The rare joy of Swedish football

1341

I’ve only seen a Swedish team play live on two occasions, the national team, at Hampden, twice. The first was in 1977. Kenny Dalglish was still very much a Celtic hero at the time but back then I was captivated by Ronnie Glavin, who, for me, provided as much thrill as his more celebrated team mate.  Ronnie was subbed early in the second half but it was Joe Craig who made the headlines after coming on as a late substitute to make his international debut.

I was far back in the Celtic end but memories of Dalglish crossing from the right wing and Joe stooping low to head into the net from close range – his first touch of the ball – remain vivid.

I’ve a few great Swedish football memories of TV coverage: Gothenburg in the 1986 European Cup semi-final against Barca.  The Swedes were 3-0 after the first leg but wilted in Catalonia and lost out on penalties.  The neutrals were disappointed.  Gothenburg fared better the following season, edging Dundee United in the Uefa Cup final (I was disappointed again).  Heady days for both.  I recall cheering the same team on in a Champions League qualifier during our barren 90s, when European pleasure was taken second hand.

There are some who would tell you Swedish football is in dire straits.  Gothenburg, once the regional superpower, are currently 11th in the league, but Sweden has a rare joy, a league title competed for by up to a dozen teams.  The Allsvenskan has produced seven different champions in the last seven years, in fact, it is a bit like Scotland, without Celtic or former club Rangers (remember them?).

Clubs live within their means, have an absolute connection to their communities and thrive knowing that genuine talent will be rewarded with a league title. Aspirational Scottish clubs must dream of this status….

Looking forward to tomorrow night. The script is written for Tony Watt to ‘do a Joe Craig’.

A couple of administrative notes:

Some of you will have received automated emails relating to your CQN user accounts today.  We discovered password requests waiting in a queue.  If you are already registered please ignore.

Twitter changed their application rules last week causing display problems for several readers.  We hope to have the problem resolved soon but if you clear your cached files, or try from a different browser, you should have no problems.

Next edition of CQN Magazine will be with you shortly.

Click Here for Comments >
Share.

About Author

1,341 Comments
  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. ...
  4. 7
  5. 8
  6. 9
  7. 10
  8. 11
  9. 12
  10. 13
  11. ...
  12. 36

  1. Anyone else think we sold Ki on the cheap??? Rodwell, Allen, Johnson, Jarvis all went for double figures and none of them have the caps, European games, Olympic medal Ki has!!!!

  2. JJP_ON

     

     

    dont think so earlier.

     

     

    I went to Cologne away game so know that was Sept 1992 Roughie was a few seasons before that.

     

     

    I know dates for Cologne as I left on my 1st wedding anniversary

     

    to go not popular with Mrs jc2.

  3. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    Blinkin’ flip.

     

     

    It’s like the first day of a new term at school today.

     

     

    Everyone introducing themselves to the “old bhoys”

     

     

    Welcome to you all-you know the standards which have been set,and to which you must aspire.

     

     

    Don’t lower yourselves to mine………

  4. over and over

     

    qiggsybhoy is in Santa Ponsa at the moment.. probably Seans place for the match..

  5. stumptownbhoy-(ex-sandiegobhoy)for_wee_oscar

     

     

    15:47 on

     

    28 August, 2012

     

    FourGreenFields-

     

     

    In this case does EBT stand for “extra bar tab”?

     

     

    You will need a extra big bar tab if you go out with some posters on here. :-))

  6. The moves are afoot for C.O. to slink off from the sfa with golden parachute into uefa with a golden handshake. This is the way of the corrupt and terminally greedy. Waffle,obfuscate,dissemble with their polished legalese and slither past every obstacle while pocketing our money to pay for their bloated egos.

     

    A McC’s trying to learn these moves,but being a complete ned,he can’t quite pull it off.

     

    A few degrees short of a moral compass, this lot. Ruining Scottish football,at our expense,in order to enrich themselves.

     

    Do they care? Not a jot. We are simply mug punters to be lied to by people who know full well that we see them for what they are,but there they go,smirking and preening their way to imagined glory. The corrupt. The bent. The criminal.

  7. StumptownBhoy-(ex-SanDiegoBhoy)For_wee_Oscar on

    Savo01-

     

     

    I think it was the length of contract left that contributed. Only 18 months to run after which he would have gone for nowt.

  8. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    voguepunter

     

    15:30 on

     

    28 August, 2012

     

    BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS

     

     

    Thought you were going to your bed?

     

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~

     

     

    You know my shifts better than I do!

     

     

    Wan last can,man……..

  9. savo01

     

     

    Yes, but unfortunately in the environment we play in, no one is going to pay us the same as they would pay for someone who has played in the “greatest league in the world”.

     

     

    The English don’t rate our players as highly as they do their own and they know that they can get them on the cheap.

     

     

    Think we should have held out for £8m or told them where to go.

     

     

    Let’s hope that there is a hefty sign on clause as if he has even a half decent season, he’ll go for £10m next season.

     

     

    Mort

  10. blantyretim

     

     

    15:52 on

     

    28 August, 2012

     

    thats very true Four Green Fields…. o))

     

    How you doing mate , must be about time for another few pints and a blether.

  11. My first overseas away game was also in Cologne -the mrs took the kids to euro Disney whilst I spent two nights in dusseldorf before and after game also not very popular but forgiven now

  12. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    TheBarcaMole

     

    15:31 on

     

    28 August, 2012

     

    BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS

     

     

    15:28 on 28 August, 2012 …………

     

     

    Whatabout SEELLTTIIK ?????????

     

     

    TBM

     

    ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     

     

    Did you go to skule in Kilwinning too?

     

     

    Tickets booked for home on the 6th Oct,and a wee night out-I hope-wi some of the names on here.

     

     

    Still available?

  13. A carniverous Irish Pub in Portland, Oregon!

     

     

    Celtic fans are not cannibals for God’s sake!

     

     

    Cavernous, perhaps?

     

     

    HH!!

  14. Over..and...Over on

    Thanks Blantyretim, We are heading out tomorrow 6.45 from Prestwick, usually watch games in Flamingos. Any clues as to how I would spot him?

  15. StumptownBhoy-(ex-SanDiegoBhoy)For_wee_Oscar on

    FourGreenFields-

     

     

    Thanks for the warning. Especially ole Dick Byrne, I hear, contributes to the EBT scheme regularly.

  16. That wait on getting a logon was like a thousand years in pergatory, appreciate all the good work Paul.

     

     

    Sure the boys will see us through but nervous nonetheless.

     

     

    Living in Aus I was fortunate enough to have Willie Waddle and John Clark come to my office and recount a whole load of entertaining stories particularly about Jinky, fastest two hours of my life, while they were in town for the pre season that year. As you can see my logon has been waiting for sometime.

     

     

    John the gentleman that he is sorted a time for my son and his friends to get their tops etc and my Opus signed by the whole team and then I took two bus loads of Aussies to see the bhoys play on my birthday, memories that will last forever and new Celtic fans for life.

     

     

    Confident we will do what’s required tomorrow

     

     

    HH

     

     

    MosmanBhoy

  17. FourGreenFields

     

     

    hoping to make it out after game on Saturday for a wee hour or two with ole Estadio National who is home from the desert….

     

     

    I’m sure there will be chatter re times etc over the next couple of days..

     

     

    1 thing for sure, it won’t be BB’s…

  18. a ship called dignity on

    Is it true that Henrik recommended Bangura or is that just MSM drivel – surely the Great One wouldnt have recommended that – or has he got a twin and we were duped!!!!

  19. BMCUW

     

     

    Howdy!

     

     

    Yes, I’m ‘still game’!

     

     

    Middle of October in that posh golfing toon!

     

     

    Dont forget to wear the Hoops!

     

     

    HH!!

  20. StumptownBhoy-(ex-SanDiegoBhoy)For_wee_Oscar on

    Just waking up here on the Pacific Coast…Although you venture out into the forests here a bouts and there are Hun lookalikes that would make you wonder.

  21. I mentioned the other day how me and a pal were compiling a list of names to join the Glasgow legion of super heroes.

     

     

    Like superman, Iron man and stuff.

     

     

    Anyway we started with

     

     

    Rent-man

     

    Bag-lady and a few others

     

     

    and then he came up with

     

     

    Quality-man

     

     

    Now BMCUW has come up with an even better candidate….

     

     

    Wan last can man!

     

     

    Hail Hail

     

     

    Estadio

  22. over and over..

     

     

    skinny wee guy with no1 haircut..with another two bhoys, one won’t be drinking..

     

     

    think the fact that one isn’t drinking in Santa Ponsa will be a giveaway… o))

  23. jc2

     

    15:49 on

     

    28 August, 2012

     

    JJP_ON

     

     

    dont think so earlier.

     

     

    ——————————–

     

    What about Honved? An old recording I remember from vhs days!

  24. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    THE SINGING DETECTIVE

     

     

    Saw your post lastnight about Muslim tentative links to inventing all sorts of thing,including flight.

     

     

    As I recall,that particular claim was from 1127

     

     

    How about this one?

     

     

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

  25. Stump,

     

    18 months is still a decent length. Sinclair has a year and Swansea have rejected £6.3 today. I think Jarvis had 18 months too and he’s gone for £7.4 basic! Ki was worth at least £8/9m going by those figures.

  26. Hail hail folks,first post for me too ;-) looking forward to game tomorrow night,and soon we should be hearing the champions league music,while thems will be playing Forres mechanics,lol no disrespect to any mechanics on here ;-) but for the X-huns what goes around comes around

     

     

    P.s it’s been a great read since mid February and thanks Paul67 for all your information I have ditched the newspapers now,and come hear for all my info ;-)

  27. Am I right in saying that Alan Rough only played in europe for Celtic and Partick Thistle on two occasions both times against Honved

  28. Not related to the post so apologies, in Korea this week and all my Korean friends are asking where in England is Sawnsea? They were all wearing hoops previously.

     

     

    Happy to take the cash for Ki but was always guaranteed to see any hoops game in Seoul previously now two chances.

  29. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    Tallybhoy

     

    15:57 on

     

    28 August, 2012

     

    BMCUW

     

     

    Howdy!

     

     

    Yes, I’m ‘still game’!

     

     

    Middle of October in that posh golfing toon!

     

     

    Dont forget to wear the Hoops!

     

     

    HH!!

     

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~

     

     

    I will probably be wearing a cunningly disguised Heineken t-shirt,as a tribute to Henrik.

     

     

    It’s a belter,you should get one.

     

     

    My grateful thanks to my sisters for that one.

  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. ...
  4. 7
  5. 8
  6. 9
  7. 10
  8. 11
  9. 12
  10. 13
  11. ...
  12. 36