The moment Scott Brown threw himself into a challenge on the edge of his own penalty area, laser-like in precision, to dispossess Barry Robson, brought the memories flooding back. Barry was regarded by many as a journeyman when he signed for Celtic alongside Georgios Samaras in January 2008. A month later he scored against Barcelona in the Champions League knock out stage and was well on the way to convincing the Celtic support of his ability.
At the time, Scott Brown’s fortunes were different. He’d arrived the previous summer, a £4m buy from Hibs, but had yet to acclimatise to the central midfield role at Celtic. In the spring of 2008, Celtic were well behind in the title race, and playing poorly. Robson was on the bench with Brown given midfield responsibility.
The script for that season was written by a gifted hand. As the season reached a climax, Scott was suspended for three games, punishment for a rash of misjudged tackles throughout the season. Gordon Strachan turned to Barry, who was made for the moment.
Seven years ago Barry Robson could tackle, in fact, he could foul, without being noticed. He brought determination and menace to a team which was questioned in the CQN comments section for an apparent lack of leadership.
Two of our last five league games that season were at Celtic Park against Rangers. Rangers had a games in hand but the effective gap was 10 points, Celtic needed five wins, and even then their chances of winning the league were regarded as remote. Towels were thrown everywhere.
The first, a midweek game, memorably started with Barry Robson putting a thumping challenge into Christian Dailly in the opening minutes. The tone was set, Celtic were there to fight for everything. Rangers thought they had the point they needed, their manager offering high-fives in the technical area as they cleared the ball late into added time.
I still can’t quite believe what happened next. In the 95th minute Gary Caldwell threw a long ball into the Rangers box, which was won in the air by Scott McDonald, the smallest player on the field. McDonald headed across the face of goal for Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink to head into the net. Celtic survived to fight another day.
11 days later Celtic Park saw an equally dramatic game. Scott McDonald (scorer of incredibly important goals) put Celtic ahead but the season looked to be in tatters as Rangers struck back with two goals direct from corner kicks.
1-2 down in a must-win game it was an uphill struggle, but McDonald struck again two minutes from the break to level the game with the assistance of a deflection. The second half was a tense affair, so much was invested in one game of football, but one man was made for the moment.
McDonald broke free inside the box and was hauled down by Broadfoot. Barry Robson stepped forward to take the penalty, it was the defining moment of his career. If you’re in Celtic Park early enough before kick-off these days you can still hear the echo of the roar that went up when his penalty hit the net. His celebration was unforgettable.
It’s remarkable that Barry is still performing at this level so many years after his peak but yesterday’s decisive challenge by Scott Brown demonstrated the enormous leaps our captain has made since becoming a Celtic player. We need players with that fight and craft.
Many of us are still telling stories of the 1985 Scottish Cup Final. A goal down, Celtic roared back to beat Dundee United with a Frank McGarvey diving header. Frank’s offering the jersey he wore that day for auction to raise funds for Maryhill Foodbank. It’s a genuinely unique piece of Celtic history, for a very worthy cause. Check it out here.
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Me?
Yes!!
Naw,well aye.
Defo not me. Nor bugger Bognorbhoy
Hat trick?
There’s only one Scott Brown!
Hits the post!
Keeping the Faith did you make it home from Chester ?
Lennybhoy did you make it home from Aberdeen ?
Im getting closer lol
I predicted we would win that league with the run in we had.
Excellent tribute to Robson, he and Hartley were immense that year and I wish they had been kept together a season longer
Hello team, would be looking for your help to spread the word about campaign;
“The 8th May 2015 will mark the first anniversary of our friend’s child, Oscar James Knox, gaining his Angel wings. To celebrate Oscar’s short but memorable life, we’ve organised a 223 mile bike ride over three days.
We’re using this opportunity to help another young child who desperately needs support: and fast. Eileidh Paterson needs £100K by June in order to receive specialised DFMO cancer treatment in the USA. That treatment is not currently available in the UK.
On Saturday 16th May 2015, the cyclists will leave Forres, Eileidh’s home town, bound for Inverness. There, they will take in the SPFL match between Caley Thistle and Dundee United, raising awareness of neuroblastoma, and in particular Eileidh’s plight, before setting off south to Glasgow, and Celtic Park, home of Wee Oscar’s favourite team.
We have set up this team page to raise awareness and much needed funds. Our team have a common goal to raise money for the Neuroblastoma Childrens Cancer Alliance (NCCA UK). The team are Steve Taylor, Kevan Lawler, Iain McGovern, Robert Campbell and Paul Muldoon.
We are football fans of different teams with a common goal: to make a difference for Eileidh in wee Oscar’s name.
We would like to ask for your help by donating to Eileidh’s campaign.
https://www.justgiving.com/HighlandbikerideforEileidhPaterson
OR
Text EPAT50 £1-10 to 70070
The Highland Cycle Team.”
Thanks Mouldy 67
CANAMALAR
Agreed,bud. They had the resolve of a winner,and the desire to put two fingers up to those who had trashed them earlier in their career.
I’m delighted that they are both savouring success to this day. Each of them wore our jersey with the pride we expect,and the fight we need.
KILTOONYBHOY
Hunnish name(!)
gerryfaethebrig
12:38 on 11 May, 2015
I did mate, a bit worse for wear but had a great day.
Ended the day in the ‘Office’.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Was at the midweek victory but missed the 2nd game as two of my nephews made their communion that day
We where 2 1 down when we came out of mass and the meal in the PV was suspended till the match finished
Both those nephews continue to be ST holders .
Great finish to that season
lennybhoy
12:55 on 11 May, 2015
Good to hear you enjoyed it, I take it the “office” was busy, roll on Friday night
blantyretim is praying for the knox family
12:55 on 11 May, 2015
I am heading to the PV on cup final day, if you are in I would gladly buy you a pint
neganon2
13:02 on 11 May, 2015
Tinman from 10.05. I had to chuckle at wings over Scotland commissioning panel base to do a survey. It’s like the biased leading the biased to a biased conclusion. Wasn’t panelbase the mob who consistently showed either a vote for independence or that it was very close repeatedly. And as for wings over Scotland…..well huff said.
What I think this sort of , ahem, “research” shows is quite how far nationalists are willing to go in their patriotic fervour.
The OB is an abomination to civil liberties by anyone’s standards. But in the new modern Scotland civil liberties will be torched as we all worship the God of nationalism.
oh dear Scotland. Where will it all end?
dd,
Haven’t seen Freddie in a long time.He was harmless though.
His stories were legendary..He has an older brother too,Jim,he can fair spin them too.
Sorry to hear that about him.
I was also at Paradise for the 2-1 game but was in Albufeira for a footy weekend with me and 1 other guy being the token Tims and 23 huns. They all trooped off for a league winning sash bash and me and the other good guy watched the game in Jinky’s. Needless to say, it was quiet around the pool later that day other than 2 guys singing their wee Celtic hearts out until they couldn’t take it any more and all drifted away to find their own wee dark place to hide. That surprised me as I thought they were all perpetually in the dark……………. Barry Robson and Paul Hartley were immense in that run in for us.
natknow
the scheme wasn’t Shawhead by any chance ?
If yes , i know the Chas u are talking about .. or Cha as we knew him .
He once told me that he saw a pike crawl out of the dixie pond and pull a dog back into the water .
In Spain they call Billy liars fantasmas .
Wee Bobby Collins ,
I agree with Canamalar … Morton’s rolls but with a slice of chopped pork
So that’ll be Oceans Eleven, ER, Oh Brother Where Art Thou, all on FF banned list?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3075369/Amal-Clooney-accuse-Ted-Heath-torture-hooded-men-Northern-Ireland-Troubles.html
FromDuskTillDawnCSC
Gerry
Hope to see u there
What date is that?
NEGANON
Bearing in mind the source,I refrained from comment. I canny trash their rep any more than they do.
I love a trip to Bath,lovely wee place. I would love to meet the fella who writes that stuff. Just so I could understand why.
Just shows in tight battle a bit of fortune luck call it what you like,can change things,IF Browns was not suspended it is unlikely Strachan would have played Robson.
BT – 30th May, only reason I am allowed out the wee niece is having a “baby shower” so all the good ladies in my life are at that, so I have a free pass, I drink in the tyre now and again, loved the old Commercial back in the day
NegAnon2
13:03 on
11 May, 2015
neganon2
Talking of civil liberties.
Have difficulty recalling Blair’s Labour repealing any of Thatcher’s anti union legislation.
oneofthe70percent
13:13 on 11 May, 2015
And if your aunty had…..it could be your uncle
Barry Robson was a very good player but Broony is Broony, back then our captain had a lot of other things happening and was still a Bhoy, but the main thing is he is our Bhoy !
Barry Robson was a typical Gordon Strachan signing: as glamorous as a Ford Transit van, but crucially, just as useful.
Like Paul Telfer, he wasn’t the sort of signing we salivated over when he arrived, but he worked like a Stakhanovite, never hid, and made himself indispensable. He was 29 when he strolled into Celtic Park – it was late in his career, and he grabbed the chance presented to him like a starving man would a steak bake.
In previous years Bobo might have been gonna get you. But Barry would be in among yeez. He lacked Balde’s physical presence, but Christian Dailly still wakes up in a cold sweat at the memory of Robson lunging towards him.
Wee, ginger, fearless. He was an onfield avatar for Strachan himself. It’s great to see him still playing. (thumbsup)
Tramp into hot pies
Paul67
Broonie was immense yesterday – would like to see us add a bit more similar steel.
Nice tribute to Barry Robson – always speaks well of us and his time at Celtic.
Don’t know if anyone picked up his applause at yesterday’s guard of honour? He broke rank and stepped in a yard facing the Celtic Team coming out and applauded enthusiastically – nice touch.
Was at both games – knee tremblers and joyfully remembered.
H!H!
I remember the Jan roar more than I remember the Barry roar. Both way way way better than any roar so far.
For me the JVH roar was the roar of roars given that a fraction of a second earlier the High Five Huns were celebrating and the Hun end had just started ripping into one of theparty tunes (otherwise known as sectarian banter – Unionists fur yeez aye). that high punt, that header then JVH hitting the net. That thud as the monkey huns dropped to the loudest silence I have ever heard. And that Roar as Timdom noise verbarated and bunced and jumbped and laughed and cried and wooooooooooo…
That was the fundilymundily goal for me that season.
But anyway.
MWD said AYE and he’ll get the chance tae say AYE again, because it’s comin roon the mountain… choo choo fur noo
Celtic miracles innit
Who was the ref that day ?
Fred Colon
13:06 on
11 May, 2015
natknow
the scheme wasn’t Shawhead by any chance ?
If yes , i know the Chas u are talking about .. or Cha as we knew him .
He once told me that he saw a pike crawl out of the dixie pond and pull a dog back into the water .
In Spain they call Billy liars fantasmas .
Wee Bobby Collins ,
I agree with Canamalar … Morton’s rolls but with a slice of chopped pork
———————————————————————————————————
That’s the scheme mate. To be fair, he was a decent guy – his wee brother and I used to nick packets of biscuits from the Co-Op together. And that’s without a word ofa lie! :-)
The JVH goal is still one of my favourite Celtic moments.
HH!!
Still remember shouting at TV for Caldwell to “ffs give the ball to somebody who could play football” as he floated the ball on to skippy’s head. Cue bedlam and the dog hiding under the stairs for two days after my roar.
praecepta
13:25 on 11 May, 2015
I also noticed Barry’s enthusiasm at the guard of honour, good to see, also expected him to kick lumps out of any opponent once the whistle went, ro son always struck me as hard but fair