Project Strawberry

With everything that's going on with the fans and the Board at the moment, project Strawberry has returned to my mind, and I think it’s a good example of how little respect the Board have shown for our history at times and the extraordinary lengths they're willing to go to for money.

Project Strawberry, which was dismissed at the time as rumours, but confirmed since then, was a plan for Celtic to buy Wimbledon FC, change their name to Celtic, colours to green and white hoops, address to Celtic Park, then use their English League membership for a team called Celtic to compete in England.

Obviously, this would've been the end of our history. It would've been Wimbledon dressed as Celtic. But our Board were willing to do that to get a foothold in England—men who were life-long Celtic supporters!

If such an opportunity arose again, I believe DD would seize it; he'd ignore any protests from Celtic fans, arrogantly believing we would come to accept it as our only way of following a team called Celtic once we saw how successful it was.

How do folk on here think the Celtic support would react to something like that? How many WOULD follow?

I couldn't and wouldn't. I'd be devastated, but it wouldn't be Celtic to me.

 

Only 1 celtic and thats glasgow celtic

 

Wouldn't be Celtic to me. I live in England and it would mean I'd be closer to Celtic park and get to more games, but Celtic are Scottish to me first and foremost and are the biggest part of my Scottish identity that I express every day.

 

What would you have done if it had happened, mate?

 

Wouldn't mind (Glasgow) Celtic in the EPL. I don't think we owe anything to the SFA. Not keen on the Wimbledon * though.

 

The plan was to play home games in Glasgow, bud.

I totally agree, though, it wouldn't be Celtic to me either. I just wonder how many would've ended up going along with it.

 

True, I'd be able to go to away games though

 

Ahh, I get you, mate

 

Nah I did say Celtic park in my post so I misunderstood but I'd be able to watch us live easier is the main thing. Not worth being a newco for though, as that's just lying to yourself everyday.

 

To be honest, it does concern me that the Board would do something like that

 

I would always support celtic but wouldn't be the same for.me

 

Any meaning behind the name “ project strawberry “?

 

https://thecelticstar.com/celtic-project-strawberry-the-wimbledon-saga/amp/

Supporters of a certain age will remember a ‘rumour’ back in the 1990s which claimed that Celtic under the leadership of Fergus McCann had an ‘interest’ in acquiring an English side in a bid to compete in the English Premiership.



It was eventually rubbished by the then Celtic saviour and supremo, but was there any truth behind the bizarre and intriguing claims?

The club in question was English top flight side Wimbledon aka The Crazy gang who despite their ‘unattractive’ status on and off the pitch were very much a ‘competitive’ side in the all glamorous English Premiership.

It was rumoured that the ambitious Celtic supremo and his fellow board members had enquired about the possibility of buying the London club and have Celtic take their place in the land of milk and honey that was the English Premiership.

It naturally caused a stir in both sides of the border, but ultimately nothing ever came to fruition, and an attractive headline is all it seemed to be. What would have the ramifications have been? Wimbledon CelticFC? Celtic Wimbledon FC? It’s fair to say that supporters of both clubs would have been more than vocal on the proposed idea had it took off the ground.


Interestingly though more than two decades later earlier this year in fact, the speculation was revisited when Financial Analyst David Low who worked closely with Fergus in his early days at the club claimed that it was a move explored in full detail by the bunnet and his fellow directors in a project that was named Project strawberry.

Low claims it would have cost £40 million, but the riches on offer would have been more than worth it. Ultimately it didn’t go any further and it’s an idea if indeed true that’s now fully confined to the dustbin of history.

 

Nope.

I mind about this, but didn't think or was as far back as the 90s.

It wouldn't be Celtic, not at all and I'd like to think I'd stop following that.

I'd also like to think that a new club would be formed in Glasgow that would take over the true feeling of Celtic and become the new club most would follow.

A wealthy owner buying a club and repainting them, is not Celtic



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Very American. Would never work in UK for any club. I would just give up on football or find a junior team to support

Interesting read though. Id never heard of it before.

 

Wouldn't say never, it's not all that different to what actually did happen to Wimbledon.

 

and every fan in England universally hate MK Dons as a result

 

Id say the huns done a close enough job with Sevco

I remember Bolton chairman Phil Gartside tried a proposal to bring us down
https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/96111/Exclusive-Old-Firm-on-move

Talking about Wimbledon i also remember strong rumours they would be moving to Dublin. That would have worked for them

 

Might sound strange as i am a foreign Celtic fan, but i can't stand glory hunter teams in England being "supported" by 95% of the population around the world. Die hard fans here in sweden having absolutely no clue about football at all.

That is what we would become if we moved to England. Normal fans would be priced out (on a whoooole other level to now) and the atmosphere would die down in time.

The day we moved to the EPL would be the day i stop watching both Celtic and football all together.

The sight of hundreds of thousand of Celtic fans suddenly popping up here in Sweden would put me in prison

 

The Board have recently repeated that the main stand won't be upgraded while we play in Scotland