The script was written for George O’Boyle. Henrik gave Celtic the lead in the opening minutes but this was a team on its knees. If we thought that early goal would lead to an easy afternoon we were wrong. St Johnstone were our match all over the field.
O’Boyle met a near inch-perfect cross from the right with Jonathan Gould stranded, but the St Johnstone striker could not get high enough (pun intended) and Rangers’ best chance to win 10-in-a-row was gone.
Like the entire decade of the 90s, the game was torture. With Rangers winning at Tannadice we needed a win to ‘stop the 10’, but more was at stake than that. If we had let this one slip through out hands, needing only three points from our final two games, it is difficult to conceive how we would have recovered.
In truth, it is hard to imagine how we got close to the title. The 11th hour appointment of Wim Jansen produced a stuttering start to the campaign: a defeat at Hibs before an embarrassing capitulation at home to Dunfermline. Meanwhile, Rangers new prolific striker, Marco Negri, was breaking records.
With two weeks of the season left, we drew 0-0 at home to soon-to-be-relegated Hibernian. This was not a fantastic Celtic team, but they were made of strong stuff and would not be denied.
With around 15 minutes left against St Johnstone, the world’s most magnificent misfit, Harald Brattbakk did what he did best – got between defence and goalkeeper – to sweep the ball home. Grown men cried. This title was celebrated like none will ever be celebrated again.
The subsequent 20 years have seen many great successes. We have had Seville, The Beating of Barca (twice) and many Champions League triumphs, but that game against St Johnstone is without doubt the most important victory in my Celtic supporting life. Nothing in my entire relationship with the club comes close to that 90 minutes.
During the previous decade Celtic fans were effectively foreigners in our own land. Our streets were filled with celebratory blue jerseys; men had died blonde hair, aping (pun intended) Rangers players. They laughed at us, often with good reason.
We all have our memories of that night’s celebrations, but my most vivid memory is driving through the towns and villages of Lanarkshire. Green and white hooped fans were everywhere, some even waving flags sitting on top of traffic lights. The streets were ours again and we’re not giving them back.
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HOT SMOKED on 9TH MAY 2018 12:36 PM
A repost as I am interested in any opinions on the likelihood of this happening:
Motherwell winning the Cup and Sevco finishing 4th in the League would save the MSSM the embarrassment of explaining why Sevco were not playing in Europe. No ?
JJ
_____________________________________________________________-
It would indeed; however, if they do finish 4th (very likely IMHO) it gives them another decision if ftSFA can’t “massage” the Sevco licence through. What’s the lesser of 2 evils: Celtic winning back to back trebles by winning the Cup or Sevco being out of Europe by Motherwell winning the cup.
Hobsons choice indeed!
KTF
Dontbrattbakinanger is 1.85333333332221 metres
? on
:)))
After much soul searching I came to believe that the inability to enjoy the present moment often made me unhappy.
Bitterness about the past could have eaten me up but I wasn’t willing to pay the price to stay in that place:))
There’s a so much about Celtic to enjoy and Paul’s post today reminds us all of a day that will live forever in the memories of the support and so it should.
There’s is as always room for improvement and justice to be sought but I would never let my issues about the club stop me from enjoying the club at it’s best and personally I don’t understand those who do, just the way I am I guess.
As Brendan said something along the lines of we have a great history but we have to also make new history, I enjoy watching Brendans team as I enjoyed watching Wim’s maybe not the two greatest Celtic teams I’ve ever watched but similar in the way that they are determined to get the job done:))
Bring on The Killie
KTF
KEVJUNGLE
You really are the angriest, saddest Celtic person I have ever come across.
Which is a shame.
I hope the you are experiencing love and happiness in other parts of your life.
I know you have health issues and I do remember you in my prayers.
Take care.
So I am not the only one.
Still sit in same seat but gave it away to go to a 1st communion.
Some good came out of it my nephew has been down South since
1998 but not only did he turn his back on his dads team(murderwell)
he still comes up to watch the Hoops.
Still hurts though and my mates never let me forget
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
ROBERTTRESSELL on 9TH MAY 2018 12:46 PM
Greatest regret of my footballing life was giving away my ticket for that game. I had good reason at the time but as the years go by the reason seems less and less good and stands as a lesson to me to grab opportunities when they come along because they don’t repeat themselves!
Every time I see the goals or read about that day I kick myself!
Harald Brattbak boots were size 6
Sowerehisfeet CSC
BSR
Is that his waist size?
Shoorly no!
;D
If UEFA knock back dead team
SFA will pull all Scottish teams as an act of solidarity
Maybe shouldnt give them ideas
BATEEN BHOY on 8TH MAY 2018 8:23 PM
In the annals of Ugly Huns, Morelos deserves to be in the same chapter as Davie Dodds and Stewart Kennedy. ??
___________________________________________________________________
Mrs VFR was watching the second half of the game and spotted More or Less and laughed saying “that is one ugly man; even his haircut accentuates his mis-shaped head!”
Commenting on Goss she said: “he’s obviously wearing thrupenny bit boots tonight. He can’t kick the ball straight!” (for those of you who are post decimal, thing 50p boots).
On Martin: “he wouldn’t get a game in a good boys team.”
On Candeias: “does he get paid for playing football?”
On the game in general: “2 really poor teams who give football a bad name. If Hibs can’t finish above them they should be disappointed”.
KTF
BOURNESOUPRECIPE
He looked a tad taller than that when I met him.
MIKE IN TORONTO on 8TH MAY 2018 7:15 PM
MIT – you are a dirty old man …………..
I’ll see what I can do!
KTF
What happened to the St Etienne bike money?
Hi Paul67,
Great piece today, that Championship was an awesome achievement against the odds… It meant that the Lions era and Jock’s Legacy was not turned over… what a travesty that would have been.
AULDHEID @ 12:48 PM,
That’s very interesting… credit must go to the Res12 ghuys and the other I-Bampots who have continually knocked on doors asking the hard questions and putting pressure on the Authorities to do the right thing.
It also looks like regime change now that the highly compromised Stewart Regan has gone and a new Chief Exec is in place… Bodes well.
You make a very good point regarding the granting of a UEFA Licence. It’s not black and white, if a Club does not reach the criteria…
“The significance of a challenge from UEFA is that whilst they can still approve a licence they can do so with conditions, which if not met to UEFA’s timescale can lead to as much as a three year ban”
So we’ll see, but this has to be a hugely positive sign for Scottish Football!!
Hail Hail
BMCUW
He’s shorter than he looks and wears big green boots on special occasions like hunskelpings.
TV
Thanks for that.
So what Phil and others are saying is garbage then ?
HH
BOURNESOUPRECIPE
This may all be true-however,I will greet him in future as I greet most people I respect-
Awright,big man?
Just 6 and a wee-bit-hours till we get the privilege of yet again seeing The Champions play.
Enjoy celebrating SE7EN in a row. And soon we can start singing “here we go, ei8ht in a row….”
enjoyeverymomentCSC
KEVJUNGLE on 9TH MAY 2018 1:08 PM
I see that your vitriol has changed direction today. Still, no surprise at the content.
Fergus McCann may not be everyones cup of tea, but along with the other Rebels you talk about he did exactly what he said he would do and the legacy is there for all to see. He had no sentiment so sacked Tommy Burns and brought in Wim Jansen. Jansen resigned, he wasn’t sacked. The rest is history (if you know it).
Without Fergus McCan’s business acumen (and his money) who knows where we would be now; certainly not as stable and successful as we now are. Then again, you probably know that but it doesn’t suit your contumacious stance on all things Celtic just now.
I don’t expect any response; I didn’t get one yesterday. It seems that you are unwilling to debate anything; simply to cause dissent and criticise fellow Celtic supporters.
troglodytesrusCSC
KTF
Celtic to win tonight.
Hibs to Hibs it.
Ryan Christie to not make it at Celtic on the basis of last night’s performance.
I hope the Scottish Premiership,ditch Sky ,and for all Scottish Football Clubs,they get a Better deal with BT Sport’s,
DD – the table is booked for 6 o’clock.
Say hello to Jobo who will be 2 rows in front of you. In The North Curve, not Coias!
KTF
I was terrified that day (20 years ago? Yikes!).
My stomach was tumblin’s its wilkies all day and I couldn’t relax until Harald put the second away. I knew it was done then and so did the rest of the stadium as it was absolutely rocking from that moment on.
In the middle of the 2nd half I had to pop to the loo (told you I was nervous) and there was a guy sitting on the floor with his head in his hands. I asked if he was okay and all he said was, “Just canny watch it”.
I always think about that guy when I look back on that day and I always hope that he got himself together and got back to his seat in time for 2nd goal.
Who knows maybe he posts / lurks on here?
Oh and it’s also my da’s birthday. Happy Birthday Frantic07!
TGSC,
Sailing On….
Spot on, Paul.
9th May 1998 – THE greatest day in my lifetime to be a Celtic supporter.
From the moment right in front of me when Henrik heard me shout ‘Hit it!’ and did, to Harald’s most beautiful strike there was a peculiar limbo about the place, fifty thousand walking a tightrope between heaven and hell.
How those players coped with the pressure will never truly be explained but they had defied mortal burdens all season, giving the Hun a 6-point start then playing themselves relentlessly into pole position only to have unexpectedly imploded at Dunfermline the previous Sunday.
9 years of expectation, despair, and the most forlorn hope distilled into one heart-stopping, breath-seizing second as Harald’s controlled side-footer from Jackie’s low cross slid past the keeper and slapped the back of the net.
Thereafter a tsunami was unleashed of the greatest mix of unbridled joy, relief and schadenfreude I have ever -and ever will – experience in a football stadium. Vllification of all those years endured of inferiority, misery and bewildement as the corrupt armies of darkness’ celebrations threatened to become eternal.
Sore faces all round form grins as wide as the Celtic Park pitch we poured onto, kissed, plucked and danced around. I distinctly remember standing somewhere near the centre circle at the jungle side as thousands cavorted around me, like a loon in the garden of Eden, gazing up at the monolithic stands and wondering how the players had coped with the weight of expectation towering over them; shaking my head in thankful disbelief at their incredible mental strength.
I don’t even remember what happened the night after; all that I can recall is enshrined in the answer to my daughter’s question; today is her birthday and I’ve regailed her as she’s grown up with the tale of the most wonderful day that is May 9th, for, of course, TWO of the finest reasons known to man:
“You were happy, then, Dad, when Celtic did it?”
“‘Happy’ is too bland a descriptor, darling. The only expression to accurately capture the emotion of that day, in all its historical, colloquial, colourful glory is, ‘f#####g ecstatic'”
? on 9TH MAY 2018 1:42 PM
Hey motorbike man, not all Troglodytes are living in the dark ages, some of us have evolved :-)
HH
“Happy Brattbakk Day” to one and all!
Bend it like Brattbakk: http://www.webstersglasgow.com/events/bend-it-like-brattbakk-2018-10-05/
THEGOODSHIPCELTIC
Say hi to yer Dad,please. And aye,I’m glad I’m not the only person who felt like that.
I wasn’t worried about us not doing it-honest. I was confident we would. I just had nothing left to celebrate.
Didn’t feel like that on 21-5-79. Nor in the Centenary Season. Semi final,final,game against the huns at new year. Etc…
Who cares?
That one,I did. I was worn out.
Happy Brithday Frantic07
Good Ship Celtica ,hope your are well
Wee Naisy gets a a wee knock on his door.
Sorry… was about to sneeze :)
THE EXILED TIM on 9TH MAY 2018 1:51 PM
The meanings of troglodyte that are apposite in this instance are:
1. a person of degraded, primitive, or brutal character.
2. a person living in seclusion.
3. a person unacquainted with affairs of the world.
No slur on prehistoric or current cave dwellers was intended!
KTF
Fergus was right to sack Tommy, and I love TB.
He had three years, which is enough. Obviously the masons cheated him, which just emphasises celtic have to win by a distance to be safe from ‘honest mistakes’.
It took a logical man like Fergus to do the right thing, whilst we were hungup with emotion.
Just to say, if Eddy and Griffy aren’t available tonight why not give Aitchison another chance? Dembele was taken off as a precaution against Hearts as well..
Haven’t seen much of Christie this season. I can’t help thinking that Scott Allan would be better.
Stopping them winning 1 in a row was something of a miracle as there was a division in the squad between the British drinking clique (Burley, Stubbs and Gould) and the Scandinavian professionals (Henrik, Rieper and Wieghorst).
COOLMORE MAFIA on 9TH MAY 2018 2:06 PM
SShhh. You will be expelled from the Oul’ Jungle Rhebels clique by saying that!
KTF
A wonderful day that will live long in the memory. However, the entire run up to it that week was a torturte I have not know before or since. It ended well- as it should have – in Celtic’s favour and those tears I cried and saw that day, serve to remind me to taking none of this Glory for granted.
HH
Great memories Paul, thanks.
It was an incredible feeling.
Greatest joy at any Celtic game I’ve attended? Nope – that would be the 4-2 game, then the Love Street ’86 game.
Greatest relief I’ve ever encountered at a game? – Yep, and by a country mile. There was joy in abundance make no mistake, but the relief was such like I had never encountered – it was tangible and most definitely spiritual.
I was there with my family (as I was at the 4-2 and Love Street games), but this time I had my son with me as well, 2 weeks short of his 10th birthday. We had given up our Block 405 North Stand seats for extended family and we were together in the Lisbon Lions Upper. We were both in a terrible state with 15 minutes to go and he told me he needed the toilet. I followed him, glad of the break from the horrible tension and as we were going down the stairs to the concourse the bold Harald scored – we saw the players celebrating on the TV screen and we danced around like maniacs, bonded forever in the moment. We ran back up the stairs to the pitch, – him admitting he never needed in the first place – and we knew the league was won.
He is in London now and will celebrate his 30th birthday in a couple of weeks but still has his season ticket. The game on May 9th 1998 regularly crops up as a discussion point between us, including his running on the pitch at the end in celebration and carrying out the most pathetic “Klinsmann” known to man. He also remembers my tears at the final “YNWA”.
I bought the biggest Tricolour with “Hail Hail The Celts Are Here” outside the stadium for £10.
1 week later, joy & relief undiminished, me & my cousin tied it to a bridge over the M8 just after Shotts/Harthill late morning on the day of the Scottish Cup Final between Hearts & Rangers just to remind everyone who the Champions were. Don’t know how long that big beautiful sacrificial flag lasted, but it was worth it – we had been saved.
Just reflecting on the fact that wee Murdo was involved in all of those top 3 games of mine.