Our enormous thanks to John Hughes for spending time on the blog this morning. He was at Celtic throughout a very special time, making his anecdotes and stories all the more valuable.
Here’s an extract from his book, Yogi Bare, which is due out soon:
“Jock Stein and I didn’t always see eye-to-eye. I recall receiving a ferocious verbal volley after a game against Hibs at Easter Road in January 1968. My offence? I went to offer my condolences to their right-back Bobby Duncan in their dressing room.
Unfortunately, Bobby had suffered a broken leg when I slid it to try to block the ball. His ankle got caught up in my outstretched leg and he collapsed to the turf in obvious pain. It was a complete accident, I hasten to add. The conditions were slippy that afternoon and we just collided with neither of us able to pull out.
Unhappily, the defender had to be stretchered off and I felt sick. I never went out to injure an opponent; not once. Frankly, I wouldn’t have known how to, but I did know some players who were well versed in the black arts. No names. No pack drills. No lawyer’s letters! It just wasn’t the right-back’s day because he had also sliced a clearance into his net to give us a second minute lead.
Bobby Lennox added a second shortly afterwards and it was game over. But Bobby Duncan’s game, unfortunately, didn’t last until the ninetieth minute and I headed for the home dressing room as soon as the referee blew for time-up. I was concerned for the player who, although he was a gritty campaigner, was never dirty.
I mixed with the Hibs players and told Bobby I genuinely hoped he would make a fast recovery. He accepted my good wishes and I thought that was the end of it.
Suddenly, though, Colin Stein, who would later join Rangers, barged through his team-mates to have a go at me. He accused me of deliberately trying to injure Bobby. I wasn’t having any of that and told him to get lost. I didn’t stop to think I was actually in the Hibs dressing room.
The usual pushing and shoving ensued before I was thrown out into the corridor. Jock wanted to know what all the commotion was about. I gave him my version of events and he blew up.
‘What do you want to do that for?’ he bellowed. ‘It’s bad enough the boy’s got a broken leg, but you’ve got to go and make it worse!’ I protested my innocence, by which time he was in full flow. ‘What a daft thing to do.’ And so on.
I thought it had been a meaningful gesture from one professional to another, but Jock, clearly, disagreed. Sometimes you couldn’t win with that man.
Please don’t get me wrong. This is not a Big Yogi versus Big Jock chapter in my life story. I just want the supporters to be aware of the facts. For a start, I think he did me an enormous favour by pushing me out from centre-forward to the left wing.
I was happy enough in the central role, but Jock thought I could be more effective when I was taking passes on the half-turn. I would be off and running within seconds of the pass arriving at my feet. In the main striker’s role, though, I would often have my back to goal. Controlling the ball in those circumstances would add vital seconds onto the manoeuvre. A centre-half could be breathing down my neck, forcing me to push the ball back for a midfielder. At outside-left, though, I could skin a right-back if he got too close. And once I was away, there was no stopping me.”
You can order a signed copy of the book by clicking on the graphic to the right of the page.
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estorilbhoy 17:39 on 17 April, 2014
Ha
Get out and buy Paolo Nutini’s new album….
googybhoy
Thats it ,complete with Author Monford commentry . Its a great watch but the hun attack on the lap of honour is missing , for some reason. My memory of the game is that it was quite scrappy. Its was the Celtic fans that day that made me see the difference.
South Of Tunis 17:51 on 17 April, 2014 Saturday 19th April .
RECORD STORE DAY .
Get yourself to a proper record store and buy some choons .
———
I’ll be in Rough Trade purchasing the Amazing Snakeheads LP.
Glasgow’s latest hot act.
Can anyone provide an update on Wee Oscar ?
TT
TallyBhoy
Ah believe that Virgil, is a Very Sound Candidate..in the P.Y. Contest.
But..He is Surpassed,for Player of the Year.. in Kojo’s Judgment.. By
Fraser..
Sure,Virgil, hiz bin.. Extremely Consistent in turning in Excellent Performances ,in game after Game..
n.. in respect tae those..
He is a Worthy Challenger,in the Contest…. with Fraser..
But.. In Ma opinion.’
Fraser.. Nudges him.. at the Line.
Oan the Ither Haun..
COMMONS.. has NOT Qualified. … for Consideration of the Player of the Year..
using..Kojo’s .. Criterion ,as a Yard -Stick,.
Na..’
Commons.. has bin..
Far TOO INCONSISTENT..in turning in. Excellent or Near Excellent Performances..
He..is..
Anither.. In Ma Opinion..
“Hot n Luke Warm” type of Performer..
It is his Goal Tally, which…certainly.. Entitles him for Player of the Year .. Consideration…
At least,in in Ma View….
that Goal Tallly of HIs.. was the Prime Factor… that Influenced the Nomination Committee..in Nominating HIm.
But..
Nevahtheless…
In Kojo’s Opinion..
Commons, Has bin Far from Consistent ..in Turning in… Excellent Team Performances, over the Season.
His Goal Scoring Tally.. Alone…. sure Disnae earn HIm.. the right tae Get his Hauns oan… The fabulous Brass Ring.
Again.. In Kojo’s Opinion..of Course!
Kojo
Still Laughin’
Special Guest
WEDNESDAY, 16 APRIL 2014
“Your son doesn’t do giving up”
Since 17th March Oscar has been going through hell, and so have we. Up until that point he had had approximately 5 months of relative stability – minimal treatment, maximum fun, and his neuroblastoma had been held at bay. Throughout that time he remained on morphine to manage the pain his disease caused him, but you would never have known. He lived life to the full. However, it has been our experience that neuroblastoma tends to pull the rug out from under your feet the moment you begin to count your chickens. Such a cruel, ugly and despicable disease it is. And the heartbreaking truth is that now, after 2 and a half long years of trying, it is finally beginning to win.
In the past 4 weeks Oscar has suffered more pain than we could have imagined, and more anguish than any 5 year old should ever know. He would scream and cry in agony that simply could not be eased, while morphine, sedatives and anti-anxiety medications were pumped into him 24 hrs/day. In the quiet times he said things like “I don’t want to be a boy anymore”, “I don’t want to be me”. We were pushed to the limit of what any parent could tolerate in terms of watching their child suffer. Oscar is now on an extremely high dose of diamorphine, more than nursing staff have known adult cancer patients to require, and thankfully those days are behind us. It is a miracle that Oscar is awake, and functioning, but that is our wee Oscar all over. I said to our wonderful consultant a couple of weeks ago “I don’t think Oscar is going to give in to this diamorphine” to which he replied “Your son doesn’t do giving up”.
You must appreciate that, as always, we have explored every avenue possible to give Oscar every chance he could have to beat this monster. With all options studied in depth and discussed through tears, we took the decision to move our family into the Children’s Hospice. Although this was an extremely difficult choice, it has been without doubt the best one for us as a family and in particular to meet the needs of Oscar and his little sister Izzie. It is so important to us (and to Izzie) that she can be close to Oscar, and to us, which is just not possible in a hospital environment. We still do not know what lies ahead, or how far ahead these questions might be answered. We simply have to wait to see what move his neuroblastoma makes next.
If you didn’t watch the BBC NI documentary on the Children’s Hospice, you really should.
search for “True North S02E04 – Children’s Hospice” on YouTube.com
We did, and were so impressed by the staff and services available, but it is nothing compared to the experience of actually being here. The kindness and compassion shown to every person coming in through these doors is phenomenal. The staff looking after Oscar on a daily basis are like angels, with hearts of gold. Nothing is too much trouble, and nothing is impossible. Oscar’s every request is met with a smile! Lovely home cooked food for every meal, endless cups of tea, fun and laughter and messy play at every opportunity. Right now there is no place better we could be. It is also such an eye opener to see how this invaluable sanctuary manages to operate on very limited funding. Teams of volunteers are in place every day to keep everything ticking over, and donations seem to account for a lot of materials on site.
It must sometimes seem like we have made every aspect of our journey public knowledge, but this is far from the truth. We were anxious to make sure that after we made the move to the Children’s Hospice we would remain in control of what is known about Oscar, but any fears we had were unfounded. It feels like a haven, our privacy is completely respected, and we have been given space and time to be a family. Everything we could wish for at this time. Oscar and Izzie absolutely love it here, they call it “The Holiday House”, which means absolutely everything.
Once again, we are so grateful to everyone who has supported or helped us in any way. Particularly the amazing teams in both the Children’s Hospital and now the Children’s Hospice. Nothing can take our pain away but some people really make a difference. From the bottom of our hearts, thank you. Oscar and Izzie – you deserve our biggest thanks. You are amazing people and we love you more than words can say xxxxx
…. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
Desperation setting in…..SSB starting to discuss david murray coming back (mih) …. SSB saying mih in rude health again …..noone has told them that they are facing liquidation also…
Steinreignedsupreme @18 03 .
I will be in Catania buying –
LP -Charles Lloyd –Live at Slugs .
EP -Hank Williams –The Garden Spot Programmes 1950.
Enjoy !
Steinreignedsupreme @ 18 03 .
The Amazing Snakeheads .
I have yet to hear them . My 17 year old niece thinks they are the bees knees .
I note that The Grauniad said this ———–
” what Begbies band would sound like “
67Heaven … I am Neil Lennon, supporting WEE OSCAR..!!.. Ibrox belongs to the creditors
Some reading for when you have the time.
& just google Ian Fraser & MIH :))
http://www.ianfraser.org/revealed-the-hornet-and-the-sting-which-are-stopping-us-learning-the-truth-about-the-collapse-of-hbos/
Till later all
Off to watch the darts :))
Roll on 12:45 on Saturday and the Hoops are back.
!!Bada Bing!!
From Living Social —Lifelong Celtic fan? Want to experience a game at Parkhead in style? Then check out this deal for a VIP match day experience when The Bhoys take on Inverness Caledonian Thistle F.C. April 27, courtesy of Celtic Football Club.
• For £39 (an £80 value) you’ll receive a Premium Match Day Experience, where you can cheer the Hoops to victory from a padded seat in the North Stand.
• Or, pay £49 (a £100 value) for a Directors’ Box Match Day Experience instead, taking in the action from a padded ‘armchair’ style seat in the Directors’ Box in the Main Stand…
Wife bought one of these vouchers, ‘Directors’ Box Match Day Experience’ but before we could buy another it was sold out. So, we have one of these spare if any of you Bhoys would like it. Face value (£39 we got a £10 discount on the advertised price). It can be used in conjunction with other vouchers to allow the possibility of sitting together (that bit is up to Celtic).
Any takers, get my email from Paul67.
HH
SpanishJohn
Just read back on YOGIDAY.
Brilliant stuff,lads. Some great questions.
And,John,yer a legend!
PS-thanks for the reply,I’ve printed it out,and for signing the book. And for being so honest with yer answers.
So, Minty’s big firm is in rude health, and getting ready to step in and buy Sevco?
How gullible is that fud Guidi!
As 67 Heaven says, they’re deid as well, almost, soon to be owned by TSB.
Brilliant, more false hope for the hordes!
HH
Kitalba
Thanks for the link to Don’t Buy the Sun.
HH
BSR
Thanks for posting that.
No child should have to suffer in this way ,neither should any parent.
My heart goes out to all the Knox family.
They are incredible people.
TT
JONNYTHETIM
I would love Minty to step up to the plate.
How would he pass the legal questions about previous directorship of the company which went bust?
It might at last bring it all out into the open.
https://twitter.com/junglebhoys88/status/456854202984439808/photo/1
67Heaven … I am Neil Lennon, supporting WEE OSCAR..!!.. Ibrox belongs to the creditors
18:26 on 17 April, 2014
Desperation setting in…..SSB starting to discuss david murray coming back (mih) …. SSB saying mih in rude health again …..noone has told them that they are facing liquidation also…
______________
Hi, my ole sparring partner – hope yer well.
Anyway, I was hearing from someone last week, who used to be ‘close’ to SDM that, SDM had not done a runner from the ‘hun-collapse’ but, was infact….in the states as he had been unwell, really unwell and, that he(SDM) would be returning to the huns in Jan 2015 ?!?!
The lying King is being, apparently….pushed as a smokescreen.
Dont shoot the messenger – CSC
Hail Hail
Thought provoking if slightly facetious offering on e-tims today.
God bless Oscar Knox.
that kid has endured more pain in his 5 years than most of us will endure in our life time.
Post 101
Where my question to Yogi should go
SpanishJohn- hope you get the chance to go.The DB seats are very good.
Seems to me that the SPFA nominated Boyd to avoid making it a clean sweep of nominees from Celtic.
Emilio Izaguire would have been on that list for me.
Model pro and a great season.
Scott Brown would have been on it too.
Not just what he did for Celtic but as leader of the Scotland team too.
Nial McGinn at Aberdeen doesn’t even make the list either.
Something stinks methinks.
My thoughts are with wee Oscar and his wonderful family at this time.
kevjungle
19:13 on 17 April, 2014
Has this “someone” ever offered to sell you some beans?
RWE
I agree, I can’t for the life of me think that many would have voted for Boyd.
I will be very surprised if he doesn’t win it.
HH
I’ll be spending the easter weekend with my family and all of our prayers will be for Oscar, Stephen , leoana and Izzie.
If you believe give up your prayers for this brave family
If you don’t just keep them in your thoughts.
Have a holy easter break..
TET
I’ll be gobsmacked if Boyd wins the award.
If he does it furthers the view that the award itself is worthless and should be binned.
BT-Good sentiment.HH
Evening champions from a dark Lower Saxony ……great read back with Mr Hughes,a braw lad …..”baring it all ” is good for the soul…..should be a braw read for all except the people that get caught in the glare of the Big mans truth lights….
are we having a CQNers player of the season competition ? FF….would be my choice with Virgil a very close 2nd…..but the whole squad has been braw this season …
EDB – Good to see you back.HH
Good evening all
Have had a really busy couple of days, so not been on much.
BT
Thought you were coming over for some FRESH eggs with yir ghirls? New born lambs on tuesday. Beautiful. :-)))
HT
You as well. Plenty eggs, and, well, read above. Minx, you will luv this. :-)))
BT
Devastating news re. Wee Oscar. I was in tears reading BRS’s account. Shattered is not the word, worse. So sad. Candle will be lit at 2100.
Weefra HH supporting and praying for Wee Oscar.
Bada Bing
Never far away my friend:o)
Noticed your post earlier about the Paulo new album. My daughters saw him in Barrowlands a few weeks ago and of course thoroughly enjoyed the gig. Caught one of his tracks today on Radio2 of all places, Numpty I think it was, and added to those I’ve already heard it does seem to be worth the purchase.
Enjoy your weekend.
Wee fra
will come over tomorrow afternoon after church, probably about 2pm, can you text me your post code and I’ll see you then, mini looking forward to it, tell mrs weefra she will see mrs bt after all these years.