Celtic legend Paul McStay has been recently revealing details of chats he has had with members of the Hoops’ hierarchy and how they have been honest and open…

The Maestro has been heading up the Season Ticket Alliance venture, alongside Willie Haughey, who has spoken lately of his plans to give season ticket holders more of a say in how the club operates.

The Alliance first appeared a few months back now, when Haughey revealed his ambitions to get thousands of season ticket holders to back his idea and sign up, promising to buy shares in return. A familiar face and a bonafide Celtic legend – who is also a member of the Greatest Celtic Team in History – Paul McStay carriers more weight than most, it would be safe to say. Therefore, Haughey’s plans have a strong foundation, in terms of interest.

Many had initially been sceptical and questioned the motivation behind such a move, considering the perceived close ties Willie Haughey has to members of the Celtic Board. However, Paul McStay’s involvement points to something different though, with the former club captain an advocate for more fan input and engagement and whose credentials cannot be questioned.

Now McStay has been chatting within the Celtic community again about the supporters having more of a voice upstairs at Paradise, and has even revealed speaking honestly and openly to Michael Nicholson about this desire for more fan involvement.

When quizzed by former teammate Frank McAvennie on his Let Me Be Frank podcast, the Maestro opened up on his experiences dealing with the Bhoys’ CEO. “I’ve been fine, Frank. I met some of the directors at the game on Saturday [Scottish Cup win vs Dunfermline], and also before I came over from Sydney I had a call with Michael Nicholson,” he said.

“Last year the club asked me to be an ambassador for the Foundation and the club in general, anything I can do for the club I will be there, and I relayed that, especially the Foundation – so that has not changed.

“I relayed that to Michael and I said ‘I am going to be an ambassador for the Alliance, because I feel passionately about it, I think it’s something that should maybe have happened before, and especially with what has happened last year the supporters’ voices have to be heard’. I explained to him that, and he said ‘that is fair enough, it’s your decision’.

“He just said he wanted ‘unity’ as well. I think when we are unified we are a formidable force and that is when success happens.”

Whether or not this is successful or not remains to be seen, however, it is reassuring to know that such a figure like McStay is fighting our corner behind closed doors, when mixing in these circles.

The days of the sacred boardroom being protected by deflection and obfuscation are over, as is the theory that it is merely a few malcontents that are unhappy at how the club is being run. The Celtic supporters are the reason the club still lives and breathes to this day, with it’s unbroken history shinning in the firmament for all to see, unlike certain others.

No matter how this one pans out, change is afoot at Celtic for the first time in a long time…

There’s no more places to hide.

More on The Celtic Ticket Alliance from our Editor below…

Paul Gillespie

Why Celtic season tickets holders should join the Alliance 

Last week Willie Haughey, Paul McStay and Matt McGlone held a meeting with the Celtic fan media at Gracies in Glasgow’s Merchant City. All three spoke before accepting questions from the floor. Willie Haughey confirmed that at that stage around 2000 supporters had signed up, that’s before the marketing push started. He had promised to donate £2m to the Alliance – which will be independently run by the support – for every 10k season ticket holders who join.

However Willie made a commitment that night to put the first £2m into the Alliance, effectively making those season ticket holders all shareholders. Willie Haughey talked about his vision for the club and looked forward 30 years just as much as the Matt McGlone lessons from the early 1990s being referenced.

He talked about the need for change and pointed out that the stadium has not progressed and is in danger of falling behind. The Main Stand replacement to increase capacity and facilities should very much be on the table. A big enough supporter owned stake in the club can result in a voice for the support on the board.

This morning I joined the Celtic Season Ticket Alliance. It’s very easy to do and it takes just a few seconds. You will need your season ticket number and will input your personal details and that’s that.

The first question to Willie last week came from a Celtic supporter who had flown in from Japan that morning and wanted to know if overseas Celts – who support the club in many other ways but due to work commitments can’t be season ticket holders – would be able to join the Season Ticket Alliance Trust – the answer is yes.

If 50,000 Celtic season tickets join the Alliance the Celtic support will have an additional £10m worth of shares in the club and our collective voice is more likely to be heard. The current situation is lip-service at best or usually totally ignored.

Willie Haughey will NOT be involved and will have no say. Supporters will elect a committee and they will act on the support’s behalf.

Willie, Matt and The Maestro have been meeting supporters clubs face to face to discuss the plans and they are all getting on board. The Celtic fan media is now doing our bit – only after waiting to be fully convinced – and we now urge you to join and to encourage others to do so too.

Some may think that it’s all too good to be true. Well it is true. You can sign up to the Celtic Season Ticket Alliance HERE. It’s entirely FREE OF CHARGE. All you need is your season ticket number.

This could be a real game changer for the support to be heard at long last by the Board. It does NOT replace other initiatives like the Celtic Fans Collective.

David Faulds

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