I remember singing “It’s going to be 10 in a row”, but back then 10 had no significance. Neither did 9, it was like 8 in a row, another stop along the way. But when Jock Stein’s team finished their spectacular domination of the Scottish game in 1974 with nine successive titles and four European Cup semi-finals, “Nine in a row” became a phrase with extraordinary substance.
Of course, in years to come, for others, nine in a row became a target to surpass. In the late eighties Rangers changed the financial parameters of Scottish football for some time, and set their own course towards liquidation, but on the park, they swept all before them in the domestic game. By summer 1997 they had won their won nine in a row. McEwan’s lager billboard adverts featured the club with the line, “9 out of 10, could do better”. And didn’t we know it.
Celtic were in disarray having sacked Tommy Burns and with our three most cherished players, Di Canio, Cadete and van Hooijdonk on their way out the door. The new managerial appointment “the second worst thing to happen to Hiroshima”, as our mainstream media portrayed him to Celtic fans, arrived only two weeks before the start of the season.
After losing the first league game of the season at Easter Road Celtic lost 1-2 at home to Dunfermline; they were leading at half time. 10 in a row seemed inevitable but this season was the greatest example of why the prevailing currents of football are now always evident on the surface.
Have a read at this from the Independent after that defeat to Dunfermline:
“[The home supporters] cannot be fooled – even as the teams were announced it was clear they are unconvinced by the new signings. The mention of Pierre van Hooijdonk, Paolo Di Canio and Jorge Cadete before a game was enough a year ago to raise the roof in anticipation. On Saturday, Henrik Larsson and Regi Blinker hardly registered in the approval stakes.
“Larsson’s poor touch too often saw him lose possession. The blunt truth is he is not a proven goalscorer and Jock Brown, the general manager, will have to add fire power to the team.”
Don’t be too harsh on the journo who penned this, few dissented, and Jock Brown’s reputation was pretty much set by these incredibly inaccurate reviews. Although, “blunt truth” has never been used with such laxity.
The towns of the west of Scotland can be dangerous places after big football games but not 15 years ago today, when Celtic beat St Johnstone to win the league for the first time in a decade. Celtic fans of all ages poured onto the streets as the spirit of carnival took hold.
I remember hooped fans sitting on top of a set of traffic lights in Lanarkshire; green, amber, red, then rows of green and white. I walked around Hamilton town centre that night. For an evening, every pub was a Celtic pub, with rules about wearing colours suspended, and singing was celebrated.
And sing we did.
At the end of the night I could be found singing “Cheerio to 10 in a row” at a taxi rank outside a nightclub. The ‘brave’ soul standing in front of me waited until his taxi was moving away before mumbling his offenses out of the window.
Last summer I did an interview with Tony Hamilton for Celtic TV . When we drilled into what really made an impact on me as a Celtic fan I had no hesitation on placing that game against St Johnstone above Champions League victories, qualifying for a European final or beating Barcelona. We aspire to move beyond the confines of Scottish football but for 125 years this has been our home. In all that time, in domestic or European football, there have been, at most, only two more important games.
Enjoy the memories, but don’t play that George O’Boyle leap over in your mind; just in case you imagine him a few inches higher.
[calameo code=000390171179f475cf1c0 lang=en page=1 hidelinks=1 width=100% height=500]
1,078 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- ...
- 17
- 18
- 19
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
- ...
- 29
- »
As are the o and i.
Off to bed, late night tomorrow, need my sleep.
Hope to meet a fair few of you tomorrow.
Night all. mrs j’s birthday in 15 mins. Sneaked a wee card in earlier.
night bhoys
Good evening Moonhowlers.
Night night all you Tims.
Weefra HH
Sensible people going to bed-are we looking at a proper Moonhowlers night?
ZIMMERMAN
Haha,great minds,etc…..
How you doing,bud?
Tontine
Ben Affleck?
Hope to see Stan at Celtic park sometime soon, even if only to pick my ticket out in the half time draw, a great Celt, anyhoo off to bed,its later than I think
bt
Enjoy ur night Bhoys. Tell big Andy Pirrie I was asking abt him!! He’s a kinda social worker.
HaiL HaiL
BMCUWP,
Could do with a good howl,
work in morning though so it’ll be short and hopefully sweet.
Pick a subject,..any subject.. :)))
BUICK MAKANE
Agreed,and many have suggested it would be marvellous to have Stan back for the flag day.
I saw his interview at the POTY,and he looked as well as can be expected,but to hear him announce his retirement was nevertheless no surprise.
His greatest fight will be like every other one he has faced-a victory for him!
hoopeddreams
23:51 on 9 May, 2013
Tontine
Ben Affleck?
*kafflick
More pish probably, but good for a laugh I suppose
Celtic Underground@celticrumours
Coming soon to a sevco near you next week – fecking bedlam.
See these visitors things, sometimes I wish they would go home…..oops, should I have said that >}
Bhoys Im about to finish a non Celtic book and I would recomend it . Richard Gordons book on Aberdeen …. Reading it brought back the memories of how many daft games we lost during the 80’s we were close to another major run…. I am not taking away from their success …. Honest
http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1/275-5612326-9372510?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=richard%20gordon&sprefix=richard+go%2Caps&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Arichard%20gordon&ajr=2
Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes made of ticky tacky,
Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes all the same.
There’s a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one,
And they’re all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.
And the people in the houses
All went to the university,
Where they were put in boxes
And they came out all the same,
And there’s doctors and lawyers,
And business executives,
And they’re all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.
And they all play on the golf course
And drink their martinis dry,
And they all have pretty children
And the children go to school,
And the children go to summer camp
And then to the university,
Where they are put in boxes
And they come out all the same.
And the boys go into business
And marry and raise a family
In boxes made of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.
There’s a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one,
And they’re all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.
jude
mrs BT spoke to him today….
Thanks to those who wished me well on my birthday today..its made it that wee bit more special..as i have never met any of you,but hopefuly one day i will hail hail for that..i posted early this morning with a special memory of 1998 9th of May the day we were crowned Champions and stopped the cheats from beating our special 9in a row..as birthdays go it will be hard to beat,but thats why we love Celtic fc ,you never know whats next..we are capable of upsetting the odds when all around us bad mouth or talk down our club;seville..a euro final i didnt expect to see in my lifetime…the last 16 of the champions league twice before this season..what an achievement..and doing it this season was ultra special as we were written off not only when the draw was made but by some as never seeing Champions league football for years to come as a certain club had died..so their twisted bitterness was aimed at us..but Lenny and the Bhoys showed courage and a will to compete against strong exspensive opposition and proved the doubters wrong and we’ve rejoiced in that fact as we are Celtic supporters and know what this club is all about..good night tims be safe h.h
petec
If your about just for you
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f__XaZ11kpo
tommysbhoy
Hope you had a good un’
HH.
Talking of Moonhowlers, and coos (Jude is right to tell you all to beware).
Me and my brother got chased home by some coos after a lockin until 5am in deepest darkest Lanarkshire.
What I’m saying is, when it comes to the moo moos, things aren’t always black and white.
Bobby
Lots of CQN ers would love to see wee Oscar doing the flag thing but reading between the lines of those in the know its way to soon.hopefully sometime in the near futur, Stan will be at CP to take the fans acclaim sooner rather than later
Greenlion2
I agree– it is a very good book with an interesting format the way he interviews all the players.
Besides Richard is a nice fella— rubbish goalie right enough— but nice guy lol.
FFM – you luck…. Why run?
Zimmerman
i did ..thanks for that..and still am..wine nearly gone now hic hic ..hail hail even
FFM,
Can you blame them?
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1388176/Factory-farms-Ministers-order-research-sustainable-intensification-livestock.html
I noticed a fair bit of discussion about Lenny to Everton earlier.
Bet365 and Paddy Power have no betting for the Everton job on line now….Mmmmm
bjmac
Why run?? From the coos??
It’s happened to me twice. I’m taking from your flippant response that you have never encountered REAL coos before. In a pack. In the middle of the night.
Go and camp yourself 50 miles from the nearest Glasgow, strip down to your underpants in your tent, and climb into your sleeping bag.
The next day, THEN you can tell me all about how pathetic it is to run, whilst self-defecating, from a herd of coos.
And when you relate it to some citybhoy years later, and he scorns at the terror you AND your 3rd Dan Black Belt Tae Kwon Do brother felt, then you know, you’re a moonhowler :)))
Night timland, hope the moonhowlers have a good night
TOMMYSBHOY
If the alcohol is just kicking in properly…..
STICK AROUND!
You have all the credentials required for a Moonhowler…….
Me,off to work.
Bitch,really.
Lenny is quoted @ 250/1 to be the next manure manager after Moyes
Jeezo, they are so feckin desperate for money.
Aye, and btw, I fell forward and landed face down in one of their big cow pat shites. I raised my face in despair to see my brother, who was always 100 yards in front of me, and looking more terrified than I’ve ever seen him….he stopped, looked back, looked forward and back again, then continued running.
This angered me, so I found the stamina to catch up with him, out of nowhere.
Just as he was climbing the gate.
I yanked him off the gate, and threw him to the coos, and then scrambled home to bed.
We’ve never talked about it since. I don’t know what they did to him.
By the way,the
STICK AROUND
part above also works as a heartfelt plea to Neil.
And Johann.
Stay,fellas,please.
You came out smashing in those photos wi my sisters.
Ooooooo-er,it was innocent,honest. A wee souvenir from the POTY.
Ah,time for work. Just as well,eh?
Have fun,folks……
FFM,
If you fell in a cowpat while running away then they must have in front of you too,
sounds like a kettling job.
FFM
I live on the outskirts of Carluke, it is the livestock that does the running here my friend ;-)) as for moonhowler….well I’m pretty certain admission of my locality and hometown is qualification enough.
hh
b
bjmac
Carluke = instant membership.
FFM
*clarification* “it is the livestock do the running AWAY” it should’ve read ;-)