20th century football rivalries won’t survive

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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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1,358 Comments

  1. Dallas.

     

    You could have been a week in their company and still not come close to telling all his stories. He was indeed some man.

     

    Thank you for your kind words. I’ve been sleeping woke up a wee while ago.

     

    Gerryfaethebrig.

     

    As you know I’m just teasing.

     

    You are correct, it’s not all about the winning, but it is a brilliant time for be a Celtic fan.

  2. Dallas Dallas where the heck is Dallas on

    Jimmynotpaul, Jc was telling me Lee had a bout of glandular fever which he’ll hopefully get over soon.

     

     

    Owen Archdeacon’s goal was our third when we beat them 3 1 the year before. Choccy scored two penalties also.

     

     

    After he scored his second, an irate Hun (is there any other kind) trying to get to Choccy, shouted at home.

     

     

    After the game Choccy was asked what the currant said to him. Choccy replied. I don’t know, he spoke a different language from me

  3. The Spirit of Arthur Lee on

    JIMMYNOTPAUL

     

     

    McGhee , Stark

     

     

    There was also a fire in the main stand after the game

     

     

    Love

  4. Beatbhoy and BMCUW.

     

    Thanks ghuys.

     

    I just Google Archdeacons goal was in April 1987 in a 3.1 victory.

     

    BMCUW.

     

    Stayinguplategettingupearly has put a good piece on about Neil Lennon, I don’t think he’s put the link on here. He’s putting a lot of really hard work into his site, in Australia, getting the Celtic message out there, I don’t know him from Adam but I hope he succeeds

  5. JNP…

     

     

    I wouldnt expect anything less :-)

     

     

    Am lucky enough to have met a few right good Celtic fans through this blog (no cliques) just right decent Celtic fans…..and any friend of that Dallas guy can’t be a bad person :-)

  6. Dallas.

     

    Thanks, I should have asked you instead of googling. :-))).

     

    How could I forget getting two pens against the Huns.

     

    I think that happened when we beat them 4.2 at Ibrox, after being 2 down. Charlie Nicholas scored. Doing it from memory again, so if I’m wrong tell me. I’m blaming all the drugs not being a doddery git.

  7. Dallas Dallas where the heck is Dallas on

    Beatbhoy, Michael Williams has what looks like a thin chib mark down his forehead.

     

     

    I had watched the episode of the Sopranos he was in a couple of days before one the episodes of Boardwalk Empire.

     

     

    HBO appear to gave a stable of actors they use a lot. The guy who played Eli in Boardwalk Empire was a travelling preacher in the first series of True Detective

  8. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    JIMMYNOTPAUL

     

     

    Thanks for the tip,bud. I’ll get on it,he puts some good stuff up.

     

     

    As you say,he deserves every success.

     

     

    HH.

  9. SOAL and Lennybhoy .

     

    Thank you both too.

     

    SOAL.

     

    I had totally forgot all about the fire, coming back to me now, obviously with a 2 day old baby I had other things on my mind. That’s my excuse any way. :-)).

  10. Dallas Dallas where the heck is Dallas on

    Jimmynotpaul, that 4 2 game was incredible, not as much as the original 4 2 at Celtic Park.

     

     

    Apart from the magnificent walk on at the start of the second half, the highlight for me is the picture of the the Girvan Lighthouse, McCloy, lying on his head after Frank got our third.

     

     

    The venerable Roy Crappie occasionally posts the photo I mentioned.

  11. JIMMYNOTPAUL on 13TH NOVEMBER 2016 10:23 PM

     

    2-0 at H/T at ibrox, what would the odds have been for 2-4 at F/T and two Pens. I was in the enclosure that day. It was Nicholas’s last league game before heading to Arsenal.

     

    Dundee Utd. A won the league that day.

     

    Keep the Faith!

     

    Hail Hail!

  12. Dallas Dallas where the heck is Dallas on

    Roy Croppie, sorry that bloody auto correct changed Croppie to Crappie.

     

     

    My apologies.

  13. Dallas

     

     

    Hopefully they’ll go for a third season of True Detective, but they’ll struggle to find an actor to top Matthew McConaughy’s performance in series 1.

     

     

    Equalling it would be some achievement.

  14. DALLAS DALLAS WHERE THE HECK IS DALLAS on 13TH NOVEMBER 2016 10:31 PM

     

    The walk on was awesome, the orcs must have taken one look to the Broomloan and bottled it.

     

    Keep the Faith!

     

    Hail Hail!

  15. The Spirit of Arthur Lee on

    My wife and I had a horse-drawn wedding. It was a disaster. We should have just hired a photographer.

  16. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    LENNYBHOY

     

     

    I’m pretty sure,from previous discussions on here,that the Ibrox enclosure was exclusively filled wi CQNers on THAT 4-2 day!

  17. Dallas.

     

    Walk on. That was a great one and Gerryfaethebrig periodically mentions the one at Easter RD. There has been many. I remember a really good one at Love St, the time we didn’t win the league. Aberdeen won it that day.

     

    My point is,its a brilliant song, that has been sung thousands of times,but seems to have gone out of favour. We get the contrived version in The Champions League and against Sevco but the fans don’t appear to be singing it of their own volition any longer. I loved it when it was sung near the end of games

  18. Fellow Celtic fans good night and God bless…. when Cqn keeps the blog Celtic nobody can touch it , sleep well fellow hoops

     

     

    PaulMcStayCSC

  19. JNP

     

     

    After the Raith Rovers final we were at Easter Road on the Tuesday (I think)

     

     

    YOU’LL NEVER WALK ALONE PAUL

     

     

    Great memory …. Celtic don’t have to win some of my best memories are when we didn’t win

     

     

    Sleep well fellow Celts

  20. Didn’t we lose 2-3 to United in a midweek match not long before the 4-2 at Mordor?

     

     

    A draw would have done, as it turned out, and it was 2-2 in the second half, but we kept looking for a winner. Then Milne the flying machine scored a cracker.

     

     

    Lost the league by a point.

  21. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    BEATBHOY

     

     

    In my fuddled mind,it was only three or ten days previously,but we lost to Aberdeen the following Saturday.

     

     

    That didn’t help…

  22. Saint Stivs says SACK THE BOARD on

    Gerryfraethebrig

     

     

    Can you get my email from Paul.

     

     

    Wanna ask something off blog.

     

     

    Keep it lit.

  23. Saint Stivs says SACK THE BOARD on

    That Dundee united game

     

     

    At the time Celtic were an all out attacking team.

     

     

    We struggled to beat brilliantly defensive united and Aberdeen. Counter attacking master class.

     

     

    Thats what done us that night.

  24. BMCUW

     

     

    Actually over 3 weeks before the 4-2!

     

     

    I was in the Jungle at the DU game, and just had the feeling we would rue not settling for the draw with only 6 minutes to go.

     

     

    The victory gave them great momentum, which they used to full effect.

     

     

    One that got away.

  25. Dallas Dallas where the heck is Dallas on

    Beatbhoy, that 3 2 defeat to United was a sore one.

     

     

    If we had not lost that game , the league was ours.

     

     

    Gough had been sent off , it was 2 2 just play sensibly and see the game out .

     

     

    We didnt and the late Ralph Milne got United’s third.

     

     

    The team of 82/83 was a very strong team which fell away over the last six or seven matches.

     

     

    That and throwing away the league in the 79/80 season still annoy me, the saddo that I am.

  26. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    DALLASDALLAS,BEATBHOY

     

     

    Careful,lads-you’ll have SYDNEYTIM on shortly telling us-rightly-that we should have won every title from 78/79 through to 87/88!

  27. St Stivs 10.58pm

     

     

    BMCUWP or Lennybhoy has my email, apart from posting I wouldn’t know how to contact P67…

     

     

    Bobby or Lennybhoy if still about feel free to pass my email to St Stivs

  28. Saint Stivs

     

     

    Danny being out didn’t help that night, either.

     

     

    Were United down to 10 men in the second-half?