20 Questions – Week 2

 

CeltsAreHere.com ’20 Questions’ puts normal Celtic fans in the hot seat and quizzes them about all things Celtic!

This week it’s @__gally turn!

 

First 10 questions are simple Yes/No questions. 

 

Twitter Handle:   @__gally

1. Are you a season ticket holder?   No

2. Do the board take fans for granted?  At times, yes. (elaborated I know)

3. Are the Green Brigade essential to Celtic Park?    Yes

4. Will Neil Lennon still be manager in 5 years time?      No

5. Should Celtic have done more in the last transfer window?    No

6. Do you miss games against the now defunct Rangers?      Yes

7. Are the club moving in the right direction?   Yes

8. Do you believe Celtic will win a European Trophy in your lifetime?    Yes

9. Do you buy tabloids?    No

10. Are we good enough to get to the last 16?    Yes

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11. What is your favourite Celtic memory? 

There has been so many, but the Uefa Cup run, culminating in ‘Seville’ was by far the most memorable. What a special special time to be a Celtic fan or even a true Scottish Football fan. It gave to us younger generation something we had never ever experienced before. I still remember the two pubs in my local village having a Seville night, with food and the football on. Beach balls, sombreros etc etc. It was just a magical day/night.

I watched it in my friend’s bedroom with 4 other Celtic fans, more so because we had watched nearly every game up until Seville there. There was crazy celebrations (thanks Henke) and of course tears, but what an experience. What a game! I only wish I was a tad older and got the chance to go with my oldest Brother over their to experience it. Did the result really matter? Of course it did, but we achieved something not even the manager or players thought was possible at the start of that season. We put Celtic, again, properly on the football map and gave the fans a night that literally they will never ever forget. Thanks, Martin.

12. Do you remember your first game?       

Yes, like it was yesterday. 2-2 against Aberdeen at home. Atmosphere was immense, cold night sitting on some terracing with a scarf round me, standing with my Dad and my Uncle. Sadly me nor my Dad can remember the date. I’m sure someone will help me out with that one, the 90s at some point, early 90s if I remember correctly.

13. Who is the worst player you have personally seen at Celtic?    

We have seen our fair share of bad players, great fun to look back I must say. Plenty have promised so much and delivered so little. Many were never given the time.

The name always comes up and I’m going to go with Rafael Scheidt, more so because it was in my era of watching Celtic. No doubt there has been worse in years gone passed.

I think the money we paid made things even worse for him. If we were talking a million pounds and the guy was having a bit of a mare then fair enough but his manager had created the biggest stick for his back by paying five million pounds, after watching some videos! The pace of the game is Scotland is 100mph until you tire, it always has been. These days at Celtic Park and sometimes away against decent teams we do play calm football, in most cases though, domestically it’s still very very frantic.

A Brazilian defender, coming straight out of South America to Scotland was always going to struggle unless he was an exceptional talent of course.

14. Who is the best player you have personally seen at Celtic?   

Personally? Henrik Larsson. Head and shoulders above anyone else I’ve seen play at Celtic park. Movement, touch and awareness of a genuine world class striker and player in general. An incredibly intelligent footballer and I have no embarrassment in saying up there with the best that ever played when it comes to reading the game.

A part of me feels a bit of sadness inside that he never made the move to another big club earlier in his career, watching him take apart Porto in Seville and come out on the losing side, made me realise he deserved a Euro trophy at the very least to match his stupendous talent. In saying that, when he did make those moves to United and Barca he never once looked out of place and in turn won an Epl and Champions League. I remember both managers making a special mention about him after winning each respective Trophy.

Like Mr Johnstone and many other great players, he never be forgotten. A true Celtic legend.

15. Name your own personal Celtic starting XI.

I will give the XI I was lucky enough to watch/see in my time watching Celtic, it would be disrespectful to the senior Celtic legends in my opinion

Arthur Boruc: We struggled for a solid keeper for years, Mr Douglas gave me nightmares, genuinely. David Marshall was something special and his youth was his strength. Sadly once Arthur was given the chance there was no getting it back. He gave us a great 5 years, some of the saves he made for us were truly world class, he was world class for quite a period, courting Arsenal etc to look at him.
5 years he gave us, and for the most part he was consistently brilliant. Sadly a lot of people remember his errors toward the end of his Celtic career.

Dianbobo Balde: A monster on the pitch, raw, aggressive and an out and out no nonsense CB. I still remember him coming out the wilderness to pay against Dundee United at Christmas. Best player on the park by a mile that day. I would have him in my squad any day of the week.

Johan Mjallby: Just like Balde, he was no nonsense, the exact reason Mon bought these players. No interest in ball playing CBs. He would have ran through a brick wall for his manager and more than deserves his current play in the backroom staff.

Tosh Mckinlay: Still the best crosser of a ball I had the pleasure of seeing, his work rate reminds me of Emilio (although off form he works so hard) Celtic were very lucky to have a quality full back like Tosh at the time. The service he gave Pierre was priceless.

Jackie McNamara: Consummate professional, a stalwart and at times very underrated. Again no one worked as hard as he did in a game. Ran till the legs came off him and technically superb. A fullback you would love to have these days.

Andreas Thom: Literally my idol at the time as a young boy. Such a gifted footballer and at most times, unsung which made him even more appealing.

Paul Lambert: Another stalwart of the Seville run and was at the time, Mr Celtic. Bought as a European cup winner for relative peanuts he went on to become a Celtic legend. I still don’t believe Paul Lambert gets the credit he deserves after what he gave Celtic.

Lubomir Moravcik: This “older” unknown guy from the depths of Europe became one of the best Celtic signings in recent history. One of the most technically gifted players I’ve witnessed playing at Celtic Park, past or present. Like Henrik, he was head an shoulders above the football intelligence levels of other players. Manipulating the ball like we had never seen before. Ironically we still miss a “Lubo” type player. Maybe one day we’ll have another.

Paolo Di Canio: One season you say? There is a reason for that, his talent far surpassed Scottish Football. Another live wire and part of the 3 amigos, Di Canio was always going to be a handful but what a player. Another one of those players that looked on a different level to players around him and players beside him. Like Cadete, Di Canio could have been a true Celtic great.

Henrik Larsson: See the above question for my opinion on Henrik. There are literally no adjectives left to describe his footballing talents. I really hope to see him back with us coaching at some point in the near future.

Jorge Cadete: Another idol I grew up with. An out and out goalscorer. The old cliché of “he knew where the goals were” couldn’t be more apt. 1 on 1 with a keeper you would put every penny on him scoring. I was very lucky to see him play. I only wish he was with us for longer, a true legend in the making, his attitude and adjustment issues stopped him being a bigger success in my opinion. Sadly we ended up with some guy called Henrik Larsson…

 

16. Neil Lennon or Martin O’Neill? And why?

Neil in still very young and at the start of his managerial career, he has a long way to go to go to match Martin. Although some including me are resentful of how Martin left us (I’ll touch on that in a bit) but he brought something brilliant to Celtic. He made us worthy of the badge on the jersey and installed a fear into other teams coming to play us.

I was at the 6-2 game, that day will live so long in the memory. It was a day when we realised the tide had turned and we no longer went into games hoping to get a result against Rangers, we went into games with confidence and a focus. Personally I never had confidence in any Glasgow derby, nervous fan always no matter the form.

All told, Europe was also “a success”. I was at the 4-3 Juventus game, yes we went out that year but we went out with masses of pride and a game, just like the 6-2, that will live long in the memory. Those type of games showed how great we could be, especially at home. Ajax away, the Seville run that took over our lives and no fan will forget. You never realise how lucky you are during those good times.

He gave me so so many good times as a Celtic fan, as has Neil, especially in Europe. The league and cup wins were still so so special everytime. Henrik on fire and the whole team brimming with quality at times. It was a great time. I was very lucky to see it at an age where I could take it all in.

I should note, as per the earlier comment, some resentment is still held towards Martin. He left us with an ageing squad that needed heavy rebuilding and some big contracts. People forget it took us years to get back to where we wanted to be, ironically we partially have Neil to thank for that, alongside our scouts board and great fans.

17. How do you get your daily dose of Celtic news? 

Nowadays, twitter. Once you sift through some of the nonsense and rumours (avoid during transfer windows) it’s a great source of the truth.

Years ago it was simply the back page of The Sun, mostly. In hindsight you now see how the PR machine works and how stories can simply be fabricated and twisted through innocent quotes. Back page sensationalism with zero actual substance inside. It became very tiresome.

18. What do you make of some season ticket holders needing to be move seats to accommodate Uefa and their sponsors on European nights?

I do believe they are told when they buy their tickets that this is the case? It’s very harsh but we can’t have it all ways. These sponsors are the people who pay us the riches that we wax lyrical about. Easy for me to say but it’s a very small price to pay, when it puts some fifteen million pounds plus into our club.
It is a tad galling when you realise either, another fan has your seat, or worse, no one!

19. What do you make of Peter Lawwell’s appointment to the SFA Board?

He is a great appointment for the SFA and Scottish football. Barring what some conspiracy theorists think, he really can develop Scottish Football. The contacts and ideas, a business brain and generally a clever man can only be good for all clubs in Scotland. It’s not like we are run superbly well at the moment!

It also means we again have someone on the board. What that means I don’t know but it’s better than being on the outside looking in.

20. Do you think Celtic will ever leave Scottish football? If Yes, to where?

Another very good question. One i’m really not sure about. I believe England would love Celtic, or the idea anyway. Sadly I just don’t see how it would work whiteout starting lower down the leagues and personally I don’t want that. I want Scottish football to prosper and it would be great without one team winning it every year but I like success, I like having a go at the champions league and playing the cream of Europe. By the same token, I would simply love to sit down and see Celtic appear on Match of The Day. Mixing it in, “The greatest league in the world” week in week out would be something special.

AT the same time and for the time being, I believe our club should be giving back to Scottish Football. By that I mean sharing the wealth (to a certain extent). Scottish Football, I use the term loosely, has been very good to us through the years.

The redistribution of money this year/last year for example has been great for some clubs and  for one are happy for Celtic to receive less, whilst spreading it further. £50,000 can give some lower league teams breathing space for years! If I remember correctly we earned other clubs in Scotland money for getting to the last 16? That makes me happy as a Scottish Football fan.

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