There was a four-week gap on the declaration of war, but 29 days after Hitler’s troops invaded Poland, Scottish clubs were back on the field. On New Year’s Day 1940, 40,000 watched Malcolm MacDonald grab a late equaliser for Celtic at Ibrox.
Games took place every weekend from August until May throughout the war years in competitions, such as the League Southern Division, the Glasgow Cup and the Summer Cup. Crowds attended in (frankly unbelievable, for the time) numbers; 90,000 attended a Southern League Cup semi-final against Rangers at Hampden.
Guest players came and went, as many regulars were at the front, although some found haven in adjacent shipyards. Without the threat from bombers, the Scottish Football League continued throughout the First War.
Since 28 May 1888, when Celtic’s first team took to the field, there has never been as long a period without a game as the one that ends this evening. Over four months without football ends with a friendly against Nice in front of a few hundred people.
There is no real hardship in any of this. Families across the world continue to endure challenges far greater than those of football fans, but I’m glad this part is over and I hope it never happens again.
Welcome back, Celtic.
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First or not
First podium this decade
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HWG TIAR
Looking forward ro our first opportunity in a long time to complain about our 9iar team this season and to excoriate Mr. Lawwell for his failure to land new targets and bed them in for Europe.
Hope we have been practising shies :-)
Who’ll take a good corner with no Griff?
Good afternoon all from the Star 🌟 bar.
SFTB (from prev)
A lot of good points there. Congratulations on the podium, sir.
Team sheet latest…………………………….. James Forrest
Uncle Jimmy
Much appreciated- the debate is still going on in the last thread.
Looking forward to tonight’s game but i have to take an hour out now. I have a Microsoft Teams meeting to attend and my lockdown hair might need a comb
BIGRAILROADBLUES on 16TH JULY 2020 12:23 PM
Good afternoon all from the Star 🌟 bar.
—————-
Get it up you ! ……………………….:O)
I wanna see Eddie | Klimala together…
I wanna see Soro, Callum and Christie in the midfield…
I wanna see Fraser Forster in goals….
“2 out of 3 ain’t bad” csc
Where’s Ra Burdas?
Scaniel,
I was reading Tierney only completed 42% of his passes yesterday. That’s the sort of performance that would have Bolingoli or Taylor slated on here. I don’t imagine Arteta is wild on that sort of return either.
Big Wavy,
Agreed. And not only that I’d like to see signs of a performance from the new bhoys to put a bit of pressure on others.
Ex-Rangers star Charlie Adam open to Scottish football return this summer
ANYONE taking bets on him going to HEARTS ?????????????????????????????
Apparently it’s somebody called Marian Shved’s birthday today?
Yep. Me neither.
VP. 🍺🍺😂😂
Favourite Uncle,
The only thing Charlie Adam should be open to, is going to the friggin dentist….
Big Wavy. 🤣🤣
Maley retires
http://www.thecelticwiki.com/page/1940-01-01%3A+Rangers+1-1+Celtic%2C+League+Western+Division
Pingback: No genuine hardships endured as football returns Paul67 - Celtic FC News Aggregation
Majestic- KT has impressed Arteta in many ways, not least his appetite and attitude. He lasted 90 minutes last night, so the temptation to substitute him is becoming less. And, yes, those passing stats would result in Bolingoli getting slaughtered on here but, hey, he doesn’t need to have poor passing stats for that to happen.
I’m hoping Bolongoli, along with Soro, Klimala,Taylor, Johnson, O’Connor and a few of the youngsters can step up to the plate this year
We should ask our resident Gooner for the feeling around KT
Big Wavy ?
“Without the threat from bombers, the Scottish Football League continued throughout the First War.”
You must have been in a rush Paul.
1st World War 1914-1918, 2nd World War 1939 to 1945.
And HH. Your site is always much appreciated, and a retreat from the general horribleness found on most fan commented sites.
I’m always wary of passing statistics unless it takes into account what the passes are.
We have all seen Celtic teams passing across the park back and forth for minutes at a time with 100% completion but not actually achieving anything of use. I ‘d rather have a player with a 40% completion rate if the passes were 40 yard cross field to a forward sprinting towards goal.
FAVOURITE UNCLE @ 7:12 AM,
Leigh Griffiths has been given more chances than anyone at Celtic – but fitness problems wouldn’t fly with pub team
CELTIC only get headlines when it’s a negative story about them.
Leigh has only himself to blame if this is really about fitness.
However the statement from Celtic and the subsequent “story” originated from a Celtic go to journalist.
So this is a Celtic led story not SMSM.
When I see reaction against taking a knee or the BLM movement for me it is the equivalent of…
I’m not racist but… we all need to question ourselves constantly over our prejudices – imo of course.
Great to see Celtic ready to take the field again. Just hooping for a good game.
WeDon’tCareIfWeWinLoseOrDrawCSC
Hail Hail
Thanks BT….
Resident Gooner eh?
They see him as a cult hero now. A few months ago they were driving him to Heathrow. They are a fickle bunch and at the moment he is a standout defender surrounded by 3 absolute donkeys, including Luiz. He’s everything we remember him (played a bit further up in a 3 man backline) but of course the right hand side of an EPL team is a bit harder to get past than in Scotland.
If he keeps fit, gets some decent defenders around him, he’ll kick on. There’s just always that feeling that he’s one big mad tackle away from a lengthy absence.
That help BT ?
He’ll wear a string vest in winter, carry his boots in a tesco bag and get stuck in.
“He’ll wear a string vest in winter, carry his boots in a tesco bag and get stuck in.”
That’s KT not BT by the way :)
…..or, on the other hand…?
Cheers Big Wavy
Simmet has been ordered , BT’s not sure of KT’s
😂😂
Some of you might have read Tangled up in Blue by Stephen O Donnell that was full of historical information that provided into how the culture at Rangers FC developed over the years to become what it is today.
Stephen has a new book to be published on 27 July that I’ve been asked to review called Fergus McCann v David Murray which focusses on the era of both at Celtic and Rangers and although I’ve only touched the surface it already contains some gold nuggets, which might be of interest to readers.
So to discipline myself to have a review ready by 27th I’ll try and post as comments some of what struck me as worthy of highlighting on here and other blogs over the next 12 days to stimulate discussion and perhaps entice readers to purchase. (I’m on no royalties btw, the truth has no price )
These paras caught my eye for reasons that made me think hmmmmm.
“The eventual outcome allowed Struth to continue as manager while increasing his stranglehold on power at Ibrox by becoming a fully waged director. However, as an almost
unnoticed consequence, control of the club had now passed from those who had a history of previous service with Rangers, or whose shares held a merely passive, emotional value, to investors whose interest in the company might be entirely pecuniary, with directors now likely to have a financial stake in the club or to have bought their way on to the board. One leading club historian later described Struth’s boardroom coup as ‘the day Rangers became a business’, while Mason offered an insight into the far-reaching repercussions of the club’s change of direction:
‘In many ways, [Bowie’s*] fears were prophetic of the dangers that
would ultimately cause the club such grief in more recent times.”
*Bowie had argued passionately at the EGM that the proposed changes would cede control
of the club to those with ‘financial interests, as against an administration solely concerned with maintaining the [club’s]high sporting traditions’, but ultimately his pleas had fallen
on deaf ears.
If Carlsberg did irony.
FAO BIGRAILROADBLUES..
Are you still joining me and DAVID66 Tomorrow at the Howgait ?
We have seats booked between 2pm and 6pm for FOUR of us…..so as far as I know…we still have a space on Drinkers Row….anyone wish to join this Beer Frenzy LOL ?
HH
My Granny sometimes bought me string vests…I hated them as they would catch your nipples !
Why do Men have nipples ….????
HH
IF we got this defender “Burda”…I sincerely hope that he isnt “MURDA” ?
HH
After a failed attempt to shoe horn Chris “No boats, no trains, no books” Grayling into the Security Select Committee …
…. that same committee will publish the Russia Report next week.
The number 10 cabal now trying to get ahead of the story.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-53433523
Ho ho ho.
Big Jimmy, I’ll be there mate. Garry has warned me about the pair of you. 😂
Yorkboy,
Robertson is on about 80% and Trent Alexander has a 76% pass rate for the season and as you probably know they like a 40 yard cross field pass to an on running forward.
I’d imagine if you are giving the ball away over half the time you play the ball it would be too often for a team hoping to win honours in the premiership – that is if Arteta is going to put an emphasis on having the ball.
It was only one game though, of course, Tierney’s stats are usually better than this.
Back To Basics,
Just heard that on the news and wondered if the committee had released this very quickly. The timing did seem strange.
Chairbhoy- well done on Wycombe’s promotion.
‘Without the threat from bombers’- the Sellick park floodlights must have fused.
DBBIA/ HeinrichPrinzzuSteyn-WittgensteinCSC