The scene above is of Celtic Park in the 1990s, with the stadium and surrounding area pretty much as they were when Fergus McCann, you, me and 10,000 others stepped forward to buy the club. Improvements had been made on a decade earlier: the Celtic End roof ran to the front of the terrace, while you would walk around the east side of the stadium.
No one has ever satisfactorily explained to me how Fergus was able to decamp for a year, buy footballers and erect a 60,000 seater stadium after raising less than £20m capital, but when he left the stage 17 years ago next month, we had a facility appropriate for the times.
The east end of Glasgow has seen many economically poor decades – over a century’s worth, in fact. The area was built to cater for dirty industries and house workers and their families in as little space as possible. Poverty, social diseases and dreadful mortality rates have blighted the place ever since. As a consequence, housing and industrial land was cheap, and people prepared to plough money into the area were scarce when Peter Lawwell arrived the club started to acquire land around its footprint. The chief executive has always had a plan to move the club beyond its confines, in many ways. Celtic Park was going to be a visitor attraction all year round.
The long-disused London Road School (the large building to the right of the photo above) had a stone outer wall, but in all practical ways it was an unusable eyesore. Metal had been stripped from the outer and inners walls by thieves, the building was not watertight and vegetation had taken root high up the walls.
Celtic wanted to rip it down and develop the area, but the same forces which will prohibit you from parking within one kilometre from the stadium on match days from next season, denied the club permission. They only changed their mind when it became clear that the Queen would have to approach the stadium for the Commonwealth Games alongside the crumbling school.
If it wasn’t for one visit by the Queen, none of what subsequently happened in the area would have been possible.
Now Celtic plan to build a hotel, retail facilities and the long-awaited club museum (below) in the area to the south west of the stadium. The money and necessary partnerships are in place.
Don’t assume that the Council will welcome what is a stunning improvement to an enormously neglected area of their city. CQN’er, the late Councillor George Ryan, told me an SNP opponent at the Council objected to planning permission for the Celtic Superstore as it would have a negative economic impact in neighbouring supermarkets. You will deal with parking chaos next season for a reason.
The economic impact of Celtic on the east end of Glasgow for the decades ahead will be significant. Parkhead will morph from being a derelict scheme to being the site of a tourist attraction within one generation.
The community who laboured to level the ground to build the first Celtic Park on the site could never have imagined the process they were setting underway.
Well done to all, we can be very proud of the legacy we will leave future generations.
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Call Me Gerry
Sorry to read of the loss of your father.
Sincere condolences.
Ernie, I’m reading between the lines. Just asking if you could post something positive rather than negative and dismissive.
KTF
MIT glad that worked for you. It’s the same process for the iPad. I’ve also got a guide for Android and Macs.
KTF
CALL ME GERRY sincere condolences. Prayers said.
KTF
I’m sure in one of Sir Minty’s great interviews he talked about Rangers having two teams – one for Europe and one for domestic matches. The blueprint is already there. He was such a visionary.
Have the Dafabet Casino plans been disclosed yet?
Call Me Gerry.
Thoughts and prayers at this sad time.
Call me Gerry
Sincere condolences for the loss of your Father
may he rest in peace
Call Me Gerry,
Sorry to read of the loss of your father. I’ll say a prayer for the family.
Call Me Gerry:
Sorry to hear of your Dad’s passing, may God Bless his Soul.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Beatbhoy,
ManC’s penalty claim was never a penalty.
The keeper was first to the ball and played it.
Aguero tripped himself over the keeper’s outstretched leg.
A brilliant call from a Caed happy ref.
Monaco did run out of steam, such was the high intensity of the game.
Ernie,
You know fine well what I am on about.
You are too sly, or fly, to openly slate the club over the Foundation, so you perniciously slip in a wee ” who supply’s the money for the Foundation”, comment, trying to seperate today’s version of our ethos from the Walfrid version. A version that was also funded by the support.
A difference between then and now is that back then, the players or anyone else at the club got paid.
Maybe we should try that again, eh?
* card happy ref
Thomthethim,@6:09
That’s exactly as I saw it, he was hitting the floor before any impact.
Thomthetim
A touch too slight to knock the ball away from either the direction of the goal or Agüero, meaning his outstretched leg following through prevented Agüero getting to the ball to knock it into the empty net.
Certainly more of a penalty than Monaco’s, as Falcao just threw himself forward in the general direction of the ball hoping for a penalty.
A lot’s been said about the poor defending, but the goalmouth action, incidents, goals and some beautiful football at times will bring many back for more in the second leg.
great game yesterday, no defense but thats what made it a great watch.
Call me Gerry…
Thoughts and prayers with yourself and family. HH
Thomthetim/Prestonpans Bhoys
Just watched it again. Yip, elf Meter!
Well done to Winning Captains or whoever put that Simply Depressed article together. Absolutely brilliant. Arnold is fast becoming a legend!
Beatbhoy
I didn’t watch football last night (not the boss in my house like you are in yours) so surprised that Falcao is still playing. He must be in his fifties. Did he sing “Rock me Amadeus” at any time during the game? Or was it Mark Falco…or Peter Falk?
I only saw the highlights of the Citeh game today. The 5 Live commentary helped ease the pain of the M6/M74 journey last night. It seems to me that individual errors caused the goals , players not yet at CL level being roasted in the pace of the game, even the ref was caught up in it all. I thought the Aguero incident was a penalty and also the Monaco penalty call was correct. The Citeh centre back was caught wrong side and played the man.
All good fun right enough.
Beatbhoy,
Good to see you acknowledge the non penalty.
Not sure what channel you watched, but the replay on TV3 was conclusive, even Souness agreed it wasn’t a penalty.
DeniaBhoy on 22nd February 2017 5:51 pm
I’m sure in one of Sir Minty’s great interviews he talked about Rangers having two teams – one for Europe and one for domestic matches
——
Don’t sell Sir Minty short!
It was actually THREE teams – one for the league, one for the cups and one for Europe.
Nobody seemed to bother to ask him why those top foreign players they were linked with were going to go there to play six games per season!
Wee bobby Collins
Wow,I ,m sure there good reasons why you have never worn the hoops
You could be a convert to the cause. You could be of a certain age where, when young our family couldn’t afford a Celtic top.
Hope you get to pull them on at some point
My first hoops kit , should say top , was in 1967 .was seven years old I would love to see what that looked like probably nothing like the real first kit of the time
On another note. My youngest showed me a pic of big billy in Lisbon at the toss of the coin and apparently we painted addidas stripes on the boots to fulfill some sponsor deal.
Could have been photoshopped but does anybody know of this?
Paul67 et al
Notice that Spurs have sold out tomorrow’s match against Gent at Wembley.
Will be close to 90,000. Sold out the lower two tiers first, then put the top tier on general sale at £10 for adults, and £5 for under 18s and over 65s, plus a £20 family package. Most of the fans will not normally attend White Hart Lane, but it just goes to show, if it is affordable there is a huge wider support out there. I think the same for us, that old stadium pictured could hold 80,000, regularly had 40,000 if you counted everybody. We will not fill a bigger stadium every week, but a new stand could generate increased revenue even with lower prices elsewhere. Lets get an Arsenal style (engineered) pitch, modernise the stadium. The hotel? Well I’ve said in the past we should build it in Glasgow city centre. And take it from there.
Watching St Etienne v Man U game. That’ll be twice this season Filthy rich English clubs and their fans will be green with envy at such a fantastic home support outside England.
I wonder how many spare million quid they’d pay to have that atmosphere.
Proper football ground helps.
Call Me Gerry – Sorry to hear of your loss. Thoughts and Prayers.
Sipsini – Lisbon?
Of course it goes without saying that the development of space around the ground by way of a museum, hotel and shops should not be the only sign of innovation at Celtic Park.
Advancement in digital broadcasting, increased content, content and broadcast partnerships, further advertising and marketing via digital etc should all be explored and advanced as this is essential if Celtic wish to advance and progress as a 21st century football club with international aspirations.
As for the charity foundation.
Canamalar is correct in saying that very shortly after the club’s founding, all notion of charitable donations to the poor in the east end of Glasgow was jettisoned in favour of the pursuit of professionalism and the paying of wages.
The arguments put forward by the likes of John Glass and John O’Hara were that Celtic had to be the best professional team around to maintain the interest of the masses and to do that tey had to pay the best wages and have the best resources etc etc.
The fact that many of the founders and the original players all became rich and wealthy is hardly a mere coincidence, and there is no doubt that Walfrid’s vision made way for the personal gain of others.
Whether we like that or not, the fact is that under Fergus the foundation was created to reignite the original charity notion, and as a participant in a lot of what the foundation does and organises I see it going from strength to strength and making a real difference to very many people.
Not only that, the foundation serves another purpose in that it emphasises that charity — any kind of charity — lies within the DNA of the Celtic Fan.
The club do a lot to support what is a separate and a professional charity, but the whole venture would not be viable were it not for repeated support of the everyday Celtic fan.
Astonishing to see Spurs sell out Wembley for that calibre of game. They must be wondering what might have been, managing to lock out 40k plus over the last three or four decades. Last I read, North London had twice the population of Glasgow so shows the potential.
Them and Arsenal to be fair were probably heavily restricted in development plans.
VFR800 IS NOW A MONSTER 821 on 22ND FEBRUARY 2017 5:41 PM
‘Ernie, I’m reading between the lines.’
THOMTHETHIM FOR OSCAR OK on 22ND FEBRUARY 2017 6:16 PM
‘Ernie,
You know fine well what I am on about.
You are too sly, or fly, to openly slate the club over the Foundation,’
###
OK.
So we are all agreed that, contrary to your respective claims, I haven’t posted anything critical of the Board on this proposal.
I’m glad we’ve managed to clear that up.
As you were.
BRTH
Heard on the radio a little while back about the potential impact of virtual reality technology on sports broadcasting. Never really been into techno myself but one idea did intrigue me which I think fits in with your wider perspective and it was this; A live broadcast, from the edge of the court at a NBA game, direct to your VR headset, Jack Nicholson style if you like. Anywhere in the world.
Phil keeps the smiles coming …
http://www.philmacgiollabhain.ie/mr-llambias-has-his-say/#more-8888
I wonder if visiting teams will be invited to use the hotel as an overnight convenience?
If so, will the Sevco squad wreck the tollets?
Call Me Gerry
Thoughts with your family at this sad time.
HH
YNWA
marrakesh express
What would Chelsea give to have the land that Celtic, and well done to our CEO on that front, have around the Park?
Great read all them hurting huns, thankfully most of them are still of the staunch, brown brogue, loyalist lemming gender, their club is going ti*s up yet they complain about players wearing green boots, feckin imbeciles, long may it last.
I was interested to read Paul67: “The money and necessary partnerships are in place.”
Does this mean the club are simply waiting the go ahead from the council?
Is the money from the middle east as was rumoured after the collection for Palestine?
I’m always concerned when money is syphoned off from the playing side and it will be interesting to see it funded external of the footballing business.
The project however should dovetail with the footballing side; Sunday matches may be easier for fans comeing greater distances (I don’t mean Fife) as they can still travel on the Saturday, have a night out on the town and stay at the hotel.
It will also allow the club to sell match packages for foreign fans; ticket and accomodation guaranteed.
Liverpool do this successfully by booking out rooms in city hotels.
The problem comes if there is a downturn in the football business. Ultimately it is the product on the park that will drive this venture forward and decide whether it is a success or not.
If it is true that Dembelle’s agent has said he will see out his four year contract then that is great news especially if he, along with everyone else, can help us make the Champions League for the next three years.
For me it is not a difficult answer to a tough question: Would you rather Dembelle saw out his four year deal and left on a Bosman in return for a further three Champions League Group qualification or would you sell him for £30M in the summer?
I’d take the Champions League option every time.
Feb.2009 extract from messageboard, GlescaPal Stevie, Falkirk
I used to play in a band,guitar front vocals,played in various types over the years doing covers, mainly the pub and club scene, i was playing with a three piece me on guitar and vocals, neil murray on bass and tony mcauley on the drums, we were booked to play at the Celtic club in fleminton street, springburn, and the night was going well, when a wee wumman came up to me and asked if i knew who was in, i said i didnae, she said frankies in, i said frankie who, she said frankie fn miller thats who, i looked about the club but couldnt find him, then after a wee while he approached the stage, i shook his hand and offered him my guitar,
He sang buddy hollies rave on, the old rugged cross, and finally pulled the place appart with “darlin”, he spoke to me later on and it was great to relate to one of our own, so my claim to fame is, the great man used my guitar, mic, my heart gets sore when i see documentaries of him in his height and how he is now, frankie rocks fvorever.
“frankie who, frankie fn miller thats who”
Cadizzy
Boss in my house!
You’re a funny man!
Not quite at Mike in Toronto level of subservience, but boss??
“No, not on that stupid football site again, dear. Just checking the progress of Storm Doris!”
” ….and they just need somebody with a lot of money behind it who are going to produce the goods.”
Derek Lambias
Can anyone reassure me that he is not hinting that Ashley will soon be taking over at Sevco?
JJ