The first time I met Bertie Auld, I was walking upstairs at Celtic Park as he was walking down while talking to someone else. As we passed each other, he paused his conversation, turned to me and said, “How’ you doing son?” He would not walk past a Celtic fan without acknowledging them.
He was the sporting hero, the centre of attraction, but he had a gift – he knew how to light up the lives of others. And how. Put him in front of Celtic fans and Bertie came alive. That old story of the fans singing as they walked up Kerrydale St, the noise flowing through the open windows of the dressing room, lifting the team before they took the field. That was how Bertie remembered it and he told each subsequent generation what it meant to him.
In his prime in the Celtic midfield, he was brilliant, gallus and hard in equal measure. The Lisbon Lions were a team of many parts, but the creativity had three fulcrums: Bobby Murdoch, Jimmy Johnstone and Bertie Auld. In Lisbon, they set the heartbeat for a performance that swept Inter away and had the whole of Europe celebrating.
You know the story, 11 men from within 30 miles of Celtic Park stood in the tunnel, some with their false teeth in a bag, alongside the football heroes of the era, a team who had won the European Cup twice in the previous three years. Bertie said they looked like “movie stars”, unaware of his own profile. He sensed hesitation among his team mates so started a chorus; “Hail, hail, the Celts are here……”
Did it make a difference to the outcome? Probably not, but Celtic and Inter both played like the Scots were at home. Whenever I hear this story, I think back to that time I walked past him on the stairs, Bertie’s awareness of people and what to do to put them at ease was his most exceptional quality. He did this with his team mates, he did it to me and there is a good chance he did it to you.
I met the man many more times and shared a platform with him on occasion. Bertie was always an event, always, but there is one other meeting that gets to the heart so the man. I was at Celtic Park on a non-matchday and was speaking to the security man on my way out when Bertie joined us. John the security man asked, “Are you going home now, Bertie?” Bertie said, “I’ll head over to the Superstore first, see if there’s any fans in.” He would not leave Celtic Park when there was some joy to spread around.
You and I did nothing to deserve a man like this in our lives, he was a gift from above. Yesterday’s news is a profound loss to everyone he touched. For me, he was Mr Celtic; the very best of us. We will never see his like again.
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Good insight PeteC
Back to Celtic.
Wee track for you.fluke oh yeah.think Celtic :-)
https://youtu.be/Yn4EMSoGrvI
👍👍
HH
I’m missing 1 of the 12 qualifiers. Who is it?
As TOM MCLAUGHLIN said above, we are second seed, and the playoff qualifiers so far are:
Portugal, Scotland, Sweden, Italy, Wales, Czech Republic, Russia, Poland, North Macedonia,
Netherlands OR Turkey OR Norway
Finland OR Ukraine
Who am I missing? Must be a qualifier through Nations League.
Tony Ralston didn’t look out of place at left back…jist saying like 🤔
He made 3 good headed interceptions plus a decent block in his 5 minute cameo. Congratulations to him on a well deserved cap.
HH
INIQUITOUSIV on 15TH NOVEMBER 2021 10:04 PM
Someone pointed out last night that two teams come from the Nations league too
INIQUITOUSIV on 15TH NOVEMBER 2021 10:04 PM
I’m missing 1 of the 12…
I think that Austria gave qualified via the Nations League…
Austria
INIQUITOUSIV
Austria is the other Nations League qualifier.
Hello again all you young rebels
Beautiful reading back and you realise with all the emotional
tributes to Bertie what a special Celt he was, not only that but
what a wonderful place CQN can be when we’re all behind
the one banner.
Great tribute Paul 67 and every good Celtic supporter who has
honoured a unique talent not just as a player but also as a
gentleman.
H H Mick
Thank you lads! Mystery solved. I assume we will be kept apart, since we were in the same Group.
INIQUITOUSIV on 15TH NOVEMBER 2021
It’s an open draw, with the usual political clashes (eg Russia/Ukraine) being avoided…
Full details @
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2022_FIFA_World_Cup_qualification_%E2%80%93_UEFA_Second_Round
TOM MCLAUGHLIN
“We are 2nd seeds behind Portugal on goal difference and nobody can catch us, unless Wales beat Belgium tomorrow by 5 goals.”
I don’t think our goals against Moldova count, so that would bring our goal difference down to 7, so the Welsh would only need to win by 2. I’m open to be corrected on that.
Just catching up in today’s football news. I’m a bit surprised that Sevco have made an announcement about their stand in coaching roles – that tells me they’re not close to making an appointment. That’s very surprising and may point to some trouble behind the scenes.
18 YARD MAN
Thanks for that! I was wondering what happened to France and the Netherlands, but finally worked it out.
👍
The problem ahead for Scotland is,when / if you get past the semi final, Portugal, Italy are waiting maybe…
AN DUN
It sounds like Gio upset the orangecart by asking how much he will be given to spend in January.
BADA BING
Is that the same Italy who couldn’t score in Belfast when World Cup qualification was for the taking?
I met Bertie once, about 20 years now during MON’s era. Bertie had that unique quality of making you feel 10 feet tall. He was as much interested to ask about me as I was in awe of meeting him. A great, great man who left a lasting impression on me. You will be fondly remembered Bertie!
MELBOURNE MICK
Indeed. Sad start to the blog today, great stuff in the middle and happy days at the end. What’s not to like?
Tom McLaughlin on 15th November 2021 10:35 pm
BADA BING
Is that the same Italy who couldn’t score in Belfast when World Cup qualification was for the taking?
Yes,a few injuries tonight, but the last team you want to play
https://fb.watch/9iCOLMt-nB/
John Hartson on Bertie……magnificent
Carnaptious and Bellend.Not many times you will we those two words in a short sentence.
Well done Jimtim,gave me right good laugh.
Avoid Italy.
Congrats to Tony Ralston. What a proud moment for him and his family. We’ll done Ange for getting him into another gear!
TURKEYBHOY
Being a Tory of the female persuasion, she eschewed the term ‘bellend.’😊
Carnaptious is a word often applied to those with a snappy, critical temperament, as exemplified by the following (presumably apocryphal) anecdote from a Herald article from November 2000:
‘On being informed of the Labour person’s brush with the carnaptious canine, Anniesland Conservative spokesperson Belinda McCammon said: “Oh dear, I hope the dog’s all right”.’
Was just thinking
-Bertie was there in 67;coming of the bus,punching the air.
– came into mind scoring v St johnstone 1-0 ’69 league cup final
-came to mind v fiorentina 3-0 at home 70
-came to mind v Leeds in 70 semi
Came to mind a few times at fans meeting 88 centenary
Bertie was on stage with jinky,City halls meeting.he was active.celts for change meetings 1994.
He could make you feel it was you he was talking to in a full room
Celtic was Bertie and Bertie was Celtic
A Celtic man
HH
TULLY57 on 15TH NOVEMBER 2021 3:16 PM
Thanks. Regarding wee Bertie in the 50s, it’s almost forgotten about that he nearly made the 7-1 team. He played in most of the previous rounds (but not the Semi Final) and he scored in the Quarter Final.
*Hate tae be pedantic but he did play in that game. He replaced Charles Patrick who was out with a leg knock while Eric Smith replaced Jim Sharkey on the other wing from the side that had recorded their first victory at the bigot dome in 22 years the week before.
Neilly had been left out after a loss at Easter Road the week before that. He only returned the Saturday before “Hampden in the Sun” replacing Billy McPhail at centre once again out with an ankle injury.
Charles Patrick came back in on the right wing while newly demobbed and now full time Eric Smith reverted to the left wing with Bertie missing out.
I know as I was at the LC semi. This was a rarity for me especially as my da was working that day. I was as usual dragged up to Glasgow by my mother to help her shopping when we met some family in Bremners.
Her older brother offered tae take me tae the game and on seeing the expectation on my face agreed.
My only real memory is of the ball going out for a shy and I ran and kicked it tae the Juggler, nearly broke my tender toes.
When I got home that night my da was sitting in his usual chair and serenaded me to the tune of the Pat Boone hit at the time “Love Letters in the Sand”.
“On a day like today we passed the time away watching Celtic from the stand. Oh how we laughed and we cried when Clyde equalised watching Celtic from the stand”.
I was so pumped up I gushed can I go tae the final; I was given the proverbial kiss of death, “we’ll see”.
Rumour had it at the time that wee ten thirty was too temperamental tae play against the deid team due tae an earlier running battle with the thug that was shearer.
Seemingly Bob preferred the highly talented but timid Alec Byrne aka Alice and later on fan favourite Frank Brogan who was left out of the replay against them for hiding from the same wee animal. One thing is for sure Smiler wisnae.
Amazingly shearer gained 1 cap more than Bertie, WTF and Bertie’s caps came before we let him go tae Brum FFS.
https://www.facebook.com/untilthelastrebel2/videos/bertie-auld-sings-with-the-thai-tims-/181708890828403/
If anyone doesn’t cry here ,the pints are on me
Thank God I was born into Celtic – such a great gathering of good souls.
HH
BGFC
Well, Bada, you certainly got me with that one, pal.
That is so happy, sad, glad, mournful and uplifted all at the same time.
A true gift – thanks😁😢😁
HH
BGFC
Just seen AP’s presser with Celtic fans media, the more i listen to him,the more i like,very impressive, intelligent guy,
BGFC- It’s brilliant 👍
CELTIC will swoop for Shamrock Rovers ace Danny Mandroiu in the January transfer window.
The Hoops have been tracking the 23-year-old since the summer and want him to bolster Ange Postecoglou’s squad for the title run-in.
A fee has yet to be agreed, but the Parkhead club are confident a deal can be struck for the Irishman, who has one year to run on his contract.
Celtic signed Liam Scales from Rovers in August with the priority at the time the arrival of a defender though Mandroiu was also on their radar at the time.
The midfielder moved to Tallaght from Bohemians at the start of the season and his sensational form helped Rovers retain their League of Ireland title.
He has hit 15 goals and was called into Stephen Kenny’s Ireland squad for the summer friendlies with Andorra and Hungary.
BADA
Just brilliant. Thanks for posting the Thai Tims clip!
Facebook?
Yer as well having the FBI etc, sitting next tae ye on yer couch as ye type yer life away !!!
Deary me.
There’s nae George Galloway clique, only me.
Still waiting for a single name….
One Scottish or UK journalist, or politician, who’ll go head to head with George Galloway?
Salmond bottled it, twice, as George Galloway offered a head to head live on BBC Scotland, BBC and Galloway agreed to a head to head, Salmond bottled it, and asked BBC to change their schedule so that, Galloway and Salmond wouldn’t be in the same studio, at the same time. lol 😊
So Galloway offered Salmond a head to head on YouTube ‘live’ outside Stirling Castle.
Again, Salmond bottled it.
He preferred a massage from ScottishMSM masons, and Eastern star witches instead.
100% of Celtic FC’s enemies are bricking their pants terrified of George Galloway!!!
Ponsonby might be a good man?
But, every good man knows his limitations.
Ponsonby and his fellow pink/purple tie masonic MSM are terrified of George Galloway!!!
George Galloway is the limitation of many weak cowardly duplicitous journalists and MPs or MSPs.
Ponsonby is one of those bought and paid for journalist’s.
Or he wouldn’t be as visible as he is, and that is on purpose, the purpose being, to sway unthinking Celtic fans/voters into taking his words to heart.
Has Ponsonby asked why Glasgow’s streets are covered in rats?
Did he tell all of his avid listeners that NO Scottish political party will support workers rights, as was made clear in Glasgow last week when bin men emptying bins with rats jumping out of them, were portrayed as “problematic” opportunists, for protesting for a rise, as wee purple pretender Elsie McSelfie was telling the world how wonderful Glasgow was.
I said NO political party supported workers rights, well one did, the ONLY party who do what it says on the tin.
George Galloway’s ‘WORKERSPARTYGB’ like yon party, “Ourselves Alone” motto, working class 100%, socialism 100%, anti-imperialism 100%, no deal Brexit 100%, no house of lords 100%, no MSM 100%, and on and on.
And Celtic fans believe the always one sided, bought and paid for, Ponsonby version of events?
Wonder what Celtic PLC must calculate from those observations?
100% of Celtic FC’s enemies are bricking their pants terrified of George Galloway.
Ponsonby is one of those journalists bricking it from George Galloway.
Ponsonby is portraying Lawwell levels of fatness, like the rest of the over paid cowards who bottled it from interviewing George Galloway during Scottish elections in May this year, the same George Galloway who on one night, a Sunday, every Sunday, on his “MOATS” show, over 1million viewers, thats more viewers than all Scottish/UK news viewers in a single week. Dunno bout GBnews?
Just think about that.
And yet…..
SETTING FREE THE BEARS said Galloway was yesterdays news, or words to that effect.
Yet SFTB has said over & over, that a guy who used to post on here, Kev J, is yesterdays news.
And yet when an unconventional poster like me expresses an opinion, that doesn’t go out of its way to curry favor with, whatever SFTB might be saying, he refers to me as, Kev J?
Kev J must rent out some space, free of charge of course, in all of those heads that he seems to live in, on most Celtic cyberspace outputs.
Maybe all of these landlords will one day club together for a statue for this, Kev J, invisible legend me thinks!
I have noticed that this, Kev J, name appears on some of Celtic cyberspace, when folk on a blog don’t dig a certain posters view, the block average response is, “That must be, Kev J, just scroll past the troublemaker.”
I don’t know who this guy is, this Kev J. I don’t know what he must’ve done to these, tight ripper sorts, by the responses from folk, level headed folk, then they lose their minds, about this, Kev J?
Real spooky.
I wish the guy, Kev J, would post something, to let us know what’s what.
If he’s unwell he’ll be in my prayers.
If Kev J is no longer of this earth, I hope he is up above in the clouds, with Bertie Auld, and many others, praying for the many poor confused and very sick and frightened folk who remain down here. 🙏
hh ✌
Morning Celts.
HH
I miss my friends
https://twitter.com/Highland__paddy/status/1460240050956996610?t=2rE7QqFErAEw1lgBSq1xyQ&s=19
HH
Jhb/Joe ordinary.
You should limit your trolling input