The Offical Glasgow Celtic thread

[bennydorano]

My own father had a Glenavon season ticket back in the day. Were Portadown FC not as prominent back then? Often wondered why he treked to Lurgan. The same man loved his soccer tho, worked in various parts of England for years and at different times had Season tickets at Notts Forest, Leeds and another Yorkshire club - Bradford I think.

[tonto1888]

My own father had a Glenavon season ticket back in the day. Were Portadown FC not as prominent back then? Often wondered why he treked to Lurgan. The same man loved his soccer tho, worked in various parts of England for years and at different times had Season tickets at Notts Forest, Leeds and another Yorkshire club - Bradford I think.

My father was a celtic fan but he loved football. He went regularly to both city and united when he lived in Manchester

[Main Street]

Growing up I was a Dundalk fan and went to their games. I just like Celtic and the Celtic ethos, I'm not what you'd call a fan but the fellow traveller connection goes back as far as I can remember.
Most everybody else in my 6th class at a Dublin national school which I attended, supported Leeds Utd at the time. They were the fashion in Ireland then.
I was a lone voice of fervor for Celtic in the days before the epic European cup semi final, Celtic v Leeds. The morning after the Hampden pk victory,  I came late to school and took my time strolling across the football field which the classrooms faced out onto, with a huge feckin' tricolor draped over my shoulders as a cape. My mother had sewn one together in 1966 to hang outside our house. It was faded but served with honor in what turned out to be its last call of duty.
The Head was amused and bemused at the same time.

[T Fearon]

Benny,it was the signing of Belfast Celtic players Jimmy Jones and Johnny Denver that attracted many supporters from Portadown to Glenavon.

I remember seeing Portadown V Stoke friendly at Shamrock Park with Gordon Banks in goal

[T Fearon]

Also if you watch the Lisbon Lions film on BBC1 in a short while,you'll see ex Celtic player (and former Portadown manager) Jim Conway.

[PAULD123]

Just take the top 6 from England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France directly and be done with the charade of champions league. Add in a couple of token teams from a 10 round qualifier to make up the rest.

Why? Why do that? Why just make it easier and easier for a handful of clubs to forever perpetuate their position?

At one stage Celtic were one of the biggest clubs in Europe, why shouldn't they be allowed a fair chance of regaining that. Torino, PSV, Eintracht Frankfurt, Benfica, to name a few, were once huge teams in Europe that have fallen away. Why would you think it correct to freeze the current crop of large teams forever, not allow them to fade but to exclude the chance of others rising?

If you want a fair competition then return to straight knock out and see the giants quake when they realise one slip-up could put them out of Europe to a minnow. But they don't want that, they want six games so any slip can be rectified. That is organised cheating.

It's a boring competition because all the risk has been taken out for the current giants. Give the smaller clubs a chance of knocking them out in round one and then we will have dispensed with the charade

[StGallsGAA]

The Lisbon Lions.  50 years ago today! 

[ned]

Just take the top 6 from England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France directly and be done with the charade of champions league. Add in a couple of token teams from a 10 round qualifier to make up the rest.

Why? Why do that? Why just make it easier and easier for a handful of clubs to forever perpetuate their position?

At one stage Celtic were one of the biggest clubs in Europe, why shouldn't they be allowed a fair chance of regaining that. Torino, PSV, Eintracht Frankfurt, Benfica, to name a few, were once huge teams in Europe that have fallen away. Why would you think it correct to freeze the current crop of large teams forever, not allow them to fade but to exclude the chance of others rising?

If you want a fair competition then return to straight knock out and see the giants quake when they realise one slip-up could put them out of Europe to a minnow. But they don't want that, they want six games so any slip can be rectified. That is organised cheating.

It's a boring competition because all the risk has been taken out for the current giants. Give the smaller clubs a chance of knocking them out in round one and then we will have dispensed with the charade

Think foxcommander is alluding to the fact that soon the top four from the big leagues will be parachuted straight into the group stages.

[foxcommander]

Just take the top 6 from England, Spain, Italy, Germany and France directly and be done with the charade of champions league. Add in a couple of token teams from a 10 round qualifier to make up the rest.

Why? Why do that? Why just make it easier and easier for a handful of clubs to forever perpetuate their position?

At one stage Celtic were one of the biggest clubs in Europe, why shouldn't they be allowed a fair chance of regaining that. Torino, PSV, Eintracht Frankfurt, Benfica, to name a few, were once huge teams in Europe that have fallen away. Why would you think it correct to freeze the current crop of large teams forever, not allow them to fade but to exclude the chance of others rising?

If you want a fair competition then return to straight knock out and see the giants quake when they realise one slip-up could put them out of Europe to a minnow. But they don't want that, they want six games so any slip can be rectified. That is organised cheating.

It's a boring competition because all the risk has been taken out for the current giants. Give the smaller clubs a chance of knocking them out in round one and then we will have dispensed with the charade

Think foxcommander is alluding to the fact that soon the top four from the big leagues will be parachuted straight into the group stages.

PAULD123 - I despise what the competition has become. They don't care about smaller nations

It's ridiculous the champions league is no longer just that. The old european cup format represented the true contest for 'champions'. A chance for smaller teams to maybe upset the odds and win the damn thing. Now it's a procession with the 2nd and 3rd teams from countries getting automatically into group stages. You read about the battle for 4th place in england like it was life and death of a club and something to celebrate.

If UEFA truly wanted football in smaller countries to grow they would bring it back to champions only so the money wouldn't just stay in the big boys pockets.

Paul Pogba cost 100 million and Utd could afford it. Imagine what a fraction of TV money could do for the winners of the smaller nations if it was guaranteed each year.

[straightred]

The Lisbon Lions.  50 years ago today!

Caught the excellent documentary on BBC NI last night. I went to bed with a tear in my eye. Hail Hail 

[Targetman]

Great show on bt sport at 10,centered around Sean Fallon big Jock's assistant, great interviews and footage

[ned]

Great show on bt sport at 10,centered around Sean Fallon big Jock's assistant, great interviews and footage

Superb watching. Great man by all accounts.

[T Fearon]

In Glasgow.There maybe an ould photo or three later.😁

[T Fearon]

Great day.Finally got Willie Wallace's signature,which means my Lions book is signed with photographic verification by Mc Neill,Auld,Clark,Fallon,Chalmers,Craig,Lennox and Wallace.

[bannside]

I recall my Dad and uncles taking me to see Waterford v Celtic in Lansdowne Rd in 1970. Celtic won 7 -0 and they have been my one and only soccer team since. I got Jock Stein, Willie Wallace, Billy Mc Neill and Jim Craigs autographs in the Grafton Hotel before the game. Belfast and Dublin Celtic supporters were fighting each other on the terraces if I recall.