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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BABASONICOS71 on 22ND FEBRUARY 2017 3:12 PM
BOBBY…
Could you give me your email addy please?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sorry-I wasn’t kidding about needing a lie-down!
bmcuwp@gmail.com
Apricale
No Cruyff, yet they came within the width of a post of winning the next one. Great, but unlucky, team.
It’s got a Hibs v Huns semi final written all over it….
Hotel Squirrel?
On the parking restrictions around Celtic Park,I am surprised they were not brought in years ago.Parking restrictions are in operation all over the city.The residents of the area must have a nightmare on matchdays,trying to park.
People complaining about some having to walk a distance to get to the stadium,can never have been to Tynecastle,Easter RD,Ibrox,walking from supporters buses.Massive problem with stadiums built in the inner cities
Well done so far to Lenny’s Hibees!
HH
CRC
THE EXILED TIM on 22ND FEBRUARY 2017 7:55 PM
JJ
I wish I could, I have posted a few times that his presence bothers me, a genuine billion air and the knuckle dragging ejits chase him for a glibby cos he is no a rrm, hopefully he doesn’t want to entertain them any more, cos small change from him could challenge us big time.
I have seen all the posts saying that it would take at least 100 mill, bollix, 20 mill spent shrewdly on the playing staff, another couple of mill a year for a quality manager we will have a title race,” the rest would fall into place” imo.
Everything works in cycles, they will be back, nothing surer.
if DORIS has her way you might be spot on.HOPEFULLY
Rioskorrie on 22nd February 2017 8:21 pm
On Brazil, Maradona and the 1982 side – two wee pieces!
1. The Little King of the Park
https://broganrogantrevinoandhogan.wordpress.com/2015/03/16/the-little-king-of-the-park-and-the-elastico-fantastico/
2. You called me Socrates!!
https://broganrogantrevinoandhogan.wordpress.com/?s=you+called+me+socrates&submit=Search
Is there a sausage avail;able for the edinburgh derby ?
Paul67 et al
Good news week in the City of London. Our old friends Lloyds Bank, the bank that let Murray off the hook, have just posted profits of £4.2 billion for their most recent financial year. Not so good for the public though, thanks to George Osborne selling our share on the cheap with a series of sell offs. We still own 5% mind you.
BTW Bhoys
Out for a few beers after the game on Saturday with Thunder Road, in case you wish to participate for a couple of beerskis. Probably hit West.
HH
CRC
Och, see them Tims ay having tradesmen lining up to work fut them, cos they ken they’ll get paid.
http://www.scottishconstructionnow.com/17515/celtic-unveils-hotel-and-museum-development-plans/
CRC
I’m in.
Celtic minded city wan – overhyped, overrated league nil.
Lenny fast becoming a legend doon Leith walk tae.
Could he be our biggest competition next year?
Maybe somebody has asked,but when did it become the Rangers training centre
TTR
Meet outside CQN corner (pools office) after the game
HH
CRC
BRTH,
Thanks for that. I remember sharing your article on Rivelino with Andy D (who enjoyed it greatly). Not exactly sure, but think he’s pretty much interviewed all the remaining 70 and 82 squad at some stage or another.
I’d the pleasure of being in good Doctor’s company once in his hometown of Riberao Preto, where he used to hold court in a bar called, O Pinguin (the Penguin). Sadly, the good Doctor is no longer there, but put Pinguin on your bucket list – reputedly the finest draft beer and steak sandwich’s in Brasil. I’d agree with the former, but not the latter.
Cheers
CRC
Will do.
Develop Supporters club on London Rd..
Have car park there & have shuttle buses ….
Abbasong.com
CRC
Count me in for post match cafè in West. :)
Hot smoked – now and then I wonder about Ashley. But look at what was happening when his placemen were running the show. It appeared to be a spend what you earn model.
His men were there to protect his contracts. His retail deal was and still is a nice earner. If he was for providing a strong team for them, putting it up to Celtic, he would have been making that clear from the day lambias and leech took the reigns. The retail deal would have been ripped up to provide a more normal revenue stream to the club. We’d have seen and heard about upgrades and much needed repairs and infrastructure improvements. He was in a position to do it. He didn’t. He sent the men in to make sure the club worked properly.
As for the Newcastle youngsters that Phil mac and others talk of- they seem to have forgotten what Ashley actually provided. Only one of them was in any way half decent. The rest were injured or gash as I recall. And they couldn’t get out of the second tier with these guys. I suspect some Ashley provided spin on that stuff.
Ashley wants his onerous contracts honoured.
Does he want to fix the stadium? Buy out the glib and shameless guy he now hates? Provide enough money to put a decent team on the park? And never see any of that money back because quite simply to get them on to the same level as Celtic will cost well over £50 million plus VAT (and I suspect probably more) following that if they were to access CL money etc then they are in break even territory. Mike never sees his millions again.
And he does that because????? He now loves T RFC so much?
I’ve seen some suggestion that he wants to get his sports direct brand in to the CL. I don’t buy that either – there are cheaper, quicker, easier ways to do it.
I wouldn’t worry about Ashley. At worst he would have Sevco running at neutral. And that is life in the slow lane and then some.
CRC/Timreaper
There was some trouble down Brigton way near enough to WEST last week before the game
The Hun Site Bears Den were on about it with a lot of them promising to make sure to “do something about it” etc next week ( which is this saturday)
Could be all old baloney and bluster of course but keep your WITS about you next saturday if heading that way ((((
SCB
I hope that Lenny’s Hibs are our main rivals next season wi Dundee Hibs in third place. That would be awfy braw. :)
Rioskorrie on 22nd February 2017 8:21 pm
I’ve always maintained that the reason the great Brazil team of ’82 lost that tournament was because they toured Europe the season before and showed everyone what they could do.
They were the Barcelona of their day; fantastic movement, passing, flare, finishing, and skill……. and no shortage of characters.
Even thirty five years later the names still echo down through the years; Eder, Falcao, Zico, Socrates.
The goal Socrates scores while gliding over the turf, almost at the by line, sublimely rolls the ball between the keeper and the near post. Or Falcao’s goal against Italy when a superb off the ball run takes two defenders away and freezes another creating the space for Falcao to blast the ball home.
A little bit of football died the day they went out of the tournament.
Turkeybhoy – the walking will do most of us good too!!
An all green final would be nice…
“The family would like to thank you most sincerely for showing your love and affection…your kindness and support has provided great comfort at this sad time.”
The above message was written at the bottom of my auld mhan’s Order of Service, as we laid him to rest today.
I would like to extend my thanks to Squire Danaher and EACH and EVERY ONE of you who posted your kind words today.
This long time lurker, who seldom posts, was truly overwhelmed when I logged on and read your kind words.
To be perfectly honest, I had to walk out of my mothers living room as my eyes welled up (as I didn’t want my auld man to see me).
It has taken me a couple of hours to compose myself and write a post that I hope shows my appreciation to all you members of the Celtic family.
I will now log off (my mobile data gazzumped and I’ve temp borrowed my good lady’s mobile) but will be back later.
THANK YOU
GOD BLESS
HAIL HAIL
WHAT IS THE STARS on 22ND FEBRUARY 2017 8:52 PM
OK, i’ll tool up.
Doh, meant – didn’t want my auld maw to see me (yikes!)
TTR
Bring your umbrella ( The Bulgarian One)
Call me Gerry: sincere condolences on your sad loss.
DD: Thanks for your offer of lift down to Cairnryan, but the gift of the ticket is more than enough. I’m sure we will get sorted.
JUSTSHATERED
That Falcao goal….no need to say any more.
2-0 Sevilla
JustShattered,
Maybe it was just the age I was at that time, but I think that it was not just the aura Brasilian samba football (or as Pele said – Futebol e arte – Football is art) that died in the ’82 World Cup. I think I lost my whole childish wonderment of the WC as the “Greatest Show on Earth” that year. Just like modern day confectionery, things were never quite the same after that…….
WITS
Cheers for heads up.
Will remember to take the kalashnikov on Saturday.
2-0 Sevilla, 2nd goal
https://my.mixtape.moe/czhudo.mp4
Almore
Ryan is doing the driving! Haha
Me the drinking navigator, wi you. :)
3-0 Hibernian :)