Fly The Flag

Broadsword ponders flag days past,  flag days present, and flag days future….

I read, with interest, that the honour of unfurling the flag shall be bestowed upon our dear ‘Brush’, John Clark. This is an excellent move by the club and gives the support the chance to properly acclaim the man whose involvement with Celtic, in terms of longevity, can only be bested by Willie Maley. Thanks mainly to the Celtic Wiki, I noted that Clark won 12 major honours in his time at the club, despite the fact that his first seven years at the club were devoid of any trophies. If anyone deserves the adulation and attention, then it is Clark. However, when reading about this, I starting thinking about the whole shebang concerning unfurling a piece of cloth, in a football stadium, for it not to fly but droop in an impotent manner; which strangely makes thousands of people cheer.

‘Flag Day’ is one the redeeming features of Scottish football; it acknowledges the status of the champions, gives the supporters something to look forward to and gives the marketing department some much needed ammo. It’s also one of the few aspects of our game I have ever heard English journalists wanting to ‘borrow’ for the game down South. My first recollection of a ‘flag day’ was in 1988. Following on from the magical Centenary season, where many earned their place in the history books as well as the hearts of the support, we were treated to the delightful sight of the flag being hoisted in front of the Celtic End, a good 432 yards away from the pitch (there are rumours that Neil Berry is still chasing Paul McStay’s shadow). I can’t remember who it was that actually unfurled the flag but there was a lovely big, black motor going around the pitch. It must have been a beautiful day out for Mrs Kelly, Mrs White and/or Mrs Grant.

In more recent times the club have, rightfully, used the whole flag ceremony to pay tribute to those who have offered fine service over the years. From my extensive research (Google) I note that the first time Celtic asked someone to ‘drop the cloth’ was in 2008 when Rosemary Burns did so. I am not a fan of the guy, but this was probably the best thing that John Reid did during his chairmanship. Since then we’ve had Sean Fallon, John Keane, Fergus McCann and now John Clark. Celtic now uses this ritual to honour the past and celebrate the present. Aye, flag days are not as boisterous as other occasions on the footballing calendar, and there is a feeling of being a bien-pensant (hat tip to Torquemada on KDS) as the dignitaries gather on the halfway line, but I think it would be foolish to take them for granted. It is expected and demanded that we will be having a few of them for the foreseeable future but it’s worth remembering that we only got to see it once during the 1990s, and that turned out to be the stuff of tabloid wet dreams.

So, how will Celtic develop this historical link with Flag Day? Who should get a chance at delivering the most non-stauneresque unveiling? Who should get the chance to whisper ‘can they no get a fecking fan?’ A few names have sprung to mind. First up are all of the obvious ones, the remaining Lions, Paul McStay, Henrik Larsson and Anton Rogan. Then, we have, well, the leftfield, the ones who’ve maybe not enjoyed the limelight but deserve their moment of acclamation, the chance to hear the roar, revel in the ovation.  First up: Frank Connor. A big, mad bastard who stepped in and did a decent job as caretaker – he beat Sporting Lisbon and the recently deceased in a time where we were expected to get a proper shagging off the pair of them. For the briefest of brief moments he made the early 1990s bearable. Next: Albert Kidd. It would be too funny not to – he could also bring along his old manager from Dundee, Archie Knox. Following on from them, it would be just bloody wonderful to see Cha Du Ri on the pitch one more time. I mean, come on, look at this picture and tell me that it wouldn’t make Graeme Souness smile on EBT repayment day?

Anyway, enjoy the Flag Day, and hopefully the many, many more to follow.