My son was at Pittodrie last week for Aberdeen’s defeat to St Mirren. When he told me about it, the topic soon got round to Barry Robson, interim manager there and Celtic legend. “Celtic legend?”, he asked disbelievingly. I then went through the highlights of his two years at Celtic.
His first touch for the club, a free kick into the Pittodrie net. Then the late season cameo in 2008, taking over the central mid role in Scott Brown’s absence. Scott was in his first season at the club and struggling for form. Barry came on as a substitute in a home defeat to Motherwell and played the remaining games.
That Motherwell defeat left us 6 points behind Rangers, who had two games in hand. We needed to make up 11 points with only 7 games to play. Towels were thrown in all over Celtic Park. Next game out was home to Rangers; it was Barry Robson’s chance to enter folklore.
Barry had a journeyman career but this was his time and he took control from the first minute of that Rangers game, scoring the winner in a subsequent game against our then rivals and battling for every remaining minute of the season. The following year, his headed goal to give Celtic the lead against Barcelona in the knockout stages of the Champions League further enhanced a bright but short-lived star.
Players flit in and out of Celtic colours often. Since Robson, perhaps only Giorgos Giakoumakis has come close to having such an impact over a short, late-career, period. Two injuries meant Giorgos only had a solitary league goal to show before his return to action in January 2022, the day Maeda and Hatate made their debuts. He finished the season with 7 goals in his final 5 games, including a hattrick in a 3-2 win over Dundee. Cult status was secured.
Be sure of one thing: when Giorgos looks back, he will tell people Celtic saw the best of him. And that’s the reason we’ve moved him on. Best of luck to the new Man from Atlanta!
No matter how many leagues we’ve won since, I still get goosebumps thinking about 2008.
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Happy Friday eve all!
Hoops
Aipple 👍👍
Did ye aye.
Yer right! Barry Robson and Paul Hartley gave us the impetus we so badly needed that season, por cierto
The fine man wiped out Christian Dailly in a nice wee ‘retaliate first’ OldCo game that year.
Cult status indeed.
Morning PHILCOOL, BOGNORBHOY and POR CIERTO.
Had a rare wee night last night, going to be a good day!
Cult? Don’t mention cults or you’ll have some absentee foaming at the mouth.
one man who can end this ange will he go or will he stay talk is ange . i would hazard a guess that he is interested . but as always only my opinion .
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=H0b9fWECWKs
Venegoor of hessilinnnnnnnk
https://youtu.be/hsH6XTDm9go
Robo and Hartley kicked us on to title once Broonie got injured, I doubt we would have won the title, WGS wasn’t going to change it otherwise. Big fan of all 3 bhoys after their time with us.
GG is still a weird one, could only be an attitude thing. Good big player and totally won us that title for me once the wee man got injured. I think Oh offers us more, faster better touch and seems to know the system already.
Fingerscrossed.csc
KLV
Thinking back to season 2007/08, amazing to think that Gretna were in the top flight, playing out of Fir Park.
Celtic beat them 3-0 twice, home and away.
I would be very surprised if Ange fancies a move. This time next year or a top 6 club maybe. He is genuinely happy which is rare nowadays. Always had a nagging doubt about Brendan but he left us in a good place.
KLV
Born 100 years ago Brendan Behan
https://stairnaheireann.net/2023/02/09/otd-in-1923-birth-of-poet-and-playwright-brendan-behan-in-dublin-6/
HH
One of my favourite Celtic videos on YouTube. Some fantastic memories.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=YPJy7JaazBM&t=7s
Towel Retrieval Service, ML2
JIMTIM
It is far too simplistic to expect Ange to to say he is not interested in another management job, especially when he hasn’t been approached by the club in question. It is even more simplistic to assume that because he hasn’t come out and said he is not interested, he therefore must be leaving.
“JIMTIM on 9TH FEBRUARY 2023 12:22 PM
one man who can end this ange will he go or will he stay talk”
Of what `talk` do you speak? Surely you don’t mean the outpourings of the anti-Celtic Scottish media?
Apart from anything else, responding to them would give them a completely undeserved status.
Funny how clearly I remember all of that, even the looping header that put us in front against Barca. He always seemed a decent guy who played the game the right way. Smashing left foot as well.
Barry Robson & Paul Hartley, what a midfield combo that was in April/May ’08 to snatch the league during the run in.
Goosebumps indeed!
A lot of emotion at Tannadice for TB that final night.
Back to lurking.
An dun
I had just watched that and copied it ready for posting on here.
SpookyCSC
AN TEARMANN on 9TH FEBRUARY 2023 12:35 PM
“Born 100 years ago Brendan Behan
https://stairnaheireann.net/2023/02/09/otd-in-1923-birth-of-poet-and-playwright-brendan-behan-in-dublin-6/
HH”
Ma Da had Brendan’s books, having read that I’ve just asked one of my sisters if she has them. :))
When I used to partake, I had a few drinks with Dominic in Heragthy’s many moons ago, and of course, a wee sing song :))
por cierto
Best wishes to GG, but with him gone we’l have the chance to see whether we can get the improvements in the squad we need. A gamble but so was not replacing him in the squad with someone who Ange could turn into a top quality player
Tannadice was a special night
Loved those cameos from Robson and Hartley and that wonderful end to the season. Goosebumps stuff looking back.
Liked GG but he has peaked and we have replaced with younger and better. That’s the model.
HH
I see Iwata has accepted the fact that he has to bide his time and produce on the training field in order to get some game time in this Celtic team, I don’t think GG had the patience or the humility to do that, por cierto
Robson was the best legal shoulder charger I ever saw. I was always shocked that the refs never penalised him
Watching the 2008 league run in, reminds me we have a long way to go to tie up the title.
POR CIERTO on 9TH FEBRUARY 2023 12:54 PM
What an exceptional and mature attitude.
https://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/23307083.tomoki-iwata-celtic-admission-mcgregor-provides-reality-check/
The Japanese players all seem to have a refreshingly humble approach to playing for Celtic.
Robbo was hard as nails.
KLV
Ange is up for a challenge. Oh yeah.Oh happy days.
Would Ange stay in a one horse league ? Oh no, not me, we never lost control.
Be careful what you wish for.
Why do players train hard in training ?
To impress and show they deserve a chance.
We cannot remove hope and incentivisation from our fringe players.
Oh no, Oh no Oh no, no no, no, no no
HH, tiktokcsc.
The term legend is branded about far too liberally.
Oh yes it is.
Free Ernie
Defend free speech on CQN; the alternative is lazy journalism.
2008 was something special indeed. Thoroughly enjoyable lunchtime read Paul 67. Thank you.
2008 was special AND emotional.
After the disappointment of 2003 and 2005
(We’d won every other league since 2001)
… there was a feeling among old R@ngers fans that their best chance of head-to-head success against us was to
– keep the race tight
– hang on to our shirt tails
– achieve a wafer thin gap in outcomes
then leverage their .. ahem .. natural advantage with refereeing decisions.
This was the first “close one” we’d win since 1998.
In my imagination (I’d LOVE this to be true)
… the players called a meeting with the manager and coaches
And told them to get out taking their charts and diagrams with them.
After they left, the captain said to the squad.
“We win this for Tommy”
“We take the pain”
“We crawl off the f*****g pitch at full time”
“Any questions?”
Followed by silence.
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PS re the above.
No translator needed for Nakamura.
He understood the message from the tone.
If I had a memory for these type of things I’d come up a ‘weren’t here that long but made a big impact’ best celtic 11
Two years or less service. Who would they be?
Billy Stark, Barry Robson, Robbie Keane, Craig Bellamy ?
Older heads than I might be able to comment on the likes of Pat Stanton?
Just a thought. One I’m not capable of finishing!!