Celtic F.C.

Celtic Football Club, commonly referred to simply as Celtic (pronounced 'seltic') or 'the Bhoys' (pronounced 'b-hoys'), are one of the world's most famous football clubs. Based in the Scottish city of Glasgow, the club is officially nicknamed the Bhoys, or unofficially the Hoops.

History

The Early Days and Brother Walfrid

Celtic Football Club was formally constituted at a meeting in St. Mary's church hall in East Rose Street (now Forbes Street), Calton, Glasgow, by Marist Brother Walfrid on November 6, 1887, with the purpose stated in the official club records as "being to alleviate poverty in Glasgow's East End parishes".

Related Topics:
Marist - Brother Walfrid - November 6 - 1887

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The charity established by Brother Walfrid was named 'The Poor Children's Dinner Table'.

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Walfrid's move to establish the club as a means of fund raising was largely inspired by the example of Hibernian who were formed out of the immigrant Irish population a few years earlier in Edinburgh. Walfrid's own suggestion of the name 'Celtic' (pronounced Seltic), was intended to reflect the club's Irish and Scottish roots, and was adopted at the same meeting.

Related Topics:
Hibernian - Edinburgh

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On May 28, 1888, Celtic played their first official match against Rangers and won 5-2 in what was described as a "friendly encounter".

Related Topics:
May 28 - 1888

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The Willie Maley Years

Under their first manager, Willie Maley, the club won 30 major trophies in 43 years. He guided Celtic to six straight league title wins from 1904-1910, a Scottish record that stood for over sixty years, until 1971, when it was equalled (then surpassed) by Jock Stein's Celtic side. In 1939, Celtic also defeated Everton of England 1–0 at Ibrox Stadium to claim the Empire Exhibition Trophy, which, along with the Coronation Cup (won in 1953), is amongst the most highly-regarded by the club's supporters, due to its unique status as a one-off competition.

Related Topics:
Willie Maley - 1904 - 1910 - 1971 - Jock Stein - 1939 - Everton - England - Ibrox Stadium - Coronation Cup - 1953

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Maley's tenure was also marked by tragedy, when goalkeeper John Thomson (footballer) was killed during an Old Firm encounter in September 1931. Thomson dived in typically brave fashion at the feet of Rangers player Sam English, suffering a skull fracture and subsequently dying in hospital that evening.

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McStay's Short Reign

Former player Jimmy McStay became manager of the club during the War years of 1940-1945. However, no official competitive league football took place during this time, and McStay was seen as something of an interim manger.

Related Topics:
1940 - 1945

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McGrory and the Coronation Cup

Ex-player and captain Jimmy McGrory took over in 1945. Under McGrory, Celtic defeated Arsenal, Manchester United and Hibernian to win the Coronation Cup (football), a one-off tournament held in May 1953 to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

Related Topics:
Jimmy McGrory - 1945 - Arsenal - Manchester United - Hibernian - Coronation Cup (football) - May - 1953 - Queen Elizabeth II

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Hampden in the Sun

On October 19, 1957, Celtic trounced Rangers a record 7–1 in the final of the Scottish League Cup at Hampden Park in Glasgow, retaining the trophy they had won for only the first time the previous year.

Related Topics:
October 19 - 1957 - Rangers

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Stein and European Glory

Jock Stein succeeded McGrory in 1965. A former player and team captain, Stein gained most of his fame as Celtic's manager, and is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest football managers in the history of the game. He guided Celtic to nine straight Scottish League wins from 1966 to 1974 — a Scottish record, which was not equalled until 1997.

Related Topics:
Jock Stein - 1965 - 1966 - 1974 - 1997

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The Lisbon Lions

1967 was to be Celtic's best ever year. The club won every competition they entered: the Scottish League, the Scottish Cup, the Scottish League Cup, the Glasgow Cup, and the European Cup. Under the leadership of Stein, and captained by Billy McNeill, the club defeated Inter Milan 2–1 at the Estádio Nacional in Lisbon, Portugal on May 25, 1967. The 11 players who walked on to the pitch that day and made history subsequently became known as 'The Lisbon Lions'. Jimmy 'Jinky' Johnstone, Bobby Lennox and Bobby Murdoch formed part of that famous team, and now rank amongst the greatest ever Celtic players. The entire east stand at Celtic Park is dedicated to The Lisbon Lions.

Related Topics:
1967 - Scottish League - Scottish Cup - Scottish League Cup - Glasgow Cup - European Cup - Billy McNeill - Inter Milan - Estádio Nacional - Lisbon - Portugal - May 25 - The Lisbon Lions - Jimmy 'Jinky' Johnstone - Bobby Lennox - Bobby Murdoch - Celtic Park

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Celtic reached the European Cup Final again in 1970, but were beaten 2–1 by Feyenoord in the San Siro Stadium, Milan.

Related Topics:
European Cup - 1970 - Feyenoord - San Siro - Milan

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Cesar takes over

Billy McNeill, the former player and captain of The Lisbon Lions, took over as manager in August 1978 and snatched the league title from Rangers in the final game of the season, notching up a 4-2 win. McNeill led Celtic to another two league titles in 1981 and 1982, along with the League Cup (also in 1982) and the Scottish Cup in 1980. However, the lack of European success and a dispute over transfer funds meant that the former hero's stay as manager was short-lived. He departed the club in 1983, although he would return in 1987 to mastermind a League and Scottish Cup double in their centenary season.

Related Topics:
Billy McNeill - The Lisbon Lions - August - 1978

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Davie Hay and broken Hearts

Another former player David Hay took over from McNeill in July 1983, but it would be two years before Celtic would see success. In 1985 Celtic overturned a 1-0 deficit at half-time in the centenary final of the Scottish Cup to defeat Dundee United 2-1, thanks to a virtuoso free-kick from Davie Provan and a diving header from Frank McGarvey. The following year, Celtic clinched the league title on the last day of the season under the most improbable of circumstances and entirely against all the odds. In order to clinch the title, Celtic were required to win their final game by a margin of five goals or more against St. Mirren, and hope Hearts would lose to Dundee. Hearts contrived to lose their match 2-0, while Celtic notched up an incredible 5-0 victory and sealed a memorable league title at St. Mirren Park on Love Street in Paisley. Hay left the club the following season, and was replaced by returning legend Billy McNeill at the board's behest.

Related Topics:
David Hay - July - 1983 - St. Mirren - Hearts - Dundee

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The Return of Cesar

When Billy McNeill returned to manage the club in 1987, Celtic embarked on a phenomenal 31-game unbeaten run, culminating in a historic League Championship and Scottish Cup double win in the club's centenary season, but the successes were followed by a dismal performance in the league the following season, along with a 5-1 defeat by Rangers, and McNeill eventually left the club for the last time in 1991.

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Liam Brady, Neuchatel Xamax and Lou Macari

Liam Brady took charge of Celtic shortly after McNeill departed and became only the eighth manager in over 100 years, but the first to have not previously been a player at the club. Despite his credentials as a player with Arsenal and the Republic of Ireland, he failed to bring any measure of success to the club in a managerial capacity, and on October 22, 1991, in the first leg of an away UEFA Cup encounter against Swiss minnows Neuchatel Xamax, Celtic lost 5-1, notching up one of the worst European defeats in the club's history. In the return leg at Celtic Park, they could only manage a 1-0 victory and crashed out of the tournament 5-2 on aggregate. Coupled with a defeat against Airdrie in the CIS Cup a few weeks earlier, Brady soon departed, and the so-called "barren years" at the club continued under the new manager, another former player, Lou Macari.

Related Topics:
Liam Brady - Arsenal - Republic of Ireland - October 22 - 1991 - UEFA Cup - Neuchatel Xamax - Lou Macari

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The Fergus McCann era

The Bank of Scotland informed Celtic that it was calling in the receivers on Thursday 3 March 1994 as a result of exceeding a £5million overdraft. However, expatriate businessman, Fergus McCann, wrestled control of the club, and ousted the family dynasties which had controlled Celtic since its foundation. According to media reports, Fergus allegedly took over the club some eight minutes before it was finally declared bankrupt.

Related Topics:
Bank of Scotland - March - 1994 - Fergus McCann

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In order to alleviate the club's considerable financial debt, McCann reconstituted Celtic as a public limited company, resulting in one of the most successful share flotations in British financial history. The issue netted £14million towards the refinancing of the club and saw the redevelopment of Celtic Park into a 60,830 all-seater stadium to rival the best in Europe. During this period, Lou Macari was sacked by McCann and replaced amid controversy by former club hero Tommy Burns, who restored the club to a style of fast-paced, exciting football.

Related Topics:
Public limited company - Lou Macari - Tommy Burns

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However, for many of the supporters, the ramifications of the McCann takeover changed Celtic FC forever. Despite this, in recent years the club has remained relatively successful, whilst maintaining a frugal approach to finances.

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Under Burns' leadership, the side managed a Scottish Cup win in 1995, and made credible challenges to Rangers' prolonged league dominance in 1996 and 1997. After the near-miss of 1997, there was a feeling amongst supporters and the board that the club were not capable of mounting a serious challenge to Rangers under Burns, and with just three weeks left of the 1996-1997 season, Burns was sacked, along with the club's entire coaching staff.

Related Topics:
Scottish Cup - 1995 - Rangers - 1996 - 1997

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Wim Jansen

After Burns' dismissal, former Celtic defender Roy Aitken was widely tipped to take over as manager. However, the club's directors made a surprising choice in Dutch coach Wim Jansen, who was to become the first ever foreign head coach appointed to a professional Scottish football team. Furthermore, it was announced that the traditional manager's position at Celtic Park had been abolished, with the responsibilites to be split between the new roles of head coach (Jansen) and general manager. The office of general manager was taken up by former Scottish Television football commentator Jock Brown. Jansen was joined by former Celtic hero Murdo MacLeod as assistant head coach.

Related Topics:
Roy Aitken - Wim Jansen - Jock Brown - Murdo MacLeod

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With a number of new signings (including club legend Henrik Larsson for a fee of £650,000), Celtic won the Scottish League Cup, before overcoming an ageing Rangers side to win the Scottish Premier League title for the first time in almost 10 years (although, a slump late in the season required a final day victory against St. Johnstone at Celtic Park).

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Despite the triumph, the title-winning celebrations soon turned sour when Jansen was refused extra funds to strengthen his squad. He resigned just two days after the club sealed the title, with Brown leaving shortly afterwards.

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Doctor Jo

A number of high-profile names were proffered as the replacement for Jansen - mostly by a bored Scottish media - but the man eventually appointed by the Celtic board was Slovakian Josef Venglos. Many fans were disappointed and angry at the decision, citing Venglos' poor record in charge of English club Aston Villa. Following the embarassment of early exits in the European Cup, UEFA Cup and League Cup (all to comparative minnows), Celtic recovered and challenged for the title until the penultimate game of the season - including a memorable 5-1 victory over Rangers early in the season. However, many fans agreed that the side seemed incapable of realistically challenging Rangers for the title, and a defeat in the Scottish Cup Final only confirmed the team's ongoing lack of progress. Shortly after the end of the season, Venglos resigned, ostensibly on health grounds, but remains a European scout for the club.

Related Topics:
Josef Venglos - Aston Villa

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The Barnes fiasco

The 1999-2000 season is widely considered to be one of the biggest disasters in the club's history. Kenny Dalglish returned to the club to fill the general manager's post (which had been vacant all throughout Venglos' tenure), while the head coach position was filled by former England legend John Barnes.

Related Topics:
Kenny Dalglish - John Barnes

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Many observers were surprised at the appointment of Barnes, and in Dalglish's reluctance to take on the role for himself, especially given his own relatively successful managerial record and Barnes' totally unproven pedigree as a first team coach. Barnes had never managed a professional club, and the fans' worst fears were realised when Celtic's title challenge drastically faltered shortly after the winter break. Following a series of poor results - including elimination from the UEFA cup and a horrific leg-break in Lyon for Henrik Larsson - Rangers dramatically increased their lead at the top of the SPL table and demands for Barnes to be sacked commenced.

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On Tuesday, February 8, 2000, Celtic hosted a rearranged Scottish Cup tie at home to Inverness Caledonian Thistle (the original match had been postponed due to guttering on the roof of Celtic Park breaking loose during an early afternoon storm). Caley Thistle were a struggling First Division side who had only been participating in the Scottish Football League since 1994. A lengthy protest by fans against Barnes was held before the match, which was widely predicted to be an easy victory for Celtic. However, Caley Thistle won the match 3-1 in what has subsequently been described as one of the biggest Scottish Cup upsets ever. Following the match, Barnes informed the media that he was satisfied with the side's performance, and believed they had simply been unlucky. The memorable headline in The Sun newspaper the following day, attributed to a junior sub-editor read: "Super Caley Go Ballistic, Celtic Are Atrocious". Few observers were surprised when Barnes was sacked two days later.

Related Topics:
February 8 - 2000 - Inverness Caledonian Thistle - 1994 - The Sun

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Kenny Dalglish took over as head coach until the end of the 1999-2000 season, and brought Tommy Burns back to assist him. While Dalglish generally retained the respect of the supporters, Celtic's league form deteriorated further and the club finished 21 points behind Rangers at the end of the season. A League Cup victory over Aberdeen was the only consolation in one of the most embarassing periods of the club's history.

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Saint Martin and Seville

Martin O'Neill, a former European Cup winner with Nottingham Forest, from Kilkeel in Northern Ireland arrived at the club in the wake of the Barnes and Dalglish fiasco and left an enduring memory which has now attained legendary status amongst the fans. Under his leadership, Celtic won three SPL championships out of five and in his first season in charge, the team also won the domestic treble.

Related Topics:
Martin O'Neill - European Cup - Nottingham Forest - Kilkeel - Northern Ireland

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The 2000-2001 season was additionally memorable largely because of some excellent results against rivals Rangers. A famous 6-2 victory in the opening Old Firm encounter of the season at Celtic Park proved to everyone that the balance of power in Scotland had shifted. The "Demolition Derby", as it became known, was followed by a 5-1 defeat in the subsequent league meeting of the pair at Ibrox. However, two further league victories against Rangers – 1-0 (at Celtic Park) and 3-0 (at Ibrox) – ensured O'Neill's first league title. In the same season, Celtic swept to their first domestic treble since 1969, adding the CIS League Cup and the Scottish Cup to O'Neill's first season haul.

Related Topics:
2000 - 2001 - Ibrox

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Part of Martin O'Neill's success was in returning Celtic into a European force, perhaps at the expense of domestic triumphs. On three ocassions, his Celtic side qualified for the Champions League proper, and on the only occassion they failed to qualify for Europe's biggest club football competition, they went on to reach the final of the UEFA Cup.

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Under O'Neill's leadership, Celtic Park became a fortess in domestic and European competition. Teams such as Juventus, Porto, Valencia, and Barcelona all visited Glasgow to face Celtic and returned home defeated. Celtic also commenced an unbeaten run of 77 home matches, which spanned from 2001 to 2004 and notched up an SPL record for the most consecutive run of wins in a single season.

Related Topics:
Juventus - Porto - Valencia - Barcelona - 2001 - 2004

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In 2003, thousands of Celtic fans travelled to watch the club compete in the UEFA Cup final in the city of Seville in southern Spain. Celtic lost the match 3–2 to F.C. Porto after extra time, despite two world class goals from Henrik Larsson during normal play. Celtic's cause was not helped by the booking of Alan Thompson early in the match, and the late sending off of defender Bobo Balde. Additionally, many observers believed that Porto spent much of the game deliberately time-wasting and play-acting, especially after their third goal in the second period of extra-time. However, there was some consolation as the exemplary conduct of the more than 80,000 travelling Celtic supporters received widespread praise from the people of Seville and the fans were awarded prestigious Fair Play Awards from both FIFA and UEFA.

Related Topics:
2003 - UEFA Cup - Seville - Spain - F.C. Porto - Henrik Larsson - Bobo Balde - FIFA - UEFA

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In 2004 Celtic continued to prosper in the UEFA Cup by reaching the quarter-finals but lost to the Spanish side Villarreal (3–1 on aggregate).

Related Topics:
2004 - UEFA Cup - Villarreal

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