Are Celtic Fan Protests Hurting Team? Stats Behind Results Amid Late Entries and ‘Sack Board’ Calls

Brendan Rodgers admits Celtic fan protests need to stop in an effort to benefit the club “long term”.

But what about the short term?

Hearts are currently roaring at the top of the Scottish Premiership and appear to be the Hoops’ main competition this season.

Rivals Rangers are in dire straits and currently sit sixth in the division with just one win from their opening eight fixtures.

The Light Blues have just hired Danny Rohl as their new manager having pivoted from the sacked Russell Martin.

Meanwhile the Jambos are enjoying life under Tony Bloom and his wealth having brought in Derek McInnes last season who has, thus far, done an excellent job.

Back to Celtic, though, and Rodgers hopes to see the end of fan protests that have taken up most of the column inches in the press as supporters continue to lambast the board at Parkhead.

Celtic fan protests and link to results

A torrid Celtic transfer window this summer has been the catalyst for their reaction while the boardroom seemed to take no responsibility and issued a statement which left fans feeling patronised.

A late arrival protest has already taken place and more are apparently on the horizon following a Celtic meeting which did not go down well.

Yet the question remains: Will these protests and complaints actually bring about change?

Or do they only serve to undermine what manager Rodgers is trying to do and hurt the results on the pitch he is determined to pick up?

We have taken a look at the numerous protests this season so far from the Celtic support and they do, indeed, seem to tell a story.

Dundee vs Celtic delays

We will start with the most recent fixture on the club’s calendar and perhaps the main talking point among supporters right now.

Hoops fans launched tennis balls and bouncy balls onto the Dens Park pitch before kick-off over last weekend in an attempt to highlight their “sack the board” banners.

The negativity made its way to a nervy looking squad on the grass and Celtic were beaten by their opponents, 2-0, to suffer a first loss on the road at Dens since 1988.

Silent protest plan vs Braga

Celtic fans had plotted a staggering 29-minute silent protest in their most recent Europa League tie in Glasgow against Portuguese opponents, Braga.

It came amid a refusal from some punters to even purchase matchday tickets for the game with the Euro ticket package being left by some to avoid spending money and, they say, putting more cash into the executives’ pockets.

The silence was delayed following an agreement from the club to meet with raging fans to try and placate them and provide answers for recent failings.

The game went ahead and Celts lost 2-0 at home which may well have been in part down to the off-field problems and discussions which also borrowed plenty of the manager’s time in the build-up.

On top of that, the meeting did not go well and there could now be more plans in the future to bring the silence back.

Silence vs Hibs

The Celtic Fan Collective did take part in a 12-minute silence during their side’s clash with Hibs earlier this season at Celtic Park.

No noise was made whatsoever from a section of the stadium back in late September and it certainly hurt the players on the pitch.

Again, these things can translate into poor performances from sheepish players or from stars who shrink into themselves at the sign of unrest.

It may not have come to that with Celtic having 26 shots on goal – with only six on target – as Rodgers’ lads did put in the effort.

However it was not to be for the hosts and they ended up drawing 0-0 in what was a poor performance and two dropped points.

This was the game which forced the board to act before the Braga tie to avoid a similar situation.

Late Celtic fan entry vs Kilmarnock

A different form of protest was born on this day at Rugby Park.

Disgruntled punters made the effort to try and force change earlier in the season with their protest vs Killie.

A large section of away fans who travelled to Ayrshire to take in the game opted to avoid the first 12 minutes to send their message.

The message to the board members in attendance was that they would miss their 12th man during games and, in this one, they almost did.

The scoreline was 1-1 heading into the seventh minute of stoppage time in the action.

Daizen Maeda had opened the scoring for Celtic before David Watson headed in the leveller.

But it was a Kelechi Iheanacho penalty kick on 97 minutes that stole all three points for the visitors and ensured fans went home satisfied, at least.

Though the result might have been different if not for the late referee call, and it was the first real sign that fans staying away could seriously affect their players.

What the Celtic players and manager are saying about fan protests

Defender Liam Scales admits protests are a “slight” distraction despite acknowledging they are not directly aimed at the playing squad.

He said: “I don’t think they’re affecting the players. We know the fans are behind us. They want us to win just as much as we want to win.

“Obviously, the protests aren’t directed at us. There’s a slight distraction when things are thrown onto the pitch, but once that’s over, it’s like a stoppage for an injury.

“Once the whistle goes again, you’re back in the game. It didn’t distract us from the football, I suppose.

“But no, I don’t think it’s had much effect; it hasn’t had much effect on me.”

Rodgers, meanwhile, insisted Celtic can’t use the protests as an excuse for their failings, adding: “It was right at the beginning of the game and we’ve still got a long, long way to go after that.

“It doesn’t stop you giving the ball away and losing a goal on a counter-attack. It doesn’t stop you getting blocked off on the pitch.

“We can’t use that as an excuse. We really can’t. Of course, it’s been simmering all summer and into the beginning of the season. However, we can only focus on the pitch and we can be better on the pitch, for sure.

“Listen, I’m not going to tell the supporters what to do. They’re frustrated, of course. They are the heart of this club. As I said, we had still a long, long period of time to put a performance in. And we didn’t do that.

“The fans are the heart of this club. The passion is here. It’s their life. It’s their love. And they want to see the team doing well. We had enough time in the game and enough ball in the game to do better for them. And we didn’t do that. So it’s on us.”