The LOTW Diary- Tuesday

Snoogle Boogle

Fancy a game of Snoggle boogle? Don’t know what it is but the Nordic ones in the 1997/98 championship winning side, who are guaranteed legendary status and a pint in Celtic minded pubs for the rest of their lives, seemed to have a few snoogle boogle nights at chez Reiper.

Well that’s what Tom Boyd and Judas Burley christened the nights anyway. While all the rest of the lads led by chief goon goalie Gould were peshed up, sticking their heids in railings and toy fighting in the street the Scandinavian members of the squad where, ahem, being civilised playing board games etc. Bolloxs.

Anyone that has meet Scandinavians on holiday will know that a game of snoggle booggle would be a lot more interesting than probably watching Gould making an arse of himself of the park instead of on it.

George Burleys Nephew is a two faced twat.

One thing aboot that program that made ma blood boil was seeing Craig Burley talking fondly aboot the hoops- he disnae make ma blood boil as much as Ian Wright does right enough. His misty eyed recounting of the memory of the only season he won anything in a career cut short through pure laziness and greed.

Now this is a guy who has made his meeja career take off by being anti Celtic. A typical ex-hoop who decides to join the devils disciples. He joins the long list of ex-hoops who have soiled the jersey by taking the fourth estates money and leave all rational thoughts of balanced reporting behind.

Burley left Celtic under difficult circumstances made all the sweeter by a handsome pay off, which for someone so ugly was not deserved. The guys he has the beef wie are no longer involved at CP. But he still carries a chip the size of a morris piper on his shoulder and is hell bent on continuing his personal vendetta against the Hoops.

Nae wonder he wasn’t invited to the snoogle boogle nights. The Scandinavians are smarter than yer average bear and probably saw he was a twat.

Harald The mild mannered Accountant.

Now, I came to the conclusion that Scandinavians were smarter than the average bear after an encounter wie Harald Brattback. Hararld attended a local supporters club dance in the days when the players were forced to attend them, something, which the Celtic minded St Martin’s regime stopped enforcing.

I mean talk to a young pup nowadays and tell them the players you have met at these functions and they will think you were of yer heids on the tonic wine for the whole of yer yoof. Well, maybe I was but…

Harald was doing a wee speech after presenting the supporter of the year trophies and that. After going through the usual player stereotypical speech- big club, pleasure to play at CP, great fans etc- he came oot with a bold prediction.

He said that he would score the goal that would win us the league.

Now looking back, he probably didnae mean it. He was just following the fitbawers code of spoon-feeding the fans. But when that goal went in it didnae stop me telling all in-sundry aboot the prediction long, long long into the night.

Cherrio To Ten In A Row.

Apart from scoring that goal and proving himself to be some sort of white witch Harald and the team will always have legendary status, which looking at the squad is quite funny. David Hannah and Darren Jackson Celtic legends eh?

No matter the merits of the player’s abilities all members of that squad deserve that accolade as they probably stopped this club becoming a Hibs or Hearts. How much damage would have been done if they would have got that figure. The term sleeping giant is used to often in fitbaw but if Harald hadn’t scored that goal we could have sunk. A Man City to a United or an Everton to a Liverpool.

Wonder how many fickle home glory hunters consumers would pollute the seats at CP if that was the case?

Again, when you look at the squad it’s amazing that we ever got away wie it. The squads of the two clubs at the time were like chalk and cheese wie ours being made up of a bunch of vagabonds but I think the fact that we did proves that as a club we are somewhat blessed in those situations.

Centenary season is another blessed situation when again with a no bad side we stopped the money-laundering juggernaut from Govan cause it was written that we were going to do it. 10 in a row? Nae chance oor history and heritage won’t allow it to happen so a group of average players became blessed as is the Celtic way when faced wie the underdog tag.

A know it’s a view that others sneer at. The mythical magic line that we spin is in the cold light of day easy to blowholes in. I mean it’s a game of chance, a game at the wim of market forces and now overpaid players.

But, a wee look back at oor history makes us think different. Never been ones to do things the easy way and we have had a knack of in the face of massive odds pulling oot a result no matter who or what is against us.

This season we have had the blessed penalty save against Man Utd, the only time since I have seen CP go as mental as when Harald scored.

Nostalgia does make you go misty eyed and see things almost in an unreal light. Rubbish games are consigned to the bins and only memories of the victories remain. No one remembers the crap we watch at times during the 97/98 season. We just remember the ending.

Nostalgia also makes you take leave of yer senses and think that other giant killing and footnotes in the history of oor club is just round the corner. That’s why no matter oor form, lack of balance in the midfield, lack of goals from strikers and inability of oor manager to find a solution and a strongest 11 still we believe that we can overcome the economics of the European game.

But then that’s just Celtic…..

Forza the Misty eyed Hoops who are looking back in hope of going forward…..