Malcontents

Celtic Slang | About Celtic | Celtic’s Foundation

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Details

Reference to: Celtic Supporters by the old Biscuit Tin Board
Derivations: Rebels
Started: 1980’s (by old board)

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Definition

Back in the early 1990s, the club was in turmoil both on and off the pitch due to the Sack the Board malarkey. One of the bedrocks of the ‘Rebel‘ supporters was the inimitable Not The View fanzine which gave a voice to the general support on the ground. Not all appreciated their efforts and inevitably due to their staunch anti-board stance it brought the fanzine into conflict with the powers that be at the club.

The old Biscuit Tin board were generally a pathetic bunch headed by the out-of-his-depth Chairman Kevin Kelly. He (in)famously criticised those not in favour of the board as ‘malcontents‘.

It clearly drew a line at that point between the general supporters and the board, and in retort the Not The View fanzine proudly tagged themselves on their front cover as ‘The Magazine for Malcontents‘.

It was a satirical note for the supporters but for the board it was another PR disaster, again alienating themselves from the core support at a time they really should have been reaching out to them.

In time, the ‘Rebel‘ moniker retook a hold and replaced the ‘malcontents‘ label, but still it’s a tag worth revisiting once in a while.

Times may have changed, and the club became a well-functioning PLC, but old habits die hard. The formation of the Green Brigade in some ways reflects the old ‘malcontent‘ attitude in a new form, and with their battles against certain establishments (all non-violent from the GB’s end) they have certainly taken on the torches from their forebears. Many of their great banners also carry on the tradition of the great humour of the support too.

With the core anti-establishment values of the support and the natural backing for the underdog, the ‘malcontents‘ label is surely quite apt for the Celtic support, and we wouldn’t want it any way else.

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