Usually we head straight home, but that day we stood around the front door of Hampden Park, waiting to see the players emerge with the trophy. It was big Billy’s last game, it also provided an enduring memory of Paul Wilson, but it was the unused Jimmy Johnstone who engaged the fans most. In the days which followed Jock Stein had ‘the chat’ with Jinky. Celtic’s greatest ever player, still only 30-years-old, was released from the only club he’d ever been at.
Jinky later acknowledged he expected the news. Jock had been using him increasingly sparingly, and mostly as substitute, and these were the days before clubs supported large squads. It was the end of an era, a sad time all round, but this is football, and football is ruthlessly harsh to everyone eventually.
Georgios Samaras has come through the wringer at Celtic, often target of the boo boys and denied the support and encouragement he needed to flourish. His languid style implied a lack of urgency, for some, but Georgios stuck to his beliefs on how the game should be played and had a late spell in the sun during the last two years.
He was instrumental in the incredible league win in 2008 but the Champions League campaign of 2012 will be his most memorable contribution to the club. Goals away from home against Benfica, Barcelona and the last minute winner against Spartak Moscow, for our first away win in the tournament, are his hallmark goals.
It wasn’t just the goals during that campaign, Celtic were fourth seed, up against three considerably stronger teams. Neil Lennon set out to defend and used Samaras physical attributes, as well as his natural desire to hold the ball, as his first stage in building attacks.
Celtic tried the same in this season’s Champions League but, not surprisingly, Sami more often than not, found three defenders around him whenever the ball approached. He was ineffective, as was Celtic.
In domestic football, Georgios, our main Champions League attacking weapon, was often regarded as a blunt instrument. Scottish teams defend deeply against the champions, who would, therefore, never ask Samaras to hold the ball up and bring others into the team. On these occasions his languid style frustrates those wanting a more urgent approach to their football.
The lack of an offer from Celtic will be a blow to Georgios, but I’m sure Peter Lawwell can more than stand the ‘blame’ for this one.
Very best wishes, Georgios. I hope you have a great World Cup and have your choice of next destinations.
The Celtic FC Foundation badge sellers had enormous fun before yesterday’s game. Many thanks to all who joined in, and who bought a badge. It was an easy way to feel part of this great club’s reason for being.
Issue 20 of CQN Magazine, CQLisboN, is out and enjoying great reviews. Click here to read for FREE.
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GerryBhoy
16.33
That Remark of Your’s…
Wiz..
Very Perspicacious wan… Ma Friend.. when ye Observed…
Snodgrass, wid Not be a Sound Addition tae oor Team.
Fur…
If we Signed Him..
at the wages , tae which He Has Become Accustomed..
That wid Impose a Crushin’ Upset.. a Grievous Blow.. . if ye wull..or .. Wullnae…..Tae oor Delicate Balance.
The Balance ..tae which…Ah am referring,in this Case..
Is..
Oor .. Financial.. Balance.. Sheet!
He wid require a Loat mair Money than whit we hiv Budgetted fur..
N.. as ye Know..
It is ALWAYS ..
AWE ABOOT THE MONEY, Honey!
Na..
Ah Am Sure that there is No Danger of Snodgrass of ever Hingin his Over-Coat..oan a Peg..in the Celtic Dressing Room..
of THAT..
Ah am Sure.
Nice Chattin’
Kojo
Still,Laughin’
desertbhoy
16:09 on 12 May, 2014
TSOB…..
Whatever happened to Tina??
………………………………..
Ah, happy days travelling on Phil Cole’s buses and noising up Baillieston and then Bargeddie as we passed through on the way home. Never met Tina myself but a guy I went to school with told me he had gone out with Phil Cole’s daughter.
BMCUW
Davie did have a great eye for talent at one point but that was in the days before scouting got really organised. The guys Davie sourced, such as Ginola, would nowadays be on the radar of every club in England not just the one or two middling EPL clubs we used to compete against for signings, who were capable of looking abroad.
I would wonder whether Davie’s knowledge of the modern scene is as good as it once was. He is still my hero as a player though and he was very unlucky as a manager, first of all, in coming up against Cloughie’s team in Europe, and secondly, in losing McClair, Johnston and McInally to indecision and poor liaison between the board and manager.
As you can see from my above post, I am not slating Kojo just for his touting failures but I am chiding him over the confidence and bombast he shows in his opinions being correct, even though evidence shows it is, as it is with all us amateurs, very mixed.
We just don’t know the variables (character, willingness to come to Celtic, wage levels expected, transfer fee expected, transfer pot limit for Celtic in buying etc;) to be able to make an informed judgement on how well we have done compared to some imaginary prospect we might have touted once. Most of us posters have a long track record of touting players who went nowhere when Celtic did not buy them. We have no such trouble in recalling our touting of failed buys like Fletcher and McCarthy though. I am sure there are more people on here now who claim they were strong advocates of those two signings than ever said so on CQN at the time.
You are right in that we have had failures in our transfer and loan signings. I fear we will, in common with every other club on the planet, continue to have them. Failures are unavoidable, IMO.
Nb.
Some poetic licence in my last post. ;)
!!bada bing!!
16:53 on 12 May, 2014
thunder road
16:49 on 12 May, 2014
BMCUWP
I had bought a packet of branston pickle topped pork pies from asda on friday so i scoffed them when i got home.
They were only £1 and i think it is THE best £1 that i ever spent!
I realise others have managed to buy football clubs for the same amount though.
Anyone bought something for just a quid and thought…..WOW?
Wee Craigy Bhoy
………..
Poundland….. that’s where the shares will be trading next….. 5furraquid.
My 22 year old No2 daughter just asked me to watch this and pointed out that this is the type of person who she would vote for,as she says not once did he glance at his prewritten notes but spoke from the heart with passion .
Its just under 13mins so maybe look later.
Denis Curran on Food Banks “People are getting penalised for being poor”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-ZMwp1elXw#t=120
Sometimes yer kids just make you burst with pride.
TOSB…. Would that have been J McI??
Geordie Munro
A gentleman never ever boasts about his lovemaking prowess.
My own personal best time is 1 hour and 25 minutes.
Mind you, that includes the time travelling on the bus to Coatbridge….
And back again.
!!bada bing!!
Wee Craigy Bhoy?
Well he may regret it now but he probably thought he had got a bargain with his £1!
gearoid1998
16:32 on 12 May, 2014
Tosb@16.00
Wash your mouth out with soap tsk tsk
………………………….
:-))
Quonno
Walter is particularly keen on pursuing his new field in economics is he not? Well he has a vast amount of empirical evidence goin back to mid 80s lol
I am sure we may hear his limp mumble over the world cup .:))
I wonder if he will have a new country to support at tourney to match the new klub he sent best wishes to :-))
HH
geordie munro
Haha
Some girls are so lucky!
Dilo? Pass. Done nothing since White Flag.
Afternoon Timland from a hot hun free mountain valley.
Well done to big Fraser in making the WC squad, and well done to Stevie Woods, mucho kudos for the club.
I see the Sammi debate is still ongoing, I wish him well whatever he decides to do.
Still many on here are of the impression that Lenny decides who we get in, and who goes out.
A faceless blogger like me will never convince you otherwise, but if you read between the lines, the club have told you this is the case.
The club have embarked on a policy of buying in prospects, this has been confirmed on more than one ocasion by the suits, the scouts scout the prospects in the hope they make the grade and are sold for mega money al la Victor.
Gone are the days of a Celtic manager managing, todays Celtic manager coaches the players, like they do in foreign, this is what Lenny does, and he does it very well all things considered.
HH
leftclicktic
Brilliant stuff from Dennis Curran there. Should give this wider exposure.
from twitter
Extended YouTube highlights of Celtic beating Dundee United and lifting the league trophy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MeOn4Ltq094&list=PLAmNSUlUap5sNWgDy9_dL5HkD7mwHgEII …
SFTB
Echoes of the famous ‘I’ll give her the best five minutes of her life’ gag.
Punchline-family blog,so heavily censored-included taking her dog for a walk.
gearoid1998….
So you blew it up, stuck a pin in it and frightened the shit outa some unsuspecting soul.
thunder road- i don’t think wee Craigy Bhoy took all that heat for nothing mate (or a pound :)),he will have made sure he got plenty for it.HH
FFin’ introspection:
“Hate is a disgusting word, but nonetheless
I look deep inside my soul, I try to rationalise my negative thoughts, I wrestle with my conscience and try to summon up my finer human qualities and sweat to find the good in all of my fellow men ….but I cannot help but hate the following men………..
David Murray
Craig Whyte
Charles Green
Ahmed (I cannot even recall his first name)
Stockbridge, (does he even deserve a first name?)
The current shower of Wigs, who are just a collective of poison.
There have been a few others along the way, such as Eardley and the pair of bstrds from Duff and Duffer, and no doubt one or two I may have missed.
The real problem perhaps is that those people have attacked and injured something I love and they seem so easily to get away with it leaving me powerless with nothing other than the hatred.
Football was surely never meant to be like this.”
——
“Football was never on the cards when they came for our club”
——
“I’ll be honest…I am 100% certain it has impacted on my mental health and quality of life. It’s been a total nightmare and it does lead me to thoughts which are entirely inappropriate…I try and lead a simple Christian life but…’hatred’ does come close. They have ruined, and possibly for ever, something so important to me…”
——
“I have felt the same way these past few months,how much do we really love our club that those people are free to walk the streets today unharmed?
Is it any wonder I keep thinking about that Clint Eastwood movie,
The Dead Pool.”
Sftb
Good yin ;)
THUNDER ROAD
I’m a little older than you. When chatting a lass up in my early days,a quid could go a long way.
Sadly,it rarely stopped at a quid.
Oops… meant for GM.
TET- Agree,PL will always employ somebody he can control.
An Tearmann
…the 9 minute meeting on 14th june 2012…
Ha ha – love it
;o)
monaghan1900- or the Michael Douglas movie Falling Down…
Desertbhoy,
Trust me. The other version is much more frightening. ;)
Open top bus parade in Manchester tonight for Man City.
All the TV screens are in working order.
What time is Celtics parade in Glasgow??
Scotland v Germany U 17s live on Eurosport
tomtheleedstim@17.03 -did she not write some rhebel song?
GOOGYBHOY
Celtic-and,previously,Rangers-are the only teams in the UK and possibly anywhere who cannot have one.
Sad but true.
bobby murdoch’s curled-up winklepickers ………praying for our wee hero!
17:14 on 12 May, 2014
Only in Glasgow.
We did not even have one in 67.
ernie lynch
15:09 on 12 May, 2014
Idiotic? A wee bit strong Shirley?
Controversial? Thought provoking? Sh1t Stirring? Maybe aye maybe naw.
Is it inaccurate?
I take it you don’t agree with any of it?
Tell me where I am wrong if you do.
Give me examples of his dedication to the Celtic ethos?
Show me his commitment to us.
Monaghan1900 17:05 on 12 May, 2014
I have noted some twitter comments recently from the bewildered, as well as a earwigging a conversation between some Zombies in my local last week.
After two years of defiance the facade is crumbling. They are totally beaten and have finally woken up to reality.
It’s been emotional. But we are laughing at least.
bobby murdoch’s curled-up winklepickers ………praying for our wee hero!
17:14 on 12 May, 2014
GOOGYBHOY
Celtic-and,previously,Rangers-are the only teams in the UK and possibly anywhere who cannot have one.
Sad but true.
……………..
Pity eh… McGills could do wi the cash… all payable in coin.
GOOGYBHOY
Just as well,mate.
That coal lorry,ffs…
Not good at all.
!!bada bing!!
17:07 on 12 May, 2014
TET- Agree,PL will always employ somebody he can control.
Leigh griffiths?
STEINREIGNEDSUPREME
Laughter is one of my favourite emotions.
For that,I will be forever grateful to the hordes of hunnery.