The Good Lie

 

The Good Lie

Glasgow April 2003

Fintan glanced at the clock on the scoreboard high above the packed stand. It told him that 74 minutes had elapsed and that Celtic and Boavista were tied at one goal apiece, as Henrik Larsson placed the ball on the penalty spot. His brother Gerry mumbled in his ear, ‘we need a lead to take to Portugal, he better score this.’ The shaven headed Swede ran up to strike the ball as 60,000 fans in the stadium held their breath. He hit the ball solidly to the keeper’s right but the Portuguese custodian guessed correctly and palmed the ball away for a corner. A hugely frustrating night had taken another twist, as the streetwise, time wasting Boavista side punched the air in delight. Celtic were held to a draw and their hopes of making the 2003 UEFA cup final, hung by a thread.

The following day Fintan skipped up the stairs of the Victoria Infirmary to see his old man and fill him in on how the game with Boavista had gone. Old Joe was a veteran of Lisbon in 67 and Milan in 1970, and hoped to see his beloved Celtic in another European final before the final whistle went on his time. He sat up in the bed, looking pale and thin as his son approached. ‘Alright, da. How’s tricks wi you?’ His old man tried to smile and croaked a response in a tired, hoarse voice, ‘I’d be better if Henrik scored that bloody penalty.’  

Fintan smiled, sat beside the bed and looked at his father. The man who had always been so vigorous and strong, always there to solve every problem, was now much reduced by his cancer. They had discovered it late in the day and it was beyond treatment. ‘We’re still in with a chance. Gerry and his boys are going to Portugal. Thousands of Celtic fans are heading over. He’s stopping off at Lisbon first to visit the stadium Celtic won the big cup in.’ His old man nodded weakly, ‘I wish I was fit for it. Celtic getting to another European final is a dream, son. I saw them in Lisbon and my God, they were brilliant.’ Fintan nodded, ‘Celtic are in with a shout still, da. That mob are no great shakes.’ His old man closed his eyes, as if picturing the scene in Lisbon when time was long and all things seemed possible. ‘Big Billy looked awesome as he held that cup aloft. Best day of my life son. I’ll never forget it. Never, as long as I live…’

Fintan was quiet for a moment as he realised his father was drifting off to sleep. ‘Sweet dreams, da. Sweet dreams.’ He hoped Celtic would make the final and cheer his da one last time. His team had been such a huge part of his life and everything was planned around games. He recalled as a boy sitting outside smoky pubs waiting for his old man to emerge and take him and Gerry to see the Celts. Family parties were usually replete with Celtic songs and as boys, they learned the history of the club and its greatest players off by heart. It was an indelible part of who they were. His old man used to say if he could have a tattoo on his heart, it would read simply: ‘Celtic.’

They were so close to this final, they could almost touch it. He hoped and prayed that they could somehow reach the final and give his dad one last victory in the closing days of his life. It was there to be grasped, but could Martin O’Neill’s side do it?

Boavista Oporto and Celtic fought out a turgid and tense second leg game in order to decide who would progress to the UEFA cup final. The Portuguese side seemed content to sit back as the 1-1 draw in Glasgow was enough to put them in the final. Fintan stood at the back wall of the crowded Tollbooth Bar, the strain palpable in the air. As each second ticked past, the tension grew and grew, until it was almost unbearable.  Boavista wasted time and broke up the play at every opportunity. It was hugely frustrating. There was barely twelve minutes left when Celtic pushed forward again. Mjallby fed Chris Sutton who played it to Larsson. The sharp Swede passed instantly to John Hartson, as a defender lunged in to block the pass. The interception only succeeded in feeding the ball back into the path of the ever-alert Larsson, who made an imperfect connection with it. Nonetheless, the ball, a white blur under the lights, spun through the air past the despairing grasp of the horrified Boavista goalkeeper.

In pubs, clubs and homes all over the world, hundreds of thousands of Celtic fans watched as the ball looped over the goalkeeper, Ricardo, and nestled in the net. There was an explosion of joy, a profound release of pent-up tension, as countless thousands of throats roared in acclaim of a scrappy, scruffy but simply beautiful goal. Celtic were in the lead. Seville, a distant dream a few months earlier, was now a distinct possibility. As Fintan roared his head of with the others in the Tollbooth Bar, his shouts were lost amid the din and mayhem, ‘that one was for you da! That one was for you!’

As April turned to May and the UEFA cup final with FC Porto approached, Fintan tried to see his father every day. He knew time was short but just hoped that he’d hang on long enough to see Celtic lift the trophy in far off Seville. The night before the final, he had sat holding his father’s hand, talking quietly to him. ‘Tens of thousands are in Seville to watch the game. You’ve never seen a support like it. I saw Gerry on the news. He’s got a ticket for the game but his boys are stuck in school.’ His old man was smiling as he lay, eyes closed on the bed, machines whirling and beeping around him.

Fintan talked for a long time that night to his father. He spoke about the old days. About Jimmy Johnstone, mesmerising and tormenting defenders, of Auld and Lennox, McNeill and Murdoch. Of the magnificent fans roaring Celtic on to so many glories. As his he listened to his old man’s shallow breathing, he hoped they could add just one more victory to their illustrious history. Just one more…

The 21st day of May, 2003 saw the streets of Glasgow deserted. Everyone was crowded around TV sets watching Celtic take on Jose Mourinho’s hugely talented FC Porto side. Up to 80,000 Celtic fans were in Spain for the game despite less than half of them having tickets. Fintan Cullen watched events unfold at home with his family. He had arranged with the hospital to go see his father at 9am the following morning as he wanted to tell him all about the final. As FC Porto started the match, he said a little prayer. The fans were there in numbers, the atmosphere crackled, novenas had been said; it was up to the players now.

It was just after 3am when the hospital called him. A kind voice spoke to him in the darkness, ‘Mr Cullen, we think you better come. Your father is nearing the end, and you may want to say your goodbyes.’ He had dressed in a bit of a daze and slipped out of the house for the drive to the hospital. The streets were deserted as he parked near the Victoria. He moved quickly though the silent corridors, fighting back the tears he felt building up inside him.

The nurse smiled kindly at him and showed him into the ante-room. ‘He’s had pain relief but I’m afraid he doesn’t have much longer to go.’ Old Joe, lay on the bed, still and silent. Fintan sat beside him and took his hand, noticing the bruises on it from the needles which had recently been removed. ‘Hi da,’ he began, fighting to keep his emotions in check. ‘Gerry is still in Spain. He’ll be home tomorrow and will come straight up to see you.’ To his surprise, his old man’s eyes flickered open and he whispered almost inaudibly, ‘did Celtic win?’ Fintan took a deep breath, ‘it was a close game, da. Larsson scored two beautiful headed goals and it went into extra time.’ His old man squeezed his hand weakly, as if urging him to go on. 

Fintan thought for a long moment before continuing.  ‘It looked like penalties were on the cards but Celtic fought like lions. The fans sang their hearts out and drove them on, when the heat would have melted you. Sutton headed in the winner in the very last minute. You should have seen them parade the cup, da. Thousands upon thousands of fans singing, you'll never walk alone. It was beautiful, just beautiful. Like Lisbon all over again.’ His old man exhaled and smiled weakly, ‘good old Celtic…’ Fintan knew it was a lie, but it was a good lie. Where was the harm in gifting his old man one last happy thought?

He sat with his old man until dawn’s red fingers painted patterns on the wall above the bed. Old Joe had taken his last breath on that bright May morning in 2003. He had departed this life with no regrets. Fintan smiled through his tears at his father, who lay on the bed, his face serene and at peace. ‘I’ll see you in a better place, da. The family and going to love it when I tell them your last words were, ‘good old Celtic.’ 

He leaned down and kissed his old man on the forehead. ‘Thanks, da. They broke the mould when they made you.’ 

 

 

Madness and Love

 

Madness and Love

Watching the forlorn figure of Reo Hatate wander round behind the goal of the Jock Stein stand after he was substituted in the match against Shakhtar was somewhat poignant. He no doubt thought he had not had his best match in the hoops and removed his shirt as he trudged around the track. His slack pass in midfield had eventually led to Mudryk’s beautifully taken goal but it was certainly wrong to blame him as the talented Ukrainian side were in possession 80 yards from Celtic’s goal. Sometimes you see a goal of such quality, you just have to say, ‘fair play’ and take it on the chin.

As if sensing Hatate’s despondency, the Celtic support started chanting Reo’s name. It grew into a warm embrace which told him, yeh, we have some moaners in our fanbase but we’re all in this together. We all want what’s best for Celtic. It reminded me of Didier Agathe saying after taking some abuse from his own fans after a European tie, ‘It’s not that they don’t care. It’s that they care too much.’ Agathe had a point; Celtic means so much to so many. In games like the one with Shakhtar, the fans are so engrossed in the game, they contest every decision and try to drive the team on to victory.

Sometimes, a minority get frustrated when it isn’t going well and make it obvious by groaning at a misplaced pass and moaning at players who don’t do as they would wish. We live those games, breathe them, kick every ball and when things aren’t going right, that positive energy we fans give the team can easily turn negative. ‘It is,’ as my old man used to say, ‘an easy game to play from the stands.’

Few teams fuse with their supporters as Celtic do and countless opposition players and managers have commented on the atmosphere Celtic’s followers generate. Some supporters rightly say that they’d rather they’d comment on the Celtic team than the fans but on occasion it is a remarkable symbiosis. Sporting Journalist, Paul Heyward wrote in the aftermath of Celtic’s victory over Barcelona in 2012…

‘’A club set up to feed the poor in Glasgow’s East End took a bite out of the rich in a front of a home tribe so passionate that even Barcelona’s Clasico veterans were taken aback. “No words to describe the atmosphere at Celtic Park,” wrote Gerard Piqué, who knows so well the cauldron of Real Madrid v Barcelona. “The stadium is a marvel – the fans, the people, how they support their team,” Xavi added. “It’s an example for every team.” “The stadium was spectacular,” said Tito Vilanova, the Barcelona coach. “I have been lucky in my career to have been to many grounds, but I have never seen anything like it. This was their 125th birthday and I wish them many more years.”

There is a certain weariness among Celtic fans about continental managers and players praising the atmosphere at Celtic Park in the aftermath of dismantling Celtic’s team on the field. Celtic's epic victory over Barcelona was ten years ago now and in the decade since then the Hoops have barely landed a punch on the giants of European football. Football develops fast and the elite teams of the modern era have developed in terms of technique, ability, speed and stamina. Celtic’s team of 2012 was modest in terms of cost and achievement in Europe but they did possess a fighting spirit and sheer stubbornness that even Barcelona’s golden generation couldn’t break. They also fed off the crowd and, vitally, scored the first goal. That gave them belief and something to hold on to. Paul Heyward commented on that phenomenon with the memorable words…

‘Somewhere between madness and love, this fanaticism did for Barcelona on a night when the Celtic team and their disciples were indivisible. Money can’t buy you that.’

Watching Postecoglou’s Celtic play Shakhtar, it was clear that our players gave all they had in the match and matched a decent European team in both home and away fixtures. In the end a draw was about right although either side could have snatched the win. The fans see progress in the 18 months Ange has been in charge and most accept that the Champions League is a hugely challenging environment for teams of modest resources like Celtic and it will take time to acclimatise to its demands. In all of the games Celtic has played in this season’s group stages, they have given their opponents a real match and even against the mighty Real Madrid, only succumbed after an hour of give and take. The need to compete at that level for the entire match is crucial to making an impact in this, the world’s toughest club tournament.

Toni Kroos, Real’s German playmaker, may have talked of managing the game well at Celtic Park but the truth is had McGregor’s shot which struck the post or Maeda’s miss from six yards found the net, the outcome could have been very different. The Spanish press were impressed with Celtic with one sports reporter writing…

‘Postecoglou has brought Celtic into the modernity of the game and to his credit is doing so without big stars. The team played well, with dynamism, ambition and disdain for defensive tactics. Hence, the value of Madrid’s victory. Real went through some worrying moments in the first half and was surpassed by its rival, who reached the area with ease and had several shots.’

Celtic are a young, developing team with no stand out stars who can turn games with moments of magic. Rather they are attempting to play a modern and, by Scottish standards, sophisticated style of play which relies on energy, effort, organisation and above all else, functioning as a team. It takes time and experience to adapt to the rigours of Champions League football and Celtic need to get back there as soon as possible to gain this. It may not be so easy, with Scotland’s co-efficient taking a pounding this season but we do have grounds to be optimistic.  Postecoglou’s young team will develop further and with a few additions and a more ruthless mindset, can do better in Europe.

Jota was lost to the team at a crucial time and Kyogo, who could do no wrong last season, has had a dip in form but both will be back in time. Players like Grieg Taylor have improved exponentially under Postecoglou’s tutorage as indeed has McGregor and Ralston. The team seem to know where they are going and what they are doing. Clear and strong leadership has been vital to this.

Next week Celtic head to that cathedral of European football, the Santiago Bernabeu with no one giving them much of a hope at the home of the current European Champions. We know gaining any kind of result there will be immensely difficult but we do expect our players to be brave and realise that they are on a stage they may never experience again. Enjoy it, do you best but most importantly, learn from it. It may seem an intimidating arena but it is no more noisy or passionate than Celtic Park.

So, on the slim chance that Reo Hatate reads this article, I hope he will understand that those who moan when things go wrong do so because what they feel for this club is, in the words of Paul Heyward, ‘somewhere between madness and love.’ The majority of us know that complaining is counter productive and simply want to drive our team on to be all it can be. Celtic players carry our hopes and dreams on their shoulders when they wear those iconic hooped shirts. We have come so far since an Irishman named Brother Walfrid set the good ship Celtic afloat. Players come and go, managers too, but we, the fans are here forever. This is our club, our heritage, our joy. All we ask is that you give your all and make us proud.  

 

Storm in a tea cup

 

Storm in Tea Cup

Have you ever had a discussion with someone and find that it’s only after they go away that you come up with the perfect response to their argument? There are many instances in life of the things we should have said at the time but didn’t. I felt that this week watching a smug Sky Sports Newsman grilling a young woman from the Irish FA over some of the players singing ‘Celtic Symphony’ after their victory over Scotland at Hampden. The song, a favourite among Celtic fans, references the IRA with the words, ‘ooh ahh up the Ra’ and this caused a bit of a media storm.

The Sky presenter asked, ‘we’ve seen a statement from the FAI which apologises for players singing a song which references the IRA. Would you like to apologise?’ The young woman did and ate some humble pie live on TV. What she should have said is something like this…

‘Yes, if it caused any offence then I am sorry, it was never our intention, the team was celebrating reaching the world cup and perhaps got carried away. While we’re here, would you like to apologise for occupying our country for centuries, the confiscation of our land, the outlawing of the faith most here held, the penal laws, the deliberate starvation of hundreds of thousands of people, the slaughter in Drogheda the forced migration of millions, the evictions, the absentee landlords, the exploitation, the plantation of Ulster, the famine graves, the coffin ships, oppression, partition, humiliation, collusion, Bloody Sunday, Ballymurphy and the poverty you inflicted upon us?’

What grated was the presenter suggesting the team needed ‘educating’ about the past when the average English person has no idea of the crimes perpetrated on Ireland by the UK. Nor indeed the crimes committed all over the world in the name of empire. Of course, Ireland is moving towards a new reality with the northern statelet no longer certain it has a Unionist majority. It is time to build a new society where the old war songs are allowed to lose their potency. The Irish women’s team may have hit a nerve with their choice of song at Hampden but the national anthem they sang before the game is hardly a song of peace and harmony. ‘Amhrán na bhFiann’ (The Soldiers song) was sung by the men in the Post Office in 1916 and was a favourite of the Irish volunteers who fought a brutal war of independence with the British. It contains the lyric…

‘Impatient for the coming fight,
And as we wait the morning's light,
Here in the silence of the night,
We'll chant a soldier's song.
Soldiers are we
whose lives are pledged to Ireland;
Some have come
from a land beyond the wave.
Sworn to be free,
No more our ancient sire land
Shall shelter the despot or the slave.
Tonight we man the gap of danger
In Erin's cause, come woe or weal
'Mid cannons' roar and rifles peal,
We'll chant a soldier's song.’

Is the lyric above any more or less warlike than ‘up the Ra?’  Perhaps it is less potent to the non-Gaelic speaker due to them simply not understanding what it is saying.  Is it in any case a fact that songs from the war of independence are more acceptable than songs about the more recent conflict in Northern Ireland?

Let me be clear to any Irish folk reading this. No Irish person should ever need to apologise for singing songs of resistance to the occupation of their country. It’s part of your history as much as ‘Flower of Scotland’ or ‘Scots wha hae wi Wallace bled’ is part of Scotland’s. My old grandfather, a native of county Clare, would sing ‘The Croppy boy’ on occasion and why shouldn’t he? Countless people gave their lives in the struggle for self-determination, are they to be forgotten because of modern political correctness?

Those of us who follow Celtic have always had to deal with this hostility towards our identity, perceived or otherwise. It’s one of life’s ironies that the more something is mocked and disparaged, the more people hold onto it. The attempt to make Celtic remove the Irish flag from their stadium following crowd trouble at a New Year’s fixture with Rangers at Ibrox was a prime example. The demand put to Celtic was that they 'refrain from displaying in its park any flag or emblem that has no association with the country or sport.'

George Graham, Secretary of the SFA and a man described even by his friends as a bigot was the leading light in the attempt to force Celtic to shed part of their identity. In the end Bob Kelly, Celtic’s chairman, faced the clique at the SFA down and the threat of being thrown out of the league was defeated, ironically enough with the help of Rangers.

The Anglo-centric view put forward by the Sky reporter this week is typical as is the 24-hour news hungry media which picks up on the smallest thing and magnifies it out of all proportion. This storm in a tea cup will pass when they move on to the next item. No one who remembers the bad old days forgets the horrors of the troubles. There were many dreadful things done by all sides and the implication in so much of the reporting this week; that the British government holds the moral high ground, falls apart under closer scrutiny.

The Irish women were a bunch of young folk exhilarated after reaching the word cup. They’ll doubtless be more careful about how they celebrate in future but come on, was it really that much of a big deal?

 

A man with a plan

 

A man with a plan

Celtic supporters have now had time to digest what went wrong in the Red Bull Arena on Wednesday evening and for the most part is not panicking about what they saw. As with the Real Madrid game, Celtic were in the match and creating chances until individual errors undone the team’s good work. It is a harsh lesson to learn, but in the Champions league you will be punished for not taking your chances and not defending properly. It was suggested that Joe Hart’s mistake turned the tide in the match and in truth it was a body blow at a time the game hung in the balance but that being said, Hart has been brilliant for Celtic both on the pitch and in the dressing room. He’s a consummate professional who held his hand up about his error. As always with keepers, errors are usually punished but we should not forget his two or three goal saving saves in the match.

To have any chance at this elite level of football, clubs like Celtic need to be on their A-game for 90+ minutes. We have already seen how the top clubs are utterly ruthless in front of goal and Celtic’s ratio in Germany of one goal from twelve attempts needs to improve. We have lost in arenas like this before but are now giving these teams more trouble and that is a mark of how Celtic have advanced under the big Australian. He commented after the game that some people will see the result and not the improvement Celtic have made in the past 18 months.

At yesterday’s press conference, Postecoglou spoke of Celtic having a champions league support but not yet having a champions league team. His words were very revealing about his thought processes and where Celtic are.  He said…

‘I’m no miracle worker, it’s not as if I’ve taken over a team that’s consistently been in the semi finals of the Champions League. It does take time. We’re not the only club in this situation. There are a lot of clubs like us who want to make an impact in the champions league but know there is a process in getting there. The clubs of our size that eventually get there- it takes time. I’d love to fast track that process and that’s what I’m trying to do. I think the way you do that is by being brave and bold and not just looking to survive.’

Postecoglou’s obvious annoyance at the team playing the ball back to Joe Hart at times and not being brave enough was obvious after the match. This is no Brendan Rodgers trying to go toe to toe with PSG or Barcelona with no real pragmatism in his tactics and we all know how that ended. This is a coach who knows exactly what it takes to go head-to-head with the elite clubs of Europe and is hungry to see Celtic joining them. It may well be that his evolving squad doesn’t yet have the depth of quality to do that but he is setting the pattern of how he wants the game played and it does augur well for the future, especially if Celtic back his ambition by continuing to invest in the sort of quality players who will enhance the squad. It was noticeable how much Carter-Vickers was missed at the heart of that defence and McGregor’s injury will also leave a hole in midfield. To succeed in the rigours of a long hard season, top clubs have quality replacements of equal stature ready to come in. Celtic are not yet in that position.

Postecoglou is a real football man who lives and breathes the game. He is enamoured with Celtic because he sees that same passion and hunger among the fans. They are as desperate for the club to succeed as he is and he sees that. This is not a manager who would patronise the support with glib praise, he is being honest when he said of the support in Leipzig…

‘Our fans were unbelievable again. It felt like we were in Glasgow as we left the hotel. It was just amazing. They create such a good atmosphere wherever they go. They supported us unbelievably. They’re disappointed with the outcome but that’s just fans being passionate and caring. I have no issue with that. I think they also acknowledge that we didn’t go to Leipzig to try and survive. We went there to try and create something special. We didn’t, but I think for the most part, if people see endeavour, I think they are encouraged by that. It was right to acknowledge them at the end. We’ve got a Champions League support; we just need to become a Champions League team.’

Celtic fans are no mugs, they know the game and they know the challenges at the top table of European football. Celtic need to compete there to gain the experience necessary for real improvement to take place. It has been a few years since the Hoops appeared in the group stages of the UCL and that gulf in standards from the SPFL to this elite level is stark. The players are trying to implement what their coach is saying to them and there are obvious improvements just as there are obvious flaws in the team. We need to trust the process, trust the manager and back him in the stands and in the board room if his dream of making Celtic a Champions League team is to come to fruition.

Ange Postecoglou is a man with a plan and the character and knowledge to be a top coach. If Celtic don’t match his ambitions there will be others with more resources who will. His affection for Celtic is genuine as is his understanding of the values and history of the club. Now is not the time to falter, we’re on a journey and our leader knows exactly where he wants to take us.

 

 

 

 

If you’re not with us

 

If you’re not with us

As expected, the pile on to Celtic fans materialised after the banner displayed by some of their supporters at the match with St Mirren went around social media. Everyone from Piers Morgan to the usual suspects in the trashy tabloid media weighed in with their faux outrage. In the past ten days, the UK has resembled North Korea after the death of Kim Jong-Il. We are served endless hours of sycophantic, uncritical blanket coverage of every step the royal family takes following the death of Queen Elizabeth. Dissention has been shouted down and alternative opinions of the monarchy branded almost traitorous. No mention is ever made by commentators that there are actually many on these islands who have no interest in the royals.

The right-wing dominated media here has influenced people for years into thinking that the only things keeping the UK from greatness are moaning lefties, the EU, Scottish and Irish nationalists and any who dissent from the narrative of English exceptionalism. This, we are told, is the greatest country on earth, the mother of parliaments, the spreader of culture and democracy, the land of Shakespeare and Keats, the home of fair play and decency. Strangely, it does not appear that way to the various peoples colonised, enslaved and robbed by the UK. From India to Ireland, from Kenya to Australia there are those who know the other version of history, the one our schools don’t teach. The passing of the Queen may allow some perspective on the role of monarchy in the past crimes of Empire which the British seem to have forgotten or deliberately written out of history.

Certainly, the actions of football fans during various moments of silence or applause hasn’t been universally deferential to the house of Windsor. Some followers of Hibernian, Cardiff City, Celtic, Dundee United, Liverpool and others have sang or jeered through the enforced conformity demanded of us all in post-Brexit Britain. We live in a land where basic freedoms are being eroded and as radical as the actions of some football supporters have been in the eyes of others, they are exercising a basic right to protest. We also live in a land where our NHS is dealing with children showing signs of malnutrition. A land where adults are really struggling to feed their families and pay their bills. What is more obscene: the huge gulf between the wealthy and poor in this land or a few banners at a football match? You’d be forgiven for thinking it was the latter given our media’s unwavering criticism of any who question their narrative. What once was called 'journalism' is now in many cases little more than propaganda. One is reminded of the old adage...

'You cannot hope to bribe or twist, thank God, the British journalist

But seeing what the man will do unbribed, there's no occasion to.'

Of course, the ubiquitous use of camera phones has images of such protests at football games zipping through cyber-space almost as soon as they have happened and the cycle of recrimination begins. Surely the mark of any healthy democracy is the ability to allow various opinions to be heard? The old adage, often attributed to Voltaire; ‘I detest what you say but defend to the death your right to say it,’ has been forgotten. We live in an age where political polarisation has allowed the mindset of, ‘if you’re not with us-you’re against us,’ to flourish. Everything is a test of loyalty, everything scrutinised for offence.

Comedian Kevin Bridges joked at a recent concert, ‘she won’t be the only 96 year-old to die this year.’ His inference was that the recent huge rises in fuel and food prices would take its toll on the elderly and he was right. The uber offended were on his case immediately and he joked that Twitter was like VAR, scrutinising every joke before trying to cancel him if offence was judged to have been found.

Like many others, I have little interest in ‘royalty’ and in fact don’t feel any human being should be a ‘subject’ of another. That being said, I don’t wish harm on anyone but I do feel the cult of celebrity and the unthinking fawning over people who live in a bubble of privilege and luxury is fairly pathetic. What do they really know of the struggles or ordinary people? What do they really care? They sit at the pinnacle of a class system which perpetuates much of what is wrong with this country. As the funeral of the Queen took place, people queued at a foodbank in Dundee for food parcels. In other cities the foodbanks closed their doors for the day and some went without.

But yeh, let’s castigate football fans not those who oversee a rich country where children go hungry and fuel prices keep their homes cold. Those same football fans have raised thousands to help those less fortunate, organised food collections at stadiums and yes, they can push the boundaries with their antics at times, but at least they give a damn which is more than can be said for some who run this country.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Football with soul

 

Football with soul

Celtic Park was at its ebullient and raucous best when Real Madrid came to town this week. Sports media and supporters from all over Europe heaped praise on the stadium and the wonderful supporters who fill it. One Spanish media outlet said of Celtic Park…

‘This place inspires history and greatness with its atmosphere. There is a sense that it is achieved without being plastic, without posturing. The team may have fallen down the ladder in footballing terms but Glasgow Celtic evokes football with soul.’

There was also some praise for the team which is clearly adopting a more modern approach to European football under Ange Postecoglou. Celtic has only won 1 of the past 10 UCL group stage games at Celtic Park- a 2-1 win over Ajax in 2013-14 season. There have been some chastening defeats since then from the likes of PSG, (0-5) AC Milan, (0-3) Bayern Munich, (1-2) Barcelona, (0-2) and Borussia Monchengladbach (0-2). The attitude of ‘just happy to be involved’ which developed among some fans suggested that some viewed the gap between clubs like Celtic and the so called ‘elite’ teams of Europe as being insurmountable.

Despite the seemingly emphatic nature of the defeat to European Champions Real Madrid, the score-line could have been very different had McGregor, Abada and Maeda made the most of some very clear chances. At the very top level of European football, they pay countless millions of pounds for players who don’t miss such chances and despite Celtic’s ballsy first half display in which they matched Real, they were ruthlessly picked off in the second half. Again, the Spanish media saw that this was no picnic for Real and commented…

‘Celtic Park retains its glowing and emotional atmosphere and the fans celebrated the progress of their team. Celtic is far removed from the basic style of the last three decades. Postecoglou has brought Celtic into the modernity of the game and to his credit is doing so without big stars. The team played well, with dynamism, ambition and disdain for defensive tactics. Hence, the value of Madrid’s victory. Real went through some worrying moments in the first half and was surpassed by its rival, who reached the area with ease and had several shots.’

In a week where all three Scottish sides were beaten by a combined total of 11-0 in Europe, Celtic harbour the most hope of making progress in their group. Their first half performance was as good as any produced by the hoops against a top European side in many years. The level of play and indeed, fitness required at the top level in Europe is extremely high. If Celtic could replicate that first 45 minutes over an entire game, they’d take some stopping. The fans recognised this and despite that loss of composure for ten minutes after Real took the lead, the team continued to give their all. That is why the supporters stayed behind in their tens of thousands to cheer the team from the field.

Toni Kroos, the German midfielder with Real was also positive about the young Celtic team and spoke of having to ‘survive’ the first 25 minutes of the match as Celtic attacked Real and the fans pumped up the volume. Yes, it was another defeat to another top side but the feeling that Ange Postecoglou is building something special remains strong. There are abject defeats and there are hopeful defeats; this was clearly the latter.

Celtic will undoubtedly be tested by Shakhtar Donetsk in Poland next week. The Ukrainian side won 4-1 away to RB Leipzig with Celtic old boy, Marian Shved scoring 2 and looking sharp in a classic display of counter attacking football. The result may have flattered the Ukrainians after some dreadful defending by the Germans, but Shakhtar will still present a formidable challenge to Celtic. The had 4 shots on target and scored 4 goals. Their success was built on just 37% possession so Celtic will need to be on their game. That being said, Ange Postecoglou knows the importance of not reaching the end of the second round of games with Real and Shakhtar on six points and Celtic and Leipzig on zero. So, he will set Celtic up to go and get a positive result in Warsaw.

The death of the Queen will mean Celtic have more preparation time as their SPFL match with Livingston was called off. We can have faith that Ange and his backroom team will have closely studied Shakhtar and know their strengths and weaknesses. As RB Leipzig found to their cost, Shakhtar took just about every chance they made. According to UEFA’s stats, the German side had 89 attacks to Shakhtar’s 9 and still lost 4-1. (Celtic had 43 attacks to Real’s 48) Celtic need to take the chances they create against the Ukrainians next week after fluffing some fine opportunities against Real. At this level you exhibit a ruthlessness in front of goal or you suffer against teams which do.

So, despite Celtic going down to the European Champions this week, I retain some optimism that there is much football to be played in this group and points to be won. This is the elite level of European football and Ange Postecoglou is determined that Celtic don’t just exhibit a ‘happy just be here’ attitude, he wants the team to compete and is adamant the club and fans deserve that much. He said after the game…

‘Our supporters are just outstanding and I feel the responsibility of getting this club to this level where they are competing against Real Madrid and others and doing that on a consistent basis. We’re not there yet but this is what this football club and particularly what these supporters deserve.’

Madrid proved Celtic are not there yet but there has been enough improvement in Celtic’s play to suggest that progress is being made and that excites the fans for the challenges ahead. Those same supporters will back the side with the sort of intensity and fervour that money can't buy. Glasgow Celtic still evokes football with soul.

 

 

 

 

Dare to Struggle

 

Dare to Struggle

This weekend’s demolition of Rangers in the Glasgow derby was a real boost for Celtic ahead of perhaps their toughest game in years. Celtic continued their free scoring start to the domestic season as they ripped their rivals apart. They were fast, clever, tactically prepared and clinical in front of goal. It was a satisfying day’s football for the 60,000 Celtic fans at the game and the hundreds of thousands watching around the globe. Only the injury to Kyogo cast a shadow on a great day at Celtic Park but hopefully he is soon fit to lead the line again as he is in fine goal scoring form. Had he played on today it could have been an even more embarrassing day for the visitors.

The remarkable display put on by the Green Brigade sparked a few conversations around me. It showed a 13 year boy wearing a gas mask and carrying a petrol bomb. He is wearing a leather jacket with a badge showing a map of Ireland. The picture of young Paddy Coyle was to become an iconic image of the troubles and was taken by photographer Clive Limpkin during the tumultuous summer of 1969 when the people of the Bogside took the defence of their community into their own hands. The three day ‘Battle of the Bogside’ saw the Police, B-Specials and their loyalist helpers fought to a standstill by the nationalist people of the Bogside. The police were utterly exhausted and their failure to break the Bogside led to the deployment of the British Army in the city. The image remains an icon of resistance to oppression for some. For others it marked a further step into the abyss of what was to become a virtual civil war.

The words ‘Today we dare to win’ which accompanied the banner are often attributed to Bernadette Devlin, the nationalist politician of the era. In fact, they come from an older quote by Black Panther activist, Fred Hampton. Hampton, who was killed by the Chicago Police in hugely disputed circumstances in 1969, said of the struggle for civil rights for African-Americans.

‘If you dare to struggle, you dare to win. If you do not dare to struggle then damn it, you don’t deserve to win.’

The banner was in keeping with the Green Brigade’s left-wing credentials and demonstrates once more that in terms of imagination and display; they are unmatched among the ultra-fan groups in the UK. What they choose to display at Celtic Park will always cause debate and there are many who would rather the content focused on the Club and its history.

Next up for Celtic is the small matter of their opening Champions League fixture with European Champions, Real Madrid on Tuesday night. It will be a raucous and hopefully magical night in Glasgow’s east end when the Spaniards arrive in town. They sit on top of their league with a 100% win rate after 4 games and present a daunting challenge to Ange Postecoglou’s exciting young team. Celtic will of course, dare to struggle against the 14 times European Champions but is daring to win a forlorn dream?

Madrid defeated Real Betis 2-1 this weekend to remain top of La Liga and Ancelotti’s team are in decent form. They will present a formidable barrier to Celtic’s European hopes. Their technical ability, speed, tactical nous and street wise approach will test Celtic to the limit. Postecoglou’s team should approach the match with confidence and see it as a chance to write a page in Celtic history as no one really expects an SPFL team to upset a club valued recently at $5.1 billion. When the music plays though and the lights go up, it is 11 against 11 and Celtic need to play the match and not the occasion. Madrid are a good side, very good as it happens but they are human. If Celtic play to the top of their form and don’t make any schoolboy errors, they can take something from the game but it really will require an excellent performance.

Perhaps on a rainy night in Glasgow with that wonderful support roaring Celtic on we can dream of adding another famous scalp to a long list which includes the likes of AC Milan, Juventus, Liverpool, Manchester United, Fiorentina, Benfica, Lazio, Valencia, Leeds United, Barcelona and of course Madrid in 1980. Dreams are free but victories over elite sides like Real Madrid are rare indeed. We will need the perfect storm of circumstances to overcome the European Champions but should enter the fray with no fear. We have nothing to lose. Play our game, have a real go at them and we’ll see how far this Celtic side has progressed.

Whatever happens on Tuesday night, I want Celtic to leave it all on that pitch. To give 100% as we in the stands will. Many think our chances are slim, but there is always a chance if you dare to struggle.