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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my fellow TTT, i heard murmurs of this (Rafa to Goodison) on 5live or possibly talksport his morning.
Was given short shrift especially when you consider his “small club” comments on them a few years back when manager across the Stanley Park.
I very much doubt Bill Kenwright would be that silly……..
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
That game was the first time I cried at the fitba………next time was when I broke a tooth
on a Parkheid pie.hh
Looks like David Moyes will indeed be the new Man U manager. The official Man U twitter feed posted this link and very quickly pulled it:
https://www.facebook.com/manchesterunited?v=app_119829254859378
Mort
Smell the glove
I loved the stories that surrounded that phrase.
The players have never officially revealed what is was all about.
LB
Sad news about stylian’s retirement but probably inevitable. A great Celt.
Anyone want to relive the entire season 97-98?
http://youtu.be/wj7fAKKpIlE
Here it is.
Celtic First .
Wim Jansen was a very good player who gave the press nothing .
Wim Jansen as Celtic Manager gave the Scottish media next to nothing . He let Murdo MacLeod do the talking whilst he got on with the job of being The Manager . He won the League and he walked..
I really liked Wim Jansen.
Simon Ferry released by Swindon…… In a bid to half their annual budget of £4.5m…..
Must be one of their top earners. Think a club up here might take a punt on him.
Hope this works…..
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/607/cheeriototiar.jpg/
I remember standing under the orange section of large tricolour!
Overwhelming Relief, Unbridled Joy and Happiness. Rolled up in large ball of Celtic!
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
PS – thanks to the person who posted this on FB earlier…..hope you dont mind me borrowing it!
so we have had an article to celebrate ten years since Seville , now its fifteen years from stopping ten in a row . Paul can i suggest you miss out any twenty years memories and move swiftly on to the centenary celebrations twenty five years ago .
archdeaconsbench
Ideal for Hibs. I see they are linked with our former star Willo Flood. They have a lot of rebuilding still to do and are one of few clubs with cash to do it.
Aberdeen may be interested in Ferry. Good player and has gained good experience down South.
Lots of SPL teams will lose half their squad in the summer. Motherwell and Hearts will be hit hardest. Not that I am gutted!
LB
The St.Johnstone game was a great day but this will always be my personal favourite.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ffikj8WrWTI
LiviBhoy,
I asked Tom Boyd that very question last year when playing alongside him at the CQN Open.
Despite my heartfelt and sincere – at the time they were probably anyway ;-) – protestations that I wouldnt divulge to anyone else, he wouldnt elaborate.
Im sure there are 1 or 2 on here who are privy though.
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
I was working in Singapore the day we stopped the ‘tainted’ ten; staying in a hotel near Dhoby Ghaut. The game wasn’t live and the internet was in its infancy; I couldn’t even call my old man anymore because he’d gone to his maker the year before.
I got up in the morning and went to the airport hoping to get the result on one of the terminals TV’s. No joy. I got back in a taxi to the Lot, Stock & Barrel pub in Seah St. behind Raffles Hotel. Nobody knew the score there. I left to walk back to the hotel but decided to detour via Father Flannegans but still nobody could tell me the score. This was the day after the game was played.
I walked to the cathedral and bought some Rosaries that I have to this day and I walked and I prayed and still I never knew the score. I walked to Molly Malones at the Boat Quay and of all places two huns who I worked with, were sitting at the bar looking like death (which as it turns out is quite becoming).
I never even went in, I kissed my beads, sent a prayer to my dad c/o God and I floated home; I just knew. I just knew.
Still didn’t know the score though but no huns were phoning to gloat so I got pissed by myself and just prayed that God was showing the highlights in heaven.
I read the book about the 97/98 Title winners
The Inner Sanctum: The Secrets Behind Celtic’s 1997-98 Title Win by Mark Guidi
and the following is the cost of assembling that squad according to figures in the book and confirmed by the author.
xfe fee wkly wage annual wage
Reiper £1,500,000 £8,000 £416,000
Burley £2,500,000 £9,000 £468,000
Lambert £1,700,000 £12,000 £624,000
Mahe £500,000 £5,000 £260,000
Larsson £650,000 £8,000 £416,000
Jackson £1,250,000 £6,000 £312,000
Gould £0 £1,000 £52,000
Blinker £0 £1,000 £52,000
Total £8,100,000 £2,600,000
Anybody like to suggest what it would cost now to assemble and pay those players at today’s rates?
The Token Tim
I have heard a few theories myself. It’s a total mystery. The press hated that they never got to the route of it. I liked that! Would love to know myself though.
LB
PS I think Stubbs at a xfer fee of 3,500,000 was already there.
Stubbs was signed by TB. Quite a coup at the time as Man Utd were linked with him.
LB
Hoods much was Brattback on an it was worth every penny, they all were.
Jackson almost double the price of KoK.. Dear lord….
Cheerio to 10 in a row day.
I was absolutely scunnered I was going to miss the game as I had to fly to Barbados (Aye!, ah know) – on holiday with the missus.
My mind was in the east end of Glasgow, going over and over every possible scenario regarding the game, it’s outcome and of course ending the torture.
I never spoke a word on the plane.
We were in a taxi heading from the airport to the hotel when I asked the taxi driver to stop.
I looked over to read a sign outside a bar advertising English fitba’ and promptly instructed the wife that I would meet her at the hotel later.
Why are you interested in English fitba’ she asked, obviously not noticing the wee writing at the bottom – Celtic V St. Johnstone – I could hardly believe it – clad in the hoops and 5 minutes to kick off time.
The game…….well it’s history, but I’ll never forget the look on my wifes face when she came looking for me………What guy knows the name of the hotel he is supposed to be stayin’ anyway.
Magic times
Teuchter ár lá
Teacher..
Fab story….
Re. books on that season, the best I read was the one by ‘The Andy Thom Experience….’ Someone borrowed it tho and as usual it went round the houses…. Wouldn’t mind another wee swatch at it.
blantyretim
Darren Jackson stayed in Livingston at the time he played for Celtic. He used to buy all the Sunday papers, read them in his car, get out and dump them in the bin and then drive home!
Very quiet guy. Met him once in the pub and he was a very nice guy but very quiet. Once a Tim always a Tim though. He was asked by a Jambo if he still supported Hearts and his answer was I am a Celtic man. Once you play for that club it is in your blood. This was after he had retired. Never saw or heard of him being in a pub in Livingston before or since.
LB
Teuchter,
I think that one tops the lot so far, although A Stor Mo Chroi’s was also good reading.
Can imagine the look on your good lady’s face later on ;-)
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
Good afternoon CQN
Breaking news on SSN: Moyes leaves Everton.
Weefra HH
Livibhoy
I don’t doubt that
Paul,
great article … WDH thanks for the link, the memories are flooding back.
My son was 8 back then, we’d had our season books since he was 5 and the previous 2 or 3 years he’d cried his eyes out when the deid team won the league often despite us having the better play. They’d grind out results.
The week before the game, listening to the hun-game on the radio, they were expected to win against Kilmarnock.
At full-time it was still 0-0 and the ref, can’t remember his name, Wullie something .. but it was his last game and he picked his match. He gave them every opportiunity to score with an added 4 minutes of play.
Oh the irony and delight when Ally somebody put it away for Kilmarnock with only a minute to go.
Fantastic.
My son and I dancing about the house and the wife looking at us as if we were celebraing Kilmarnock winning.
If it wisnay for that result, the following week when both teams won, they would have had the 10.
But they didnae .. and they didnae,
On the day, 15 years ago, my son and I were sitting in the Lisbon Lions at the time, Henriks early goal didn’t settle the nerves in the slightest and the missed equalising header from O’Dowd had our hearts in our mouths.
Then “cometh the man, cometh the hour” Harald comes on as sub.
12 minutes later Boyd steals the ball from the St Johnstone attacker, dribbles up the wing, pings it up to McNamara who cuts inside and plays the ball through to Bratback running through the middle .. The balls in fromt of him just were he wants it and he side-foots it into the net.. GOAL!!
The place goes mental, people all jumping about kissing and hugging each other. Guy next to me loses his specs. Me hugging my boy and my pal smiling and tears at the same time, there was as much relief as joy.
I couldn’t have bared to see the bhoys wee heart broken if we’d missed out.
But 20 minutes later it was all over, fans on the pitch, a meal up in the Walfrid later with my pals and a improptu party at mines later.
One of the best days of my life outwith my kids being born.
15 years later .. sitting in the Jock Stein stand, we moved there the day that it opened, sitting almost directly opposite where we were back then in the Lisbon Lions.
We are looking forward to a party on Saturday, extra tickets bought for the 3 kids. Meal booked in town to celebrate later.
Season books renewed, they will always be renewed. Using the 100 quid back on outr 2 books to buy the seat beside us for the wee one .. its all good.
I just wish we could get Fergus back to raise the flag before its too late to say thank you properly.
Hail hail all and thanks Paul for making this site my daily read.
Moyes for united – it will end in tears
youhearditherefirstCSC
My abiding memories of the season was collapsing on the floor when dumpfermline equalised one week and dancing on the floor the next.
Whatever happened to that larsson?
the token tim
14:25 on 9 May, 2013
Hope this works…..
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/607/cheeriototiar.jpg/
I remember standing under the orange section of large tricolour!
I was to your left.
Was drunk for 3 days after that. And I’m sure I was in 2 kebabs that night as well b-)))
The Andy Thom Experience .
An entertaining read .
My memory [ not a reliable thing ] says that Hugh Keevins slated it because he didn’t like some of the language and hadn’t been written by a proper hack like Hugh Keevins
bt sport
http://www.bt.com/sport/?s_cid=con_social_buysport
South Of Tunis
14:51 on 9 May, 2013
Surely not? Our Shug?
A wee weirdo…..
I think there will be big changes at Man Utd this summer. And I have a feeling that would have happened anyway.
I was surprised that SAF retired now, but I think he saw the scale of the changef needed and had to decide whether to go now or start a major rebuild that would mean staying for a few years.
I can see Rooney go this summer, along with the likes of Scholes, Giggs, Ferdinand, Evra, Anderson, Nani and Young.
Phenomenal day. I was still at school. The nerves b4 the game were incredible. Weather couldn’t have been better, was behind the goal – excellent view of Henrik’s goal, what a finish. The day I had waited all my 16years for!!
I also remember a hearts win in the cup final feeling like a strange icing on the cake!
The Easdales brothers looking to buy there way in to Sevco and possibly takeover the running of the club, no dea if thats a good thing or a bad thing but having watched the two brothers being interviewed about there sevco involvement THE KRAYS immediately sprang to mind, very similar in age, mannerisms, and looks, they look like gangsters.
May I just say that the lead article and the firststandard of posts this afternoon is what attracted me to this magnificent site in the first place. An absolute joy to read.
Fantastic stuff.
My own memory – was babysitting my own 3 minis and awaiting delivery of my first digital piano! So twas the radio for Jobo and a rather tipsy 6.00 vigil mass of thanksgiving.