Firstly, happy birthday Celtic!
On this day in 1887, a meeting was held in St Mary’s Church Hall in Calton, Glasgow.
The rest is, of course, unbroken history.
This day is also something of a professional milestone for your humble correspondent.
Ten years ago, today, I broke this story.
Despite some work experience firefighting from the SFA, the scandal wouldn’t go away.
Indeed, I made sure of it!
The scoop cost Mr Dallas his job as head of referee development at Hampden.
Throughout the furore of this story, I was something of a non-person among the compliant Stenography Corps.
It is almost as if they were sore that a Fenian with a Press Card was disrupting their brotherly protection system.
However, the real journalists at the Guardian in London realised the significance of my scoop.
Consequently, they commissioned me to write this piece about the exclusive that cost Hugh Dallas his job with the SFA.
Also on this day ten years ago, the Bhoys in the Hoops celebrated the birth of a unique club in the proper way.
From day one, it has been open to all.
However, it is the community that gave birth to Celtic is what makes it unique.
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The community that gave birth to Celtic was unique however over the recent period of Dominance that uniqueness has been eroded away to such an extent that some within our numbers are apparently no different from those that they claim to despise.
The level of vitriol aimed at our Manager this Season has been hunesque by our own standards.
Glory hunting ,self entitlement has replaced cautious optimism and belief in our way of doing things.
Success breeds it’s own issues and apparently those issues are now becoming a real problem at Celtic.
We have no divine right to win any game.
The 2 angers are where they are through a slow but sustained effort to keep improving their playing side.
The costs don’t matter to them of course all that matters is winning.
Our approach has been more measured and cautious and as a result the gap has disappeared.
The circumstances that have affected all Clubs have hit us particularly hard and as a result there has been no rhythm to our Season,just a series of fits,stops and starts intermingled with multiple injuries.
Too many players turning over at Celtic in past few years as the bean counter extraordinaire shuffles the deck and maintains a grasp on the winnings.
If we don’t win this Season it won’t be because our Manager is hopeless or our team is gutless it will be because 2angers built a side capable of winn8ng the League.
At what cost remains to be seen but the sheer absence of any evidence might suggest they have gone all in and some.
That’s the gamble and only complete mug would gamble on a Season where no Supporters were in the grounds and TV Companies and sponsors have clauses inserted should games fail to be played out.
That aside there is still plenty football to be played and we as a Club are well capable of producing way more.
KTF and FTH’s
Great piece. We are all Celtic, to read some of the reply’s you would think some people should go SUPPORT someone else. Yes everyone has an opinion, free speech and all that, but support the team through good as well as bad we don’t have to be abusive when we call for change. Hail Hail 🇮🇪
Well put. Lenny has so far delivered 4 out of 4 trophies and this is how so called “fans” react to a couple of, what could turn out to be minor, setbacks.
Well done,Phil, fuck them.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Making-Hibernian-1-Alan-Lugton/dp/1780270577
Phil, I would encourage you to read this book which is now gospel within the Hibs support on our birth 13 years prior; which refers to Celtic’s birth. 2 other excellent books in this trilogy.