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.
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I reckon that Neil may just be pushing for a proper contract,a reward for where he has taken us in three years.
I suspect that PL will blithely refuse to change the 12-month rolling deal-which btw was NOT good enough for Tony Mowbray.
Both will end up losing as they do something which was not in the original plan. Neil will go as he will feel undervalued,and PL will have to find a new manager.
And a blinkin’ good answer when asked-“WHY?”
.
Celtic Should Hunt Sky..BT..et al..
And be Allowed to Sell CELTIC TV to Anyone in the UK..Especially people that Cant get to Paradise..
Some of the TV Laws are Ancient and Should be Challenged by Celtic FC and The Fans..
Celtic would make a Fortune if this was Allowed..
Summa
BMCUW
worked for PL as I said last night…
kid on an EPL team is looking for you, gives you a good hand when negotiations open up..
Celtic will not chnage the 12 month rolling contract for no one. will always be a a rolling contract for anyone that comes in then both parties are happy should they wish to leave.
Tomorrow sees a proper title celebration party….no tribute acts or cartoon characters….NFL will realise where his future lies when he hears the greatest fans in the world…no way would he take a step backwards….plans are afoot for next seasons venture in europe
starry plough
Everton need to sell a ‘big’ player every summer now to fund any new players they require.
Last year it was Jack Rodwell for £12m. This summer it will be Felliani ( who has a buy out clause of £30m).
Moyes used the Rodwell money on Naismith (flop), Mirallas (success), Oviedo (flop) + Pienaar (not a flop but hasn’t been as good as he was before).
The new man will probably see two thirds of the Felliani money.
Summa
I agree with you 100% but for this to happen, 11 out of 12 clubs in SPL would have to agree as there is a collective bargain in place so that rights of SPL are sold as a group. If this was done away with and Celtic allowed to negotiate rights to our own games, no one would be interested in paying to see any other SPL clubs and there is no way they would vote for that.
Mort
BLANTYRE TIM
And if the other side refuse to negotiate?
Plan B.
Offski,and for all the wrong reasons.
I want Neil to stay and build us a team to be proud of,totally fed-up wi new managers.
Four in our first ninety years,and another one of those list thingies since…..
re odds of next manager.
While we often here that the bookies seldom get it wrong, after Gordon Strachan left us and before Mowbray was appointed, Owen Coyle and Craig Levein were both odds on favourites for the Celtic job at various times.
Mort
WGS
And what was the deal Tony Mowbray was on?
And that as before he had proven himself capable of the job.
Neil Lennon has shown himself more than capable,so IMO deserves a proper contract.
I hope Lenny stays and I am confident he will
Ten Men Won The League
A bit like Celtic in that respect then, instead of worrying about Neil going I am more concerned who we are going to sell, that’s the way of any business you have to generate to create new opportunities..
BLANTYRE TIM
Start a list of those who want him to stay!!!!!!!!!
HH
RE Lenny and will he stay : will he go..
Employees should feel valued.. Have the Celtic board publicly thanked Neil for his outstanding contributions this yr.
And for his defiance In the face of incredible victimisation by the SMSM and SFA..
I don’t like criticising anything Celtic. I think we are stronger together always.
Moreover the SMSM would like nothing better than a wee bit of Celtic unrest, to deflect from their total abdication and failure in the Sevco fiasco, Minty et al.
My point, I would like to hear a wee bit more praise for Neil from INSIDE Celtic Park..
Then I d feel relaxed, that he will stay.
Just an observation…
HH
Do Celtic still bank with the Co-op looks there in trouble will that affect any plans we have made
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22477745
Just a thought regarding a 12 month rolling contract. I think it’s the way forward in football management. A manager is only as good as his last season and if a manager wants to leave Celtic then so be it. It’s the biggest club in Scotland and one of the best management jobs in Europe. We have an excellent structure top to bottom and a world class playing surface and arena. If Neil Lennon does leave this season he certainly goes with my best wishes. He has been through the most torrid time any Celtic manager has ever had to endure in our history. He will sell his story at Celtic to the highest bidder and maybe then and only then we will hear some of the horrors off the field he has had to endure. No job should put a mans life at risk. It’s a national disgrace what he has had to put up with.
In any case I don’t see Neil Lennon departing Celtic now. He is still young. He is still learning and he has the opportunity to win many trophies before he feels the time is right to depart Paradise. Is the Everton job really a big job? People are saying that Moyes may struggle at Man Utd due to what SAF has achieved? What about Everton? They are cklearly punching above their weight. They are a mmid to bottom table club at best who have consistently been in the top 8 for a number of years. They will lose some of their best players this sumer if not them all and will have to rebuild. They do not spend big money. They will not spend the type of money that for example Newcastle have spent to be in a much worse position. The Everton job is not as attractive as the journalists would have you believe and I would wager that any manager going there will be fighting relegation next season.
LB
Say YOU are NL, you wake up this morning with a possible big money move to the EPL in the offing, our you could stay at Celtic endure bias from the establishment the msm your scouring the world for bargains, your peers ignore your achievements in favour of a lower league manager through jealousy and bigotry, you can’t go for a drink without fear of assault, you think twice before opening a bulky parcel. Yeh its a no brainer.
SUMMA OF SAMMI
Fancy a new VW camper-van?
Perfect for you and all your lovely Czech girls.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2322023/Just-vantastic-Head-turning-campervan-opens-reveal-secret-compartment-flick-switch.html
Amazing piece of design,tbh…..
.
Mort..
I undersand it would take a Lot to Happen..
But why should l be able to Access every game Live and You cant..?
BlantyreTim for Example cant Make games..Just Now..Why pay SKY and Not Celtic..
What about People who cant Afford SKY but could pay CELTIC FC 12 Pounds a Month..?
In Oz.. this Year SetantaOz have Spat on Celtic fans..Very Little Live games..
Enough is Enough..
Summa
Ps..Pubs accross the Country are Making Fortunes on Celtc Matches..
If Lennon does go to Everton.
Mick McCarthy (Would like to see the big man get a stab at it)
Vincenzo Montella
John Collins
Luis Enrique
Frank De Boer
Steve Clarke
Look at these guys, up and coming coaches apart from Mick similar to Laudrup before he went to Swansea that would fit nicely with our stragedy of buying young players.
Imho i think Lenny will stay..he’s here for the long haul and this is only the beginning are two lines that are synonymous with his whole ethos of why he’s here .as topkat has said there when tomorrows wall of thunder hits lennys ears im sure his heart will respond with “im going no where” h.h
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS
Start a list of those who want him to go it’ll be easier…
We already have an able replacement in John Kennedy btw.
12 month rolling contracts?
I would love to see players on those. It would certainly keep them motivated throughout a season!
downforsam
On BT’s website mate, thknking of changing myself now.
I think there would have been a bit of a clear out at Old Trafford anyway this summer. I can see Fellaini, Baines and Jagielka coming in as replacements for Rooney, Evra and Ferdinand.
Don’t see Naismith taking his diving routine to Manchester though.
WGS – Moyes could do a lot worse than take Fellaini to Man Utd, they’re lacking a powerful player in the Yaya Toure mould in midfield. Phil Jones might have once looked a prospect, but he now looks more comfortable in defence. Fellaini has that ability to grab a game by the scruff and drag it to his team’s outcome. Plus a real presence in both boxes.
And if Moyes ever got tired of Rafael’s inconsistent defending, Seamus Coleman wouldn’t be a bad shout.
Re Managers Contracts
It is not sensible to award a long term contract with high get out costs. These can cripple us if it goes wrong early in the relationship.
Better to have a 12 month rolling contract with good bonuses based on success and cash flow – e.g. qualification for CL Group stages.
Scottish teams have competed at a high level before based on good bonus systems. It is much more difficult now but people who are committed to Celtic will know that loyalty to the club will also mean that they can share in success financially. Celtic also offers more stability to managers than an English club and, especially for family oriented people, this would mean less disruption to their lives than job hopping.
I would like Neil to continue his work here. I think that he knows that there are high risks of moving onto the merry go round.
WGS
I would like to see John Collins involved in the club now. He is potential replacement for Neil Lennon in the future and can coach through the age groups, scout, help with the first team coaching. John Kennedy is doing an excellent job but I would see Collins in a sort of role over seeing that and other areas of the football side. He has a lot of contacts in the game too. A very inteligent guy who talks well with the press and is respected across the UK and Europe.
I think John has a role at Celtic. I believe he is currently working with the SFA but I do not see and of the current coaching staff being ready or capable to take the managers job at any time in the near future. Collins could be groomed for that role.
I would still like Lenny to stay for the number of years Alex Ferguson did at United but football is a funny game and anything can happen. I thionk Neil will depart from Celtic before Rangers return. Not sure he can deal with the grief again that they bring. I don’t think I would.
LB
STARRY PLOUGH
That would be nice,but there have been plenty of calls for his departure his season alone.
On here,too.
And if those mentioned by WGS are the best options available to us,I would be inclined to show THAT list to PL.
He was persuaded against his better judgement to give Scott Brown the contract he wanted.
That worked,Peter.
So do the same for Neil Lennon.
If Lenny goes he would take Hooper an Vic with him.
Summa
I agree with you, it sucks.
I can’t get over very often now but I subscribe to Celtic TV and watch the games later that evening or the next morning. I would much prefer to pay extra to see the games live from Celtic but until the collective bargaining arrangement is done away with, the SPL own the rights to all our games and have decided to sell these off at a fraction of their worth to Sky/ESPN.
Giving control to clubs should be the way forward.
Mort
Entirely off topic.
From UTV last night
State collusion and murder, who’d have thought it?
http://sluggerotoole.com/2013/05/08/utv-insight-collusion-and-some-of-its-innocent-victims/
Twomacaroons,
Might take Hooper but think contray to opinion i think big Vic might kick around for afew seasons yet.
I hope NFL stays right where he is,.. but I hope he does what he feels is best for himself & his family. If that means moving on, then so be it. I am sure he will have the support & best wishes of almost every Celtic supporter. He has been a great servant to Celtic.
If Neil did move on, I would love to see us taking a chance on somebody who represents the very soul of Celtic. A young John Kennedy, in tandem with a mentor like Davie Hay, would be an exciting prospect.
Rash ?
Of course it would, but there is something about JK that suggests that one day he will be Celtic’s manager.
I don’t suppose they would be brave enough to make that time NOW, but I would love to see him given a crack at it.
Olla from a scorching Ibiza. Evil dead 2 still on the go I see.
KLV
.
Bobby..
Sorry Don’t Like it..Olde is the Neo New..
Just bought a Wee Fridge for Mine today..
Off too a Glamping (Posh Camping).. Music Festival next Week..
and there is Only 1 Czech Ghirl..
Summa of CelticCamperOnTourCSC
Wgs.
Maybe, but the trouble is Lenny will know exactly how much it will take for PL to punt him, no matter what big Vic wants.