After writing a piece on our European season for the forthcoming CQN Magazine I read the excellent contribution from SFTB this morning. It is only natural that we live in the moment but for the last 70 years of the 20th century Celtic fans, more than anyone else, viewed each day in its historical context.
Older generations would have had little choice but to keep their history alive during the lost decades between the mid-20s and mid-60s. 7-1 and the Coronation Cup, each magnificent and modest in their own way, were the highlights, while the legend of Jimmy McGrory more than anyone established what was known as the Celtic Way.
Then came Lisbon. In an instant, all that history was eclipsed. New heroes, one of whom recalled to me he was told Celtic would amount to nothing with him in the team by a ‘fan’ a few years earlier, changed everything, but for this most historical of clubs, the inheritance was not all positive.
If Jimmy McGrory established Celtic as a remarkable goal-scoring team, the incessant attacking that afternoon in Lisbon cast an unattainable shadow. It proved Celtic could win the European Cup by playing fabulous football but set a template we were cursed to attempt to follow.
The rules of the off-field game have changed often since those days, no more so than this season, when Celtic grew from a team who were penned into their own penalty box by HJK Helsinki, who needed a goal to knock us out of Europe in August, from a team the Turin media were joyous when Juventus beat home and away. Thoughts of ‘Maybe we could win this” have since emerged in Turin.
I’ve loved every minute of this season, from the last minute header in Moscow to the last minute header in Dingwall. Adding context to it is a joy for one of our tomorrows.
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philvisreturns
Good point, still think Charlie would have been better saying nothing.
…..Garvies……….
Robertsons…
Dead and Loving it
Charlie was hit with a number of questions and the laptop loyal have quoted the one that was loaded.
Charlie later tweeted he thought a league race with Sevco was more exciting but at no time did he say they should get straight back into the SPL.
…Cydax
Paul67 – we’ve been chasing our own shadow since ’67 and trying to play the Celtic Way. I wouldn’t have it any other way, would you?
However, we fans of the modren era have at our fingertips – literally – the ability to go down memory lane and relive past glories on the ol’ Timternet in these last years. Just watched Tony and Sammi’s goals there! Our fathers, fathers either had to be there or, hear it on the radio or recounted from a faithful observer.
Who was most blessed? Dunno. I still remember being sent to the kitchen to listen to the commentary from Ajax vs Celtic (big George sent us through) and I was utterly transfixed and had to imagine all the plays in my head from the limited commentary.
Seeing the Hoops in the flesh remains best though, no question. IMO
HH
Cha Mul Grew
………..probably values his personal safety and his ability to walk about largely un-molested by knuckle-draggers, hence his response.
Seeing Steve Hancock’s name as sub against Sliema Wanderers brought back memories of him and another youngster who followed him at Newtongrange Star, Rab Prentice.
I remember in the early 1970s watching them play Cambuslang Rangers in the Scottish Cup Final at Hampden.
No football to play that Saturday and it was the only game in town. Honest!
The big Alpine bottles were great for the home brew.
Meri Mate
Ronald Reagan’s chief of staff was called Donald Regan.
Champagne Fever wins first race @5/1
champagne fever.who gave us that this morning???????
Chelsea have 23 players out on loan.
Oldco had 40 players on loans. (so they said)
Art of war
One of my favourite memories is that game in Amsterdam. Like you listened to it on the radio. Real drama!
Managed to get highlights on VHS (Dutch edition of Scotsport, still can’t believe no TV company got highlights at least!) ((For younger readers VHS was something which came before Blu-ray and DVD!)).
Remember Murdo going up to Cruyff just after he had received treatment at 1-1 and doing a bit of timewasting pulling up his socks , fiddling with his laces. Murdo marched up to the physio who was still hanging about ‘Haw, get tae ++++, he can tie his own +++ing laces’!!
Can someone enlighten “thems” re. League titles. IF they win Div 3 this season, they wont have won a league, they’ll have won a DIVISION. THE League can only be won by one of the 12 in the SPL!
Gonnae somebody tell “thems” that!
HH
Afternoon bhoys from a very wet hun free mountain valley.
BobbyM
Many thanks for Champagne Fever the other day, got it at 9/1
Art of War, I’d never change ’67 but give me this season’s performance against Barca than against Juve any day.
BIGYINMILAN
Rab Prentice?
Left winger,Hearts,fringes of a very good Scotland team at the time?
Apologies,mate-I take back everything I called you back then!
Jonny the Tim
The winners of the SFL1 will win the Scottish Football League and can also be accurately described as league champions.
Pedantic.csc
Mort
Next time you shave, recreate the famous scene from Taxi Driver, – whilst staring into the mirror say in a Robert De Niro type accent – “You talkin to me”…….. “You talkin to me”…..”Yooouu Taaallkinn to meee”
THE EXILED TIM
Delighted,bud.
I’ll do my best to follow up,but I have a feeling I have peaked already!
The Narrowbhoat Tim 13:41 on 12 March, 2013
Don’t you think maybe he was worried about NOT losing his job? :-)
I’ve only been to a few games the past four seasons due to financial restraint.
After having a season book for years, the old foldy paper ones and then books for my son and daughter, I’m in the position to get our season books again.
I sorely missed going.
Hail Hail.
Mort
Fair comment. As I’ve said previously on this blog, I love the pedantry, so no offence taken.
Thanks for putting me right
Sipsini
Should you no’ be working?
HH
Kingoh – I still haven’t seen any footage! Would love to have seen that. Oh you do realise that you’ve made Kev’s day?
Paul67 – agreed. Barca was a deffo “did that just happen?” type of night. Wonderful.
However, the same could be said after four minutes of Juve game as in “did that just happen?” type of moment. Woeful!
HH
Talking of that day in Lisbon.
A few Celtic Legends and CQN rebribates.
http://twitter.com/JohnDoc67/status/311482378755375107/photo/1
Kingoh
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tSEnHKmmLB8
The game against Ajax was my first trip abroad with Celtic.
The reason it wasn’t shown on tv was explained by a poster on here some time ago.
I think it had to do with the advertising on the Ajax jersey.
I remember the Ajax fans unfurled a huge white banner in the opposite end from us with F***T**P*** written on it in black letters!
We were also pelted with stones by their fans during the game.
SPF
SIPSINI
Absolutely delighted for you,mate!
I am unable to take up a season ticket as I live in Swindon and work-?-six nights a week,but if I lived at home,I’d be there.
It would probably mean me leading my Dad astray,and he’s really looking forward to it!
Maybe someday PHILVISRETURNS will allow me a seat on the wing of his private jet-he lives reasonably near,but has yet to offer.
He’s taking this undercover Trotskyism too far,IMO.
Jonny the tim.
Took a halfday as i had things to do.
I’ve still got my chessire cat face on…huns in the work must have thought they had liquidated again lol x
sipsini
14:28 on 12 March, 2013
FANTASTIC NEWS ……..ONWARDS AND UPWARDS
Jonny the tim
:-)
hard to beat a bit of pedentary. Thems wait for a first league title will have to wait a bit longer but if they do a bit of yo-yoing, they could certainly get 5 division titles within a few years.
Mort
bobby murdoch’s curled-up winklepickers
Cheers mate can’t wait to get back in the fold.
Most games I’ve made of late has been through the courtesy of my mate in the number 7.
Can’t moan about that but it’ll be good to get back in the groove.
ScotPatsFan
Thanks for that. Listening on the radio certainly didn’t give the ‘being at the game feeling’as I was not avoiding stones at the time!
AOW
‘Oh you do realise that you’ve made Kev’s day?’
This may be some cryptic message but like many things in life it’s went way over my head.
If it’s s reference to an earlier post I’ve only read back to the start of this thread..
A friend of Mrs Bada got a job in St Andrews and looking to rent possibly in Dundee,embdae got any contacts?
Hmmmmmmmmm…
Amsterdam,beating Ajax 2-1
Those who were there and remember it just don’t get the Amsterdam thing-nothing short of a minor miracle that I caught the correct ferry the one time I went.
Te first leg,though,was a different story.
We got absolutely HAMMERED. 2-2,and what an escape that was.
Danny,in particular,got ripped a new one by Jesper Olsen. First time I can remember.
My point is in relation to the hammering that Roy Aitken has been getting recently-for he didn’t play that night. A lot of my mates were happy with that,but a kicking like we received that night wouldn’t have happened with him in the team. IMO.
He played in the return,btw…..
Sipsini, that’s great news, get down near the GB, great entertainment.
You’ll some energy to keep up with them though.