Rangers won three consecutive Scottish Cups in the 60s and Aberdeen repeated the feat in the 80s, however, Celtic have never won the Cup more than twice in succession.
The closest we came to three in a row was the 1990 final, when Sunday’s opponents, Aberdeen, won the trophy on penalties after the game ended 0-0. The double was achieved in the Centenary Season, before Joe Miller’s famous winner in 1989, but we were a busted flush by season 89-90.
A last 16 win over Rangers at Celtic Park was illusory. That season, Celtic finished fifth in the league; ahead of Motherwell and Hibs only on goal difference (Celtic had a goal diff. of zero). We were four points ahead of second bottom St Mirren.
29 years on, it is hard to explain how much we thought we needed to win that Cup in 1990. After a cataclysmic season, there was a chance to celebrate with an historic third successive Scottish Cup. Instead, we walked out of Hampden that afternoon telling ourselves a Cup win would have papered over the cracks, and that medicine of defeat would be a more effective tonic.
That was rubbish. Defeat is not a wake-up call, then it was a portent of what was to come throughout the 90s.
No Celtic fan who walks into Hampden on Sunday will have the sheer desperation to beat Aberdeen that we had at that 1990 final. But, unlike then, this time, we can look each other in the eye and say we deserve to join the three-in-a-row Scottish Cup winners’ club.
We have planned for our current success. Form outside the competition supports the ambition. If we win this Scottish Cup, we have earned it. 29 years is a long time to wait for compensation, but I firmly believe that without the pain of defeat, we cannot experience the full jobs of triumph. I want this for my May 1990 self. I needed a break that day.
15th Annual CQN Open Golf Day
This year’s CQN Open will take place once again at Aberdour Golf Club on Friday 21 June. The usual successful format and costs are £80 for the golf and evening event, £40 golf only and £40 night time only.
Please contact john@thewoodsidehotel.co.uk if you would like to come along. Speakers and charitable beneficiaries to be announced. Anyone seeking overnight accommodation, please contact John at The Woodside Hotel. John has an attractive package including a game at Burntisland Golf Club the day before the CQN Open, should you wish to hone your skills on the Fife Riviera!
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I think the Director of Football will report direct to the Board and the line Manager will be the CEO.
Brendan insisted that Scouting was brought under the Football department and that they reported to the Manager.
john Park had reported to the Board. This gave the board some control and would have not resulted in Brendan recruiting a squad of 40 and wasting the Dembele income on 28 players not playing each week
Setting Free The Bears,
My preference would be to have a DoF in place for the duration of 5-10 years and in that time you may possibly go through 3-4 managers.
If the club don’t want to entertain going down that route (likely) then I would rather a manager who has pretty much seen and done it all and who has experience of working at big clubs (and succeeding), hence Benitez. I wouldn’t like to place the pressure of achieving 9 and 10 on a young manager whose career may not recover if they failed.
Paul67 et al
Well of course we nearly won three in a row back in 1901, losing to Hearts 4-3, after winning the Cup in 1899 and 1900. Then there was 1973 losing to a club now in liquidation after two great wins in 1971 and 1972. If I remember rightly the 1990 final was unusual in that it went straight to penalties after the final itself, related I think to Scotland’s preparation for the World Cup in Italy. Thankfully thanks to the SFA that is not something we need to worry about these days.
The director of football helps with the renewal of contracts between coaches. We’ve seen some players leave in the period between coaches (Jack Mac, Charlie Mulgrew etc.)
It’s great to have guys like Brown, Lustig or Rogic who stick around and provide stability.
BIGBHOY @ 2:25 PM,
The issue is not a “reporting” one. We all have a boss.
No the issue is an operations one. We have no expertise and continuity when it come to running a football club.
We have a CEO who runs the PLC but no COO, General Manager, Sporting Director or Director of Football type person.
That’s where it falls down. Now when Brendan Rodgers and his staff were in situ there was a lot of expertise and experience, that’s gone and a huge void remains.
We had no continuity planing a thing any COO would have as operations 101. We just don’t do the basics.
An example, and there’s plenty, is the decision to go 4-2-3-1. 5 years ago. Now great strategic decision but what were the implications. No one at Celtic knew.
Some vague notion about bringing in a specialist coach (Ronny) and that was that.
It should have been properly planned, the implications on players, specialist technicians and coaching staff known.
Then once that was understood then the implementation could take place…
How long will it take
What specialists to we need
Do we need different coaches or our coaches to be retrained or a bit of both
What players can play this system, what players can adapt to this system, what new players in what position do we need?
Furinstance a ball playing GK, a CF that can hold up play and bring players in…
Stuff a Director of Football or a football COO would understand.
What do we do, recruit a specialist coach, we lose a manager, knee jerk promote the coach… jobs a good’un… NOT
It is amateurish and unprofessional the whole set up from academy to first team. I must emphasise, might be guys on the ground, the operations.
While we are on that subject and I’ve stated it several times, as has Mr Lawwell.
It is the Board who make the final decision on ALL players in.
The reason Lenny had 40 players…
That Ronny had 40 players…
And Brendan had 40 players
Was the signing was done not by the manager, nor head coach, nor DofF, nor COO nor…. anyone with specialist knowledge.
The signings were done by a Board that know how to run a PLC but have no expertise in football and it shows.
Hail Gail
The Battered Bunnet on 11th April 2019 1:13 pm
That’s quite a compelling case you make. I’m not as familiar with PL’s CV as you but it is now undeniable that Peter Lawell’s tenure at Celtic coincides with the club’s longest period of dominance of Scottish football.
That makes it difficult to understand the argument that PL is holding the club back; obstructing selfless managers who are willing to die for the club etc..
Maybe Peter is an enemy of the people or has plans to invade Poland but, for now, put me down for the ‘unconvinced’ category.
CHAIRBHOY on 11TH APRIL 2019 3:04 PM
You make some good points but appointing a DOF has its own risks.
The hugely successful Monchi was chased out of Roma after a couple years.
A poor appointment can set the team back a few years like Damien Comolli at Liverpool. Things have actually got better for the reds since getting rid of that post and handing control back to the manager.
Personally, my only issue is with renewing contracts between coaches. Otherwise I’d say that Celtic’s system worked.
YRENEAN on 9TH APRIL 2019 11:23 PM
Hi CQNers
Ron Bacardy and Tontine Tim
However my memory recalls going to a Friendship Cup match a couple of years earlier where we played Sedan of France and I think the score was 3-3. We lost 3-0 in France. Wasn’t that our first competitive Euro match?
*As is well documented on here I have an excellent memory, however, this is one of these games that I try to erase from my mind.
This occurred during a period that I still wisnae allowed tae go tae Parkheid myself so without my da going, nae chance. The season before was brutal, we finished 9th in the League 21 points behind the winners the calvinists with the templars runners up and 3rd tae Raith and Airdrie in the group stages of the LC.
Gubbed 1-4 after a replay by deidco in the semis of the SC and already gubbed again 1-5 in the League in September of the new season, this was only 3 years after the 7-1 game, that’s what happens when you sell 2 of your best players to pay for floodlights and don’t legislate for injury tae some of the other key players as well as gamble on a youth policy.
To cap all this the Big Mhan, who was tasked with bringing through the Kelly Kids had left for East End Park which would leave our youngsters in a bit of a limbo, ironically a tempestuous wee ten thirty would leave the following year, he would return 5 years later and finish the job including initiate the return of Bertie as well as creating the Quality Street Kids.
My da by this time had a bhoy starting his time and the other in 1st year in high school so tae quote him on going tae any games at the time, “I’ve merr tae dae with my money than gi’e it tae Bob Kelly”
So along comes the Anglo-Franco-Scottish Friendship Cup which was made up of eight French, four English and four Scottish teams which was in reality a poor imitation of the relatively successful Franco-Italian Friendship Cup.
While the latter had attracted top teams from both countries this new tournament essentially catered for those sides not good enough to participate in either the Big Cup or the Inter-Cities-Fairs Cup.
Qualification was based on league position from the previous seasons as such we should have missed out, having finished in ninth place. However, Hibs in 7th had turned down the invitation and 8th place Ayr United were unable to compete on the grounds that Somerset Park had no floodlights, so we were drafted in to make up the Scottish quota.
This is a lot different fae the Coronation Cup where we were chosen because of our capability tae bring our fanatical and faithful support. To be perfectly honest this was our Petrofac Cup.
We were drawn against Sedan ???? and were 3 down within the first half hour allowing the hosts tae take their foot off the pedal, we were so bad the home support were booing us by the end.
The 2nd leg was almost 11 weeks later on a Tuesday night, it’s a school night plus the wee mhan’s working overtime, this was the era of 2 nights late Saturday morning and Sunday all day shifts signifying a “good” job, so nae chance of going up, after a 6-0 thrashing of the Hibbees at Easter Road a healthy crowd showed up; again another poor display saw us tie 3-3.
It wasn’t as if we lacked talent, far from it, of the 13 players that represented us over the 2 games 10 were current or future internationals, including 2 who would captain their country, and 4 future Big Cup winners. We just lacked leadership and direction.
That season would end in misery as big Jock’s provincial side beat us in the SC final after extra time. Heck we even lost the Glasgow Cup tae the Harry Wraggs in the final.
So that was indeed our first venture in Europe, we were invited back the following season but declined and yet 2 year later we would be playing Real in “that” friendly and Valencia in the oul fairs Cup.
Please , does anyone know why young Mr Bayo is being left out of the squad, cannot understand it, after all, the clips I’ve seen along with his CV are impressive.
KINGLuBO
RIP Long John Baldry
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bj_lZ4hkJd8
KINGLuBO
HEARTS have confirmed they will close a section of the Tynecastle stands with immediate effect.
It follows a series of incidents at the recent Edinburgh derby clash with Hibs.
The club announced the decision on their website this afternoon.
And it specifically relates to lower section G of Tynecastle’s Wheatfield Stand.
Long John Baldry
Blues singer -RIP.
Singer in a band called Bluesology -supported Cream at The Locarno in the summer of 67.Reg Dwight on piano.Summer of 67 was mighty fine !
KINGLUBO – Bayo picked up a groin strain on international duty, so he’ll be out for a couple of weeks.
KINGLUBO on 11TH APRIL 2019 3:54 PM
RIP Long John Baldry
*allegedly no called Long John because of his 6’7″ frame either lol
ANYONE know what piece of advice LONG JOHN gave ROD STEWART.??????????????????
Favourite Uncle
Think he was dishing out advice in this song
Long John Baldry- A Thrill’s a Thrill…. even in Paradise
Tontine Time
Thank you for a very comprehensive answer to Friendship Cup question. No less than can be expected from you. What a memory.
I remember that period well. I attended 5-1 defeat by the huns ..John Kurila was playing centre half that day and I had also been at Easter Rd for Celtic’s 6-0 victory courtesy of my big brother. I’m sure the following week we outplayed the huns at Ibrox but required a late equaliser from Paddy Crerand to salvage a 1-1 draw only to lose on toss of a coin. My rother took me to that one as well. A moral victory…we had lots of them roundabout that time.
Thanks again Tontine I love reading your reports from that era.
Hail Hail
Raphaël Wicky formerly coach of FC Basel, now US under 17 coach, appeared to be an up and coming young coach having steered Basel into knock out stages of Champions league from a group that included Man Utd Benfica and CSKA Moscow.
Anyone know why he isn’t still with FC Basel?
BR had the final say on ALL players who came to the club por cierto.
TBB @ 1.13
Regarding the talents of PL — I have to disagree.
He has been very poor at his job whatever that actually maybe.
He has some engagement as an executive chairman of sorts.
He has had the title of CEO for most of the time but he has been part time at best.
He has taken on the responsibilities of chief scout with his own pet agent in tow.
He has acted as our very first DOF buying players who were news to the manager.
He has also emptied the LL Upper with his low ball manager antics.
He has turned us into a selling club with predictable results on the park.
He has turned his bonus into a statistically significant event.
Average pay in Scotland went up by £1 due to his long term plan.
Heaven knows what his other bonus plans have done for the Scottish economy.
Consequently to my tutored eye — he is a second rate property bean counter minding the fort for an absentee landlord. Neither have much engagement with business development or a much needed growth agenda and we are much the poorer from this lack of expertise.
Hopefully both decide to handover the reins to a more complete and active exec level.
We can either stand back and admire the progress of others, do the Scottish thing of sulking and blaming others for our decline or we can get our thinking caps on and start looking for opportunities to grow.
First thing for me is to pay top dollar for a quality coaching staff — AVB where are you?
I remember visiting an Indian zoo reptile house on Mysore, it was feeding time, trussed up chickens were lying in the python enclosure pecking at the ground while the pythons circled, this place reminds me of those chickens.
Anybody got a mongoose for hire?
OK if you all give in .he told him to never stand still when singing.
heidfullofuselessinfoCSC.
Good evening CQN from a beautiful sunny Garngad
I see there is a debate about us having stars on our strips to represent when we win our 50th title.
I seen a strip over on Celtic news now and it had 4 stars plus a gold one….
Surely it should be 5 stars around the bottom of the badge and a big gold one for the European Cup win at the top.
I think this would be a great idea.
Hunsragincsc
D. :)
Did Martinez’s granny not like the Celtic budget?
Andre Villas Boas has not worked in football in almost 2 years. He turned down a contract renewal offer in May 2017 in china and turned his interest to off road Car Rallying taking part in the Dakar Rally and others
Celtic v Aberdeen at Hamdump sold out.
Aye, not only did Rodgers jump ship he took the crew with him.
Bigbhoy
“Andre Villas Boas has not worked in football in almost 2 years. He turned down a contract renewal offer in May 2017 in china and turned his interest to off road Car Rallying taking part in the Dakar Rally and others”
Can we not offer him stock car racing in Cowdenbeath?
Today in 1964, Long John Baldry found Rod playing harmonica and singing blues on Twickenham Railway Station. Listen to the two of them get down on the soul classic “Up Above My Head”.
Masterstroke by Ann Budge closing a small section of supporters.
UtterlyPointless CSC
hi bhoys cant believe what ive just witnessed, just about to go into our little co-op store, when I noticed an elderly chap probably mid seventies, coming up the steps next to the store, he seemed to stagger slightly at first I thought he might be drunk, then he just collapsed right in front of me head first on to the concrete floor, I ran to him he was bleeding profusely, I put my coat over him I just kept shouting help, staff came out of the store and called for an ambulance, then I thought my doctors surgery is round the corner, I dashed round, now they no me in there,,,,, so just explaned what had happened can you get a doctor to come round and check this man, no mr Christie was the reply, the doctors aren’t insured to come out the surgery, I just left in disgust, luckily an ambulance came pretty quickly and carted the old man off to hospital, is this 21st century Britain, god help us.hh.
Bsr,
Yip their season is over, not many will be going anyway
Well done BP1???
D. :)
Should add, which is nice?
Must have been difficult for wee Anne to decide which section of her scummy support to target , Maybe she just closed her eyes and stuck a pin in .
” He has been very poor at his job whatever that actually maybe.”
Classic :-))))
DAVID66 @ 5:34 –
I haven’t actually noticed any debate on the ole interweb regarding us putting more stars on our top. Personally, I’m completely against it for one simple reason. As far as I am led to believe, the only teams who put stars above their crest are those who have won European Trophies and, at international level, World Cups. And even then, not all of them have chosen to do so. When Sevco decided to extend that tradition to mark their 50th league title I found it cringeworthy – they were clarly feeling left out and decided, not for the first or last time, to create their own special rules. For Rangers 2.0 to have the 5 stars is even more laughable given that the only trophy they have ever won is the Ramsden’s Cup. Once.
So it’s 1 star and 1 star only above the crest for Jobo until we win our next European trophy.
Right, The Masters is calling….. ‘mon Rory 15/2), or Justin (14s), or Francisco (22s), or Tommy (25s), or Hideki (25s), or Sergio (50s) or Martin (200s).
SevenEAchWayBetsWageringAFiverInTotalCSC