“A club has an obligation to its own supporters to satisfy them and to make them feel like they are the most important people at the club.”
No, that’s not a profound proclamation along the lines of Jock Stein’s, “football without the fans is nothing”, but rather Michael Grant’s assessment of St Johnstone’s decision to cut the away allocation for Celtic and Rangers.
The Times’ Scottish football correspondent admitted he can understand the frustration from Old Firm fans, but praised the Perth club for acting on the “scunnered support’s” boycotting of their Scottish Cup tie against Rangers last season.
Speaking on the BBC’s Scottish Football Podcast, Grant said: “St Johnstone has an obligation to its own supporters, as they, like all clubs, really resent an invasion of 4000-5000 Rangers and Celtic fans completely occupying their stadium.
“That Scottish Cup game, I mean it was a Rangers’ home game on tour kind of thing, wasn’t it?
“St Johnstone fans were so scunnered that they boycotted the game and I think it was only a few hundred Saints fans went, so the club is mindful of that.
“St Johnstone is one of the grounds where the home support can get swamped by Rangers and Celtic fans visiting.
“It doesn’t happen in Edinburgh or Aberdeen, while St Mirren have now put them in one stand, but St Johnstone and one or two other grounds can still feel completely overwhelmed.”
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