Jock Stein made many memorable utterances; but perhaps the most telling of all was when, reflecting years later on what he and his players had achieved, he opined that things may not have gone so well for him and Celtic had the 1965 Scottish Cup Final gone the other way. Was he right? Mercifully, we…
“Ultimate Celtic Squad” Midfielders (Amendment)
Reading something by David Potter the other day drew my attention to the astonishing oversight of my failure even to mention, let alone include the great “Sunny Jim” in our proposed “Ultimate” Celtic midfield pool. That grievous oversight is hereby addressed. James Young, the Ayshire engineering apprentice with absolutely no Celtic affiliation before signing in…
The Three Bears
Once upon a time, there were three “Bears” … Now, let’s make one thing clear from the outset – this story has nothing at all to do with cuddly bedtime storybook bears and bowls of porridge; and even less with the followers of a certain south side club, who sometimes like to style themselves as…
Jimmy Johnstone, 1944-2006 (An Epitaph)
Jimmy Johnstone, by official acclamation Celtic’s “Greatest Ever Player” and undoubtedly high on any Celtic supporter’s list of “All-time Greats”, died five years ago today (RIP). In homage to our “Lord of the Wing”, we are proud to re-publish our lyrical tribute to the wee man with the big, big heart: “Heart of a Lion”…
Thunder (Lenny’s Pledge)
Lenny promised to bring back the thunder, to restore something precious we’d lost. Critics tried to imply something sinister … why? … – ’cos they dreaded the thought of being bossed. When the Celtic are focused and flying, there’s a spark that ignites the old ground – like the Jungle of old, today’s stands, big…
The Big Man (A Celtic Giant)
Has any other figure in the game so comprehensively defined an age and writ his name as large upon the page as big Jock Stein – to many minds the greatest single Celt there’s ever been? The Big Man, ostracised by kith and kin because he wouldn’t toe the bigot line, in time embodied everything…
Big Jock is and always will be, immortal.
A statue of Jock Stein, to many minds the greatest single Celt there’s ever been, will be unveiled outside Celtic Park before the game against Hamilton tomorrow. A visionary, a man before his time, big Jock replaced the eight-year vale of tears that followed on from our historic “7-1” triumph, with a dominance unknown for…
A Long Time In Football …
They say a week is a long time in politics … this morning it seems a hell of a long time in football, too. Seven days ago, I posed the semi-rhetorical question, “Where do we go from here, Bhoys?” This morning, we know; and in all honesty, I am shocked at the contrast in the…
Colossus
A colossus is a giant … you’ll have heard of the one at Rhodes. Well, Celtic had our own, back when, o’er our famous ground he strode. Although not thirty metres high he would dominate any foe … and to his sweet, compelling tune, every game would ebb and flow. Great performances orchestral, be it…
The Fiscal Famine
Every Celtic fan knows that our great club was founded in 1887/88 to help alleviate extreme poverty in Glasgow’s east end parishes, which were largely populated at the time by the forced emigrant victims of the Great Irish Famine (an Gorta Mór) of the mid-nineteenth century and their descendants. During and in the aftermath of that human catastrophe, millions either died…
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