BERTIE AULD RIP

a few tears when I heard this. man is an absolute gentleman. was lucky enough to be in his company on a couple of occasions and couldn't fault the man. Funny ,charming and forever generous with his time for charities and always had a true camaraderie with us fans at functions etc awrabest wee man HH.
 
What an absolute gent wee bertie is a true legend of celtic fc I have never heard a bad word from anyone about him and if thier had been it would have been shot down very quickly. My thoughts are with bertie and his family. He gave as much to our club when he retired from football as he did when he played. If bertie hadve played for rangers I'm sure I would've still have liked him as was the character of the man.the wee man with the big heart and a smile to match hail hail bertie.
 
Far too many players from that era coming down with this horrible disease.
I had the pleasure of being in his and big billys company for breakfast in Vegas at a convention in Vegas years ago. He was fierce craic. I hope he doesn't suffer with that fucker of an illness.
 
As a younger fan, I never got to see the lions. I've also never been lucky enough to meet any of them.....and I had to think about that for a while...if I'd met any of them I mean, because I really wasn't sure. The stories from my family and other fans who were lucky enough to meet them, to the many documentaries I've seen over the years where the lions were interviewed made me believe that I must have met them. They are ingrained in my DNA like everything else that's connects me with the club I love. Of all the players though, Bertie is the one that's shone brightest for me. His love of the club and the way he tells his stories and experiences always brought a smile to my face. I get the same emotion listening to Bertie talk about celtic as I did when I was a kid that would listen to my granda telling me stories of how he wrestled sharks 😂😂...all fantasy ofcourse but I was in awe of the man...and what's more amazing about Bertie is his stories really happened...he lived the dream. Im sad for his family. I'm sad for his friends but most of all I'm sad that we may not get to see him share those stories that he loves to tell and we love to hear. I hope my wee message of love, support and sadness made sense.

HH everyone 🍀🍀🍀
 
Many, many moons ago, My Sunday juvie team put out a call for local footballing dignitaries to hand out the annual awards.

There weren't too many responses.

The club went slightly further afield and received only one response. It was a handwritten note by Bertie (who was managing the cabbage at the time), apologising for not being able to make it and wishing us all the best for our evening.

I never got to meet Bertie, but if you ever want to meet the measure of a man, then a handwritten note will do for me.

P.S.

We eventually got wee Strach to present the trophies (his wife was connected) and I was shocked to find that I was the same height as he was (and I was only 10 in my low-rise polyfeldts).
 
As a younger fan, I never got to see the lions. I've also never been lucky enough to meet any of them.....and I had to think about that for a while...if I'd met any of them I mean, because I really wasn't sure. The stories from my family and other fans who were lucky enough to meet them, to the many documentaries I've seen over the years where the lions were interviewed made me believe that I must have met them. They are ingrained in my DNA like everything else that's connects me with the club I love. Of all the players though, Bertie is the one that's shone brightest for me. His love of the club and the way he tells his stories and experiences always brought a smile to my face. I get the same emotion listening to Bertie talk about celtic as I did when I was a kid that would listen to my granda telling me stories of how he wrestled sharks 😂😂...all fantasy ofcourse but I was in awe of the man...and what's more amazing about Bertie is his stories really happened...he lived the dream. Im sad for his family. I'm sad for his friends but most of all I'm sad that we may not get to see him share those stories that he loves to tell and we love to hear. I hope my wee message of love, support and sadness made sense.

HH everyone 🍀🍀🍀
I have to admit, I didn't appreciate the company I was in at the time. I was on a rip a drink for about a week.
But i remember Jamie Smyth was also out for the same convention. He wouldn't speak to anyone. Maybe he's a quiet lad, but he seemed arrogant.
The lions on the other hand were all very down to earth and approachable. I remember well sitting at the table for breakfast in the new frontier hotel with big billy, Bertie, Tommy gemmel, Jim Craig and John Clarke. Bertie the wee hooer was the fuckin life and soul of the party tellin yarns. The rest of the lads probably heard them a thousand times, but were still in stitches.
I just wish now I had photos or video of it. I also got to spend about 3 hours in big billys company at the bar one night when it was quiet.
It's a classic example of not appreciating it at the time. But great times.
 
I have to admit, I didn't appreciate the company I was in at the time. I was on a rip a drink for about a week.
But i remember Jamie Smyth was also out for the same convention. He wouldn't speak to anyone. Maybe he's a quiet lad, but he seemed arrogant.
The lions on the other hand were all very down to earth and approachable. I remember well sitting at the table for breakfast in the new frontier hotel with big billy, Bertie, Tommy gemmel, Jim Craig and John Clarke. Bertie the wee hooer was the fuckin life and soul of the party tellin yarns. The rest of the lads probably heard them a thousand times, but were still in stitches.
I just wish now I had photos or video of it. I also got to spend about 3 hours in big billys company at the bar one night when it was quiet.
It's a classic example of not appreciating it at the time. But great times.
Memories are made of those moments of pleasure, D.

They're for savouring after the fact, not at the time they occur
 
Memories are made of those moments of pleasure, D.

They're for savouring after the fact, not at the time they occur
I suppose you're right bigman.
I have one claim to fame that not many men would have. Well I suppose I have to share it with my brother.
We were at the bar with big billy for a few hours and about half 10 or 11 at night he said "right lads that's me away to bed. Don't stay up too late". So he heads off to bed.
What seemed about two hours later he reappears and I said "What happened bigman could ye not sleep"?
He said "its 10 in the morning lads and you two are still fuckin here. For god sake go to yer beds or yer gonnae burn yersel oot".
I remember sayin to the brother "I think if Billy McNeill tells ye to go to bed, I think we need to go to bed".
 
a friend of my brother met him a couple of times,loved the game loved Celtic loved life enjoyed meeting and talking to people,Legend on and off the field ,keep strong Bertie gave some wonderful memories with his magic and cheek never knew what he was going to do next much to the despair of the other team to be honest he lost some of our Owen players at times ,was well known to have a seat on the ball if the game was stopped will always be a Hero
 
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Wee Bertie served me in Bairds back in the day. I double-taked him as he put up the pints and he cracked a smile and said, 'Ye're no' dreamin' son - it's proper lager and no' thon Hun pish..." meaning McEwans, the Hun sponsors at the time. :LOL:

Legend, absolutely loved forever. No more needs said. Ghod Bless.
 
In the freezing winter off 1986, the snow was so bad we could not get the bin motors out the yard, so the men were asked do you want to take a holiday or else a shuvvle, later on in the morning we we were going past berties pub the bucc, it was only a few hundred yards from the works yard, well as we are walking by we spot bertie putting rubbish in the bins the next thing I know we are in the pub listening to bertie tell his tales off paradise, we sold him our new shuvvles and stayed in the pub all day, big mcgurk who was with me he could sell sand to the Arabs, well he sold bertie these shiny bran new shuvvles, I'll tell you we had a bit off explaining to do when we returned to the yard half pissed and shuvvleless, lucky enough the store man was a big Tim and when we told we had sold them to bertie he just pissed himself laughing. Thoughts are with bertie and his family god bless
 
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