This, my friends in Celtic, is what you call a journey

889

The heat was suffocating, it was 35° and city was heaving.  On the long walk out of town some enterprising locals were selling water or cola to the increasingly dehydrated caravan of people.  I passed a few, not willing to succumb to extortionate opportunism, but soon gave in.

I walked into an orange tree earlier that day.  Caught between taking directions from a policeman and setting off in a new direction I’d overlooked the towering obstacle a yard in front of me.  There’d been a spring in my step, I must have bounced into the bark.  Trees are hard.  I fell.

The return journey was made in the cool of the night.  For the first few miles we were a uniformed flow of humanity but eventually the crowd thinned.  We walked through residential streets with locals at their doors and windows.  They applauded as we passed.  Few of us are ever part of something substantial enough that uninvolved observers openly applaud you.  Such memories endure.

I’d an early rise and a long drive with a full car ahead the next day.  The bedroom was packed, floor space was given over to spare bedding, the hotels must have shipped mattresses in from a hundred kilometres radius, so with the others in the bar, I took myself off for a shower.

I met a German couple in the elevator.  “Are you disappointed?” the woman asked.  “No, we played well and were beaten by a good team.”  It was the perfect answer.  These people must have been horrified when they noticed the throng which would dominate their trip, but they’d become part of the story, part of the throng.  The answer was honestly given, although disappointment would come later.  I went on, “We lost a minor cup final nine years ago, that was real disappointment”.

I surprised myself by what my memory spontaneously threw up when asked about disappointment.  Looking back now, that minor cup final is no more than a touchstone, and indicator of where we were before the Generation of Domination got underway.  It’s lost its power to inflict negative emotion.  If I met the German couple once more I could again tell them I wasn’t disappointed with that day in the blistering heat.  It’s one of my proudest memories, and we soon learned we were beaten, narrowly, by a great team.

This, my friends in Celtic, is what you call a journey.

I spoke to fan liaison manager John Paul Taylor yesterday and mentioned I’d not renewed my season ticket yet.  I promised him I would today and that I’d pass the message on.  Deadline is tomorrow, after that people can ask for a move into your seat.  Consider yourself reminded!  We walk the next mile of the journey soon, with hope in our hearts, as always.

Many thanks to those who donated to Mary’s Meals yesterday, and to Magners.  The money raised in one day alone will feed over 30 of the world’s poorest school children for a year.

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  1. A Ceiler Gonof Rust on

    Good grief, I wish I’d never mentioned it now. Anyway, did I ever tell you about the time a slid on a dog shit and broke my wrist?

     

     

    Maybe another day then……………………………….mon the gulls.

  2. a ceiler gonof rust

     

     

    22:49 on 21 May, 2015

     

     

    BGX, I’ve seen some sicko stuff done to seagulls. The second worst was the baking soda wrapped in bread. That blows them up. The worst was on a fishing trip on the Clyde when I got stuck with a bunch of senior managers (I was in my apprenticeship).

     

     

    Fishing was crap so one of the sicko’s decided to show us the old “turn the seagull inside out trick”. A decent sized bit of fish as bait, 30 yards of 30lb mono and a poly bag. Fill the bag with water and leave it in the water. Leave the bait close to the bag. Seagull takes the fish, takes off and 30 yards later you can guess the rest.

     

     

    I was less than impressed.

     

    ₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩

     

    What’s the ratio’s for a Terradactyl…..

     

     

    HH

  3. I Detest Gulls, they divebomb people in Towns and Cities allover our Country…They Should be Culled, no reason not to…

  4. Sips

     

     

    I believe the acolyte chappie is in some way related.

     

     

    They share many characteristics. Principal among them being the fact that they’re tooled up with the most acerbic wit known to man….gulls…. or indeed huns!!

     

     

    HH jamesgang

  5. A Ceiler Gonof Rust on

    There’s going to be a decent crowd on Sunday if the stadium map on the club site is correct. Not many seats left in the old jungle area.

     

     

    Very much looking forward to the party.

  6. I think gulls and Bomber Broon share many facial characteristics. A kinda perma rage look. that said, the gull is the more erudite species.

     

     

    DavidAttenboroughCSC

     

     

    HH jamesgang

  7. Captain Beefheart on

    Zbyszek, I like that positive angle. Just had a lovely mini night out with some of your fellow Poles. Fine people.

     

     

    Cheers bgx.

  8. If I had the arse of a seagull,

     

    If I had the wings of a crow,

     

    I’d fly over Ibrokes tomorrow,

     

    And shite on the bar stewards below.

  9. WeefratheTim on

    Sorry ghuys, disgusted wi awe you big brave men slaughtering gulls. Medals should abound for your acts of bravery. I will sleep well tonight hoping that all breeds are allowed to progress successfully. Just remember what breed of living being has done most damage to our planet, I think you’ll find gulls are well down the pecking order. Something to think about. Defo cot now.

     

     

    Weefra HH praying to Wee Oscar.

  10. clogher celt on

    Seagulls are bad enough, but where do you get all the foxes from?

     

     

    In my time in East Kilbride, I have never seen so many.

  11. Captain Beefheart on

    Weefra,

     

     

    Had one of the pesky feathered ones shat on your good self prior to your meeting a beautiful Polish lady, you might share my disdain for them.

  12. Big Georges Fan Club - Hail, Hail, Wee Oscar on

    almore

     

     

    21:37 on 21 May, 2015

     

    Well done the young Celts. Thanks for the links, ghuys.

     

     

    WeeBGFC: Hope you can make it to CQN corner on Sunday. I have a little gift for you to reward you for your wonderful support of the the best club on the planet.

     

     

    3 more sleeps!

     

     

    Championees

     

    ———–

     

     

    Almore – thats really nice of you – thanks.

     

     

    I’ll bring the wee man along early to meet you :-). Bring your earplugs.

     

     

    HH

     

    BGFC

  13. I’m defo all for animal rights.

     

     

    Just for cats and dugs though.

     

     

    And horses I suppose.

  14. A Ceiler Gonof Rust on

    Sipsini, I don’t think he posts anymore. They tell me he moved away……….to Wako Texas.

     

     

    Are you in with the prawn sandwich brigade on Sunday or will you grace us pee on’s with your presence?

  15. Wefrathetim…I have never attacked a gull in my life, they have attacked me, so im supposed to say ok…Dont think so..

  16. Margaret McGill on

    An Hun walks into a bar with a seagull on his shoulder. The bartender asks “where did you find that?”. The seagull replies “At the dump”

  17. cqn

     

     

    was/is my choice of being a rambling Fenian disruptive influence,

     

     

    but

     

     

    but,

     

     

    when it takes multiple clicks to get on via the bloody betting website, regardless of pc, tablet, phone, i am getting to the canny be bothered stage

  18. A Ceiler Gonof Rust on

    Henke, I’m going to Cambodia in a couple of weeks. If cats and dugs are on the menu I’ll not be turning my nose up. Haven’t eaten dug for years. The last time was in Borneo and it was a bit tough.

     

     

    It hadn’t been wokked long enough………………….boom boom

  19. ACGR,

     

     

    Working on Sunday, my bhoy and Jonnythetims bhoy will be going with the cards.

     

     

    Totally pissed off with Sunday football ;((

  20. My late father used to say that the finest sight in football was the ball hitting the back of the huns’ net. How he would have loved that tonight.

     

    Even the scrambled opening goal was for me a thing of beauty. Of course, I’m obsessed. Yee hah!

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