Brian 53 sends us a wee story, which has more than one level…
I sat there till the end of the game, careful to play along. I wasn’t infected you see but it was important that no one else noticed. As usual I was with the three people I cared most about, Big Tim, Paul and Wee Joe. Unfortunately both Tim and Paul had turned during the match. I tried to act normal and played along so that neither of them would suspect that I was still faithful through and through and win lose or draw was close to my heart.
As we sat in the car going home I reflected on the events of recent months and how the plague had spread so quickly and without warning. The cassette of rebel songs lay discarded in the well of the car with the radio tuned in to Radio Clyde, confirmation that the vehicle held infected people. I looked out the window and let my mind drift to a world before the contagion.
I was 75 years old and could remember the fabled ‘Lisbon Lions’ as if it was yesterday, all the games good and bad. Fuck, I could remember my first game, Clyde at Parkhead were they beat us 4-2 and the big man was playing. What a January that was, win lose or draw, this had been our fourth loss and we were desperate for a draw never mind a win.
A bump in the road brought me back to the present. I was in the back seat and watched in disbelief as the pair of them nodded away to the guff that was seeping from the radio. Tim was 53 and I remembered taking him to his first match, I wondered if he remembered it now that he had been infected like so many others? My mind drifted back. We didn’t know it at the time but that year was the be the end of our run, we had nine in a row and we thought it could go on forever, but there was to be no tenth. We had lost the previous game to thems and 3-2 to Motherwell again at Parkhead on the day.
Someone squealing in the background snapped me back then I realized it was Keevins on his pulpit ensuring that there was no let up in the spread of the disease. I wondered if he had been patient zero?
My thoughts drifted to my grandson and his first game, what a corker that had been. The three of us at a game together for the first time, the Sutton and Larson show 2-4 in a 6-0 drubbing of Kilmarnock. What a baptism for him. He loved it and I can remember the smile on his young face as if it was yesterday.
Today my family had broken tradition and my Great Grandson was at his first match aged 8 instead of the customary 12. He had loved it, his first game and we had won. He was ecstatic and like his Dad before him couldn’t get the smile off his face. “Magic granda, 3 points and top of the league, do you think we will win the treble this year?” I smiled, like me this Bhoy was immune to the infection and the thought warmed my heart.
Despite that I was at a loss and didn’t know what to do next. I never thought for a moment that any of my own family would become infected as so many good Celtic families had. I was starting to fall into a deep depression when the car pulled into the driveway. My daughter-in-law was waving us into the house and it appeared that my “Tea wiz oot”
We all sat round the table in silence, I was close to tears then my grandson Paul burst out laughing soon followed by his Dad. The women of the house all looked puzzled, wondering what the joke was? Paul finally controlled his outburst and looked at me smiling, “sorry Granddad but your face is a peach.” “It was my idea Dad” said Tim, “we know how you worry about the infection and we thought we would pull your leg.” I just stared at him, I was so angry that he could treat such a serious problem so lightly. “Come on Dad you didn’t really think we could be infected, did you?” I was so overcome that I couldn’t speak. “Come on Dad you know me better than that, there’s no way I would fall for all the media shite, I don’t listen to it, I don’t read it, so how could I get infected?”
I looked up at him and then around the table, I was so pleased that my family was in the clear. The contagion was everywhere, on the TV, the radio, the papers, politicians, the police, it had even started infiltrating the blogs with the infected posing as fans, thankfully they were easy to spot as the first thing the disease did was remove common sense, intelligence and reason. The laughter and my great grandsons version of the game had us in stitches, the family motto was intact ‘Win, Lose or Draw’
Brian53
Good New Year to all
Thanks to Celtic Wiki for research
Great story, so true. Thanks
Cracking stuff and so on the money Brian.
HH
Good story but exactly why Lawwell and co don’t feel any need for change. Win, lose or draw aye, but when the product is as bad as it is most are looking for the result on the telly, radio, or t’internet. The ground is emptying fast, tho according to Charlie we’ll all be back when “Rangers” return. (btw, I’m old enough to remember the Lisbon Lions myself. Different times)
No according to myself ” by whatever incarnation of 2angers appears in August”.
You see if I am wrong Macca.
Great story. I disagree and believe that fans are intelligent enough to watch what is going on in the pitch and make sounds judgements about what they are seeing without needing goaded by the media. But fair play for writing it. HH
Like it or not and as much as we hate them, if they do get up into our league next season, it will make it more interesting but as long as we get our team playing well, then playing and pumping them 3 or 4 times a season won’t be too bad a thing.
elcormaco January 5, 2016 at 11:49 am
Fans who actually go to the games can make their own minds up.
Newspapers set the agenda for those who don’t actually go but are vocal.
IMHO
Charlie how about we go to the game because we want to watch the football the team is playing then it wouldn’t matter about rangers second rangers or any other manifestation of the forces of darkness.
That’s what most go to Football to do watch it.
I know I do.
The fact 51,000 went to Hampden in the league Cup last Season suggests there is still an appetite for getting it up the orc masses no matter what version of pretendy 2angers takes to the pitch?
Or was that just a coincidence?
What a great read
If it was was only fiction
We should be Celtic win, lose or Draw till we die.
Some like Grandad don’t remember the bad days , there’s still a treble to be won.
HailHail
Celtic Forever
Sorry that Shld have been
Unlike Grandad
Hailhail
Crowds have been going down for years not just under Ronny I’ve been going for 55 yrs & remember before the lions All those who shout about not going back also shout about spending money where do they think it comes from TV or Winning the League?
Still top of the league with a great chance of the treble,(one we were shamelessly cheated from in last season),a very young team with some great prospects ,still overall the best footballing side in Scotland ,a magnificent stadium ,a very stable bank balance,and STILL supporters groaning and moaning ,Hugh keevins and so called reporters of his ilk must be smugly laughing their heads off.Great piece so true ,wish all Celtic supporters could see this infestation ,we should stick by our management team especially when we are winning albeit not convincingly.hail hail win,lose or draw
A good honest piece. We have a tough task: support our team yet speak the truth when we have to because we support our team. It has always been tough to be a Celtic fan but that’s what separates us from the Orcs.
Oh dear.
where are all the crybabies
We are getting all allegorical these days eh. The SFA, SPFL a number of club Chairmen and the media are singularly focused on making sure the current incarnation of Johnny Hun are elevated to the big boy league by any means necessary. If they fail to win their league you can be sure the SPL will be enlarged. You see they still believe that without some version of the Mordor gang there is nothing. It’s the doomsday theory first expounded when the actual Rangers went bust. It was to scare us into believing that Celtic and others and especially Celtic NEED Rangers. Both for financial reasons and to ensure a “high” level of competition which we need to compete in Europe. I absolutely reject this corrupt theory in all of its aspects except for the financial hit based on four full houses and associated TV and advertising which is real. I believe Scottish football and Celtic would benefit from the eventual folding of the current incarnation at Ibrox and the media, SPFL, SFA, Clubs and supporters reimagining Scottish football. There is still the tax case to be finally adjudicated and then the issue of title’s “won” to deal with based on the outcome of the case. This will put more pressure on the fragile bigots and could be the last straw for them and the soft loan crowd whose largesse will come to and end as they see their hard earned cash disappear. The real drive to have them back is for us to save them by providing them income from games and TV against us! Anyway I for one would like to see the dodgy crowd at Sevco liquidate again.
That’s why qualifying for the CL groups or knockout at EL is really importnat for us in both financial and football terms.
A good article with good intent; however, the problem is not about being infected its simply about not being happy with what we are watching….and thats OK to say.
I have to believe we all want Ronny to be a success, I really do, but at the same time we cannot just sit and watch bad football and not say anything. Thats not infected, thats a fan.
However, what I do agree with in your underlying sentiment is there are fans that have become far too abusive, who almost want Ronny to fail and that I cannot fathom.
HH