Celtic F.C.

Celtic F.C.

File:Celtic FC logo.png
Full name	The Celtic Football and Athletic Club
Nickname(s)	The Bhoys - pronounced "bh-oys"
Founded	1888
Ground	Celtic Park, Glasgow, Scotland
Capacity	60,830
Chairman	Brian Quinn
Manager	Gordon Strachan
League	Scottish Premier League
2004-05	Scottish Premier League, 2nd
Home colours Away colours

Celtic Football Club, commonly referred to simply as Celtic (pronounced 'sel-tic') or 'the Bhoys', 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. Together with their city rivals Rangers, they have dominated Scottish football for over 100 years as part of the Old Firm, forming one of the most famous and bitter rivalries in sport.

Celtic's home kit is green and white hooped jerseys, white shorts and white socks (although it is also not uncommon for them to wear green and white hooped socks). The club play their home matches at the 60,830 all-seater stadium Celtic Park in the east end of Glasgow, which is widely regarded as one of the most famous stadia in Europe.

In 1967, the club became the first British team to win the European Cup, which had previously been in the preserve of Italian, Portuguese and Spanish clubs. Prior to Celtic's historic win, no other club in Northern Europe had reached the final of the tournament and emerged successful. Additionally, Celtic remain the only Scottish club ever to have reached the final, and are the only club ever to win the trophy with a team comprised entirely of home-grown talent; all of the players in the side being Scottish in origin, and all born within a 30-mile radius of Celtic Park in Glasgow.

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". The charity established by Brother Walfrid was named 'The Poor Children's Dinner Table'. Walfrid's move to establish the club as a means of fund raising was largely inspired by the example of Hibernian F.C. 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.

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

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 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.

Maley's tenure was also marked by tragedy, when goalkeeper John Thomson 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.

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.

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, a one-off tournament held in May 1953 to commemorate the coronation of Elizabeth II.

Hampden in the Sun

On 19 October, 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.

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.

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 Estadio Nacional in Lisbon, Portugal on 25 May 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.

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

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 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.

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 win their final game by a margin of five goals or more against St. Mirren, and hope Hearts would lose to Dundee. The Jambos contrived to lose 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.

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 it was 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 final time in 1991.

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 22 October 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.

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, but 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.

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 to rival the best stadia in Europe. During this period, Lou Macari was sacked by McCann and replaced amid controversy by former club hero Tommy Burns, who returned the club to a style of fast-paced, exciting football.

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 also maintaining a frugal approach to finances.

Under Burns' leadership, the side managed a Scottish Cup win in 1995, and made credible challenges to Rangers' prolonged 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 within three weeks of the end of the 1996-1997 season, Burns was sacked, along with the club's entire coaching staff.

Wim Jansen

After Burns' sacking, 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.

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 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).

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.

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.

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's position was filled by former England legend John Barnes.

Many observers were surprised at the appointment and in Dalglish's reluctance to take on the role for himself, especially given his 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.

On Tuesday, February 8 2000, Celtic hosted a rearranged Scottish Cup tie at home to Inverness Caledonian Thistle (the 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, to the shock of all, Caley Thistle won the match 3-1 in what has been described as the biggest Scottish Cup upset ever. Following the match, Barnes informed the media that he was satisfied with the side's performance, and believed they had simply been unlucky. Few observers were surprised when Barnes was sacked two days later. The only good to come of this day was the legendary headline in the Daily Record "Super Calley Go Balistic, Celtic Are Atrocious"

Kenny Dalglish took over as head coach until the end of the 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.

Saint Martin and Seville

Martin O'Neill arrived at the club in the wake of the Barnes and Dalglish fiasco, but left an enduring memory with the club which has now attained legendary status amongst the fans. Under O'Neill's leadership, Celtic won three SPL league championships out of five, and in his first season in charge, Celtic won the domestic treble. The 2000-2001 season was additionally memorable for Celtic fans, having also included some varied results against the club's rivals Rangers, among which were a famous 6-2 victory in the opening Old Firm encounter of the season at Celtic Park, and a 5-1 defeat in the subsequent match at Ibrox.

In 2003, thousands of Celtic fans travelled to watch the club compete in the UEFA Cup final in Seville, in southern Spain, where they lost 3–2 to Porto in extra time, despite two world-class goals in normal time from Henrik Larsson. However, the exemplary conduct of the 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.

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

Celtic and the Media

Celtic's relationship with the Scottish media has always been a difficult one, with the club and its fans often labelled as paraniod, often needlessly attributing conspiracies against the club where allegedly none exist. Celtic fans are often critical of the perceived media bias in the reporting of negative stories about the club, whilst the failings of the club's biggest rivals, Rangers, often appear to be underplayed or ignored. Celtic's history is littered with instances of persecution by the Scottish Football Association, which has been compounded by the relentless Scottish media agenda to sell newspapers and advertising space off the back of paying Celtic fans.

Celtic have always attempted to engage directly with the fans and bypass the traditional media outlets as a method of communicating accurate information to the outside world about the inner workings of the club. When Jock Stein took over as Celtic manager, he instigated an era of what subsequently became known as the "tracksuit manager", where he trained publicly with the playing staff, hosted media/press conferences and instituted the UK's first ever regular football club newspaper to be produced directly by the club itself, The Celtic View.

The Anti-Celtic Agenda

Whilst often a result of obvious misfortune, the instances where Celtic have been denied crucial victories or opportunities to advance in local and international competition are well documented.

Below are a small list of some examples:

• 1996 - prolific goal-scorer Jorge Cadete's SFA registration papers were deliberately held back by SFA chairman Jim Farry, resulting in a sequence of below-par results for the team during the period when Cadete was ineligible to play. Rangers went on to win a league and cup double, with Celtic losing only one match all season. Farry was later found guilty of misconduct and was sacked by the SFA. Celtic recieved just £50,000 in compensation.

Recent Achievements

2004-2005 and the last day upset

In 2004-2005, Celtic finished last in their group in the Champions League, knocking the club out of European competition (a third-place Champions League group finish would have parachuted Celtic into the UEFA Cup). Following a nerve-wracking race for the SPL title, with Rangers closely following, the club extended their lead at the top of the SPL table to two points as they lined up for the final game of the season, with only a win at Motherwell required to seal the title. With two minutes remaining on the clock, Celtic were leading 1–0 — a result which would have handed them the crown. However, Motherwell's Scott McDonald, a Celtic supporter himself, netted two last-minute goals and handed the Fir Park side a stunning victory. Subsequently, Rangers defeated Hibernian 1–0 away from home to pip Celtic for the title.

Despite the disappointment, Celtic ended the season one week later with a 1–0 win over Dundee United in the Scottish Cup Final, which was marked by fans as Martin O'Neill's final match as manager.

O'Neill leaves

On 25 May 2005, O'Neill announced that he would resign as manager of Celtic at the end of 2004/05 season, along with first team coach Steve Walford and assistant manager John Robertson. It was widely reported that O'Neill decided to take time out of football in order to care for his ailing wife Geraldine, who is currently battling lymphoma.

The Strachan Era and Bratislava

Former Aberdeen FC hero and Scotland international Gordon Strachan from Edinburgh took charge of the club on June 1 2005 on a 12-month rolling contract, similar to O'Neill's arrangement with the club; his contract effectively extending for one calendar year from any current date. Garry Pendrey was appointed as Strachan's assistant manager.

In his first competitive match in charge of the club against Artmedia Bratislava on 27 July 2005, Celtic lost 5-0 in the first leg of an important Champions League 2nd Round qualifier, suffering the worst single European defeat in the club's history and the biggest goal margin defeat since the 1963-64 season, when the club lost 6-0 to Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.

In Strachan's first domestic match of the 2005-2006 SPL season, Celtic relinquished a 3-1 half-time lead over Motherwell at Fir Park on 30 July 2005, then struggled to equalise in injury time when Motherwell almost notched up a 4-3 victory. The game ended in a 4-4 draw, thanks to a late strike from Craig Beattie.

The nine goals against Celtic in Strachan's first two competitive matches is the biggest goal tally scored against the club in succesive matches in 14 years.

In the return leg of the Champions League 2nd Round qualifier against Artmedia at Celtic Park, Strachan's vastly improved side notched up four goals without reply, but failed to gain the fifth goal that would have taken the match into extra-time, and subsequently, Celtic exited the season's competitive European football.

Club Records

• The Scottish Cup final win against Aberdeen FC in 1938 was attended by a crowd of 146,433 at Hampden Park in Glasgow, which remains a record for a club match in European football.
• Celtic currently hold the UK record for an unbeaten run in professional football: 62 games (49 won, 13 drawn), from November 13, 1915 until April 21, 1917- a total of 17 months and four days in all (they lost at home to Kilmarnock on the last day of the season).
• Celtic also hold the SPL record for an unbeaten run of 77 home matches, spanning from 2001 to 2004 and the record for the longest run of consecutive wins in a single season.
• Record Victory: 11-0, against Dundee in 1895.
• Record defeat: 0-8 against Motherwell in 1937.
• Record European defeat: 0-5 against FC Artmedia Petržalka on 27 July 2005.
• Record points earned in a season: 72 (Premier Division, 1987/88, 2 points for a Win); 103 (Scottish Premier League, 2001/02, 3 points for a win), which is also the SPL points tally record.
• Record home attendance: 92,000 against Rangers in 1938.
• Most Capped Player: 80, Pat Bonner: Republic of Ireland
• Most Scotland Caps: 76, Paul McStay.
• Record Appearances: Billy McNeill, 486 from 1957-75.
• Most goals in a season: Jimmy McGrory, 50.
• Record scorer: Jimmy McGrory, 550.
• First British club to reach the final of the European Cup.
• First British and northern European club to win the European Cup.
• Only club to have won the European Cup with a team comprised entirely of home-grown talent.

Honours

• European Champions Cup (1): 1967.
• Scottish League Champions (39): 1893, 1894, 1896, 1898, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1919, 1922, 1926, 1936, 1938, 1954, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004.
• Scottish Cup (33): 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 (12): 1957, 1958, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1975, 1983, 1998, 2000, 2001.
• Drybrough Cup: 1974.
• Tennents' Sixes: 1992.
• Coronation Cup: 1953.
• Scottish league commemorative sheild: 1904/05 1909/10
• Empire Exhibition Trophy: 1938
• Victory In Europe Cup: 1945
• Saint Mungo Cup: 1951

All time scorers

Top 10 all time goal-scorers (including, League, Scottish Cup, League Cup and European goals):

1. Jimmy McGrory - 470
2. Bobby Lennox - 273
3. Henrik Larsson - 235
4. Stevie Chalmers - 232
5. Jimmy Quinn - 217
6. Patsy Gallacher - 192
7. John Hughes - 188
8. Sandy McMahon - 177
9. Jimmy McMenemy - 168
10. Kenny Dalglish - 167

Top 10 League goal-scorers:

1. Jimmy McGrory- 397
2. Jimmy Quinn - 187
3. Patsy Gallacher - 186
4. Henrik Larsson - 170
5. Bobby Lennox - 167
6. Stevie Chalmers - 159
7. Jimmy McMenemy - 144
8. Sandy McMahon - 130
9. Adam McLean - 128
10. John Hughes - 115

Current Squad

Goalkeepers

David Marshall
Artur Boruc	Polish
Michael McGovern	Northern Irish

Defenders

John Kennedy
Scott Cuthbert
Paul Lawson
Bobo Balde	Guinean
Stanislav Varga	Slovak
Mohammed Camara	Guinean
Adam Virgo
Paul Telfer
Didier Agathe
Stephen McManus
Du Wei	Chinese

Midfielders

Neil Lennon	Northern Irish
Stilian Petrov	Bulgarian
Shunsuke Nakamura
Ross Wallace
Stephen Pearson
Alan Thompson	English
Aiden McGeady	Irish
Theodor Elmar Bjarnason	Icelandic

Strikers

John Hartson	Welsh
Chris Sutton	English
Shaun Maloney
Maciej Zurawski	Polish
Craig Beattie

Celtic Managers

• Willie Maley (1897-1940)
• Jimmy McStay (1940-1945)
• Jimmy McGrory (1945-1965)
• Jock Stein (1965-1978)
• Billy McNeill (1978-1983)
• David Hay (1983-1987)
• Billy McNeill (1987-1991)
• Liam Brady (1991-1993)
• Lou Macari (1993-1994)
• Tommy Burns (1994-1997)
• Wim Jansen (1997-1998)
• Josef Venglos (1998-1999)
• John Barnes (1999-2000)
• Kenny Dalglish (2000)
• Martin O'Neill (2000-2005)
• Gordon Strachan (2005-)

Famous Celts

• Roy Aitken
• Bertie Auld
• Tommy Burns
• Stevie Chalmers
• John Clark
• Dennis Connaghan
• Jim Craig
• Pat Crerand
• Kenny Dalglish
• Charlie Gallacher
• Patsy Gallacher
• Tommy Gemmell
• John Hartson
• David Hay
• Harry Hood
• John Hughes
• Jimmy Johnstone
• Maurice Johnston
• Paul Lambert
• Henrik Larsson
• Neil Lennon
• Bobby Lennox
• Lou Macari
• Willie Maley
• Joe McBride
• Danny McGrain
• Jimmy McGrory
• Billy McNeill
• Paul McStay
• Charlie Nicholas
• Willie O'Neill
• Jimmy Quinn
• Ronnie Simpson
• Jock Stein
• Chris Sutton
• John Thomson
• Charlie Tully
• William Wallace

See also

• Category:Celtic F.C.
• Category:Celtic F.C. footballers

External links

• Official club website
• Celtic Online
• Not the View fanzine
• E-Tims online fanzine
• TalkCeltic
• Erefugees Celtic Forum
• Open Football Celtic
• Glasgow University CSC
• Glasgow Celtic
• Celtic Quick News
• BBC Sport Celtic portal
• Come On The Hoops
• Guardian article on pronounciation of 'Celtic'