Fill your boots at Month of Lions
I never met Jimmy McGrory, who died an elderly man when I was 15. I don’t if he was around Celtic Park much in the years immediately beforehand, but I never even saw him. We have many genuine greats but he is one of a handful of those who could put a claim on being our greatest ever.
I was fortunate enough to meet Jinky several times and have yet to meet Kenny Dalglish or Henrik but the Tier-1 Celtic great I’ve met most is Billy McNeill. Billy’s achievements as a player are legendary, his managerial achievements were none too shabby either, but the way he has represented himself, his family and our clu,b for over half a century, is incredible He must have shared thoughts and memories with well over 100,000 Celtic fans on a one-to-one basis.
Like many of the Lions, and unlike to many less decorated heroes, they never make you feel like you are imposing on them when you’re soaking up the rays of history which flow from them.
The renovations outside Celtic Park are nearing completion and the area will be opened by Billy at 13:00 this Saturday, before the Aberdeen game. While the façade of the stadium has changed greatly since Billy first stood out front as a fan, the school, car park and Kerrydale Street changed only by aging gradually, and the occasional resurfacing.
This renovation will change the way future Celtic fans view the ground in the decades ahead. As a club, we are privileged to have someone of the calibre of Billy McNeill there to celebrate our present and future.
Get along early to support him – and bring a camera.
We are holding a Four Lions CQN Night at the Greenock Celtic Supporters’ Club on Friday 6 June. Willie Wallace is back from Australia for the Lisbon final so we’ve nabbed him for a night, to join Bertie Auld, John Hughes and the one and only Tommy Gemmell. Tickets are genuinely scarce after a lot of local update, if you want to be there, this will be your first and last day to respond…..
The 70th Anniversary Supporters Association Dinner is THIS Friday at the Kerrydale Suite. Dinner, music (step away from the mic. Anthony) and entertainment among hundreds of friends. Tickets cost a mere £30. With the event being on Friday, and Fridays being synonimous with statements these days, I wonder if we’ll have another jelly and ice cream sweet. What a memorable CSA Rally that would be. See you there.
If you would like to attend either event, email me, celticquicknews@gmail.com
FYI, with the Big Cup final returning to Lisbon this month, CQN will be wallowing in unapologetic nostalgia for the next 31 days and beyond. We forget how lucky we are sometimes. Billy, Willie, John, Bertie and Big Tam, celebrate the way only Celtic fans can. Fill your boots.
Seville – The Celtic Movement: