IT WAS almost as if Celtic manager Gordon Strachan had prophesied Sunday's poor turn-out at Almondvale.
The former Scotland international questioned the image of the Premier League being projected to the world ahead of the Scottish Cup quarter-final replay against Aberdeen last week.
With matches scheduled to be played at Motherwell being postponed
on a weekly basis forcing Gretna – already in administration – to find a temporary home at Livingston FC, Strachan was concerned with the image of the Scottish top flight being portrayed to a wider audience outside of this country.
Strachan even admitted to telling Celtic development manager John Park not to take an un-named signing target to a particular SPL match in case he was put off joining the Glasgow club.
At the same press conference a week ago, the Celtic manager was also in the unenviable position of having only just discovered where Sunday's game against Gretna would be played and whether the Borders club, who are in administration, would, indeed, be in existence for the game.
"What it doesn't do is help us sell our product around the world, to sponsors or whatever," said Strachan. "It's not the best. If we are going to sell this product, this brand, then we must show the best of Scottish football – players, stadiums, surfaces, everything."
A crowd of just 3,561 witnessed the 3-0 victory over Gretna at Almondvale on Sunday – a record low attendance for a game involving Celtic in recent years.
Gretna chairman Ron MacGregor concedes the lack of numbers at Almondvale hurt his club's cause as they balance precariously on the financial abyss.
However, he understands and respects the reasoning behind the decision not to have a "pay-at-the-gate" facility available to supporters.
MacGregor told The Scotsman: "The decision came from Celtic safety and security staff in conjunction with Lothian and Borders Police. We realised this was a game we needed to help maximise our gate receipts, but, while it (not having a pay-gate facility) was disappointing, we, as a club, fully support the safety criteria.
"When we played Celtic at Fir Park earlier in the season, in front of the Setanta cameras, the crowd was just over 6,000. It is disappointing to see that number effectively halved. But we will sit down and have a debrief over Sunday's game and put in place the changes which need to be made."
MacGregor, however, paid tribute to the majority of Celtic supporters attending the game and their backing for the cash-strapped club. He added: "There were one or two Celtic fans waving bank notes at our players, but, overall, they were very supportive to our cause."
The poor attendance, however, overshadowed the game which Celtic won 3-0 with goals from Scott McDonald, Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink and Georgios Samaras.
Previously, recent records show the poorest attendance for a league match involving Celtic came in April 1984 when just 4,956 turned up for an end-of-season Premier Division game against Dundee at Celtic Park.
A 1997 Uefa Cup tie at Ninian Park against Welsh side Inter Cable-Tel produced an attendance of 4,980, while a League Cup trip to Arbroath four years earlier saw only 5,364 supporters turn up.
Ironically, Celtic hold the record attendance for an Almondvale fixture. In August 2001, the Glasgow club helped Livingston post a crowd of 10,024 as the home side – playing in their first Scottish Premier League season – held the reigning champions to a goalless draw.
LOW CROWDS IN LEAGUELowest league crowds in matches featuring Celtic over the past 30 years:
3,561: Gretna 0 Celtic 3, SPL, 23/3/08
4,956: Celtic 3 Dundee 0, Prem Div, 24/4/84
5,000: Hibernian 1 Celtic 1, Prem Div, 30/3/77
6,011: Gretna 1 Celtic 2, SPL, 7/10/07
6,329: Falkirk 1 Celtic 4, SPL, 11/8/07
6,438: Falkirk 1 Celtic 0, SPL, 18/3/07
6,498: Falkirk 0 Celtic 3, SPL, 6/11/05
6,504: Livingston 0 Celtic 2, SPL, 26/3/06
6,695: Livingston 2 Celtic 4, SPL, 24/10/04
6,739: St Johnstone 0 Celtic 0, SPL, 13/5/00
6,800: Ayr United 3 Celtic 5, Premier Division, 1/5/76
Source: Rothmans & Sky Sports Football Yearbooks
The full article contains 737 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
