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The Celtic Way

Since the very earliest days Celtic teams have employed an approach to football which put the emphasis on an attacking and passing game.
While winning was naturally the key objective, style was as important as substance. In the robust days of football’s formative years Celtic retained a physical edge but in contrast to the kick and rush game favoured by many teams they often offered a more refined style of play, one which emphasised skill as well as strength .
From the mesmerising dribbling of Sandy McMahon to the majestic passing ability of Jimmy McMenemy, Celtic brought wizardry and panache to the hurly burly of the football field.
They attacked and entertained and it was this approach to the game which won the early Celtic an increasingly large army of supporters from out with its traditional Irish-Catholic heartlands. Indeed the supporters identified this as football ‘the Celtic way’ and there would now be an eternal demand for every Hoops side to not just win, but to win with style.
From generation to generation the Celtic support has come to expect entertaining, attacking football and the team has often delivered. Under the chairmanship of Robert Kelly there were tales of how defeated Celtic players were given bonuses because they had turned in an attacking an exciting performance. Likewise victories were met with distain if the team had not performed in the expected ‘Celtic Way’.
Critics will point out that there have been ample times when Celtic has failed to live up to these standards, when the football was anything but exciting or entertaining. That cannot be denied. But while there have been periods when the club lacked the talent to produce football the ‘Celtic way’ there has remained, among fans, an insatiable desire for the Hoops to play the beautiful game.
While many supports simply want winning football the Parkhead faithful will always aspire for something more.


The Lisbon Lions

The image of a sweat-soaked, sun bathed Billy McNeil hoisting aloft the European Cup has become a treasured icon to Celtic supporters. It symbolises the club's greatest ever achievement and provides a constant reminder and inspiration to younger generations of just how high this great club can reach.
The rightful reverence given to that famous night in Lisbon's Estadio Nacional is primarily in acknowledgment to the fact that a home grown team from the west of Scotland should achieve the seemingly impossible by lifting European football's greatest prize. That feat alone is of course worthy of celebration but in truth it is just part of what makes the story of Jock Stein and the Lisbon Lions so special.
Because what the Bhoys achieved on May 25th 1967 is something which was a cause for celebration far beyond Scotland, Ireland and those other traditional Celtic strongholds across the globe. The reason for that is simple. Celtic's victory was a victory for football. It was a victory for the so-called small people. The dreamers.
To fully comprehend the magnitude of this feat you have to understand exactly what Celtic had to overcome in the heat of the Portugese capital. Helenio Herrera's Inter Milan v Celtic should have been a mismatch. It wasn't so much David v Goliath as David v Goliath's big brother.
Inter Milan were no ordinary football team and Helenio Herrera was no ordinary football manager. But to the surprise of many they finally met their match in Celtic and Jock Stein.
Former Barcelona coach Herrera had moved to Italy where he had been lured by club president Angelo Morrati. An oil billionaire Morrati's dream was to build a club which would wrestle from Real Madrid the title of the most successful football club in Europe. His appointment of Herrera was the moment when that dream started to become a reality
With money no object Herrera and Morrati set out on building a team to conquer a continent. Money obviously helped pay for the finest material, but the real key to success was Herrera, the man who was to become the architect and master builder of a team which would be christened ‘Grande Inter’ – the Great Inter. With Herrera at the helm Inter soon became the dominant force both in Italy and Europe. Between 1961 and 1967 the Milanese side won three league titles (63,65,66), two European Cups (64, 65) and two Inter-Continental Cups (64, 65). During this period they never finished out of the top three in Seire A.
It wasn’t just silverware they collected though. Their success on the continent ensured the club developed a nationwide fan-base which saw Inter fans springing up in villages, towns and cities across Italy. As the lyrics to the classic Celtic song Willy Maley proclaim, this truly was "…the team all Italy adored".
There negative and defensive approach – Catenaccio – however won over few neutrals.
As manager of Dunfermline Jock Stein himself had travelled to Italy in 1963 to spend time studying Herrera's methods. Herrera was impressed by the energy of the man from Burnbank who he christened 'The Big Ant'. Stein's trip to Italy had been paid for by a newspaper and there is no doubt he took a lot from the experience.
Certainly come May 25th 1967 Herrera would be impressed with much more than just the energy of his rival.
Herrera's frequent boast that his team often won games before even stepping onto the pitch could so easily have applied to that beautiful day in Lisbon and the pre-match preparations. As Celtic arrived at the stadium to train on the evening before the final they were met by the Inter team just finishing their session. Instead of retiring to the showers the Italian players and their manager congregated on the touchline and there they stayed until Celtic's practice session ended. It was classic Herrera.
The next day, with minutes remaining to kick-off, the two teams were.standing together in the tunnel, waiting to enter the arena.The Celtic players couldn't help but be impressed by their opponents. Athletic and tanned they looked every inch the footballing sophisticates. Jimmy Johnstone commented to his team-mates that the Inter players all looked like movie stars. They didn't only look the part, they had the medals to prove they had the substance to match the style.
For all Celtic's domestic dominance that wonderful season it paled into insignificance in comparison to the achievements of these men who had conquered Europe and the World. It is no idle boast to say most teams would have been beat before a ball had been kicked. Celtic were not most teams.
Bertie Auld's response to this moment of apprehension and tension has of course gone down in Celtic folklore. His leading of the players in singing 'The Celtic Song' as they began the long walk up the tunnel sent not just a message of defiance to Inter but one of inspiration to Celtic. Inter may well have been Grande, but Celtic were also a grand old team to play for.
Stein struck a psychological blow when he got reserve keeper John Fallon to claim the bench nearest the halfway line. This did not impress the Inter officials. It was a small, seemingly trivial act of defiance. But what was clear to all was that this club which had for so long represented the underdog would not now, in its finest hour, be bullied by anyone.
When the players emerged from the tunnel the Celtic players appeared blinking in the sunshine like miners emerging from the bowels of the earth after another shift in the darkness. Stein, who followed his Bhoys out of the tunnel, would have been forgiven for thinking back to his days as a collier. He had come a long way. From toiling underground at Earnock pit to guiding Celtic to the summit of European football. He was close to completing a most remarkable journey. But the giant of European football - Helenio Herrera - stood between him and this majestic peak. Was it really possible?
Of course it was. What happened over the next 90 minutes is written in the heart of every Celtic fan. Indeed of everyone who appreciates and loves attacking football. Stein and Celtic did not defeat Grande Inter. They destroyed them. The score line was 2-1 but the reality was that this was a beating which left Inter and Herrera battered and broken. Catenaccio was savaged by what Big Jock described as 'Pure, beautiful, inventive football'.
After Inter took the lead with an early penlty they sat back and defended. And defended. And defended. How sweet that it was a rampaging full-back who hit the cannonball shot that eventually breached Inter's resiliant defence. That fine Tommy Gemmell strike was of course followed by Stevie Chalmers late winner. It was a goal which brought justice.
What Celtic and Jock Stein achieved in the Portuguese capital was much more than win the European Cup - fantastic achievement that it was. They heralded a new era in football. They were a green and white whirlwind which blew away the football establishment and their old, negative ways. Almost 80 years from the day they were founded to feed the poor in Glasgow's east end Celtic FC had struck another blow for the underdog. The football world celebrated the end of Catenaccio and the victory of football the Celtic way.



C’Mon The Hoops

In 1903 changing the design of a football jersey must have been a simple decision. The sport was still relatively young, so the baggage of tradition would not have been a constraint. Indeed in the harsh and dirty industrial world of 1900s Glasgow the fans themselves would probably have cared little about such a trivial matter as a change of ‘uniform’.
So when Celtic switched from green and white vertical stripes to Hoops there was no apparent fan-fare or outpouring of criticism. Yet this simple and virtually unheralded change would give birth to one of football’s most distinctive and iconic shirts as the new hooped jersey would go on to form a massive and integral part of the Celtic identity.
Today the Hoops are instantly recognised as belonging to Celtic. While other clubs may also wear them, none come close to provoking that instant recognition with the design which the Bhoys do. Across the world green and white hoops equals Celtic. Despite imitators from Yeovil to Lisbon there are few, if any, other clubs in the world whose strip is so omnipresent in its identity.
But just what has made the Hoop shirt so famous around the world? It might be Celtic’s famed origins. Maybe it stands outs in a football world of dull and commonplace red and blue shirts. It could also be due to the club’s huge exiled support or the Bhoys’ many notable and proud achievements. Quite probably the answer is a combination of all these factors.
There is no doubting though that the bright, clean and striking design is something different. It stands out from the crowd. It lights up the cold, dark and damp Saturday afternoons of a Scottish winter.
It’s seems fitting that the men most fondly remembered for wearing it are maverick talents like Patsy Gallacher, Charlie Tully and Jimmy Johnstone. Men who were also capable of lighting up dull winter days. This type of player was born to play in the Hoops. I mean would a cheeky trick from Charlie or a jinking run from Jimmy appear quite as spectacular, as exciting, if the player had been wearing a dour blue shirt?


Marching with O'Neill – 6-2 and the treble season


Standing on the steps outside the entrance to Celtic Park’s main stand Martin O’Neill calmly surveyed the boisterous and noisy crowd which had gathered to greet him.
Songs were being sung, scarves held aloft. The press and TV crews, cameramen and reporters, jostled for position as they swarmed around him.
Unfazed, O’Neill remained focused on those in the crowd. Looking like a teacher about to address a pack of over-excited school children on a trip to Alton Towers, he raised his right hand in a call for attention. As the crowd hushed he looked at them and said: “I will do everything I possibly can to try and bring some success to this football club."
A delighted crowd roared their approval. It would be a roar which would not be silenced all season.
The appointment of the Derryman was welcomed by almost all Celtic fans. An articulate, passionate and intelligent character, O’Neill had become one of English footballs most sought after talents after remarkable success at unfashionable Leicester City. Critics of the appointment pointed at a lack of big club experience, but for most Celtic fans there was a quiet optimism that the club had finally appointed the right man.
By the time the season kicked-off O’Neill had brought in Chris Sutton from Chelsea while Belgium international Joos Valgaren added an assured quality to the defence. But while these buys would prove invaluable it was the transformation of existing players which really caught the eye. Stan Petrov and Bobby Petta were unrecognisable from the disappointments of the previous campaign. Indeed the whole team seemed to have been revived by the O’Neill touch.
Celtic now looked confident and robust. They retained the club’s traditional attacking approach but had added a more physical dimension to their play. Were the days of the Hoops being bullied about to end?
That question would be answered on August 27 2000 at Celtic Park, where O’Neill would go head-to-head with Rangers for the first time. Nobody would predict what happened next. In an astonishing opening 11 minutes Rangers were engulfed by the whirwind that was Celtic. The rampant Bhoys raced into a 3-0 lead. Thrust after thrust of Celtic attacks left the defending champions bedraggled and bewildered. The Ibrox club would pull a goal back before the break but little than five minutes after the restart Henrik Larsson sealed his reputation as a world class striker and Celtic legend with a goal of sublime beauty.
After 90 frantic and furious minutes a magnificent Celtic side emerged 6-2 victors. They had gone toe to toe with their big rivals and obliterated them. Those with Rangers sympathies dusted themselves down and talked about another ‘false dawn’ for the Celts. But despite the Bhoys suffering a 5-1reverse at Ibrox in November the sun was now starting to set on a decade of almost uninterrupted Rangers success.
That Ibrox defeat aside Celtic appeared unstoppable. Even reduced to 10 men they were able to destroy Kilmarnock in the CIS Cup final thanks to a wonderful Larsson hat-trick.
The league championship would be wrapped up in April and, as Champions, Celtic returned to Ibrox where they yet again destroyed Rangers with a 3-0 victory (with Larsson hitting his 50th goal of the season) every bit as sweet as the earlier 6-2 triumph.
On a typically glorious May day Celtic wrapped up their first treble since 1969 with a comfortable victory over Hibernian. In less than 12 months Martin O’Neill had transformed Celtic and Scottish football. There would of course be failures during O’Neill’s reign. Mistakes were made and opportunities missed. But his reign is one to be celebrated by all Celtic fans and his legacy can not be counted in trophies alone.
The elastoplasts of recent last gasp title triumphs can not disguise the wounds caused to Rangers’ sense of invincibility during the Irishman’s five year rule at Parkhead. After a decade of Rangers success Martin O’Neill didn’t just break the dominace of the Ibrox club. He smashed it to smithereens.


It’s not the creed…

That Celtic’s roots are Irish and Catholic is undeniable. It is a fact which should be celebrated rather than denied.
Both of these influences were fundamental in shaping the ethos of the club but they were just part of mix which also included socialism and a humanitarian desire that all men should be regarded equal. These ingredients ensured that from its earliest days Celtic employed a philosophy which was perfectly summarised by Wille Maley when he said: 'It is not his creed nor his nationality which counts -it's the man himself.'
It is perhaps this more than anything which separates Celtic from Rangers.
For a club of Irish and Catholic roots, one which represented a community which faced hatred and discrimination on a daily basis, it would have been all so easy in those early days to opt to become a closed shop. To follow the sectarian policy of the early Hibernian. Indeed some in the club pressed for such a policy. But the founding fathers of Celtic resisted such temptations, viewing them as alien to the principles of the club. This, they insisted, would be a club open to all.
By the 1930s Willie Maley could proudly boast of how his club had not just been home to many protestant players but also to Jews, Muslims and those of no faith. Whatever your faith, or your nationality in the eyes of the Celtic support the equation was a simple one – a Celt is a Celt.
While the ‘No Catholics’ signs remained in place at Ibrox the largely Catholic-Irish Celtic support were turning up at Parkhead every Saturday to worship at the feet of men who shared neither their faith or links to Ireland. Off the pitch Celtic’s attacking and exciting football won many supporters who were neither Catholic or Irish. They simply enjoyed good football and recognised the inclusive nature of Celtic Football Club. Their passion and love for the club would be and is as whole-hearted, resilient and as genuine as anyone from an Irish or Catholic background.
In a feeble attempt to convince others that the their club has finally turned its back on sectarianism Rangers fans like to list the names of their Catholic players. To do so misses the point entirely. Ask most Celtic fans to produce a similar list of non-Catholics who have played for the Bhoys and they would struggle because most simply don’t know or care what faith their hero follows.
Willie Maley said that Celtic Park was a place where a man was judged on football alone. Long may it continue.



Cheerio 10-in-a-row

We never really thought it would come to this. We never thought we would let them get this close. Yet as season 1997/98 dawned the Celtic support were staring into the abyss. Rangers were just a season away from bettering one of the Bhoy’s proudest records – the famed 9-in-a-row of Jock Stein.
That a relatively mediocre Rangers side had been allowed to equal this record was bad enough. Especially given that an often bedraggled Celtic had offered little resistance thanks to the mismanagement of the board. With Fergus McCann now at the helm hopes had risen. But we were now drinking at the last chance saloon and the beer tasted off.
The omens for this all important campaign were not good. The talented if troublesome ‘Three Amigos’ - Pierre Van Hooijdonk, Jorge Cadette and Paolo Di Canio - would all depart following very public fall outs with Fergus McCann. The loss of such talent was viewed as a major blow but sadder still was the news that Celtic legend Paul McStay would be forced to quit the game through injury.If Celtic were to stop the doomsday scenario of a Hun 10-in-a-row then newly appointed manager Wim Jansen – who replaced the sacked Tommy Burns - would have to virtually build an entirely new team. It was surely too much to ask.
The summer signings came thick and fast. Bradford reserve keeper Jonathan Gould was joined at Parkhead by Chelsea’s Craig Burley. French fullback Stephane Mahe came from Rennes while Dutch winger Regi Blinke arrived as part of the deal which saw Di Canio ‘traded’ to Sheffield Wednesday. Hibernian forward Darren Jackson had been a long time irritant of the Celtic support so received a mixed response on his arrival at Parkhead.
Jansen then returned to former club Feyenord and used a clause in the contract of an unhappy Henrik Larsson to bring the Swede to Glasgow for £700,000. Henrik’s first touch n a Celtic shirt has now become the stuff of legend. He gifted the ball to Hibernian’s Chic Charnley who promptly drilled the ball home from 25-yards to give the Easter Road club a 2-1 home win in the Bhoys' opening league game.
The next week Celtic crashed 2-1 at Parkhead to Dunfermline. Two weeks into the season the Hoops were already six points adrift of Rangers and playing catch up with a side who hadn’t been caught for a decade.
Back to back games against St Johnstone witnessed Larsson net a wonderful diving header as the Bhoys progressed in the League Cup and bagged their first league victory. Marc Rieper then arrived from West Ham United. The Danish international brought strength and physical presence to the heart of defence.
Jansen had steadied the ship. Progress had been made in the League, League Cup and UEFA Cup. The latter competition saw Celtic paired with big spending Liverpool and for most pundits the outcome of the game would be a formality in favour of the English side.
In a thrilling first-leg encounter at Celtic Park the honours were shared in a 2-2 draw. After going a goal down the Hoops produced a wonderful attacking display to lead 2-1. But with Celtic on the verge of claiming a deserved victory tired minds and legs allowed Steve McManaman to waltz half the length of the pitch for a memorable equaliser. That late goal was a bitter blow but it couldn’t disguise a renewed sense of belief in the Celtic players and support. A 0-0 draw at Anfield saw the Celts exit the UEFA Cup on away goals. It was rough justice on the Bhoys who had been the better side over the two legs.
Confidence was now soaring and after some fine wins in the league Jansen’s men would end October top of the table. Scotland international and European Cup winner Paul Lambert was added to the squad in early November. Hope was now in the hearts of the Celtic faithful. But in typical Celtic fashion these hopes were quickly unravelled. The popular Davie Hay quit his post as assistant general manager amid rumours of a fall out with the general manager, the unpopular Jock Brown.
Then, on the eve of the season’s first clash with Rangers, Larsson and Tosh McKinlay had a training ground bust-up which left the Swede with a black eye. Celtic would lose 1-0 at Ibrox.
What should have been the opening derby clash of the campaign had been cancelled following the death of Princess Diana and was rearranged for November 19th. Coming soon after that defeat at Ibrox, Celtic could not afford their rivals taking another three points. Such an outcome seemed horribly unavoidable after Marco Negri gave the visitors an ill deserved lead. Under Tommy Burns Celtic had commonly dominated derby encounters but time after time would be defeated by a strike on the counter attack. It looked like some things never changed.
But as the game entered injury time Celtic won a free kick wide on the right. As the ball was delivered into the Rangers box Alan Stubbs leapt into the floodlit sky. Sensing the importance of the moment an intense hush had enveloped the stadium. Stubbs got his head to the ball and forcefully directed his header goalwards. An eerie moment of silence was suddenly broken by the Scouser’s dramatic roar of “YES!” as the ball nestled in the net. Delirium ensued within the towering stands of the recently transformed Celtic Park.
A bullish Celtic would underline their championship credentials by taking the first silverware of the season – the League Cup. A 3-0 final trouncing of Dundee United at Ibrox was only Celtic’s second trophy success since 1989. Celtic were winning honours again.
By New Year Celtic were involved in a three way battle for top spot with Rangers and Hearts. Sat in third spot and four points adrift of leaders Rangers the derby match of January 2nd was yet another massive challenge. Again Celtic dominated. Recent capture Harald Brattbakk was thwarted on several occasions by Andy Goram, so often the hero for the Huns in these encounters. After the break Celtic continued to test the Rangers rearguard but their dominance was bringing nothing but frustration.
But just as fears of another Rangers sucker punch were growing Jackie McNamara slid a delightful through ball into the path of Burley who drilled the ball low and hard past the desperate dive of Goram. Rangers tried to respond but found Celtic in no mood to relinquish the initiative. With minutes remaining Celtic pushed on for a second. As a high ball was played into the visitors box Colin Hendry appeared to climb on the back of Alan Stubbs. The Celtic support roared for a penalty.
Hendry’s climb went unpenalised and his header was successful in clearing the area. But the ball was far from safe. It had found its way into the path of the lurking Lambert and the midfielder displayed typical poise to deliver a thunderous long-range drive which scorched its way past a stunned Goram and high into the net.
It was a screaming climax to an awesome Celtic performance which signalled in the most emphatic way that for the first time in years the Bhoys were ready to go toe to toe in the fight for the Championship.
Despite two contentious draws with the Bhoys – thanks in no small part to the bizarre time-keeping of Rangers-loving referee Bobby Tait – Hearts would fade from the title race and although both Celtic and Rangers would stutter along the way it was the Glasgow sides who would be battling it out for the flag.
Defeats in a Scottish Cup and league double header with Rangers were a painful reminder of old times for the Celts as the counter attacks of Walter Smith’s men secured two fortunate victories. Added to these setbacks was growing speculation that Jansen had fallen out with Jock Brown and his departure via an exit clause in his contract was imminent. But despite all of this with just two games to go the destiny of the title would be in Celtic’s hands.
That man Tait would again play a key role. The official was due to retire at the end of the season and had requested his final match be at his beloved Ibrox. So it was that Tait took charge of Rangers’ penultimate clash of the season when they took on Kilmarnock.
Walter Smith’s side struggled to break down the resilient Ayrshire side and with 90 minutes on the clock the score remained 0-0. Knowing anything but a win would be a massive blow to the Ibrox team the devious Tait allowed the game to continue way beyond the expected injury time in the hope Rangers would find a late winner.
But this dastardly plan would backfire spectacularly as Ally Mitchell netted for the visitors to send Rangers to a dramatic defeat.
The Hoops now knew a win at Dunfermline would seal the Championship and preserve the wonderfful legacy of Jock Stein’s Celtic. But in a Championship race which had more twists than a corkscrew ecstasy would yet again turn into agony. Leading 1-0 and dominating proceedings, Celtic would be just seven minutes from the title when Craig Falcounbridge’s looping header gave the Pars a point.
The title race, the fight to protect a treasured part of Celtic history, would go to the final game. Celtic at home to St Johnstone, Rangers away to Dundee United.
When the day arrived the sun was shinning high over Celtic Park. But a cloud of doubt hovered above a support by now engulfed by tension, nerves and fear. A win would still bring deliverance but nothing was a formality anymore.
The next 90 minutes would not just decide the champions of 1997/98 but whether Rangers would surpass the historic achievement of a Celtic side immeasurably superior to the pretenders from Ibrox.
In hindsight it is wonderfully appropriate that a man who would become a Celtic legend would deliver such a telling blow in this last chance defence of past greats. Under the towering slopes of the new North Stand Henrik Larsson collected the ball on the left touchline. With just two minutes gone he cut inside an opponent and purposefully headed on a diagonal run towards goal before releasing a shot from 30 yards. The ball would swerve and dip before flashing past the Saints keeper and crashing into the back of the net to trigger scenes of uncontrolled joy. It was a truly beautiful goal.
Saint Johnstone’s George O’Boyle then failed to convert a decent headed opportunity and with Rangers winning at Tannadice nerves were stretched to snapping point.
But as the full time whistle edged closer Celtic were determined not to falter again and substitute Brattbakk, much maligned for his wastefulness in front of goal since arriving from Rosenborg, was about to ensure a place in Celtic history.
On 72 minutes Tom Boyd released Jackie McNamara down the right wing. Jackie galloped down the flank before delivering a low cross into the box.
Brattbakk had timed his run through the centre to perfection and he raced into the box just in time to dispatch the ball into the net with a delightfully cool finish. It was now party time in Paradise.
The remaining minutes of the match were played out as a formality as the partying in the stand took centre stage. The memory of Jock Stein’s Bhoys had been saved. Bragging rights preserved. Rangers had not become the first side to claim 10 titles in a row. They were the just second team to reach Nine-in-a Row. Celtic were Champions. Celtic were back.
The title celebrations of the Celtic support would come to an abrupt end with the departure of Jansen. The exit of the Dutchman was a bitter pill for many fans to swallow and consequently would signal the beginning of the end for the increasingly loathed Brown. Jansen’s leaving was the hangover from an intoxicating season. It was a hell of a headache. But it had also been a hell of a party.


"With A Four Leaf Clover On My Breast....”

Instantly recognisable, hailed in song and story and recently voted among the best badges in club football – the Four-Leaf Clover of Celtic FC.
It is believed the club adopted the four-leaf clover as an emblem when one was found growing close to the centre circle of the Celtic Park pitch in the 1890s.
The discovery of the four-leaf clover was regarded in Celtic mythology as bringing luck to its finder. According to legend, each leaf represents something: the first is for hope, the second is for faith, the third is for love, and the fourth is for luck.
Despite being used on club stationary etc for decades this famous crest did not actually appear on the club shirt until the late 1970s. Indeed Celtic's first crest was the Celtic Cross and this was worn on the first strip. Another emblem used regularly in the club’s early years was a harp against a blue background.
A large shamrock was used as the badge on away shirts in the 1950s. The Celtic Cross did make an appearance again in the centenary year and in 2003, to celebrate 100 years of the hoops. Fergus McCann once revealed tentative plans to replace the clover but outrage from fans saw the badge remain and today it is among the most enduring and loved of all Celtic icons.
It can be seen everywhere from New York to Cape Town to Sydney. Recognised by all football fans and loved by Celtic supporters, the four-leaf clover is a badge of many honours.


Jock Stein

No figure looms over Celtic FC quite like the great Jock Stein.
He is the reason 60,000 fans pack Parkhead, he is the reason we demand attacking and entertaining football, he is the reason why sometimes even winning is not enough. He is the man who gave us all dreams and songs to sing.
From coal miner to the father of the modern-day Celtic, Stein's journey to football legend was a remarkable one. Although Jock himself was modest about his own footballing ability Stein was, while no world beater, a competent and effective centre-half. He had joined Albion Rovers in 1942 from Blantyre Victoria but after a contract row left Coatbridge in 1950 for non-league Welsh side Llanelli. He was brought home to Scotland in December 1951 when the Bhoys paid a fee of £1,200 for his services.
Stein’s arrival at Parkhead underwhelmed the faithful. Most reasonably assumed the ex-miner would make little impact beyond the reserves. But injuries and a string of dire defensive displays from Celtic enabled Stein to stake his claim for a first team place. He made an immediate impression. With the big Lanarkshire man at the heart of defence the once lightweight Bhoys were suddenly a noticeably more robust and resilient outfit.
Stein’s commanding presence compensated for a lack of pace and what he lacked in technical ability he made up for with excellent positional sense and organisational skills which quickly made him a vital influence on the pitch. His influence and formidable presence did not go unnoticed and Stein was soon handed the honour of captaining the Hoops.
With Jock as club captain the previously honour starved Celts claimed the Coronation Cup in 1953 and the League and Cup double the following season. An ankle injury would force Stein to retire in 1956 but the seeds of future success would be sown when Jock took up a coaching position with the Parkhead reserve side.
He would quickly prove to be an extremely capable and popular coach and his ideas and enthusiasm ensured Jock was a popular and much respected figure among the youngsters at Celtic Park. It was no surprise then that his departure to take the manager’s post at Dunfermline was met with deep disappointment.
At East End Park Stein enjoyed a productive apprenticeship in his new trade He quickly transformed the Fifers from relegation candidates into title contenders and Scottish Cup winners – defeating Celtic at Hampden Park in the final of 1961.
Part of a new breed of 'tracksuit' managers, Jock was full of ideas about how to approach the game, how to train and how to get the very best out of his players. Stein was convinced that with the right players and the right sytem you did not have to compromise style for victory. As a man-manager he was fair but stern and his players knew there would only be ever one winner in an argument. He was exactly what Celtic - indeed what football - needed.
However, over at Celtic Park Sir Robert Kelly’s influence remained omnipresent. His considerable interference in team selection meant not even the presence of some undoubtedly talented performers could prevent the Hoops stumble from one trophy-less season to another.
In the Spring of 1964 Jock had been tempted to Easter Road and again his efforts began to reap immediate rewards. His Hibernian side picked up the Summer Cup and were serious title contenders. His reputation as one of the finest young managers in football was growing with almost every passing game.
Throughout this time Stein had remained in close touch with his friends at Celtic, including Kelly. Knowing the Parkhead chairman was now under intense pressure to deliver success Jock made his move to return to the Hoops. Stein let it be known to Kelly that he was thinking of moving on from Hibernian. He confided in the Parkhead chief that a move to Wolverhampton Wanderers was on the cards and superficially asked for his advice. But what the Big Man was really doing was letting the Celtic chairman know that his services were available should he require them.
The appointment of Stein was an obvious and logical solution to Celtic’s troubles but Kelly would have to relinquish all control of playing matters. Further to that Stein would be Celtic’s first non-Catholic manager and the chairman worried if such a move would be seen as a betrayal of the club’s traditions.
He should have known better. Celtic had always been a club open to players of all faiths and whatever the religion of the support as far as they were concerned as soon as you pulled on the Hoops you were one of them. This was illustrated perfectly in March 1965 when Stein returned to Parkhead as manager. His appointment was met with all the joy of a family welcoming home their favourite son.
The statistics will tell you that as Celtic manager Jock Stein won 10 League Titles, eight Scottish Cups, six League Cups and, of course, the European Cup. But as glorious as those facts are his achievements cannot be measured in trophies alone.
Jock Stein set standards, raised expectations and made dreams come true. He embraced and enhanced Celtic attacking traditions. Jock Stein took a club with a wonderful past but a difficult present and gave them a great future. He proved to the Celtic support that there team could be the greatest. It was a lesson they've never forgot.
His influence however was not confined to Scotland though, and when the world of football was in danger of being choked by the negativity of Cattenachio Stein's team showed in Lisbon that attacking football had a future. It was a favour for which an entire sport was eternally grateful.
Following his horror car crash some said the Big Man was never the same again. Certainly he could not retain the high standards he himself had set at Celtic Park. But who could? He would depart Celtic without his achievements being given anywhere near the recognition they fully deserved.
But in the hearts of the Celtic support Stein lives on. His ambitions, his aspirations and his standards set the benchmark for all Celtic supporters. He may no longer be with us but when you ask any Celtic fan what they want from their club they will simply point to the teams produced by Jock. As Bill Shankly said: - "Jock. you're immortal".



Nine In A Row

Among Celtic’s many and varied triumphs there are few as noteworthy as the amazing charge to claim nine league championships in succession.
This run of league triumphs would begin in season 1965-66 and end in 1973-74. A near decade of glory.
It may no longer be a unique record within Scottish football but let's make it clear - Celtic not only did it first, they did it better.
The arrival of Jock Stein as manager in 1965 was of course the catalyst for this remarkable dominance of the domestic game. A dominance which came when Scotland were producing players and teams capable of being among the very best in the world.
What made this sustained run of success even sweeter was the fact that the talent behind this remarkable run of success was, for the most part, home grown from Celtic’s youth ranks. The imperious Billy McNeill and the Lisbon Lions would of course provide the backbone of the side for much of the run but in latter years the likes of Kenny Dalglish, Davie Hay, George Connolly, Lou Macari and Danny McGrain would emerge.
Rangers would of course go on to equal Celtic’s proud record but the merest dig below the superficial statistics of both records quickly reveals the Ibrox version of 9-in-a-row as infinitely inferior to the original and best.
It was of course still a great achievement. But with Celtic in turmoil, a paucity of quality throughout the Scottish domestic scene and with financial resources far greater than their opponents, Rangers never faced anywhere near the level of competition as that which met the Bhoys season after season.
The European record of Scottish clubs during both eras illustrates perfectly the gulf in quality. During Celtic’s 9-in-a-row the club reached the European Cup final twice and were semi-finalists another two times. During the same period Rangers won the European Cup Winners Cup and along with other Scottish clubs were regularly in the latter stages of European competition.
In contrast during the Rangers 9-in-a-row era Scottish clubs were humiliated on an annual basis and for the most part the Ibrox side’s own performances on the continent would be more at home on the Paramount comedy channel than ESPN Classic.
When asked by a reporter in the late 1990s what he thought the outcome would be if Celtic’s Nine-in-a-row side took on the Rangers equivalent Bertie Auld, Hoops legend and a regular in the early years of Celtic’s 9-in-a-row run, replied: “It would be close, I think it would probably be a draw. But then most of us are in our late 50s now.”


Born from charity - Brother Walfrid & The Poor Children’s Dinner Table

In a perfect world Celtic would never have been formed. Why? Because in a perfect world there would be no poverty. There would be no squalor. In a perfect world people would offer charity without expecting the recipient to renounce their faith. Glasgow in the 1880s was far from a perfect world.
Sligo-born Brother Walfrid created Celtic to aid an impoverished community. A community often shunned because of their faith and nationality. He was driven by a desire to not just save them from poverty but to help them retain their dignity. Through the Poor Children’s Dinner Table and Celtic FC he wanted to put food in the belly and pride in the heart. That’s not romantic revisionism, that’s the reality behind Celtic.
The club’s rapid success on the pitch would see it quickly steer away from these original off-field aspirations. Today such honourable intentions are, bar few exceptions, almost alien to a world of football more concerned with multi-million pound transfers, sponsorship deals, executive boxes and merchandising.
Yet these roots remain a source of great pride for Celtic supporters’. While the club is now ‘owned’ by shareholders, charity and community will always remain at the very heart of the club.



Fun in the Sun - The Seville experience

When the Hoops fans held an impromptu going away party at Ibrox on Beach Ball Sunday they would set the tone for the whole Seville experience – whatever the result the Celtic fans were going to have a party. And so they did.
An army of 80,000 supporters travelled the long road to southern Spain via any means possible. Not before or since have so many travelled so far in the name of football. It was though the friendliest of invasions. Large quantities of alcohol were undoubtedly consumed but the mood was never anything other than festive.
Locals and Porto supporters happily mixed with the Bhoys supporters in the squares, bars and clubs of Seville. Hugs, huddles and handshakes were the order of the day as new friends were made and old pals reunited.
As kick-off approached the Celts danced and sung in the sunshine and even when the Bhoys suffered the agony of an extra time defeat the partying continued. Not even defeat could sober the mood of a support who had come to realise in recent days just what a unique and special club they belonged to.
Although the team lost the final the support had won the hearts of the people of Seville as well the respect of the football world. Awards in recognition of the fans behaviour followed from both UEFA and FIFA.
UEFA Cup finals are annual events. They come and go. What happened in Seville however was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. An experience no other club is ever like to repeat.

markiebhoy7

29 Jun 2009, 11:24 AM

Absolutely superb work as always THT

I've went for:

Lisbon Lions. They were before my time but I grew up hearing all about them from my Dad and their mark is still all over the club. Easily one of the best club teams of all time and are a constant reminder of just how high we should be aiming as a club. What an achievement... For a group of lads from Scotland to win the big one in style, it's nothing short of miraculous.

Jock Stein. Another easy choice, I'd say he's the most influential figure in our club's history and is the reason why we're such a demanding support. A legend who commanded the respect of every manager who's ever graced the game.

Fun In The Sun. Had to really think about the third choice but it boiled down to the fact that having picked the best players and the best manager it seemed logical to pick the fans. Almost every player who's ever signed for us has been blown away by the Celtic fans and this was definitely our finest hour. You know you're part of something special when the likes of Ancelotti and Ferguson are praising us to the hilt for our support, and to be recognised by UEFA and FIFA in such a way proved that we deserve the title of greatest fans in the world

cfc88

29 Jun 2009, 01:51 PM

markiebhoy7

29 Jun 2009, 11:24 AM

Absolutely superb work as always THT

I've went for:

Lisbon Lions. They were before my time but I grew up hearing all about them from my Dad and their mark is still all over the club. Easily one of the best club teams of all time and are a constant reminder of just how high we should be aiming as a club. What an achievement... For a group of lads from Scotland to win the big one in style, it's nothing short of miraculous.

Jock Stein. Another easy choice, I'd say he's the most influential figure in our club's history and is the reason why we're such a demanding support. A legend who commanded the respect of every manager who's ever graced the game.

Fun In The Sun. Had to really think about the third choice but it boiled down to the fact that having picked the best players and the best manager it seemed logical to pick the fans. Almost every player who's ever signed for us has been blown away by the Celtic fans and this was definitely our finest hour. You know you're part of something special when the likes of Ancelotti and Ferguson are praising us to the hilt for our support, and to be recognised by UEFA and FIFA in such a way proved that we deserve the title of greatest fans in the world

That's what I went for too

stevie21

30 Jun 2009, 08:59 PM

I voted for Stein, the Celtic Way & charity but after thinking about it too much, have decided they're much the same thing. After all "He is the reason we demand attacking and entertaining football"