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Those who live on in our hearts never die

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By on CQN BLOG & Comments

Thousands will gather at Celtic Park and along the funeral cortege route this morning to pay their final respects to Billy McNeill.  My guess is that he will have met most of them at one point in his life.  He was available to at least three generations of Celtic fans.  Hundreds of thousands shook his hand, got an autograph or photo and listened to the great man talk about Stein, Jinky, Paul McStay, Seville or whatever the subject of the day was.

All the greats of the future will not have lived in our communities as kids, or remain here as they grow old.  They will fleet in and out our lives.

When we lost Jock Stein 34 years ago, we knew there would never be another like him.  The same is true of Billy.  We can hope and dream for European greatness again.  Nine-in-a-row will surely be ours soon, but it will never be the same.  There will never be another titan like Billy McNeill.

Those who live on in our hearts never die.

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  1. Thecelt45 on

    Bluegrass Celt on 3rd May 2019 7:55 pm

     

    So sorry to hear of your loss. Remember the good times, they will always be with you.

     

    Condolences to all the family and friends. Sad times.

     

    Crackin’ blog name BTW!!

     

    HH

     

    TC45

  2. Neustadt-Braw on

    TC45 thank you…number wan sister has never been there ….your post came up when I was showing her the lovely posts about Gerry….she is a health professional and she picked up on your first few lines …I was so so glad when I red to the end and got the braw news …..we were having a wee glass of red and I was telling her about Edzell …the blue door and trying to explain the dynamic of the blog….a herculean exercise…she is well impressed with the blog ….so tomorrow we are off to the braw burn….will be thinking of you and yours and all the other crabby auld yins on here !!! hahahhaha….

     

     

    smiley i will not miss another chance to meet you thing

     

     

    Braw.

     

     

    ACGR are you on shore ? or has the size 22 got the place to herself ? a wee brawanannie wid be grand …ps Kirrie is full of ACDC fans Bon Scott weekend crazy stuff wandering about ..hahhahaha

  3. bluegrass celt on

    THECELT45:

     

    “Cracking blog name”

     

    Think my moniker baffles the “are you a hun “ brigade initially lol!

     

    All the best

     

    HH

  4. Thecelt45 on

    Thanks everyone for the good wishes. Very much appreciated.

     

    This is very special place with a sincere heart and soul.

     

    HH

     

    TC45

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

    Just home from a great day out with Ritchie, OldTim, BlantyreTim, my wee boy Wee BGFS, pal Cuz and Favourite Uncle in the BlaneValley and, latterly, Connellys.

     

     

    Great company, magic day.

     

     

    Mrs BGFC picked us up and we spent a great half hour at Celtic Park en-route to The Plains reading the many prayers and offerings to Billy and Stevie.

     

     

    A good day.

     

     

    God bless everyone,

     

     

    HH

     

    BGFC & Wee BGFC

  9. voguepunter on

    Bada

     

     

    Bernard Ponsonby report was excellent ,the Bhoy done Trinity high proud……unlike myself :O(

  10. the_huddle on

    Jobo Baldie on 3rd May 2019 8:10 pm

     

     

    GFTB – shortest quiz ever! Congratulations. Played a completely different style then. We could even take corners! But how msny of that 11 would get into our current starting 11? Naka and maybe Boruc? Anyway, 13ins gone and no goals…

     

    ———————-

     

    Brown might :O)

     

     

    McGeady and McDonald would.

  13. Timbhoy2 on

    TC_45, Great news,glad for you , like me I haven’t had it easy these past few months,but like you ,I need to put on a few pounds,and hopefully back to see Celtic this coming season,and back to the gym, anyway take care my fellow Celtic Supporter.

  14. Neustadt-Braw on

    Timbhoy2………

     

     

    i wish you a speedy recovery ….

     

     

    smiley one pund at a time thing

     

     

    Braw

  19. Fool Time Whistle on

    VoguePunter

     

     

    Thank you for that link.

     

     

    Trinity? Is that the school in Rutherglen?

     

     

    I’m an old Holy Cross, Hamilton student but I left there in 1968.

     

    At that time loads of lads from R’glen & Halfway etc went to HC in Hamilton.

     

     

    HH

  20. Thecelt45 on

    Timbhoy2 on 3rd May 2019 9:05 pm

     

    Stick with it mate! And get back to see the Bhoys!!

     

    Right now I have to run around in the shower to get wet!! :))

     

    Wishing you all the very best!!

     

    HH

     

    TC45

  21. Thecelt45 on

    Fool Time Whistle on 3rd May 2019 9:27 pm

     

    I guess we are the same vintage, I left OLHS Motherwell 68/69.

     

    Two great schools.

     

    Are you US based now?

     

    HH

     

    TC45

  22. Fool Time Whistle on

    I’VEHADTOCHANGEMYMIND on 3RD MAY 2019 9:11 PM

     

     

    Thanks for the link to that.

     

     

    Nice but he insisted on calling Jock Stein as “Stein” & not Steen.

     

    I forgave him.

     

    Less forgiving about describing the winning goal as a Murdoch shot that deflected off Steve Chalmers.

     

     

    HH

  23. voguepunter on

    FOOL TIME WHISTLE on 3RD MAY 2019 9:27 PM

     

    VoguePunter

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Thank you for that link.

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Trinity? Is that the school in Rutherglen?

     

    —————-

     

    Trinity in Rutherglen now,used be the Halfway, the clever bhoys fae Ruglen went to Holy Cross,though I believe my mhate Willy O went there ….so that can’t be right :O) hh

  24. bluegrass celt on

    TC45: I have a love of all types of guitar styles but bluegrass and country do get my juices flowing.

     

    When I signed up on CQN I’d had just watched a program on how Scottish music had influenced the Deep South . I bought a resonator and hoped I could emulate those beautiful sounds ( still trying) so I used this monicker as something that makes me happy and sums me up whilst keeping the football theme ( two of my three favourite things in life, the others being auld cars and scooters……erm, that’s four!)

     

    I’m no expert in Bluegrass by any means. Just love the sound

  25. Fool Time Whistle on

    TheCelt45

     

     

    I am indeed. North Carolina..

     

     

    I know you are in Texas.

     

     

    I met Billy outside CP in 2012. He had stopped to talk to someone in our company, but he was as friendly with the rest of us and I told him I was a Holy Cross man, so we had a bit of banter about the football rivalry between OLHS & HC.

     

     

    We chatted away and I told him that I was at Hampden in 1965 when we won the Scottish Cup. I jokingly said “you know when you used Booby Lennox to get up to head the winner”.

     

    Quick as a flash he said “Aye and Lennox says he’s been carrying me ever since.”

     

     

    Well today, Jim Craig and Billy’s grandsons carried our captain for the last time.

     

     

    Night Night Billy. YNWA.

     

     

    I found this link to the whole service today.

     

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gcPLXVzgvc

     

     

    HH

     

     

    HH

  26. Thecelt45 on

    Fool Time Whistle on 3rd May 2019 9:45 pm

     

    Thanks for the reply.

     

    Cesar, met him many times. Delivered his maw’s messages on my Co-op bike. Lived about 100 mtrs from them in my formative youth.

     

    RWE by any chance?

     

    HH

     

    TC45

  29. Fool Time Whistle on

    TheCelt45

     

     

    Guilty as charged.

     

     

    Are you Clouseau, Rebus or Columbo?

     

     

    I KNOW you are still AT – so I’ll drop you an email soon if that’s ok.

     

     

    Good to catch up & so glad to hear about your news tonight.

     

     

    Take Care

     

    HH

  30. i'vehadtochangemymind on

    Fool time – saw BMcN outside CP around then too – knocking about – the Tommy Burns tribute reveal maybe and I think Brother Walfrid’s statue – funny that – nudged my son and said ‘ Caesar’ !

     

     

    One day, would love to see Texas!

  31. Fool Time Whistle on

    I’VEHADTOCHANGEMYMIND on 3RD MAY 2019 10:15 PM

     

     

    My son & I only talked at length this morning about that casual meeting with Billy.

     

    How amiable he was, how unassuming & down to earth, how devoid of airs & graces.

     

    Genuine smiles & genuine chat from such a personal hero.

     

    I’ll dream about that tonight.

     

     

    TC45’s your man for Texas.

     

     

    I’m based in North Carolina, so if you fancy calling in here – there’s few cold ones in the fridge waiting.

     

     

    HH

  33. Thecelt45 on

    FTW..

     

    Really great to see y’all posting again J.

     

    Thank you for your comments.

     

    Something about your writing style and content kinda flagged it to me.

     

    Definitely more Clouseau than the other two ……(not now Kato!!)

     

    More than happy to hear from you. My email is still the same.

     

    HH

     

    TC45

  35. Thecelt45 on

    i’vehadtochangemymind on 3rd May 2019 10:15 pm

     

    Open house for y’all in SE Texas!

     

    It is starting to get warm here!!

     

    HH

     

    TC45

  36. !!Bada Bing!! on

    Let’s get Bernard Ponsonby as Press Officer…would buy and sell Jabba’s Lapdogs all day long

  38. jinkyredstar on

    Disgraceful treatment of Billy’s memory on national BBC News – a badly edited few seconds running straight into a homage to a guy who played a costume character – been better not to mention Billy at all – dreadful dreadful production and editing

  40. bankiebhoy1 on

    Bada – he would do,….but thems still wouldn’t report it, print, broadcast it…or support it.

     

     

    Today was fantastic -but normal sleeki service will soon resume, sadly.

  41. Jobo Baldie on

    The 6.00 STV news, 6.30 BBC Scotland news and the 9.00 “The Nine” flagship news programme of the ‘New’ BBC Scotland channel all did Billy proud. Steve Bernard Ponsenby probably gets “reporter of the event”. HH

  42. 'GG on

    BGFC

     

    The Plains? Only a Plainsman would refer to the “Wee Green Oasis” like that.

     

    I should know you, Shirley. I’m from Livingston Drive.

     

    It’s not a huge place and I was home for my brother’s funeral recently.

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