You seldom hear football people speak as unguardedly as Peter Grant did to The Herald yesterday about Scott Brown. “If somebody had offered us £4m (in 2010)? I would have driven him down the road myself”. The tone of Peter’s piece was supportive, though. Our former assistant manager affirms Scott is a vastly improved performer since. I agree.
You never really know what is going on inside a squad. Footballers play with injuries, many find the distractions of wealth all-consuming and some are simply deployed incorrectly. At the #19 game last week I recalled the form of Stiliyan Petrov under John Barnes, he was lost, especially when playing right back. Bobby Petta also looked out of sorts under Barnes but within weeks of playing for Martin O’Neill both were among the most valuable assets at the club.
Neil Lennon told us last week that Scott Brown was unfit during last season’s Champions League campaign. It’s clear that he is an incredibly more effective player when fit, but Peter Grant suggests Brown has also learned positional discipline, a subject he has previously been criticised here for.
A lot of Scott’s contribution is off the ball. He closes space, filling the park with a presence, which is defensively important, especially on Champions League duty. I’ve never seen Celtic’s yardage stats on players but you have to think he’ll top the list most weeks, he is the Great Scottish Runner, but all that energy needed to be harnessed correctly, which is perhaps what Scott is learning from former midfielder, Neil Lennon.
The next achievement to look out for from Scott is a marquee performance on a European stage………
Which leads us onto the Great Scottish Run. You can still sign up for the run, and if you’ve registered already, or are still to register, you can participate in the 1254125 campaign.
The heart and soul of our community is something we cannot take for granted. It has flourished because you, and countless thousands before you, have decided to improve the lives of those around you by getting involved in the name of Celtic.
On Sunday 6 October there is a 10k and Half Marathon. If that is beyond you. There are family events taking place the day before.
The first thing you need to do is sign up for the Great Scottish Run, or here for one of the family events.
Once you’ve done that, you can register for the 1254125 campaign here.
Then you can create a donations page here. Click Start Fundraising, search for Celtic Charity, setup your My Donate account).
Email me and let me know if you are having trouble signing up or need any more help, celticquicknews@gmail.com.
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Nite Timland, things to do early doors.
Big nite coming.
God bless.
HH
KTF
Thanks Canamalar,
I use an online execution only broker for share dealing and never hold paper copies of certificates. Would this be a problem?
I did a Google search on saint stivs.
I found out he is a Celtic supporting fanatic , a republican. A moonhowler. Had a few scrapes and fisticuffs as a bhoy. Might have played football a wee bit, left wing, but was rubbidge.likes Christy and Clancy’s. Loves lubo Henrik mcstay and tommy burns, Doyle and Lennox.
Doesn’t know if aliens or handsome guns exist.
Handsome feck in huns
setting free the bears supports celtic’s best fighter- wee oscar knox
23:42 on 17 September, 2013
Remind me did I come oot
Talking to me self
mickbhoy
I think you put the Wolfetones on so you would not hear the call.
I was asking you to feel a sense of shame for your actions. It may have been a Big Ask.
He sounds like an interloping fud…..
Kikinthenakas who has been oot aw day……
Cathedral View @ 00:15
No.
.
Georgios Samaras: No pressure for Celtic v Milan
AndreW Smith..
THE insouciance has returned to the demeanour of Georgios Samaras.
The Greek forward has rediscovered the calm exterior which he temporarily tossed aside as he set about a successful salvage operation in the second leg of the third-round Champions League qualifier.
The Scottish champions had lost 2-0 to Shakhter Karagandy in Kazakhstan and Samaras said: “I have played over 200 games for Celtic and that’s the one and only time I’ve been angry.”
In that second leg, he was inspired scoring form to help his club achieve the 3-0 win that has now resulted in them travelling to northern Italy for an opening group stage encounter in the setting of the San Siro.
The joust tonight with AC Milan, and those yet to come against Barcelona and Ajax, mean that normal service has been resumed as far as the 28-year-old is concerned.
He added: “I’m calm now. Look at me, I’m not angry any more. After the first game against Karagandy, I felt differently because it was impossible for me to accept going out of the Champions League to that team.
“We didn’t play well in the first leg but that only made us more determined to show our quality and strength to turn it around. And we did.
“Now I’m more relaxed. We are playing AC Milan, a great team in a great stadium, and I don’t feel angry any more, that’s for sure. I just feel really happy with myself, my team-mates and the club that we achieved our target – our target of getting back to the group stage.
“We showed people we are a good team and that we deserve to be back in the group stage.
“We cannot say what we’re going to do in our group, AC Milan, Barcelona and Ajax are tough teams and, although Barca are favourites, no-one knows what’s going to happen.”
With his anger dissipated, awe will not replace it in the Samaras mindset tonight, after Celtic’s club’s progress to the last 16 of the competition in their previous campaign.
“It’s just a game,” he said. “We gained a lot of experience last season, so the main thing is to enjoy the group. It’s a nice group with some really tough teams – really nice teams to play against – and we’re planning to enjoy the trip and the journey like last year.
“That doesn’t mean we are holidaymakers. There is a big difference between going on holiday and going to enjoy the games. We just want to express ourselves and play without pressure. We are not trying to prove anything to anyone. We try only to be a good team and to be competitive. We have grown up in our minds in the last three or four years, with the same manager and the same team. But what we did last year is in the past. We cannot think too much about that. All we can do is take the experience with us and believe in ourselves.
“Look, we don’t want to lose, that’s for sure. We’ve not come to Italy to lose. Last year we didn’t go to Barcelona to lose. We want to go into these games to really enjoy them, express ourselves and try to win. If we can’t do that we’ll try not to lose. But we definitely don’t come here with the mentality that we’re playing against a big club we must fear. At the moment we feel really good about ourselves and we’ll go there and try and play our game.”
Samaras has played some of his best games for Celtic on the road in Europe these past 12 months.
The player may not be noted for putting the ball in the net consistently but that is precisely what he has done in continental competition in unfamiliar territory, scoring in six of Celtic’s last nine away European encounters.
It isn’t the scoring run that matters to him, though. “I feel good that my club and my team are in the group stages,” he went on. “Whether I score or how many I really don’t care about. I don’t play for the numbers or the statistics. When I stop playing football or retire nobody will remember how many games I played or how many goals I scored. They will just remember the big wins. I am proud for myself that I played in the game against Barcelona, because people will remember that game for years. Hopefully I can now create more memories for the fans this year. And the year after next.”
Summa
Everyone and anyone who can must support Canamalars question to the board.Not to do so would be the biggest act of malfeasance ever perpetrated by Celtic fans.
We come on here every day and listen to all the crimes the huns have got away with,we moan,we groan,we gnash teeth,we pull hair,we argue with each other,we fall out with each other,for what?.We all want to see justice done to the huns,but it will never happen if we sit on our hands.I have a strong feeling that a lot of our fans will not give support to this question as they think it is a direct attack on the board themselves.Nothing could be further from the truth.It will free up our board,if they have the will to question what has gone on,and open a gigantic can of worms.If we fail in this the battle is lost.We will remain in the shadow of the establishment,and the only people to blame will be ourselves.
Got sent this in an e-mail.
Dunno why my former friend sent it to me!
“Over 50?
Count your blessings.
In fact, here are 18 of them:
1. Your supply of brain cells is finally down to manageable size.
2. Your secrets are safe with your friends because they can’t remember them either.
3. You sing along with elevator music.
4. Your joints are more accurate meteorologists than the national weather service.
5. You have a party and the neighbours don’t even realize it.
6. People call at 9 PM and ask, “Did I wake you?”
7. People no longer view you as a hypochondriac.
8. Things you buy now won’t wear out.
9. You can live without sex but not without glasses.
10. You enjoy hearing about other peoples operations.
11. You get into heated arguments about pension plans.
12. You can eat dinner at 4 P.M.
13. There is nothing left to learn the hard way.
14. You no longer think of speed limits as a challenge.
15. You quit trying to hold your stomach in, no matter who walks into the room.
16. Your eyes won’t get much worse.
17. Your investment in health insurance is finally beginning to pay off.
18. You can’t remember who sent you this list.
Have a good weekend”
Scaremongering?
Time will tell,but it scares the bejayzus outa me….
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Independent Scotland faces decade of austerity, NIESR warns
Scotland faces a decade of austerity and borrowing costs that could soar above Italy and Spain’s if it breaks away from the United Kingdom, a respected think-tank has warned.
With Wednesday marking a year until Scotland holds a referendum on independence, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) said an independent Scotland would inherit a huge debt pile and pay billions of pounds more interest than the UK to borrow.
7:27PM BST 17 Sep 2013
With Wednesday marking a year until Scotland holds a referendum on independence, the National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) said an independent Scotland would inherit a huge debt pile and pay billions more in interest to finance sovereign debt than the UK.
Assuming that British assets were divided up on a geographical basis, 90pc of the UK’s tax revenues in oil and gas would be handed to Scotland, NIESR said, while the nation’s debt pile would be divided per capita. On this basis, NIESR said an independent Scotland would carry a debt burden under Maastricht definitions equivalent to 86pc of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2016/17. “For a country with no track record, that is a big number,” said Angus Armstrong, co-author of the NIESR study.
The report also said that Scotland had three currency choices post break-up. It could continue to use sterling, create a “Scottish pound”, or join the euro.
If Scotland continued using the pound, NIESR said investors would still demand a premium of between 0.72 and 1.65 percentage points above the UK’s borrowing costs to service its debt. Based on the current yield of 2.93pc on British 10-year gilts, this would mean Scotland would pay up to 4.58pc to issue a 10-year bond. This is more than Italy or Spain currently pay – a worrying prospect as these two countries saw their borrowing costs soar to “danger levels” last year amid rumours that they would need a bail-out.
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16 Jan 2013
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14 Nov 2012
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The report, titled Scotland’s Currency Options, also estimated that the devolved country would require minimum spending cuts and tax rises of 5.4pc of GDP in the 10 years from independence to bring its debt levels towards the Maastricht Treaty agreed debt limit of 60pc of GDP. Based on rough estimates, this equates to a one-off fiscal shock of about £9bn in 2016, or 5.1pc of GDP, which Mr Armstrong said represented a “significantly” larger tightening than Chancellor George Osborne’s current austerity plans. The Coalition government is expected to implement £27bn of cuts in the 2015 financial year – equivalent to 1.5pc of GDP. Mr Armstrong said it would be more likely that Scotland would introduce gradual cuts over 10 years, but at a far greater cost because of higher debt interest payments.
Mr Armstrong also said that the fiscal adjustment left little room to manoeuvre for Scotland, and warned that the economy could quickly descend into a Greek-style “downward spiral” in the event of a recession or sudden fall in the oil price .
“Given that bad things happen – you go into recession occasionally or oil prices just drop – you need to have enough degrees of freedom so that if this happens, you can react with policy,” said Mr Armstrong.
NIESR said Scotland’s best option would be to create its own currency and tie it to the pound, enabling it to control its own monetary policy, such as interest rates, to stabilise its finances.
Mr Armstrong also warned that Scotland should not rely too heavily on oil revenues. “People don’t know how much oil there is down there, but they do know it’s going to run out,” said Mr Armstrong. “The oil economy is growing at a slower rate each year, so the rest of the economy has to grow faster and faster to achieve the same growth rate.”
The report suggested that Scotland should agree to swap its oil and gas reserves for a reduction in its debt burden.
“An oil for debt swap – where the oil revenues would pass over to the UK in exchange for a large write down of the debt that Scotland would otherwise assume – would greatly reduce the economic risks of independence, although there may be significant political limitations to this possibility,” it said.
The Scottish government insisted that an independent Scotland would be in a “stronger financial position than we are at present”. A spokesman said: “Scotland is currently paying for Westminster’s economic mismanagement. The reality is that if we remain under Westminster control, Scotland will by 2017/18 see £6bn of our revenues go toward paying the debts built up by the failure of successive UK governments to properly manage the economy.”
Mr Armstrong also noted that splitting off to become a smaller, more stable economy not burdened by huge financial institutions could also brings benefits for Scotland.
“Let’s not pretend that the UK does everything right,” he said. “Just look at what happened to our financial system
bobby murdoch’s curled-up winklepickers forza oscar and mackenzie.
I tick all the boxes, except half of number 9 and i’ve got my glasses on:-)
SIPSINI
No comment from me,until I speak to my lawyer.
How you enjoying the nightshift?
Relatively hun-free,or were they out in force after their tremendous result last night?
Bmcw.
Enjoying it, the huns on the nightshift keep to themselves not a peep about newco’s game.
SIPSINI
Ha,you’ve got them trained,tamed and cowed.
Good man!
Off for a drive round Wiltshire,Oxfordshire and Berkshire for a few hours,with a wee foray into Gloucestershire.
Who needs a passport when you have a schedule like that?
Enjoy the rest of your shift,bud.
Sipsini
How many on nighshift now… used to be about 30
.
Jinks..
Git tae Bed..
Ma Wee Maw wants her Mulk in da Mornin..;-(
Summa of AndHeDroveTheFastestMulkCartInTheWestCSC
Tbj.
Just about the same…the Tim to hun ratio is an improvement compared to the dayshift… That is crawling wae thems.
Summa
Pre match nerves. .. but the milk will be on yer mas doorstep regardless ;)
Sipsini
Nightshifters aye kept themselves to themselves. .. day shift called them weirdos … thats a laugh eh.
Give my regards to colin … hail hail
Quietly optimistic about the continuing development of NFL and his Young Team….
I have confidence in where they are going….
Given recent posts tonight, excuse a wee bit of politics…
An anthem for the SFA/PLC/& other Corporate Heid Yins
Route 1.
It is the only road in these absurd Times.
Roll on Canamalar et al….
Oz based Bhoys
The game IS live on ESPN3.com if you(or a friend) has the Foxs Sports package as part of your Foxtel, all you will need is your (or your friends) username and password.
HH
Good morning CQNers,
Up early due to the anticipation of tonight’s game.
There has been much speculation about tonight’s line up, prompted mainly by the informative (footballwise) Kojo, for what it’s worth this is my guess.
Forster
Lustig Ambrose Mulgrew A Matthews
Brown
Rogic Commons Ledley Samaras
Stokes
A typical away defensive performance from Celtic, one that plays to our strengths should be the order of the day.
Looking through the options open to NL it was surprising how few he has, the loss of Steve Mouyokolo has left the defence a little light in numbers, all the more so as both Ambrose and Virgil’s liking for stepping out of defence leaving gaps means thay can’t be paired together tonight.
Although we’ve 9 midfielders listed in the Celtic web site only 5 (Brown,Commons,Ledley,Kayal,Forrest) have started more than 10 games, and Ledley is recovering from a injury. Biton is included in the 9 but he’ll only meet up with his new team mates tonight, again we look a little light in midfield options.
Any further injuries to experienced players could throw a major spanner in the works for NL.
As dawn breaks to reveal a dry, cloudless skied East Kilbride the realisation kicks in that there are no more sleeps required before we take to the stage in the Group of Champions.
We’ll be just fine.
Fraser
Mikael, Efe, Virgil, Emilio
Kris, Joe, Scott, Charlie, Georgio
Anthony (first 60, non-stop working) then Teemu (late winner and hero-status!)
Jobo
Encouraging to hear on the Guardian Podcast this morning Italian expert James Richardson suggest we have a good chance tonight, hes usually dismissive of our abilities as well.
Says both full backs are out and replacements poor plus their creativity in midfield is injured as well.
0-1 20/1
Samaras 14/1
0-1 and Samaras 185/1 with William Hill
A cast iron cert.
Morning champions
Hopefully today passes quickly.. looking forward to celtics visit to the san siro where they play a team regarded as football royalty.
And a wee note of congratulations to The Rangers who beat another team with royal links to reach their first ever cup semi final
Looks like hee haw work will get done today.
Catonahottinroofcsc
Whither the cash strapped scrofulous hillbillies the day?
Good morning from a brightening Manchester.
All credit to the plucky new club for reaching a cup semi in their 2 nd year.
Not so long ago I remember a club who played in the same stadium trumpeting their supremacist belief that they belonged at the champions league top table.
The only saving grace for us Celtic fans on those Wednesday nights as that music came on was knowing they would most likely be humiliated 4 0 by Ajax or Juve.
We watched wondering if we would ever hear that music at Celtic park. Some even wondered if we would ever win another trophy !!!
Well 20 years on the dynamic is very different. Thanks to Fergus Brian D &Q Martin Peter Dermott and the Celtic Support Celtic can enjoy nights like tonight for years to come ….
Whether we win lose or draw.
Hope we all enjoy the ride this year.
Competitive Record v Italian Clubs
25/05/1967 ECF Lisbon Inter Milan W 2-1 Gemmell (63), Chalmers (85) HT 0-1 55,000 – Celtic’s first European Cup Final and first win
19/02/1969 ECQF1 A AC Milan d 0-0 72,402
12/03/1969 ECQF2 H AC Milan L 0-1 75,000 HT 0-1
04/03/1970 ECQF1 H Fiorentina W 3-0 Auld (30), OG (49), Wallace (89) 80,000 – Wallace’s goal was his 100th for Celtic
18/03/1970 ECQF2 A Fiorentina L 0-1 50,000 HT 0-1
05/04/1972 ECSF1 A Inter Milan d 0-0 80,000
19/04/1972 ECSF2 H Inter Milan d 0-0 75,000 – Celtic lost 4-5 on penalty kicks much to the breaking of my nine-year-old heart
16/09/1981 EC1/1 H Juventus W 1-0 MacLeod (65) 60,017
30/09/1981 EC1/2 A Juventus L 0-2 69,000 HT 0-2
18/09/2001 CL A Juventus L 2-3 Petrov (67), Larsson (85 pen) 43,017 HT 0-1
31/10/2001 CL H Juventus W 4-3 Valgaeren (24), Sutton 2 (45, 64), Larsson (57 pen) 57,717 HT 2-1
29/09/2004 CL A AC Milan L 1-3 Varga (74) 52,648 HT 0-1
07/12/2004 CL H AC Milan d 0-0 59,228
20/02/2007 CL H AC Milan d 0-0 58,785
07/03/2007 CL A AC Milan L 0-1 AET 65,000
03/10/2007 CL H AC Milan W 2-1 McManus (62), McDonald (90) 58,643 HT 0-0
04/12/2007 CL A AC Milan L 0-1 38,409 HT 0-0
29/09/2011 EL H Udinese D 1-1 Ki (3 pen) 37,000 HT 1-0
15/12/2011 EL A Udinese D 1-1 Hooper (29) 15,000 HT 1-1
12/02/2013 CL H Juventus L 0-3 57,917 HT 0-1
06/03/2013 CL A Juventus L 0-2 35,000 HT 0-1
P 21 W 5 D 7 L 9 F 17 A 24
NB We have never scored in the first half versus AC
HH to all my friends here
WalterzenGa
Here’s the Lubo story, that I have posted before, but gives me a warm… tearie….feeling every time I read it
Enjoy
The story of how Lubo became a Celt…
The hotel was no different to many of the international hotels that the man had been in over a number of years. It was modern,luxurious, had all the necessary facilities and was close enough to the airport as to be convenient. He hoped that he would not have to be there for too long and that his business could be conducted quickly. The arrangements had been made in the main, soundings made,fees agreed. The only thing that he had left to do as to convince his prey that the proposal he was making would be mutually beneficial— and he had wrestled with himself as to just how to achieve his goal. After all he had known the man he was about to meet for years, knew him really well– and yet he was not sure if that made the conversation to come easier or considerably more difficult?
Time would tell– Nothing ventured nothing gained– and besides the younger man was a friend was he not?
He sat in the lobby waiting. He had insisted in coming alone– this was to be a personal meeting, so he did not want the executive types present with contracts and details– that could be sorted out later. This was just a chat between two men– old friends– but with a business proposal thrown in. That was all.
Yet it wasn’t all at all was it? The older man knew fine well that he may have to dig deep into his own past to make the deal work. He may just have to reveal a part of himself that he had kept hidden for years in order to gain the trust of the younger man. He may even lose a friend on this day, with the younger man concluding that his old friend had finally grown too old for the real world and had lost his marbles entirely!
He was thinking about that very thing when he saw the young man come through the door. Small, diminutive and with an impish grin which immediately lit up his face on seeing the old man, Lubomir Moravcik still looked like a schoolboy in his eyes! Yet he knew he was 33 years old, and now a veteran in the eyes of the footballing world!
” Josef!” “Lubo!”
The two men hugged and embraced as only old old friends do.
After some brief pleasantries, they retired to a waiting room where they could be alone for their chat.
Moravcik, too had come alone. He had driven the short distance from Duisburg to Dusseldorf to meet Josef Venglos, and knew in advance that the old man would be alone and the reason for his visit.
Once in the seclusion of the room, the two men asked about one another’s families and talked of old times and acquaintances, before Moravcik brought up the business in hand.
” So– you are now in Glasgow– Scotland? And managing Glasgow Celtic?
” Yes Lubomir, that I am”
” And you want me to go there too– at 33?”
“Yes , I do– very much so”
” Boss,– ( He still called him boss despite the years )– I am 33 years old, not at my fittest and I cannot hold down a place with Duisburg. My time in the footballing light has come and gone I’m afraid, and as much as I would like to play forever I have to face up to the fact that mother nature is telling me it is time to move on in life. Maybe coaching back in Slovakia, maybe somewhere in France, but the playing days are coming to an end if I am not at the terminus already!”
The older man sighed, poured some water into a glass, and looked at his countryman.
” Lubo, I know how old you are. I know where you have played, how often you have played and who you have played with. I first saw you as a schoolboy and know fine well that here you are in Germany and that you are not the youngest in the squad that you currently play with. But, I also know that you can do a job for Celtic, even if you do not play the full 90 minutes of each game. This will be good for you Lubo– I promise you– and besides it will stand you in good stead for when you do finally hang up your boots. I have every confidence!”
” But Scotland,Boss? It is a very different standard to here in the Bundesliga. It is different to France and St Ettienne and whilst everyone in Europe knows the Celtic of old– with no disrespect they are no longer amongst the big teams of Europe. I tell you, if it is a physical league– requiring fitness and physicality– then I am not up to it– at least I feel I am not up to it. I know Duisburg have agreed a fee– they see me as surplus. But I can see out my time here, make contacts on mainland Europe and plan for the future. In Scotland? Well I know no one– and no one knows me. I may find myself in a wilderness and miss out on chances here– chances off the park and away from the game– I am not certain at all.”
The two talked back and forward. Venglos outlined how he found the club and the squad. He repeated that he was confident and that whilst Rangers were the dominant team in Scotland– he knew the day would come when they would be toppled from the top of the Scottish tree, and how he believed Moravcik could play a part in that process.
Despite all of this and despite their friendship, the younger man remained dubious and unconvinced.
Ultimately, Venglos knew he would have to make the last throw of the dice. It was taking a risk and would test a long held friendship with his young counterpart but he decided to go for it.
” Lubomir? Do you remember when you first came to Prague?”
” Eh? Yes– I think it was when I was maybe 15 or16.”
” I was younger– maybe ten years old.”
” Why do you ask?”
” Lubo, I am going to tell you something that you may find hard to believe– something hard to comprehend. Please hear me out as I thought long and hard about telling you this, and at the end I will ask you one question and no matter how you answer I will respect your decision no matter what!”
The younger man looked perplexed and out of respect for his older friend simply nodded his assent.
The old man continued
” As you know I was born in Ruzomberok in Slovakia. Until 1918 the town was In Hungary– all mountains, streams and cotton mills. I was never anywhere near Prague until I went with my school not long after the end of the second world war– 1946. I was ten years old and all I wanted to do was play football– football, football, football– that was all I cared about. That visit has stayed with me ever since– though I have often been too embarrassed to speak of it because people would think me a fool.
On that trip to Prague, the school team played in a mini tournament that was held in the Letenske Sady Park. We were not very good I’m afraid but we played a number of games all the same.
At the end of one game, we noticed that our match had been watched by a few spectators, one of whom was an old man in a wheel chair. He was very animated this man. He had a nurse with him who kept telling him to be quiet, but despite this, he continued to shout instructions at us boys. The instructions were in broken Czech and they were barked– he seemed angry to me, he spoke in a funny acccent– yet he also seemed knowledgeable about football and at the end we were taken over by our coach to meet him as apparently he was quite famous– or indeed had been famous at one time.
He was introduced as “Dedek” or Grandpa and he was 80 years old. We were told that he was the Grandpa of Czech Football. He had been the manager of Slavia Prague for 25 years and had won many championships, including what could be regarded as the forerunner of the European Cup. He coached in a different way to anything or anyone that had come before. He knew about tactics, and muscles and physiotherapy long before anyone else. He was a national hero! He had helped coach the most successful national teams, at the Olympics and in the lead up to the world cup. We hung on his every word.
However, the strangest thing about Dedek was revealed in a ten minute story he told me that day. For despite being a hero in Czechoslovakia, he was born in Scotland– in a town called Dumbarton. He was a riveter in a ship yard and played football part time for the local club and he gained some success getting to the Scottish cup final in 1887. Then he said everything changed– changed in a way that he could never imagine, that you would never believe.
In 1888, he was asked to turn out as a guest for a new team– for a club to be called Celtic in Glasgow. He was reluctant at first but eventually agreed. He told me that there had been several attempts to start a club called Celtic and that they had all failed.He honestly felt that this club would fail too, but this time there was something different. So– on the 28th of May 1888– Dedek became the very first player to kick a ball for Celtic Glasgow. He was their first centre forward, and as such he took their first kick off and so started the whole Celtic ball rolling– literally. They played against a team called Rangers Swifts and won 5-2.
After the game there was a celebration which Dedek went to.. and at that party he was asked to join Celtic permanently, but he said no.
He returned to play for Dumbarton,which was a good team then and about 25 miles from Glasgow– but could not get the Celtic thing out of his head. He was pursued by other clubs from England but kept bumping into a Celtic man called Glass and another called Maley who promised him that something special would happen to him at Celtic Park– a park that the supporters built themselves Lubo. The way he spoke, it was as if they said that Celtic Park had been fashioned out of magic– you know like by a wizard? Eventually he signed for Celtic in August 1889 and stayed until 1897. He was apparently like you, Lubo, an entertainer, good feet, ferocious shot and a crowd pleaser. His nickname there was the rooter– because his shots were so hard they uprooted the posts. He won leagues and medals with Celtic and never left.
After he retired from playing, he went back to working in the shipyards but kept up to date with football. He travelled, and in 1905 Celtic toured through Europe and by coincidence came to Prague– by design or accident– Dedek came too and somehow got the job of managing Slavia Prague on 15th February 1905– He was a huge success– and he never went back to Scotland.
But on that day in the Letenske he said that his whole life in football truly started that day he turned out for a team called Celtic. As a young boy I listened to this old man in the park and he told us that if you can play football at all then you can play at Celtic Park in Scotland. He said it was a place where, for some, their real destiny awaited and that strange and wonderful things happen there. So I always knew about Celtic Park, always believed in the old man’s tale that it was a magical place. So when I got the chance to go there I didn’t hesitate– and I have seen it Lubo– seen it with my own eyes– I have seen and felt what the old man told me off– and it exists Lubo. It is there and it is real– and most of all it says to me ” Moravcik! Moravcik!”– you are the kind of player that can play there Lubo– you will shine and achieve things you have never before experienced– believe me.
The old man’s real name was Johnny Madden– go look him up– the very first guy to kick a ball for Celtic, Lubo, and he ends up a national hero in our back yard? A guy who was destined to fit rivets in a shipyard all his days– until he went to Celtic park– and I meet him in a public park one tram stop up from the Sparta station in 1946? And he looks into my eyes all those years ago and says if you get the chance one day go to Celtic park because strange things happen there? And so here I am– all these years later. the manager of the club where that old man kicked the first football which in turn lead him to be a legend in the country that both you and I played football for.
So here is my question Lubomir. I know you have doubts about your fitness and about Scotland. I know you have a future to think of and that you could have gone to Marseilles and Juventus and regretted not making those moves. So trust me Lubo– just this once more. Will you come with me to have a look at Celtic and their ground? Will you come and “feel” what it is like? See what the old man said was true all those years ago– and if you don’t get that feeling that you can play there, that you won’t fit in and that there is not something different about the place– well we will pay all the expenses of your visit and you can come back here– nothing lost at all!
“What do you say Lubomir– will you walk through the Parkhead gates with me for a look at the place where Dedek kicked the first ball?”– I swear you will just never know if you don’t!
Lubomir said yes!
——————–
HH
..hot and humid in the desert as usual… may go for 18 holes to while away the time till kick off.
Good morning fellow Celts – a beautiful Autumn morning in Renfrewshire, I can see Ben Lomond.
Champions League time again ahhhh it’s so good to be a Celt, lots of positivity on the blog. Hope Lenny not tempted to open up against a team that will still have lethal quality in every department despite reported injuries. Of the 9 ‘injured’ mentioned, how many will suddenly pop up in their starting eleven? One of the oldest tricks in the book.
Still think Pukki will be on from start.
Forster
Mikael, Efe, VVD, Charlie;
Matty, Broony, Joe, Sammi;
Kris,
Pukki
Bring it on
HH
Top of the morning to you all from a clear-skied and pleasant Fife.
The bhoys are certainly getting a fine day for the game if the weather stays like this!
I notice that the SFA are distancing themselves from the charade that was the Ian Black punishment process. This in the Scotsman letters:
SFA reply
Published on the 18 September
2013
00:00
Print this
Following the report (11 September) regarding the Scottish FA’s disciplinary tribunal hearing of the Ian Black case, “SFA head into uncharted territory as Black is tried”, the Scottish FA wishes to reaffirm that the judicial panel operates entirely independently from the association.
We are disappointed that this clarification was sought neither by the author nor the newspaper prior to publication, especially when we consider allegations contained within the article to be completely without foundation. We are therefore happy to exercise our right of reply.
Darryl Broadfoot
Head of Communications
Scottish FA
……………………………………………
Must be a first for Darryl. No alliteration!
I expected: “we are doubly deeply disappointed”
steviebhoy66
07:23 on 18 September, 2013
Oh that warm teary feeling is good…!
Lubo Moravcik wow, what a player, I was at his first game against the deid club when he scored those two goals. The look on his face the body language at the first, I think the penny was dropping at what we were all about. The second, it dropped, one of the finest footballers I have ever had the pleasure to watch.
Celtic can win in Milan, why…. because we are Glasgow Celtic and no one else is…!
Ayrshire is Green and White
HH
desertbhoy
07:24 on 18 September, 2013..hot and humid in the desert as usual… may go for 18 holes to while away the time till kick off.
18 you say….!
HH