Watching Celtic’s 2-1 win at Easter Road, I kept coming back to one question: why were so many seats empty while our supporters were restricted to part of a stand?

This was more than a supporter’s complaint. The Press Association match report, carried by RTÉ, noted that Celtic had only half the South Stand, while the remainder was all but empty.

What a miserable advert for Scottish football.

Celtic fans deserve a better explanation

Celtic’s allocation was reported as 1,699 tickets. During Sky’s coverage, Ian Crocker questioned the half-empty stand, while Chris Sutton described the situation as “crazy”.

I could hardly disagree.

Away supporters bring noise, colour and commitment. They arrange transport, spend money and build their weekends around following their team. Yet their access is restricted while television cameras show rows of vacant seats.

Hibs are entitled to prioritise their own supporters. Any club should want to grow its home crowd.

However, that ambition deserves scrutiny when the seats being reserved are visibly unoccupied. What is the plan for filling them? And when demand falls short, why should a reduced away allocation remain the answer?

The weather cannot settle the allocation debate

The storm is part of this story. Some ticket holders may have decided that travelling was unsafe. An empty seat does not automatically mean an unsold ticket.

Nor can every vacant seat elsewhere in the ground simply be handed to Celtic supporters. Segregation and practical arrangements matter.

However, those points cannot end the discussion about a policy set before matchday.

Hibs should explain whether a larger, safely managed Celtic allocation was possible. If there were specific obstacles, supporters deserve to hear them.

Scottish football needs its supporters

I want grounds full of passionate home and away fans. That makes matches more compelling inside the stadium and more attractive to those watching elsewhere.

Today’s pictures did the opposite.

Celtic took the points, but the spectacle left an uncomfortable question hanging over the afternoon: are we doing enough to welcome the people who sustain this game?

Supporters should be central to how Scottish football presents itself.

When willing fans struggle for tickets and large sections remain empty, the policy needs defending. Today, those empty seats made a powerful argument for changing it.