The Walk with Shay team sent me the next in their series on living club captains and their incredible raffle. The first can be found here, goo luck to all participants.
“The countdown is now on for the Walk With Shay Green Raffle Army prize draw on 25th May 2017 at Paradise. There is still time left to purchase raffle tickets to win our Club Captains of Celtic Away Top, covering 53 years of our Clubs unbroken history and a host of other amazing Celtic prizes, but don’t leave it too late.
Here is the next part of the club captains story”
Captain No 3: Tommy Boyd-November 2014
Tommy was an inspiration as Club Captain and still raises the bar high amongst the Celtic family as a Club Ambassador; giving up free time, and taking part in numerous fundraising events within the club and with the supporters, always taking time to talk to fans, signing autographs etc. Indeed, when we had a few beers in Mollies, he spent the entire night happily being interrupted by fans asking for photos and signatures. He obliged them all without a moan or groan. His wife told us that he loved the attention and was in his element. I had gone to the toilet at one point and a Chelsea fan who was standing next to me as we passed the time of day, asked “Who’s that you’re with? And I said to him joking, “Imagine, not knowing that! That’s Tommy Boyd, he played for your team”. I thought nothing more of it, until the boy appeared beside Tommy, ten minutes later asking for a photo. I later told Tommy, that I had chatted him up in the toilets earlier, for him.
For Tommy’s signature, I got in contact with Tommy’s CQN buddy who agreed to put the wheels in motion to assist with Captain number 3. A couple of days later, I was in the Kerrydale Bar having a pre-match beer with CQNer, TTTT. It was very busy, but who appears in front of me, as if by magic, Tommy Boyd. We had a brief chat and I said to him that I needed a favour as I was looking for him to sign the two tops. He said” Sure no problem”, and gave me his mobile number and told me to call him. The next week after a call, there was Tommy Boyd in my office at work signing the two tops. Tommy still claims to this day that he was the only Club Captain that came to us, to get the Tops signed… At this point, I had told Andy F about my plans and had enlisted his support and help in the search for the 11 club captains. There was still a long way to go and I started to realise that to complete this momentous task, that I would need help.
Captains No 4 and 5: Danny McGrain and Scott Brown-May 2015
Thanks to Andy F, this was a breeze in the park, as he got in touch with Tony Hamilton, CEO of Celtic FC Foundation who agreed to help. We duly and slightly nervously handed the tops into Celtic Park for signing in due course. The tops had never been out of possession up to this date, but we knew that they would be well looked after by Tony.
Danny had taken ill at the time, so we knew he had not been working at Celtic Park, but Tony went out his way to get both Danny and Broony to sign the tops, within a short space of time. The significance and uniqueness of the tops started to dawn on everybody now involved in collecting signatures, but we still had a long way to go to achieve the dream.
Captain no 6: Billy McNeill – March 2015
Billy, I had thought would be one of my easiest signings to obtain given his previous assistance on the Bringing Martin Home and Wee Oscar 4 Life campaigns. It was a joy to be invited into the McNeill household and for Billy to recall various Celtic stories. His wife, Liz was also lovely and they both knew my youngest daughter, Niamh who went to the nursery ran by Billy’s son. In fact, there was many a day when Billy popped into the nursery with lunches for the kids and I would have great delight in telling Niamh, just who the man, that regularly brought her lunch was.
I contacted Liz via text shortly after I had come up with the idea of the tops, but there had been no response. Billy was struggling with his illness and was going through a difficult time at this period. I had sensed that all was not well, and decided to put Billy’s signature on the back burner. It was actually not until the following March, that Liz got word to me, that they were waiting for me to pop in, so Billy could sign the tops. I arranged to pop in and since it was March 17th (St Patrick’s day), I bought 4 cans of Guinness for Billy and some wine and flowers for Liz and took them across. You could tell that Billy was struggling, but as they always did, the McNeill’s made me welcome in their house and we chatted for ages. Billy signed one top and Liz told him that it was a poor signature. I jumped in and say it was wonderful, Billy proceeded to sign the other top. He still regaled some great Celtic stories from years ago, but you could see at times how he struggled to remember and that he had a tear in his eye when he talked about Jinky. I gave him the four cans and he said thank you, to which he then said to Liz, “Am I allowed these?” She replied “You can have one can tonight, due to your medication”. I smiled as here was the legend Cesar being closely marked and had little or no room for manoeuvre.
Little, did I realise, that the signatures I had received that day were probably one of the last signatures given by Billy, due to his deteriorating condition which would restrict him from signing in the near future. It says a lot for the McNeill family that they had went out their way to help us, when this should have been the last thing on their minds at this difficult time, but this was the McNeills’.
Club Captain no 7: Neil Lennon-August 2015
We took a few months out in the quest for the Club Captains signatures, and started to push it again in August 2015. My Dad’s friend was Neil Lennon’s agent’s father (less than six degrees of separation!!) and I had previously pestered my Dad to speak to him to see if his friend could help. Eventually, it all came good and I was to pass the tops over to Lenny’s agent, Martin Reilly, as he was travelling down to Bolton to catch up with Lenny and Johan Mjallby. The tops were duly passed over to my Dad, with the instruction “Lenny only please” and he passed the tops over to his friend with the same message.
I got a call a week later to pick up the signed tops from my Dad’s friend house, and popped in after work as he lived just around the corner. As he brought the tops out, he said there was a little problem and told me that Johan had signed the tops as well, but it was ok as he was a Captain as well. I tried to hide my look of horror and not trying to sound ungrateful and I said “Thank you, but he wasn’t a Club Captain though, but never mind”. I thought “How am I going get around this one? Can I hide or cover it up, perhaps? Maybe even rub it out!” It is amazing what runs through your head at times. I was also struggling to get hold of Roy Aitken, and a crazy thought came into my head for an instant; “Perhaps I could kid on it was Roy Aitken’s autograph?”. As I looked at Johan’s signature more closely, I saw the number 35 next to his signature, I thought “Nope!” And dismissed the mad thought in an instant. This was going to be our Celtic kinder egg!
Part 3 to follow soon.
The countdown is now on for our amazing draw on 25th May 2017 at Paradise, but there is still time left to purchase (or sell) raffle tickets to win our Club Captains of Celtic Away Top, covering 53 years of our Clubs unbroken history, and a host of other amazing Celtic prizes.
Contact us now via:
email walkwithshay@yahoo.com
Twitter @walkwithshay
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Neil Francis Lennon proved that the MIBs……
were cheating his team on the pitch…..
what did the Celtic PLC board do…..
they flung NFL under a bus…..
and, what did the Celtic support of today do…..
they gave the PLC board their season ticket money…..
and, what did the PLC board do the next season…..
they sat back and let NFL take the entire blame….
for the shame game, after they meekly attended…..
a govt summit, where they sneakily agreed to…..
the sanctioning of the OBF thingy, even grassing up….
Celtic supporters, after taking their season ticket money…..
off them…..
the cheating / sneaky Celtic PLC board “ARE” cut from the…..
same cloth as the Orange / Masonic establishment…..
and what do the Celtic support of today do…..
they financially secure the hideous PLC’s leadership…..
of the club, ensuring that, Celtic supporters will be….
cheated with impunity…..you couldn’t make it up !!!
The Celtic support of today are, the biggest perpetrators of…..
the same club myth…..
did you pay 49 quid to see a new club called, Gretna FC ?
Yeez really need to make your minds up…..
Rebels or, mugs ?
maintaining the status quo means yeez are no more than…
plastic Provo’s fae the back of the bus……
and, the anti rebel establishment, as well as their…..
accomplices from the Celtic PLC board are playing yeez….
for fools……
guid luck Celts.
…….off-oot.
BSR
You had a full head of hair last time I met you
⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️⚽️
Got to love the French strikers threat to blow up the factory if the company divide its to be closed down :)
Vfr800
Just mention king billys crack regiment, the Dutch blue guards, and watch their eyes roll.
Rebel songs, sang them for 45 yrs, god willing, will still be belting them oot for many years ta come.
Hail Hail.
Mon the dundee hibernians.
Hoping that the ole Arabs do the biz tonight in the play off (live on BT). Quite taken by the idea of Hibs and Dundee Utd replacing ICT and Hamilton next year. Total home crowds then go up by, what 15,000 a week at least?
Did someone mention songs ? Na lets change the subject …. who would make up a team of the top goal scorers in each position say in the traditional 4 4 2 , the front two would be McGrory and Larsson , lennox on one wing and Gemmell at left back , I know Boruc scored one goal for Celtic anyone know if someone else has scored more , so who else makes the team ?????
Always wondered why a frisbe gets bigger the closer it gets to you
And then it hit me
Stuart Francis csc
Im claming then 5 books for getting the Jock Stein Lisbon t-shirt on the telly.
I wore mine to doomdome a couple of weeks back and at the end of the game when the players came to the fans me and my XL tap can clearly be seen jumping up’n’doon.
Hope the golf event form Lisbon disnae make the T.V. coverage or that guys heed will explode.
H.H
A goalie that can play football and go up for corners
A flat back four
A diamond midfield with one holding
One playing in the hole
And one up top
Sorted
HH
https://mobile.twitter.com/thepileus/status/864228906693480449/photo/1
As always canalmar you have me bamboozled.
Let’s go back. .
You said the queen apologised to both
Who are the Both?
That was my question
I don’t agree with your analysis ( the provos winning) but leave that as an argument for another day.
So who exactly did she apologise to
..or to use the Queens English correctly
To whom did she apologise
https://mobile.twitter.com/JaneyGodley/status/864519072649797633/photo/1
McInnes interview……spoken like a true fan…
Grandson of Celtic great killed at the Battle of Arras calls for plaque in honour of Great War dead at Parkhead
(2) View gallery
21 hrs ago / Matthew Lindsay, Chief Football Writer / @MattLindsayHT
44 comments
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THE grandson of the Celtic great who was killed in the Battle of Arras 100 years ago today has called for the players who lost their lives in the First World War to be honoured with a plaque at Parkhead.
Peter Johnstone played for the Hoops up front, in midfield and in defence between 1908 and 1916 – during which time he helped them to win the Scottish title four years in a row.
He was also a key member of the Willie Maley team which went an incredible 62 games undefeated between 1915 and 1917 – a British record run which still stands to this day.
Despite being in three “protected” occupations – he was also a miner in his home town of Glencraig in Fife and ran a newsagents shop in Glasgow during the war – he enlisted in the army in 1916.
He was reported to have been killed at the Battle of Arras in northern France aged just 29 on this day exactly a century ago.
The death of the popular player left manager Maley distraught and was mourned by thousands of devastated Celtic supporters.
A memorial garden in Glencraig was opened two years ago following fundraising efforts by local supporters and a donation from the Parkhead club.
Celtic captain Scott Brown – who hails from nearby Hill of Beath – Lisbon Lion Jim Craig and senior club officials will attend a service there this afternoon.
A dedication to Johnstone is inscribed in Bay Eight of the Arras Memorial in the Fauborg d’Amiens Cemetry in France.
But Jim Frew, who is Johnstone’s grandson and a lifelong supporter, would also like a plaque to be erected in honour of his relation and other Celtic players who died in the Great War at Celtic Park.
First team players Donnie McLeod, Archie McMillan, Bobby Craig and Leigh Roose were also killed.
Celtic have spoken with the 74-year-old season ticket holder from Muirhead in the past and offered to erect a plaque in both the tunnel and the boardroom at Parkhead.
But Mr Frew would like it to be on public display where supporters can pay their respects.
“Peter Johnstone played in the Celtic four-in-a-row team and won 13 winners’ medals in total,” he said. “Much has been made of the unbeaten run that Brendan Rodgers’s side has been on this season and rightly so.
“But Peter Johnstone played when Celtic set the all-time British record. They went 62 league games and 66 games in total without being defeated between 1915 and 1917.”
Mr Frew added: “I had a meeting with John-Paul Taylor, the supporters’ liaison officer. He was a very genuine guy and was very helpful, sympathetic and understanding about what I wanted to do.
“The club offered to erect a plaque in the tunnel. I told them my grandfather didn’t hide on the football field and he didn’t hide on the battlefield, something which cost him his life, and felt the plaque shouldn’t be in the tunnel. The club came back to me and said they would put it in the boardroom.
“But I feel it has really got to be at the front of the building so people can see it and spend a few moments of reflection. Even visiting fans to Parkhead, many of whom will have lost relations in the war, can stop and say a prayer.
“Queen’s Park lost men in the war. They have a plaque inside the reception area at Hampden. Dunfermline have got a memorial in the stand at East End Park. Hearts have got a memorial to McRae’s Battalion at Haymarket.
“It wouldn’t just be for one person. It would be for all the other Celtic players, members of staff and supporters who lost their lives in the First World War, in memory of all of the members of the ‘Celtic Family’ who made the ultimate sacrifice.”
A spokesman for Celtic FC said: “We have spoken to Jim and we are currently looking at a number of options.”
1-0 United
https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2011/may/18/queen-ireland-apology-britains-actions
Just thought I would post this because I’ve never seen it before, apologies if everybody else has.
A mini-documentary on us, focussing on ’67. Tears streaming down my face at the end when Jim Craig breaks down and Bertie and Bobby sing The Celtic Song.
The great McIlvanney is the narrator.
https://youtu.be/EEJxA93J07Y
Canamalar
Apologised to both ?was what you said. I still don’t know who both are but let’s park that.
It wasn’t really an apology now was it. Just a bit of waffle about the strained relationship between our 2 people’s etc blah blah.
However it was progress of sorts.
In the context of your original post on this subject ( you may recall, it’s the”provos won “post) I took it to mean that the queen apologised ( as part of this mythical and pyrrhic victory).
I know you were just lashing at the Kray brother ( and no harm in that) but the provos didn’t win anything in my humble opinion.
If you appear in Lisbon I will buy you a drink and have a proper argument
Dundee Utd 1-1 Falkirk… good game so far
Oh and the motif of the provos was the armalite and the ballot box, no ?
To be honest I expect you spend a lot of your time ‘bamboozled’ and I doubt I’m unusual in iliciting that state of being in you.
Glad to see Almore got sorted for a ticket. If you don’t ask, you won’t get. May have nailed one meself too. Heading over bye for an Embra wedding so looking for a Tim friendly pubs for the Thursday game. Celticbars says Malones. Recommendations welcome. Hail Hail.
Celtic By Numbers review of the Aberdeen game now available thanks to the fine fellows at Etims – http://etims.net/?p=11253
Least passes completed in any match this season. But Aberdeen 13 shots off target, and failed to create a chance with 75% of their attempts. It was the Griffiths and Boyata show – 4 corners, 4 Boyata headers at goal.
Enjoy.
HH
The Irish in Scotland endured the hatred and bigotry akin to those in the occupied 6 counties hence the strong bond
The people in the 6 counties may gain independence from British rule whilst we in Scotland are seeing the anti catholic/Irish hatred increase with the orange order and the Torys using the unionist bigoted card
As usual canamalar you refuse to answer a straight question.
Towards the end the Provos were so riddled with informers that they were being led by M15 in the direction they wanted until they had no choice but to call it a day.
I think everyone was happy with that. Too late for many many people, but better late than never.
You can call it a victory if you like but it ain’t.
The top goalscorers. In any position playing in a 2-3-5 traditional to accomodate the older fire power. Player and total goals. Putting the tallest players at the back.
2.sandy McMahon 200
3.john Hughes 197
4. Jimmy Quinn 239
5. Jimmy mcmenemy 178
6. Kenny dalglish 173.
7. Patsy. 200
8. Henrik. 242.
9. Mcgrory 502.
10. Chalmers 236.
11. Lennox 301.
And a goalscoring goalkeeper. Only played in goal twice. But scored a remarkable 63 times.
Tommy gemmel.
A team of over 2700 goals.
I suspect no other team can claim that many.
Good Evening.
Something new: “The Break Up Of The Celtic Squad”
https://theclumpany.wordpress.com/2017/05/16/the-break-up-of-the-celtic-squad/
BT
Not quite it takes a wee bit more than the Orange Walk and Sevco for Scottish Catholics to turn full Provo and take to an ‘armed struggle’ – I hope.
The two countries cannot be correlated and Scotland definitely got beaten by England many moons before Joseph Mary and co.
But we’d have no Good Friday argreement with them.
p.s. hair still here.
with = without
BSR
We are still despised in this we country, we have made enormous ground but the judiciary and the old boys continue to rule
We only managed to get jobs in the civil service because most of the apprenticeships went to sons of brothers etc
We can’t become complacent,
United 2-1
2 – 1 United.
Remember someone on the radio saying we shouldn’t allow strips at golf?
When was that ?
30,40, 50?years ago?
Nope today.
Good goal from Dundee Hibernians ☘️☘️
2-2 what a goal from Falkirk
What a strike
MAGWAI on 16TH MAY 2017 8:19 PM
Glad to see Almore got sorted for a ticket. If you don’t ask, you won’t get. May have nailed one meself too. Heading over bye for an Embra wedding so looking for a Tim friendly pubs for the Thursday game. Celticbars says Malones. Recommendations welcome. Hail Hail.
————————————————————————————
Sadly Malones on Forrest Road is closed now mate. It was sold off and has new owners.
Fortunately, they’ve called it MacSorleys Irish Bar…..and they’ve got Thursday’s game on…
http://www.mcsorleysbar.com/events/
:-)))))))
2 – 2. Screamer.
Saint Stivs , Thanks for the contribution but I think your cheatin :-) I don’t think anyone would recognise a team from the players you mentioned , that’s why I stated a trad 4 4 2 , who is Celtics greatest scoring right back ? Just a bit of fun but pointless if it cant be recognised as a team , like those dream teams players com up with , never proper credit given to the art of defence .