SENTINELCELTS

100 years ago…..1921/22 was a pivotal season and the resetting of the ‘natural order’ of Scottish fitba was required…

( Aye…It’s really all about context Mister Levein!)

In 1919 Celtic had won their 15th League title and had secured their 9th Scottish Cup in 1914.

Of course, failure to have won any of the big trophies for 2 years must have seemed like a minor disaster to the Celtic fans, reared on a diet of regular success and absolute dominance of the game in Scotland.

The following information will not come as a surprise to Celtic fans. However, it’s worth recalling a matter of record and undisputed fact, as we enter the Roaring Twenties, that the team from Paradise were the predominant team in Scottish football.

The club formed to relieve poverty and represent the impoverished, had risen to the very pinnacle of the most popular sport in Scotland. Setting record after record and playing fast, expansive, attacking football, that delighted their supporters and attracted admirers wherever the game was played.

At that time Celtic’s nearest rivals in The Cup were Queens’ Park, with 10 trophies won, and then Hearts & Rangers with 4 cups apiece. The Spiders had won their last Cup in 1893 ( against Celts) and were no longer considered serious rivals. Hearts and Rangers were generally considered serious rivals, however their fans would wait a long, long time to savour the ecstasy of Scottish Cup glory. Their last successes were in 1906 and 1902 respectively.

As main rivals go, those two teams were hardly threatening Celtic’s dominance, and it would take Rangers until 1928 to win their 5th Scottish Cup, beating Celtic in the Final, and by then Celtic had stretched their lead to twelve (12). Hearts fans would have to wait until 1956 (half a century) before they won their 5th Cup, beating Celtic, who remain the dominant Cup team on seventeen (17) trophies.

Celtic’s pre-eminent position in the League was equally impressive. Despite this record, there must have been some concerns amongst their support as Rangers had now won the league in each of the last two seasons to reach 11 titles. Celtic’s ‘fifteen’ (15) was secure, but their dominance in the League was coming under threat.

The 21/22 season would be crucial, and the team would get off to an absolute flier in 4 days time, opening their campaign with a 4-0 victory over Raith Rovers at Celtic Park.

A declaration of intent from the biggest club in Scotland….

Teams

CELTIC- Shaw; McStay and Dodds; Gilchrist, Cringan and McMaster; McAtee, Gallacher, Longmuir, Cassidy and McLean.

RAITH ROVERS- Jimmy Brown; Inglis and Moyes; Raeburn, Morris and Collier; Tommy Duncan, J Duncan, Jennings, Bauld and Archibald.

Referee- Mr. Bell, Hamilton.
Attendance: 15,000.
Goals: Longmuir (5, 65) Cassidy, McAtee

These bhoys really mean business!

In other news….

….O’Malley was effectively head of his own mini-republic in rural Tipperary, where British forces rarely ventured and when they did, took care not to leave the roads. The war there was increasingly bitter. Three British officers, unlucky enough to fall into O’Malley’s hands some weeks before, at a time when three IRA Volunteers were being shot by firing squad in Dublin, were coldly put to death in reprisal

When O’Malley returned to his safehouse, O’Connor, who had refused to discuss his business with any of O’Malley’s subordinates, handed him a message from Richard Mulcahy, IRA Chief of Staff.

It read; In view of the conversations now being entered into by our Government with the Government of Great Britain, and in pursuance of mutual conversations, active operations by our forces will be suspended as from noon, Monday, 11 July.

O’Malley wrote later that he was ‘bewildered’ by the order. The first senior IRA officers had heard of the Truce was this, ‘bald message’. Nevertheless, he had orders typed out and sent to the five IRA Brigades under his command across Munster.

Source: By John Dorney. The last day of the Irish War of Independence.

A Hertz fan would have celebrated winning the 1906 Scottish Cup with a pint costing 1/2d (ha’penny). Then by the time their grandkids celebrated their next Cup win, half Century later in 1955, their pints (bitter) were costing more than a shilling (12d) around The Georgie pubs…. or, about 2 shillings (2 bob) in Rose Street.

Fireworks prices are not available.

General stuff…

No1 UK Album 1971 ‘album’

Anyone?

Note: The very excellent Celtic Wiki site is the font of all knowledge on things Celtic. Most of the Celtic stuff above is from that site. The guys who set it up and painstakingly keep it updated, deserve no end of credit, praise and thanks. Dedication of the highest order. A treasure trove for Celtic fans young and old – and new- with literally days of enjoyment, free to view, and only a click away.

Respect Bhoys!

http://www.thecelticwiki.com/m/

Guest article by Saltires en Sevilla.

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