“If you don’t read the newspaper, you’re uninformed. If you read the newspaper, you’re mis-informed.”
Mark Twain had a knack for overstatement, but you wonder if there was ever a golden age of the newspapers, and if so, what it looked like. In Scotland, it’s seldom looked like it has this week.
Some weeks ago, Graham Spiers, writing in The Herald, made reference to comments he claimed a Newco director made about the Billy Boys song. Spiers didn’t name the director, but questioned the club’s board’s willingness to tackle offensive behaviour.
The Billy Boys were a Glasgow razor gang from the 1920s and 30s, named after their leader, Billy Fullerton. Glasgow was one of the poorest cities in the industrial world, with high unemployment and mortality rates, squalid housing conditions and what we would now term disaffected young people who drifted into criminal gangs. The Billy Boys were known as a Protestant gang (there were similar Catholic gangs) and started going along to watch Rangers, and singing their signature tune, in the 20s.
So far, so anthropologic. The song, the gangs, the disaffected masses were a product of their time, but the song persisted through the decades, including the “up to our knees in Fenian blood” third line. It was the mood music to employment practices at Ibrox from the 20s until 1989.
Scotland has changed enormously since then. We are a genuinely plural society, not one scandalised by “mixed marriages”. The vast majority of people don’t care who or what you are, boundaries have been pushed back, there is a fairly level playing field, no matter your creed or colour. All of this change brought focus to the Billy Boys song, it’s not the mood music to modern Scotland, or to ANY Rangers fans I know.
I couldn’t care less about the song. For me, it is a millstone around the neck of Newco, as it was of Oldco. It drags them down to a place they can ill-afford to be. It offends (not alone in football), has a criminal legacy (not alone in football), but it’s unique quality is that third line. You can’t say that about any group of people anymore.
Spiers has put his neck on the block over sectarianism at Ibrox repeatedly over the years. He wrote about his recent experience at Ibrox, expressed an opinion, and submitted his copy.
The club complained. Football clubs complain lots about many things. There’s a set answer newspapers give to these complaints: “It was an opinion piece”. They never retract or apologise for “an opinion piece”.
I’m 100% certain The Herald’s first response to Newco was “it’s an opinion piece”. This would normally have been the end of it, but on Wednesday The Herald issued an apology.
Spiers then became a blogger to explain “My opinion – as expressed in my column – was based on a truthful account of my meeting with a Rangers director.”
Who you believe is irrelevant for this topic. The only relevance is that within a 24 hour period, The Herald and Evening Times group changed how they deal with criticisms of an opinion piece – and then used six degrees of separation to drag Celtic into a sectarian headline.
“Ex-Celtic player in dock for sectarianism”, screamed the Evening Times, using the Celtic badge into the bargain. A woman is on trial for allegedly making a sectarian comment on Facebook. She once played for Celtic under-19s, never the senior ladies team. She doesn’t play for Celtic Ladies under-19s (or any age group) anymore, and didn’t a year ago when she made this comment. She never held an employed position at the club.
An amateur, juvenile, registered with the club who are a member of the Women’s Association. Fill your boots, Evening Times. The apology will do them no favours with any constituency, it will cost them more readers in each than sticking to their guns would have. Reacting by grasping onto something so tenuous to drag Celtic into the murky waters was unconscionable.
They do not report in this manner elsewhere. Headlines for court appearances never lead with the person’s club memberships, “Prestwick Golf Club member in driving ban”? You’ll never read this.
One very good political journalist once told me “The football content pays my wages”. That being the case, The Herald’s already difficult job to survive has been enormously undermined. Spiers also explained “the pressure brought upon the newspaper became severe”. They can ill-afford to lose advertising revenue streams, or readers.
Napoleon once said, “‘Four hostile newspapers are more to be feared than a thousand bayonets”. He’s been dead a long time, though. Newspapers can now make themselves impotent in an afternoon.
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St Stivs
A fine side but I would replace Aitken Nicholas, Macari and McGeady with Murdoch, Lennox, Dalglish and Hughes. It’s all about opinions, though and yours is just as valid as mine. We have had the privilege of watching some truly fabulous youngsters develop into greats.
On kieron.
A good tim from drumchapel who’s bhoy played with my nephew at antonine.
Told me 3 years ago that Tierney was the stand out player at all the levels he saw in the youth set ups.
He is a good judge of a player. Many games beside him he would pick out things about players and I would think , what a good spot.
I met him halftime at the Ajax game . he said
Higgins4@btinternet as
Hat did I tell you about Tierney. He is going make it.
No as good as my Kevin though.
God bless lavelle
St Stivs, it was a great team, there will always be alternatives, and names you forget.
But Dalglish!
Jeez:-)
How could you, and Tommy!?!?!?
HowtomakeyoufeelbadCSC
:-)
It’s a good topic.
Hopefully others will add.
Dixie
Aye it’s the best I can think of :-)
But Doc does have a point, they couldny handle a level playing field, they would be total also rans with wan o them.
HH
Ger67.
I was struggling to think of who played for a Celtic youth team only or came from the juniors .
I think your selection is better than mines.
good night all
thank you for being here
Ah Glasgow Celtic
Hour by hour
day by day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tw-x_qaZElA
They couldn’t handle a level playing field, too much like the truth.
They’d be found out.
Goodnight leftclictic
TET,
It’s also on Setanta Sports 1, which means I don’t have to listen to the BBC crew.
DOC.
No chance,
We are MILES in front of the hun.MILES.
HH
Doc
They have been found out, and it’s still the same old :-(
HH
………………
Thom
I don’t have Setanta either, I really should invest in a bigger dish, I need a 1.8 mt dish, they are getting cheaper as the brits down the road are selling theirs now, they are all going for the wee box things, but they have far superior broadband than I do, tis a real drawback of living in the sticks, but I will survive :-)
HH
Knicknames eleven
1. The holy goalie (x2)
2. Sunny jim
3. The quiet assassin
4. No Kelly No Keltic
5. Ceaser
6. Napoleon
7. Jinky
8. The maestro
9. The croy express
10. The golden crust
11. Patsy
Sam Winnall.There’s a guy who will score for Celtic.No probs.Get him in now.
O’Halloran no chance.Pathetic goal scoring record.
Sleep well Timland.
HH
KTF
TET,
Then again, I don’t live on a sun drenched mountain, with a Celtic crested outdoor swimming pool.
Having said that, North West Donegal, on the Atlantic coast is no’ too bad either!
SAINT STIVS on 30TH JANUARY 2016 11:17 PM
Evening buddy, that’s a fantastic read.
HH Dan
All you have to do is look at people’s goalscoring records.It stuck out for me with Griffiths,Hooper and Charlie Austin.We should have signed Austin when he was with Swindon.Clowns footering about getting paid a fortune with with Balde,Pukki,Lassad Rasmussen etc on our books.The answer is on the doorstep in in England..
This guy stands on the shoulders of giants.
Ball and Biscuit-The White Stripes (Elephant): http://youtu.be/6fuuDg1HOoE
My granda used to say malky was the best Celtic player he ever saw.
He lived from 1920’s till 1990.s.
————
MacDonald, Malcolm – The Celtic Wiki
M | Player Pics | A-Z of Players
Personal
Fullname: Malcolm MacDonald
aka: Malky MacDonald, Calum MacDonald
Born: 26 October 1913
Died: 26 September 1999
Birthplace: South Uist
Signed: 19 March 1932
Left: 31 Dec 1945 to Kilmarnock (after loan spell on 15 May 1940 & 27 Oct 1945 with Killie)
Position: Utility
Debut: Partick Thistle 2-0 Celtic, League, 30 April 1932
Internationals: Scotland
International Caps: 3 wartime caps
International Goals: ?
Trivia
Interim manager of Scotland briefly in 1966.
Manager with Kilmarnock after playing (two spells), where they had a good run under him winning promotion and reaching cup finals.
Malcolm MacDonald – Kerrydale StreetBiog
The immensely gifted ‘Malky’ MacDonald was a Celtic great who is among the most skilled footballers ever to play for the Hoops.
Malcolm was born in South Uist but raised in Glasgow.
He signed for the Bhoys in March 1932 from junior side St Anthony’s and made a scoring debut, netting both goals in a 2-0 league victory at Partick Thistle on April 30th.
With a cool head, wonderful control and fantastic vision Malky possessed an all-round game which was virtually unrivalled by his peers throughout Scotland and although originally deemed a centre-half MacDonald’s versatile qualities were such that he would spend his Celtic career as a utility player. One commentator described him as being blessed with excess talent.
He could create and score goals with seemingly consummate ease but Malky was equally a battler who possessed the awareness and ability to thwart the attacks of opponents. Sadly his Celtic career suffered firstly due to chronic cartilage trouble starting around Oct 1935, and we lost him for much of two seasons, with only a sprinkling of games with him in the side during that time. This lost Malky the chance to play a greater role in Celtic’s league title victory of 1935-36.
However, he was to come back and play a strong part in further honours. In season 1937-38 MacDonald subtle but masterful play helped mastermind Celtic’s triumph in the Scottish league championship and he was to be part of the memorable capture of the Empire Exhibition Trophy. Taking in that Malky was filling in for the much lauded Willie Buchan after his departure in 1937, Malky had quite a lot to live up to and fill in that season. He ably achieved that, and some would even say that Malky gave the board the excuse to have been able to sell the great Willie Buchan in the first place.
With the manager he likely had an interesting relationship. Manager Willie Maley was at the tail-end of his long 43 management career, and in truth he had let things slip badly in his last years. Practically, the real first team manager was Jimmy McMenemy, but formally it was Willie Maley. Malky was said to stay on the tram for one stop longer if Willie Maley was sharing the same train, that was to ensure he didn’t have to walk to the ground. Malky didn’t believe they’d have convival chats together, with Willie Maley stating at one time to him very formally: “Now remember, Malcolm, if you don’t do what I tell you, you won’t be here.” However, Malky was there at Celtic and remained even long after Maley’s departure. Malky’s anecdote of Maley’s style at Celtic is quite interesting in depicting the manner of management at the club:
“He was in his tower, but when he came down from it you didn’t wait long, you got yourself out of the road. I’ve never known him to come in and wax eloquent about a performance. He could always pick the Achilles heel and lambast you for doing this or that or the next thing. Some weeks the secretary [James Maloney] would come in with the wages and say to me the boss still had mine. I knew them so I would then have to goto into the office.”
It shouldn’t be taken that there was any animosity as it was more just Maley’s straight-laced style and nothing more. If anything Maley did help out Malky very much too. As talented players have a knack of doing, they can overdo things which hamper their game by their having too much ability. Maley used to watch for what was best for the side, and used to advise him to release the ball more rather than just dribble it. These sort of hints/help can go a long way, add it all up and it makes for the great development of a player.
Again though, events thwarted his career when the outbreak of World War Two began, and consequently the horrors of war meant that he never was really afforded the opportunity to fulfil his full potential in a strong Celtic side. He combined his war duty of working long night shifts by doing training of around three hours a week. Not easy for anyone, and with a board that was incompetent & meddling (regardless of external events), he was not to see further great honours at Celtic.
MacDonald, Malcolm – PicAt the international level things were different, and his ability was rewarded to play for his country. At a match played at Wembley (for the international Red Cross) on 4th Oct 1941, McDonald was awarded a place in the Scotland side v England where he even got to shake hands with PM Winston Churchill! In those days, that was quite an honour.
(The photo is at Wembley in 1941 for the annual England v Scotland fixture, showing Malky shaking hands with Winston Churchill)
A great servant to the Celtic cause, Malky played in every outfield position except centre-forward and no matter where he was asked to play he did so like a master. Some would argue that this ability to play anywhere gave the club too much leeway so they didn’t got out and buy or rear more players, something that the then ailing club should have looked to do. He stayed with the club even through the War Years despite the club performing dreadfully through it all. All the time he played for Celtic he lived in 272 Allison Street in the Celtic stronghold of Govanhill.
He was very much admired at Celtic by his colleagues too, with Matt Lynch said to have proclaimed that Malk was the greatest player he had ever seen in the hoops, even better than heroes of the later times such as Jinky, Kenny Dalglish and Danny McGrain. Quite a statement.
Malky eventually left Parkhead for Kilmarnock in 1945 after 325 appearances for the Bhoys and 50 goals. What more could be asked of him for having stuck by Celtic through those war years? He sufferred through those years and helped to buffer the club up as it stumbled along.
The support was left broken hearted when he left, but sadly things were to worsen at the club after his departure. He was to leave Celtic with far less honours than a player of his abilities deserved, but he savoured his time as he put it himself later on:
“I look back at my time at Celtic with great affection on the 14 years I spent with the club and wonderful colleagues I had. We were only temporary custodians of Celtic’s greatness and I would not change them for anything.”
He would later manage the Ayrshire club and even had a brief spell as interim manager of Scotland in 1966. But whatever he achieved after departing Celtic, Malky MacDonald wished for only one thing:
“I just want to be remembered as Malky MacDonald of Celtic”.
Malky MacDonald – a class act and an all time Celtic hero.
He passed away in Sep 1999, and is buried in Ardrossan Cemetery, Sorbie Road.
On his passing, respected Scottish football journalist and historian Bob Crampsey put it very aptly about Malky MaDonald:
“A synonym for grace … blessed – or perhaps cursed – with almost an excess of talent … above all the purist’s footballer.”
Scotland Manager
John Prentice was sacked as Scotland manager towards the end of 1966 and Kilmarnock manager Malcolm MacDonald agreed to help the SFA by becoming interim manager of the national team until a full-time replacement could be found. In his brief spell in charge, Scotland drew 1-1 with Wales on October 22, 1966, and beat Northern Ireland 2-1 on November 16, 1966. Former Scotland goalkeeper Bobby Brown, who was then manager of St Johnstone, was appointed full-time team manager at a meeting of the SFA on February 6, 1967 and, in his first game in charge, Scotland beat world champions England 3-2 at Wembley.
Quotes
“One thing was drummed into us. You never did anything that brought the club’s name into disrepute.”
Malcolm MacDonald
“Celtic is not just a club, it is a heritage.”
Malcolm MacDonald
“I look back at my time at Celtic with great affection on the 14 years I spent with the club and wonderful colleagues I had. We were only temporary custodians of Celtic’s greatness and I would not change them for anything.”
Malcolm MacDonald
“My father was a wee highland man who was not very worldly and didn’t know anything about football. He knew his son played the game, but that was about all. Sometimes he would come and watch me play, but mostly he worked on a Saturday. I was already a schoolboy internationalist when luckily some of the teachers took an interest in me. They were all great Celtic supporters and took me along to Celtic Park for trials and all the rest of it. The thing that impressed me most of all was that I could get into Celtic Park to watch the games without paying. I was still at secondary school when I got word to turn up to play against Partick Thistle at Firhill. I was given a game at outside left, and all the lads accepted me even though I was just a rookie. I can always remember one who would say to me, ‘If I have the ball and you want it Malcolm just shout for it and I’ll pass, but make sure it’s the right bloody shout!”
Malcolm MacDonald (Source: http://www.killiefc.com/DoYouRemember/MalkyMacDonald.htm)
“A synonym for grace … blessed – or perhaps cursed – with almost an excess of talent … above all the purist’s footballer.”
Bob Crampsey (football journalist) on Malky MacDonald
St Stivs @11:17
Don’t see any mention of Stevie being Club Champion at Cawder twice or has it been conveniently airbrushed out because ……..ach you know the rest
Another modern legend singin’ the blues
Where did you sleep last nigth – Kurt Cobain (Voz…: http://youtu.be/XKIKcVnleG8
Tommy (Tid) Callaghan
John ( Luggy ) Clark
Two Therty
Sevco ( Jason the new Kompany ) Denayer
Fare thee well, my lovely Dinah,
A thousand times adieu.
For we’re going away from the Holy Ground
And the girls we all love true.
We will sail the salt seas over
And then return for shore
And still I live in hope to see
The Holy Ground once more.
Fine Girl You Are CSC
Mickbhoy
It’s because golf is pish
Absolutely pure magic!
Hey Bo Diddley – Toronto 69: http://youtu.be/TVE0wuh8BXw
Bournesouprecipe
Trouble sleeping?
St Stivs
aye only when you on the outside of it…….
Edb,
Ol bsr has been on the ol singing sherry :)
HH
St Stivs
Thanks, great photo, indeed.
Tontine Tim
Thanks for filling in the detail of that weird match that I couldn’t remember. Thought I’d got it wrong, as I couldn’t think why there had been no extra-time or replay.
EDB
Ha – You got it,…………………… just in right enough.
BSR
Hope you’re well. Just peeked in for a few minutes as the clowns who I now avoid on here don’t appear to be around.
A real forgotten Celtic great
—–
Battles, Barney – The Celtic Wiki
B | Player Pics | A-Z of Players
Personal
Fullname: Bernard Battles
aka: Barney Battles, Gentle Barney
Height: 5’11”
Born: 13 January 1875
Died: 9 Feb 1905
Birthplace: Springburn
Signed: 1895 & 1898
Left: 1 May 1897 (to Dundee); 28 Mar 1896 Loan to Liverpool
Position: Defence, Full or half-back
Debut: Dundee 1-2 Celtic, League, 10 Aug 1895
Internationals: Scotland / Scottish League
International Caps: 3 / […]
International Goals: 0 / […]
BiogBarney Battles Pics – Kerrydale Street
Brave and bustling Barney Battles moved to Midlothian from Springburn when still a boy and played his early football in the Linlithgow area.
He joined Hearts in 1894 and Celtic the following year. A dominant defender of heavyweight proportions, whether at full- or half-back, Battles was totally committed, being both enthusiastic and fearless.
Although he lacked pace, his excellent anticipation and finely judged interventions more than compensated for this one defect.
Big Barney made his Celtic debut in a 2-1 away win at Dundee on 10 August 1895, and appropriately signed for the Dark Blues after a brief spell with Liverpool in May 1897.
He rejoined the Bhoys in October 1898, and so impressed the Scottish selectors with his consistent performances that he starred in all three Home Internationals of 1901. Battles gained League Championship medals with Hearts (1895) and Celtic (1896), and two Scottish Cup winner’s badges at Parkhead (1899, 1900), and also represented the Scottish League and Glasgow v. Sheffield in 1902.
In 1898, he broke his wrist and yet he still played the next two games, albeit it with his arm in splints and held in a sling. After a victory over Rangers in 1898 the papers proclaimed “St Bernard Battles, Patron of Parkhead”.
Not always an easy character, for example in 1896 he and several Celtic players were on strike over articles by some journalists and he refused to strip for a match until the respective journalists were removed from the Press Box. He lost, and was suspended from play until the end of the season with his wages cut.
After his return to Celtic in 1898 the support sang:
“Back to the Celtic again
Let us join in the happy refrain
Out with your rattles
For Big Barney Battles
Is back with the Celtic again!”
Transferred in the summer of 1904 to Kilmarnock, Barney went down with influenza after playing in a League match at Ibrox on 21 January 1905. He felt well enough to watch a Scottish Cup tie against Beith the next week, but the flu developed into pneumonia and he died suddenly at home in Glasgow’s Gallowgate on 9 February 1905, at the young age of thirty.
A cortège of 2000 with another reported 40,000 people lined the route to Dalbeth cemetery to pay tribute to this hugely popular player. He is buried in lair 412, Section 31.
Battles had a wife and young daughters and was probably unaware that his wife was pregnant again. This child, a boy named after Barney, would emulate the father he never knew by growing up to play for Hearts and Scotland.
In 1966, Barney Junior presented his father’s 1895/96 Championship gold medal to Celtic manager Jock Stein.
From the Alphabet of the Celts, p.23:
Barney Battles junior was born posthumously and himself fathered a son on Feb. 28th 1940. Barney’s own father once demanded free entrance at Tynecastle with the immortal words “I am the man that put the bone in him!”.
Barney’s requiem mass took place at Sacred Heart Church, Bridgeton and he’s buried in Dalbeth Cemetery, not far from Celtic Park.
Playing Career
APPEARANCES
(goals)
LEAGUE SCOTTISH CUP LEAGUE CUP EUROPE TOTAL
1895-87 & 1898-1904 110 26 n/a n/a 136
Goals 6 0 – – 6
Major Honours with Celtic
Scottish League Champions
1895-96
Scottish Cup
1899, 1900
Glasgow Cup
1
Glasgow Charity Cup
3
Pictures
Picture Gallery
Links
Grave & Memorial
The KDS Greatest All Time Celt
Articles
This is a transcript of the obituary that appears in the Glasgow Observer of February 1905
Prominent Players funeral
Obsequies Of The Late Bernard Battles
A Great sensation in footballing circles in Scotland was caused on Friday of last week, by the startling announcement of the death of Barney Battles the famous footballer. Battles whose greatest games were played for the Glasgow Celtic was this season in the ranks of Kilmarnock. For a fortnight prior to his death he had been unable to play owing to an attack of influenza, but no one suspected that the stalwart physique would succumb to the attack. He passed away on Thursday night at his home in London Road Glasgow. Deceased who was forty two years age leaves a widow and two children. , as well as his aged parents who reside in Bathgate to mourn his loss. Battles came to the club from the heart of Midlothian, but his connection with the Parkhead club ceased for a while after the famous strike after he and two other players refused to play on account of what they considered unfair comment in a Glasgow evening newspaper. Returning to the ranks of the Celtic he blossomed out as one of the finest full backs in the country and figured in several international contests and in a match v England at the Crystal Palace in 1901 he played the greatest match of his career. Although playing for Kilmarnock this season, Battles continued to take an interest in the Celts, and was a great favourite with that clubs supporters. During his brief illness he was attended by Dr. Scanlan and received the consolations of the church from the clergy. The funeral which took place to Dalbeth cemetery on Sunday was was witnessed by 40,000 spectators who lined the route along London road to the cemetery gate. Two thousand walked in the funeral procession which included representatives from Queens Park, Rangers ,Celtic, Kilmarnock, Partick Thistle, Third Lanark, Clyde and other clubs. The coffin was borne from the chapel gate by his former clubmates D.Doyle, John Campbell, Alex McMahon and W. Orr. The Rev. father Dugan Sacred Heart officiated at the cemetery.
Among others at the funeral it lists Mssrs. J.H. McLaughlin, John Glass, James Kelly and M. Dunbar of the Celtic Directorate.
Celtic made a donation to Battles’ widow; the takings from the stand in a Scotland v Ireland match played at Parkhead on the 18th of March, 1905
The Scotsman – Monday, 20th March 1905, page 10
. . . while at the stands £151 more were taken, the latter proceeds being handed over by the Celtic directorate for the benefit of the widow and family of the late player B. Battles.
Battles, Barney – Pic
Battles, Barney – Pic
Geordie Munro
The Celtic shop that never shuts………………………… ole CQN where we laugh:
“The board have probably given him £500k for Michael O’Hallloran but Warbs has said he isn’t worth that so isn’t taking the money from the board.”
BFSDJ 30/1/16
Dixie, we are miles in front, but with Madden or Thomson as the ref!
Thomson kept the score respectable in the LCSF, we ran them ragged.
TET, same flies, same cheats.
Bsr,
And you are king of the laughs :)
Mindya, Ol bfdj is giving you a dun for your money
HH
EDB
You too, my friend in Celtic.
HH
as true today as was when it was sung many years ago
“THE DERRY AND CUMBERLAND BOYS”
Noo ye’ve heard o the Billies and Sallys
The Norman Cong and the Sang Toy
Here’s two more tae add tae yer tally
The Derry and Cumberland Boys
Noo the Cumbie Boys are Roman Catholic
Tae chapel they’ve been wance ot twice
But Parkhead is their new Jerusalem
And Jock Stein the latter day Christ
And the Derry Boys are tae be christians
That’s plain baith tae hear and tae see
For their language is really religious
“Jesus Christ”, “Oh my God”, “FTP”
When asked what they think o religion
They’ll say “Aw religions aw right”
But these guys are only religious
When they want an excuse for a fight
So don’t wear a green scarf in Brigton
Or a blue scarf in Cumberland Street
No unless your a heavy weight champion
Or hell o a quick on yer feet