Celticunderground:The Celtic Football Fan Podcast (podcasts)
A Celtic Fan Podcast. We discuss all manner of things to do with the greatest team in the world - Celtic. The world's longest running football fan podcast
 

What’s Going On?

 

There’s hasn’t been a podcast in ages and then, in usual style, two come along at once.  If you’ve not listened, then get your ears around St Anthony’s Recollections podcast out earlier in the week.  It was a short sharp pod all about Paul McStay.

 

For the longer form podcast (and it’s very long) we have Remy, Lawrence & me asking (and attempting to answer) the simple question - what’s going on?

 

The answer seems to be Dermot with everything flowing from that!

 

It’s nearly two hours long so you’ll maybe listen in instalments.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: Whats_Going_On_.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:58am UTC

Recollections - Paul McStay

 

Paul McStay was born on 22nd October 1964 in Hamilton, Lanarkshire. Grand-nephew of former Celtic team captain and manager Jimmy McStay, playing for Celtic was in the family blood.

A hotly tipped youth prospect Paul McStay was a member of Celtic Boys Club who burst onto the football scene in remarkable style when he hit two goals and was man of the match as Scotland schoolboys defeated their English counterparts at Wembley in front of a live TV audience in June 1980.

He signed for Celtic aged seventeen and made his senior Celtic debut in a 4-0 home Scottish Cup win over Queen of the South on January 21st 1982. Part of a great Celtic dynasty – his Great Uncle’s Jimmy and Willie were both Hoops greats while brothers Willie and Raymond also played for the club – Paul McStay seemed almost destined to write his name into Celtic folklore….

 

Enjoy

Direct download: Recollections_-_Paul_McStay.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:37pm UTC

Are we at the end of the road

 

The Green Brigade - ostensibly a small group of fanatical “ultra” supporters below the age of 30 so who better to discuss their behaviours than a group of aging middle aged fans…?

 

Hullbhoy, Lawrence, Eddie & I appreciate that none of us share the likely demographic of the supporters group that we discuss, but Celtic is a broad church with fans from 1-100 and all within that spectrum are entitled to their views.  Online is principally in one place on the GBand so one element that we discuss is whether the wider fan base are broadly supportive of the GB and their actions or whether there is a “silent majority” who passionately disapprove.  Like all things the truth is probably somewhere between these two positions.

 

In general (and this is not a judgement by us, mere an assessment of the dynamics) we all agree that it’s probably the end of the Green Brigade as a recognised group within Celtic Park.  We discuss the damage the banner of 7th October did or didn’t do to Celtic’s reputation and yes, we do get on to talk about football, specifically the Motherwell game.

 

We very rarely edit the podcast and tend to put out the audio “as live” (as the recent ‘mother-in-law comments showed) however at times the debate got a little heated and there is a small section where we all talk over each other and it’s pretty much unlistenable and so if there sounds like a jump in the recording, it’s where this bit was taken out.

 

Enjoy….(if you can).

Direct download: Are_we_at_the_end_of_the_road.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 9:24pm UTC

Born to lead the green & white

 

Any goal for Glasgow City, another victory for the cause, another reason to giving another cheer just for the bhoys.

 

All week I have heard and read ill-informed nonsense about Celtic getting a heavy defeat and responded the same way - have you seen them?  We the best manager in Scotland and one of the best in Britain.  He’ll spend all week getting the team right…and he did.

 

A marvellous preformance by Celtic.  Bossed the first half and controlled the game to preserve the lead in the 2nd.  Should have scored on the breakway and we only get better from here.

 

Top of the league, one away Glasgow Derby down and 4 points clear of the Glasgow rivals and 2 points clear at the top.

 

Not bad for a club with half the 1st team missing.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: Born_to_lead_the_green__white.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 9:33pm UTC

Sense and sensibility

 

Podcast No1 of the new season had 2 of us, podcast No2 had 3 of us and this week, podcast No3 we’ve got 4 (four) of us on it!  Whatever next…?

 

Following the victory over Aberdeen, we’ve got Eddie, Saint Anthony and Paul T on to discuss the game, where the club are at, signing gossip and the forthcoming game against Killie in the cup.  This weeks’ podcast is not as long as last week’s marathon but it’s still an hour of Celtic chat by middle aged Celtic fans - just what we all need on a regular basis.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: Sense_and_sensibility.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 9:37pm UTC

But who’s the left back…?

 

Nice to see you to see you…nice!  It’s good to be back and especially when we’re back to talk about the new seaso, with a new manager, new signings, new signing gossip and all for our 18th season of podcasting.

 

This week it’s the old team of Eddie and Harry who ramble and rumble over everything from fans objecting to people moving on, fans on message boards taking transfer rumoutrs too seriously, what those transfer rumours may be and our predictions for the next game.

 

It’s a huge bumper edition to kick off the new season so please enjoy…

Direct download: But_whos_the_left_back....mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:55pm UTC

Ange train keeps on rolling

 

Sunday saw the coronation of Celtic as back to back champions in Scotland.  It was the 11th title out of the last 12 and the 11th of 11 titles were fans have been in attendance.  All in all a remarkable period of domination by Scotland’s most succesfull living club.

 

The game itself was a 2-0 triumph with Hearts trying hard for 20 mins or so before normal service was resumed.  A (valid) red card helped but no doubt Celtic would have gone on to win as they have done in all bar 3 previous domestic games.

 

Antony Murray is on the podcast this week to review the game compare this team with the invincibles and preview the next Glasgow derby.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: Ange_Train_keeps_on_rolling.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 8:41pm UTC

Double Denim Edition

 

First up an apology.  After every podcast this season we have promised the the paucity of podcasting provision from CU will ceases and a plethora of podcasts will follow.  If you’re being pedantic you could say that promise after every pod has been a pile of pish - and you’d be right.  So sorry.

 

With that out of the way I can talk about this week’s podcast -it’s a mammoth 2 hour extravoganza that starts by talking about the cup wemi and then just gets into a ramble and covers just about every topic - including (but not exclusive to) toxic masculinity and can grown men carry off double denim in the 21st century?

 

We also discuss being better than Rangers - in every department!

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: Double_Denim_edition.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:04pm UTC

I should be so lucky

 

Once again the lucky bhoys triumphed and Ange won his 3rd out of 4 domestic trophies he has competed for and Bullshit Bingo Beale went home with his tail between his legs.

 

Celtic won the league cup on Sunday with a 2-1 victory over Rangers in a game that was pretty comfortable throughout and that Celtic could, in the end, have won by 3 or 4.  St Anthony was at the game with Saint Jnr and they were larging it up with the young team in the Celtic End and so I thought who better to call up and discuss the game.

 

We review the match, the crowds, the Tifos and preview St Mirren.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: I_should_be_so_lucky.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:23pm UTC

The Celtic Da Podcast returns

 

You can have all your whipper snapper podcasts with your Xthis and that but there is only one podcast that can continually hark back to the 90s and earlier and it’s this one - the world’s longest running football fans podcast.

 

We’re now in our 18th season (19th year) and although we may have taken a break, you can be sure that we will always have something old and hackneyed to say about the modern game and this episode is no different.

 

We discuss the League Cup semi-final victory over Kilmarnock, we discuss VAR, how rubbish Scottish refs are, group think of refs, the transfer window and then touch on the forthcoming St Mirren game.  Amazingly in all of that we manage to debate whether the Lambert challenge on Albertz was indeed a penalty.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: The_Celtic_Da_Podcast_returns_-_15012023_22.37.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:41pm UTC

We’re in the mix

 

Tonight, before recording this podcast, I was in a whatsapp debate about how to describe the draw with Shaktar.  I described it as brilliant, others said disappointing.

 

Personally I couldn’t see how you could describe an away UCL prefromance wehere we should and could have won by 2-4 goals as disappointing.  Yes, there’s disappointment that we didn’t win but surely it’s absolutely brilliant that we were that good that we feel disappointed about only drawing away?

 

Anyway, enough of the use of the word disappointment in one small section of text - I am joined by Antony Murray as we discuss the draw with Shaktar, the away game to St Mirren and I also debut my open all mics try-out as Napoli get 2 pens as we record.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: Were_in_the_mix.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:41pm UTC

The Celtic Steamroller

 

Saturday 3rd September Celtic played Rangers.  Saturday 3rd September Celtic toyed with Rangers.

We played them off the park in the first half and coasted the second.  You got the impression that if Ange had told the team at half-time that they needed to score another 4, we could have.

 

We start the podcast with a quick exert from the Heart & Hand Podcast that someone sent us previewing the game, we then move on to a review of the game before a preview of the game against some team from Madrid.

 

We hope you like it as much as we liked recording it.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: The_Celtic_Steamroller.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:38pm UTC

Tifo or Tifno…?

Sometimes the title doesn't really give an insight into the real content of the podcast but I've got to write something and I quite liked this so, there you go.

Anyway, this week the middle aged podcast by middle aged fans for EVERYONE returns (have we mentioned we are the world’s longest running football fans podcast?).  Anyway, back to the point…we are enjoying lige under Ange and so we are enjoying life in general.  Lawrence is on his usually summer sabbatical to the Raploch and Eddie’s life is just one big long holiday.  With both of them having time to spare I connected the phone line, dialled them up, listened to that weird screaching noise you get with dial up internet and I connected to the two guys to discuss life, the arts and the football.

First up was the V & A.  Next up was Eddie discussing whether Tifo’s are for him and finally we reviewed the Aberdeen game and then previewed the Ross County game.

It’s a bit of a ramble and if you want xyz and tactis chat…you’ll need to look elsewhere.

Enjoy…

Direct download: Tifo_or_Tifno....mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 9:30pm UTC

When we started this podcast (did I mention it’s the world’s longest running football fans podcast) we never thought it would last 17 seasons.  It’s ebbed and flowed and the young kids have arrived with their xg, xa, xt, abc, easy as 1,2,3 but we’ll always be here - the middle aged podcast for the middle aged fan who loves the hoops and gets mildly irritated.

 

And so we are back for that record breaking 17th season (every season is record breaking because I’m not sure I’ve mentioned it but we’re the world’s longest running football fans podcast).  This week I am joined by Duncan, St Anthony and Lachie Mor to preview the season, discuss the Aberdeen game and even get around to questioning if Queens Park can become Glasgow’s second team.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: The_Happiness_Edition.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:54pm UTC

Celtic today secured a draw against Rangers to put us just one win from the title.  It's the 4th time in a row we have secured either a draw or win against the team from the South Side of the city.

It's a game that Celtic had the chances to put to bed before the Rangers equaliser.  We didn't and a few players looked exhausted towards the end but we held on, secured the draw and now only a dire change of form will prevent Ange picking up another trophy and his first Scottish title at the first time of asking.

This week I am joined by Eddie Pearson and Lawrence Donegan to discuss their favourite podcasts, whether Zebedee is an outdated cultural reference and the meaning of various police hat colours.

Enjoy...

Direct download: One_Win_From_The_Title.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 9:53pm UTC

The podcast is back (again) after a midseason break

Now where were we....ah that's right, we're on track for a treble!

Sorry it's been so long but you know how it is, life, work, IT issues - they all get in the way of creating the latest episode of the world's longest running football fans podcast.  Anyway, the IT issues have been resolved (like most I'm not sure about volume of hours in work) but we're ready to go.

This should have been out a week earlier but the aforementioned IT issues prevented.  Anyway - it's Saint & me discussing the recent victory at Ibrox, just prior to the 7 goal victory over St Johnstone.
Update Description
Direct download: Good_to_be_back.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:05pm UTC

Welcome Home

 

The podcast is back for another episode and we have some old and older voices for you in the names of Lawrence and Eddie.  Yes, Lawrence is on and fresh from his recently return on a Sunday night on Twitter Spaces, we are joined by Eddie Pearson.

 

The boys go on to discuss Ange-ball, whether the board should get praise or not for the transfer window.  Also following the departure of French Eddie we discuss the top 3 post Larsson strikers.  We also take 5 mins to discuss the weird and wonderful world of “fan media”.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: Welcome_Home_.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 6:48am UTC

Ange-ball Rolls On

 

Celtic have tonight come through what was at times a very nervy evening (a very self-inflicted one) to progress to the group stages of the Europa League and they can now prepare for Sunday.

 

I was unsure about organising a post game podcast.  I always recall Mark Cooper bemoaning that everytime I organised one with hime we lost.  But I am not a believer in “what’s for you won’t go past you” or the concept of “tempting fate” so I organised one.  We lost but we’re through and that’s all that matters.

 

I am joined this evening by Anthony and Season to review the game, discuss our stresses and celebrate the overall result.  We also breifly touch on how crap the other clubs are to not achieve the Conference League and have a brief review of Sunday.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: Ange-ball_Rolls_On.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:29pm UTC

The Game Episode 7 - Barca 125

 

November 7th 2012.  The night before a Mass was held in St Mary’s to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the forming of Celtic Football Club and that week illustrated that Big Billy’s words about there being a fairytale about this club were never more true.

 

We has invited the board of Barca to share in our commemoration mass and the following night they visited the Cathedral of noise that was Celtic Park as 60,000 fans and 13 players put on a show that had the whole world talking.

 

On this weeks podcast Antony Murray and I discuss The Game with Ewan McLean (@_ewanmclean).  We talk about what he was doing at the time and the marvel of that evening.  Paul Hayward of The Telegraph wrote “ Somehwere 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”

 

What a night! The world's greatest team beaten by the world's greatest club….

Direct download: The_Game_Ep_7_Barca_125_-_21082021_00.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:50pm UTC

Celtic and our Irish heritage

 

This week St Anthony takes control of the podcast to discuss Celtic and it’s Irish heritage.  Saint is joined by Sean McDonagh who lecture politics and Scots/Irish history at OU. 

 

There cannot be a Celtic fan out there who does not know some basics of the coubs formation and heritage however it is always good to get  the details from an expert in the field and Sean provides that in spades here.

 

Enjoy….

Direct download: Celtic_and_our_Irish_heritage.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 8:39am UTC

The Game Episode 6 - Udinese draw and F’ UEFA

 

The current situation at Celtic could be better and so our guest wanted to pick a game from happier times.  It’s the winter of 2011 and the team has had a dramatic turnaround since being 3 nil down at Rugby Park and Neil Lennon looked like being on the way out.  They pulled things back in the 2nd half of that game and started to really motor.  At the same time RFC where spiralling to their death and we were all having a right laugh on this podcast.

 

Our guest, Matthew Mochan was listening in and enjoying every moment and he wanted to recall a game that took him back to those fun times.

 

Celtic went into this game still with a chance of qualifying past the Europa League Group stages.

 

It wasn’t to be but we did have a very good performance in this 1-1 draw and we also had a UEFA fine because some fans unveiled a banner that said “F**k UEFA”.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: The_Game_Episode_6_-_Udinese_draw_and_F_UEFA.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:03am UTC

Podcast Xtra

 

Ange & the starman

 

On Saturday31st July Celtic commence the new league season away at Tynecastle.  The current state of the first team squad has some fans concerned but we have the new Swede and an update on the new Japanese striker in these pre-game interviews from Ange Postecoglou and Carl Starfelt.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: Ange_and_the_starman_Podcast_Xtra.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 7:56pm UTC

Season 16 - Let’s go round again
 
Baby we’re back!  Welcome to the 16th season of the world’s longets running football fans podcast.  To celebrate our new season we will have
 
NO new features
NO new graphics
NO new music
NO new opinions
 
The podcast will be just as you like - same old usual rubbish but it’s this consistency that has kept our listener numbers the same all these years.
 
We really appreciate everyone who takes the time to listen or rate us on iTunes.  We don’t have any awards but then, you have to self nominate so where’s the fun in that?
 
CU - The podcast for the generally optimistic but occasionally midly irritated middle aged Celtic fan.
 
Enjoy…
Direct download: Season_16_-_Lets_go_round_again.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:45am UTC

Welcome Ange & Dom

 

Today was the official unveiling of Ange Postecoglou as Celtic manager and of Dom McKay as Celtic CEO.  Both spoke very well.  Talk is cheap as the negative people say however I was very pleased with what I heard today.

 

No-one comes into a new job and criticises the people or the past but it’s clear, reading between the lines, that Dom wants to address the stagnation in our business model over the past 10 years and Ange will have his own people in coaching roles sooner rather than later.

 

We have the fan media questions first followed by the broadcast media press conference.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: Welcome_Ange__Dom.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 6:51pm UTC

The View from Down Under

 

Ange Postecoglou is the new manager of Celtic.  Fans are filled with trepidation about a manager with no European track record.  The pessemists are trotting out the usual “he’s sh!te3” stuff whilst the optimists are noting the exceptional level of positivity coming out of Australia for this guy.

 

Based upon this mixed view, I called up our friend Mike Mehall-Wood (now based down in Aus) and sought his view.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: A_View_From_Down_Under.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:59am UTC

Ange Postecoglou First Interview

 

Celtic have today appointed Ange Postecoglou as the new manager of the club and we have the audio from his first interview.  Interstingly in the chat that follows with Dom McKay, he once again mentions modernisation.   It seems to be his theme and listeners to the last podcast will know we heartily agree.

 

Dominic McKay: Ange is an outstanding leader and an outstanding manager

 

Dominic McKay is delighted that Celtic have appointed an experienced manager who knows what it takes to win, and he believes that Ange Postecoglou’s vision for the future of the Club aligns with his own.

In an exclusive interview with Celtic TV, the Club's incoming Chief Executive, who officially takes over on July 1, explained why the Australian manager is the right fit for the Club, and explained that he has already started working with the new Celtic manager to pave the way for future success.

“I’m delighted that we’ve managed to secure Ange as the new manager of Celtic Football Club,” said Dominic McKay. “Ange is an outstanding leader and an outstanding manager.

“In all my discussions with him to date, I’ve been really impressed by his enthusiasm for Celtic, and his keenness to work with me to modernise and develop the footballing structures and the non-footballing structures to make sure we are the successful club that we need to be for the generation ahead.

“His experience at the international level, having taken Australia to World Cups is hugely impressive, as is his experience of winning both in Australia and Japan, so I’m excited about securing a winning manager and in securing someone who wants to drive forward the club in a way that I think everyone will be really proud about.

“We’ve spent a lot of time chatting through the playing side, the coaching side and the footballing operations side.

“It would be fair to say his phone’s been busy over the last number of weeks and I’m excited that we’re getting information across to him to make decisions and get feedback on all the various aspects you would expect us to be considering ahead of the new season.

“We’ve been talking about recruitment in particular and the plans for the season ahead, so we’re very active in that regard. There are some important fixtures coming up so we need to make sure the team is in the best shape it can be, and I’m sure Ange will share more information with the Celtic support as soon as he can.”

Dominic McKay also shed light on how his own vision for delivering success to the club aligns with Ange Postecoglou’s ambitions.

“We have a shared vision and that was very important to me to make sure we had a new manager who bought into the modernising, evolution and development of the club, both on and off the field,” the new Celtic CEO said.

“In terms of his style of play, I think he will excite the fans. In terms of his communication, I think he will be great in engaging with supporters and, importantly, his philosophy, which is borne out of his experience at international level going through World Cups but also in winning competitions. I wanted a winner and I’m delighted that we’ve managed to secure Ange.”

Direct download: Ange_Postecoglou_First_Interview.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:31am UTC

An analogue club in a digital age

 

This week we’re back to talk about The Celtic! We will be having more of The Game series but we thought we’d take a break from that to discuss the managerial situation at the club.  First we’ve had the rejection by Eddie Howe and then the appointment of Ange (or at least the likely appointment of Ange as nothing has happened yet…).

 

This week we get Saint Anthony, Hullbhoy and Sean together to discuss the situation at the club.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: An_analogue_club_in_a_digital_age.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 5:47pm UTC

The Game Ep5 - Tirollercoaster

 

This game had everything - a new team under a new manager with a new striker scoring an og in a 9 goal thriller where Celtic were out with just 6 minutes to go.  It had a full house and so everyone who was a Tim at the time could say “I was there” but for some reason it’s never one of those games everyone talks about with reverence…and it should be.

 

Celtic 6 Tirol Innsbruk 3.  What a night.

 

The Celtic Wiki describes it as follows:

 

An incredible European night. A nail-biter all the way down the line finally settled by goals in the 87th and 94th minute.

 

  • It looked like Anoni was for the off. Allegedly this was all down to a training ground bust up between him and Jansen on pre-season in Holland and he had been on the injury list for some time. And just to prove it Jansen included him in the squad – so much for newspaper rumours.
  • Surprise surprise when Bebeto was not going to be signing for Celtic. The 33 year old returned to Spain and although it was said he would return to Deportivo la Coruna he eventually joined Sevilla.
  • Darren Jackson was taken ill prior to the match and immediately after was admitted to hospital for tests. He complained of a migraine and was too ill to play.

 

Teams

Celtic: Scorers: Donnelly (34, pen 69), Thom (44), Burley (70, 94), Wieghorst (87)

 

Tirol Innsbruck: Scorers: Mayrleb (39), Larsson (45og), Krinner (82)

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: The_Game_Ep_5_-_Tirollercoaster.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:27am UTC

The Game Ep4 - Boavista Away 2003

 

For those of us lucky enough to remember Seville it was all made possible by this night - a victory away at Boavista.  A crap game, a sclaffed shot and a penalty claim….but we were through.

 

Remy of ByTheMinCeltic fame joins Antony and I to share his recollections of The Game.

 

This is how The Celtic Wiki describes it…

 

With so much at stake, the opening exchanges were tentative, but Celtic settled first and created the game's first decent goalscoring opportunity. A hopeful Alan Thompson free-kick was flicked on by the head of John Hartson, allowing Larsson a sight of goal, but the Swede uncharacteristically pulled his shot wide under pressure from Eder Silveira.

 

Celtic were forced to bring Chris Sutton into the fray rather earlier than planned when Paul Lambert was forced off with an ankle injury with just over half an hour gone.

 

In the second half Alan Thompson had a fierce drive deflected wide on 70 minutes as they sought that elusive away goal. It finally came eight minutes later, when Larsson played a slightly fortunate one-two with Boavista defender Filipe Anunciacao before finishing clinically from 12 yards.

 

The performance may not necessarily have been vintage and will be overlooked by the Celtic supporters as we prepare for the trip to Seville, where the team will play Porto in the final on 21 May.

 

 

Boavista v Celtic, 24 April 2003, was one of the most frustrating games of football I’ve sat through. Needing to score, for 78 minutes Celtic were moribund; they made not a single attempt on goal. Instead, they did what most teams do away from home, condensed midfield and defended, while Boavista, who would qualify for the Uefa Cup final if the game ended goalless, did much the same.

 

The goal appeared to take place in slow motion. Henrik Larsson moved forward to the end of the D and tried to pass to John Hartson, but a defender intercepted. Unfortunately for Boavista the ball was returned from the interception to an unmarked Larsson on the edge of the box.

 

It spun from his preferred right foot onto his left but the shot gently arced inches away from the goalkeeper’s grasp. The goal was a deflection, although we didn’t see it at the time. The keeper was moving his weight from right to left as the ball drifted to his left.

 

It may have been a turgid game of football decided by a deflection but it was also one of the most intense sporting occasions in our 125 year history. The sheer release of tension when the goal went in was incredible. 15 minutes, and one generous refereeing decision later, Celtic were in a European final.

 

Since then we have become accustomed to our position as a credible European team but it was very different in season 2002-03. This was the first Christmas Celtic were in Europe since 1979; each milestone along the way, Blackburn Rovers (a far more credible team at the time), Celta Vigo, Stuttgart and Liverpool, was celebrated with something close to astonishment.

 

The triumphs of this season, qualifying for the Champions League group stage instead of losing to Basel, then progressing to the knock out rounds, are greater than the achievements of April 2003, but they will never feel that way.

 

That game, that season, trophy-less though it was, changed our entire landscape. Nothing would ever be the same again.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: The_Game_Ep4_-_Boavista_Away_2003.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 8:49pm UTC

The Game Ep3 - Partizan Belgrade

 

To this day, this is one of the most incredible games I have ever attended.  Yes I’ve been at the Barca game, the Invincibles Cup Final Game, victories and defeats at Ibrox but for utterly incredible drama few can match this game - Celtic 5, Partizan Belgrade 4.

 

A future Dundee Utd Manager, the dad of a future Celtic striker and a guy wearing trackie bottoms - this game had it all (all except a Celtic victory).

 

Antony and I are joined by Lawrence Donegan as he name drops his way through his memories of The Game.

 

Here’s how the Celtic Wiki describes it:

 

This was one of the most remarkable games ever viewed at Parkhead with an absolutely disastrous ending for a brave Celtic team.

 

Scoring went as follows: 0-1, 1-1, 2-1, 2-2, 3-2, 3-3, 4-3, 5-3, 5-4.

 

With Celtic leading 5-3 and going through on aggregate with just two minutes left, Joe Miller lost the ball at the Partizan goal corner flag. A quick break down the left wing saw a cross come in and Scepovic headed it for goal. The despairing Bonner got a hand to out and only served to divert it past Paul Elliot who was on the goal line and would have cleared had Bonner not knocked it past him.

 

Celtic players and fans were devastated at time up and stood in stone silence as jubilant Partizan players and coaches danced for joy on the Parkhead turf.

 

Billy McNeill was heavily criticised afterwards for not making one substitution when Celtic were leading 5-3 with minutes to go which would have broken the game up and killed some time.

 

It is thought that Darius Dziekanowski could have laid on another cert, but went for a personal five. He was later lambasted in the changing room despite having scored four goals, and maybe others were more culpable for the defeat than Jacki.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: The_Game_Ep3_-_Partizan_Belgrade.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:28pm UTC

The Game Ep2 - Palm Sunday

 

This week marks the 30th anniversary of the Palm Sunday gubbing of Rangers, a game that holds special memories for our guest Kevin Schofield as it was his first Glasgow Derby.  It was dark times for the club and these victories were smal glimpses of light.

 

We had beaten Rangers the week before for what became known as the ST Patrick’s Day Massacre.  That was a game that saw Rangers receive 3 red cards and so for this match, Not The View gave out red cards and Nisbet duly obliged by getting himself sent off and leaving the pitch to a sea of aforementioned red cards from the crowd.  Anton Rogan was the star of the day, scoring the opener in the 3-0 victory over Rangers in March 1991, his first against them (just day before his birthday), but he also set up the second and cleared a goal off the line.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: The_Game_Ep2_-_Palm_Sunday.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:57pm UTC

The Game Episode 1 - Shame Game

 

10 years ago this month was The Shame Game.  A silly title for a game that saw no shame apart from the terrible behaviour of the soon to be defunct Rangers players and assistant manager.  But with its notoriety and coming to the fore we thought  we’d kick off the new series with a review of that game.

 

Here’s how the Celtic Wiki describes it:

 

As one-side a match against the Huns you'll ever see. Celtic were on top throughout this game, and despite the Huns being able to break well at points, they were simply playing for penalties from early on. With injuries/resting players like Lafferty & Jelavic, the Huns were relying on some rough tactics with heavy tackling on the menu. Luckily, Celtic's pressing on fairer referees has paid off with Murray officiating well and taking to half measures. He allowed around 20-25 mins before dishing out yellow cards, and Whittaker was first to be ordered off with two yellows. Harsh the first card may have been but it wasn't for that challenged alone (he had committed a few bad tackles before hand).

 

From then on, Celtic took control (in particular in the midfield) however we weren't makign enough of our advantages. Wilson was exceptional and has been on a bit of a goal glut of late (3 goals in 6 games) and he scored with his second chance today just after half-time to send the support into raptures. From then in, there was only one team in it. Rangers had a late burst but their runs were cut short..... and Rangers were out the cup!!!

 

YESSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

More important is the rammies that occurred. Diouf was in everyone's' face, with match offs with Brown and then inexcusably with the Celtic bench. He should have been sent off early but the referee was too soft. Next there was a rammy with Mjallby for Djouf in the tunnel at half-time! It was comical.

 

The unbookable Bhougeira was sent off! Amazing! Daft tackles were the cause, he's scum like Diouf.

 

Diouf was sent off after the final whistle for not keeping control of his senses (not possible for him). A farce and scumbag.

 

The home support were in his face and we all laughed. The worse he is on the pitch, the worse his antics are...

 

Match ended with a spat between Lennon & Ally McCoist (Hun assistant manager). McCoist approaced Lennon in our dugout, Lennon politley held out his hand, then McCoist whispered something in his ear, Lennon retorted, then it blew with some shoves and people jumping in to separate the two. McCoist should be hammered for it.

 

Anyhow, we won, it's great to be a Celtic.

 

Crazy: The match has been criticised by the First Minister as a disgrace with head police officer calling for possibly stopping all games v Rangers or play them behind close doors! Absolute joke, total mock outrage.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: The_Game_Episode_1_-_Shame_Game.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 8:41pm UTC

Podcast Xtra - John Kennedy & David Turnbull

 

Celtic are looking to engage better with the fan media and this was the first step in 2021 of that new engagement with a specially organised fan media press conference.  To be fair to the club, bringing this together is slightly more complicated than it seems.  As I’ve joked recently, there are now a plethora of podcasts and how do the club make sure everyone gets access, how do they balance this with those fans who do excellent written work but not the spoken word - do they let on every podcast and website (not matter the numbers of listeners readers).  Do they have a cut off and how do they measure that cut-off? etc etc.

 

Regular listeners and readers will know that we have been fortunate enough to have engagement before but it is good to have some further engagement after a little bit of a hiatus.

 

We have David Turnbull and John Kennedy first up, John being especially generous with his time and providing very full answers.  I have met with John before and found him a very impressive and engaging man.  I have yet to meet a football person who isn’t impressed by John.  I hope you are too.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: Podcast_Xtra_David_Turnbull__John_Kennedy.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 8:57pm UTC

Pieces of Eight

 

Yes, it’s the pirate podcast (you’ll understand when you listen) and we are reviewing the tenure of Neil Lennon as Celtic manager.  We look at his departure last time, his re-appointment and assess whether this was some catastrophic turn of unlucky events for Neil or the inevitable outcome of appointing someone not qualified for the job and I would suggest that the panel have a range of opinions along that spectrum.

 

A change is gonna come at Celtic and we suspect that it will have an alpine look to it but whatever it is, there are always grounds for omptimism when you support Celtic so we (mainly) agree that next season is going to be very exciting.

 

Saint Anthony, Sean and Antony all discuss.

 

Also, we’re pulling together a series on Celtic matches, key games that might now have mythical status among the support.  We’ll be starting with The Shame Game.  Email your memories of this and also let us know hat games you would like us to feature.

 

Podcasts@celticunderground.net

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: Pieces_of_Eight.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:11pm UTC

Celts on The Rocks

 

This week I am joined by Lachie Mor and Duncan Smillie of Glasgow Rocks to discuss the current situation at Celtic.

 

We review the inept Ross County performance and then go on to discuss the nature of the vitriol against senior people at the club (manager CEO) and question if that is the “Celtic Way” - can we not disagree with the board’s decision on Lennon without being so disagreeable?  Duncan has a go at me for the agressive language of the Ferencvaros podcast.  Lachie is taken aback and patently didn’t listen to it!

 

We review the need to get more young players coming through the academy into the first team and generally wish this season would just go away.

 

Enjoy…

 

Direct download: Celts_on_the_rocks.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:25pm UTC

Marketing Celtic

 

I know, I know, all we want is a succesful team on the pitch and you have no time for all this marketing and “brand” chat that revolves around modern football and if that’s the sum total of your thoughts on marketing a football club then this podcast is not for you.  If, however, you see maximising income as the way of getting the best players in the pitch then hopefully you will find this of interest.

 

I look at our club as failing to communicate well with the supporters.  I therefore wonder if we are so poor at speaking with the fans, are we even worse at communicating with a wider audience, and is that poor communication impacting on the business as a whole? 

 

Whilst I can have a view, I always think it best to ask an expert and so I asked the Managing Direcor of Sporst Marketing experts Fuse for some input.  It does help that not only is Stephen an expert on sports marketing, he’s also a huge Celtic fan.  We therefore have a marketing expert talking specifically about our club and how we might get those marginal benefits that allow us to get better players on the park.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: Marketing_Celtic.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:26am UTC

And so after 17 years in the job Peter is leaving. 

 

Peter Lawwell was first employed by Celtic as the club's Financial Controller from 1990 to 1991 under then Chief Executive Terry Cassidy. In September 2003, he returned to Celtic succeeding Ian McLeod as Chief Executive. The job title was changed for Lawwell to Executive Director, Head of Operations as many of the previous Chief Executives had performed poorly in that role.  Arsenal were interested in appointing Lawwell as their chief executive in 2008, but Lawwell rejected their approach.  Lawwell has been credited with increasing revenue, reducing debt and is considered a tough transfer negotiator. He has attracted criticism since 2008, however, as Rangers had won three championships in a row. In particular, Celtic fans cite the club's refusal to increase their offer for steven Fletcher in January 2009, after which Rangers overhauled Celtic to win the 2008/09 SPL. In 2010 it was reported that Lawwell earned a wage of more than £700,000 a year, after receiving a 25% rise from his previous contract for the 2008–09 season.

 

Everything at Celtic changed in 2012 when Rangers went to the wall and this saw the club commence an incredible period of dominance, winning trophies and building cash in the bank for a rainy day,  We had the Brendan era followed by the appointment of Neil Lennon in the showers and for many, the diasters of the current season were sewn on that day.

 

Peter leaves and Hullbhoy and I assess his legacy.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: Peter_A_CEO_of_2_Halves.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 7:53pm UTC

Dear Dr Jo

 

This past week saw the passing of Big Shuggie Edvaldsson and formerCeltic manager Dr Jozef Venglos.

 

Jóhannes Eðvaldsson signed for Celtic in 1975 and made 127 appearances for the club.  He scored 24 goals for Celtic playing in defence, midfield and attack but made his name mainly as a central defender.

 

Dr Jozef Venglos was the first foreign born & raised manager of a club in the English top tier league(now it's the EPL): Aston Villa.  He won the European Championships at under 23 level, and then his finest moment in coaching, the full European Championship with Czechoslovakia in 1976, beating Netherlands in the semi-finals and West Germany in the Final, as well as reaching the quarter-finals of the Italia 1990 World Cup.  Appointed President of the European Coaches Union in 1995 as well as being chosen to coach European and World select teams in the 1980's and 1990's.  AT Celtic he signed the great players Lubo & Mjallby for Celtic. Truthfully, he never made a bad signing.  Disgracefully treated by the local press whilst in Scotland (quite petty patronising racism in some cases).

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: Dear_Dr_Jo.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:43pm UTC

Tell me when it’s over

 

And the hits just keep on coming… This past week Celtic have dropped points to Livingston twice (once to a team made up of their fringe players) and still the management team remains unchanged.  On the podcast we discuss the possible rational behind this, the issues with the players, the Livi game and of course that press conference.

 

As a podcast that has (at times) been very aggitated with the team - coaches and players, we try our best to take a step back and assess how and why.  We discuss the board and what we should be doing.  Tanks on the lawn with a firm statement of intent that this will never happen again.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: Tell_me_when_its_over.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 9:15pm UTC

What’s going on?

 

Who could have predicted, that going to Dubai, in the middle of the world’s worst pandemic in 100 years could end up being a PR disaster…?

 

Sunday night the news broke that we had a player with Covid. Then it started to come out that, due to the nature of everyone being in close proximity, 13 players and 3 coaches would be unavailable for the game against Hibs.  With perhaps a 5% chance still left of winning the league, we needed to win every game left this season and this wouldn’t give us the best chance of starting that run, yet we nearly achieved it.

 

Antony Murray and I discuss the game, the trip and basically ask - Celtic - What’s going on?!?

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: Whats_Going_On.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:46am UTC

2020 - A Year in Review

 

Twenty Twenty vision was hard work - a year of two halves.  We ran away with the league until Covid came and we were robbed of the 9iar celebrations.  When won a quadruple treble and again robbed of the celebrations.  In the grand scheme of things it will be just one year of missing going to games and there are worse things happening in the world however it hurt to miss them all the same.

 

It WAS supposed to be a review with @antonymurray25 and @hullbhoy @stephen4_2 and myself but for a variety of reasons it was just Saint & I but we still managed to ramble on for 2 hours reviewing the seasons past and present in 2020.

 

Hullbhoy and Antony will be on again soon.

 

Meantime, please enjoy…

Direct download: 2020_Year_Review.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 1:22pm UTC

I don’t want to talk about it!

 

The maltesers edition.

 

And there it was - in the 62nd minute the final flickers of the 10iar dream were snuffed out when Nir Bitton climbed all over the back of Alfredo Morelos and Madden was presented with the opportunity to reduce us to 10 men and any chnce of clawing back the huge deficit went.

 

It wasn’t the Bitton sending off that killed the chances of winning the league and securing the 10.  The seeds of this defeat were sowed long ago with a various key points since February 2012 when, presented with an opportunity, Celtic made the wrong choice.  The key to losing the ten was when the club decided to focus on demoestic rather than European dominance.  Set your standards low and and you achieve low.

 

Antony Murray and I review a game which, for the first hour, was dominated by Celtic.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: I_Dont_Want_To_Talk_About_It.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 6:15pm UTC

Quadruple Treble

 

No illiterative headlines name for the podcast - it’s a simple history making name.  The remarkable dominance of Celtic over Scottish football continues as the third and final trophyof the 2019/20 season is secured and Celtic become world beaters by securing a fourth consecutive treble.

 

After a first 45 mins where we looked like we would go on to score 4 or 5 it was squeaky bum time and penalties were required.

 

I am joined by Antony Murray and Saint Anthony to discuss why that might have been, to review the game, the players, and the unique achievement of 4 trebles.  We also (briefly) preview the Ross County game.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: Quadruple_Treble_-_21122020_23.21.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:47pm UTC

Custer’s Last Stand

 

And the hits just keep on coming…..this week it was St Johnstone.  Where do we go from here?  Is it down to the lake I fear?

 

After the Ferencvaros game Antnony Murray and I were very critical of the manager and after 30 mins I got St Anthony on to be the voice of reason and calm us all down.  Since then there has been no discernible improvement in performances and so we thought we’d get Saint back on.

 

We review the St Johnstone game, discuss the Cektic statement, try and think why the board are thinking as they are and then discussing whether we believe that 10iar can be saved.

 

After the analogies of Julius Ceaser, this week it’s Cowboys and Indians.

 

Enjoy…(if you can)

Direct download: Custers_Last_Stand_-_07122020_23.33.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 8:58am UTC

No longer surprising

 

Sorry to have such long breaks between podcasts, honestly, we’re not just waiting for defeats but I know many will be in the working every hour God sends boat at the moment and getting an hour to do a podcast is challenging.

 

Enough of that negativity - onto the hoops!  As you’ll hear on the podcast, Antony Murray has just been teaching Julius Ceaser and one quote from that came to mind that our coaches and board would do well to think about;

 

“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.”

 

Something has to change, new coaches, new attitudes, I don’t know, but something.

 

Here’s hoping it’s soon.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: No_Longer_Surprising.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:28pm UTC

Count The Trophies

 

Following the Scottish Cup Semi-Final victory Celtic are on course for another treble - 4 in a row would be quite incredible and you would assume that everything in the garden is rosy…but it’s not.  Thursday night saw another abysmal European result for the club and another performance were body language was dreadful on and off the pitch and it was hard to believe that this is a team coached to play together.

 

After the Feroncvaros defeat we had an immediate post game review (more of a rant) with myself and Antony Murray, later joined by the voice of reason Aint Anthony.  This time we decided to hold off for a few days for a more taional debate.

 

We discuss everything and go back 8 years in reviewing where we are just now.

 

Enjoy…

 

Don’t forget that antony can be found on twitter @antonymurray25

Direct download: Count_The_Trophie.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 4:28pm UTC

Success in mind

 

Saturday’s result and performance could have been better…!

 

Rather than have a knee jerk rant, I thought it would be more appropriate to have some positive thinking on the podcast and who better than the guru of Scottish positive thinking, Mr Jack Black.

 

I first came across Jack around 1997 when my then boss handed me some audio tapes and said - I think this will be right up your street.  The days before Apple Car Play or even in car CDs, these tapes were of Jack’s Mindstore lectures and they were a huge eye opener.  At the time he was working with Rangers and it came as a revelation to me that he is actually a Celtic fan.  Even more of a revelation was that he was a fan of our podcast and so when I discovered this I knew I had to get him on.

 

Work, work and more work have got in the way of late and so it’s simply a coincidence that he is on straight after THAT Rangers performance.

 

If you want to know more about Jack after listening you can log onto https://www.mindstore.com/

 

He’s also on twitter @jack_mindstore

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: Success_in_mind.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:16pm UTC

Antony Murray brings us episode 7 of the lifetime XI series.

Many listeners have been enjoying the lifetime XI series of Antony Murray.  Unfortunately all good things must come to an end and this series is coming to a close, butnot before we have at least one more episode.  This week Antony returns and we have episode 7 of the series.

Enjoy...
Direct download: CU_CelticLifetime11.7.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:25pm UTC

Celtic in the Black & White Era

 

There’s a new book out and St Anthony chats with the author, Steve Finan

 

This brand new book features hundreds of previously unseen classic Celtic photos from the glory days.

Even if you know the history . . . have you seen it like this? These photos have lain hidden in archives for 40, 50 or even 60 years. They show the great events such as the European Cup triumph of 1967, Hampden in the sun, Gil Heron’s debut, the John Thomson tragedy, and the Leeds United European tie of 1970. There are also scores of behind-the-scenes photos, images of Celtic heroes of the past as you’ve never seen them, and “new” old photos of the great games.

It is the ideal gift for any Celtic-minded person — nostalgia for those who remember, a chance to experience the halcyon days for those who don’t.

There’s never been a Celtic book like this!

 

Enjoy...

Direct download: Celtic_in_the_black__white_era.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:14pm UTC

Garbage

 

Tonight Celtic played a team who are vastly inferior to us.  They had three attempts on goal and scored with two of them.  Meantime our manager picked a starting 11 with no striker and didn’t bring one on until the 78th minute.  I get that Ajeti may not quite be fully fit and I fear Klimala not starting is because the manager doesn’t rate him.  what a shit show

 

We wanted to get a podcast out and to your ears as quickly as possible and so we start with just Antony Murray and after 25 mins are joined by St Anthony.  We discuss what to do and don’t come up with solutions, just moans.

 

If you can, enjoy…

Direct download: Garbage_II.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:28pm UTC

Viva Espana

 

We have had a very eventful time of things both on and off the park at Celtic since our last podcast discussing the current squad.  In that last podcast Juco James disected the pros and cons (minus the pros) of continuing to play Scott Brown.  we then had the Killie game which was the usual purgatory on plastic.  We lack creativity and gave away a stupid goal and many fingers pointed at Jullien and Brown.  After that we had the Boli 24 hour Spanish holiday jaunt.  In between we signed Ajeti.

 

With all this going on we needed a podcast and we needed some calm heads and so we have Hullbhoy and Duncan to discuss all this and more.

 

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: Viva_Espana.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 8:30pm UTC

Antony Murray returns to discuss the all time Celtic XI of another hoops fan.  This week Paul Rutherford picks his favourite Celtic XI with some alternative options from the norm.

Enjoy...

Direct download: CU_CelticLifetime11.6.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 8:12pm UTC

The first game of the new season has just finished with a 5-1 victory over Hamilton so if you're looking for Celtic chat, we have episode 5 of the Lifetime XI podcasts.  It's the first official podcast of our 15th season and features our old friend Lawrence Donegan.

He's had plenty of time to get the pronunciations correct so hopefully no mangling.

It's Antony Murray with Lawrence Donegan's best XI.

Enjoy...

Direct download: CU_CelticLifetime11.5.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 8:02pm UTC

Big Data, The Squad and Brown

 

Data and statistics are increasingly playing a big part in sport but our guest today suggests that football remains largely in the dark ages in this field.  His belief is that this is changing, and rapidly and those clubs that are late adopters will find themselves at a long term disadvantage.

 

For those who follow him on twitter, @Jucojames has been at the forefront of detailing the numbers behind Celtic performances and, once we get past how he ended up being a Celtic numbers fanatic, we use the data to discuss the elephant in the room - at his age should Brown be playing so much football? 

 

I’ll not do a spoiler but your head will tell you what your heart denies on that one.

 

Hope you enjoy the podcast - all 2 hours!

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: Big_Data_The_Squad_and_Brown.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 9:06am UTC

This week we continue with Antony Murray discussing with guests their all time Celtic XI.  This week the guest is our very own Lachie Mor.  Regular listeners will know that Lachie has been attending games since before Stein and so with an array of talent to choose from including the Lions, the first 9iar team and the Seville team his all time XI will be an interesting listen.

Enjoy...

Direct download: CU_CelticLifetime11.4.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 4:56pm UTC

It's a simple concept, get a guest on and ask them to choose their favourite/best all time Celtic eleven but sometimes the simplest things are the best things and today we bring you episode 3.  Hosted by Antony Murray listen and decide if you agree. 

 

If you don't tweet myself or Antony or email podcasts@celticunderground.net and we'll get you on.

Direct download: CU_CelticLifetime11.3.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 5:57pm UTC

Transfers and season books

 

Most of our output during these past few footballless months have been our specialist series - the 9iar chronicles and the new Lifetime 11 podcast series.  There has been little else going on bar the season-book stooshie but far more important things going on in wider life and therefore we haven’t been as prolific as usual on the podcasts.  We decided that needed to change!

 

We contacted Lawrence Donegan and Antony Murray and had a chat about all that is going on at our club - transfer gossip, season book sales and preparation for the new season.  It’s all here in spades.

 

Sponsored by Ask Jeeves and My Space

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: Brought_to_you_by_Ask_Jeeves.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 9:13pm UTC

It's like buses, you wait for ages and then they come along with the frequency of, well, buses!  It's episode two of the Celtic Lifetime XI podcast from Antony Murray.  This week his guest is Kes Devaal.

Both guys can be found on Twitter @KesDevaal and @antonymurray25

Direct download: CU_CelticLifetime11.2.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 9:14pm UTC

This is the first in a series of Celtic Underground podcast where Antony Murray discusses with guests their lifetime Celtic XI.

This week Antony chats with Gregg Kennedy to review his Lifetime XI.

Direct download: CU_CelticLifetime11.1.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 9:48pm UTC

The 9iar Chronicles - Season not the ten 1974/75

 

Two Cups - but no Ten-in-a-Row

  • League Position – 3rd - finishing 11pts behind Rangers who won the League and 4pts behind Hibernian
  • League Cup – Winners
  • Scottish Cup – Winners
  • Drybrough Cup - Winners
  • European Cup - First Round
  •  

Celtic were to miss out on a world record of ten consecutive League championships this season and had to be content with the two domestic cups and the Drybrough Cup in it's last year. This season saw the retirement of Billy McNeill and the departure on free transfers at the end of the season of the last true veterans of the golden age with the release of Jimmy Johnstone and Jim Brogan. The only remaining Lisbon Lion at the end of the season was Bobby Lennox.

 

Celtic did not travel abroad for any pre-season games this season but used the Drybrough Cup and domestic friendlies to sort the team out. There was an embarrassing one-off trip to West Germany to play Schalke 04 in Gelsenkirchen which ended in the joint highest defeat under Jock Stein so far. Interest in the Drybrough Cup was faintly raised when the final threw Rangers and Celtic together with the game ending in a draw and Celtic winning the rights to the Cup 4-2 on penalties. This was the last season this Cup would be played though it would return in 1979. The performances were somewhat jaded and lacking in enthusiasm one normally expected from a Celtic team but this was put down to a short inter-season lay-off period with the World Cup and Scotland's involvement in that also taking place during the shut down. Added to this would be that Danny McGrain had returned from the World Cup having been diagnosed diabetic.

 

The League Cup saw Celtic in Group 4 with Motherwell, Dundee Utd and Ayr Utd. The format had been changed with one team qualifying from each group for the Quarter finals and the rather silly offside rule used in the Drybrough - only being offside beyond the 18 yard box - persisted with even though it was disliked by all. In the second game Celtic received a shock losing to Ayr Utd. The jaded performances were for real and Jock Stein found himself with three immediate problems :- a goalkeeping crisis, a vulnerable defense and the strike force misfiring. These all needed to be addressed. None could be addressed with immediate effect. Celtic, however, duly put the results together to qualify for the quarter finals with a game in hand in the Group Satge and were drawn against Hamilton Academicals managed by ex-Celt Eric Smith. A 2-0 win at home followed by a 4-2 away win saw them comfortably through to face Airdrie in the semi final. This was a turgid affair settled by a single goal from Stevie Murray in the second half. Hibernian had also made it through all the way and the final was a classic Celtic performance with Dixie Deans scoring a hatrick as well as Joe Harper also getting a hatrick and ending on the losing side.

 

That was one Cup in the bag done and dusted by the end of October. Already Celtic had seen George Connelly walk out and state that he was quitting football. He did relent and returned to train and eventually win a starting place again in November and December. But the assessment of the team had seen Jimmy QuinnVic DavidsonJimmy Bone and Andy Lynch all told that they could leave on frees. Also by this time Celtic found themselves out of the European Cup at the first hurdle. A 1-1 draw at home achieved after the sending off of an Olympiakos player was not enough and in the flare and smoke of the Athens game Celtic went down 2-0.Olympiakos were an unfancied side and they duly made their own exit at the next round. Was this an indication of European fragility? The side that had won the big cup, made the semi final twice and had been described as European attack masters looked woefully out of sorts.

 

What happened in the League to lose the tenth successive title is really a continuation of the faults that had been seen at the start of the season being cruelly exposed in the second half in the New Year. By that point Ronnie Glavin had been signed after much beating around the fee from Partick Thistle. At the age of 23 he had been the Jags captain and leading player as well as a Scotland U-23 cap. Signed in November for a club record of £80,000, Glavin had been a target for a number of clubs and Partick Thistle, under manager and ex-Celt Bertie Auld were looking to cash in. Glavin arrived to add extra firepower and to help Dalglish who was turning out to be easily the most competent and rounded player in Scotland. After a successful scoring debut he found it not as easy as first thought to fit into the team and in January he found himself dropped as Stein wrestled to find a winning formula again.

 

The catalyst that started to bring the house tumbling down was the 3-0 loss to Rangers at Ibrox in January. Celtic did not play too badly but there were too many first team players that failed to hit form and this was worrying. With a further 4 points dropped in the next five games which included dispiriting draws away to Arbroath and at home to Dumbarton. With the goalkeeping crisis much in evidence Peter Latchford was recruited from West Bromwich Albion. Latchford came up and played in a Friendly and in wizard time he was duly signed on an initial loan deal and saw out the rest of the season as first choice keeper. At times the support and Jock Stein must have thought what they had taken on as Latchford was prone to the occasional howler and soft goal. But he would develop substantially from this his first season at Celtic. Despite trying everything the crisis could not be averted and Celtic would drop a further 13 points in 10 games to finish third behind Rangers and Hibernian. Needless to say this was a shock to the supporters who had come to see over the last 10 years the Championship as a permanent feature at Celtic Park and the League programme kicking off each season with the raising of a new Championship flag.

 

The reality was that the flow of players coming through had dried up. Though Dalglish was without doubt the most accomplished footballer in Scotland he could not do it all by himself. The midfield lacked a David Hay type player. George Connelly, whilst a gifted sweeper and defender as well as having exquisite skill, was now emotionally fragile. McNeill was reaching the end of his career as too was Jim Brogan. Add to that a lack of bite upfront, despite Paul Wilson having his best season ever, it was more a collective malaise within the strike force that saw them missing chances and playing underpar when before they had been the Green Machine.

 

The retrieval of the season came with the Scottish Cup winning 3-1 against Airdrie who were in their first Cup Final since 1928. By this point the League had already been lost so it was with absolute faith that Jock Stein sent them out onto the Hampden pitch knowing that they would return with the cup. At the end of that game Billy McNeill announced his retirement.

 

If the club felt low at having to bear the loss of the tenth successive League title then they could console themselves with two trophies at least. Things could not get worse. Could they?

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: The_9iar_Chronicles_-_Season_not_the_ten_197475.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 9:35pm UTC

The Rugby League Podcast!

 

Welcome to the Celtic Underground Rugby League podcast.  Listeners will be wondering why a Celtic fans podcast is talking about rubgy league - because we want to.

 

Although born in Scotland, all my relatives are from Cumbria and specifically, for those who know the area they are from an area steeped in rubgy league history - Whitehaven, Cleator Moor and into Workington.

 

When I grew up my mum’s dad was in to horse racing and Rugby League, Working Town Rugby League to be precise.  He obviously entertained football chat with his Celtic daft grandkids, but for this man from the mines, League was the sport for him.  It ingrained in me the concept that league was proper rugby and as I grew older and saw Union as the Toffs sport but arrogantly referred to as Rugby I retained that soft spot. 

 

I’m not an avid watcher but I’ll look in when it’s on and will watch the Grand Final every year.  I have always felt League and the towns where it is based have a close affinity of the central belt of Scotland where football is so strong and so I thought I’d do a podcast with an expert, providing a bit more detail on what the sport is, why it is different (and better) than Union and what better time than now in lockdown with limited sport but the Australian NRL starting up this weekend.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: The_Rugby_League_Podcast.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 7:53pm UTC

A Double and Nine-in-a-Row

  • League Position – 1st - Ninth League title in a row - a record
  • League Cup – Losing Finalists
  • Scottish Cup – Winners
  • Drybrough Cup - Losing Finalists
  • European Cup - Losing Semi-Finalists

The most outstanding accolade of the season was the completion of nine League championship titles in a row closely followed by reaching the semi-finals of the European Cup for a fourth time they had reached that stage or beyond since 1967. For a club the size of Celtic in a nation the size of Scotland this was exceptional. That they never went on to the final was down to the cheating aspects of their semi-final opponents, Atletico Madrid, and the left-over taste of the nature of the games with them has remained with the club and supporters ever since 1974.

The season began slowly with Jock Stein saying that he wanted to see the team play differently. The early Friendly games saw Celtic playing a one-touch game where the team endeavoured to control the ball and maintain possession. The early season Friendlies in Ireland saw this style of game unfold. These games were followed by the what looked to be annual performance of the Drybrough Cup, a trophy which seemed to challenge everyone to accept it as a legitimate enterprise but, although the teams taking part played out the games fully, there was always the feeling that it was a somewhat half-hearted affair as shown by the willingness to change the rules of the game. This was the first season that two substitutes were allowed in all matches and the Drybrough Cup continued with a half-baked moderation of the offside rule. This experiment continued through the League Cup and was a reflection of views of change within the world of football at the time. Celtic again failed to win the Drybrough losing in the final to Hibernian for the second year running .

The League Cup followed with the bastardised offside rule continuing, Celtic qualifying from the seeded Group Stage behind Rangers who they would meet again and defeat at the semi-final stage. Between that game there were wins against Motherwell after a replay, and Aberdeen. The semi final saw a comprehensive 3-1 win for Celtic with Harry Hood scoring a hatrick. The final against Dundee played at Hampden with a 1:30 kick off due to anti-floodlighting measures imposed under the state of emergency regulations, was a game that neither side wanted to play with the Hampden pitch frozen and rugged. Referee Bobby Davidson had other ideas and the game went ahead. Celtic duly lost to a single goal thus losing the fourth League Cup final in a row.

In the League the Celtic green machine rolled on with generally the expectation that Celtic would win every game they undertook. That might have been the supporters and the pundits expectations but the other teams in the League had other ideas. It was Hibernian that provided the challenge mainly, along with the Tayside clubs and a rejuvenated Motherwell under the new managership of Ian St. John. The games against Rangers saw Celtic win well with 1-0 wins which neither reflected the overrall domination over the blue horde nor told the full story. But a comprehensive lead in the league was established and Celtic lead the table for the greater part of the season. The losses were instructive.

A home game was lost to Dundee in February, the first Sunday game, with McNeill and Hay recovering from 'flu and George Connelly only just restored to the first team after his voluntary absence from Celtic Park. In fact the problem for Celtic with David Hay and George Connelly tainted the whole of the early season. Hay was one of the few people that George Connelly, an enigma in the minds of many but a potential footballing superstar who had it all, trusted and called a friend at Celtic. When Hay wanted more in his contract he was transfer listed and when he threatened to go on strike he was suspended. Celtic handled the complete situation badly. Hay was wanted by other teams, but what Davie wanted was to stay but not at the terms that Celtic were offering. Celtic wanted the best they could get in allowing a valuable player to leave. George Connelly reacted in solidarity to his great mate, and saw himself dropped for a long period to the Reserves. These were two great players whose ball playing and passing skills were missed.

Eventually it got sorted out and Davie went on to a good season but George broke his ankle in the home leg against Basel and was out for the rest of the season. Their importance as footballers could be gauged by the fact that both were included in the Scotland World Cup squad. The League was won with three games to spare, against Falkirk with a draw. Celtic finished with a four point cushion to Hibernian in the runners-up spot.

The European Cup started with the usual high aggregate thrashing of some unknowns. This year it was Finnish side TPS Turku with 6-1 away and 3-0 home wins. In the second round Celtic were draw against Danish champions Vejle. These were no pushovers and Celtic underestimated them at home with a 0-0 draw badly missing the leadership of Billy McNeill. They got out of jail free in Denmark with a 1-0 win playing a holding game after going ahead. This brought Celtic to face Swiss champions FC Basel in the quarter finals. Basel had grown and moved on immeasurably since the team that Celtic had overcome in 1969. They were well organised and confident. The away leg was first and Celtic lost 3-2 with Evan Williams losing two goals he should have saved and sealing his fate for the taxi at the end of the season.

With Scotland keeper Ally Hunter injured Stein had to resort to Denis Connaghan, the No. 3 in the blind spot position for the return. It was a tense game not helped when George Connelly broke his ankle after only five minutes. But Kenny Dalglish and Dixie Deans, who was rapidly turning into the ace scorer of the season, had Celtic 2-0 up and Tommy Callaghan got the aggregate equaliser taking it to extra time. Barely into the first period Steve Murray, who played a major part in the season, lobbed a beautiful ball over the goalkeeper and Celtic were through. That brought Atletico Madrid and a return of Argentinians to Celtic Park. So much has been written about the game. The home leg was a travesty of football and the 0-0 draw saw the Spanish side celebrating like they were already into the final. The away leg which UEFA insisted had to be played, was pure intimidation. Celtic took their collective eyes off the ball and dulty lost 2-0. So another year and through to the semi and undone by bad sportsmanship. The feeling still lingers with any mention of Atletico Madrid.

Celtic won back the Scottish Cup with a 3-0 win over Dundee Utd. The run had started with two 6-1 wins over Clydebank and Stirling Albion. Motherwell proved harder opposition requiring a replay after a 2-2 draw at home. The 1-0 semi final win against Dundee bore no relation to the domination Celtic showed over Dundee throughout the game. And two goals in 25 minutes saw Celtic kill the final.

Of the players so far unmentioned Danny McGrain made his mark this season establishing himself as an overlapping defender of exceptional quality. Billy McNeill led from the front at the back (so to speak...) Everyone wanted to know how long he would go on playing and it looked as if he would think about retirement. The next season would see his Testimonial and his final season. Bobby Murdoch went on a free transfer in September to Middlesbrough where he would have a second career. Pat McCluskey established himself in the team and vied for a starting role with George Connelly. If anything Jimmy Johnstone faded from sight at the start of the season and Stein told him to buck his ideas up and screw the nut. Jinky duly applied himself and he was back to his best for the latter half of the season going on to be kicked black-and-blue by the goths of Madrid. Brian McLaughlin who had been seen as the up-and-coming new 'wunderkind' suffered a serious knee injury which saw him miss much of the season. And the forwards just rolled on. Deans was top scorer in Scotland,; Harry Hood continued to confound people; Dalglish was the best Scottish product since Macari left; Paul Wilson had a supersub tag; and Bobby Lennox, now over 30, confounded everyone with his bursts of speed. If there was a failure it was the inability of Jimmy Bone to fit in and Andy Lynch languishing in the Reserves.

But the team worked well as a unit. There were young players coming through (a certain Tommy Burns was called up at the end of the season from Maryhill Juniors where he had been farmed out) and there was no reason to believe that the following season would again see Celtic challenging.

Direct download: The_9iar_Chronicles_-_Season_9_1973.74.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:40pm UTC

The Celtic Underground Top Ten season 2017-18

 

A topical podcast this week as we review the top ten players for the 7th season of the current 9iar….but don’t worry, the first 20 mins are disccusing the fact that tonight, as we record the podcast, Celtic are officially champions of Scotland AGAIN and have officially achieved 9iar AGAIN.

 

First up we have a very special message from the manager to all our listeners (yes, we actually do) and then we have a 20 minute chat about achieving 9iar and how it is better than expected.  From there we get to the meat and bones of the podcast and discuss your votes for the 2017-18 CU Top Ten.

 

You may wonder why it is season 2017-18.  Well, we collated the votes but unfortunately I was too busy with work and nevergot around to actually recording the podcast.  We must have a complet record and so the podcast is recorded.  We will be doing 2018-19 and  voting is open now (until midnight on 10th June) for the 2019-20 season Top Ten and Samars moment.  You can email podcasts@celticunderground.net

 

The voting was as follows;

1. Scott Brown

2. Forrest

3. McGregor

4. KT

5. Ntcham

6. Ajer

7. Rogic

8. Boyata

9. Edouard

10. Dembele

 

Samaras Moment;

1st - Lustig Hat

2nd - McGregor Equaliser v Bayern Munich

3rd - RFC Fans cheering getting us in the cup - be careful what you wish for

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: The_CU_Top_Ten_2017-18_plus_9iar_2020.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:19pm UTC

The 9iar Chronicles - Season 8 1972/73

 

(Courtesy of The Celtic Wiki)

 

The New to the Fore.

  • League Position – 1st - Eighth League title in a row - a record
  • League Cup – Losing Finalists
  • Scottish Cup – Losing Finalists
  • Glasgow Cup - Not played this season
  • Drybrough Cup - Losing Finalists
  • European Cup - Second Round

So close to being a Double; so close to being a Treble! And in the end a record consecutive eighth League Championship title. Season 1972-73 should have been the season when the club-developed players of the Quality Street Gang became the new Lions. It was the best season so far for them, with Kenny Dalglish showing himself as the most exciting footballer in Scotland at the age of 22; where George Connelly had it all and was very nearly an ever present in the side; where Davie Hay showed what a great utility player he could be,the emergence of Danny McGrain as a great overlapping full back.

 

But it was also the season of the wayward youth, with Lou Macari - spotted and developed by the club - demanding more and then heading south when he didn't get his way. Suppoprters opinions of Macari tend to be tainted by the later period when he returned to the club as manager between 1993 to 1994. As a player for Celtic, Macari was a superb goal scorer and poacher. But he was a very different kind of beast from players of the Lions era. Macari had not only quickly endeared himself to the Celtic support but had made the full Scotland international team early and had been on international tour to the States and to Brazil. He had married in St Patrick's Cathedral, New York, and it was very clear he did not like the fishbowl life of football in Scotland. In the closed season he had played in Brazil for Scotland with Tommy Docherty as Scotland manager and Docherty had woven him tales of football south of the border. At the start of the season when he returned to Celtic he began or continued to make demands for better terms. As the season wore on towards 1973 these demands continued and unrest began to ferment in the dressing room. Finally Jock Stein and the Board had enough in December. He'd been injured through much of November and came back for the away game against Dumbarton in early December and then he was out with 'flu and a 'stomach upset' and out over the Christmas period. This coincided with a crisis period at the club with Jock Stein taken into hospital with a cardiac scare. By the New Year Macari was on the transfer list. It was no longer a question of 'if' he would go but 'when' and 'where' and 'for how much'. Would it be Liverpool where he was a guest at their home match after inspecting the club facilities. But it was to team up again with Tommy Docherty, now manager at Manchester Utd, that he always wanted and there he went for £200,000. (There is a very good appraisal by St Anthony of Macari's playing time at Celtic here.)

 

Such was the surfeit of riches at the club at the time that it could be argued that his departure was barely missed. And the £200,000 his transfer brought in allowed the purchase of Ally HunterAndy Lynch and Steve Murray.

 

The season had begun with the sterile competition that was the Drybrough Cup, with altered offside rules, with Celtic losing to Hibs in the final, the game going to extra time after Celtic pulled back three goals to level the match at the 90. But Hibs found the gaps in extra time and lifted the trophy.The League Cup also had changed format somewhat with teams now seeded in the Group stage and winners and runners up going through to a home-and-away second round before the quarter finals. Everything went well till Celtic met Dundee in the quarter finals. In the away leg Dundee had scored after 20 minutes and then withstood strong Celtic pressure to carry a single goal advantage to Celtic Park. There, a weak linesman and referee Bobby Davidson contrived a 3-2 scoreline which saw a replay on a Monday night at Hampden. The Bhoys made no mistake here and ran out 4-1 winners. A semi-final win over Aberdeen set up the final against Hibernian. And on the day Celtic ran up against Stanton in great form. Two Cups played. Losing finalists twice!

 

And the third Cup would go the same way. It began well with 4-1 and 4-0 wins against East Fife and Motherwell respectively. At the quarter final Celtic played Aberdeen who came to bore everybody to death. On top of that Jimmy Johnstone lost the place and was sent off. The replay at Pittodrie was nearly as boring - except on 86 minutes up came Big Billy and the ball was headed in the back of the net. Dundee, as in the League Cup but this time at semi final stage, and for some reason Aberdeen's defensive tactics caught on and Dundee bored everyone to death with a 0-0 draw. The replay saw a continuation of dull football but a tactical switch which saw Hay switched to defense and Connelly to midfield resulted in Jinky receiving the ball and scoring two good goals and Dalglish getting one. And so.... on to the final against the auld enemy in their centenary year. A cut-n-thrust game in which Connelly scored a penalty (in the light of a succession of missed penalties in previous games from other Celtic spot-kick takers) saw Forsyth on the goal line where Brogan, who had just been subbed, would normally have been, steal in and nip the ball into the net. Celtic tried to get back the goal but it was Rangers cup. Three Cups played. Losing finalists thrice!

 

The League was tighter than it had been for a while with Celtic topping out by just the one point but a huge goal difference margin.Throughout the season there were periods when the team played less well as a unit and that aweful sin of profligacy in front of goal raised it's ugly head again. All this contributed to the punditry and journos doubting Celtic's ability to take the title this season and continue with the Green Machine the following season.

 

In Europe, Celtic ran up against one of last season's teams - Ujpesti Dosza of Hungary. Last season they had met when the Hungarians were only starting their season. This time they were well warmed up and Celtic found them too good in Budapest. A 2-1 win at Celtic Park was countered by a 3-0 loss in Hungary and Celtic were out at the Second Round.

 

Dalglish, Hay, Connelly, McGrain and Macari have already been mentioned. The veterans also had their part to play. Big Billy was Captain Dependable as ever. Jim Brogan was missing more games through injury but when he was in he made the perfect left back to Danny McGrain's right. Bobby Lennox might see a good few sub spots this season but he still had lethal speed and his knowledge of the game was special in a forward. And Bobby Murdoch was noted when missing and his cool head made for reflection on the game when he played. The goalkeeper crisis was 'real' till the arrival of Ally Hunter from Kilmarnock who would have an outstanding first season between the sticks. His sureness inspired confidence in those in front of him. Jinky had off and on periods throughout the season and for his off periods he paid for by being dropped. The luxury of the team with so many good players was that it could and was tailored for conditions and teams.

 

At the end of the season there were those who asked if Celtic could go on and do it again the next season or if the newly resurgent Hibernian or Dundee or, god forbid, Rangers would make a serious challenge next season.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: The_9iar_Chronicles_-_Season_Eight_1972.73.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:04am UTC

SPFL TO RFC - WTF?

 

It’s here, the dossier that everyone (well everyone in scottish football) was waiting for.  The evidence, the whistle blower, the reports of bullying, the substantiation, the smoking guns, deep throat, the bombshells that would lead to the resignation of the CEO were all…well NOT there.

 

Unfortunately RFC seem to confuse questions with evidence and fact with opinion.

 

Following it’s publication, their CEO (who sits on the SPFL board that is so useless) appeared on Radio Clyde.  after his appearance I’m even more confused as to what it is they want an inquiry into.

 

Anyway, we set about trying to disect it the whole mess.  I am joined by Anthony Murray and David Low to look at this as objectively as Celtic fans can.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: SPFL_TO_RFC_-_WTF.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:29pm UTC

The 9iar Chronicles - Season Seven, 1971/72

 

A Blend of Old and New

 

  • League Position – 1st - Seventh League title in a row - a record
  • League Cup – Losing Finalists
  • Scottish Cup – Winners
  • Glasgow Cup - Not played this season
  • Drybrough Cup - Losing Finalists
  • European Cup - Semi Finalists

 

Season 1971-72 was a significant season as it really marked the start of a new chapter for the club, of players that had begun to appear the previous season but made their true marks this season. It also marked in truth the end of the Lisbon Lions era (but not the memory of that great team) with the departure of so many that had made up that team. The Main Stand had been substantially rebuilt and upgraded during the closed season and was formally opened by Jimmy McGrory on the 1st September 1971 with a game against South American Champions Nacional of Uruguay, Celtic running out 3-0 winners.

 

By this point Celtic had already lost the inaugural Drybrough Cup to Aberdeen. This was an interesting competition historically as it marked the first time that outside private sponsorship was seen in the professional game in Scotland. In the League Cup, Celtic qualified from the Group stage of Rangers, Morton and Ayr Utd. with resounding wins over Rangers home and away. The 'home' leg which was actually played at Ibrox because of the final work on the new Main Stand at Celtic Park, was significant in marking Kenny Dalglish's first first team goal. There would be many more. In the away game Celtic thoroughly demoralised a Rangers team that thought they had the beating of Celtic after an even first half. Quarter final and Semi final wins over Clydebank (marked by Brian McLaughlin's debut) and St Mirren followed to give a final at Hampden against a newly promoted and envigorated Partick Thistle. The result was not expected. With Billy McNeill absent, the Jags went 4-0 up by half time. Thistle were on fire and the 4-1 result and loss would mark a turn at Celtic and bring about arrivals and departures.

The days of the Lions were gone. The emerging talent was the Quality Street Gang and the prime examples were Kenny DalglishLou MacariDavie HayGeorge Connelly and Danny McGrain. Out had gone John Clark - a crisp and reliant reader and thinker of the game who had become the sweeper - and Steve Chalmers at 35 years old. After the League Cup Final loss they would be followed by John Hughes and Willie Wallace to Crystal Palace and Tommy Gemmell in December with John Fallon going to Motherwell in 1972 and Jim Craig heading for South Africa at the end of the season. In came new buys Dixie Deans, regarded as a steal of a buy from Motherwell at £17,500, and for the perpetual blind-spot of goalkeeper came Denis Connaghan from St Mirren. But it was the young gang, recruited and developed through the lean years who Sir Robert Kelly had asked the fans to be patient for who took on the new mantle of Celtic and won the Double of League and Scottish Cup this season.

 

Jock Stein had the team playing a fluid system this season with as ever, everyone ready to both attack and defend so that players could switch and everyone to a greater or lesser extent could be a 'utility' player. No one exemplified this so much as Davie Hay and Dalglish. Both could play anywhere on the park, were elegant and confident on the ball, could pass accurately over distance to supply the killer ball and could shoot and score goals. Davie Hay had emerged earlier and would play anywhere in the team. Dalglish really became THE player this season, at home up front or supporting in a withdrawn midfield role. To be able to release an international full back of the stature of Tommy Gemmell meant that Jock Stein was confident in the resources that he had at Celtic Park. Jim Brogan continued to play well and was a veteran giving advice and support. Jim Craig's final season saw him make 28 first team starts and he would probably have continued to be picked for the first team had he chosen to stay. Furthering his career in dentistry, the warmer climate of South Africa and new challenges called, however. Jimmy Quinn had been at the club since he was 16 and had first been used as an out-and-out striker but the previous season had seen him turned into a fast overlapping defender and this was further developed this season. He did well. Danny McGrain looked like he was ready to step up and but for an unfortunate clash of heads and the resulting fractured skull would have become a stand out this season. He had to wait but he was clearly going to be the business.

 

The two supreme veterans that held it together were Billy McNeill and Bobby Murdoch. Cesar impressed so much this season that he won his Scotland place back under the new international manager Tommy Docherty. His cool head in the centre of defense and his power were rarely beaten and if he did have an off-day then the team suffered. Bobby Murdoch was as important as a playmaker as McNeill was as a defender. These two knitted the younger players into a unit and continued the Celtic tradition built up over seven League titles of what was required from a Celtic team and a Celtic player.

 

Worth mentioning too is Tommy Callaghan. He had probably his best ever season for the club in 1971-72 and ran his heart out as a water carrier and attacker as well as being a tireless midfield player. Never a fans favourite, he sometimes found himself the brunt of the terraces' ire but his performances this season were collosal and his hard work allowed the finesse of Dalglish, Macari, Hood, Lennox and Johnstone to shine.

 

In the goalkeeping stakes things were still as obscure as ever in the blind-spotted Stein's mind. Not since the glory days of Ronnie Simpson had he felt so uncertain about the feller in front of the onion bag. Evan Williams had started as first choice, but Gordon Marshall and Denis Connaghan were brought in to challenge, and rejected. A young keeper Tom Lally had been brought over from Sligo Rovers but had played more games for Morton on loan than at Celtic. Lally would leave the following season. Both Marshall and John Fallon left to fill spots at Aberdeen and Motherwell when those teams experienced injury crises. Added to these can be the youths that were picked up during the season. - Neil Carr from Maryhill Juniors; Stefan Gryzska from Whitehill Welfare; Leif Neilsen - an experienced Danish keeper who was in dispute with Morton and released by them on a free; and Tom Livingstone who had been a youth international keeper and was released when he lost his first team spot with Cumbernauld Utd. To these would be added more and it would remain a troublesome position for some time - till the Big Man made his final club signing.

 

This was a very interesting season - the blend of youth and vigour and experience; A Double Season; so nearly into another European Cup Final; players competing for positions and keen to show what they could do; a wealth of talent that had been developed by hard training who were fit, confident, competent and keen.

It would be interesting to see how the club would develop.

Direct download: The_9iar_Chronicles_-_Season_Seven_1971-72.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:32pm UTC

The 9iar Chronciles - Season Six 1970/71

 

Merely Champions? Merely a Double? The End of an Era?

 

  • League Position – 1st - Sixth League title in a row
  • League Cup – Losing Finalists
  • Scottish Cup – Winners
  • Glasgow Cup - Semi-Final
  • European Cup - Quarter Final

 

Celtic won their sixth successive League Championship and the League and Scottish Cup Double - the 7th time they had achieved this. But many folk were now shaking their heads and saying that the team was not what it was. The problem appeared to be less in what was on display but how the team achieved it's wins and the manner of those wins.

 

Celtic had invested heavily in youth in the past and in the development of players through from youths and Juniors through to first team players. Sir Robert Kelly had warned Celtic supporters in the fallow years to be patient and to wait for the youngsters coming through. That wait had resulted in the Lisbon Lions and the years of fat which preceded this season. Further investment in youth saw the emergence of the Kelly Kids and the Quality Street Gang and these were the players that were breaking through throughout this season and who would take the club forward. The problem was that these young players were seen in performance against the ageing Lisbon Lions squad and the games were judged by Lisbon Lions standards. Time had not stood still for the Lions. Though Ronnie Simpson, the oldest of the Lisbon Lions, had retired at the end of the previous season, it was at the end of this season that the major departures of the Lions began. Bertie Auld, Stevie Chalmers and John Clark all moved on - a situation that would have been thought impossible back two seasons past - and they would soon be joined by others. But their time had come they needed to and had to move on for the team's sake. Jock Stein realised this and throughout the season he carefully assessed all the playing staff at the club - who was in, who was available, who was coming through. And change was inevitable to preserve the talent of the club and to continue to move forward and to challenge for glory.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: The_9iar_Chronciles_-_Season_Six_1970-71.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 9:26pm UTC

Covid or Novid

 

As you will hear, this is not our usual Celtic Underground guest - for a start she doesn’t go to games…  More importantly that attending Celtic games however, she is working to save lives.  Haley (my niece) is a nirse currently working in A&E, sometimes in general accodent & emergency, other times (liek this past week) on the Covid19 ward.  To use the hospital jargon, she is either Covd or Novid.

 

Don’t worry, the content won’t unnerve (it might even put your mind at rest) for example A&E’s are quieter than normal.

 

She talks through what you might find if you go to hospital for whatever reason, what some of the symptoms are to look out for, how here and her colleagues are coping and, of course, the situation with PPE.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: Haley_on_Covid_or_Novid.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 8:38pm UTC

The 9iar Chronicles - Season Five 1969/70

 

A brilliant season that was nearly incredible!

 

 

  • League Position – 1st - Fifth League title in a row
  • League Cup – Winners
  • Scottish Cup – Losing finalists
  • Glasgow Cup -
  • European Cup - Losing finalists

 

 

When you look at that list of season accomplishments above you would have to conclude that it was so close to being a very successful season. The Double was very nearly a treble and close to a European quadruple. The truth is in the detail.

 

The one word that many people use when describing this season is 'complacency' The League was won by a clear 12 points from second placed (again) Rangers. Four league games were lost, three of them at home to Hibernian, Hearts and Aberdeen with the one away loss to Dunfermiline. The team played for the most part 'within' themselves and this led a number of observers to state that at times the team were over-confident and complacent in their handling of the game.

 

However, as the podcast confirms, this was somewhat unfair

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: The_9iar_Chronciles_-_Season_Five_1969.70.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 3:11pm UTC

The 9iar Chronicles - Season Four 1968/69

 

TREBLES ALL ROUND!

 

 

  • League Position – 1st - Fourth League title in a row
  • League Cup – Winners
  • Scottish Cup – Winners
  • Glasgow Cup - Semi-Final
  • European Cup - Quarter Final

 

An extremely successful season, the second treble season and the 6th League and Cup double. Only two blips dotted the horizon. Those were the quarter final loss to AC Milan, who went on to win the European Cup this season, and losses home and away to Rangers in the League. They still finished five points behind in second place in the league, a result that again prompted whole scale changes across the river. The other loss in the league was at home to Morton at the end of the season. A total of 29 games were won with 89 goals for and 32 against and the points total was 55. The previous season had seen 30 wins with a massive 106 goals for and 24 against and 63 points.

 

Celtic had been one of the first clubs to protest against the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia. This led to the eastern Bloc teams pulling out of the competition and led to a redraw of the First Round. Celtic faced St Etienne who were beginning to come to prominence in Europe. Missing Bobby Murdoch and Tommy Gemmell they lost 2-0 away which was a major fright. A furious Stein vowed to go for all-out attack in the return game and the Celts gave no quarter running out 4-0 winners at Celtic Park to go through to face Red Star Belgrade who had failed to withdraw with the rest of the Eastern Bloc teams. They won 5-1 at home with Jimmy Johnstone running riot in the second half when told he might not have to travel if Celtic got a four goal advantage and then Johnstone-less held out with a 1-1 draw in Belgrade. and so on to the Quarter finals against AC Milan. The away leg in the San Siro was played in a snow storm in atrocious conditions and ended 0-0. Celtic were now being feted to go on to a final against Manchester Utd. But it was not to be, when Billy McNeill blundered early to allow Prati to score. Manchester Utd, by the way, lost to AC Milan 2-1 in the semi final.

 

In the League Cup Celtic qualified easily from the group stage winning all their games in a group with Morton, Partick Thistle and Rangers and were the best performing qualifier from all the groups. The Quarter final saw Hamilton Accies put to the sword with an aggregate score of 14-2. With a 10-0 win in the first leg Jock Stein felt confident enough to give many of the younger staff a run out with the average team age being 22. Onto the semi against Clyde which proved to be a hard fought match which was only settled by a goal from George Connelly, on as a substitute for Joe McBride. The final at Hampden was delayed due to a fire and when finally played in April Celtic destroyed Hibernian 6-2. Six goals up in 75 minutes they took their foot off the pedal for the last quarter of an hour allowing Hibs to score two goals.

 

The Scottish Cup started with the first round proper against Partick Thistle away and Celtic let a comfortable 3-1 lead slip away to a 3-3 draw. The Big Man wasn't happy in the least and conducted an in-depth investigation demanding more from the players. The replay was never in doubt with every forward scoring in a 8-1 win. The second round saw Celtic drawn away again against Clyde. In a match that probably should not have been played Celtic drew 0-0 with Ronnie Simpson carried off with a dislocated shoulder which would see him out for the rest of the season. The replay was won 3-0 on a heavy and muddy pitch. The quarter final saw them drawn at home against Willie Ormond's St Johnstone. This proved to be an excellent game where the Bhoys showed all their fighting spirit to come back when St Johnstone equalised. The semi was against Morton who scored first but then had no answer to the brilliance of Jimmy Johnstone. And so onto the final against Rangers. This was Jock Stein at his best outwitting Rangers and out-thinking Davie White.

 

Throughout the season Jimmy Johnstone and John Hughes were outstanding on either wing both proving themselves to be world class players. Jimmy managed to get himself suspended by the club for shouting at the bench and throwing his shirt when he was substituted in the League game against Dundee Utd. The story still leads to much hilarity when told but was serious at the time. Jock Stein would regularly throw the curve ball at the opposition by having John Hughes run out in the number 11 shirt and then play him at centre forward. Bobby Murdoch won the Scottish Player of the Year award, Willie Wallace finished top scorer. And finally Robert Kelly was given and accepted a knighthood on behalf of the club.

 

All seemed good at the club with the lack of knighthood for Jock Stein transferred to one for the Chairman and on the field a vivacious, attack-minded Celtic team and more quality youngsters coming through.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: The_9iar_Chronciles_-_Season_Four_1968-69.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:55pm UTC

Aitch is retired!

I love having guests on the podcast. Most of the time we have myself and the usual team of guys discussing the events of the day affecting our cub however every so ogten we get guests on to provide us with a little something extra. What makes the guest so great is that they give up, what usually ends up being 2 hours+ of their day to be “interviewed” by a complete amatuer and they do so willingly and for free. What is also great is when the guest has so many stories that I run out of time to ask all the questions that pop into my head and that was the case with Andrew.

A great guest who was at Celtic during an incredible time, Andrew has some brilliant stories to tell. so many in fact that we will need him back on again because, after 90 minutes I ran out of time.

I hope you enjoy listening as much as I enjoyed recording this.

Enjoy…

Direct download: Andrew_Smith.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:51pm UTC

The 9iar chronicles - Season Three 1967/68

 

The Second Greatest Season EVER in the History of the Club - and a Double season.

 

  • League Position – 1st - Third League title in a row
  • League Cup – Winners
  • Scottish Cup – First Round
  • Glasgow Cup - Winners
  • European Cup - First Round

After the highs of 1967-68 it would be difficult to know how to go forward with the club. That Jock Stein had a vision of where the club should be was without doubt. He had clearly shown that the club could move forward with suitable backing and one voice. That direction was most clearly in Europe and to be recognised as a great and formidable club. And for this reason Europe and the participation in European competitions was THE most important thing. That is not to say that the other games were non-important. If Jock Stein was anything, he was competitive and aspirational. Having done it once, he wanted to do it again.

 

It seems almost inevitable as nemesis follows hubris that having won the competition at the first time of asking that the following season the team should fall at the first hurdle. But that's what happened. In Dynamo Kiev, they met a team as well prepared and ready to fight as Celtic were. At home in the first leg, they lost an early goal and then a second, both from errors made by Celtic players and though the effort was all-out in the second half they could only find the one goal. Stein had been looking for a win and by a clear three goals to give him the margin for the return leg. As a master of 'attack being the best form of defense' the away leg would have to be all-out attack. What happened was that though Celtic charged, the game was sorely affected by the pernickety refereeing of an Italian and the Bhoys never got a good clear run to build up the constant pressure of 9 men capable of scoring. And then on 59 minutes Bobby Murdoch was sent off for a second yellow card. A seemingly decent goal was then disallowed and Celtic found themselves knocked out.

 

With an abrupt termination of European competition this season, the necessity to qualify for next season was paramount. The League HAD to be one. There was just no two ways about this. The team embarked on a winning streak which lasted till the 2nd January and the game against Rangers at Celtic Park. Rangers were two points ahead in the League. The stage was set and no one was more keen than Jock Stein to put Celtic back where they belonged. What happened was to haunt John Fallon for the rest of his career. Two goalkeeping errors allowed Rangers to draw 2-2 and the nip-and-tuck would go on right to the end of the season. In the end it was Rangers that blinked. It was for them to lose the title which they duly did, missing out in crucial games allowing Celtic to continue to maintain their League win record and take the title with a rousing performance at Dunfermiline.

 

The drive for the League Championship this season established records. The team produced a post-war record of 63 points to win, 5 more than the previous season, and in doing so they lost only one League game. They did not score as many goals with 106 as opposed to 111 the previous but they conceded less - 24 against 33 in 66/67.

 

In the face of this success it might therefore be thought churlish to complain but there was something different about the performance this season. Despite the number of games won the team appeared to be less imperious than it had the year previously. Jock Stein recognised that no team could stand still and measures had been taken to bring new players through. There was a good crop of youngsters developing but this would take a little time. In the mean time Celtic still had a team capable of attacking with 9 men and defending in depth when required.

 

Of the other three competitions, Celtic were knocked out of the Scottish Cup at the First Round - something that had not happened since 1952 - by the team that would go on to win the trophy - Dunfermiline. Celtic retained the League Cup after qualifying from a group containing Rangers, Dundee Utd and Aberdeen - another nose rubbed in the dirt. And when Rangers withdrew from the Glasgow Cup citing fixture congestion the word everywhere was that Rangers were afeared to face an in-form Celtic. Celtic duly retained the Glasgow Cup.

 

Perhaps this last excuse needs bearing in mind when considering the Intercontinental Club Championship games against Racing. There is no doubt that Jock Stein wanted to win this. Even in the face of the debacle after the second leg in Buenos Aires It was Jock that insisted on playing the replay in Montevideo. Robert Kelly was all for returning home. But how would the public have seen a statement like that? In the end it was probably the players view that they could beat Racing which turned opinion to playing the replay and what happened made Jock Stein regret his decision to go ahead with the replay. In the face of the film of the incidents being shown around the world the club had no choice but to censure the players. But what people throughout had failed o see was the utter intimidation and dirty behaviour that Celtic had faced from the Argentine side throughout the three games. And the patience and fair play of the team finally broke and led to the incidents.

 

So what we have then is a great season in many ways, but flawed and not perfect as say 1967-68 had been. It still represented a phenomenal achievement. Celtic were playing total football with local players all from within 20 miles of Celtic Park long before the phrase became popular and in relation to the Dutch.

 

The next season as always would present new challenges.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: The_9iar_Chronicles_-_Season_Three_1967_68.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 9:37pm UTC

Tale from the Celtic Wiki plus the radio commentary of the goals

There is little introduction required for Celtic fans of this game - 25th May 1967. Celtic 2-1 Inter Milan.

This 9iar extra features a return of The Human Torpedo and a Tale from The Celtic Wiki and the radio commentary of the goals from the game.

Enjoy...

Direct download: When_The_Lions_Devoured_Catenaccio.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 3:00pm UTC

The 9iar chronicles - Season Two 1966/67

 

This is the second in our nine in a row diaries and it is the story of the most remarkable season - The greatest season ever in the history of the club and one of the greatest seasons of any football club anywhere.

League Position – 1st - Second League title in a row

  • League Cup – Winners
  • Scottish Cup – Winners
  • Glasgow Cup - Winners
  • European Cup - Winners

 

Every competition that the club entered it won. There can be no better season than 1967. The first North European club to win the European Cup since the competition started in 1955. The FIRST BRITISH TEAM TO DO SO.

 

The previous season had been good but this season was outstanding. Jock Stein deservedly won the title of Best British Manager for the second successive season. If other teams had sat up and looked at Celtic and their manager during the previous season, then with the win in Lisbon the whole of the world became aware of Jock Stein and Celtic.

 

The foundations for this outstanding success had already been laid the previous season. At the start of 1966-67 the final touches were put in place with the purchase of Joe McBride from Motherwell. Joe went on to have an outstanding goal scoring run before knee trouble put pay to his further appearance at the turn of the year. This pushed Celtic into the transfer market again and Jock Stein identified Willie Wallace as the man who could take over where McBride had left off and continue the goal scoring progress that Celtic had made.

 

The key to ALL the success of the season stood firmly with the belief and clear vision that Stein laid out. This was a team. It played together as a talented team, not just eleven talented individuals but a cohesion that came from trust and acceptance of fellow players and belief in the greatest manager. Jock Stein thought deeply about the game. He analysed every team that Celtic played and had a plan for every game and every opponent. The players were told to listen and to follow that plan and woe betide those that did not do what the Big Man said. But the Big Man's analysis was generally spot on and with his back room staff they prepared a fit lean playing machine that could hang together, knew how to fight back and knew what was needed. Never before had this been seen in football. And the world recognised it when Celtic beat Inter in Lisbon. It was a win for the future of football.

 

The names of Jock Stein, Simpson, Craig, Gemmell, Murdock, McNeill, Clark, Johnstone, Auld, Chalmers, Wallace and Lennox will never be forgotten.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: 9iar_Chronicles_-_Season_two_196667.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 8:31pm UTC

The UK (and most of Europe) lockdown continues but that never stops the Celtic chat.  This week I am joined by someone who I have met many times at post game Celtic press conferences and someone I have been meaning to get on for some time - John Gallagher.

 

John is a former professional footballer who played and coached at a level below the top flight but far above the standard most of us could only dream of however the main reason I have John on the pod is because John generates the Opta stats at Celtic home games.

 

In this pod John explains exactly how those stats are created and gives an insight into how that makes you see things a little differently.

 

I am joined from Bratislava by @antonymurray25 and we quiz John on his time in the lower leagues and his time at Opta.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: Opta_Celtic.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:21pm UTC

The 9iar Chronicles - Season 1965-66
 
This current period we are hoping to achieve the magical 10+ in a row and eclipse the 9 in a row done by another Glasgow team through the 1990s.  Biu of course they were not the first club to achieve that level of success.  The first Scottish team to win 9iar were the magical Glasgow Celtic, managed by the incredible Jock Stein and the first season in that run was 1965-66.
 
Celtic has been in the wilderness of the Scottish game prior to the return of Jock as manager in the spring of 1965 and this season marked his first full season back at the club as manager and the first season which saw major successes finally come Celtic's way.
 
The clear difference in the performance of Celtic prior to this season and hereafterwards was the role of Jock Stein as manager. He drove the club and the players to new heights. It was not so much that the players were different before and after his arrival (discussed in the previous season review). It was more that the training and direction given by a peerless manager and tactician of great skill inspired better performance and a team sense that meant the difference between losing games and toughing them out; between drawing and getting the odd goal in a win; between fighting back when under the hammer. Stein was a supreme preparer for games and a master tactician with a plan for every game and the ability to read a game and where things needed to be changed. Furthermore he believed that the team should prepare properly. Every player knew what was required of him. Every player knew how to play and every player was aware of the importance of his teammates and where they would be. Practise and fitness were all part and parcel of delivering that performance and as Jock Stein was very much a tracksuit manager, he believed that he AND the trainer trained the team - not just the trainer. Having emphatically enforced that he and he alone picked the team to the Board, he made sure that the team were prepared and that the team that he picked was the right one. Furthermore players were now meant to be practised professionals. Full backs were encouraged to overlap; forward lines were to be seen as fluid and interchangeable; outside forwards were meant to get forward and cross and wing halfs controlled the game's flow.
 
There is no doubt that Jock Stein's presence turned the club around. Many might argue that it was the players that did this - but of this season's players, only Joe McBride was directly acquired by him. All of the others were already at the club when he arrived. That alone marks the importance of Jock Stein to Celtic. The players were there - all they needed was pulling together and direction to become what would go on next season to become the Lisbon Lions.
 
The League title was a nip and tuck affair right from the off and was not decided fully till the last game of the League. It saw Celtic taake the flag from Rangers by 2 points only dropping one point at home and losing four games away. But it was not so much the numbers that added up but the performances throughout the season in the League. This was a team that did not take losing lying down - and that was a BIG change. There were still occasions when they could miss the target and have shot after shot sail past the goal, but these were rare and noteable when they occurred. All the commentators from the time said not only how strong the team were but also how fit and keen they were to win.
 
This season was the first that this team had really and truly played together inspired by a great manager. Next season would be something else!
 
Thanks to The Celtic Wiki for the preview text - enjoy the podcast.
Direct download: The_9iar_Chronicles_-_Season_One_1965.66.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 9:23pm UTC

We are in unprecedented times and that requires an unprecedented quality of guest and so this week we have an actual brain surgeon on the podcast!
 
Originally @pablo567 was going to be on to discuss heading of the football and dementia however with the current crisis we thought it would be better to have him on to discuss how the SPFL wrap up the season.  We discuss at length when and why Celtic will be crowned Champions.
 
In addition to the football we also manage to squeeze in why having a free at the point if use health service is such a wonderful thing to cherish and we mention briefly Covid-19, why you should switch off the news and how were are going to get through this (and wash your hands)
 
Enjoy…
Direct download: Medicine_dictates_crowning_Celtic.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:57pm UTC

On Thursday night Celtic played Copenhagen and during the game we decided to give them a little thank you for being such good hosts the previous week.  So we took 3 goals, tied them up in a parcel, put on a lovely bow a gift wrapped the best present we could…

 

Yes we are so generous that we gifted them safe passage to the last 16 of the Europa League by making an absolute pigs ear of the home leg following the 1-1 draw in Denmark.

 

In this podcast we pick over the bones of Thursday night’s game and discuss team selection and the system we played.  I provide my descriptions of the goals after being at the game and refusing to watch any highlights and Antony (who braved that job) gives me his review of my description.

 

Enjoy…(if you can)

Direct download: Copenhagen_Catastrophe.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:28pm UTC

Podcast Xtra - Celtic 5 Hearts 0

 

Tonight Celtic thumped Hearts by 5 goals at Celtic Park with the atmosphere greatly enhanced with some late goals just down the M77 at Kilmarnock meaning that the lead at the top of the table is now 10 points.

 

After the game Neil Lennon, Jozo, the Hearts manager and a Hearts player spoke with the press.  The Hearts manager rambled and I’m not sure he’ll be their answer.  It was a great night.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: Podcast_Xtra_-_Celtic_knock_5_past_Hearts.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 12:13am UTC

It wasn’t until nearly the 80th minute today against Hamilton that Celtic fans could start to relax today and had we not achieved that win and capitalised upon RFC dropping points at home to Aberdeen then the recriminations over the (lack of) activity in the January window would have been unbearable on scoial media however the manager made key substitutions in the second half and we went on to score 4 goals and continue our 3+ goals a game since the return to league activity following the winter break, but the main chat in this podcast is about the January window.

 

We are top of the league.  We have won 10 out of the last 10 trophies available and we have the best squad in the country.  Despite all of this fans were anxious in the last few weeks following the Dec 29th defeat and there were strong calls for some experienced players joining the team and that didn’t happen and so Antony Murray joined Harry for a chat about the window.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: January_Window_Pains.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 6:49pm UTC

Celtic have returned to SPFL action in positive fashion, scoring 9 goals by knocking three past each of Kilmarnock, Ross County and St Johnstone. We have scored more goals and gained more points than all but 4 of the seasons this century after the equivalent number of games and with our progress in Europe and already a domestic trophy in the cabinet we remain on course for another remarkable season.

With all of this the angst and frustration among many in our support is difficult to understand and so I called up @antonymurray25 to review the last 2 domestic games and preview this Sunday’s game against Hamilton.

We don’t discuss the transfer window because that’s for another podcast which will be out very soon.

Enjoy…

Direct download: Three_Goals_A_Game_and_Clear.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 1:35pm UTC

2010 – 2019 was the Celtic decade.  It started in an inauspicious manner with us limping along through the season with a failing manager and, 3 months in, a 4-0 thumping by St Mirren meant enough was enough and a change was made.  Neil Lennon took over the reigns on a temporary basis, won 8 league games in a row and was given the job full time.  The decade ended with a manager leaving, Neil Lennon being given the job on a temporary basis, seeing us through to the 8th title in a row and getting the job full time.

 

In between all of this we has some amazing times, our rivals died, we won 8 titles in a row, we had an invincible season and we have won the last 10 domestic trophies – quite a decade.

 

With the last ten years being such an amazing time in our history, we decided that we would have a podcast looking back and we’d try to pick out 10 key games/moments/events that really defined the times or were a unique event that set in motion the events to follow but we need your help…

 

I am joined on the podcast by to experienced Tims who, to paraphrase the song, know their history (Robert and Alan).  Between the 3 of us we come up with roughly 20 defining Celtic moments but we need to compile a list of THE top ten.   

You may love all our proposals but you may have your own ideas.  Whatever, we need your votes so please email podcasts@celticunderground.net or tweet me @harrybradycu ; Eddie @Celticrumours ; or post on Facebook

 

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: 2010_-_2019_The_Celtic_Decade.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 8:45pm UTC

We’re still in the limbo-land of the winter break and whilst the players are training in the hotbed of the birth of World Ward III we here at CU Towers thought there needed to be a half year report card for the hoops.  We therefore decided we needed a panel of esteemed football experts to review the season so far and in the best Juke Box Jury fashion ascribe whether it had been a hot or a miss.

 

After getting various knock backs we dialled up Duncan and Lachie to review the season so far.  It’s broken down into the chunks of transfer window, Europe, League Cup and League.

 

After we review these the conversation gets into quite a ramble about the transfer window, the players who may move on and the positions the guys think we need to strengthen.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: Half_season_Report_Card.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:52pm UTC

Happy New Year!

 

The Celtic Underground podcast will now be entering our THIRD decade of podcasting, we may be getting old and we may be Celtic Da’s but who cares?!?

 

We have set the pace for football fans podcasts in Scotland and will continue to do so into the 2020s and although our final recorded podcast of 2019 covers one of those exceptionally rare things of the last 10 years (a defeat) it is only one loss in a decade of complete domestic dominance and in a period of winning  domestic trophy after domestic trophy.  The noisy neighbours from the South Side may have one a game for the first time ever at Celtic Park but since they arrived in the top flight we have won EVERY single trophy and here’s to 3 more in 2020.

 

With our place as the oldest football fans podcast I thought I’d get an old guest who’d not been on for a while - so long he set up a rival podcast…yes it’s Lawrence Donegan.

 

Lawrence and I review the derby defeat and some of the post game social media nonsense.

 

Happy New Year and Enjoy…

Direct download: Goodbye_Bonkers_2019.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 8:31pm UTC

To quote Noddy Holder  It’s Chriiiisssstmaaaas!
 
As we record this podcast it’s Christmas Day (and for those in earlier time zones you’re probably picking this up on Christmas day or later) and so what do we have to do bar make sure the final presents are wrapped, the food is ready to be made and fun is ready to be had.  In preparation for having more important things to do I decided to have one last podcast before the festivities so I called up Hullbhoy and had a little chat.
 
On the podcast we talk about the Hibs, Hearts and Aberdeen games and how we scored two a game but could easily have had 3, 4 or more.
 
After discussing those games of of the past we  preview the games of the present against St Mirren and Rangers and then briefly discuss the future (the season beyond January).

We also update you on the incredible work of the Foundation funded by the Celtic support.
 
We hope you enjoy this podcast and also hope you enjoy your festive period and have a great Christmas and New Year.
 
Merry Christmas and Enjoy…
Direct download: Merry_Christmas_Everyone.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 2:09pm UTC

What a game and what a week.  We have had the over dramatic descriptions of how well they played and how on another day blah, Blah BLAH…the scores on the doors is Celtic 1 - 0 Rangers.  Celtic have won 10 trophies in a row.  The Celtic X Men!

 

We now know - they had umpteen booked and could have been worse.  The “offside” Celtic goal was either marginally on or marginally off - ie too close to call and Morelos cannot score against us.  What we also know for certain is that Celtic are the dominant force of Scottish football and hype alone will not remove us.

 

After the game I contacted @LachieMor1 and chatted about the game.  Oh my days.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: Oh_My_Days.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:32pm UTC

The world’s longest running football fans podcast is back with a same day match review following our 4-1 victory away at Ross County.

 

Following the midweek triumph over Rennes, these are the types of games that have seen us trip up over the years - after a thrilling and successful midweek European tie in front of a full house at Celtic Park it must be quite a come down to go to Dingwall and play ‘County’.  Despite this the current squad showed all their professionalism and romped to a comfortable 4-1 with with a Christie double supported by goals from Rogic and Johnston.

 

Within an hour of the final whistle I was on Skype with @antonymurray25 to review.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: Ryans_World.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:11pm UTC

Today Celtic defeated Livingston by 4 goals to nil. That’s twice I’ve seen them play - they are not a football team, but a bunch of cloggers. A hard physical side who do their best to stop Celtic playing aided and abetted by sympathy reffing. Fair play to Gary Holt, his job is to have Livingstone playing at the highest standard they can and use the rules and refs as they are to achieve this and there will be a number of clubs in Scotland with much higher budgets who aren’t even in the same league as them.

From time wasting inside the first minute to kicking and fouling all game they are awful. From their style of play to their pitch and lack of fans - they sum up all that is wrong with Scottish football.

Anyway - we won and the managers and the enthusiastic Frimpong were available after the game.

Enjoy…

Direct download: Podcast_Xtra_-_Beating_the_Livvy_thugs.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 8:27pm UTC

The day after the night before…

 

Following the historic victory in Rome over Lazio, Neil Lennon had his pre-Motherwell match press conference at Celtic Park today.  It wasn’t much of a pre-Motherwell press conference and more of a post Lazio one.

 

Neil reflected on the magnitude of the victory and the positive impact he believes it will make on the club, the team and the relationship between the players and the fans.  There is mention of the January window, his thoughts on the draw being far away and a wee bit about playing Motherwell on Sunday.

 

 

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: Podcast_Extra_-_Lazio_the_day_after.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:15pm UTC

Tonight saw Celtic secure a hard won victory over an excellent Lazio team to move top of the Europea League Group at the half way point.

 

After the game we got the views of Neil Lennon, the Lazio manager and Kris Ajer.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: Podcast_Extra_-_Victory_Over_Lazio.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 11:54pm UTC

This week we are joined by Glasgow sport entrepreneur Duncan Smillie.  Owner of the Glasgow Rocks Basketball team, Duncan is also a big Tim and se he again joins us to discuss Celtic and a wee bit about his team.

 

The bhoys review the Livingston game before quickly moving on to the victory over Ross County.  They discuss plastic pitches, Tom Rogic and injury time before moving on to a preview of the Lazio game on Thursday.  After all of that the guys still find time to discuss The Rocks and Duncan makes the prediction that they will win a trophy this season!

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: Rock_On_Celtic.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:22pm UTC

This week saw the return of European action and a packed Celtic Park witnessed an excellent performance as Celtic beat Cluj an exacted some revenge for the defeat that took us out of Champions League Football this term.

 

The game saw another goal for Scotland’s premier striker Odsonne Edouard and Mohamed Elyounoussi join Larsson, Brattback and Cadete as people who have scored for and against Celtic in European football.

 

After such a great performance I called up @hullbhoy and we reviewed the fixture and also has a (very) brief chat about the Livingston game.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: Celtic_Crush_Cluj.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 2:27pm UTC

Celtic had to come from behind today in their victory over Kilmarnock.  A well organised Killie team took the lead with their first chance of the game but an Edouard double either side of half time and a Christie goal made sure of the points.

 

There was still time for what looked like an odd penalty decision for Killie that Fraser Forster saved.

 

After the game we got the comments from the Celtic and Kilmarnock managers (with Massimo Donatti doing some translating).

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: Podcast_Xtra_-_Celts_defeat_Killie.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 3:27pm UTC

This podcast is recorded within hours of the excellent away result in France where Celtic were unlucky not to end up deserved winners but instead took a very creditable 1-1 away result against Rennes.
 
Games at the elite level are won and lost on fine margins and when they got their penalty not log after we’d nearly taken the lead, whilst I was concerned that we’d gone behind I was hopeful that we would get, and convert, at least one more chance.  We should have had a penalty for a foul on Christie but instead got it for a foul on Forrest, a penalty Christie took well.
 
Following this scoring draw I thought we should have a quick podcast recording so I dialled up Antony Murray and Sean Huddleston to get their take on the game.
 
Enjoy…
Direct download: Strong_and_Stable_in_Europe.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:08pm UTC

On the first Sunday in September Celtic once again visited Ibrox and as per the bulk of the last few years since the new club arrived in the league, we won.

 

There had been quite a bit of hype around this game with Rangers having won the pre-season cup of hype and many in the media and among their fans were confidently saying (the same thing as the last 3 years) that this time they really were back and 55 is coming blah blah blah.  Celtic did their talking on the pitch and blew away the hype with a comfortable 2-0 win.

 

With the need for a podcast I dusted down the mic that hadn’t been used since at least Saturday and got two regulars on - @Hullbhoy and @Antonymurray25 to review the game.

 

In addition to the game we also discuss whether the summer window was good, bad or middling and we have a brief review of the Europa League Group.

 

 

Enjoy….

Direct download: Celtic_Blow_Away_The_Hype.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 7:03am UTC

Friday evening (30th Aug) Celtic confirmed the signing of Mohamed Elyounoussi on a 1 year loan from Southampton.  Signed in June 2018 by Southampton for £16m from Basel, he plays mainly as a winger or number 10.

 

He has 22 caps for Norway and has played 216 games as a professional scoring 67 goals (2 against Celtic!). 

 

Whether he features in the Glasgow Derby we shall see however my guess is that he’ll make the bench.

 

Anyway, here’s another articulate foreign player joining the hoops - here’s hoping he’s part of the famous names who took us to 9, 10 and beyond.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: Podcast_Xtra_-_Mohamed_Elyounouissi.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 3:21pm UTC

Celtic wiped away the tears of disappointment from Cluj by crushing Swedish champions AIK 4-1 in their own backyard therefore ensuring progression to the group stages of the Europa League.

The hoops progressed 6-1 on aggregate and have now scored 22 goals in European football this season and 48 goals in all competitions so far this season.  Whilst the Europa League isn't UCL, there are still some challenging potential sides with the Europa League Group stages looking like the UCL from 20 years ago both in terms of teams and in terms of the possibility of getting a group we could conceivably win or a group where 3rd or 4th looks possible.

With all this European chat we decided to get in a man well versed in Europe chat - Editor of Politics Home, Mr Kevin Schofield.  In that chat we review the AIK game and preview the Glasgow Derby.

Enjoy...
Update Description
 
 
Direct download: The_Remainers_Bird_of_Luck.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 8:05am UTC

The last podcast was recorded two domestic league games ago.  Since then we have;

 

SOLD KT

Scored 12 league goals

got knocked out of UCL

Required extra time to get past Dunfermline

 

It’s been quite a couple of weeks so we get Antony Murray onto the podcast to review these events and preview AIK Stockholm

 

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: Down_Up_Down_Up.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 7:01am UTC

Yo ho ho it’s magic you know, it’s gonna be 9 in a row…
 
1 game down, 37 to go on our way to securing the record equalling 9 in a row and what a way to start.  Direct, free flowing attacking football.  Midfielders given instruction to shoot on site, forwards with dancing feet and an opposition who were woeful.  This on a day when cloudy Glasgow was hot and humid as America’s deep south and you had the perfect afternoon of football.
 
Thunder and lightning rages all around as I pull this post game podcast together and the whole of Scottish football trembles at the sound of Celtic Park and the thunderous raptures of the gathered faithful as the 8th title flag in a row is unfurled and the players put in a first class display of attacking football.
 
Season 2019/20 couldn’t have got off to a better start and we hear from Ryan Christie and Neil Lennon as they reflect on a perfect afternoon’s work.
 
Enjoy…
Direct download: Podcast_Extra_-_7th_Heaven_Hoops.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 6:07pm UTC

Whilst the international campaign commenced the domestic season commences this weekend against St Johnstone and so it’s time for the Celtic Underground 2019/20 season.

 

This is our 14th season podcasting to the Celtic faithful and thanks to everyone who listens to and downloads our drivel, whether you’ve been doing it for 14 years (heaven help you) or a new listener.

 

This week’s podcast features @Harrybradycu @lachiemor1 and @S_J_H1978 as they discuss the successful European campaign to date, the current state of the squad and the chances of attaining a quadruple treble.

 

Enjoy…

Direct download: YEAR_14_-_Season_201920_Preview.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 10:14pm UTC