I remember the days (as a kid) when I’d get excited about Scotland-England games. At the time the countries were neck-and-neck in the number of wins each had over the other, we knew we’d punched well above our weight for a century. Since then, the inevitable verdict of demographics has taken its toll.
Now we know we’re a small nation, inconsequential to the football world, and we’ve even starved of developmental resources compared to the riches that ploughs into the English FA from Premier League TV deals each season.
The historical rivalry remains but I don’t feel it anymore and surely English fans care even less. They will have to dig deep to muster anything more than an interest in the three points available tonight, having long since moved onto Argentina and Germany for their rivalry. And Iceland, of course (forgive me).
Great sporting rivalries can endure for generations but that doesn’t mean they’ll last forever. Circumstances can change causing both sides to lose interest and find others to do battle with. None of our 20th century rivalries will survive. If we could bloody the nose of Barcelona for a third time in the 21st century later this month, our hit rate would place the Catalans in the crosshairs. Bring it on.
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DUNKY MACKAY ..
My old man took me to Maryhill Harp games . I know I saw Dunky Mackay playing for them but remember nothing . I watched him in the Hoops for @ 5/6 years .. again I have no memories beyond knowing that my old man thought he was a stand out in a succession of duff Celtic teams
Saint Stivs
Manager Hibs fan – Gordon Strachan
One for any BT Broadband users with Extenders.
I have bought two BT Broadband Extenders Flex 500 – let’s call them C and D.
I have a BT Smart Hub with 2 existing Extenders (call them A and B) .
I plugged C in beside A and have them both connected via Ethernet to the Hub.
I pressed the link button on C so that all 3 lights are showing.
After a minute or 2, the Hub crashes. When I disconnect C, things are fine.
I have swapped C&D with A&B and there are no issues with the Extenders themselves.
I had the old hub before this and the upstairs computer was connected via a WIFI dongle. This wouldn’t work shortly after I got the new Smart Hub.
Any ideas ?
Derek Riordan
HH
Afternoon all
Not been on for a while and latgely avoided even lurking in lead up and immediate aftermath of US election
I see that there are lists of favourites/best XIs being passed around. During a period of depression in the spring of 2015 I composed all sorts of lists few of which will be of interest to those here including favourite horror films and best West Indies XIs. I had a few Celtic lists and here is my best team with subs.
Simpson, McGrain, Gemmell, Murdoch? McNeill, Connelly, Johnstine, Dalgkish, Larsson, Auld and Lennox.
Subs :Gordon, Craig, Hay, Moravcik, McStay, Wallace and Sutton. Apologies to the likes of Stanton, Clark, Burns, Deans et al.
I was in Moenchangladbach and an on the eve of the match amidst the oompah bands and the rebs there was some talking of heroes of the past and an old timer reckoned Dunky McKay was as good as any back we ever had. The other name he mentioned as being the great talent whose career never reached the heights it should have after injuries curtailed it was John Higgins.
Jimbo67
One for any BT Broadband users with Extenders.
I have bought two BT Broadband Extenders Flex 500 – let’s call them C and D.
I have a BT Smart Hub with 2 existing Extenders (call them A and B) .
I plugged C in beside A and have them both connected via Ethernet to the Hub.
I pressed the link button on C so that all 3 lights are showing.
After a minute or 2, the Hub crashes. When I disconnect C, things are fine.
I have swapped C&D with A&B and there are no issues with the Extenders themselves.
I had the old hub before this and the upstairs computer was connected via a WIFI dongle. This wouldn’t work shortly after I got the new Smart Hub.
——————————————————————
tawkin abooooooooooot????????
Petethebeat
Hit the blue button on your BT control, they will direct you to “help” if you can’t sort it out phone them
By the way I totally agree with your earlier post about goalies Artur, Fraser & Craig….
We live in good Celtic goalie times :-)
PETE THE BEAT
Have you tried switching it off and switching it back on again?
I have not got a Scooby what you are on about.
Jim Payne,
John Higgins was one of my Dad’s favourite players. I think Shearer kicked him out of the game.
Gerryfaethebrig
I was at a recent St Rochs event and was chatting to Wee Bertie about Willie Wallace.
Bertie reckoned he was the most under rated player in the Lions set up, pointing out that not only could Wille score goals (his record speaks for itself), but that as soon as Celtic went one up in a European or tough domestic game, Willie would drop back about ten yards and more or less fell into the No 10 position we know today a la say Kris Commons or Tom Rogic.
In essence, he became our furthest advanced midfielder which meant we defended from the front but it also meant that in those days the second centre back didn’t know what to do!
Should he follow Willie out, in which case the defence was all out of shape, or should he let Willie go into an area of the pitch where he would have room to collect the ball and influence forward play without a marker?
Stein said that Wallace could play every single forward role from right wing to left and all in between, and had he got his way we would have seen the potentially lethal combination of Wallace and McBride as a really strong front two with Stevie Chalmers playing support.
Most importantly, Willie is a really nice man, great company and has a wicked sense of humour!
JMCCORMICK.
Spaghetti was originally a southern Italian thing -in the south ,pasta was made with durum flour – Tagliatelle is a northern thing where pasta was made with white flour and an egg . The elderly Inter chap down the valley claims it’s to do with some types of wheat being grown in one area but not in another .
I remember reading a fine book about the geometry of pasta -so fine I can’t remember the title or the author . A common problem for me these days . If I manage to dig the info from the depths of my addled bonce , I will post it.
Gerry, my dad thought Wullie Wallace was the dig’s you know whats.
He thought he was a brillant football player plud he did before he was done by any defender.
He as thought George C was just class and untouchable.
I told you ages ago , I would give you George Connelly biography to read . I stlll have not found the book yet but have found the cover
If you want to read about a true Celtic legend and one of our all time great Celts, I will bring in the Sean Fallon biography for you. I never thought Sean could go up any higher in my estimation but he did after I read the book.
Parkheadcumsalford
I think that John Higgins was already damaged by the time Shearer injured him ‘for good’ though others may know better.
Jimbo67
Good Evening.
Here is a new piece about Kris Boyd shamefully trying to revise history and suggest ‘Rangers’ were badly treated…
https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2016/11/13/the-kris-boyd-crisis/
Surely Celtic have to make their position clear on Wednesday?
Exactly why was the UEFA licence granted in 2011 and did the SFA interpret the rules as UEFA intended?
http://videocelts.com/2016/11/blogs/latest-news/stewart-regans-crucial-public-errors-over-resolution-12/
JMCCORMICK .
Mrs S of T tells me that book is called –
The Geometry Of Pasta ( Caz Hildebrand )
Go on the wee Mollie and welcome to the Celtic family.
Gftb and Dallas HH.
Brogan, Gerry, I took my son to my local Waterstone’s to buy Wullie’s book and get him to sign it.
He was absolutely terrific with us and as you say, very funny.
Im only 5 foot 8 and Wullie was shorter than I was but very stocky.
I love the footage of the first leg against Dukla Prague when Wullie lays the ball off then is off like a shot into space to either get the return pass or move a defender out of position to follow his run.
Did he not recommend a young Australian player to us , who came over for a trial and looked after by Winning Captains and his family?
Dallas 6.09pm
My dad loved Sean Fallon as well….. Pretty amazing our dads liked the same players
Hopefully young MissGFTB likes the maestro in years to come but am afraid she is Moussa Dembelle fanatic…..nothing to do with football he wears number 10, I like her attitude
Gerry , Davie Hay gets my vote ahead of Pat Stanton.
Two excellent players but Davie was brilliant for us either as full back (like Danny could play right or left back) , central defence or midfield.
If Davie was still with us when Big Billy retired, he would have succeeded Billy as captain.
A Chelsea fan I am friendly with also rated Davie highly but an eye injury and the Hay family being caught up in the Turkish invasion of Cyprus , didnt help him.
BRTH 6.08pm
Thanks, I really enjoy reading posts of fans who witnessed players I didn’t
My father stopped going to games in the early 70s, he never shoved Celtic down my throat, he let me mKe my own way…..like I have done with my daughter, she is now a wee Celtic fanatic, sometimes it’s best to let them make their own way :-)
SOUTH OF TUNIS
Many thanks, I had no idea about the geography of the pasta. I always thought the sauces were regional, not the pasta.
I love the passion Italy has for good food
Gerry, I meant to say there was chat around May 1976 that Chelsea still owed us some of the transfer fee for Davie Hay and we could possibly take him back.
He played for us as a guest player in the Bobby Lennox /wee Jimmy testimonial , in the centre of defence , and despite it being a friendly , Davie didnt treat it as one. He also set up our first goal. A good run into the Man U box and crossed for Bobby to score.
If we re signed Davie then we might not have signed Pat. Pat would have not got his league and cup winners medals to go with his league winners medal while at Hibs.
BROGAN ROGAN TREVINO AND HOGAN on 13TH NOVEMBER 2016 2:42 PM
just back on and for some reason I read back
so glad I did or I would have missed this wonderful post
so heartfelt
Thank You
Celtic FC ……..A club with support like no other
HH
KEVJUNGLE on 13TH NOVEMBER 2016 12:57 PM
Thank you for your kind words :-))
HH
Dunky was another victim of ABC, as far as caps was concerned’
As GG said, he was the first of the “cultured” full backs.
However, he was also a victim of ABC, as far as caps are concerned.
The aforementioned Shearer reinvented himself in that mode, so between him and the media’s other favourite, the double bass playing, Alex Hamilton of Dundee, they swallowed up the caps.
I have never heard of anyone who saw Kenny Dalglish play for Celtic, say anything other than he was a fantastic player, who was universally idolised by the support.
It would be interesting to hear if anyone, who didn’t see him play, can quote any of their dads or granddads who had a differing opinion.
KD should only be judged by what he did whilst wearing the shirt.
None of the other quoted legends returned to Celtic in any meaningful capacity, to be judged equally.
Dalglish was one of those players whose value could only really be appreciated by being at the match.
What he did off the ball, out of the view of cameras, was as vital to his performance, s when he had the ball.
Footballing rivalries hey?
I doubt that any successful person at the top of their game gives a hoot what anyone else does. Including so called rivalries. You build your own creativity and technical skills up, always improving on the last outing and ignore petty ego driven competition. It applies to football, it applies to life in general.
Study your opponents strengths and weaknesses by all means, but focus on your own abilities.
Scottish Football’s failure lies in an apathetic approach to the above methods, and the fault lies squarely at the door of the SFA.
John Motson swearing ;))
https://youtu.be/9VCJVZ2I9zY
HH
HAMILTONTIM on 13TH NOVEMBER 2016 3:00 PM
Nail on the head
HH
Of all the Quality Street kids who moved on from Celtic, the one who broke Jock’s heart, was David Hay.
He was to be the future of Celtic and Stein never got over his departure.
This was confirmed to my father by DH’s coach at St. Mirin’s Boys Guild, from where Davy came to us.
Dallas
As youngsters we went to the Lou Macari testimonial, I think around 1986, we all had tickets in the standing bit underneath the main stand ?? Anyway we ended up getting a lift up to the posh seats and we all were hiding from the stewards…. Me and a mate sat beside this man and and a blonde bombshell next too him, they had champagne glasses and a a bottle of wine at their feet, he asked us where we were from and as wee dafties we just started chatting, the stewards appeared and this guy waved them away, at the end of the game he thanked us for our chat……. Only found out after a few days it was Pat Crerand….. My father was going to boot my backside because I didn’t know who Mr Crearand was :-)
Gerry, I don’t know if any posters who have been Celtic supporters longer than us can confirm this but some of our support , according to one of kmy uncles, didn’t like Sean as they saw him as Bob Kelly’s favourite.
My uncle told me Robert Kelly was very unpopular with some of our support especially in the early sixties.
Dallas
My father hated….. Too strong a word, my father disliked the Kelly’s & the Whites….. I try my best too stay away from the boardroom stuff, apart from not sticking up for the fans i think Peter Lawell is pretty dam good at his job …… And I think he is just as much of a fan as the rest of us
FRIESDORFER on 13TH NOVEMBER 2016 4:40 PM
Great news :-))
KTF
GERRYFAETHEBRIG on 13TH NOVEMBER 2016 6:44 PM
And did you tell him you were from Coatbridge?
Me and Mrs. LB met him in Santa Ponsa in 1994, our honeymoon. When we told him we were from Coatbridge he told us a good friend of his hailed from our Town, Phil Cole.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Dallas Dallas
Bob Kelly remained a figure many fans were ambivalent towards at best and history has not always been kind to him. I still have his autobiography which I got when it came out and it is an interesting read though there is little on the years of failure from 57-65 which some still hold him solely responsible
Jimbo67
Gerry, that Lou Macari testimonial was a bit mental.
It was a few months after the miners strike started and the CSC my pal and I travelled with stopped at a service station on the M60.
There were loads of polis vans and mini buses parked waiting for the shout to go to a pit where the pickets and other polis were being complimentary to each other.
We were getting crushed a bit in one of the pens that English grounds had at the time and had to climb over the fence into the next one to escape the crsh.
Lou Macari has opened a centre for the homeless in Stoke called Street Retreat .
A few months ago he was walking round the centre of Stoke and found the amount of people living rough, disturbing.
He took some action and obtained an ex council building which was converted into a shelter for the homeless.
The centre is entirely self funding.
Dallas,
A lot of supporters thought that Sean Fallon would be the manager after Jimmy McCrory and would, like Jimmy, let Bob Kelly run the team. They were not best pleased at the prospect. Fortunately, Sir Bob was persuaded to appoint Mr Stein, altgough Sean Fallon still got the assistant’s job, and the rest, as they say, is history.
I think Sean Fallon was the Anton Rogan of his day.