What it means to be a Celtic fan

Some are losing track of what it means to support Celtic. Is being a Celtic fan becoming more about laughing at other clubs and former players failures?

Pointing the finger at another club and laughing at them is all well and good, but is that what fans are becoming? An obsessed mob intent on ridiculing others. Shouldn’t we focus on our own club?

Some are hooked on slating former players that have moved on and left a sour taste in fans mouths.

Why can’t we focus on our own club and forget what the others think and do? It’s almost become systemic for Celtic fans to belittle ex-players and point the finger at other clubs, rather than taking an interest in what’s happening in their own club.

For some, Celtic is embedded into their blood for generations; some have been drawn to the club for different reasons. The fans and the incredible atmosphere at Paradise, the success on the field and their history all contribute to expanding the fanbase. There’s also others who get drawn to Celtic because it’s more than just a club, it’s a family.

The point I’m trying to make here is millions of people are drawn to our club – whether they support the club or not, they respect Celtic and their fanbase. A club whose foundations were built from its Irish connection and the history surrounding the mass immigration to Glasgow in the 19th century.

Yet, more and more are getting blinded by what other clubs are doing or have done. Everyone knows the team I’m talking about; their name just won’t be mentioned. They aren’t relevant to me because I support Celtic. I don’t hate another club because of whom I support, but others do.

I don’t advocate we accept everything we read or see, in the wider world outside of sport, in particular. However, Celtic fans are proud of the UEFA Fair Play Award they received in 2003, yet the same organisation say our ‘former’ rivals exist and fans claim they are lying. Isn’t that a bit hypocritical?

Another point worth noting is the obsession with seeing players that leave the club fail. Tuesday night was a prime example of this, as everyone took a swipe at Virgil van Dijk, the best centre-back we’ve had since Balde or Mjallby, in my opinion.

Here is just a selection of the tweets following his performance against the Czech Republic, which we all saw ourselves in Europe at times, but it’s come to the forefront now he has left.

That’s the Van Dijk I remember. Awful defending against any standard of opposition.

— Daniel O’Neill (@DanielONeill95) October 13, 2015

Is that Virgil Van Dijk shit the bed in Europe yet again, aye? Ker-ching!

— Krys (@krys1888) October 13, 2015

Everyone is quick to bite the hand that once fed them. And van Dijk went some way to help bring success to the club and earn the fans respect. He played out his time at Celtic – that’s the reality of the matter.

Van Dijk had a man of the match performance against Swansea and helped tame the Premier League champions, Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. A feat that was only possible once before while Jose Mourinho has been the manager in the Premier League. None of that matters though does it? Why? Because it doesn’t fit the agenda of some fans.

For the same reason Wanyama and Forster left, Virgil did his time at the club – although it was just over two years, he had to take the next step for his career. But why do only some players get stick for leaving?

Surely any player that puts the Hoops jersey on and were roared on by the fans at Paradise and were as successful as van Dijk deserve respect. After all, he did put to bed the inflammatory quotes that were mistranslated.

I would never let @celticfc down, as i have only good memories. So dont believe everything you read and especially if they try to translate

— Virgil van Dijk (@VirgilvDijk) October 8, 2015

Be thankful for the past and look forward to the future with optimism under Ronny Deila. We as fans have to continue to believe what he does is the best for Celtic.

So while others are focussed on ridiculing ex-Celts or laughing at the laughing stock, I’ll be watching Celtic and ignoring the rest, because, well, I support Celtic.