98 years. That’s was the last time Celtic beat old Rangers in a Scottish Cup semi-final. Our 1925 5-0 win was after a replay in front of Scotland’s first six-figure crowd – 101,700.
Scottish football then entered its notorious hot balls era. The SFA was not always ethically sound, as we’ll touch on in a moment. In 67 years Celtic and Rangers were only drawn together in the Scottish Cup semi-final once, 1960, when we lost after a replay. The legend is that two of the four balls in the bag for the draw were hot, one with Celtic’s number and one with Rangers’. One hot ball would be drawn against a cold ball.
The SFA had a confidence about them in the 1990s. Celtic were poor, if you were inclined to favour Rangers, there was little to be gained from hot balls. Perhaps as a consequence, the teams met in the semis three times that decade. We lost each; who needs hot balls when you can enjoy beating Celtic?
Before you suggest a lack of balance in the above assertion, that was the era we had the Jim Farry/Jorge Cadete fiasco, which eventually saw Farry sacked in disgrace, after he delayed Cadete’s registration until the player was no longer eligible to play in the 1996 Scottish Cup semi – against Rangers.
We have met Newco three times at this stage, losing on penalties in 2016 (we will always have Hibs), beating them 4-0 in 2018 and losing in extra time last season (never rely on Hearts). Apart from that 1925 win, our only earlier Scottish Cup semi win over Rangers was in 1892, the season the trophy came home with us for the first time.
We live in an era when a great number of historic wrongs are being put right. Win the Cup, and we move clear at the top of the Treble Winners’ table, while we inch ever closer to forcing an opponent to paint over a ‘most successful club’ mural. Imagine the indignity.
Win this one for Jorge, Fergus, Paul McStay, Tom Boyd and Big Pierre. An era of Celtic players and fans were robbed on a level which is difficult to imagine now. Let’s get it done.
187 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- »
St Stivs. Your piece on Jim Mooney took me back a long many years ago. I remember Jim playing for the then Juvenile Team the Columba. It was a very good side. With my dad and my brother, I travelled many miles to watch that team play. They reached the semi-final of their version of the Scottish Cup but lost in a match a Cappielow.
Jim was a great player and should have gone further as a professional. Sadly as you intimated the set up at Celtic Park in those days worked against him.
His brother Peter also played in that young team.
What larks CSC
Good afternoon all from the Portland Arms, Shettleston Road. Nice wee pub.
Ange says Reo Jota and Abada all good to go 👍
I don’t see this weekend as righting wrongs. I don’t really care about world record trebles, I only care about this treble.
We’ve played sevco 4 times already this season. We know everything there is to know about eachother.
Importantly, we know that if we play to our best, we will win. The performance has to be the focus. We should be confident and we should play with confidence. 0-3 Celtic.
CONNAIRE12 on 28TH APRIL 2023 2:34 PM
Jim is never far from my thoughts , and neither Frankie Gallagher or John McAliece.
Family circumstances finds me down the far west of Greenock up that horrible dark stone monolithic monstrosity often these last few weeks, and too often at Knocknairhill for the obvious reasons. So memories come flooding back.
I say it often and will repeat it forever, Brilliant men, true to their faith, they didn’t need to help me along the way, but they did, And I am eternally grateful.
Onto other matters,
other day I left some comments around a big boss in my place who was an Inter fanatic and 13 at the time of Lisbon, He told me a very different story from their perspective, going into the final, blowing their domestic league & cup after they retunred, and in general a feeling that they were there for the taking.
I was hoping for your comments alongside Garcia Lorca and Tontine, and anyone else as first hand witnesses.
Will dig it out.
BIGRAILROADBLUES on 28TH APRIL 2023 2:42 PM
Good afternoon all from the Portland Arms, Shettleston Road. Nice wee pub.
!!BADA BING!! on 28TH APRIL 2023 2:44 PM
Ange says Reo Jota and Abada all good to go 👍
Is Ange in the Portland Arms and told you?
BIGRAILROADBLUES on 28TH APRIL 2023 2:42 PM
Good afternoon all from the Portland Arms, Shettleston Road. Nice wee pub.
————-
How did you end up there? Jumping on random buses?
St Stivs ,
Ref big Jim , same as you , fond memories of him & a wise man for givin you great advice
Thanks AT.
Every day is a schoolday.
Really looking forward to gubbing the huns on Sunday. Not complacent but confident.
HH, COYBIG.
Stephie bhoy what a pleasant suprise.
He really only told me to behave or you could end up like that eejit there,
Hot Balls?
Not an angle I would have pursued myself, not before an actual Scottish Cup semi-final anyways.
Not a song to be sung there, not in the same ball park, so to speak, as Rod Stewart’s ‘Hot Legs’ eg.
And of course there is the slightly relevant fact that we have also lost, on my count, seventeen finals.
Cannot all have been balls ups, or the 1970 SC Final, and would also suggest we have won around 57 semi-finals. And still counting
Is That All There Is?
St Stivs. Did make a comment about Charlie Gallagher. But as I was in Estorili from the Saturday before the game, I had no knowledge of what the papers were saying here. But on the morning of the game the headline in one Portuguese paper was…Inter train as Celtic go to Mass. It was a Holy Day as you well know.
One thing I do remember was being on the beach days before Game and seeing Celtic fans. At one point a Glasgow lad was on the beach selling scarves and other Celtic items and making a fortune he told us.
SAINT STIVS on 28TH APRIL 2023 3:14 PM
Stephie bhoy what a pleasant suprise.
He really only told me to behave or you could end up like that eejit there,
ha ha , hink he gave up on me after he was the only person sitting on the bus on the gallowgate on the day we clinched the centenary title , we all bailed oot at the 1st pub !
Someone had to be making something from it, what is Portugese for Macaroon bars ?
I was thinking more in the run up to the final, did none of the press here highlight that Inter had stopped winning games in Italy, Struggled in the Semi final two 1-1 draws and a play off (why bologna btw), and in the match attended by Jock lost 1-0 to Juve, I am convinced having seen them in the flesh his game plan was worked out then.
We are going to pound them, start to finish and they are going to defend for their lives, and on recent results that is not working for them.
Alos the late rise at 10am, no sun on the day, conserving energy all the way, no risks taking , well apart from climbing hotel walls and clmbaring down hillsides
McPhail Bhoy 2.58
Coneybhoy 2.59
Ange gave me a lift there and on the way he told me the team and asked me not to post it on here. In case beale was lurking.
BRRB
Ange’s double bluff worked then😎
BIGRAILROADBLUES on 28TH APRIL 2023 3:51 PM
McPhail Bhoy 2.58
Coneybhoy 2.59
Ange gave me a lift there and on the way he told me the team and asked me not to post it on here. In case beale was lurking.
__________________________________________________
Good man, you can never be too careful!
😂😂
When I turned up for the supporters bus for the 3-2 beating of Sevco, my day was shattered on being informed that one of our Bhoys — Ian — had passed away the previous night.
Today we buried Ian. The Leith CSC turned up en masse, with many wearing the colours. Ian’s coffin was draoed in the tricolour. He was only 50.
We sang YNWA together in the church.
Greatest fans in the world.
RIP Ian Strachan.
You will be sorely missed.
🟩⬜🟧
Great article P67. I lived through those experiences in the 90s.
Roll on Sunday. Our time has come. Hail Hail!
RIP Ian💚🩶🧡
R.I.P. Ian Strachan. You’ll never walk alone.
Paul67
What’s all this about hot balls?
Prior to the 80s, the draws were never televised. The SFA simply announced the draws after the behind closed doors event. Nobody saw anything. That’s how the big two were kept apart for so long.
Nothing to do with heated balls.
BRB How is the horses 🐎 treating you this afternoon,my first bet Life in the Park 3rd .
Timbhoy163
16/1 winner in first at Doncaster, nothing with it I’m afraid to say. Oh well, small profit.
R.I.P. Ian Strachan ☘️
Eligeability criteria to purchase an away ticket for tynecastle.
1260 tickets,
how do you get into the privelaged position to have been at 42 or more away games over 3 seasons ?
and does this seasons attending not count ?
either way a fairer system should be in place.
start from zero at the new season, everyone in the ballot with equal chances, and if selected your out the draw until your turn comes up again.
It really is an unfari process.
coupled with certain clubs prefering to leave seats empty, just bizarre financial practices.
—————-
Tickets for this match have been randomly balloted amongst those STH who meet the following criteria:-
STH who have attended 42 or more away games over seasons 21/22, 19/20 and 18/19.
We do not have enough tickets to offer all STH who meet this criteria a ticket for this match – a ballot was undertaken.
The deadline for eligible Season Ticket holders to purchase tickets for this match is 2pm on Tuesday, May 2.
Superb article Paul.
Lest we forget.
I have seen a pattern in relatively recent years of us having to play them more and more often in cup matches as we were always winning in the league (the whitewash set of matches springs quickly to mind), in order to knock us off our stride , with all the nonsense that surrounds this fixture.
Good luck Bhoys
nuffin tae fear
KINGLuBO
BRRB- if you come out there,turn left,walk 5-600 yards,through the lights other side of the road,Railway Tavern is a good pub
Bada
Aye been recommended to me. Thanks for reminder, shall pay a visit when I come back from Dublin. If I make it back. 🙄
dipping in and out and referencing back for the “trebles”
the first one of 3 cups in 1892, leaving old celtic park as truelly the best team in scotand, only 4 years after creation, commemorated in this wonderful cartoon.
https://www.thecelticwiki.com/cartoons-cup-treble-1892/
ring a ring a rosies instead of a huddle, how quaint
Hot balls – ouch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MIFS6k6sMF8
Happy german pop with a bit of lorelei cocteau twins in the bridge
rip ’em einen utter vun bhoys
HATATAE will play on Sunday,he is fit it’s not as if he been sitting in a pub when not playing.
The Japanese players have a completely different mindset,HH
Ange Presser.
https://youtu.be/EiGSyVbDiJg
Calum Presser
https://youtu.be/-U7D2RCLV04
HH