The Centenary Season was memorable for many reasons, not least the brand of skilful, attacking, football we played. The title was destined for Celtic Park after a win at Ibrox, but Hearts at Tynecastle would be our first opportunity to officially become champions.
Two tickets were secured, but for the Hearts end, so title celebrations were planned without colours. We were in the ground early – the enclosure in front of the stand. As the place filled up there was the occasional Hearts scarf, but the majority were also without football colours. By kick off it was clear there were more Celtic than Hearts fans in the section. Both sets of supporters were free to express their feelings without any trouble.
The game was forgettable. Celtic, who had run teams ragged all season, were unable to craft a goal and left pointless. It was disappointing, but a week later, 63,000 (over) packed Celtic Park in the sunshine as the league was won in a more appropriate environment.
My preference would always be to win a title before our own season ticket holders at Celtic Park, but if we can’t do that, Tynecastle comes pretty close as an ideal alternate venue. Hearts fans sang “We’re only here for the party” when we lost the title seven years ago.
Let’s remind them who the champions are tomorrow, as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Albert Kidd title in 1986. Albert Kidd, a Celtic fan, was a Dundee player at the time. On the last day of the season he was on the bench against Hearts, who needed a point to win the title. They were 32 games unbeaten. Albert hadn’t scored a single goal all season.
He was introduced with 15 minutes remaining. Five minutes later he opened the scoring at a corner kick. He then scored the goal which inspired Diego Maradona to run through the England team and score at the World Cup a few months later. Diego’s goal was brilliant, but Albert’s was far more astonishing. It was utterly astonishing.
We did something to Hearts that season. They never recovered and never will. That 15-minute cameo from Albert, with Celtic’s five goal mauling of St Mirren, finished them.
The Celtic Foundation’s ‘Heroes of ’86 – 30 years on’ dinner takes place on Sunday. Albert Kidd is guest of honour, as are Celts from that team (not all of them!), including our captain, Paul McStay. I hear the Kidd family will be very well represented on the night. It should be something special.
Enjoy your weekend, especially if you’re going to Tynecastle, or the Foundation dinner. These moments are precious.
30 years later, I’m still astonished.
Charlie Gallagher, What a Player
Charlie Gallagher was at Celtic Park for over 10 years. Encompassing the 1960’s, his career was an eventful one, touching the depths of despair and the ultimate triumph. Slightly-built, he seemed to lack the necessary robustness. But appearances can be very deceptive. Behind the easy-going exterior lurked a tremendous football brain, with the ability to spray passed which fast-running forwards would relish.
Charlie starred in one of Celtic’s best performances in years as MTK Budapest were beaten 3-0 in the European Cup-Winners’ Cup semi-final at Celtic Park. When Jock Stein arrived in March 1965, Gallagher was given a settled role at inside-right. His play was quiet but effective and good enough for him to retain a place for the Scottish Cup final. Eight minutes remained when Charlie trotted over to take a corner kick on the left. It was like one of those Spot the Ball competitions in the newspapers where the entrant must place the ball in the exactly the right spot. In this case, the target was the moving one of Billy McNeil’s head… And Gallagher’s accuracy was to signal the return of the glory days to Celtic Park.
The next two seasons were to see Charlie in the role of valuable pool member, covering for injuries or being used as a surprise weapon. In the first league game of 1965-66 season at Tannadice, Charlie hit the bar in the first two minutes and rumour has it that the bar is shaking yet. And, of course, it was the action replay from him and McNeill which gave Celtic their narrow victory over Vojvodina Novi Sad in the European Cup quarter-final in 1967.
One day at Muirton Park, where Celtic won 6-1, there was a brilliant Freudian slip by an old-timer standing near me in the enclosure. One particulate long pass was greeted with a clap and a cry of “Well done, Patsy”, an understandable confusion with Charlie’s namesake of more than 40 years earlier.
CHARLIE GALLAGHER? WHAT A PLAYER! by David Potter is published today by CQN. You can order your SIGNED copy HERE.
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ANTIPODEAN RED
Just getting a few moments to grab a lunch -aye at 3.25pm and doing a lightnng quick scroll back. Noticed your post. Thanks for your reply and wish you all the best.
Hope that Board do have something to tell us. Can understand that sometimes a co-ordinated strategy requires waiting for the opportune moment but a holding statement could have been issued.
Even Quintus Fabius Cunctator explained what he was about.
Anyway, hope for brighter days ahead. HH
MIKE IN TORONTO
I’m sure you being in Toronto in these lovely times there is plants of puff around :)) I’ll find out when I’m over in June :))
ALTHETIM
What did the other prat decide?
My bro by the way, for those not in the loop!
Anyhoo AC/DC UK tonight at the Magnum in Irvine, need to nip oot tae get the missus some earplugs!
BENJYBHOY MUL on 29TH APRIL 2016 1:10 PM
Thanks.
WEST END OF EAST END,
Thanks,
Yogi
TD … I dont imbibe in the plants of puff, but my prior offer stands … if you are in TO, I would be happy to buy a fellow tim a pint.
HH
What victory? Honest to god, they are thick.
Mark Warburton believes Rangers have taken another step in the right direction after seeing off Mike Ashley’s latest courtroom challenge.
The on-going feud between the Newcastle owner and Gers chairman Dave King took a fresh twist on Thursday when it emerged Ashley had abandoned legal action calling into question King’s suitability to run the Ibrox outfit.
The billionaire businessman – who owns a nine per cent stake in the Light Blues – had tried to force through a judicial review of the Scottish Football Association’s decision to declare King “fit and proper”.
But Ashley’s company MASH Holdings called a halt to proceedings at the Court of Session in Edinburgh after the SFA revealed a document from the South African tax authorities giving King their blessing for him to act as a company director.
Both Gers and the SFA still hope the judge hearing the case will order Ashley to stump up for their legal costs but Warburton is just pleased to see another of the troublesome battles with the Magpies owner ticked off.
He said: “You always want the club to be on the back pages not the front pages and that’s the important thing.
“If that’s another one gone then all well and good. It’s about putting Rangers on the back pages and being really positive in the message on what the team achieves.
“If we can do that more often, we’ll be in a good place.”
King – who had to pay the South African taxman almost £44million three years ago to settle a long-running tax dispute and spare himself jail – was cleared by the SFA to sit on the Rangers board last May after the governing body carried out an “unprecedented due diligence” process.
Although Ashley has failed with his latest attempt to frustrate King’s plans to move Gers forward, there is likely to be further dispute’s ahead, especially with the club’s controversial retail deal with the Sports Direct tycoon set to run until 2023.
But Warburton insists as far as he is concerned, King is more than fit enough to reign at Ibrox.
Asked if he was satisfied with the backing he had received from the chairman and his fellow directors, he said: “It’s been excellent. We came in last summer and had to recruit a number of players really quickly.
“We got that backing to bring in the likes of James Tavernier, Martyn Waghorn, Andy Halliday, Jason Holt, Rob Kiernan, Wes Foderingham and all the names you know. Outstanding.
“We got their support to move quickly and we had to move quickly to get them in.
“The communication lines are really important. They are clear. Every day we speak two or three times to [managing director] Stewart Robertson and [director of finance and administration] Andrew Dickson. As long as we maintain that we’ll be okay.
“Last June the same questions were asked. Will we get the players in? Then again in the January window? Will you recruit? Will you have the money?
“But so far we are in a good place. We’ve achieved the target of winning the league in a convincing manner, so the club is in a good place right now.
“The board have delivered so far and they know how far we’ve got to go. If people think we’re finished by getting back to the Premiership they are sadly mistaken. We have to keep pushing forward.”
Gers will finally bring the curtain down on their four-year trawl through the lower leagues on Sunday as they fulfil their final Ladbrokes Championship fixture of the campaign away to St Mirren.
The clash will also see striker Waghorn make his return to action following 10 weeks out with a knee injury.
The Englishman was forced to sit out the William Hill Scottish Cup semi triumph over Celtic and with the final against Hibs to come on May 21, he is determined not to miss out on any further glory.
“It’s been tough,” he admitted. “The boys won the league without me, the Petrofac Cup too and the semi-final against Celtic.
“The Celtic match would have been the biggest game of my career to date. But you just have to deal with it. I’ve been desperate to get back and I’m looking forward to Sunday.”
Friday afternoon,day before we can 5 in a row and all we get is discussions about Naga2 meeting PL,ffs.
On previous blog Antipodean Red at 11::11 used a word on his fourth line that is obviously not in Nega’s Celtic dictionary. The word is “positive” I have never (or cannot remember) anything positive about Celtic on Nega’s post’s although I tend to skip most of them. If he has posted something positive I stand corrected and look forward to being corrected.
Hearts, only 30 days ago we went a goal behind but came back (surprisingly) to score 3. Same score tomorrow would be fine.
We support the CELTIC FOOTBALL TEAM tae hell wi the rest
HH
MIKE IN TORONTO
I don’t indulge either, I’d rather have a beer, I’ll mostly be in Burlington , and prob. Pop down to TO to my sons place he lives in the Portuguese area, is it Danforth I forget now, but if I’m there I’ll give you a heads up. HH
Would any forthcoming statement have anything to do with the clsure of business in the London Stock Market ? He wonders as he has to go buy more paint.
Have a nice afternoon/evening everyone. HH
COSY CORNER BHOY…
Well said, if memory serves me right, I was paying a fiver a week to our union levy (AEUW) to support the miners. Ps…worst thing we did was amalgamate into UNITE….I never trusted office staff, full of grasses :))
MIKE IN TORONTO
Cheers for that on Bitton.I had him as Aberdeens POTY for keeping them in title race.
The fact that only two Celtic players made it to team of the year is a fair reflection of the season.
Gordon maybe?
The country cannot abide us so getting a vote as a Celtic player is no easy.
This year they got it right though.
Watched the U17s spank newco in those highlights and the score looked a fair reflection of both teams.
Was curious as the disparity in description of match by hun media.Scottish media and Celtic media was vastly different.
AN TEACH SOLAIS
One tease is enough on here,thought the thieving
stockbrokers stamped the card’s early on a Friday
afternoon,we’ll know soon enough eh!!!
Fan-a-tic.
Ha! :)
And, for gawd sake, dont be mentioning Gordon …. I just got TD settled down by promising to buy him a pint!
HH
You could always buy your season book to ensure the players get the backing they’ll need, but, refuse to put a penny towards any form of merchandise, from strips to bovril. Stay oot the superstore.
( assuming of course the much discussed res 12 action has seen the board action we’ve been hearing has been happening)
If they’ve been stringing us along on that one, then they deserve the whirlwind that’ll come their way.
Just posted on the Scottish Football Monitor for the first time in my puff.
Their comments section is excellent, you can pick an avatar and all the bells and whistles are there for bolding, underlining, wee smileys etc.
Come on guys!
Robinbhoy
The other prat remains unconvinced.
ALTHETIM
Excellent! My missus will have his seat for next season!
Good to watch visoe of under 17 teens winning the cup. Someone mentioned a legacy to Roony D, lets’s give appreciation to ou much maligned captain “Broony” who attends most of these games and gives support.
Does not cost a lot to say something “positive” about our club.
HH
SIPSINI on 29TH APRIL 2016 4:05 PM
COSY CORNER BHOY…
Well said, if memory serves me right, I was paying a fiver a week to our union levy (AEUW) to support the miners. Ps…worst thing we did was amalgamate into UNITE….I never trusted office
I was the youngest shop steward in the uk in that union in 1968 :)
SIPSINI: Unite is the current name for the transition/amalgamation of ASTMS ( Clive Jenkins ) , MSF ( forget the heid bummer’s name but ex AEUW ) and now as you state Unite. Been Branch Secretary since 1974 and member since 1970. Never have any meetings now as nobody but me and a pal turn up!
Popped in to see Jonnythetim earlier and how his goodlady is bearing up after losing her dad a few weeks past, he’s on Twitter now so doesn’t post much.
Anyway, john and a crowd went through to Dundee for a christening a couple of weeks ago, big Rab Douglas was there.
In johns words… How you doing Rab?, I made Seville what a time.
Big Rab as fast as lightning…big Bobo messed up before I did, it wasn’t just my fault.
John, left the toilet bemused.
I know that game haunts us but it does the players too.
Just thought I’d share the moment.
Too much vino tinto getting in way of spell check, sorry
In 1970 when I joined ASTMS , ICI then my employer, did not recognise Union for monthly paid staff but you could not be employed as a weekly paid employee if you did not join a union. As Branch Secretary I led the first monthly paid staff strike in ICI and that was only for recognition of the right to be represented by a union and even then only covered one group of staff (Scientific and Technical ) and none of the other 5 groups. ‘When ah were lad ‘ :)
Jazzy 3rd @ 8/1,got it 16s e/w,cheers WITS
COSY CORNER BHOY…
Nearly fifty of our workforce has been made redundant in a year, 25% of the workforce and I still don’t know what our fulltime official looks like.
When asked for advice, his respnse is an automatic… Ye, they can do that.
I’m beginning to think he’s in bed with the management.
Bada
I went all in at 16’s
Nae luck
I see RBS losses are £968m in Q1. Still 73% owned by the taxpayer in the UK. Losses since the government
bailout are now at £52 Billion.
£52 Billion????
And yet according to The World Food Programme, 795 million people in the world do not have enough food to lead a healthy active life. That’s about one in nine people on earth.
Just remembered the twat’s name. Len Mc Luskey (sp) .
Tony D…
I’d love to have been a fly on the wall at the meetings you attended, did they last long :)))
BT-Nae luck mate HH
Bada
Some you win
Any pub time
KTF
BT…
Same here, fiver on the nose only 11/1 though, my son told me to go e/w…I knew best. :(((
Althetim, Robinbhoy,
I’m ‘Jimbo’ on TSFM. Backed you up earlier Althetim.
HH
Unfortunately Jazzy wasnt good enough but Queally threw everything at it
Had a big each way bet at 16s so happy with the profit.
Apologies to anyone who lost money by backing win only…
JAMESGANG on 29TH APRIL 2016 2:07 PM
Watch this space in the coming minths for something very special coming in this respect which has been 2 years in the making.
HH
CRC
———-
You gonna be a daddy again?????!
;-)
HH jamesgang
_______
Yes but don’t tell MrsCRC :-)
Now that made me chuckle.
HH
CRC
Charlie Gallagher? What a Player! is CQN’s new book and it is now available from CQNBookstore.com
Charlie will be signing the copies on Monday and we’ll post out on Tuesday morning. All orders already received and those up until Monday will receive a free gift with your signed copy.
Charlie will also be doing a Q&A on CQN on Monday evening from around 7.30pm.
We’re very pleased to have assisted yet another Lisbon Lion in publishing his story. It’s quite a read too.
In other news, might have got myself two tickets for Tynecastle tomorrow. Now that is exciting!
Oh. Aye. Anyone’s ears burning?