John Greig said his biggest regret in football was being handed the European Cup Winners’ Cup trophy in a dressing room and not in front of fans. What should have been an iconic moment, with images forever displayed on walls, was little more than an afterthought.
Chances are, at some point today, you, me, Neil Lennon, Scott Brown and the rest of the players will receive a text message, “9 in a row, official”, we will do our best to celebrate the moment, but it should not have been like this. The occasion had the making of our most endearing memories as Celtic supporters, and for that, there is regret, we missed out. For once only, Scott Brown will know how John Greig felt.
Nine-in-a-row has been filled with fabulous memories created by some of the greatest ever Celtic teams. For me, it started as we followed the live within our means strategy I always held dear, while ominously acknowledging the threat of four-in-a-row from the spendaholics.
When we were three goals down at Rugby Park in October 2011 that threat felt all too real. Without a double from Anthony Stokes and a third from Charlie Mulgrew, or even Paul Heffernan’s open goal chance to win the game for the home side on 88 minutes, so much of what followed could have been different.
It took over eight years for that feeling of doom to return. Our domination was never in threat, but history was. 29 December 2019 will remain in Celtic fans’ memory for longer than it probably deserves. That was the date a feeling that we might be in trouble returned. We have every chance of winning our fourth consecutive treble and you would not be against us doing the same again next season, but although we didn’t know it at the time, the title destiny was out of our hands after the players left Celtic Park on the end of a 1-2 defeat.
A lot of CQN’ers who were here for the start of this run are no longer with us. I made an offhand comment to one of that number in 2012, saying, ‘Celtic will never lose another league title in your lifetime’. I regretted this, as it was meant as a flippant take on our comparative position in Scottish football, not on our own mortality. But here we are, growing older with Celtic’s dominance, if anything, more secure than ever. That flippant comment remains valid for an untold number of us.
You, your parents or your grandparents may have celebrated a European Cup win and nine-in-a-row first time around, but Celtic’s position in 1974, when we first won nine, was significantly weaker than it is today. Today, it feels like we are ready to kick on to another level.
When the news comes, remember the struggles of getting here, not just the hard years during the 90s, but the years of loss under ‘prudent’ [solvent]spending plans. As a Celtic supporter, you suffered the defeats, the lost trophies and their divisive consequences. You deserve your chance to celebrate nine-in-a-row and a crack at 10 next season.
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“If the club takes it on the chin and does nothing, then all the talk of evidence and the dossier was just another embarrassing episode.”
No shit, Sherlock
Bada Bing
Liked your suggestion wrt Jim Spence – a thoroughly decent guy whose only “mistake” was telling the truth,
Bada
If only I had realised that the four-ball in front of us on a Saturday morning, taking forever to putt out and to find their wayward shots were in fact doing it to save their marriages I’d have been more understanding. 😠
Gene- 😆
Tim- I always think our pressers are a free hit for the Lapdogs, JS or similar could help us manage them to suit us,and not our enemies.
Hoping that Edouard and Ajer still have a taste for glory
In these uncertain times, they could do a lot worse than staying for the historic 10.
Contracts offered to them by top clubs in 2021 will (hopefully) be juicier.
Is “Castore” an anagram for…
” SCARE O T……………SCARE OF TIMS” ?
HH
Celtic Soccer Show (from House with garden)
@CelticSoccrShow
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23h
Celtic’s top goalscorers throughout 9-in-a-row:
Flag of Scotland Leigh Griffiths (115)
Flag of Scotland James Forrest (84)
Flag of EnglandFlag of Scotland Kris Commons (77)
Flag of France Odsonne Edouard (62)
Flag of England Scott Sinclair (62)
Flag of England Gary Hooper (60)
Flag of Ireland Anthony Stokes (58)
Flag of France Moussa Dembele (51)
Celtic Soccer Show (from 🏡)
@CelticSoccrShow
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20h
Most league appearances for Celtic during 9-in-a-row:
🏴 Scott Brown (257)
🏴 James Forrest (222)
🏴 Callum McGregor (177)
🇸🇪 Mikael Lustig (160)
🇭🇳 Emilio Izaguirre (154)
🏴 Leigh Griffiths (151)
🏴 Craig Gordon (147)
the invisible bhoy – 222 games 28 years old,
———————
Celtic Soccer Show (from House with garden) Retweeted
Celtic Soccer Show (from House with garden)
@CelticSoccrShow
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22h
James Forrest has contributed more goals and assists throughout 9-in-a-row than any other Celtic player with a combined total of 174.
84 goals
90 assists
Celtic Soccer Show (from House with garden)
@CelticSoccrShow
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22h
Scott Brown since becoming Celtic captain:
White heavy check mark 19 trophies
White heavy check mark Treble
White heavy check mark Double Treble
White heavy check mark Treble Treble
White heavy check mark Invincible
White heavy check mark 9-in-a-row
Saint Stivs
Scott Brown = Legend
HH
I’m still no sure aboot wee Jamesie :O)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKB_3BUuGfc
How the league was won
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKB_3BUuGfc
What’s your 11 from 9 in a row? Mine is:
—————-Forster
Lustig—-Jullien—-Van Dijk—Tierney
Forrest—Brown—McGregor—Sinclair
————–Edouard–Dembele
Bench: Gordon, Denayer, Izaguirre, Wanyama, Commons, Griffiths, Rogic
new article posted.
I get a little frustrated when I see comments along the lines of….
Well if they want to put an asterisk next to our title then they should put one next to all the EBT years.
There is no false equivalency here, however well intended the sentiment.
For multiple years oldco Rangers repeatedly fielded players who were incorrectly registered in line with association rules and who were paid using an illegal tax avoidance scheme. That is an incontrovertible fact. For every game they played even one player under those circumstances the result should have been voided. That would have led to no league wins for them in the 21st Century.
Celtic’s league win yesterday involved zero rule breaking and the method for determining the deciding mechanism was agreed in a resolution that received 81% support. The decision that it would be impossible to complete the remaining fixtures for the year was made unanimously, and using the methodology agreed in the resolution Celtic were correctly declared Champions.
There is no comparison between these situations to be made, so it’s not a winning argument to say if ours is asterisked theirs should be too.
Celtic won the 2019/20 league fair and square, following the rules set down by the appropriate bodies.
The leagues won by oldco should forever be tainted by the knowledge that cheating was proved beyond doubt, and the rules simply were not applied as they should have been.
That should of course read as, there is a false equivalency here. Apologies.
https://www.facebook.com/bbccomedy/videos/2674732415943107/
Nae new article? Paul’s hangover no cleared yet?!
Back in the day during the first nine I worked in a small factory with only two Tim’s me and another older Guy.
The Huns used to tell a joke, Why was it dearer to get onto the Celtic end of Hampden Park than the rangers end {this was coming from them mind) Answer: Because there was Singing & Dancing at that end.
Even back then their pain was palpable just like it is today more even more so imho. So someone knew then or thought (Sir Dupealot probably) sitting in his office or faithers that the only way to stop this was by covert means.