The rare joy of Swedish football

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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.

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Next edition of CQN Magazine will be with you shortly.

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  1. Bsr

     

     

    Aye ,if any newco geezers ever mention ‘Royal burgh’reply is ‘as bestowed by

     

    Saint David .whatch their ugly wee heids spin.

  2. Good Night Scotland

     

    Good Night Ireland

     

    Good Night Wales

     

    Good Night England

     

    Good Night Canada

     

    Good Night New Zealand

     

    Good Night Australia

     

     

    And

     

     

    Good Night .. Willie Miller, wherever you are.

     

     

    Kojo

     

     

    Laughin.. like Hell…

     

     

    by the way..

     

     

    Celtic 2 the Swedes.. 1…

  3. Udinese owner shown in director’s box. Doesn’t look happy…

     

     

    Just got the news that they don’t even drop to the Ramsdens Cup

  4. No 77 absolute muppet. Just smash it into the corner, not hard!

     

     

    Our chance to shine tomorrow, let’s do it!

     

     

    Hail Hail!

     

     

    P27

  5. BSR

     

     

    Champions at holding a grudge that lot ,and they don’t even know why.

     

    eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeejits!

  6. Well time for bed…..but just before I go here’s what I was thinking about and wrote on ……….Tuesday, May 23, 2006

     

     

    *********************************************************

     

     

    A youth academy somewhere in Milngavie

     

     

    And so it came to pass that in the Under 19 international qualifiers, 6 Celtic players were the foundation of the successful Scotland side, and 2 were included in the valiant but sadly unsuccessful Irish team.(obviously not enough Celtic players)!

     

     

    I Can’t for the life of me find any representation from the £14m gingerbread cottage up the road there.

     

     

    DM put his thoughts into the following heartfelt elegy….

     

     

    The dying rays of the crimson sun shone low across the grass,

     

    No sound was heard, no move was made, but the old man cried ‘alas,

     

    This kingdom cost me so much gold, but the soil proved deid and dry’

     

    And now the Tumbleweed just blaws o’er this desert in Milngavie.

     

     

    ‘Ten thousand fresh faced hopeful huns have tried tae pass the test,

     

    We graded all and like Homepride we kept those who were best!

     

    A hundred? Fifty? Mibbee five? Ach huv anither go!

     

    Old Hubbard’s cupboard had mair bones…. 12 million less than Flo!’

     

     

    ‘We’ve tried the lot’ wee John Brown said backed up by Monkey Durrant,

     

    ‘At least there’s Boab, big FTP, and he’s a true bun Currant!’ (sorry about that!)

     

    ‘That dope! That erse! That waste of air, he couldnae cross a road,

     

    He wance wis kissed by a princess fair who turned intae a toad’.

     

     

    A million quid gets flushed away wae every passin’ year,

     

    For all the talent that’s been honed it dis seem awfy dear,

     

    ‘Ah know ah said if Celtic spent a five then ten ah’d blow,

     

    Ah come on lads, wis jist a joke, besides ah’ve nae mair dough.’

     

     

    ‘Ah’ve sold the shops, ah’ve sacked the staff, ah’m pawnin aw ma shares

     

    Ah’ve conned the fans, the Rangers Trust, ah’ve caught them unawares,

     

    They think they’re givin’ Rangers cash tae challenge Europes best,

     

    The poor wee fools, ah’ve got their shirt, an’ they’ve ‘simply the vest!’

     

     

    He wiped the tears that filled his eyes and thought of all his dosh,

     

    ‘That bastard Advocaat’s to blame, he talked a load of tosh,

     

    He said the Tims would fall behind, their fate would soon be sealed

     

    Alas alack, state of the Art’s been found at Barrowfield!’

     

     

    ********************************************************

     

     

    Not much has changed

     

     

    Murray park conveyor belt

     

     

    Hail Hail and good night

     

     

    Estadio

  7. WGS brilliant one-liner about the guy who tried the chip-penalty.

     

     

    Says: he calls himself the ‘magician’ – well he is – he’s just made £15M disappear!

     

     

    LOL!

  8. WGS just talked us through last weeks game – as well as tring to sell a player!

     

     

    Stomach is starting to turn. One more sleep.

     

     

    Be with you all tomorrow.

     

     

    HH

  9. 'crushed nuts?' 'Naw, Layringitis!' on

    Anyone else hear about the ‘heated exchange’ at Berwick? Apparently Elbows & TWFPLG had to be seperated at half-time, one felt that the team weren’t giving 100% and the other thought that the long ball tactic was p1sh.

     

    Lots of ‘you don’t care about this club v you’re only looking for a way out.

     

     

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjjuY5qetnw

  10. Smith’s performance on SSB tonight was incredible, at times tripping over the borders of the absurd. In effect, “it’s a new club but it’s the same club, and the new club which is the same club as the old club should not be made to pay for the sins of the old club because it is a new club (although it is the same club as the old club)…the history of the old club is the history of the new club, but the debts and disgrace of the old club died with the old club because the new club is a new club…which is the same as the old club…and those titles, won by the old club fairly and squarely, shouldn’t be taken away from the old club…and how come you Celtic fans don’t get it???”

     

     

    Jeez…

  11. praecepta

     

     

    Didn’t fancy much tonight, so stuck on a couple of accas, QoS game let me down, had it more than 2.5 goals, had the other 8 on the line up.

     

     

    Spewing :>)

  12. The Singing Sea Cucumber demands the reinstatement of Ma Anal Car as leader of the Polish United Workers Party. on

    Hi, Long Time Lurker, First Time Poster.

     

     

    Cucumber.

  13. Blantyretim.

     

     

    I’ll be walking across George Square at around 14.28 tomorrow afternoon,had a look at google maps to get directions for the Hotel,looked at the main door and there was 2 women and a guy sitting on the steps of the hotel,and a guy lying all out at their feet.I seriously have misgivings about that Hotel.

  14. What’s with all these new immigrants on to CQN?

     

     

    This might upset ol’ TSD and he’ll be quoting Melanie Phillips on the dangers of multi-culturalism and showing other unreformed Powellist attitudes.

     

     

    Oh! and a big genuine warm welcome to all the newly baptised CQNrs.

     

     

    Hope you can all post as much nonsense as the ol regulars.

  15. prestonpans bhoys on

    Well time to listen to the rubbish on newsnight scotland then off to bed. Doubt if I’ll be on tomorrow because it will be late by the time I get back from the game.

     

     

    Good night Celtic land:)

  16. TET

     

     

    Got smacked on 2 lines taking Udinese – Anderlecht in-betting left me 75pence up!

     

     

    Lucky white heather!

  17. Neil canamalar Lennon hunskelper extrordinaire on

    sea cucumber

     

    poisonous

     

    spineless

     

    hermaphrodite

     

    bottom feeder

     

     

    shirt fits :oD))))

  18. Navan … @ 22.15

     

     

    Thanks for the info.

     

    Picked the wrong hotel for this week so it will be the long march.

     

     

    I looked at the Celtic Bars website.

     

    Just not sure how they compared to each other.

     

     

    Is Aston the traditional Irish area in Brum?

     

    Three out of the 5 bars seem to be located up there.

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