Wilson - Celtic: the Official History

Brian Wilson spent eighteen years as Labour MP for Cunninghame North and served in five UK Ministerial capacities. On leaving politics in 2005, he became a Non-Executive Director of Celtic plc. He lives on the Isle of Lewis.

This edition first published in 2017 by

Arena Sport

An Imprint of Birlinn Limited

West Newington House

10 Newington Road

Edinburgh

EH9 1QS

www.arenasportbooks.co.uk

First published in 2013 by

Celtic FC Limited

www.celticfc.net

Copyright 2017 Celtic FC Limited

Apart from any use permitted under UK copyright law, this publication may not be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form, or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publishers or, in the case of reprographic production, in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency.

Plate section images SNS Group, Mirrorpix, Alan Whyte

Reasonable efforts have been made to fulfil requirements with regard to reproducing copyright material.

ISBN: 9781909715370

eBook ISBN: 9780857909312

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Typeset by Polaris Publishing, Edinburgh

Printed in Great Britain by Clays, St Ives

For all who have Celtic in their hearts and hopes

THE SEASON 2016-17 will long be remembered by Celtic supporters everywhere. It was truly historic and well justifies the updating of this Official Celtic History to include the early achievements of Brendan Rodgers, his backroom team and the excellent squad of players.

Celtic must always be judged by three measures success on the field of play, responsible stewardship, and respect for our charitable origins. In all these respects, we are in good shape and the crescendo to last season, coinciding with the Lisbon Lions commemoration, brought all three together in perfect harmony.

When my illustrious predecessor, Jack McGinn, whose company I regularly enjoy at Celtic Park, provided the foreword to the original centenary edition, he wrote that Brian Wilson has quite brilliantly encapsulated the Celtic story into a most readable and interesting book. These words stand today, so please read, enjoy and take pride in the great history of Celtic Football Club.

Ian Bankier
Chairman of Celtic

ALL PREVIOUS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS of advice and assistance apply. Particular mention to Frank Hannaway for statistical section and fact-checking. Thanks to Ronan Wilson for help on this edition. And I pay tribute to an old friend and much missed observer of Scottish football, Glenn Gibbons, whose input to original and first update were invaluable and who passed away in October 2014.

Brian Wilson

IN THE ANNALS of Celtic Football Club, season 2016-17 will long be linked with the name and fame of The Invincibles, the team who went through the entire domestic programme without losing a game while securing only the fourth treble in the 71 years since the advent of the Scottish League Cup made that feat possible. Equally, this memorable season will be recalled as the one in which Brendan Rodgers arrived as manager and promptly transformed both expectations and delivery.

The making of history is an ongoing process and these landmark accomplishments very recent to us will be admired by future generations, just as we now look back with pride on the triumphs of our great teams in the past. Tom Rogics goal which brought it all together in stoppage time at the Scottish Cup Final will be spoken of in decades to come, wherever Celtic supporters reminisce and compare.

Brendan Rodgers came to Celtic with not only an impressive record but also a passion for the club. This helped create an immediate bond with the supporters but it was what transpired on the pitch that clinched the deal. Brendan applies to himself and those around him a simple but constantly challenging demand to be the best you can be. He sets high standards and abides by them rigorous, accessible, respectful and extremely competent. Dermot Desmond pays tribute: What he has achieved is exceptional in developing the team technically, improving the quality of football, raising fitness standards... On top of all that, he signed a four year contract!

Nobody has responded more positively to the Rodgers reign or contributed more to Celtics success than Scott Brown who has been with the club for a full decade, very rare in modern football. He said: For me to come here, to love the club, to enjoy coming in for training day in, day out; to be a treble winner and an Invincible... you cant write that any better. He recalled meeting Gordon Strachan in London to discuss a possible move to Celtic: I was young and nave. For him to start talking about building a team around me and a couple of others was so exciting. Ten years on, Scott has made an immense contribution as player and, for seven seasons, as captain and true leader.

Knowing the history is always important to Celtic supporters but rarely have the past and present of the club overlapped more perfectly than in May 2017. This was the season in which everyone with Celtic in their hearts honoured the greatest single feat in the clubs history winning the European Cup. Magnificent celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of that stunning success including an unforgettable night of entertainment and emotion at Glasgows Hydro Arena with Sir Rod Stewart topping the bill fell in the week which also delivered the triumphant climax to Brendan Rodgers first season at Celtic Park. The choreography of events could hardly have been improved upon.

Time has taken its toll and, on March 2 2017, Tommy Gemmell passed away, as Bobby Murdoch, Ronnie Simpson and Jimmy Johnstone had before him. There was also sadness because that noblest of leaders, Billy McNeill, is now afflicted with cruel and debilitating illness. A statue recognising Billys contribution as player, captain and manager was unveiled at the foot of the Celtic Way on December 19 2015. It is an image which will continue to evoke memories and command respect for generations to come.

The core of this book was written to mark the clubs centenary in 1988. Since then, the whole football environment has been transformed. Huge television royalties have increasingly tipped the balance in favour of major European leagues and the small number of clubs who dominate them. Freedom of movement, ushered in by the Bosman ruling in 1995, revolutionised the transfer market and made it essential for all but the wealthiest clubs to create value through player development and judicious trading. A prerequisite for Celtics current success is that they have become extremely adept at both, the academy set-up producing players such as James Forrest, Callum McGregor and Kieran Tierney with plenty more to come.

Celtic is a highly respected European club with a massive following. Playing in a small league means operating on a tiny budget by comparison with those we come up against at the highest levels. The club is constantly looking for a route out of that enigma but none has yet presented itself. Celtic will continue to be vigilant in exploring any credible option while focusing on the task in hand, which is to maintain a club run to the highest standards, dominant in Scotland and competing effectively in Europe.