16-05-2025
Dismayed Trongate residents braced for 'nightmare' Celtic title party
'It has always been good-natured,' agreed the proprietor of a café on the High Street in the shadow of the Toolbooth Steeple. 'Everybody is in great spirits. They just want to enjoy themselves and have a fun time. We haven't had any bother as such and I'm sure it will be the same this time out. I hope so anyway.'
But while there may not be dread as such at the prospect of thousands, of tens of thousands even, of the Scottish champions' elated supporters suddenly arriving en masse there is certainly disappointment, bitter disappointment, that the 'Trongate Title Party' is being allowed to go ahead once again by the authorities.
Indeed, there was outright disgust among those I spoke to in that Celtic, Glasgow City Council, Holyrood and Police Scotland have not, either individually or collectively, come up with a potential alternative to an impromptu annual gathering which, despite their being no malicious intent among those who turn up, costs taxpayers hundreds of thousands of pounds, causes untold disruption and distress and invariably results in multiple arrests and injuries.
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All of the stakeholders - councillors, tourism professionals, politicians, police representatives and club officials - were interviewed for the Policing the Parties series of articles which this newspaper ran in the wake of the large-scale disorder 12 months ago and they all agreed that an official fanzone at Glasgow Green would be a possible solution.
That followed Manchester City staging a slick and impressive event to mark their fourth consecutive English title triumph.
Manager Pep Guardiola and his players boarded an open top bus at a ticketed viewing area at the National Football Museum at Cathedral Gardens and spent over an hour travelling through Exchange Square and Deansgate to another viewing area at the Hilton Hotel.
The entire occasion was hosted by presenters Natalie Pike and FG and there were giant screens, stage shows, interviews, musical performances and activities along the two mile route.
But nothing continues to happen up in Glasgow.
(Image: Ewan Bootman - SNS Group) The Trongate Title Party will go ahead once Celtic captain Callum McGregor has been presented with the Premiership trophy following the final league game against St Mirren at Parkhead and he and his team mates have done the traditional lap of honour. Those who have been through it all before are bracing themselves for the worst.
Many business owners are now being forced to close on what is the busiest and most profitable day of the week.
'You couldn't possibly open,' said one shopkeeper. 'You couldn't even get in or out the door. It is just bedlam. When it first started we didn't have a clue what was about to happen. Fans would come in and expect to be able to use our toilet, would demand access to it. But we know what to expect now and just shut.
'The police park their vans around the corner and hide. They don't stop them drinking. They have all got big cases of lager. But there is nowhere for them to go to the toilet so they just pee wherever they can. I don't know how they are allowed to get away with it. I suppose it is down to numbers. There are just so many of them that it must be impossible to control. It isn't safe.
'When there is an Orange Walk around here the police quite openly take alcohol off people who are drinking and pour it down the drain. The walks are pretty well policed I would say. But when all the Celtic fans come down here to celebrate the police are nowhere to be seen. I don't understand it.'
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Another retailer – who, like so many of those I chatted to, wanted to remain anonymous because of the online abuse which those who have spoken on the record have received in recent days - is bewildered that no alternative arrangements have been put in place in an attempt to accommodate the revellers in the past year.
'I don't know why they don't do something major at Celtic Park or at Glasgow Green,' she said. 'They could have the players there, a band, music, provide toilets, have snack bars, sell drink, turn it into a money-making event. I can't believe they haven't set up some kind of official party for them to go to after everything that has happened.
"Saturday is obviously our busiest day, but we just couldn't open. It isn't safe. They would all just come in and cause mayhem. They are all absolutely steamin'. So we have closed for the last couple of years. But they still leave their stickers on our windows which we can't get off. It is a nightmare. We haven't had any serious damage, but we are waiting for it to happen.'
Steven Turner, the owner of The Outlier 'brunch restaurant' on London Road, is quite content, possibly because he is a Celtic supporter himself, to speak on the record about what transpires on trophy presentation day in the area. He is expecting another fraught, turbulent afternoon and evening.
(Image: Ewan Bootman - SNS Group) 'We find that every time there is a celebration, or even a match for that matter, which clashes with our opening hours time-wise we get cancellations, like 70 to 80 per cent cancellations,' he said. 'It definitely kills your trade.
'When there are trophy celebrations, we actually don't offer a dinner service, just for the safety of customers. It can be chaos. Last year, we had a window attacked, a window smashed. You had a lot of people cutting about with flares. There were people down flat closes urinating as well. You get steaming drunk people wanting to come in to use your toilets while customers are trying to catch up with family and friends.
'It's ridiculous how poorly it's managed. I do understand the lack of policing to an extent. They don't have a budget to tackle it. If they put enough force out to tackle people drinking in the street and people with flares, they'd probably be faced with a significant amount of opposition and it wouldn't be safe for them.
'But there's no toilet provisions, there's no bin provisions. They could very easily cordon off streets like they do for the 10K or the half marathon. They could actually guide them to Glasgow Green. But I suppose I understand it is just down to lack of resources. They have got no money for it. I just don't see how they could stop it. Personally, I think the club should maybe be providing the space.'
