A short History of the Celtic Football Club. (for those who don't know it already!)

[Celticrugby]

I thought I'd put together a history of our club, and put it in our forum. So our newer members can take a look and our older ones can brush up on their Celtic History. Hopefully we can also garner some new fans from this as well!

Taken from Celticfc.net:



CELTIC - THE EARLY YEARS The seeds of the grand history of Celtic football club were planted with the noblest of motives. Established in 1888, the club was the idea of Brother Walfrid, leader of a teaching institute, the Marist Order, in Glasgow.

Inspired by the example of Edinburgh Hibernian football club, Brother Walfrid saw the establishment of a football club in Glasgow's East End as an opportunity to raise money for a charity he had established, The Poor Children's Dinner Table, and an opportunity to give the Irish population something which they could feel proud to be a part of.

It was Walfrid's own suggestion of the name Celtic, a reflection of both its Irish and Scottish roots, that was adopted at a meeting to form the club in November 1887.

A patch of land was rented, close to the club's current ground at a cost of £50 a year and the local community worked for free to transform it into a football pitch.

Six months later Celtic played their first fixture, beating Rangers in a friendly 5 -2, the first of many notable clashes between the two Glasgow teams.

Within four years the club had taken the Scottish Cup at only their fourth attempt and, a year later, Celtic recorded their first victory in the Scottish League. These early triumphs proved a benchmark as the club quickly established itself as Scotland's most successful side. Between 1892 and the outbreak of World War One, Celtic claimed eleven league titles, including six titles in a row between 1905 and 1910, and nine victories in the Scottish Cup.

Celtic's success could be attributed to to the club's first secretary and manager Willy Maley. A former player, Maley was appointed in 1897, just after the club had become a limited company. Maley adopted a successful youth policy, signing great players like Jimmy Quinn and Patsy Gallacher from the ranks of Junior football, culminating in another four successive League Championships during the war years.



CELTIC BETWEEN THE WARS

After their success during the wartime years, the 1920s saw Celtic sail into choppier waters. The club did not totally lose the winning touch - There were League Championship victories in 1919, 1922 and 1926, and Scottish Cup successes in 1923, 1925 and 1927 - but the club was not as dominant and there were increasing problems off the field. The 20s saw the rise of sectarianism in the Scottish game, culminating in a riot at the end of the 1922 season at Morton as Celtic clinched the league. In the wake of the Irish rising and the Civil War, religious feelings were running high in Scotland.

Celtic remained an attractive side to watch in the 20s with the likes of Patsy Gallagher, Jimmy McGrory and, in goal, John Thomson establishing themselves as Celtic Park favourites.

But fans were angry at rumours of player unrest over pay and conditions and the club's willingness to sell their best players. Patsy Gallagher moved to Falkirk after refusing to resign for minimum wages in 1926, while Jimmy McGrory was offered to Arsenal, though the player refused to move.

The club continued to win honours in the 1930s, with Scottish Cup victories in 1931, 1933 and 1937 and League Championships in 1933 and 1937 as manager Willie Maley built another impressive young side at little cost. But the club's success in that decade was overshadowed by the tragic death of goalkeeper John Thomson during an Old Firm game in September 1931. A brave, committed player Thomson dived at the feet of Rangers' Sam English, sustaining a skull fracture. He died in hospital later that night. When Thomson was buried in his home village of Cardenden in Fife the following Monday, 30,000 mourners lined the funeral route.

[Celticrugby]

BECALMED BEFORE THE STORM

After an undistinguished five years in a regional league during the war, Celtic emerged into peacetime with a new manager Jimmy McGrory and a team largely unrecognisable from the side of the late 30s.

There followed a mediocre seven seasons in which the best league position the club could manage was fifth. There was even a flirtation with relegation in 1948.

But in 1951 they finally regained their winning ways with a victory in the Scottish Cup, followed, 2 years later, by success in the 1953 Final played 20th May 1953, a British tourney to celebrate the Queen's coronation. The Celts recorded victories over Arsenal and Manchester United, before beating Hibs in the final.

In Charlie Tully, Bertie Peacock and Jock Stein, signed in 1951, Celtic were not short of good players, but the club lacked organisation. Training solely consisted of running around the park. From Saturday to Saturday a football was never seen. Nor was McGrory for that matter. Tactics were also conspicuous by their absence.

In the light of this, the club's double success in 1954 was a huge surprise. The club also ended its League Cup hoodoo with victories in 1956 and 1957, the latter a notable 7-1 victory over Rangers.

But the club's success remained erratic, though McGrory may not have been the man to blame. Chairman Robert Kelly is thought to have made most of the team selections and, to his credit, his policy of pursuing youth in the late 50s threw up some future stars in the shape of Jimmy Johnstone, Tommy Gemmell and Billy McNeill.

But defeats in the 1961 and 1963 Scottish Cup finals, the 1964 League Cup final and in the European Cup Winners' Cup semi-final in 1965 proved that good players were not enough at the top level. In 1957 Jock Stein took over Celtic's reserve team, when he had to retire after an ankle injury. He quickly placed an emphasis on tactics and ball control, before departing to coach Dunfermline. It was this modern approach to football management that Celtic desperately needed when they turned to Stein in 1965. The appointment proved a masterstroke.



THE GLORY YEARS

Jock Stein had an almost immediate impact on Celtic. Taking over the reins in March 1965, Stein led the club to Scottish Cup success in April, their first victory in the Cup for 11 years and their first trophy since 1958.

Over the next couple of seasons he began to develop a side that was the equal of any in Europe. Harnessing the players' undoubted individual talents into a superb team unit, Stein introduced tactical nous and professionalism to create a tough, fluent side committed to attacking football.


For the rest of the 60s and well into the 70s Celtic dominated the Scottish game, eclipsing even the success of the pre-World War One side.

In 1966 Celtic ended a 12-year barren spell in the league when they won the first of nine league titles in a row and also picked up the League Cup for good measure. The following season they completed a domestic treble, before facing perhaps their greatest test - the European Cup final.

Celtic's brilliant 2-1 victory over Inter Milan in the National Stadium near Lisbon, proved a decisive blow against the stiflingly defensive catenaccio system which had been so influential in European football. Celtic's willingness and ability to attack continuously graced that final in a match even Inter's coach, Helenio Herrera, described as a "victory for sport".

European nights at Celtic Park became an integral part of each season in the late 60s, with fans enjoying memorable games against the likes of St Etienne, Red Star Belgrade, Benfica and in the 1970 European Cup semi-final, Leeds. Celtic won the battle of Britain, silencing their English critics, by beating Don Revie's uncompromising side in both legs. Unfortunately, that year they fell at the final hurdle, in an under-par performance against Dutch side Feyenoord. A year later the Lisbon Lions played their final game together as Stein prepared to build a new team for a new decade.

[Celticrugby]

THE END OF THE STEIN ERA

Success and Celtic continued to be synonymous throughout the early 70s as Jock Stein brought in new faces to freshen up the Celtic Park side.

Kenny Dalglish, Lou Macari, David Hay and George Connelly came to the fore as Celtic continued their league-winning run until 1974, claiming the double in 1971, 1972, when Dixie Deans scored the first hat trick in a Cup final since 1904 as Celtic demolished Hibs 6-1, and 74. There was also a League Cup victory in 1970.

Their record-breaking dominance of the league title finally came to an end in 1975 when they only finished third and rivals Rangers clinched the championship, but even then the Celts managed to nab both Cups that season.

European competition remained a great attraction for the fans, with a visit to Budapest in 1972 dwelling in the memory. Celtic beat Ujpset Dozsa 2-1 in what Mr Stein described as the best European display by the club since Lisbon. Celebrating afterwards, fans at a hotel in the city were entertained by Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton who threw a post-match champagne and caviar party.

But the period also saw growing dissatisfaction among some of the players over pay. Celtic had always paid modestly, though throughout the 60s and early 70s players could always count on win bonuses. But younger members of the side, aware of what international team mates were earning in England, began to seek new opportunities offering more lucrative rewards. Lou Macari moved on to Manchester United in January 1973, and David Hay left for Chelsea the following year. A lengthy spell out due to injury left him struggling financially without the win bonuses. Even Kenny Dalglish submitted a transfer request in 1975, though he was later persuaded to resign for another two years. These problems were exacerbated by the car crash which nearly killed Stein and kept him out of the game for a year. His return to the club in 1976 - was marked by another double winning season, but it was to prove the last success of the Stein era. In the summer of 1977 Dalglish departed, heading south to Liverpool, while Pat Stanton was seriously injured on the opening day of the 1977-78 season. He never played again for Celtic. An ankle injury in the seventh match of the season deprived Celtic of Danny McGrain and a depleted squad could only finish fifth in the league. At the end of the season Stein stepped down as manager and a glorious era came to the end.



A LAST FLOURISH

Stein's successor Billy McNeill arrived at Celtic Park in August 1978. Dissatisfied with the players he inherited, he quickly began to build a new team, signing Davie Provan from Kilmarnock for a Scottish transfer record of £120,000. Murdo MacLeod was signed a week later and though form continued to fluctuate until Christmas, McNeill's new Celtic began to gel in the New Year. They went into their final game of the season against Rangers needing a win to take the title. In a dramatic game, Celtic emerged 4-2 victors.

As the 80s dawned, Celtic remained a major force in Scottish football. Under new pressure from the emerging 'New Firm' of Aberdeen and Dundee United, they still clinched the title in 1981 and 1982, the League Cup in 1982 and the Scottish Cup in 1980, though their 1-0 victory in that game was overshadowed by the rioting between rival fans after the match.

Despite some notable scalps, including Ajax and, in 1983, Sporting Lisbon, European success remained frustratingly beyond the club, with Celtic's natural desire to play attacking football perhaps a little naive against the best in Europe.

The McNeill era was short-lived compared to his mentor and predecessor Jock Stein. Financial problems were once again instrumental in undermining the squad. Charlie Nicholas scored 46 goals in the 1982-83 season, yet was allowed to move to Arsenal in the close season. The Gunners were prepared to pay him five times what he was getting at Celtic Park. His departure was quickly followed by that of McNeill himself, after a dispute over pay and conditions.

Another former Celtic player David Hay assumed the managerial reins in July 1983, but the team's barren spell continued until 1985 when a 2-1 win over Dundee United in the centenary final of the Scottish Cup gave Hay his first trophy.

He added the League Championship to his tally the following season, after one of the most dramatic finishes in the history of the competition. On the last day of the season Celtic had to win by five goals against Saint Mirren, while league leaders Hearts would have to lose to Dundee. Hearts topped the league before Christmas and remained there for the rest of the season, but astonishingly, they lost that last game 2-0, while Celtic cruised to a 5-0 win, stealing the title.

Hay wanted to strengthen the squad at the start of the next season, but no money was made available, a humbling contrast to the big money signings being made across the city as Graham Souness revitalised Rangers. Celtic's season was a disappointment, losing the League Cup final to Rangers and throwing away a 10 point lead in the league to the same side.

To make matters worse, players were unhappy. Mo Johnston put in a transfer request in the second half of the season, while Brian McClair and Murdo MacLeod were also unsettled. By the start of the next season McClair and Johnston had both left, as had Alan McInally, while Davie Provan had retired. Hay himself also left the club, sacked by the board, who had asked Billy McNeill to return.



A CLUB DIVIDED

Billy McNeill's return to Celtic was marked by a major overhaul of the squad. Billy Stark, Andy Walker and Chris Morris joined Mick McCarthy, who had been signed by Hay just before he was sacked.

Pre-season omens for the 1987-88 season did not appear good, but it was to be a golden year for Celtic, going 31 games unbeaten and clinching the double in the club's centenary year.

A Scottish Cup final win over Rangers the following season could not disguise the feeling of anti-climax as Celtic finished third in the league and suffered a 5-1 drubbing from their Old Firm rivals in the process.

It was the beginning of a difficult period for the club. Despite more new signings, including Mike Galloway, Paul Elliott and Dariuz Dziekanowski, winning trophies seemed to be a lost skill for the Celts. McNeill continued in charge until 1991 when another barren season cost him his job.

His successor Liam Brady had two turbulent two years in charge, suffering humiliating defeats at the hands of Airdrie in the 1991 League Cup and Neuchatel Xamax of Switzerland in the UEFA Cup two months later.

At the same time Celtic was being attacked by supporters' groups, angry at the running of the club by the 'family dynasty' in the boardroom and the club's slowness to react to the Taylor Report of 1990 that demanded all-seater stadiums by the start of the 1994-95 season.

The board itself was divided. Brian Dempsey, appointed to the board in 1990, alongside Michael Kelly, proposed a new complex for the club in the Robroyston district of Glasgow, but he was opposed by Kelly and Chris White, the largest shareholder in the club.

Forced off the board, Dempsey was to prove a thorn in the club's side, culminating in a takeover bid in 1992 which split the board. The same year the club announced plans for another new ground, this time at Cambuslang, to be completed by 1994. Yet two years later work still had not been started and it became apparent that the club was in severe financial trouble.

The fans' anger at events off and on the field continued, with "Sack the Board" a constant chant on the terraces, especially after it had turned down an indemnity group, led by businessman Fergus McCann, offering to invest £13.8m in the club in return for new shares. Brady resigned in October 1993 as Celtic continued to struggle and his replacement Lou Macari quickly alienated many of the players with his heavy-handed approach.

The club's woeful situation came to a head when the Bank of Scotland informed the club they had exceeded their £5m overdraft and it was ready to call in the receivers on Thursday 3rd March 1994. The board finally agreed to sell the club to Fergus McCann, and he took control eight minutes before the club was declared bankrupt.

[Celticrugby]

RETURN TO GLORY

The early years of the 1990s had been a miserable time for the club, jolted by poor performances on the field and major disruption in the boardroom.

But when Fergus McCann assumed overall control of the club in 1994, the club began to move in the right direction again.

Lou Macari was an early casualty of the new regime. McCann had never hidden his disapproval for the manager and Macari was sacked in June 1994. In his place the club turned to a man who could genuinely be said to have Celtic in his blood. Tommy Burns returned (at a cost of a £100,000 fine imposed by the Scottish Football League for alledged inducement) and began to build a new team worthy of the club's famous history.

A scouting network was set up to attract the best young players, while money was provided to strengthen the current squad. Burns quickly showed his eye for talent, adding Pierre van Hooijdonk and Andreas Thom to the team, while blooding young players with great prospects for the future, including Phil O'Donnell and Simon Donnelly. Burns also emphasised the importance of the club's fans and encouraged players to attend functions organised by supporters.

Off the field the new regime set out to make Celtic Park a stadium to match the team. In August 1995 the new North Stand was opened. This did mean the club had to play at Hampden for a season, but the improved facilities certainly seemed worth the sacrifice.

In January 1995 fans were able to buy shares in the club and they responded by buying nearly £14m worth, the most successful football flotation in Britain.

The feeling that the club was returning to its proper place in Scottish football was cemented by victory in the Scottish Cup final in 1995. Pierre van Hooijdonk scored the only goal of the game against Airdrie to clinch Celtic's 30th Scottish Cup victory and, perhaps more importantly, the club's first trophy in six years. It was a much needed win, easing the previous season's League Cup final defeat by Raith Rovers.

In season 1995/96 Celtic continued to improve and although no trophies were won the progress of the Club was considerable. The season ticket base rose to 29,500 and the team finished just 4 points below Rangers to end the season in second place. For the first time since 1988 Celtic were credible contestants in the league, developing an attractive flowing style football which attracted crowds in excess of 30,000 to every home match in season 1995/96.

As the 1996/97 season began, Tommy Burns further strengthened his squad with new signings Paulo Di Canio and Alan Stubbs and there was a growing expectation that the new Celtic would become as notable team as any who have graced Celtic Park in the last 108 years.

Despite finishing second in the league, only one victory against the eventual winners Rangers would have seen Celtic champs. As well as qualifying for the Europe, reaching the quarter finals of the Coca-Cola Cup and the Semi-finals of the Scottish Cup major rebuilding work on the football pitch was also underway.

The East Stand was opened, costing around £6m, taking the stadium capacity to 50,170 seating a record 40,000 season book holders. The season will probably be more remembered for the off-field events which saw considerable changes. Including Manager Tommy Burns, Assistant Manager Billy Stark, Directors, Willie Haughey and Dominic Keane, Paul McStay, Peter Grant, Pat Bonner, Pierre van Hooijdonk, Brian O'Neill and Chris Hay all departing the club for various reasons.



MOVING FORWARD TO THE NEXT LEVEL

Season 1997/98 saw a continental approach being adopted by Celtic Football Club with the appointment of Football General Manager, Jock Brown and Head Coach, Wim Jansen. An array of nine players joined the squad from both home and abroad for the start of the most exciting season in a decade.

The first trophy success of the season came on 30th November '97, when Celtic defeated Dundee United 3-0 at Ibrox to lift the Coca-Cola Cup.

The season culminated in Celtic winning the Premier League Championship on 9th May 1998 on the final day of the league. In front of a capacity crowd at Celtic Park, the team defeated St Johnstone 2-0 to bring the Championship Trophy back to Celtic Park for the first time in 10 years.

The end of the season however saw the departure of Wim Jansen and later in the year Jock Brown. The summer of 1998 brought the completion of the new Celtic Park. Following committed expenditure by Celtic of around £40m, the UK's largest club stadium has been created. Celtic Park now has some of the most modern facilities available with a capacity of over 60,000.

Season 1998/99 brought the appointment of Jozef Venglos as Head Coach. Four new players joined the team and some excellent football throughout the season, including the 5-1 defeat of Rangers on 5th November '98. Although the success of the previous year was not repeated, the team finished second in the league and made it to the final of the Scottish Cup in the new Hampden Park.

April '99 also saw the end of a Celtic era as Fergus McCann departed the club after a tremendous five years as Managing Director, and hand over the reigns to Allan MacDonald from 1st July '99.



No sooner was the season finished fans saw the return to Celtic Park of Celtic legend Kenny Dalglish, as Director of Football Operations. Jozef Venglos became European technical advisor - with ex-England internationalist John Barnes taking over as Head Coach.

After a great start to the season, no less than ten new players joined the first team squad for what looked to be a bright season. However after a run of bad results and being unable to beat rivals Rangers, John Barnes parted company in February. Kenny Dalglish took over the reigns as interim Head Coach. The departure of John Barnes also saw the return of Celtic hero Tommy Burns, who returned to assist Kenny Dalglish in coaching the first team. Season 1999/00 culminated in the team winning the CIS Insurance Cup in March against Aberdeen, finishing second in the league and qualifying for European competition next season.



Hope you enjoyed this. I also have a Quick history that has stuff about every year.

[CelticBhoy]

Nice read.

[Celticrugby]

Originally Posted by CelticBhoy

Nice read.

Yeah, I thought it would be beneficial to put up, especially for those that aren't that familar with us. Maybe we'll get some more members! I'm still out at some CSC sites to get more members. It would be nice to have at least 20 or so regulars.

[CelticBhoy]

Originally Posted by Celticrugby

Yeah, I thought it would be beneficial to put up, especially for those that aren't that familar with us. Maybe we'll get some more members! I'm still out at some CSC sites to get more members. It would be nice to have at least 20 or so regulars.

We have what about 6 actual Celtic supporters and lots of goodwill supporters, maybe we need to have a " Celtic Drive" week (Behave yersel Blue ) and try and entice more to the forum, there's millions of them out there :USA_Blue

[Gez]

I like the idea Celticrugby. I admit that i don't know much of Celtic history before the World war 2. It's nice to read about it.

[Celticrugby]

Here's a History by Year. From Celticfc.net:


POTTED HISTORY

Milestones in the history of Celtic Football Club

November 6, 1887
Celtic Football Club is formally constituted in St Mary's Church Hall in East Rose Street (now Forbes Street), Calton. The purpose is stated as being to alleviate poverty in Glasgow's East End parishes.

May 28, 1888
Celtic beat Rangers 5-2 in a "friendly". It is the new club's first match and is played on the first Celtic Park.

1889
Celtic reach the final of the Scottish Cup in their first full season of competition, but they lose 2-1 to the well-established Third Lanark. However, the club wins its first trophy, the North-Eastern Cup (a local competition), beating Cowlairs 6-1 in the final.

1892
Celtic win the Scottish Cup for the first time in their history by defeating Queen's Park 5-2 in the final at Ibrox Park. A few months later, the club moves to its present ground.

1893
Celtic win their first Scottish League Championship.

1897
The club becomes a private limited liability company, and Willie Maley is appointed secretary-manager.

1905-1910
Celtic win the League Championship for six successive seasons.

1907
Celtic achieve the "double" by winning the Scottish Cup and the League Championship in the same season, the first time the feat has been achieved in the history of the national sport. The team repeats the achievement the following season.

1914-1917
Celtic win the championship four times in a row.

1937
Celtic beat Aberdeen in a Scottish Cup final, watched by a record crowd of 146,433 at Hampden Park. The attendance (sometimes reported as 147,365) remains a record for a club match in Europe.

1939
Celtic win the Empire Exhibition Trophy by defeating Everton 1-0 at Ibrox after extra time in the final.

1940
Former player and ex-captain Jimmy McGrory replaces Jimmy McStay as manager.

1953
Celtic defeat Hibernian 2-0 in the final of the Coronation Cup, held to celebrate the crowning of Queen Elizabeth II. The invited teams included the best in Scotland and England, and the final attracted a crowd of 117,000 at Hampden Park.

1956
Celtic win the League Cup for the first time - after a decade of striving - by beating Partick Thistle 3-0 in a replay.

1957
Celtic retain the League Cup in memorable style by thrashing Rangers 7-1 in the final.

1964
Celtic reach the semi-final of the European Cup-Winners' Cup in only their second campaign in European competition, but lose 4-3 on aggregate to MTK Budapest.

1965
Jock Stein succeeds Jimmy McGrory as manager in March 1965, and guides the team to the first victory in a Scottish Cup final in 11 years. Billy McNeill's dramatic header seals a 3-2 win over Dunfermline Athletic.

1966
Celtic win the championship for the first time in 12 seasons, and reach the semi-final of the Cup-Winners' Cup again before losing 2-1 on aggregate to Liverpool.

1967
Celtic complete their most glorious season by winning every competition entered: Scottish League, Scottish Cup, League Cup, Glasgow Cup and the European Cup. The climax of the season is the 2-1 victory over Inter Milan in the European Cup final played at the Estadio Nacional in Lisbon on May 25, 1967. Celtic thus become the first British (and non-Latin) club to win Europe's most coveted trophy.

1970
Celtic reach the final of the European Cup again, but lose 2-1 to Feyenoord after extra time in Milan. In the semi-final Celtic defeated Leeds United in both legs. The second leg at Hampden Park was watched by 133,961, the largest crowd ever to watch a match in European club competition.

1972
Celtic reach the European Cup semi-final for the third time, but lose in heart-breaking fashion at Parkhead to Inter Milan when Dixie Deans misses the first spot kick during the penalty shoot-out.

1974
Celtic win the league championship for the ninth season in a row - at the time, a joint world record for success in domestic titles. The team reaches the semi-final of the European Cup for the fourth time, but loses 2-0 on aggregate to Atletico Madrid.

1978
Billy McNeill, captain of the 1967 team, succeeds Jock Stein as manager. During Stein's 12-year tenure (excluding 1975/76, when he was recuperating from injuries received in a car accident), the club enjoyed 25 successes in major competitions: the European Cup, 10 Championships, 8 Scottish Cups and 6 League Cups.

1979
Billy McNeill guides Celtic to the championship in his first season as manager. The title is gained in truly dramatic fashion at Celtic Park with a 4-2 win over Rangers in the club's final match.

1983
Another ex-player, David Hay, replaces Billy McNeill as manager.

1985
Celtic win the Scottish Cup by beating Dundee United 2-1 at Hampden Park in the 100th cup final.

1986
Celtic snatch the championship by pipping Heart of Midlothian on the last day of the campaign. The margin was on goal difference, as Celtic beat St Mirren 5-0 at Love Street and Hearts fall to two late goals from Dundee at Dens Park.

1987
Billy McNeill returns to Celtic Park as manager, replacing David Hay.

1988
Celtic celebrate the centenary season (1987/88) by winning the first "double" in 11 years. The accomplishment marks the 35th league title, and the 28th Scottish Cup.

1989
Celtic win the Scottish Cup for the 29th time as Joe Miller's goal sinks Rangers by 1-0.

1991
Liam Brady becomes Celtic's manager when he takes over from Billy McNeill. His appointment marks a break from tradition, as he is the first Celtic manager never to have played for the club.

1993
Liam Brady is replaced as manager by former-Celt Lou Macari.

1994
In March, expatriate businessman and Celtic supporter Fergus McCann takes control of a financially-strained club, in the process ousting a board of directors which included members with long family connections with Celtic. Shortly afterwards, Lou Macari is replaced as team manager by another ex-Celt Tommy Burns. Later that same year, in accordance with Fergus McCann's Five-Year Plan, the club is reconstituted as a plc, a development quickly followed by the most successful share-issue in the history of British football with 10,000 taking up the offer of investing a minimum of £620, thus contributing £14 million towards the re-financing of the club.

1995
Celtic play home fixtures at Hampden Park during season 1994/95, while Celtic Park is undergoing the first phase of a reconstruction, leading to the development of a stadium for the new Millennium, capable of holding 60,500 spectators in all-seated comfort.
The 'exile' ends with a 1-0 victory over Airdrieonians in the Scottish Cup final, marking the club's 30th triumph in the competition and also the first major trophy since 1989.

1997
Tommy Burns is replaced by the Dutch coach Wim Jansen, ironically a member of the Feyenoord side which defeated Celtic in the European Cup final in Milan in 1970. In 1997 he guides Celtic to the first League Cup final victory in 15 years in a 3-0 defeat of Dundee United at Ibrox Park, a competition sponsored by Coca-Cola.

1998
Jansen continues the good work by steering Celtic to the first Scottish League championship since 1988, and preventing Rangers from surpassing Celtic's cherished Nine-in-a Row record. However, he departs almost immediately and is replaced for the start of the new campaign by Dr Jozef Venglos, a coach of vast international experience, most notably as manager of Czechoslovakia.

1999
In April, Fergus McCann departs at the completion of his five-year stint. Allan MacDonald, a former British Aerospace managing director, succeeds him as chief executive. A few months later Dr Venglos retires and is replaced by John Barnes, the former England internationalist who was undertaking his first appointment as a head coach, although under the supervision of famous ex-Celt Kenny Dalglish, recently installed as director of football operations.

2000
A shock 3-1 defeat at Celtic Park in the Scottish Cup by rank outsiders Inverness Caledonian Thistle in February leads to the departure of John Barnes, with Kenny Dalglish taking control of team matters until the end of the season. Celtic end up the 1999/2000 season as runners-up to Rangers in the championship, but a massive 21 points behind. The gloom is lifted slightly by a 2-0 victory over Aberdeen in the League Cup final, a competition now sponsored by the Co-operative Insurance Society.
During the summer Martin O'Neill takes over as Celtic's manager - and will soon be in full control of the football operations following the departure of Kenny Dalglish. O'Neill, an Irishman, has established an excellent reputation as a manager with a chain of clubs in England, notably Leicester City. He endears himself to the Celtic support by masterminding an astonishing 6-2 league victory over Rangers at Celtic Park on August 27, a promising omen for his and Celtic's future.


2001
Celtic record a back to back series of victories over Rangers in February (semi final of the League Cup at Hampden and a league encounter at Celtic Park). In March, Celtic lift the first silverware of the season, retaining the League Cup after a 3-0 victory over Kilmarnock which included a Henrik Larsson hat-trick.

By the end of April, Celtic have regained the League Championship with five games to go and beat Rangers away from home in the league for the first time in six years; whilst top scorer Henrik Larsson has recorded his 50th strike of the season. By the end of the season, Larsson goes on to record 53 strikes on the way to a domestic treble of League Championship, Scottish Cup (a 3-0 win against Hibernian in the final) and CIS Cup (a 3-0 win against Kilmarnock in the final. 2003
After a season filled with excitement unparalled since the heady days of the 60's and 70's, Celtic finish the season without a trophy, having lost to Inverness Caley Thistle in the Scottish Cup, and to Rangers in the CIS Cup. Celtic finish second (by one goal) to Rangers in the league after contesting the most exciting end of season league card for decades. Celtic beat Kilmarnock 4-0 away, but Rangers beat Dunfermline 6-1 at home to win through. Days earlier in Seville a brave Celtic side were beaten 3-2 in extra time by Porto in the final of the UEFA Cup - Celtic's first such final for 33 years.

[Celticrugby]

Celtic Football Club Honours:

European Cup:

Champions:: 1966-67

Vice Champions:: 1969-70
Semi Finalists:: 1971-72, 1973-74
Quarter Finals:: 1968-69, 1970-71, 1979-80


UEFA Cup:

Finalists:: 2002-03

Quarterfinalists: 2003-2004

Scottish League Champions::

(40 times) 1892-93, 1893-94, 1895-96, 1897-98, 1904-05, 1905-06, 1906-07, 1907-08, 1908-09, 1909-10, 1913-14, 1914-15, 1915-16, 1916-17, 1918-19, 1921-22, 1925-26, 1935-36, 1937-38, 1953-54, 1965-66, 1966-67, 1967-68, 1968-69, 1969-70, 1970-71, 1971-72, 1972-73, 1973-74, 1976-77, 1978-79, 1980-81, 1981-82, 1985-86, 1987-88, 1997-98, 2000-01, 2001-02, 2003-2004, 2005-2006

Scottish Cup::

(33 times) 1892, 1899, 1900, 1904, 1907, 1908, 1911, 1912, 1914, 1923, 1925, 1927, 1931, 1933, 1937, 1951, 1954, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1995, 2001, 2004, 2005

Scottish League Cup::

(13 times) 1956-57, 1957-58, 1965-66, 1966-67, 1967-68, 1968-69, 1969-70, 1974-75, 1982-83, 1997-98, 1999-00, 2000-01, 2005-2006

[TedNolan]

nice read dakota. do they mention fergus is from Montreal?

[Celticrugby]

Originally Posted by TedNolan

nice read dakota. do they mention fergus is from Montreal?

Nope! Thanks for telling me that, I didn't know it either. Is that how you got into the club? or at least heard about it?

[Celticrugby]

I could also do a section on Celtic greats, with mini-biographies if you guys think it would be good to be added.

[The_Big_Easy]

How long did it take you to type that??

[TedNolan]

no no, I didn't get in the club because of fergus ahah. But it's funny, they rarely mention it, and he saved the club, literally. I read it here in a french-canadian newpaper when a journalist wrote a story about celtic's history, and he portrayed the club very well, with the tradition and everything, and he said in the end that celtic was a ''welcoming land'' I quite liked that...

good idea about celtic greats, it would be interesting for sure. Celtic songs too would be good, in a week or so i'll be able to help out a lot more.

[Celticrugby]

Originally Posted by TedNolan

no no, I didn't get in the club because of fergus ahah. But it's funny, they rarely mention it, and he saved the club, literally. I read it here in a french-canadian newpaper when a journalist wrote a story about celtic's history, and he portrayed the club very well, with the tradition and everything, and he said in the end that celtic was a ''welcoming land'' I quite liked that...

good idea about celtic greats, it would be interesting for sure. Celtic songs too would be good, in a week or so i'll be able to help out a lot more.

That would be great! Feel free to add whatever you think, the more stuff we have on here the better. I'll look into adding some players Bios later on today.

As for The Big Easy- I got most of it off the Celtic website, so it was more editing than typing.

[CelticBhoy]

Fergus is Scottish born, he was treasurer of the Croy Celtic supporters club, he was a accountant (I think) that emigrated to Canada where he prospered and came back to save the club from the £$^*"^& that were ruining it.

I'd love him to come back to get a deserved cheer from the supporters, he was at the Thistle game I understand (On the quiet)

[Celticrugby]

Celtic Greats Part I:



JIMMY JOHNSTONE "The greatest ever Celt"



'Wee Jinky' Johnstone became a Celtic idol through his fiery performances and his matching flaming red hair.

Born in Viewpark, Lanarkshire in 1944, Johnstone's talent was evident from an early age. When he was 13 he was approached by Manchester United while playing for the Boys' Guild in Viewpark, but Celtic Park's chief scout John Higgins stepped in and offered Johnstone a ballboy job at Parkhead. He signed for Celtic soon after and was farmed out to Celtic Blantyre for a couple of years where his skills made an instant impression.

Johnstone made his first team debut in 1963 and quicly became a favourite amongst the fans for his prowess on the wing. He went on to become one of the world's greatest footballers with a rare ability to take on players and open up defences. If his talent had not been so exceptional, it is doubtful that manager Jock Stein would have put up with his hotheaded temperament for very long.

Unfortunately Johnstone's flair was under-exploited by the national side. He was never given the chance to prove his full potential at international level, winning a mere 23 full caps for Scotland during his playing career. Johnstone scored more than 100 goals for Celtic, and after leaving in 1975, he had spells with San Jose Earthquakes, Sheffield United, Dundee Shelbourne and Elgin City before being reinstated as a junior with Blantyre Celtic.

BOBBY MURDOCH (1944 - 2001)


Bobby Murdoch was a big, strong player who won the praise of some of football's top names and was crowned the Scottish Football Writers' Player of the Year in 1969.

He joined Celtic provisionally in August 1959, and gained experience at Cambuslang Rangers before joining the Celts permanently in 1961.

Soon after he took over at Parkhead, Jock Stein made the inspired decision to move Murdoch from inside-right to right-half, where he became the anchor man of the celebrated Celtic side of the 60s.

Stein said of the influential star: "As far as I am concerned, Murdoch was just about the best player I had as manager. I only let him move because he had run out of challenges with Celtic."

He made nearly 500 appearances for Celtic and scored around 100 goals before transferring to Middlesborough. Graeme Souness played with Murdoch there, and once commented: "He came along at just the right time, not only for me but for the whole team. His experience settled us down as we went for promotion and he also proved to be a big influence on my career. Bobby was a great passer of the ball and he had an excellent attitude. He would always pull me to one side to pass on advice or to tell me when he thought I was acting wrongly."

Murdoch never achieved his full international potential, winning only 12 caps for Scotland. His honours with Celtic included a European Cup winners' medal, eight Championship badges, four Scottish Cup winners' medals and five League Cup winners' medals. Unfortunately, Bobby was plagued by various illnesses and injury after his playing days ended. He died, aged 56, in Glasgow on 15 May 2001.


KENNY DALGLISH


Kenny Dalglish played for Drumchapel Amateurs and Glasgow United before Vic Davidson's mother recommended him to Sean Fallon, caretaker manager of Celtic, in 1967.

However, Dalglish was a Rangers fan and it took Fallon two hours to secure the signature of the skilled striker.

The Motown-loving Glaswegian was a key player in the sides that helped Celtic to their world record nine-in-a-row league titles. His footballing intelligence was his greatest asset. Tommy Docherty once said of Dalglish: "People say he lacks a yard in pace, but I say to them he's ten yards quicker upstairs."

In his ten years at Celtic, he scored more than 100 league goals and won four League Championship badges, four Cup winners' medals and a League Cup winners' medal.

He left the club in August 1977 to join Liverpool for a record £440,000 fee and became the only man to win all three domestic winners' medals in England and Scotland, before continuing his success as a manager, first at Liverpool, then at Blackburn. Dalglish won 102 caps for Scotland and was awarded the MBE for his services to football in 1984.

PAT BONNER


Pat Bonner, known by many as 'Packie', was born in County Donegal in 1960. He was spotted by Celtic while he kept goal for Leicester City in the FA Youth Cup and was signed by Jock Stein on May 14 1978.

An agile, perceptive keeper, his performance in 1987-88 helped the team achieve the best defensive result in Britain, conceding only 23 goals in 44 League matches.

Bonner's skill even earned him the praise of Pope John Paul II. After becoming Eire's hero in the World Cup second round penalty shoot-out against Romania in 1990, the Pope told him: "I know you are the goalkeeper. I used to play in that position myself."

Although Bonner lost his first-team place at Celtic to Gordon Marshall in the 1991-2 season, he was back in goals by late September the following year.

Bonner has made around 500 League appearances for Celtic and has won 80 caps for the Republic of Ireland. With Celtic he has won four League Championship badges, three Scottish Cup winners' medals and a League Cup winners' medal.

PAUL MCSTAY


Paul McStay was born into Celtic tradition. His great-great-uncles Willie and Jimmy McStay played for the club in its formative years while his brothers Willie and Raymond have both been on the playing staff at Parkhead. He said himself: "Like many Celtic fans, I feel as though the great players I have watched and heard about are like members of an extended family: the Celtic family."

He signed for Celtic in 1981 at the age of 17 and gained a regular place in midfield the following season. In 1990 McStay became the Celtic skipper when Roy Aitken moved to Newcastle United. He led the side from then until he retired in 1997 through injury at the age of 32.

A one-club player throughout his illustrious career, Paul showed his love and deep attachment to Celtic by eschewing the advances of Italian, Spanish and English clubs to remain in Glasgow.

McStay's flair coupled with a great ability to read the game, made him one of the most creative players of his time in football. The fact that he represented his country at all levels shows how much his talent was valued. A member of the international squad for the World Cup in both 1986 and 1990, McStay is arguably the most gifted player to play at Parkhead in recent years and the most capped Scottish player in the club's history with 76 caps.


This Concludes Part I. Part II soon to follow. I might find something on the Lisbon Lions as well!

[Celticrugby]

Celtic Greats Part II:

DANNY MCGRAIN


Danny McGrain, a pacy full-back, played at Celtic Park for two decades. "And he has been a model professional footballer since the first day he arrived," Jock Stein said of him.

McGrain spent a season with Queen's Park Victoria XI before Celtic signed him, dispatching him to Maryhill Juniors for six months.

His impressive performance as a youngster , training with Celtic, earned him a place in the "Quality Street Gang" - a group of young, enthusiastic players that also included David Hay, Lou Macari and Victor Davidson. Graduating to the first-team in 1970, McGrain would remain a dependable defender in Celtic's cause for many years to come.

However, his career was dogged with illness and injury. He suffered a fractured skull in 1972, discovered that he was diabetic in 1976 and was plagued with arthritis from 1977, after a foot injury left him unable to play for 18 months. Yet he overcame his problems to make celebrated contributions to Scotland's performance in the World Cup Finals in 1974 and 1982.

He won 57 caps for Scotland and at Celtic, he won five Championship badges, four Scottish Cup winners' medals and a League Cup winners' medal. He was also voted Scottish Player of the Year in 1977 and was awarded the MBE for services to football in 1983.

JOHN CLARK


John Clark is remembered as arguably Celtic's best ever defender.

He was born in 1941 in Larkhall and played for Larkhall Thistle before moving to Parkhead in 1958. The early years of Clark's playing career as a wing-half showed few signs of his later glory. He first attracted attention after scoring the only goal in a Cup tie replay against Hibernian in 1961. His performance won him a place in the final, replacing captain Bertie Peacock.

But it was the arrival of Jock Stein at Celtic Park that marked the transformation of Clark's career. Stein employed him as sweeper behind Billy McNeill and he never looked back.

Clark was a quiet, down-to-earth character and his cool head was one of his best attributes. A defender through and through, some even joked that he needed a map any time he crossed the half-way line.

In the summer of 1971 Clark left Celtic for Morton with team-mate Stevie Chalmers. He played in the Scottish League twice and won four caps for his country. He then teamed up with McNeill as his assistant manager at Aberdeen and Celtic.

After leaving Celtic in 1983 he managed Clyde although he never matched the success of his playing days. John now works at Celtic Park as kit manager.
BILLY MCNEILL


Billy McNeill was born in 1940 in Bellshill, Lanarkshire. Joining Celtic from his local junior team, Blantyre Victoria, in August 1957, McNeill cost the club £250.

Slowly McNeill began to make the centre of defence his own territory, replacing Bobby Evans. But his early days with Celtic under Jimmy McGrory saw little glory for the club.

Fellow player John Divers recalls McNeill's outburst when Jock Stein was appointed manager of Celtic in 1965: "Oh that's fantastic! Wait and see how things change now!"

He was right. Under Stein Parkhead reached the highest peaks of success in its long history and McNeill was a key figure in realising that glory.

Just six weeks after Stein took up his post the Celts won the Scottish Cup. It was a superb header from McNeill, the captain, that clinched their first trophy for eight years.

He also had the honour of being the first British footballer to hold aloft the European Cup in 1967.

McNeill was capped 29 times for Scotland, five of these at Under-23 level. He also collected seven Scottish Cup winners' medals and six League Cup winners' medals.

In 1975 after winning the Scottish Cup over Airdrie. He had made over 800 appearances for Celtic. In 1976 McNeill was awarded the MBE. He went on to manage Clyde, Aberdeen, Celtic (twice), Manchester City and Aston Villa

TOMMY GEMMELL


Tommy Gemmell, nicknamed Danny Kaye because of his resemblance to the American comedian, was signed to Celtic from Coltness United in July 1961.

A strong, exciting full-back with a superb shot, he could always be counted on to score a dramatic goal when it was most needed, none more so than his equaliser in the 1967 European Cup final, which set up Celtic's historic victory.

He also scored in the 1970 European Cup Final and his last-minute strike in 1969 against Kilmarnock gave Celtic their fourth successive League title. Gemmell made more than 400 appearances for Celtic, collecting six League championship badges, three Cup winners' medals and four League Cup winners' medals, before signing to Nottingham Forest in December 1971. He won 18 full caps for Scotland and also played five times for the Scottish League.

BERTIE AULD


Bertie Auld signed for Celtic in March 1955 but it was several years before he reached the peak of his playing career at Parkhead.

He arrived a green youngster and his hot-headed attitude stopped him from making progress with Celtic early in his career. He spent most of the 1956-7 season on loan to Dumbarton and despite winning two Scottish caps in 1959-60, he was allowed to leave Celtic in 1961 for Birmingham City.

During his time south of the border, he developed into a sparkling, skilful winger cum inside-forward, and Brummies were sorry to see him return to Parkhead in 1965.

Back on the field at Celtic, Auld was now a calm, yet bold and dextrous player. He reverted to midfield and formed an anchor 'engine room' alliance with Bobby Murdoch.

Auld was part of the team that swept the board of domestic titles and won the European Cup in the 1967 season. He left the club for a second time in May 1971 and went on to become manager of Hibs, Partick Thistle, Hamilton Academicals and Dumbarton.

BOBBY LENNOX


Lennox signed provisional forms for Celtic in September 1961 and made his first-team debut the following March.

He was an extremely fast winger and he was known by fans as 'Buzz Bomb' or 'Lemon' since he made defenders look like 'suckers'.

Though not a forward, Lennox had an incredible goal scoring record - 272 goals in 537 domestic League and Cup games for Celtic. A classic moment in his career was his goal for Scotland against the world champions, England, at Wembley in 1966-7.

He won ten full caps for Scotland in all and made three appearances for the Scottish League.

Lennox left Celtic in the late 70s and moved to the US to play for the Houston Hurricanes. During the 1978 season, he scored 15 goals in 36 games, before returning to Celtic in 1979. It was a worthwhile move as Celtic took the League Championship that year and the Scottish Cup in 1980. He also won a European Cup winners' medal, nine Championship badges, eight Cup winners' medals and four League Cup winners' medals and was awarded the MBE in 1981.

PIERRE VAN HOOIJDONK


When Tommy Burns signed Pierre van Hooijdonk in January 1995 for £1.2 million, he signed a player of genuine personality and superb skill.

It is thought that an 5,000 extra supporters turned out to see his debut against Hearts. He rewarded their presence with a goal described as a "a rare gem in a field of rock," by one journalist.

His first season at Celtic also saw him score the goal against Airdrie which gave Celtic the Scottish Cup, their first trophy since 1988.

The man known as 'Huggy' went on to score 32 goals in his first full season at the club. Burns said of his star signing: £I didn't expect him to have any problems fitting into Scottish football, but he has added a silky touch and his goal ratio is tremendous.£

Hooijdonk's skill has not gone unnoticed and Dutch side Feyenoord made a £2m bid for him in April 1996.

Their coach Arie Hann said: "Van Hooijdonk's prolific goalscoring has put him in an elite group. He is one of the best around and his talent has attracted attention." Pierre left Celtic for Nottingham Forrest amidst controversy in 1997. He then controversially went on strike at Forrest before being transferred back home to Holland.

FRANK MCAVENNIE


Striker Frank McAvennie made his name in a storming first season playing with West Ham United in 1986. Though he then had a more subdued year, Celtic were still willing to pay £750,000 to take the player from the London club.

Renowned for his consistent goal-scoring ability, especially his superb headers, 'Maca' soon returned to form at Parkhead and scored 34 goals in 66 games for the side. The highlight of his Celtic career was scoring twice in the 1988 Scottish Cup Final against Dundee United to give Celtic the double in their centenary year.

Infamous for his champagne lifestyle, McAvennie was no stranger to controversy on the pitch.

During a mid-October Old Firm clash in 1988, he was involved in a scuffle on the pitch which resulted in Rangers goalkeeper Woods, centre-back Butcher and McAvennie being sent off. Unusually, they were then ordered to appear in court on breach of the peace charges along with another Rangers player Graham Roberts. However, this one incident failed to blemish the popularity of the player who thrilled fans with the devastation caused by his deadly partnership with Andy Walker. They were highly disappointed by his decision to return to West Ham in March 1989 for £1.25million.

That's it for now on Celtic great's. All info is from Celticfc.net

If you guys would like to add players and bios and such please do so, as well as other Celtic stuff!

[Celticrugby]

Here's some animated GIFS I found on a Celtic Supporters Club site. These could be Avs if you want them to. Anyways I thought they were cool:

[Interista]

Don't really know much about Celtic but I thought you may appreciate the line-ups Celtic - Inter in the European Cup I in 1967

Lisbon, 25 May 1967 Celtic-Inter 2-1

Celtic: Simpson; Craaig; Gemmel; Murdock; Mc Neill; Clark; Johnstone; Wallace; Chalmers; Auld; Lennox. Coach: Stein.

Inter: Sarti; Burgnich; Facchetti; Bedin; Guarneri; Picchi; Domenghini; Mazzola; Cappellini; Bicicli; Corso. Coach Herrera.

referee: Tschentscher (DDR)

Goal scorers: 6' Mazzola rig.(I), 62' Gemmel(C), 83' Chalmers(C).

Complete route to final both teams:

First round:
Celtic - FC Zurich 3-0/2-0
Internazionale - Torpedo Moskow 1-0/0-0

Second Round
Inter - Vasas Budapest 2-0/2-1
Celtic - FC Nantes 3-1/3-1

1/4 finals
Inter - Real Madrid 2-0/1-0
Celtic - Vojvodina Novi Sad 0-1/2-0

1/2 finals
Celtic - Dukla Prague 3-1/0-0
Inter - CSKA Sofia 1-1/1-1/1-0 (no decision through penalties back then)

Well you all know the unfortunately score of the final

[Killah]

How long was Herrera in charge of inter then must have been around 15 years

[Celticrugby]

hahaha. Thanks Interista. I actually got to see the game last year...the Lisbon Lions! Classic.

[Interista]

Originally Posted by killah

How long was Herrera in charge of inter then must have been around 15 years

Helenio Herrara (Argentinian), who was be best paid coach at that moment, left Inter in 1968 after I believe 8 seasons to join AS Roma. He briefly returned to us for half a season in I think 1973. Some people think that he also coached us between 1969-1971 but that was Heriberto Herrera from Paraquay.


Celticrugby, enjoy the victory, Inter won't make the same mistake

[Celticrugby]

This needs to go in this thread. An absolute classic: