The Celtic Underground

Nineteenth season! Let that sink in. 19 seasons most of you have been listenning to this guff. Will you never learn? There are listeners to this podcast who weren’t born when it started. Goodness - there’s even a football club playing in the top flight that didn’t exist when this podcast started.

(You can pick up this podcast for free on this Substack app, apple, amazon, google, spotify or wherever you get your podcast listening.)

The Celtic Underground podcast gets up in the morning, looks in the mirror and thinks “who’s that old bugger looking back at me?” It looks on with a paternal smile as some of the whippersnapper podcasts trumpet their new guest providing “exclusive insight” into an event of days gone by knowing that we interviewed that guy years ago when we both had all our hair and all our marbles. Enough of this maudlin meandering, we’ve got a new season to discuss!

On Sunday 4th August at 4:30pm the proper football returns with Celtic hosting Kilmarnock in our defence of the SPFL Premiership title and as we bid for our 4th title in a row and our 14th in 15 seasons (there’s a gap there but no-one went and no-one witnessed it. If no-one saw it can we even say it happened?).

Having already bagged the pre-season cup (first time in decades) we start our campaign with the possibility of winning up to 4 major trophies. The podcast features Hullbhoy, Ross Hall, Eddie Pearson and Harry Brady. There are obvious concerns about the lack of transfer activity in and the possibility of transfers out, but in general the bhoys are in fine fettle, predicting great days ahead.

Oh and for our brand new listener in Cambodia…can’t wait to hear of your tales of advanture!

It’s season 2024-25. It’s CUs 19th. Enjoy…

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

If you’ve been online recently you will have noticed an increase in the number of bloggers and tweeters (or whatever people or X are called these days) review players and talent. One of the best of these guys is Ross Hall (the scout, not the hospital).

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In this podcast, Ross takes us on a journey that has seen him give up a succesful finance career and jump into the world of scouting and how and why he uses stats and uses his own eyes. Who does stats best and how they can be used to the benefit of Celtic. The chat went on for so long, we decided to postpone the analysis of the Celtic squad to next week. You never know, by then we might have actually signed an outfield player.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

A Rough Justice

Another tale from the Celtic Wiki

In March 2011, Celtic & Rangers engaged in “The Shame Game”.  It was a match that involved Rangers players losing the plot and finished with the hyperbole of Alex Salmond summoning then CEOs of Celtic and Rangers (Lawwell & Bain) to a summit to discuss the bahviour of both clubs.

At the time The Human Torpedo recorded this slice of Celtic History from The Celtic wiki to look back at troubled games from the past, starting in 1949-50 season.

Enjoy…

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This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

If you’ve not already done so, please listen to Part 1 of this two part interview with Andrew H Smith on what it was really like being inside Celtic before, during and after the McCann revoltion. As he says - Fergus was a man on a mission and a man with a singular vision on how he wanted Celtic to be as a club and Andre was there, every day, documenting the process.

Enjoy - This is exclusive to paid subscribers for 1 month.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

The Man Who Couldn’t Be Bought

Another tale from the Celtic Wiki

What is it about Jimmy McGrory that makes him one of, if not the, greatest ever Celts?

He’s our all time leading scorer with 522 goals in 501 games and holds the record for the most goals in a season, with 62 goals from 46 games.  

Although he was only five feet and six inches tall, he was renowned for his prowess and ability for headers. His trademark was an almost horizontal bullet header, which he performed and scored with regularly, and which earned him the nicknames "the Human Torpedo.”

A man the Garngad - St Rochs and Celtic, when Arsenal came calling, despite the best efforts of the board, he couldn’t be bought.  “Jimmy McGrory of the arsenal doesn’t sound right.”

Enjoy…

The Celtic Underground Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

We debated long and hard as to whether to publish this podcast because no matter waht we did, we couldn’t resolve the sound distortion issues - especially with Eddie’s mic. Ultimately we decided - what the heck. The worst of it appears to be at the beginning and the end.

So this is a free podcast from Celtic Underground. It can be picked up wherever you get your podcasts as well as on Thecelticunderground.substack.com.

There’s loads of paid and free content coming over the next few months with at least one bit of audio every week.

Enjoy…

The Celtic Underground Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts direct to your inbox and to support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

French Farce

Another tale from the Celtic Wiki

The Anglo-Franco-Scottish Friendship Cup was a short-lived Inter-League football competition organised by the French Football Federation that would see teams from the English Football League and the Scottish League compete against teams from the French League.

The original idea was to have four teams from Scotland and four teams from England competing together as one nation competing against eight teams from France. Due to the objection by the Scottish League this ruling was cancelled.

Two separate trophies were cast - one for Scottish clubs competing against French clubs and one for English clubs competing against French clubs. Individual clubs could not win the competition, so each country was awarded 2 points for a win and 1 point for a draw.

Due to disagreements as to when matches should be played, neither of the matches between Celtic and Reims took place.

Enjoy….

The Celtic Underground Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

The Rebels have won

4th March 1994 and Fergus McCann and Brian Dempsey step out into a dark and rainy Glasgow night to make the famous declaration - The game is over, the rebels have won.

Jubilation abound and tonight, as we publish this tale from The Celtic Wiki, we remember one of the unsung heroes of that takeover battle - John Keane who sdaly passed away today - 16th June 2024.

John was the honourary Chairman of Celtic and he got that role because, with no ownership and no certainty that he wouldn’t lose every penny, John stepped up and paid £1m to the bank to save the club from the ignomy of administration and pave the way for Fergus to take over the club.

In tribute to John, we’re therefore publishing this classic tale.

Here’s a link to the club’s statement on the passing of John - https://www.celticfc.com/news/2024/june/16/celtic-pays-tribute-to-john-keane/

Enjoy…

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

Working at Celtic During the McCann Revolution

 

Fergus McCann came into Celtic Park and changed everything.  He changed the board and replaced family inheritance with business acumen.  He changed the ground from seats on Terracing to a 60,000 seated stadium.  He built all the foundations that have now established Celtic as THE premier club in Scotland.  He is one of the greatest Celts in history.

 

The transformation in Celtic pre and post March 1994 was incredible and one of the few people with a front row seat both before and after was Andrew Smith.  working at The Celtic View he was part of the team who had to put out the messaging of the old board and their proposals for a move to Cambuslang.  He was then part of the McCann messaging as he sought to transform Celtic through a share issue and the building of a new stadium.

 

The tales from Andrew are incredible, and his impersonations aren't bad either.

 

This is a 2 part podcast.  Part one is out on our standard feed and part two will be available on TheCelticunderground.substack.com

 

Enjoy...

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe

In the past week we've had the league secured at Rugby Park, a title party at Celtic Park rounded all off with the Cup Final at Hampden on the iconic date of 25th May.  Who else could I ask to discuss this than full-kit Jow Hart love-in man Remy McSwain.

Remy and I review everything and jump all over the place because an easy verbal ramble through the past 10 days became a rushed preview and review because the IT set up/wifi crashed.

The audio is good because the crap bits are editted out.

Enjoy...

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thecelticunderground.substack.com/subscribe