How many times have we been here? Miles ahead in the league, League Cup in the bag – or as often, only a minnow to take care off in the final, when some bright spark realises we’re only a handful of wins away from an elusive treble.
Celtic have had more than three great teams in the last 70 years, but anyone with a grasp of history will tell you that trebles are hard to get, particularly for a Celtic team who occasionally have to play teams at Hampden where outfield players are granted goalkeeper rights.
The ’67 team won the League Cup and Scottish Cup before anyone knew where that season would end. Rangers were still very much in the hunt for the league, while only the hearts of Celtic fans believed they would win the European Cup.
By 1969 the league title had become the formality it is now, as had the League Cup – Jock Stein won his first five League Cups as Celtic manager. A Scottish Cup final against Rangers was all that stood in the way of Celtic’s second treble. Big Billy, George Connelly and our own John Fallon with a man of the match performance destroyed our old, old-enemy 4-0.
Only a fool or a liar would tell you Martin O’Neill would overcome a +20 deficit in the league and take both cups in his first season in charge of a rag-tag looking Celtic in season 2000- 2001. It wasn’t so much winning the treble that made this special, or, indeed, the football we played, but the incredible leap forward we made between Martin’s appointment in May and that Glorious Six in late August.
Everyone was stunned, including Celtic fans, although not as much as some others. In a unguarded moment that season, one Rangers fan said to me, “I don’t think I can take any more of this”. All the old certainties came crashing down. A domination, which for the financially blind looked like it would continue for decades, was over.
Martin had the Midas Touch, for a while, anyway, and the treble was secured, but although his team continued to improve for a few seasons, that would be our last full house.
Brendan and the players are new to this. With faith in each other they may well be prone to getting ahead of themselves. There is a lot of work to do to win the Scottish Cup. Should we get past Queen of the South or the Rovers, the trip to Pittodrie will be difficult. And if we cope there, Tynecastle will be equally hostile in the quarter final.
So spare me talk of trebles until May.
Every pantomime needs a baddie and this year’s is Ally McCoist, who, against all precedent, finds his secret ballot activities for a resolution at Newco’s AGM public knowledge. It’s astonishing that we know how McCoist did or didn’t vote. In any other country, ‘news’ like this it would be a story in itself. It’s something private that we just shouldn’t know.
But when the clarion call goes up in Scotland, “”Who are these people” who failed to support us?”, the answer surely follows. Whatever reservations McCoist has about the current regime are his business until he says differently. Behind the headlines, there is little analysis about why he would jeopradise his reputation in order to inhibit King.
There’s the story.
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SETTING FREE THE BEARS FOR RES. 12 & OSCAR KNOX on 29TH NOVEMBER 2016 8:49 PM
Congratulations to your boy
HH
SFTB-Nat
Mucho congrats to yous.
HH
SETTING FREE THE BEARS FOR RES. 12 & OSCAR KNOX on 29TH NOVEMBER 2016 9:04 PM
Well done to you Nat Know too.
Even if you did have to go thru to “You’ll have had yir tea” City to get it.
What did you get addressed on?
Bet it was as flowery as the Joseph Cotton address in Heaven’s gate.
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Cheers dude.
We were addressed – but being Edinburgh we had to pay the postage ourselves…. ;-)))
NATKNOW on 29TH NOVEMBER 2016 8:58 PM
Well done clever bhoy
HH
Ming
You’re not far out.
The undergraduate degree wasn’t opening many doors so the Masters degree was more vocational this time.
An absolutely amazing number of foreign students coming to Glasgow Uni these days. They bring a lot of money and global contacts to the country. My son’s course had students from Africa, the US, Latvia, Cuba and, even England.
Natknow
Did a part time degree myself back in 1975 – proper CNAA degree
Paid off in the long run
Well done again
Mike in Toronto Happy birthday
SFTB and Natknow Congratulations to your families
SFTB
Congratulations to your son.
Jimmynotpaul, sevco tried to sign Leigh not long after the cup final, when Warbie was doing his impersonation Of David Mccallum in the Invisible Man.
It was Weirdo and Mcparland who got them up to Murray Park then Ibrox .
Jc told me they were very professional and helpful. They were aware of Lee being a celtic fan but it wasn’t an issue to them.
SFTB
It is of course a serious issue when we encourage teenagers to get a degree and at the end of it no job – plus of course the course fees in England make the financial position worse.
My nephew got a science degree and is a manager in McDonalds
SETTING FREE THE BEARS FOR RES. 12 & OSCAR KNOX on 29TH NOVEMBER 2016 8:49 PM
I had a very enjoyable day seeing my youngest earn a Masters degree at Glasgow Uni today.
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Many congratulations to the youngest ,to you and to all yours.
Might even be a reflection of the role played by the parents.
:-)
Education.
An end in itself.
Jimmynotpaul, Leigh should be Lee in my last post
Cheers folks. I started an Arts course through the Open University a few years ago to keep myself out the pub when working away from home. Completed that and took a Masters in Philosophy through Edinburgh Uni. over the past 2 years. Bit of a slog but if I’ve learnt one thing it’s this : Persistence Beats Resistance.
Pass it on…
:-)))))
still 1-0 Albion
Congrats to SFTB Jr,and to NATKNOW,on their achievements.
Well done,fellas!
Re the Scottish Cup draw…
Whilst the recent history of home draws for The Rangers (and away ties for us) appears to defy the odds of probability, it is worth looking back at previous seasons. One particular period stands out.
During our nine a row campaign, 1965/1966 to 1973/1974 when we reached 8 finals, we were involved in 25 Scottish Cup draws. On just 4 occasions we were drawn away from home.
In fact from March 1969 to March 1974 we were drawn at home in 16 consecutive ties. In the first two rounds of season 1968/1969 we were drawn away to Partick Thistle and then Clyde which means that we were not drawn to play a Scottish Cup tie outside of Glasgow from March 1966 (V Hearts) until January 1975 (v Hibs). We did of course have to navigate a few replays away from home – Dunfermline , Hearts , Aberdeen and Motherwell.
As far as home ties are concerned, we have literally not had the luck of the draw in recent seasons however overall I think it is fair to say the records show an almost even split of home and away ties for us – and indeed for Rangers (1872/3 – 2012).
Thanks for the comments guys but the point was not to earn kudos for the boy, who is currently out getting pished with his multi-cultural classmates, but to bring Professor Muscatelli’s wise words to a wider audience. A very impressive, coherent argument against the stupidities of believing every argument has equal value and the view that perception trumps truth.
Natknow
art and Philosophy – bet you go into a meltdown when you see a Picasso painting :))
Jimmynotpaul. thanks for good wishes for my son.
His first birthday was the day the first team to play out of Ibrox beat us 5 1.
Marrakesh,
I also remember the NTV Fan Survey and also remember that most were split 55/45
However I thought Man City were heavily for The Dark Side ( although I may be wrong)
the time I was quite surprised to find that the biggest margin favouring Celtic( of all the English fans surveyed ) was West Ham.
Perhaps someone has the old NTV’s in their loft to confirm…
“The Palest of Ink is Better than the best of memories”
The Onlooker
MING on 29TH NOVEMBER 2016 9:15 PM
Natknow
art and Philosophy – bet you go into a meltdown when you see a Picasso painting :))
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Us bhoys from Coatbridge are not phased by these things. There was a Peter Howson hanging in the Carnegie Library in Academy Street for years. Let’s just say know a belter when I see one… ;-))))
Dallas.
Well at least things have improved greatly for your son since then.
Dallas.
Warbs definitely met Lee and Jc at Ibrox in person about this time last year.
Lee is not too far off finishing his first years contract at Sunderland, about 3 months to go, his second years contract is more rewarding.
QOS have equalised.
Jamie” bloody” Hamill
Onlooker
Yes Your right about City. Middlesbrough were the other team.
Mrs Ming’s back night all
SETTING FREE THE BEARS FOR RES. 12 & OSCAR KNOX on 29TH NOVEMBER 2016 9:15 PM
Thanks for the comments guys but the point was not to earn kudos for the boy, who is currently out getting pished with his multi-cultural classmates, but to bring Professor Muscatelli’s wise words to a wider audience. A very impressive, coherent argument against the stupidities of believing every argument has equal value and the view that perception trumps truth.
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:-)
Wee sting in the tail there.
I knew you weren`t trumpeting a family achievement anyway.
2-1 Rovers, 93 min
2-1 Rovers FT last min goal
Speaking of Boro, I’d a few sessions with some of them at my daughter’s wedding in Rhodes two years ago. They told me of how Boro fans botched up an ambush on Celtic fans at Middlesbrough early 90s, by underestimating the size of travelling support they were taking on.
The highlight for them however was a local ned and serial housebreaker getting his nose bit off in ensuing battle.
Finished 2.1 Rovers
Rovers were down to ten men from 83rd minute.
They scored the winner in stoppage time.
Well done.
Macjay
The Donald is a bit more of a sociopathic liar than a Post-truth apologist. He doesn’t bother too much with thoughts that trouble his head.
I still predict he will not see out his term and it will not be an assassination that ends it.
Can i get Freeview im with Virgin??
SFTB @ 8:49
Thanks for that.
This bit, from Prof Muscatelli`s Address, made me think of some of your responses to those who have adopted the `assertion` style in their posts !
“The first is that whilst assertion is simple, establishing the truth as defined by objective facts is complicated. Rebutting blind assertion requires considerable skill.”
JJ
Well done the wee rovers HH
Good effort Albion Rovers.
SETTING FREE THE BEARS FOR RES. 12 & OSCAR KNOX on 29TH NOVEMBER 2016 9:40 PM
Macjay
The Donald is a bit more of a sociopathic liar than a Post-truth apologist. He doesn’t bother too much with thoughts that trouble his head.
I still predict he will not see out his term and it will not be an assassination that ends it.
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I’ll be surprised if Trump sees this out. However, it may be that he delegates most of it to allow him to concentrate making more money…
Well done the Wee Rovers!!!!!
I’ve never liked that Jamie Hamill anyway.