atmosphere to whet the appetite for what is hopefully a great season.
Bring it on, I’ll be there and so will all my Celtic supporting mates!
SavvyBee
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The teams have played before…..check the score u could be on a run ! Hail hail .
Oooh well spotted! A 2-0 win on a Tuesday night in October 1958! And a draw at Celtic Park in 1949. Let’s keep that unbeaten run going.
BTW my Celtic-supporting mate ends his football related emails with Hail, hail. Can anyone explain?
“Hail, Hail, the Celts are here” is the first line of the Celtic Song, so many of us use the tag Hail, Hail or KTF – keep The Faith.
What are you on about? Do you think Celtic went chapping at Brentford’s door begging them for a friendly? I really don’t think so! So you are quibbling about the price! Yeah! So the home fans get one end and the Celtic fans fill the rest of the stadium? What exactly is your problem here? What division is Brentford in? Where is Brentford? What the hell are a team like Celtic playing no mark clubs like these? You should be thankful we don’t send the under 20’s down and give you a tanking instead!
“You should be thankful we don’t send the under 20′s down and give you a tanking instead!”:
I suspect you’ve signed a contract saying you have to play most of the first team to earn your eight pieces of silver. We might be relatively small but we are not stupid.
“What the hell are a team like Celtic playing no mark clubs like these?”:
I also think you might find us quite competitive – unlike much of the SPL – and to be fair I suspect most Brentford fans would struggle to name more than two Celtic players so expect chants of ‘who are you?’ and ‘your just a big fish in a small pond’.
“I also think you might find us quite competitive – unlike much of the SPL”
I have a feeling those words will come back to haunt you! Thanks for the heads up there Coalman, i thought it was in Wales as i haven’t actually got that amount of time to waste on a Saturday to get to that Division, wherever it is, London too?
“I also think you might find us quite competitive – unlike much of the SPL – and to be fair I suspect most Brentford fans would struggle to name more than two Celtic players”
It’s two more players than i know who play for brentford. Tom Finney? Is he still playing? Sure i didn’t even know where Bradford was! Wales?
I assume by your vitriolic demeanour you are not a real Celtic fan. A Sevconian masquerading as a Celtic fan trying to give us a bad name? Celtic play smaller teams very year in pre-season games both at home and abroad. If you were one of us, you would know that.
You’re assumptions would be wrong Frankie. I suggest you leave your assumptions to your own befuddled mind and not to air them on the internet lest you may end up looking like a fool.
Paranoid much? Just because i don’t kow-tow to small clubs whining and making a quick buck off the cash cow that is Celtic doesn’t make me a Sevco supporter. There was a guy in Germany once, if you didn’t agree with his views he had you killed. Hitler was his name i think. ind you don’t go down that road Frankie boy.
The reasoning in the above article appears to be completely contradictory….”on past form bees fans have never turned out in droves for friendlies.”…So if the bees fans don’t show up for the Celtic friendly, who will be paying…”over the odds for a meaningless game”? Celtic fans obviously!
So would it be more financially attractive for Brentford to play a “meaningless game” against say Halifax Town, where few fans show up, and Brentford therefore don’t take in enough gate money to cover their costs, or would it be better to allow another club’s fans to pay inflated prices so that Brentford make a profit despite having to pay the visiting club’s fee?….You can’t have it both ways!
“…Clearly if it was priced as a normal friendly even a sell out crowd would not cover Celtic’s fee…”
So why gripe about the increased cost, particularly as “on past form bees fans have never turned out in droves for friendlies” — even when those friendlies are priced at “normal” rates?
Yes, of course it’s contradictory, that’s largely my point, that there is a conflict of interest between what Celtic want from the game, what Brentford want from it and what the fans want.
I’m sure even you would prefer to pay £10 rather than £25 and sit with your own fans, no?
In answer to Tweet Afton, Brentford is in West London and we are currently in League One, having narrowly missed out on promotion last season.
Hope that helps!
Regards!
the_coalman
Hail Hail Savvybee and Coalman,
Really looking forward to a grand day out with the ‘grand old team’. Know exactly where Brentford is as I drive past it on my way into and out of London – looks like a good wee ground and no doubt it will be bouncing. Have no animosity about pricing, Celtic fans get screwed in the SPL as well! Keep the Faith and God Bless the Celtic (and the Bees!)
Nicely put, Bob. I’m an exiled Bee myself, so I can’t go. Howsoever, even a “big” club like Celtic will need to watch out – remember what happened to Premiership also-rans and European underachievers Chelsea FC in the FA Cup this year. I’ve followed Brentford for about 45 years now, and any friendly that will bring a bit of money in can only be a good thing. I’d like to be able to stand on the New Road terrace like in the good old days, but football has moved on and even nostalgia ain’t what it used to be…
Enjoy the game if you go, and have a pint o’ heavy with the Bees fans before and/or after the match, win or lose!
Come on you Bees!!!
The West London Celtic Supporters’ Club is next to Griffin Park in The Horse Guardsman pub in Ealing Road. Almost every Brentford fan knows we are there and we’ve been enjoying a pint or two with Bees fans for years and not just on match days. Celtic have the best, and award winning travelling support in Europe and this match was to boost the Brentford name and their funds. Long may it continue. Why Brentford? Why not? Maybe it’s because the West London Supporters’ Club are there!
Hi guys, I’m a Celtic fan and I’m sure the friendly between our teams will be an enjoyable one.
Your club are obviously not stupid and they now the value of the ‘Green Pound’, we’ll pack out the stadium which will make you guys a tidy profit. Alot of Celtic fans at the game will probably be based in London as mentioned in the article so no danger of us drunken Scots coming down resembling the Jacobite rebellion! 😀
BTW ‘Hail Hail’ is used as a sort of catchphrase for Celtic fans. It originates from a song sang by our fans for many years.
‘Hail Hail, the Celts are here, what they hell do we care now?! For its a grand old team to play for…”
Facepalm.
Tweet Afton – Don`t be one of those condescending guys ! Are St Pauli or their fans any less worthy because they play below the top league?
I have to agree with the Bees – setting ludicrous prices for a pre-season friendly will just put fans off, considering the Celtic v Liverpool tickets in Dublin start at just 10 euro, I hope Celtic re-consider and waive their fee for the match – with perhaps a portion of the gate money going to charity ?
Hail Hail
At the end of the day, Celtic will will fill three sides of the ground while these complaining non-entities fill one stand.
And they then have the gall to complain? Money for old rope if you ask me, but some people you’ll never please as they fumble in the greasy till and add the half-pence to the pence.
These Brandfort, brenfirt,(whatever they are called) are hosting one of the biggest clubs in Europe, they should be thankful we even entertained coming down to play them let alone actually doing it.
We played Real Madrid, Chelski and others in past pre season friendlies, what under Gods name are we doing playing this ungrateful Pub team 11 and their tight fisted fans. It’s a good job the will never have to fork out for trips to Europe during the season to follow their team. I can hear the wailing and the gnashing of teeth from here.
I hope Celtic re-consider and waive their fee for the match – with perhaps a portion of the gate money going to charity?
Doc.
And why exactly would Celtic do this? Do you think Celtic FC are some sort of mugs?
You don’t inhabit the real world on a regular basis it seems.
Celtic FC are a business, businesses need to make money in order to stay in business!
What planet are you on now?
@SavvyBee
You were saying?
Taken from the official Brentford website.
Sales of away terrace tickets for Brentford’s pre-season friendly with Celtic on July 20 have been suspended.
Tickets went on sale on Monday, and have proved so popular that the terrace is close to capacity already.
At present, sales are suspended for this area until further notice.
Celtic supporters can still purchase seat tickets in the Bill Axbey Stand for the game.
Read more at http://www.brentfordfc.co.uk/news/article/celtic-away-terrace-ticket-update-861501.aspx?#Fay6uWQk9bXSjxqW.99
“The Celtic match is our club’s most prestigious friendly for a number of years and has been arranged to give our team an even bigger challenge as they prepare for the new season.
“Celtic are of such a high stature that they demand a fee to play in these games. Tickets are on sale now, and Bees fans have a two week period to show the club that they were right to change their arrangements.
I think the result today says it all.
Celtic’s 4th string 2 – Brantfred 1