St Mirren CEO Tony Fitzpatrick has sown utter contempt for Celtic fans paying to get into the stadium and revealed he would love to stick just a small number of the Hoops supporters in a corner somewhere.

Celtic have a large travelling away support and Fitzpatrick admits he loves to milk us for our money but he wishes he didn’t have to do it – the sight of so many in the stands is not something he likes to say.

Fitzpatrick rationalises it in his head by telling himself the large crowd helps pay for a player for the St Mirren side every season.

He told Football Scotland : “With the two stands here going to the Old Firm, I see how it jars, but it’s business.

“There’s nobody more against Celtic and Rangers fans getting the two stands here than me.

“I’ve made that statement already but, up until the day we can fill this with St Mirren supporters, it’s crazy for us not to do that.

“The money it brings in gets us a player. Every time I see Celtic and Rangers fans in the two stands behind the goals, I always think: ‘We can buy a player’.

“That gets me through it.

“I’d love nothing more than this place full of St Mirren fans and we’re giving Celtic and Rangers 200 tickets and they’re in a corner somewhere.

“That’s a dream I’ve always had.

“We don’t like giving our tickets away, but a football club is a business as well. We need to allow it for us to grow.”

If his fans are not willing to go and back his team, it’s very poor to see him speak out in this way about the travelling support.

We understand the tribalism at football, but to hear this sort of rhetoric from someone in charge is not very professional.

The contempt shown is obvious – if you can’t stand the sight of a large travelling support, the option is there not to have us. There are some stadiums where that’s happened.