There is something deeply wrong when Celtic supporters are increasingly being told not only what to think, but how they should express their dissatisfaction with the club they love. And when the Green Brigade, a group of supporters who have become central to the debate surrounding Celtic Park, are at the heart of another argument, I cannot help wondering when exactly supporting Celtic became synonymous with surrendering our right to speak.

Shaun Maloney wants to see the Green Brigade return to Celtic Park. Frank McAvennie, meanwhile, believes they are wrong and disagrees with supporters boycotting matches. Chris Sutton, on the other hand, believes the fans are right to boycott and hopes they have the courage and conviction to see it through.

And there we have it. Three voices, three different opinions and a fanbase divided over what should happen next.

But I think the bigger issue goes far beyond whether the Green Brigade should return to Paradise tomorrow, next week or next month for those games they have decided to miss.

Why are Celtic supporters being criticised for using one of the few weapons they have left to make their voices heard?

I understand that not every Celtic supporter agrees with the boycott. I understand that most fans want the Green Brigade back at Celtic Park, filling the stands with noise, colour, flags and the atmosphere that makes our stadium special. Others believe that boycotting matches or withholding support is counterproductive.

We are entitled to disagree.

That is perfectly normal among a fanbase as passionate as ours.

However, what I find particularly frustrating is that those criticising the boycotting supporters rarely offer a convincing alternative. What exactly are these fans supposed to do instead? Write another letter? Submit another complaint? Wait patiently for the Celtic hierarchy to have a sudden moral awakening?

Oh, please! How many times must supporters express their concerns before somebody at the top decides that their voices deserve to be heard? How many times must fans explain that their relationship with Celtic is about more than purchasing tickets, merchandise and subscriptions before the penny finally drops?

Apparently, we should simply pay up, sit down and shut up. That is what some people very clearly expect, and what they want.

What a wonderful arrangement for those who prefer supporters to behave like obedient customers rather than people who have invested their hearts, souls, time and money into this football club.

I am sure the Celtic board pricks would find life considerably more comfortable if every supporter accepted every decision without question. No protests, no boycotts, no awkward questions and certainly no demands for accountability. Just a lovely, quiet stadium full of people handing over their money and applauding on command.

Unfortunately for those who would prefer such an arrangement, Celtic supporters are not servants of the board. We are supporters of Celtic Football Club.

There is a rather important difference.

Let me make one thing perfectly clear. I do not believe that every supporter must agree with the Green Brigade, nor do I believe that every fan must participate in a boycott to prove their loyalty to Celtic.

Nobody should be forced into supporting a protest they disagree with. Equally, nobody should be shamed for participating in one.

That is what freedom of expression means.

If a supporter believes that a particular decision by the club is unacceptable, they should have the right to demonstrate their opposition. If they believe that withholding their attendance or spending is the most effective way to communicate that opposition, that is their decision to make.

They do not suddenly become less passionate about Celtic because they refuse to participate in something they fundamentally disagree with.

Indeed, sometimes refusing to cooperate is the only way to demonstrate that something matters enough to fight for, and I would rather see Celtic supporters exercising their right to challenge the hierarchy than accepting every decision as if questioning those in power were some terrible betrayal of the club.

And here is the irony. The very people who insist that supporters should focus on backing the team often seem to forget that supporters can care passionately about the team while being deeply unhappy with the way the club is run.

Those two things are not mutually exclusive.

I love Celtic, adore Paradise, cherish the Boys in Green and White and still believe that the people making decisions on our behalf need to be challenged. In fact, I would argue that the two can go hand in hand.

What concerns me even more than the argument over the boycott itself is the division it is creating. We are spending our time arguing with one another while the fundamental questions about the relationship between Celtic and its supporters remain unresolved.

Fans are being divided into competing camps: those who support the boycott, those who oppose it, those who want the Green Brigade back and those who believe the whole dispute should simply disappear.

Meanwhile, the people responsible for addressing supporters’ concerns can sit back and watch the arguments unfold.

Isn’t that convenient?

I refuse to believe that Celtic supporters, with all our history, passion and collective strength, should allow ourselves to become pawns in a game that benefits nobody in the stands.

We have different opinions. Of course we do. We are not robots, and we certainly do not need instructions from the media about how to think.

But we should be capable of disagreeing without treating one another as enemies.

Our common ground is much bigger than this argument. We all want Celtic to thrive. We want our club to be successful, ambitious, properly run and respectful of the people who make it what it is.

We want supporters to matter. That is precisely why we should be careful not to let this disagreement turn us against one another.

Our voices are stronger when we refuse to be divided into obedient little camps, each shouting at the other while those at the top escape the scrutiny they deserve. The Celtic board should not be allowed to transform our brains into sawdust while the media lectures us about the proper way to behave.

We are perfectly capable of deciding for ourselves what we believe, what we tolerate and what we are prepared to do about it.

I would love to see the Green Brigade back at Celtic Park, contributing to the atmosphere which makes Paradise such a special place. I would also love to see a situation in which supporters felt that their concerns were taken seriously enough that boycotts and confrontations were no longer necessary.

But wishing for the first outcome while ignoring the second is not a solution.

The question is not simply whether the Green Brigade should return. It is whether Celtic supporters are going to be treated as people whose opinions matter or merely as customers whose principal responsibility is to keep paying.

I know which relationship I want.

I want a club that listens to its supporters, respects their right to disagree and understands that loyalty should never be confused with unconditional obedience.

I want Celtic fans to stand together, even when we disagree about the best way forward. And I want those criticising the boycott to offer something more constructive than telling fellow supporters to stop complaining and hand over their money.

Because if the only contribution somebody can make to this debate is to tell fans to pay up, sit down and shut up, perhaps they should ask themselves why supporters feel the need to raise their voices in the first place.

Celtic belongs in the hearts of its supporters, not in the private kingdom of a board that expects unquestioning obedience. We are not pawns, we are not servants, and we certainly do not need permission to express our dissatisfaction.

We are Celtic supporters. We have every right to speak, to challenge, to protest and, when we believe it necessary, to boycott.

So let us stop attacking one another for exercising those rights. Let us demand answers, insist on accountability and remember that our love for Celtic should never be used as a weapon against us.

Because supporting Celtic does not mean surrendering our voices.

And if somebody thinks that loyalty means shutting up and paying up, Berry and I have just one more thing to say; not these fans.

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