I remember the 10th anniversary of Lisbon. The BBC marked the occasion with a memorable documentary and on the exact anniversary, Liverpool won their first European Cup, against Borussia Monchengladbach in Rome. Celtic had just won the double, which would turn out to be Jock Stein’s last trophies.
We had little to celebrate on the 20th or 30th anniversaries, but the 40th anniversary was marked appropriately. For the first time, I felt we correctly defined the achievement of the Lions, not just for becoming European champions, but for pivoting Celtic’s history away from mediocrity to spectacular success.
The 50th anniversary will be the final big celebration, nothing like this will happen again. The groundswell you see from the fans, in particular on the 67th minute of each game, is unique to this year.
All of this leaves you and me with a question, do we let the anniversary pass us by as just another night on the calendar, or are we going to mark the occasion in an appropriate manner? It has to be the latter.
For me, this means doing what I can for the Celtic FC Foundation. I’ve signed up for what will be my first marathon, at Stirling, four days before the 50th. It is five weeks on Sunday, and if I get a move on, I might get to Celtic Park to see the second half of our final league game of the season.
I know most of us are not in a position to take on a project like this, but maybe you can support me along the way, the next five weeks will be difficult.
On a related note, I discussing the Dukla Prague semi-final at Celtic Park with my Dad, which happened 50 years ago this week, and he emailed me the notes below, on that night and on the Vojvodina game. We should tell each other as many stories as we have from that era. Here’s Martin42’s:
“50 years is a long time in football and sometimes our memories become a blurred, however that game will always loom large in my memory, as will the last few minutes of the quarter final tie v Vojvodina Nova Sad, to give them their full name.
“For the life of me I cannot remember who scored the 1st goal that night. 1-0 down from the first leg, we needed to score 2 goals and keep a clean sheet to go through to the next round.
“I will always remember the tension around the whole stadium as we won a corner and Charlie Gallacher trotted over to take it. I am sure the whole stadium was thinking the same as me, that Charlie and Billy had done it before in the Dunfermline cup final in 1965, and that they could do so again.
“The wait seemed to go on for ages but at last the ball came over, as straight as a die, to the forehead of our centre half and then into the back of the net.
“The duo had done it again, Charlie and Billy, 2 of the most important goals in our history.
“As for the home tie v Dukla Prague, we have spoken about it often, and you probably know my memories as clearly as I, so what I will tell you is about the break into my butcher van. That was the only time I used the van to go to a game.
“I always went to the midweek games with Thomas and John and we would to in via the Hamilton Road and Gallowgate but that night I went to the hospital before the visiting time to see your mum and then went straight into the game.
“We parked on the London Road and ran all the way to the ground, watched the game in a state of frenzy, and walked back to the van in a mind state that you will know when you think of Boavista.
“Policeman were standing at the van when I reached it and found that the back doors had been forced open, and the inside trashed. My knives and chopper were stolen.
“Back down to earth with a bump, well for a wee while anyway. Just had to face the consequences when I got home, clean up the van and mop up 2 or 3 trays of smashed eggs.
“At the end of the day, alls well that ends well and the football was more important that night than the mess and theft from the van.”
I’m not looking forward to the work I need to do for this marathon, but this occasion requires a significant gesture. For lots or reasons you’ll understand.
You can sponsor me here, money goes straight to fund the important work of the Foundation.
Thank you.
Published today by CQN Books.
618 Comments- Pages:
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MOONBEAMS
Hear Hear !!
Fra
Take care wee man. Hail Hail
WEEFRA
Take care & good luck !
AN TEARMANN
I haven’t seen it yet, a couple of mates tagged me on Facebook about it..
Your’s truly singing on the track over the trailer:)))
I was a huge Scars fan, Josef K too..
That was a cracking time for music in Scotland, Postcard, Rational, Fast all cracking forward thinking independent labels.
HH
Stay Positive about CELTIC.
JPT seems to be a Superlative Celtic Supporter. Maximum respect.
WEEFRATHETIM
Take care mate and good luck with the op..
HH
WeefratheTim on 15th April 2017 11:27 pm
God Bless you Big CELT.
Wasn’t there a hun blog where they used an image of sam english’s knee?…despicable peepil…
Good times Starry.They are all in it.Seen many fri or sun night at maestros.fire engines and orange juice at mayfair (now the garage)
Youll enjoy it mate..
HH
Weefra…sorry to hear that. Get well soon sir!
Thanks ghuys for your support and concern. It is a condition that is impossible to discuss, as BMCUW will confirm. On top of that, I’ve got fekkin MANFLU. Bed beckons. Night night Timland. HH
Wee fra
Good to see you post my friend.
:-)
HH
AN TEARMANN
I’m sure we must know each other, I was never out of Maestros:))) And Nicos and the Rock Garden and Hurricanes, hahaha the 80’s in Glasgow what a place to be..
What was the name of the gig up the Charing Cross road end of Sauchiehall St, Magazine played with Bauhaus as support one of my favourite all time gigs, was that The Mayfair??
SATAN is the smartest ever.
Obviously Damaaaaaaascus is getting it.
The 3rd Temple isnae in sight yeti.
Carry on regardless.
Now about decay?
Rewjnd
Hamiltontim – thanks mate. Hopefully see you up there.
Re: the Sam English banner – are there no depths to which some of these ‘people’ will plumb? As you and others have mentioned, they tarnish the memory of a man to make nothing more than a perversely bigotted dig.
Wee BGFC and me were at ghe recent Scotland v Canada game in Edinburgh. I warned him before we went in he would hear ‘chat’ that he wouldn’t experience in Celtic games. Never heard do many casual comments re: race, weegie tramps, peados (seemed a favourite subject of some), and other ‘banter’ you wouldn’t experience in one of our crowds. Really disturbing culturalexperience outwith the Hoops faithful.
HH
BGFC
do = so
Dallas 10.56pm
Am not a big boxing fan, but Ricky as a very young Bhoy boxed with one of my very good friends, my mate boxed for Scotland at commonwealth level, he played on a Saturday morning with us for the the Columba Club….he was gash at fitba :-) but always keep an eye out for Ricky…..the Naimbian guy didn’t even look like he broke sweat, and knowing how hard Master Burns can punch that says a lot……..
Weefrathetim 11.27pm
Keep it lit and all the very best
Weefra , all the best , I hope things go well and your good lady wife is keeping well.
Weebobbycollins, follow follow used to have Sam English in their website logo but I may be wrong. The guy , Dingwall , who started the follow follow fanzine , was a rampant bigot and a very unpleasant character. I had the misfortune to be in his company a number of times when I was 18, his pal from school was a pal of a pal of mine.
One of the great problems with the Sevconians is that they see protestantism as simply hatred of Catholics.
The various protestants churches broke away from the Catholic church (primarily) because they vehemently desired to practice their faith-life with fundamental differences to the Roman Catholic creed. It is supposedly a positive decision to follow Christ but outside of the control/direction of the Roman Catholic church.
Of course, some churches arose for purely political reasons too.
If your only belief is a hatred of Catholics, that isn’t protestantism, that is just hating Catholics.
Alas, as can be heard loud and clear at any given Sevco game, that IS their ‘faith’.
They don’t follow Christ in any way. They simply hate Catholics.
There is no Protestant church. There are lots of churches which arose from protestant movements against the Roman Catholic church. The Church of Scotland; The Anglican Church; Baptists; Lutherans; etc…. all are ‘protestant’ but not ‘Protestant’.
As far as I can tell, the Sevconians are simply consumed by hatred of Roman Catholics, with a particular distaste for Irish Catholics. Their only church is Sevco.
So, where will you go to practice your ‘faith’ when the Sevco temple is shut down for good?
Hamiltontim 11.27pm
Glad you enjoyed your holiday
As for Ricky Burns you cam maybe knock us Coatbrig bhoys but nobody will ever put us down :-)
Gerry, like you not a big follower of boxing but Ricky comes across as a humble very honest person .
I think his time challenging for another world title may have come to end.
His demeanour over the last 5 or 6 years has been good. Coatbridge and Scotland should be proud of him.
Mea Culpa on 15th April 2017 11:59 pm
Quality comment.
I’m going to Die on CQN, hopefully NOT.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEvzS0SN9Xc
Dallas…
He always walked into the ring with rosary beads (he put them on at the end if the fight tonight) the simple minds up here equate that to him being a catholic….the truth is his grandparents brought him up and the rosary beads were his grandmothers who passed away before Ricky made it professionally….but in this wee country others like to make their own stories up, as I sort of mentioned earlier Ricky’s brother follows a team(s) from Govan ….. Ricky Burns is a great boxer and a very good person…… Don’t know his brother but at least Ricky loves the hoops :-)
Fight Hard.
Always.
Dinnae EVER give up.
FIGHT HARD.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEvzS0SN9Xc
Mea Culpa 11.59pm
In the last few weeks I had to attend two christenings in the Church of Scotland, my stepdaughter one week then my grand daughter the next Sunday….. I knew many of the parishioners in attendance as I grew up with them all……Not sure why there is any hatred (I always think hatred comes from the home) in both services all they do is praise the Catholic Church …….
No wonder they are confused
dON’T EVER GIVE UP.
i’M absolutely nothing compared to my wee BIG Sis Co.
Outrageous what happened.
Fight with the Spirit.
Noone knows the story.
Well , I think Michael might, time to get a beer with DJ petec.
Dallas…thank you. That means I didn’t imagine it…
Lady 6…https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=nAwgM0fOhFo
He was on it
Hi Ghuys, Salve salve;- Not posted for a long time but lurk quite a wee bit.
Delighted for all Celtic fans, Brendan Rodgers is fantastic for the club. Busy just now tying flies for the new fishing season, enjoying a 15 Year old Miltonduff Distllery bottling. more interesting than great but enjoying it.
Have put down a few bottles for the fishing season, best being the rather spectacular 18 year old Glendronach. closely followed by a 16 yo Aberlour. I lament that the Glendronach 15 yo is now beyond what I am willing to pay, as it is spectacular.
Anyhoo for all of you who like whisky, the Co-op 12 yo Highland malt at £22 is a great buy as it is in fact 12 yo Dalmore.
Anyhoo again, going now and as it is Easter, a wee song for you : enjoy,
Greenwells
Happy Easter
12.35am and I know some might say lent finished on Friday but I have now just demolished a packet of golden wonder salt n vinegar crisps with a wee dairy milk egg, while listening to….
Sunshine on Leith…….. Neil Francis is one of the best
CQN…….good night and God bless…..
Greenwells Glory.
Thank You.
I have a tremendous respect for many Christians who are not Catholic.
So many live a life which puts many Catholics to shame (myself included).
However, the core beliefs of the transubstantiation, the importance of Our Lady and the Saints in the Catholic faith are so critical to my beliefs that I will never entertain following any other ‘Christian’ faith, despite the very obvious failings of the RC Church as an organisation.
The past year of my life has taught me so much about the power of prayer, the Rosary in particular.
I thank God and Our Lady for saving my family from a breakdown which very nearly destroyed us.
Looking at the world today, I feel so very sad that there are so few calls for people to pray for peace. We are on the verge of utter catastrophe and no amount of posturing, politicing, technology, pursuit of wealth or personal power etc… will save us.
Our church was only half filled last night for the Easter Vigil. Hopefully we will be packed to the gunnels this morning…
Mea Culpa on 16th April 2017 12:54 am
God Bless ALL of yer crew.
Its a sign of the Times. Time to realise.