Celtic themed takeover bid launched at Scottish club that's 'embarrassment' to its town as Hoops fans targeted
Celtic fans are being appealed to as part of a takeover bid in the Lowland League at Albion Rovers.
A consortium behind a possible takeover at Albion Rovers want to play on Celtic fandom to get the club going again.
The Coatbridge side were once a staple of the SPFL but have crashed into the Lowland League in recent seasons, and fallen on hard times. The 'Project Phoenix' consortium put forward a multi-million pound investment bid forward during 2023 for the Coatbridge outfit, with the condition they were rebranded to 'Shamrock Rovers Coatbridge' as a way to tap into Coatbridge’s Irish history.
This was rejected by the board amid rage from loyal supporters but the club have since been relegated from the SPFL and last month said they will no longer be able to pay players and staff a wage from next season. The Rovers board have now gone back to the Project Phoenix consortium, with proposals for a takeover, acquisition and rebranding of the football club to be discussed at an April board meeting.
Albion Rovers’ identity will be retained but Celtic still play a huge role in how they plan to go about attracting punters to the fifth tier, as per Lanarkshire Live.
Why Celtic fans play a part in Albion Rovers takeover
The consortium behind a takeover bid want to follow in Celtic’s footsteps and tap into Irish diaspora across the world. They are also hoping the adopt green and white colours as part of the Rovers rebrand that aims to make them a second team for Hoops supporters. Appealing to Celtic fans and those Irish roots form a key part of the strategy for takeover.
Project Phoenix’ spokesman Paul Reilly said: “Of course, people in the area will go to Celtic Park and some to Ibrox on a Saturday, but we want to have Albion Rovers there as their second team. The club sits in the central belt, the largest, populous area of the country and many people cannot get to games. This would provide an alternative.
“Obviously, we are not foolish and given the nature of the rebrand, anyone who currently has a season ticket at Ibrox is not going to go along to a newly rebranded Albion Rovers. We don’t shy away from that but in business you have to take a strategic direction. Everyone has their preferences in life. You cannot be all things to all people. You have to know your core customer and we are going to focus on them.
“We intend to take the club into an online international platform as well. We have a global Irish diaspora out there and Celtic are already tapping into that in the US. We have members of our consortium in the US and many involved in the GAA [Gaelic Athletic Association] as well who can see the potential here.
“Many people don’t like change, but sometimes change is what is required. Some fans may not come with us on this journey, but those that do will be rewarded. We will get thousands of fans at Albion Rovers. Most people will laugh at that and look at the support at the moment and ask: How is that possible? But we have got a strategy and rebrand that we know will create opportunities for the club to grow its fan base.”
Stinging blasts
Reilly has not held back on his Rovers views, hitting the club with a stinging blast on what he feels the town currently feels about it. He added: We have already been down this road with a previous board of directors in 2023 and we quickly realised we were not dealing with serious people.
"We presented detailed analysis that the club would be relegated that season without the consortium taking over, and they laughed at it, insisted they wouldn't be relegated. I don't have to tell anyone what the outcome was that season. We were proven to be right. But I do hope that this current board is more receptive and cognisant of the club's perilous predicament than the previous one was.
“Things have materially deteriorated at the club in every way since 2023. This is the only way to bring life and direction back into the football club. The only alternative the club has is to become like Third Lanark. The sad thing about that is the people who are currently involved at the club will forever in history be tagged with that. They will be the ones who were in charge when the Albion Rovers Titanic went down.
“So this is an opportunity for everyone involved to reverse the rot, engage in this process that will completely rejuvenate the fortunes of Albion Rovers and give a boost to the town. Albion Rovers has been synonymous with failure. I am from Coatbridge and the club has always been - and still is - an embarrassment to the town and the great people of Coatbridge. It has to stop. And we will reverse that."