ANOTHER turbulent week at Celtic Park. The discontent that has long been bubbling among supporters finally crystallised into something visible and audible, or rather inaudible. Saturday’s Premiership draw with Hibernian was played against the backdrop of a 12-minute silent protest, with large sections of the Celtic support refusing to sing, chant or clap until the twelfth minute.

Organised by the newly formed Celtic Fans Collective, the protest was intended to highlight what they see as the board’s lack of ambition and failure to engage meaningfully with supporters. The message was amplified by banners reading ‘Your silence is deafening’ and when the protest ended the chants that finally rang out were far from flattering. The atmosphere inside Parkhead shifted palpably from eerily quiet to an outburst of song and criticism, making the point as clear as could be.

The football itself hardly helped. Celtic laboured to a 0-0 draw with Hibernian, squandering chances and hitting the woodwork through Kelechi Iheanacho and Matías Saracchi. While Hibs were compact and dogged, Brendan Rodgers’ side looked short of cutting edge. The result allowed Hearts to leapfrog Celtic in the Premiership standings, intensifying scrutiny on the team at a moment when boardroom politics were already dominating the headlines.

The protest is far from a one-off. The Celtic Fans Collective have already announced plans for escalating silent demonstrations at upcoming fixtures, 29 minutes at the following game and 32 minutes the week after, until the board responds. The strategy has been met with a mixed reception. Some applaud it as a creative way of forcing the issue. Others worry it risks harming the players more than the directors, creating a subdued atmosphere when the team most needs backing. My thoughts are that fans who pay for a ticket have paid for the right to use their voice as they please and those who don’t like it are free to have their say too. 

The club has released statements stressing financial prudence and stability while hinting that the unrest is being fuelled by a vocal minority. The leadership insists it will not be railroaded into rash decisions. For supporters, however, the silence campaign is only the latest chapter in a growing narrative of disconnect between the terraces and the boardroom.

Adding another dimension, Celtic and Hibs fans came together last weekend in rare show of solidarity. Both sets of supporters unveiled banners decrying ticket prices such as ‘£39 = PLC greed – fairer pricing for all fans’ in a coordinated protest aimed not just at Celtic’s hierarchy but at the direction of Scottish football more generally.

The two green fan bases, usually opposed, found common ground, which spoke volumes about the level of frustration at the cost of following the game. Such issues feed into a wider sense that ordinary supporters are being priced out while executives stress balance sheets and revenue growth. If the Celtic Fans Collective gave the board a headache over governance, the joint protest over ticketing was another reminder that football’s paying customers are increasingly restless.

If ever there was a moment that highlighted the gulf between the Celtic hierarchy and its support, it came with the release of the new Henrik Larsson clothing range. On paper, honouring the club’s greatest modern icon with an official fashion line should have been a cause for celebration. Instead, the timing jarred badly.

The launch landed in the middle of widespread protest and silence campaigns and many fans interpreted it as an attempt to distract or pacify supporters with nostalgia. The fact that Larsson himself has always been held in untouchable esteem only made the rollout more awkward. Supporters were quick to point out that reverence for a legend cannot mask present day failings.

On social media, fans described the release as “tone deaf” and “an insult to Larsson’s legacy”, accusing the board of cashing in on the Swede’s name while ignoring the deeper issues of ambition, recruitment and transparency. For some, it summed up the club’s current mentality that supporters have grown frustrated with: a willingness to monetise the past without addressing the future.

What should have been a unifying celebration of one of Celtic’s greatest heroes ended up further stoking the narrative of a club out of touch with its people.

While the protests and PR missteps dominated headlines, there has been no shortage of chatter on the signing front. Celtic have been linked with Pierre Ekwah, the French defensive midfielder most recently seen at Sunderland and St Étienne. Reports suggest the player, who has become a free agent following a contract dispute, has been offered to both Celtic and Rangers.

At 23, Ekwah is seen as versatile, able to sit in midfield or drop into the back line and, crucially, would be a low-cost addition at a time when Celtic’s squad looks stretched. Injuries have exposed the lack of depth in certain areas, and the struggle to break down Hibs last weekend only underlined the need for fresh impetus.

For some fans, however, the Ekwah link will be met with scepticism. The criticism of the Celtic board in recent years has often centred on a lack of ambition in the transfer market, with the club accused of pursuing project players and low-risk deals rather than marquee signings. If signed, whether Ekwah proves a shrewd piece of opportunism or another underwhelming addition will depend on Rodgers’ ability to integrate him quickly and effectively.

All of which brings us to this weekend. Celtic return to league action on Sunday at home to Motherwell, a 3pm kick-off that now carries significant weight. After slipping behind Hearts in the table, Rodgers knows anything less than three points would spark further disquiet.

Motherwell will not roll over. They have started the campaign with confidence and a defensive steel that could frustrate a Celtic side already accused of lacking invention. Yet beyond tactics and selections, it may once again be the stands that command as much attention as the pitch. The planned silence for this fixture is the next stage of the Celtic Fans Collective’s campaign and it will test both the players’ focus and the patience of those who believe the protest is mistimed.

Celtic stand at a delicate juncture. On the one hand, Rodgers has enough talent at his disposal to mount a strong Premiership campaign. On the other, the protests, the pricing rows and the PR blunders symbolised most clearly by the Larsson range have created an atmosphere of mistrust that could further poison the well if results falter.

The coming days will test not just the players but the club’s leadership. For now, the message from the terraces is clear: Silence speaks volumes. Whether the board will listen and whether Rodgers can keep the squad focused amid the quiet din of discontent may well define the season ahead.