In the months afterwards I made a trip to the Celtic Superstore to buy the DVD of the match. I wasn’t ready to watch it but needed to have it nonetheless, for when the time came. I’ve still not opened the box.
I watched the game from high up in the Porto end. The Porto fans were great, allowed us to celebrate with all the enthusiasm you could muster for goals in a European final, then wished us well as we made our way through them and out of the stadium. Had Celtic won while dropping like flies whenever an opponent coughed, it might have been different.
Porto were favourites and would go on to prove how good a team they were by winning the Champions League 12 months later. Their players would demonstrate their prowess across the world for the next decade. They had fabulous talent, so much so, that they should have aspired to better than the gamesmanship used during their run to the Uefa Cup and Champions League wins.
On the field it was a tale of great goals and heroic defeat, off the field, it was one of the most spectacular events in sport.
80,000 Celtic fans made the pilgrimage to Seville and treated the world to a carnival. The city became the scene of one of the largest parties the game had ever known. For me the pre-match schedule involved a two hour trip north before a panicked dash across the city collecting match tickets. What a stress!
There was 10 in our party and collecting the tickets took priority. Once we had them we could afford time to eat, but what? Several restaurants were sold out, we eventually found a café with frozen chips and a meat-based slab of something or other. No choices. No beer, wine or cola either, it was diluting orange juice or water. An entire city was pretty much emptied of food and drink.
You could forget about motorised transport to get to the game, we had to walk from the city to the stadium on the very outskirts of town. It was hot and dry. An enterprising local was selling a retained stash of cola at the side of the road at a hugely inflated price, no one passed him without buying.
This was a journey to a football game, but not one any of us were familiar with.
The long walk home from the game was memorable for the incredible reaction we got from the locals. They applauded each of us as we walked past their homes in recognition of what took place in their city throughout the day. Things like this don’t happen but that day was different. Seville, like Lisbon, will always remember Celtic. Fifa and Uefa made their Fair Play Awards the following year to Celtic fans, a nomination normally reserved for clubs.
I met a German couple in the hotel elevator. “Are you disappointed?” they asked. “No. We were beaten by a good team”. I had celebrated two Celtic goals in a European final and watched as we pushed a tremendously talented team to the brink. Disappointment comes a lot worse than this, although time brought regret.
Seville 2003 was not Lisbion 67 but it was a wonderful occasion in our very proud history. Let’s do it again.
For those who prefer their nostalgia with a bit of silverware, 10 men won the league, 24 years ago today. Big Billy was back and the Celts were in control.
Speaking of Lisbon 67…… Willie’s book, pre-order your signed copy now!
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BRTH,
Lovely read. Sums up the experience beautifully. It really was a cathartic period.
As someone who made the journey it is up there with my wedding day and my children being born, truly an experience I cannot explain but would dream to re-live.
Hail! Hail!
tommysbhoy
23:37 on
21 May, 2013
tomo twittered me. btc..hmrc v oldco set for 19 th july
It was originally set for the 12th, but the huns asked for another date as they were all busy that day.
sannabhoy
23:27 on 21 May, 2013
………
Will contact ye ra morra cheers.
V
From a mate’s FB page
marrakesh express
Who on earth took a rope to the game?
Sevco date for the UTT 19th july
http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/tribunals/tax-and-chancery-upper-tribunal-/hearings-register.pdf
Pogmathonyahun aka Laird of the Smiles
Is your mate called Stevie? That’s on my mates FB page also!
CelticMemesCSC…
James Doleman@jamesdoleman10m
Appeal hearing between HMRC and “The former Rangers
Football Club Plc ” Set for 19 July http://bit.ly/18gioI9
————
3rd box down
001 bhoy it was a kinda dare, I just said eff it I’m having a party in Seville, now if the party was in Ireland then I would have just worn the shamrock around my shoulders,.
V
So is the appeal being heard in Edinburgh? (please say no)
I thought it had been taken out of Hunland
Loving the Seville stories. I had just put a down payment on a car so couldn’t afford it.
A different story here. I had just finished a night shift when my “mate” phoned at half nine in the morning. It wouldn’t stop so i answered. My mate asked me for a run to Prestwick and of course said “i’ll pay ye” I was knackered but took him down anyway. On the way down he asked if i knew anyone interested in a ticket. I immediately thought of a friend already out there and said i knew he would go to £200. He looked at me and said he had already knocked back £500. When i got back i told the missus who then informed me he had got 6 tickets at the “Liverpool stage” and sold 4 for £500 each but kept one for himself and one to take with him cos he heard they were going for a grand. He actually went to the game on his own and we are no longer friends.
leftclicktic
23:42 on 21 May, 2013
James Doleman@jamesdoleman10m
Appeal hearing between HMRC and “The former Rangers
Football Club Plc ” Set for 19 July http://bit.ly/18gioI9
————
3rd box down
—-
1st box Richard Burton??? What happened to death and taxes, obviously death comes first :)
its in the capital.
dead and loving it
marching into the abyss………..arghhhhhh h.h
Listening to Clyde SSB replay – what’s this rumour about Sir Walter walking away tomorrow?
Its been a cracking read back on the stories of peoples experiences of being in Seville.
I never made Seville. I watched the game in a bar in Texas. I was out on the town the night of the 20th with some Americans and my buddy Cliff (a guy with no interest whatsoever in football). We visited a few of the less reputable places on Westheimer, moving on to watch some dodgy bands and getting generally out of our faces. I’d planned to finish work the following day at 11.00 to get off to the pub and take in the game. I got back to my hotel about 03.00, got a few hours kip and headed into the office smelling like a brewery and looking like a zombie. On arrival at the office my boss informed me that he’d fixed me up with a meeting for me at 09.00 with the company vice president, a big guy called Jim Bonnar from Falkirk, and that I was to do a presentation on the work I was doing………………….. Panic time!!
At 09.00 I arrived at his office and tried my best to avoid getting too close in case he smelled my breath or saw that my eyed looked like a bulldogs baws. Anyway it went seemingly ok, I finished at 11.00 and off I went to the pub. The place was packed with Scots, mainly tims but supporters of teams from all over scotland and and a few englanders too. I made my way to the bar and the first person I bumped into was Jim Bonnar. We had a chat and it turned out he was a complete raging tim and he’d been out the previous night and was as hung over as me when we met earlier in the day.
We watched the game and at final whistle the last thing I remember was looking round and though my own tears, seeing this guy crying his eyes out.
A bitter sweet day, where Celtic made us proud to be part of their worldwide family.
Hail Hail Celtic
And I thought it was hearing in London.
Ah well………..
Is there any moonhowlers on?
I mean the new yins cause Pablo et al have moved up and on.
Speaking of old Pablophanque he would have loved the craic over the last two days, and given that he’d be checking out Coorslads photies he’d probably be having a right good laugh up there in paradise.
Pablo we love ye and we remember you well sir.
X
pogmathonyahun that is one of my favourite pictures and is my profile pic on twitter
Yup looks like the cardigan is walking caus they took a vidio of his pal when he was steamin.
MurdochauldandHay
Please Please Please bring it forward a week
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
23:41 on 21 May, 2013
Sevco date for the UTT 19th july
http://www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/tribunals/tax-and-chancery-upper-tribunal-/hearings-register.pdf
sparkleghirl
no body left to pollish his brogues..lets hope he trips a few times when he’s walking away h.h
•-:¦:-•** -:¦:- sparkleghirl :¦:-.•**• -:¦:-•
Just a rumour.
He is away on some white water rafting thing with the fat boy and the sunburned, baldy ex model.
No way he will walk away when he is already away.
sparkleghirl
If old wattie disnae walk away soon they’ll need a wheelchair fur him.
Yet/sparkle,
Off to Idaho white water rafting to raise funds for charity apparently ( not sevco, allegedly :) )
Vmhan,it was like a hen party for me..do you mind losing the plot because the wain was pulling ‘yer skirt up’ in a que?you were dead serious,the more serious you got the more we laughted…your a star Pal,made the trip all the more enjoyable…
td67
maybe there is a vid. of sircardyhun buying him the booze with the ipa dosh…well the change thats left…ack were skint mm have another double jack d n coke before ma battery runs oot on ma phone lol
To be honest Wattie has had the whisper I think, (gtf out of there Wattie, the sheet is about ti hit the fan) grab yer brogues.
Thank you for all those replies. I will choose which one to believe later ;)
Mine is purely speculation sparkleghirl.
@alextomo: Assume everyone knows BTC next stage July 19th appeal?
I hope to feek Bryson has nothing to do wi this tax appeal, kin you imagine?
good way for him to go..a couple of loosened knotts on his Whyte raft by the unsean idaho fenian hand..see what a did there? h.h
Gordon
Are you still around?
Regarding my request earlier this morning…..
estorilbhoy
I hope he does better in handing over the cash than his club does, they could come a cropper due to that as well me thinks.
There is low, but that is loooowwwww.
HH
…………………………………
tonydonnelly67
Sir walter of the loyal cardigans and brown broguery knows fine well what is going down at the bigot dome, he would do well to walk away with his dignified brogues uncovered in the shite, but he is as culpable as the rest, just a shame the rest of the stupid peepil canny see it.
HH
As one who had to stay home and watch from afar 10 years ago, it has been wonderful reading the shared experiences today. Next time will not be missed…
So the UTT… Is it played to a finish on the 19th?
Delighted to see Kris Commons giving up international football.
Yup I agree, Ignorance is not a plea, if you are on a board you should know wtf is going on so you take the rap along with the rest of them.