While the Green Brigade's statement to Celtic fans at the weekend may seem condescending, they might just have a point...

Yesterday at 01:23 PM

With one of the most crucial games in Celtic’s recent history coming up tomorrow night, the timing of the Green Brigade’s recent statement might just be coincidental.

And it might not.

Regardless of what they said, there is no doubting tomorrow night’s Champions League atmosphere will be a special one.

Look, the Green Brigade might not be everyone’s cup of tea.

But there is no disputing what they bring to the matchday atmosphere.

Some people view the language in their statement as condescending, others view it as downright patronising.

Dictating to people how they should and shouldn’t behave at Celtic Park.

It all seems to be seen in very bad taste.

But they might just have a point.

Now before you go off on one, just hear me out on this.

I have had the good fortune, or misfortune, whichever way you’d like to look at it, of experiencing Celtic Park in the 1990’s.

I entered that decade as a teenager, and exited it in my mid twenties.

For every supporter, these are the years where you form your true bond with the football club you support.

I was no different in that regard.

But one of the biggest attractions to supporting Celtic in that decade for me, was the atmosphere Celtic fans generated at Celtic Park back then.

Granted, the start to that decade was a pretty miserable one.

But it all changed when Fergus McCann saved the club and breathed new life into everything surrounding it.

When the new North stand opened in August of 1995, the Celtic support descended on the stadium with a kind of renewed vigour.

The atmosphere at games around that time, no matter who we played, was off the scale.

Now, there were a few influencing factors to this at the time.

Winning wasn’t something we were used to.

Bear in mind, that in the previous May of ’95, we had just won our first trophy in 6 years by winning the Scottish Cup.

Tommy Burns had ended the trophy drought during our exile to Hampden, and as a result, he was seen as the new great hope for Celtic.

And boy, did his team at the time play an extremely exciting brand of football.

The kind that got fans behind the team, and up off their seats.

But a big part of how this played into the atmosphere at the time, was the fact that we were not a dominant side in Scotland at the time.

So effectively, winning with regularity was a novelty, which in turn generated an excellent atmosphere.

The 95/96 season in particular made us all believe we could challenge Rangers 1872 once again.

But despite only losing a single game that season, we fell short in the end.

We ended up finishing just 4 points behind Walter Smith’s side.

However, this instilled a hope and belief that we could really challenge them in the 1996/97 season.

Throughout that season, there were some gargantuan tussles between us and Walter Smith’s side.

We played an amazingly attacking brand of football, with a three pronged attack led by Jorge Cadete, Pierre van Hooijdonk, and Paolo di Canio.

The atmosphere at the games against Rangers 1872, especially the home games, was something I’ll never forget.

Alas, this was the season of the Goram, Andy Goram, who broke our hearts with unnerving regularity.

Rangers 1872 would come to Celtic Park, play complete and utter shite, while we attack, attack, attacked, and they would leave with a 1-0 victory.

It was soul destroying.

We ended up finishing just 5 points behind Rangers 1872 that season.

But I had the privilege of being at Celtic Park in March 1997, at a Scottish Cup fourth round tie against Rangers 1872.

We had not beaten them since May of 1995, when we’d won a dead rubber League game played at Hampden.

Almost 2 years of a wait.

But that night, thanks to Malky McKay and Paolo di Canio, we were 2-0 up early in the first half.

We went on to win the game 2-1 in the end, and Andy Goram was not destined to break our hearts that night.

I would say that the atmosphere at that game was one of the most intense I ever experienced in my early days of attending Celtic matches.

I can still remember my ears ringing, and having no voice left by the end of the game.

So, when I read the Green Brigade’s statement, I guess these were the memories that came to mind.

And I thought about what they were saying.

No doubt, it was a different era then, and the will and want to win from the fanbase was much stronger than it is now.

Which, you see, is really part of the problem currently.

That is what stems from being on the losing end for so long, which we were throughout the 90’s.

An almost insatiable desire to win.

Which, when you consider where we are now, seems to be well and truly sated.

Whether we agree with what the Green Brigade said in their statement or not, we, as fans, have become complacent.

Because winning trebles is now what’s expected every season.

We only seem capable of generating an atmosphere of note when we are being frustratingly held to a draw, or when we fall behind at home.

When we are winning, it’s flat, because it’s just expected.

This is what the current generation of fans at Celtic has become totally used to.

But having been a fan in my youth during a time of huge struggle for Celtic, I’ve had the privilege of seeing it from a different perspective.

And when I witness that flat atmosphere the Green Brigade was referring to, I think back to the 90’s and the atmospheres I experienced then at Celtic Park.

When there was a huge desire to win, and the crowd was willing the ball into the net game after game.

But because winning is expected, does it then therefore become boring?

And is this what the Green Brigade are getting at?

Personally, I never tire of seeing Celtic winning.

But that comes from an appreciation of knowing what it was like to lose, and lose often.

Sometimes in heart-breaking and gut wrenching circumstances.

The current generation of Celtic fans has never experienced that.

And I hope they never do.

Although having said that, I would live through it all again myself.

Because it was the formation of the Celtic fan I am today.

And despite how tough it was, I still have some fantastic memories of that era.

So, while you might feel patronised by the Green Brigade, take a minute to look at below footage of a Scottish Cup game in 1996.

I use this game as an example to show you the atmosphere at Celtic Park back then.

And because we played a cup tie at the weekend, which by the way, I thought had a great atmosphere.

YouTube: 1995/96 season Celtic v Dundee United (Scottish Cup)

It speaks for itself.

Listen to the roar when Andreas Thom puts away that second and winning goal.

You can’t argue that it’s off the scale.

Is this what Green Brigade was referring to?

Perhaps they could have used different language in their statement, but I understand the core premise of it.

I understand it because I know what Celtic Park was like in a time where we didn’t take winning for granted.

And maybe that’s just the simple message here.

We shouldn’t take it for granted.

But we should show our appreciation and enjoy it.

I guess that’s all I’m saying.

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