Winning three successive Scottish Cups is a rare thing which Celtic were unable to do until 2019. No one needs reminding that that success was the third leg of our historic quadruple treble. Just six years on and tomorrow we can again win three successive Scottish Cups.
Aberdeen’s years as a top European side also brought them three successive Scottish Cup wins, beating Rangers twice and Celtic in finals between 1982 – 84. That was part of a run of four Scottish Cups in five seasons, their only defeat at Raith Rovers.
Recent decades have not been so kind to Aberdeen. They last won the Cup in 1990, against Celtic, a 0-0 draw which was settled after each side hit 10 penalties. I’ve never been comfortable with a leftie hitting penalties since. They only reached three of the 34 subsequent finals, losing twice to Rangers and to Celtic to finish our Invincible season in 2017.
Despite that derth of recent success, in my lifetime (May 67), Aberdeen have the upper hand against Celtic in Scottish Cup Finals, winning in 1970, 1984 and that 1990 game. The Invincinble Treble game is our only Scottish Cup Final win against Aberdeen since April 1967. The sides are level on the head-to-head in Scottish Cup Finals, with three wins each.
Final fortunes have been incredible for Celtic this century. Martin O’Neill’s side completed our third treble with a Cup Final win against Hibs in 2001, and Since a 3-2 defeat to Rangers in 2002, we have enjoyed an uninterrupted procession of success, winning 11 successive Scottish Cup Finals. 11 Scottish Cup Finals, 11 wins, no defeats!
In Ronny Deila’s first season we won the League Cup and had the League in the bag, with Inverness in the Scottish Cup semi-final (Falkirk faced Hibs in the other semi). Talk was all about winning the treble. I remember writing, “People who talk about winning a treble have a poor grasp of history”.
The second worst refereeing decision in Scottish football history put an end to that (Dundee United’s goal at Firhill remains in top spot). Even when you are a goal up against a weaker team, should get a penalty with an opponent sent off, football can throw up random events which make always winning incredible unlikely.
That semi defeat to Inverness also broke a run of historical quirks. Celtic won the Cup in 1965 (Dunfermline), 75 (Airdrie), 85 (Dundee United), 95 (Airdrie) and 2005 (Dundee United). 2015 is only year ending in a 5 we didn’t win the Cup since Clyde beat us after a replay in 1955. The only other teams who have won the Cup in a year ending in a 5 are:
Queen’s Park (1875)
Renton (1885)
St Bernard’s (1895)
Third Lanark (1905)
Rangers (1935)
Clyde (1955)
Inverness (2015)
Celtic are the only side to have won the Cup in a year ending in a 5 more than once, and of the seven teams who won it once, four are no longer in existence, while Inverness and Clyde are sailing close to the wind! Less a cup, more a poisoned chalice.
Future generations of Celtic fans will look back at the history records and marvel at all these trophies, all these trebles. It is without doubt the second great Celtic era. It might not have a European Cup, but nor can it. Football is no longer a meritocracy, it denies small nations the same opportunity to win European Cup they had in the last century.
We take our history seriously, so I am not arguing equivalence between this era and the Stein teams. Not yet. But good historians interpret history, they don’t document it. They will write about this Celtic era, without the deferred sensitivity you and I have for the Lions. They will write about brave strategy and how success emerged from an era of financial chicanery in our game. Our kids’ kids will marvel at how lucky we were to live through the Second Great Celtic Era. How lucky we are.
Tomorrow is a game of football in which anything can happen (just remember Inverness 2015). We have no God given right to win the Cup, but I really want this one. Have a special day, if we win, mark it.
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We made it to Friday.
1 more sleep to the sheep.
Mon the RC!
*awaits BRRB location check-in.
Obvs no phone signal in the Queens Park Bar this afternoon
Paul67
Lucky CSC ☘️
I’ve no doubt Brendan has kept us focused this week and we’ll be ready to make history come kick off tomorrow.
My only concern, as ever, is the officials. Don Robertson is among the worst of a very bad bunch imo. Aberdeen will be allowed to make yellow card fouls to break up our attacks with near impunity.
Our record this season against Aberdeen has been almost perfect, two of our best games domestically have come against them. A Cup Final, is what it is, so I expect a tough game tomorrow. 2-1, Idah and Forrest to score.
Fancy Idah & Kuhn to score tomorrow, but an 89tĥ min sheep o.g. Will do.
Morning all – great article Paul.
I wonder if the historians will record how many penalties Rankers had awarded the season before Collum brought transparency and accountability to refereeing, and then compare to now.
In a bigger country and league this would be a big sports headline.
Anyhoo – mon the hoops ra’morra
I think we will win but I’m not so sure it will be as easy as some have been predicting.
Cup finals are rarely won by big margins. In 99-00 we put 20+ past them in the four league games but in the League Cup final it was only 2-0.
Anyway, I’m sure Brendan won’t allow any complacency.
not a word for the man who brought us to this .
and too much premature celebrating.
the cup still has to be won .
Should that not be 3rd greatest era? Willie Maleys 1904- 1910 won 6 consecutive titles and I think this was the record until Jock Steins team beat it.
Great article Paul.
Your generational pieces are one of the two ingredients of CQN at its finest.
The other being those cameos where the breadth, richness, intelligence, passion and respect of the responses from, essentially, just ordinary fans …
… lifts the discourse WAY above ANYTHING the mainstream media can offer.
Respect.
The year ending in a 5 thing is a funny one as the league has been the exact opposite. Didn’t win one between 1915 and 2015.
Would Spurs have won the Europa League Trophy if Brendan was their manager?
Broy Ned
You mentioned that you were disabled last night. Are all your monikers disabled?
Not all of them he can still post with some 😁😋😉
Great article Paul , a really interesting and enjoyable read .
Aberdeen did not play their post-split games as if they were incentivised by a final league placing . They will not be a more able team tomorrow than those games showed , but they will certainly be more motivated . And . as others have mentioned , the officials are a potential threat as ever .
If we’re anywhere near our best we should be able to overcome both .
Aberdeen aren’t a good team, they tried to kick us off the park at Pittodrie last time, I hope Shinnie continues at left back the alternative is Mckenzie who should have been red carded against us for his attempted ankle breaker on Luke McCown, play our game and we will be fine, early goal or goals will certainly be welcom, if it takes longer then so be it, but chances we will make. up to us to take them.
typos
Empty suits that leave Celtic supporters exposed.
Organised title celebrations maybe next time – nearly a week later it’s still headline news, over a handful of minor offences. Could that be in time to ban any gatherings if we win the Cup, that’s exactly what Police Scotland did the last time when Celtic beat Hearts in the final.
Four consecutive years of ‘misery’ for the Gallowgate,Trongate,and Merchant City all because of Celtic and their domination. How can we prevent this, should we set up a ‘Parades Commission 2’ should be simple as the maximum would be two, or three a year.
They don’t want Celtic supporters gathered anywhere other than inside Celtic Park, negotiations should have been straightforward it’s not as if they didn’t know when the league flag gets hoisted, and who was going to win it. It’s happened so infrequently for other clubs it’s a Celtic issue and supporters suffer at the hands of Pontius Pilate directorship, that isn’t interested in the ‘customer’ the minute you’ve parted with your cash they turn a blind eye or get kettled if your too ultra.
In a world of heinous crime Celtic supporters deliberately denied lack of facilities, urinating and display of ‘inflammatory‘ to some banners, is made a big issue. Onwards with the Glasgow world famous marching season shoppers re-routed, buses subways, and trains off, try getting into Glasgow city centre good luck.
All disruptions tolerated, move along with the right to walk the Kings highway.
Till the next time CSC
Reporting Scotland just done a piece on Napoli possibly winning League tonight, reporter over there,guess what game didn’t get a mention?
They’re hurting, BADA, they are hurting bad.
And, even if it makes me a bad mhan, I find it intoxicatingly delicious. Lets have more and more of it!!
Ave Ave
Paul The Spark on 23rd May 2025 1:18 pm
Broy Ned
You mentioned that you were disabled last night. Are all your monikers disabled?
~
Yes they all get banned if I ask a different question from what other posters ask.
Maybe there is a secret lobby group behind the CQN curtain pointing at a computer screen and deciding which posts should remain on the blog and which posts don’t go down too well and must be removed even if they don’t break any blog rules.
I always thought that it was just the Mainstream Media which was slanted.
Shows how wrong I was.
Sentinel Celts is the same.
If you don’t go along with BMCWP stupid peter perfect world view then he deletes your post and account. He bans any posts which are political because he knows hee haw about politics and always ends up looking like an arse.
Timdom has been captured.
BADA, just dawned on me, doesn’t wee Bully Gilmour play for Napoli? That’ll be their reason/excuse/interest – one of ‘their’ former stars are bringing the title home for Napoli. More reasons for hurting here at home. Equally delicious I say!
Ave Ave
I think the irony was lost in my post 😂.
Posts split by a muppet? Should I be concerned, annoyed, indifferent?
I’ll go for indifferent. (Back to the gardening, before the rains arrive this evening).
Ave Ave
PAUL THE SPARK – obviously NOT intended for you!
AVE AVE
Paul The Spark on 23rd May 2025 2:02 pm
I think the irony was lost in my post 😂.
~
The irony eh. ;)
If Rodgers canny make a player out of Engels he’d be as well away.
https://celtsarehere.com/arne-engels-celtic-exit-latest/
Last club that I heard preparing a Cup celebration was the huns in 1969 SCF before we horsed them 4-0.
Hmmmm.
https://celtsarehere.com/celtic-prepare-for-treble-party-celebration/
Celtic “The club of the poor….” should be giving each season ticket holder a free hoops jersey EVERY year.
https://thecelticstar.com/wear-hoops-to-hampden-these-are-our-colours-were-glasgow-celtic/
But now we are club of bonus blaggers.
Lennon Miller another player who’d be ruined by tippy tappy brain drain which wee Barry sorted out.
The huns have made a huge mistale getting rid of wee Barry imho.
Then again, McCoist, who knows his stuff imho, said wee Barry wasn’t good enough from day one.
McCoist isn’t anymore sleekit than 60,000 pretentious tims who financially back a PLC board who agreed to conspire with the 5WA and put Rangers 2012 £49 ticket price onto Sevco tickets in 2016 and every sleekit tim went along with the PLC Old Firm R US version of Celtic since Sevco got promoted in 2016.
Who would win, Sleekit Coisty or 60,000 sleekit tims?
It’s also delicious when a muppet wastes so much time typing multiple posts which people just ignore.
What larks, right enough.
Ave Ave
Ireland is heading for Scottish flavoured looney land.
https://nitter.privacyredirect.com/Jklunden/status/1924602792439656686#m
Another winger who canny cross a ball.
https://thecelticbhoys.com/tyrhys-dolan-offer-confirmed-celtic-transfer
EmeraldBee \o/ A Double Niner!! on 23rd May 2025 2:41 pm
It’s also delicious when a muppet wastes so much time typing multiple posts which people just ignore.
What larks, right enough.
Ave Ave
~
Cheers mate. ø
Will be in Buddy’s Bar, Kardamena in Kos watching game tomorrow if any CQNers are in this neck of the woods.
Celtic to sign Fergie.
https://celtsarehere.com/celtic-tipped-to-sign-evan-ferguson/
BROY NED
Re Brendan winning the Europa Cup. Why don’t you call or email him and ask him
HH