My Celtic story

Torrancetim

Well-known member
In these hard times , got me thinking about my love for the hoops and how it started , so here goes , Maryhill boy born and bred , my old man was a armchair Celtic man , never went to games but was passionate about Celtic , at that time early 80s both him and my mum would not let me go to Celtic park , so I became a ball boy for the jags , loved it, especially when Celtic came to fir hill, that lasted about 2 years and at the age of 15 chucked it to go and watch the hoops , first game getting on a 61 bus from summerston at the terminus , scarf in hand , sneaked out , who gets off the bus I am going on , my wee maw , ffs , I’m no getting to go , threw a tantrum and she relented , No 7 in the jungle that’s where the maryhill bhoys congregated , I was hooked , fucking magic , stood there every week mostly on cans to avoid folk pishing down your leg until it got demolished , ferraris and the la costera where my underage drinking holes in the town before the game , then the grange just outside CP where a guy would stand on the table , black beret , sunglasses and a flute , collecting money for the cause , never forget it , new Celtic park , season ticket block 404 north stand , the bunnet the saviour , the rebels have won as I stood outside going mental , happy days
My son Patric was born took him to his first game at 3 , was more interested in toys r us in the retail park , away trips Barca , Milan , Lisbon Seville to many to mention , all brilliant days, stopping the huns winning 10 , Henrik Larson , tony watt , getting the jail in France , boxing with the ICF in George square , to many good memories to mention , big Pierre , cup final header , yesss
Tommy burns , jinkys funeral , in dark days guys remember the good times 🍀

Lubo would love to hear your story and then pass it on
 
My old boy tried to keep me away from the 'Old Firm nonsense' by taking me to cappielow, first game ever, always remember the other team had a keeper jim gallacher, the baldy baldy chants, magic, until i ate a pie, off school for a week with food poisoning.
A few weeks later my uncle danny offered to take me to Paradise, 26 miles on the bus and i won the fitba card and £4 with Hibs. In the days of half penny chews he got me a £1 mixture from a 'tally van' stands me outside the Grange while he went in for trays of wine, 'Dont move he says' i couldn't under the weight of the sweeties. Queens Park we played in cup game circa 85/86, they scored first after half time Steve Boyle then we rescued it with goals through the only Bear we ever liked and The Maestro i'm sure. We stood or i sat on a bar in the Celtic end No 3 entrance spray painted 'Jock Stein' as you went up stairs - Get your tablet, macaron or spearmint chuuuuing gum
That was me hooked, it was like a holiday. Never regretted a second despite the up's and mostly down n those days
My dad started going again, 'he fell aff the Parkhead wagon' when he had kids
 
I also remember getting wee pictures and badges of my favourite players every now and then when they could afford, McClair, Judas, Rambo and Murdo
They all fucked off in the one summer and just before the season started my Uncle Danny says to me
next year son, your going to Ibrox, i've arranged it and your favourite players are McCoist, Cooper .... ya effin jinx
 
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My old boy tried to keep me away from the 'Old Firm nonsense' by taking me to cappielow, first game ever, always remember the other team had a keeper jim gallacher, the baldy baldy chants, magic, until i ate a pie, off school for a week with food poisoning.
A few weeks later my uncle danny offered to take me to Paradise, 26 miles on the bus and i won the fitba card and £4 with Hibs. In the days of half penny chews he got me a £1 mixture from a 'tally van' stands me outside the Grange while he went in for trays of wine, 'Dont move he says' i couldn't under the weight of the sweeties. Queens Park we played in cup game circa 85/86, they scored first after half time Steve Boyle then we rescued it with goals through the only Bear we ever liked and The Maestro i'm sure. We stood or i sat on a bar in the Celtic end No 3 entrance spray painted 'Jock Stein' as you went up stairs - Get your tablet, macaron or spearmint chuuuuing gum
That was me hooked, it was like a holiday. Never regretted a second despite the up's and mostly down n those days
My dad started going again, 'he fell aff the Parkhead wagon' when he had kids
Brilliant 👍
 
I'm at home alone and you lot are all i've got tonight, like most nights with this restriction gash, plus i'm bevving, so feel free to jog on by, it's not a story, but in all my days of going to games, the year i enjoyed most was a year we won hee-haw i think.
Off the back of the horrific years, 'the battle is over, the rebels have won', the bunnet, the Hampden year :)sick:), that first season back at Paradise, half a stadium, but the football under TB.
I remember bouncing out someone's bed every Saturday (in those days aye) morning, finally being old enough and getting into the Club for a pint and put simply being entertained. For the first time in a decade you could see we were on our way back big time.
If there is a Celtic way to play, that year was as close as i'll ever see.
Great days and a great man at the helm.
 
Ma earliest memories were at ma grandparents hoose in Fruin street Possil back in the fifties,ma,da,aunties uncles and a squad of mad weans.
Saturdays!we got launched out tae the back court tae play,some fitba, some stuff mad weans got up tae,ah wiz aboot 5 or 6,and had a thing aboot gettin ma heid jammed between railings! hhmmm.
anyway, playin fitba,we were aw wee Charlie Tully's, Bobby Collins.
The men who didnae have shift on Saturday afternoon went tae the match, the women,would clean the hoose,get the evenin meal prepared and give us the occasional clip roon the ear
We would gather round the radio at 3 o'clock,to listen to the match,or get updates,if the hun's were on,we'd go back oot tae play!
The men would come home after the game and a few libations of course,there would be a forensiv analysis of the match,unlike the monday mornin quarterbacks on here, and definitely no Sandman!
Later the songs would start,ma uncle Pat playin the piano,he did a mean Jerry Lee,Fats Domino and Little Richard'everybody took a turn tae sing their current favourite,ma old man loved beltin oot 'great pretender',he had a voice that could shatter glass,made Freddy Mercury sound like a fanny!.
then the Irish ballads would start, a few rebel songs,used tae greet when ma uncle robert sang 'Kevin Barry'
between songs, memories of players and games were shared,Seven past Niven, took pride of place, lyrical waxings of Charlie Tully,bobby Collins,Billy McPhail, ma grand father would pipe in with Jimmy McGrory,Patsy Gallagherand John Thomson,amongst others! tae us the really,really,really young Possil Fleet, the stories were legendary!
Ah went tae ma first game in 1962, versus Valencia,European night,those floodlights,that pitch,i had never seen grass so green,ah hardly remember the game,ah kinda thought back tae they days in Possil and how it aw started,ma grandfather had passed away,and there ah was at the Holy Ground,one of his favourite songs
feck, ah've got somethin in ma eye!
Hail Hail Troops, Come on you Bhoys in Green! 🍺 🥳☘️
 
MD I’ve got something in my eye too after reading that HH 🍀🍀
Thanks CelticRose,ah've posted before,early memories,but too go right back,right back tae the very beginning,ah've never shared that with anyone,and those memories,opened up other memories,and i was actually back there,those dear folk are all long gone, but i'll always have my memories HH CelticRose ☘️
 
The earliest game I attended was a pre-season affair against Leeds in August 1968. Remember being gutted (I was 4, nearly 5) that we wore all green that day and just I'd got an early birthday present of a Hoops top!

The game was at Hampden and we stayed in Edinburgh so it was like going on holiday. It took a bus and two train journeys, so at that age, it felt like I could've been halfway across Europe!

The only real memory of the game was seeing the enormous green pitch and the incredible size of the national stadium.

My dad wasn't in great health so it was difficult getting to games until Celtic came to the capital. One game at Easter Road, in particular, stands out. We won the game 4-2, I think, with Dixie scoring in the first minute. The thing that I remember about the game was a lot of the fans crossing ends at half-time!

First Scottish Cup Final was against Dundee Utd in 1974 when there was a bottle-throwing contest in the hun end around half time.

Staying in Edinburgh I couldn't get to games much until I was about 14yrs old when I'd tell my mum and dad I was meeting friends uptown but actually, I was catching either the Craigmillar supporters bus to the games or I was making my own way through.

In my late fifties now and it still gives me a buzz walking to Celtic Park for a match with the songs and the camaraderie. The nighttime European games are out there on their own for the sheer excitement they can generate when a giant like Barca, Milan, Juve, Man Utd or Real Madrid come to our own backyard and are spanked and sent home in shame.

I'm still convinced those days will come again. Just maybe not next year or the year after...

🇳🇬 🍀 🇳🇬

HH guys
 

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