Memorable Matches-Part 8
Continuing a very enjoyable series,this contribution is from SOL KITTS,my partner-in -crime over many a year,many a beer,and as Celtic supporters,many a tear as well!
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Memories of Ibrox
My memories of their place are mixed to say the least. I’ve been there for some terrific victories, some crushing defeats, there have been some funny moments, some scary. In the 80’s, when we were students, Majoc and I would drop in when the Bhoys were playing too far from home for our grants to afford the fare (grants? Wozzat?). On one occasion there was a very sparse crowd, we were in their end behind the goal, when I believe an Aberdeen player was fouled in the box, and Majoc stood up and shouted for a penalty. Comedy gold. Another time we got tickets for the wrong end and we lost 3-0 to a poor Rangers team.
One time, this time in our end, a copper with spaghetti on his cap was going to arrest the entire Broomloan stand for refusing to put a flag away (mind you, it did cover half the stand).
But these are stories for another day.
The match I recall as my favourite at their place was a days of “lasts.”
It was the last game of the season 1983. It was Charlie Nick’s last game for us before he went to Arsenal. It was my last year as a student. It was a momentous day for Scottish fitba. 3 teams, us, Aberdeen and Dundee Utd, has a chance to win the league. On form, we probably had the easiest game, but the day had some twists and turns.
We took our place in the standing enclosure below the main stand and waited tensely for kickoff. Anticipation was high, we were expected to win, but this was a derby and to our disbelief we went into halftime 2-0 down.
Half-time was immense.
The Celtic fans knew we needed to lift the team, and we had 15 minutes solid of YNWA and more. Majoc got the pies in, forgot what tin foil trays do to fillings and launched his pie onto the hat of a passing plod. Above us, Andy Cameron tried to play billy big-baws and was swiftly sent scurrying back under his rock.
2nd half, we score 4 to win 4-2, and radios were stuck to ears for the sheep and the Terrors results. History will show that all 3 teams won that day and Dundee Utd won the league by one point, but that halftime will long outlive the end result. The ability of a support to lift a team, to impart a collective desire, to inspire their heroes was shown to be a reality at this match. This was a real bitter sweet day, a memory that will never fade and even though the league wasn’t won we came away from Ibrox on a major high.
The photo was taken at halftime and gives a good insight of the passion we showed for the team, and if you look closely you might just see Majoc and me in there.
{ADMIN EDIT-THE LINK TO THE SUPPLIED PHOTOGRAPH HASNT WORKED PROPERLY I’LL TRY TO RETRIEVE IT-I’M PRETTY SURE SOME OF YOU WILL RECOGNISE YOURSELVES,ALMOST EVERYONE I’VE SPOKEN TO ABOUT THIS MATCH WAS IN THE ENCLOSURE!!-majoc}
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As ever,grateful thanks for this article. If you would like to have your contribution up in lights for the day,no matter the subject,mail Mahe on
sentinelcelts@gmail.com
I had intended posting an offering from THEGOMBEENMAN this morning,but on the back of yesterday’s relevatory contribution from REBUS67-that’s some story,even I didn’t get grabbed by the throat,and I was clearly not supporting Rangers!-I thought this one might be somewhat appropriate.
SOL KITTS had never been to a Celtic game before he met me in 1982-gave me hauners as I attempted to sort out a problem with five idiots one night,best pals since. He has passed on this questionable gift to his son,and from the looks of it,the grandkids.
And if you think about it,that was great timing. He learned the hard way to be a Celtic fan. From his early success with The League Cup in 82-a trophy we had only won once since the 60s,despite being in nearly every bliddy final!-he soon learned about glorious failure.
But we played glorious football in those 1980s,it was a pleasure to watch,a joy to behold,a feast for the footballing eye. And another addition to The Sorrowful Mysteries that we won so little.
SOL KITTS’ son was born just after our Centenary successes. He was nearly 10yo before he saw our first success,and SOL KITTS himself had only witnessed three successes in fifteen years. But,proving the maxim that there’s nothing worse than a convert,they persevered.
“It is not always easy being a Celtic supporter,but it is always worthwhile.”
HH
Any of you who have recently seen Bohemian Rhapsody,well,the guy who played Freddie was amazing.
So too is this wee fella…
https://mobile.twitter.com/i/web/status/1064607891888504835
SOL KITTS.
Thanks for sharing your story.
I have only vague memories of the eighties work commitments took up nearly all my time, but my Celtic bat ear was always tuned in to how the hoops were doing. I always think that the measure of a supporter of any club, is how he reacts to the difficult years, when your team is not doing so great. Its very easy to be a supporter when times are good, like the late sixties, the turn of the century, the MON years or now. When you support your team through the bad years, then you can really call yourself a real supporter.
Celtic supporters travel the length and breadth of the U.K. when I read of them getting up at 4.00am to take the train from London or further north up to Glasgow to watch the Celtic, or the ship crossing from the land of fairies and goblins across the sea of Guinness or from the Highlands and Islands of Scotia, I marvel at there commitment to the Celtic cause. That is why disgust fills me the most at how the fans of football are treated and misgoverned.
It is always a great pleasure to hear Celtic stories from a supporter who finds and gets Celtic, some of us, me included found that pathway so much easier to follow, well done you and thank you for sharing your Celtic memories.
majoc thanks for the C@P across the way, Christina’s post was wonderful and fully deserved to be shown and read. I was going to the AGM the morra, I will go if I can remember where I put the bliddy invite. “Fans without scarves” is another input into getting the governess of Scottish fitba. changed for the better, I wish them well, keep the steam boiling and the pressure up, if the pot boils up enough with the heat, the pressure will explode the pot. Me, I want the city of London polis involved and the whole shebang exposed for all the disgusting ways that they have employed to destroy the once beautiful game… Hail Hail to Glasgow Celtic.
Sol Kitts,
I enjoyed your article. The mark of a true fan is to support the team through the good and the bad times. It is always an education to read about Celtic in the eighties because that is a lost decade for me. I emigrated at the beginning of that decade and there was no Internet, nor TV coverage of the team. I would eagerly scan newspapers to get the results and the odd snippet of a match report. Interestingly, in those days the newspapers showed listings and results from the Scottish league, but that has long gone as other leagues have gained prominance.
Who was the manager at the time of your match? Where are Dundee United now!
Rebus
MIKE
C&P was the least I could do as a thank you for bringing it to my attention. Knows her stuff,that lass.
Majoc,
And to think he has spent most of his life underground! Glad he finally came out to share.
Rebus
Btw,re City of London police,mid-90s a retired DCI from there was a very good friend. He didn’t like my friends,I didn’t like his,but we really hit it off.
Wish he was still alive,the stories he could tell about theft. Reckoned he had to deal with more in any given day than The Flying Squad did in a year.
Caught a good few too. Maybe not enough,he would be the first to admit.
Cesar was our manager then. Utd have dropped to the Championship, must really hurt after the successes they had under Jim McLean.
REBUS
SOLKITTS described it as a game of lasts,he missed one out-Billy McNeill’s last game as manager till The Centenary Season.
Btw,we were walking round from The Jungle to London Rd/Celtic End exit,discussing how a 2-2 wasn’t too bad,all in our hands despite a bloody awful Spring run of results
Ralph Milne scored with about five minutes to go,out of nowhere really. Tremendous goal.
And we just knew…
majoc, yes she really does know her stuff, an intelligent poster, I wonder if she is a lawyer/ solicitor perhaps?
Sol Kitts, what is the meaning of your moniker, are you based in St. Kitts? what made you choose that moniker, I always wanted to be called mustang Sally, but the wife thought I was mental and forbade me to use it.. 😉
Sol,
Very sad to see DU struggle. The worst part is their inability to get back up to the premier league. They are a club that exemplifies the consequences of having an owner hanging on too long to possession.
Jim McClean was a clever inside forward and an effective manager for most of his career. However, I suspect he was old school, ruling with an iron fist. It would not work today.
Whatever happened to the great youth academy that produced players like Ryan Gauld? He is an example of someone who moved too soon.
Rebus
Majoc,
I made that walk many times!
Rebus
I have a feeling that there will be at least one memorable game this season. The team are starting to play together. Forrest, Edouard, Christie, Tierney are on fire. The CB’s look secure with Boyata, Benkovic and Ajer forming partnerships. Again we shall be going into the transfer window from a position of strength with two good players required(RB and CF), assuming Boyata and Benkovic stay.
Rebus
Based in Essex, Mike, but grew up in Ardrossan. Couldn’t make a sensible alias from that, so chose the next town along. Been in the news this week with the long overdue statue for Bobby Lennox.
Rebus from yesterday,
Great tale and shows the difference indeed. Funny I also know a fella played for Leicester but that’s for another day.
Adding on to your theme of bigots at games you could maybe say I seen the opposite one day.
I believe it was the first time I had ever went to a game, , say 4 or 5 years old. All I had ever seen was the match on tv and if a player did something good you heard clapping of course, , a goal lead to much cheers and clapping.
So at my first ever game when a goal went in I cheered, but I was the only one in that end who cheered! About 50 guys were looking at little me and I looked up to my dad and said why did no body cheer and he replies we are supporting the other team! As a nipper I thought all cheered in appreciation of skill displayed,, that being entertained was the goal, not broken down to yours and mine and we dont applaud for you guys. Would have been nice to be told, ,you dont see segregation on tv games,, mostly English of course. Ah well. Dad got some slagging of course. And a yarn for the lads in the bar.
Thanks for sharing the memories and Hail Hail.
Oh, almost forgot, ,, everyday I walk past a flock of ducks,, about 20 the same but 1 duck is different,, a totally different breed it looks like. Ever seen anything like that?
Sol one of my many Celtic hero’s Bobby Lennox.
I read an interesting story in yesterday’s Dundee Courier, Jim Spence does great work and has his own column that he publishes in the Courier. Jim was discussing with the sports desk how players dive to win penalties and how it was a blight on the game. Anyway a bloke wrote in to the questions column and reminisced about how Celtic were playing Saint Johnstone in Perth and remembered how Celtic were awarded a penalty when Danny McGrain was fouled in the box. Danny rushed over to the ref. and explained that he tripped himself up, so there was no foul and the ref. waved play on.
Its things like that, that should be remembered and shows that Danny (another of my hero’s) was not just a brilliant player, he was also kind, humble a true gentleman and a great sportsman. After all these years, that “Saints ” supporter remembered that one time when Danny proved how great a sportsman he is. And yet you have others like Andy Walker stating that “every team needs a player to take a dive in the box”. You are right “Dross or Ard” just doesn’t have the same mystique. 😉
I thought about using Hard Ross Ann’s bhoy. Mibbes naw…..
Did the duck look anything like this?
https://tenor.com/search/daffy-duck-gifs
or was it more like this?
https://giphy.com/explore/donald-duck
If it was the former, I believe that species is indigenous to the American West, while the latter hails from Florida….
given your location, I am assuming that it was the former. Both, however, are known to be somewhat irascible, so best to keep your distance from either.
Mahe,
May be the odd duck out is called Donald? DD is one of favourite characters. My middle son married a Swedish girl and lives in Stockholm. Every new year in Sweden the TV plays Donald Duck cartoons and the nation stops to watch. When they come over to Canada at New Year, i play a video of DD for her.
More seriously, you have to have some values, else you will just be pushed around in life.
The uncle I mentioned, he had to chuck football when he got TB. It was a real problem back in his day.
Keep up the good work on this site.
Rebus
Rebus
Great minds think alike (sort of)…
Little amuses the innocent I see. I shall get a pic soon. 😉 Hail Hail
hi sol kitts, great story. like mike just got married in the eighties and had moved to Liverpool, so did not see much of the bhoys, but thankfully with you tube can see the games I missed hh.?
Sol Kitts
Wonderfully described buddy.
Memories of that game came flooding back. I must have been standing near to you that day and travelled with quite a few from the Uni Bus… we had Half that front enclosure and I think seats above it plus all the Copland and about 25% of the Govan stand. The gers were not happy campers in those days and we would have sold the entire Govan at the time – nae bother as demand was huge!
My abiding memories of the day are not feeling too worried, even at 2 down.
Meeting my cousin Dallas, Dallas who may have been on the Uni Bus or had joined us in the stadium from the Lisbon Lions bus?
The absolutely fantastic reaction of the Celtic fans at halftime- this was the ’79 generation and memories of the 10 men 4-2 were freshly etched in the consciousness. There was a real possibility of exceeding that achievement … by doing it at Ibrox…ears were firmly attached to radios.
That Walk On at half-time was one of the best ever, totally wiped out anything the teddies could muster. The passion and the volume and We know now that transmitted into the Celtic dressing-room and lifted our bhoys.
As they came out shooting into the Copland, it was like they had been set alight at the ankles.
The sheer joy of all the goals and particularly the Charlie daisy cutter for the 2nd penalty when the Girvan Lighthouse guessed correctly for a penalty ( first time in his natural …) and still couldn’t stop it.
How Ally Dawson stayed on the park after both penalties was a joke.
Losing the league to The Arabs hardly seemed to matter.
HH
Mike
Went to see a great wee blues guitarist playing the Paisley Arts Centre, ( yes, there is such a place before embdy even starts …) Ray Bonnville, he was supporting Tim O’Brien.
Opening line:
“I like it here…I just know I’m gonna enjoy playing to you guys”
Simple heart-warming folksy style. Everyone cosying up..
Second line:
“I’m from Texas, spend my summer in Canada and Winter in Texas… I learned that from the geese…”
After that he could have played the triangle all night and we would have cheered him to the echo.
https://youtu.be/Uw6UxDhND8I
Try to Check him out next summer…?
SES
I am sure Dallas and I were on the Lisbon Lions bus that day. Our whole bus had enclosure tickets. Sure a few of them were forgeries. Do you remember Andy Cameron in his camel coat at half time. His pals in main stand were showering us with cups of piss. Fat cat hooligan hun bassas. Remember the half time sing song by us as best ever.
YNWA
A very sad day in my life when my football idol left Celtic park. What a career he should have had but hey ho, we all know someone who failed to fulfill their potential – and I can include myself in that!!!
A Thing of Beauty
I was in Broomloan end, behind the goal when Charlie Nicholas scored my favourite goal for Celtic at Ibrox in a 2-1 win. Henrik, Lubo scored crackers at doomdome, but Andy Thom’s bomb became my favourite. Tom Rogic and Leigh Griffiths recent goals at Doomdome are up there now.
PS
Cannae go Nicholas now.
YNWA
Rebus
Cracking post yesterday, brought back memories of a time I was seconds away from being thrown off a train by a bunch of huns and another hun stopped them from doing it.
Scotland tonight, or should I say Celtic are saving the Ginger Alki’s job so far…..WTF is the GA doing taking Armstrong and Christie off for, Dearie Me, clueless
Charlie Nick, ha, what a tosser, or so Mrs TET tells me, she went out with him briefly when she was a bit younger and had no brains, a fair few years afore we met, spookie thing is Charlie and masel share the same birthday.
Sol Kits
Good memories, I don’t know how you could, my last game there was the day many didn’t return home, couldn’t stomach it after that.
We were born on the same day, a few years apart right enough.
Luck, how much has the Ginger Alki got, had he had a full squad to pick from, the likes of Forrest and Christie wouldn’t have gotten near the team, yet they have saved his job for him, he stumbled into a winning formula, who says crime doesn’t pay.
Garry
I remember them throwing water about – thought it was from Lourdes..?
TET
Agree those bhoys saved his ass tonight.
I always want Scotland to win despite SFA shenanigans – but the way he has treated Celtic players is a bloody test.
I’ve handled worse..
HH
SES
When there are Celtic players in the team I want them to win, none and I want them to lose, how fecking childish is that 😉
the exiled tim unfortunately I concur.?.
TET and Packy
Whit are yeez like … ?
SES.I know???
TET
I was born on the same day as James Connolly and Kieran Tierney. All a few years apart, of course. ?
YNWA
New article up,folks!!!