Davie Bhoy

On the subject of what you can see from your seat, I like the fact I can actually see Hampden from my seat at Celtic Park. Especially on the dark nights you can see the floodlights away in the distance.

Was that pic of Celtic Park taken in 410? Looks like my section only I'm a couple of rows in front of the pillars.

They don't have to be directly behind the pillar. Anywhere behind it offers a restricted view of some sort. It's not just the fence in the away end, it's the fact that both the home & the away fans tend to stand up that restricts the view too. You can't see a big section down to the left hand side of the pitch. We haven't had a full ground but we have still sold around 40,000 season tickets although your correct, there have been plenty of unrestricted view seats available. Not sure how many as there are pillars in the upper tier of the North Stand.

Exactly mate. This is why I'd like to see Celtic get round to putting a new roof and support in at some point so we can do away with the support beams that offer a restricted view. Not sure how it would work and what could be done. Would imagine it'd be a pretty difficult job.

You are the one who can't accept my opinion and continue to argue the toss with me about it so it's not me derailing it. Might want to look in the mirror there. Thousands of Celtic fans have experienced this. I'll give you the clue again....the Celtic fans in the other corner adjacent to the main stand face the same thing every game too. I disagree that fans can't move, I've seen loads of away supports visit Celtic park and they could all comfortably move to seats that offer an unrestricted view in their area. I'm not buying it that the stewards prevent anyone from moving. I'm speaking in general. Aberdeen only has one stand that doesn't have some sort of restricted view, Tynecastle has it in the main stand. In fact I've already listed the stadiums that have the restricted views be it home or away fans stuck behind it. Restricted viewing is not something that is exclusive to Celtic Park.

Yes mate. The front was built to celebrate the centenary season so I'm assuming it was done in the 86/87 season. I remember it was actually in place for the centenary season and was the front picture on the programmes that season.

No, I agreed partly with one of your points but disagreed with your claim that our own fans don't experience it which is not true. Which part of that is it you're struggling with? The only protest is the hypocrisy of the fans who quite happily sit in restricted views in their own ground for 19 games a season but who spend all season whinging on here about the restricted view at Celtic Park. It's highly hypocritical. I do understand why some fans choose not to go but the simple solution is to buy the tickets that don't offer a restricted view. There are plenty of them.

How far back? These good for you?

It's not out of spite. That section is where our family section is & there are things set up for the kids down below there. Obviously the season tickets for that section aren't valid for cup games so it's easier to relocate them for one game but trust me, we don't usually get the same number of away fans that you see in that picture, so not worth the while.

More lies. Read back & you'll see that I recognise there are some poor restricted view seats & empathise with anyone who gets one of those seats but cut the crap that every seat in the away section is a poor one. It quite clearly isn't the case.

Yes you're wrong to suggest our fans don't have to experience the view. Also I did read your post correctly but if you read mine correctly, I made it clear I wasn't confining this argument to just the away section or what actually causes the restricted view. A restricted view is a restricted view.

Like I said though, I'm not talking about just the bit the away fans sit in. I'm just talking about for some fans in general. Ibrox does have an awful restricted view as you can see it the picture. Funnily enough, the Rangers fans are about the only fans I never hear moan about the seats that are affected by the restricted view seats at Celtic Park. My point is that fans moan about it, but Hearts just played at Firhill at the weekend where they are put in an out of date main stand that has restricted views & yet it's not an issue. You also have fans watching their team at home over 19 games & they never moan about the restricted views their own grounds have. This is why I find it a touch hypocritical when people complain about the restricted view at Celtic Park. CityDave, you're also wrong because our own fans do experience it. I've been in there for a friendly game years ago v Sporting Lisbon & I agree that the seats affected were awful. I just got up & moved seats. So I can empathise with the away fans as it was an awful view. However since then, Celtic took those seats out of use, leaving just the backs remaining. You can actually see the angle from my seat facing it of the seats out of use. There are still a number that have a restricted view but not nearly as bad as those ones did & it is just a small number. Not all the seats in that away section are affected. In addition to saying our fans don't experience it, you have to remember that the main stand has another pillar on the other side of the stand where the Celtic fans are, so they do experience it.

Other than Celtic Park, You have restricted viewing at the following grounds... Ibrox, Tynecastle, Victoria Park, Dens Park, Pittodrie, Fir Park, Rugby Park & Firhill all have them. If you want you can add New Douglas Park for the fans in the gazebo. The restricted view is as bad as where your seat is. If you're sat right behind even a thin post it's be a more restricted view than if you are say 10 seats further back from the same post. Pittodrie doesn't have any restricted views due to posts/pillars in the away end but the view is a poor one for away fans. Equally I remember sitting in a stand at Tannadice that had no restricted views but the design with the barriers in front & how it was badly designed with fans going past to go to the toilet every few mins meant the view was often obstructed. However it again would only have affected a small number of fans. Regardless of it being in the visiting fans end, my point is that it's hypocritical of fans to moan about restricted views at Celtic Park when their own grounds have them.

I have been in that away corner & I have admitted that the seats that are blocked by the pillar are awful & I fully agree with those fans who complain about it. It's something I'd like to see sorted but then Celtic are not going to spend £m's just to get a new roof & the support beams sorted for just 200 visiting fans from Killie, Hamilton etc. That said, it is just a small % of seats affected and too many fans just use it to justify their reasons for not going to Celtic Park. As you can see from the Aberdeen fans at the weekend, very few of their fans would've been affected by any sort of viewing problems. Maybe if other clubs brought similar numbers as the Aberdeen & Hearts fans do, they could all get together to complain about it to their club to get on to Celtic & maybe something would get done about it. Like I said though, just about every club in the premiership has restricted viewing at their own ground.

I love the Sky Box at Celtic Park. Gives a wee bit of uniqueness to our stadium as well as one of the last links to the old stadium I stood and watched the Hoops in as I was growing up. Was lucky enough to finally get to see inside it during one of the many tours I have done of the stadium & was amazed to hear the tour guide say how it used to be the media who went up there until Fergus McCann came to the club and realised the best seats in the house were being given to the media for free. He changed it into two large hospitality suites & now they charge a fortune for them. I asked the guide how much they cost and he says that even if you were a lottery winner you wouldn't get them because it's the same two companies who have held them for years & they get first refusal on them but keep renewing & paying mega bucks for them. If ever we do get round to building another tier on the main stand, I hope they retain the Sky Box in it.

Surely the Lying King should be listened to?

It doesn't happen consistently though IMHO. Usually if one of our clubs go out, they deserved to...not always but prob 7-8 times out of 10. This season, Aberdeen & Hibs can feel aggrieved that big calls went against them, although I agree that they need to accept their own share of the blame for not turning their dominance into goals & taking their chances. Celtic were kinda fortunate in the game v Astana that their players lacked the knowledge to not go throwing tackles in the box otherwise they might've been in the draw for the CL today despite us dominating the game.

Surprised Brondby knocked out Hertha Berlin. Hibs deserves to knock them out and but for poor officiating they would've. Dunno if that means Hibs are better than we think or Brondby are worse. What I do know is that we have one team left in Europe out of 4, & and 2 of the 3 who went out, deserved to progress. Seems like the usual hard luck stories for Scottish football.

Cheers mate, like reading your updates on this. Usually too time consuming to work out for myself so your work here is appreciated.

Makes for grim reading

Why would I mate. I fully expect Celtic to run out comfortable winners in the return leg but I won't try and deflect from the fact that tonight was an embarrassing defeat. Absolutely disgusted by the performance tonight.

Listen mate, when it comes to Scottish clubs in Europe, I want them all to do well....well apart from one. Even then, if we're doing well I don't grudge them a wee run. The fact is that given the draw, you should've done better. No amount of sarcastic replies from you or anyone else will change that.

Yes, although it doesn't fill you with hope when they lose to a team who have never won a game in Europe. If they struggle in this round against this calibre of opposition...

Oh here we go....more failure in Europe. If Celtic lost to a club with inferior resources like Aberdeen did, it'd be carve up time by the media. I suspect this will not receive the same attention.