THE November international break handed the Celtic board a huge chance for change and rather than view their fan base in contempt or disgust, maybe seek a plan to allow them some insight into how their club is being run.
As per usual, Hoops fans were left in the dark and had to turn their attention to social media platforms or news outlets to gain snippets of information and the question must be asked again – Why the lack of clarity?
In recent times, whenever the Celtic board have been kind enough to let fans peer over the hedge it's been through cryptic statements on the Celtic website from which people are able to take what they want.
Just a week after a semblance of peace and harmony had been restored, the men at the helm took it upon themselves to ban Celtic's Ultras group, the Green Brigade, from attending matches for six games after a fan in the GB section was accused of assaulting a steward at a recent home game.
The club released a statement condemning the alleged assault, stating: "Celtic Football Club wishes to provide the following update to our supporters following a recent incident at Celtic Park.
"During our match against Falkirk on Wednesday, October 29, a member of our matchday staff while conducting a routine ticket check at the front of the Rail Seating Section at Celtic Park was assaulted by an individual. Two police officers intervened and attempted to arrest the individual in question.
"Subsequently, around 100 individuals from the Green Brigade group took part in a coordinated and orchestrated action to 'rescue' that individual. Many of these individuals actively sought to conceal their identity using hoods, scarves and face coverings."
The club statement added that the risk to a police officer was the ultimate rationale for the banning of the fan group, which is the beating heart of the Parkhead atmosphere.
"This large group verbally abused and assaulted the steward and police officers, one male and one female, in a confined space and at one point there was a risk of one of the officers being pulled to the ground and trampled in amongst the larger group. The action taken by members of the Green Brigade group prevented the arrest of the individual in question.
"Clearly, such violent and threatening behaviour is completely unacceptable."
Going by this, the board look to have been justified in their decision to ban the group for causing a potentially dangerous scene. But as with every scenario in life, there's always another side to the story.
Video of the incident gives no clear picture of what happened. A statement from the North Curve said the real reason for the ban had been the Ultras' display of support for Palestine – and their criticism of the board.
"The ban is an activation of the 'suspended sentence' which was applied at the beginning of the season because fans 'accessed other sections of the stadium without permission' to display Palestine flags," said a spokesperson for the Green Brigade.
"The 'suspended sentence' and its activation are fundamentally unfair, out of step of any fair process and totally unprecedented. During a period of consistent and growing pressure against the Celtic board, this ban is nothing more than a cynical attempt to lock out such sentiment and buy the Celtic board some relief."
The Green Brigade claim the cited issue has been blown out of proportion, and they pointed to recent changes in how matches are policed as evidence of there being more to the ban than meets the eye.
The pressure both on and off the field begins to mount for the Celtic Board
The statement claimed "the level of security around the Standing Section has dramatically increased, including the placement of police officers on the concourse, which was a break from a previous agreement that no police would be in the Standing Section or on its concourse."
This bust-up is one that the club has exploited to the full. Friction between the fans and the board is not a new thing – far from it – but it's perhaps no coincidence that the ban came after the launch of the 'Not Another Penny' campaign being energetically and vocally promoted by the Green Brigade and the Celtic Fans Collective. Expressing criticism of the board through banners and song is one thing – it seems that hitting the board in the pocket is another thing entirely.
The version of the incident that Celtic have forwarded is angrily rejected by many of those who had an eyewitness view of what happened, but it's telling that the incident remains a club charge rather than a police matter.
As it stands, the Green Brigade are set to miss key fixtures as we enter the crucial festive period. Hearts are experiencing their first hiccup after a whirlwind start, with coach Derek McInnes starting to show early signs of strain in front of the microphone after two damaging draws. If Celtic exploit their game in hand the gap is down to four points. And with Rangers experiencing their annual bout of renewed optimism under a new manager, a winning Christmas and New Year campaign is vital. Whatever the rights and wrongs of the ban, the team's job will be harder without the Green Brigade's pulsating, driving support.
If the board thought that getting rid of the Ultras for six games was going to solve their protest problems, they were given cause to think again. Before the routine 4-0 victory over Kilmarnock, some fans donated their tickets to Green Brigade members to send a message to the board that unrest among fans goes far beyond the Ultras section.
The toxicity which had shown signs of evaporating is suddenly back at Paradise. An encouraging pre-break spell – including that hyper-efficient win over Kilmarnock and a memorable cup win in the Glasgow derby – has been tainted by the board's decision to move against its most passionate support. Even if we accept that the incident warranted action – and that's far from clear – what's certain is that the board were going to seize on the slightest excuse to quell dissent inside the ground.
And so the crime of censorship goes on the already long charge sheet against the board.
