When Celtic won their first 7-in-a-row by a 10-point margin in 1972, there was scarcely a cloud on the horizon. The also collected the Scottish Cup that season, lost the European Cup semi-final on penalties and, but for a mishap against Partick Thistle in the League Cup final, would have completed their third treble.
A year later, the league-winning margin was cut to a single point and although 9-in-a-row was famously achieved in 1974, the seventh consecutive title would be the last truly dominant Celtic league win for 16 years.
Jock Stein’s team of the mis-70s was vulnerable in ways your Celtic team of today is not. Stein was brilliant and changed everything about Scottish football when he arrived at Celtic in 1965, but the longer he stayed, the closer his rivals could ape his methods.
At Sean Fallon’s funeral Mass, Alex Ferguson mentioned that he and his wife would deliberately go to the same restaurant Jock and Sean dined at on a Saturday evening, so that the young Rangers player could quiz them both on the game. It was a school day for Ferguson. People watched Celtic, copied their tactics, scouting and preparations. By 1974 Stein’s advantage was gone.
This interpretation of Scottish football history was clear in 1997, when Rangers matched Celtic’s “9”. Their golden era was not the consequence of a radically different manager, but of sheer financial power, power that unlike Stein’s in 1974, remained in place as Rangers planned for 10-in-a-row.
There has been little consistency across our current 7-in-a-row. Three managers and countless players (not the 44 used in league campaigns between 1965 and 1974). If you were to try to match the current Celtic formula for success, you would attempt to replicate their scouting, sports science and maybe their playing style, but most of all, you would need a business plan that produces income which can, on occasion, reach £100m.
Like Rangers in 1997, Celtic today have a financial advantage over all others in Scottish football. Unlike Rangers in 1997, Celtic do not have anyone readying themselves to match their investment in the team. While Fergus McCann and Jock Brown were busy signing Henrik Larsson and the like, no one in Scotland can come close to matching Celtic’s £9m investment in Odsonne Eduard, or their £52m wage bill.
Nor should they. Under Fergus, Celtic worked their way close to Rangers turnover. By 1997 there was still a gap, but it was bridgeable without putting the club into peril. Even without Champions League football, other clubs are years away from getting to within striking distance of Celtic.
This position of strength is a consequence of professionalism throughout the club. Look around as you walk up Celtic Way tomorrow. Picture in your mind the next stage of the regeneration of the old place, with the hotel to your left, and a museum and visitor centre.
That Champions League income is important, but we have been busy in the background. The cumulative value of the Dafabet shirt sponsorship deal that was signed BEFORE Brendan Rodgers appointment and revolution in 2016 was worth as much as a Champions League group stage qualification. The renewal of Dafabet’s sponsorship for seven years, announced this morning, is worth an absolute fortune. Add to that, New Balance, the Magners sponsorship on the back and other key partnerships with Eden Mill, Intelligent Car Leasing and others, and you see a football club underpinned by strong finances, before it sells a season ticket or scores a goal.
One Saturday night In the early 1990s (not on a match day), at the Walfrid Restaurant, our table was served a main course without potatoes. The spuds duly appeared with the sweet.
This is an obscure observation to trouble you with today, but it encapsulated everything about Celtic of that era. We didn’t have the organisational knowledge to server potatoes with the chicken instead of the carrot cake. How could we hope to recruit, develop and tactically deliver success on the football field?
There are reasons why potatoes came with the carrot cake – it is not because the kitchen staff didn’t know better, just as there are reasons why we are ‘knocking it out the park’, on, and off, the park these days. Getting things right in any organisation is not quick, easy or cheap. It takes planning, training and several iterations of learning from mistakes. We were a shambles. We are now a thoroughly professional outfit in every area we operate. Look at what our commercial team are achieving in contrast to what happens elsewhere.
That is why we are going to win the league this season. It’s why we will win “10” and it is why we will continue to win successive titles for the rest of your life. This success is not built upon the wisdom of Jock Stein or Brendan Rodgers, it is a consequence of planning to win, and never lose again. Ever.
While Peter Lawwell is hugely important in the operation, it goes well beyond him now. You will find the same unforgiving demands at every corporate contact point. These commercial deals take the risk out of making expensive managerial appointments.
I have concerns about our prospects against AEK Athens – a stronger opponent than we are capable of facing in the fourth qualification round. The chances of a third consecutive treble should also be given perspective. We have escaped ‘one of those days’ in two years of cup competitions, that does not mean we are immune from them.
Champions League football may or may not happen this season, but we will not collapse “like a pack (sic) of cards” if we miss out. The show will go on, because we have planned for such an eventuality. Average attendances will hover a touch below capacity, we will continue to improve.
If you are too young to know how special tomorrow’s Flag Day is, bore yourself talking to an auld yin’ for a while. This success has been worked on for decades. It is a result of denial and restraint, while lemmings were heading for the cliff. It is a milestone in history. It is a beacon that shines a green light far beyond Celtic Park. It is a wonderful thing.
Enjoy it.
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the Posts where actually about the wearing of the green if you had taken the time to read them
Now if you want to discuss being ridiculed because I went into work with my ashes one Ash Wednesday that’s a different story
Tony
Enjoy mate and just to let you know normal Scottish summer has returned
Just back from hols. Delighted to find my Jimmy Cliff tickets in amongst the pile of mail for……….Wednesday, arrrrggghhh!!
QF
Aye,I have to agree with you there. There were many cases of sectarianism being applied by us,rather than against us.
That those cases were few and far between by comparison is no excuse.
My Chemistry teacher,head of department,was a Rangers-supporting Protestant. And a smashing bloke. Great teacher,too. But highly unusual in a Catholic secondary school.
My next-door neighbour,mixed-race from London,was assistant head of Maths. He applied for head of department at the soon-to-be-opened Kilwinning Academy. The rector of St Andrews in Saltcoats told him to withdraw his application as he would not endorse it nor give him a suitable reference.
So,in the early 80s,a mixed-race Londoner who had lived and worked happily in Scotland for about 15 years without much bother,hit a wall of sectarianism.
From a rather unexpected-and educated!!!-source.
He was back home in Rayleigh within a year. Our loss.
Bob Dylan fan anaw. All round good guy.
BT
I know what you mean about the wearing of the green so to speak, I turned up for the golf on Wednesday wearing a royal blue top,royal blue shorts and navy blue golf shoes. As we declared our ball brand before teeing off, I said, ” Mine is a Nike with a green tick.”
“Yours would be.” said one of the four. He said it in a friendly way but that insidious meaning is still there.The blue in my attire, as I pointed out to him, outweighed the green by about a million % but the one wee green tick was enough !
Soon be time to join Sticky and the Emerald Express.
JJ
Doors to automatic
Jobocsc
BT – I better dig out the wet gear then:( heading to Sligo for four days with Sean, 12 of us altogether⛳?.
Slainte
Tony
BMCUWP I should clarify my earlier post, of course I have came across sectarianism on both sides of the workplace and it is something I abhor.
I meant that I am in a postion in my workplace, to stop it happening regardless of which side.
Hail hail
There is and will always only be one Daniel Fergus MCGrain
???
D. :)
QF and BMCUW
Aye, one side is as bad as the other right enough. The ratio might be 95 to 5 but what does that matter, eh?
Off to board he Emerald Express to Paradise.
Cheerio for now.
JJ
First CQN Coupon:
TET – Portsmouth
LB – Notts County
Pog – Partick
AWATR – Fleetwood
Jobo – Dumbarton
BMCUWP – Kilmarnock
GFTB – Preston
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
My two bhoys, for my Christmas, got me an olive green t shirt with a white trainer on the front. 3 Adidas type stripes with the name mcgrain 02 on the shoe and the words “world class “
Very appropriate for today, I think.
TORONTONY on 4TH AUGUST 2018 10:30 AM
Enjoy your visit I’m only a 19th Hole dude. Depending how long your home for might catch a pint.
You should still have my e-mail and moby but if not get me at lennybhoycfc@gmail.com
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
hopefully the rumours re the aberdeen centre half are what they are only rumours, the guy is hopeless.
Blantyre
I do. Scotland was the first public education system in the world. It was paid for by the Church of Scotland. When the state took over the CoS donated the schools but insisted on compulsory christian observance which is still in place today. However the RC church got a cosy wee number where they could become denominational and the rest of the state schools stayed non-denominational christian. Since then the RC church have refused to allow priests into the chaplaincy team’s in ND schools thereby allowing them to become protestant dominated and denying RC parents the choice of an RC influenced education in a ND school. In this secular day where the census reveals the major religion in non religion. and due to mixed marriage, ND school have a mainly non religious cohort with high level of Celtic Supporting pupils in ND schools in the west of scotland. This is a massive shift in the past 30 years. Time to remove the compulsory religious observance (not religious education) element from state schools IMHO
QF
Anyway shower had, green top on, breakfast then a few pints before paradise. hail hail!
Torontony
Sorry mate not today, I’m up at the Crowe lake CSC but would have loved to share a guinness or 3. Have a great time back home and in Sligo and keep yer eye oot for that pink ba’ I hit in Portugal :-) Nae Eldorado for Magee mind.
HH
Hot smoke
It’s not 95 – 5
There are too many sides for that
if we make it christian, non christian religious, non religious you would probably find it nearer
50, 50 and 0.
The people discriminated against are the non religious in this country.
QF
Ffs, 6am here – been up for hours. Cannae beat a flag day.
insomniacCSC
Ron67
Guid to see McGinn getting a wee break :-)
HOTSMOKED
Not at all,mate. Nor would I suggest it to be the case.
Did you miss this bit,right at the start?
“That those cases were few and far between by comparison is no excuse.”
Enjoy the game,ya lucky sod!
Happy flag day – number one son is still playing cricket so will have his Vale ticket today – wish I was going to CP
Have a great time -3 points please
QF
Enjoy the game and the pints
TEUCHTER ÁR LÁ on 4TH AUGUST 2018 11:05 AM
Ron67
Guid to see McGinn getting a wee break :-)
LOL
HH
Where were the upholders of law and order on Thursday?
They were making sure their camcorders are in working order for the baddies today.
Well it’s only fair they are seen carrying out their duties.
2 nil to the champs or even 3-1 would suffice!!!!!!!!!!
BHOYJOEBELFAST on 4TH AUGUST 2018 11:14 AM
Where were the upholders of law and order on Thursday?
They were making sure their camcorders are in working order for the baddies today.
maybe they were all plugged in on charge.
Celtic have been scoring 3 goals a game, this season, until Wednesday, (when we didn’t need to score), so a wee 6-0 today should return our average to an acceptable standard for even the most enthusiastic of mineshafters.
Festivities commence at the ole Gazebo around 2.00pm.
World class, Danny McGrain unfurling the flag then football at Paradise at 3.00pm on a Saturday afternoon. Just way it is meant to be.
Life is for living.
Hail Hail
Eurochamps67
TAL – That pink ball is no doubt the feature of Rui’s back garden, it was a great hit for you to get it there from where you were hitting:)
No Guinness until later as I’m getting the sclaffbats oot this afternoon.
Catch ye when I get back mid month.
Slainte
Tony
Thanks to the generosity of SFTB…. I AM NOW GOING TO THE GAME ….woooohoooo!!! ;)))
also a big thanks to LENNYBHOY for putting me I touch with T.
FURRITZAGRANDOLETEAMTAEPLAYFUR ….FURRITZA….. ;)))))
A long time ago I was introduced to Mr Mints whilst wearing a green shirt. He immediately asked my colleague if I was ‘one of them’.
Tony
Have a great time and say hello to Martin and Stevie for me.
HH
TEUCHTER ÁR LÁ
Did u manage to scoff the Stornaway black pudding before you returned to Canada ?
Hi guys, first time posting on here for about 10 years. Looking forward to Daniel Fergus
Day
Teuchter ár lá
Enjoyed the chat in the Kerrydale…another goodnight in the company of fine celts .
Still surprised that ALMORE survived a drinking sesh into the sma hours wae ACGR !!!!
next time hope you can bring M.I.T with you .
BT
Absolutely delicious mate.Thank you.
There is a place in Dingwall (Cockburns) that takes some beating for their black puddin’
Butcher is from Clydebank and settled in the heilans’ – we go to the game together when I’m home. Great drinkin’ toon.
Hope your releations enjoyed Bramalea.
HH bud
Marspapa,
Can you take up SFTB’s place in the Gazebo so I can thank you in person for your kindness?
Eurochamps67
Think that
Jozo, Hayes, and Griff will start today with Hendry, KT and Sinky on the bench
Lustig might come in for Gamboa but think that would be tough on Cristian
I have no idea why Dedryk is not included in the squad for today.He has had a full week of training after a couple of weeks rest.I mean,how unfit can you become?.Not too concerned about him missing todays game,but some kind of a run out would have helped him for AEK.Or has Brendan no intention of playing,his words,Celtics best defender in this vital game.Surely Griff must get a game.If not,then I am totally in the dark about whats important in football now.
A weeks full timetraining and I could play 45 minutes.
ST TAMS
Welcome back and a well deserved honour for Danny
Marspapa
Likewise sir, enjoyed a great night.
I’ll have to get Mike hittin’ the law books so he can properly look after my interests and keep me on the right side of Scodds law :-) Enjoy flag day my friend.
HH