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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Good advice for the modern mhan or ghirl……….
-always carry a brolly, hail hail, rain or shine
-keep a spare pair of reading glasses in the car
-never hand feed a hunned-up troll
-keep some ginger ale in the fridge, in case unexpected visitors call
Clancy AWWW NAWWW a complete incompetent
bankiebhoy1
-keep some ginger ale in the fridge, in case unexpected visitors call
—————————————————-
Canada Dry?
Depends on the time of year…
Clancy???? Staggering.
I’m staggered they didn’t give brother Thomson another last hurrah…
Who would win in fight between Jaqcues Cousteau and Kenny McLean?
What was on that weekend
Paul67 et al
Of course Paul, as many on here have recollected off-times before, myself included, the most recent edition of Private Eye back then featured a cartoon comprising of a Pict, (coulda been a Celt), looking up to a Roman Guard standing atop Hadrian’s Wall, and asking him the football results, to which said Roman replied;
Celtic 2 – St Johnstone 0.
So no doubts in my mind, If the Romans cannot predict a result who can?
Another amazing fact that day, unlikely ever to be repeated, is that we supported the Celts from our cars in the main Celtic car park (listening to Roddy Forsyth on Radio 5);
They wont let us near that car park now, not so much as we are not worthy, just not Corporate enough!
Yip, was 100% expecting brother thompson, clancy is no friend of Celtic.
Auldheid
Honesty and transparency won’t be forthcoming from the sfa, you better than anyone will know that.
Ain’t it about time Pedro flexed the unseen Fenian hand, it’s becoming a bit of a joke really and we are the butt of their joke, they are laughing at us, unless the club/s say anything the corruption will carry on as per.
HH
DavidO……….
I tried to Drink Canada Dry once……got as far as “Trawnaa” and collapsed.
Kevin Clancy appointed Cup Final referee- i think he has a 100% record for booking Broonie…
Hibs suffer Alfredo Morelos suspension blow for Easter Rd Sevco visit.
He loved it.
https://twitter.com/twitter/statuses/994163999955701761
HABCELT, unfortunately that’s me back home ,however would recommend bangle beach club restaurant for a meal it’s at harbour area of old town excellent food decent prices and stunning views also get number 10 bus from cable car to cavtat great restaurants and harbour, hope they enjoy rest of honeymoon and they like the hotel
Bangle should be bange
Wooft, 5 o’clock already…
DAVIDOPOULOS on 9TH MAY 2018 4:34 PM
Clancy???? Staggering.
I’m staggered they didn’t give brother Thomson another last hurrah…
——-
Thomson has been refereeing fairly since Brendan arrived, it’s probably been noted.
Just seen that Wayne Rooney has been to visit Sir Alex Ferguson. ‘His speech is improving and he can now string a sentence together,’ said Fergie….
Yes paul, i remember listening to that St Johnstone game on radio on the edge of my sofa and the relief afterwards for what was a sensational victory and a terrific strike by Harald Brattbakk. It was a major coup at the time to bring Brattbakk, who was one of the top strikers in Europe to Celtic Park. Probably the start of the days when Celtic could lure top players instead of projects to Paradise. Thing did not quite work out for Brattbakk in his days at Celtic but we will always remember him for that all-important strike to halt Le Bleus ten -in-a-row.
Primary school football
The Rules Of The Game
General
Matches shall be played over three unequal periods: two playtimes and lunchtime. Each of these periods shall begin shortly after the ringing of a bell, and although a bell is also rung towards the end of these periods, play may continue for up to ten minutes afterwards, depending on the nihilism or “bottle” of the participants with regard to corporal punishment meted out to latecomers back to the classroom. In practice there is a sliding scale of nihilism, from those who hasten to stand in line as soon as the bell rings, known as “poofs”, through those who will hang on until the time they estimate it takes the teachers to down the last of their G&T’s and journey from the staff room, known as “chancers”, and finally to those who will hang on until a teacher actually has to physically retrieve them, known as “nutters”.
This sliding scale is intended to radically alter the logistics of a match in progress, often having dramatic effects on the scoreline as the number of remaining participants drops. It is important, therefore, in picking the sides, to achieve a fair balance of poofs, chancers and nutters in order that the scoreline achieved over a sustained period of play – lunchtime, for instance – is not totally nullified by a five-minute post-bell onslaught of five nutters against one. The scoreline to be carried over from the previous period of the match is in the trust of the last nutters to leave the field of play, and may be the matter of some debate. This must be resolved in one of the approved manners (see adjudication).
Parameters
The object is to force the ball between two large, unkempt piles of jackets, in lieu of goalposts. These piles may grow or shrink throughout the match, depending on the number of participants and the prevailing weather. as the number of players increases, so shall the piles. Each jacket added to the pile by a new addition to a side should be placed on the inside, nearest the goalkeeper, thus reducing the target area. It is also important that the sleeve of one of the jackets should jut out across the goalmouth, as it will often be claimed that the ball went “over the post” and it can henceforth be asserted that the outstretched sleeve denotes the innermost part of the pile and thus the inside of the post. The on-going reduction of the size of the goal is the responsibility of any respectable defence and should be undertaken conscientiously with resourcefulness and imagination. In the absence of a crossbar, the upper limit of the target area is observed as being slightly above head height, although when the height at which a ball passed between the jackets is in dispute, judgement shall liewith an arbitrary adjudicator from one of the sides. He is known as the best fighter”; his decision is final and may be enforced with physical violence if anyone wants to stretch a point. In games on large open spaces, the length of the pitch is obviously denoted by the jacket piles, but the width is a variable. In the absence of roads, water hazards etc, the width is determined by how far out the attacking winger has to meander before the pursuing defender gets fed up and lets him head back towards where the rest of the players are waiting, often as far as quarter of a mile away. It is often observed that the playing area is “not a full-size pitch”. This can be invoked verbally to justify placing a wall of players eighteen inches from the ball at direct free kicks. It is the formal response to “yards”, which the kick-taker will incant meaninglessly as he places the ball. Tactics Playground football tactics are best explained in terms of team formation. Whereas senior sides tend to choose – according to circumstance – from among a number of standard options (eg 4-4-2, 4-3-3, 5-3-2), the playground side is usually more rigid in sticking to the all-purpose 1-1-17 formation.
This formation is a sturdy basis for the unique style of play, ball-flow and territorial give-and-take that makes the playground game such a renowned and strategically engrossing spectacle. Just as the 5-3-2 formation is sometimes referred to in practice as “Catenaccio”, the 1-1-17 formation gives rise to a style of play that is best described as “Nomadic”. all but perhaps four of the participants (see also Offside) migrate en masse from one area of the pitch to another, following the ball, and it is tactically vital that every last one of them remains within a ten-yard radius of it at all times.
Stoppages
Much stoppage time in the senior game is down to injured players requiring treatment on the field of play. The playground game flows freer having adopted the refereeing philosophy of “no post-mortem, no free-kick”, and play will continue around and even on top of a participant who has fallen in the course of his endeavours. However, the playground game is nonetheless subject to other interruptions, and some examples are listed below.
1. Ball on school roof or over school wall.
The retrieval time itself is negligible in these cases. The stoppage is most prolonged by the argument to decide which player must risk life, limb or four of the belt to scale the drainpipe or negotiate the barbed wire in order to return the ball to play. Disputes usually arise between the player who actually struck the ball and any others he claims it may have struck before disappearing into forbidden territory. In the case of the Best Fighter having been adjudged responsible for such an incident, a volunteer is often required to go in his stead or the game may be abandoned, as the Best Fighter is entitled to observe that (a) “you can’t make me”; or (b) “It’s not my ball anyway”.
2. Bigger boys steal ball.
A highly irritating interruption, the length of which is determined by the players’ experience in dealing with this sort of thing. The intruders will seldom actually steal the ball, but will improvise their own kickabout amongst themselves, occasionally inviting the younger players to attempt to tackle them. Standing around looking bored and unimpressed usually results in a quick restart. Shows of frustration and engaging in attempts to win back the ball can prolong the stoppage indefinitely. Informing the intruders that one of the players’ older brother is “Mad Paul Murphy” or some other noted local pugilist can also ensure minimum delay.
3. Menopausal old bag confiscates ball.
More of a threat in the street or local green kickabout than within the school walls. Sad, blue-rinsed, ill-tempered, Tory-voting cat-owner transfers her anger about the array of failures that has been her life to nine-year-olds who have committed the heinous crime of letting their ball cross her privet Line of Death. Interruption (loss of ball) is predicted to last “until you learn how to play with it properly”, but instruction on how to achieve this without actually having the bloody thing is not usually forwarded. Tact is required in these circumstances, even when the return of the ball seems highly unlikely, as further irritation of woman may result in the more serious stoppage: Menopausal old bag calls police. Celebration Goal-scorers are entitled to a maximum run of thirty yards with their hands in the air, making crowd noises and saluting imaginary packed terraces. Congratulation by team-mates is in the measure appropriate to the importance of the goal in view of the current scoreline (for instance, making it 34-12 does not entitle the player to drop to his knees and make the sign of the cross), and the extent of the scorer’s contribution. A fabulous solo dismantling of the defence or 25-yard (actually eight yards, but calculated as relative distance because “it’s not a full-size pitch”) rocket shot will elicit applause and back-pats from the entire team and the more magnanimous of the opponents.
However, a tap-in in the midst of a chaotic scramble will be heralded withthe epithet “poaching bas*ard” from the opposing defence amidst mild acknowledgment from team-mates. Applying an unnecessary final touch when a ball is already rolling into the goal will elicit a burst nose from the original striker.
Kneeling down to head the ball over the line when defence and keeper are already beaten will elicit a thoroughly deserved kicking.
As a footnote, however, it should be stressed that any goal scored by the Best Fighter will be met with universal acclaim, even if it falls into any of the latter three categories.
Penalties
At senior level, each side often has one appointed penalty-taker, who will defer to a team-mate in special circumstances, such as his requiring one more for a hat trick. The playground side has two appointed penalty-takers: the Best Player and the Best Fighter.
The arrangement is simple: the Best Player takes the penalties when his side is a retrievable margin behind, and the Best Fighter at all other times. If the side is comfortably in front, the ball-owner may be invited to take a penalty. Goalkeepers are often the subject of temporary substitutions at penalties, forced to give up their position to the Best Player or Best Fighter, who recognise the kudos attached to the heroic act of saving one of these kicks, and are buggered if “little Billy” is going to steal any ofit.
Close Season
This is known also as the Summer Holidays, which the players usually spend dabbling briefly in other sports: tennis for a fortnight while Wimbledon is on the telly; pitch-and-putt for four days during the Open; and cricket for about an hour and a half until they discover that it really is as boring to play as it is to watch.
The Tory racist MP, Douglas Ross, that was screaming for Jozo to be sent off at Ibrox is one of the linesmen in the Cup Final.
Loads of memories from 1997/98.
One that sticks in my mind is my old mum, who will be 80 this year, having more faith than me.
After we lost our second league game, at home to Dunfermline, having previously lost to Hibs, I came home really deflated.
Those of you who were there will recall, it wasn’t a pleasant atmosphere by the end of that game. We were six behind already, after just 2 games and I just couldn’t see us turning it around.
Rangers were now 1/20 for the league, we were 8/1, my mum gave me a fiver and told me to put it on Celtic, it was important to keep believing and to enjoy the football she said.
She, of course, was, and still is, wiser than me and yes, you will not be surprised to know that she gave me the 45 winnings to celebrate with.
Hail Hail
gary67
Picking up an MP’s salary, (and expenses), plus an assistant ref’s fee for the game.
Nice work! If you can get it!
Sandman
………fifty thousand walking a tightrope between heaven and hell.
Such a simple way to put it, yet you somehow managed to sum 9 years and 90 minutes up perfectly in just 8 words :))))
CELTIC MAC on 9TH MAY 2018 5:16 PM
I thought he would have been at home watching Harry Hewitt’s wedding that day!
ok 9 then
cannae count either.
Brilliant wee line though Sandman :)
HH
The full Sportscene programme from the night of 9th May 1998
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=rGzCSmHa-5o
gary67
Gary you could up on a treason charge with comments like that!
‘Once more into the breeches!’
Bada @5:01
That was brilliant :0)
“20 years ago today we made the first incision in what proved to be Rangers Death of a Thousand Cuts”
James Forrest
Maybe consider changing the pic on Clancy for final article.
Red card Red card Red card………………
Frantic07
Happy birthday…….wow……what a pressie that must have been 20 years ago!!!!
It might not match that particular day but i hope the hoops bang a few more in for you tonight :)
That awkward moment when your brother in law phones and he’s still having his dinner?
Craig Gordon doubtful for Cup Final.
GARY67 5:26
Thank you for sportscene vid.
still caught myself holding my breath :))))))
Gary 67………..thanks for posting Sportscene highlights of game my first time to see it. Interesting to see Alan Stubbs probably one of the top defenders in the English game at the time who came to Celtic for for a massive transfer fee of 6 million, big money in those days.
Brilliant Paul. Totally summed up my feelings as well. Started watching the hoops in the early 70’s and been to thousands of games but this was the most gut wrenchingly difficult 90 minutes I’d ever witnessed. O’Boyle missed right in front of me and time seemed to stand still when he did. When Harald scored I did cry as I’m actually doing now as I’m typing this. A great day lead to a bright future with many more to come but none surely like that one!
On Iron Horse heading to Paradise.
Hail Hail.