Glasgow Celtic embark on the new campaign with eyes on a gargantuan prize – immortality.
Neil Lennon’s men will go all out for an unprecedented 10th league title in a row. Such a feat has never been achieved in Scotland. Lennon was in his first residency as manager at Parkhead when he delivered the 2011-12 title and the Celts have been top of the tree ever since. Come kick-off against Hamilton on Sunday, the Hoops will have reigned supreme in Scotland for more than 3300 days.
Celtic have basked in the shine of nine once before. Jock Stein reached nine-in-a-row in a halcyon period between 1966 and 1974. Back then dominance domestically was eclipsed by efforts aboard. In 1967 Stein’s brand of “pure, beautiful, inventive football” saw Celtic become the first British club to win the European Cup – defeating Inter Milan in the heat of Lisbon. By winning Europe’s top prize the Lisbon Lions gained god-like status. And many supporters believe the current crop of players are on the verge of similar veneration.
Against a backdrop of a world gripped in a health and economic crisis, more than 50,000 season tickets have been snapped up. The season ticket waiting list has swelled to 17,000 names. Such fervour is striking considering the season starts behind closed doors. And no refunds will be offered for games with the crowd excluded.
So while the fans of yesteryear watched Billy McNeill and Jimmy Johnstone from terraces, this generation will initially watch from tablets. Season ticket holders must make do with a digital pass to Paradise. Laura Dewar is one supporter who had no hesitation renewing her season ticket despite not knowing when she’ll be allowed to walk up London Road and into her seat.
“I was always going to renew,” she says. “No questions. Celtic is a club founded on charity and continues to support the local community. So I am always willing to support them.
“We are watching history in the making. Winning 10-in-a-row is up there with winning the European Cup. It will be the most significant achievement by Celtic in my lifetime.”
The Green Brigade, Celtic’s most ardent support, were singing about 10-in-a-row as early as 2016. Then the sequence of success stood at five titles. Is the quest for consecutive championships an obsession?
“Obsession is the wrong word,” says Dewar. “It’s about being the first in history to achieve the 10. To me it’s more of a challenge, players are put on the park to win the game and ultimately the season. Winning becomes the obsession.”
City rivals Rangers won nine-in-a-row between 1989 and 1997 only to be stopped by a Celtic side inspired by Henrik Larsson. Dewar remembers that era well: “Celtic where awful for too long during my high school days. I was at a predominantly Rangers supporting school, so it was sweet when we stopped them winning the 10.”
Fellow supporter Jez Stewart, 53, shudders at that period of Rangers dominance as the Ibrox men walked away with the top prize each May: “I remember Celtic didn’t win a trophy of any kind for five or six years. During this era the only satisfaction we got was when Rangers failed. There was a song we used to sing: ‘You think you’re great, you’ve only done eight, you’ll never do nine-in-a-row’.
“But Rangers did reach nine and I just remember the nerves and fear around them going for the 10. But when we stopped them it was such a relief and a great joy. “This time it’s Celtic going for the 10. But it’s not really about the number. It’s about doing something that our rivals haven’t.”
Derek Kirwan, 51, has been a season ticket holder at Celtic for 33 years: “Ten-in-a-row is the holy grail. But it’s purely about rivalry between Celtic and Rangers. If Celtic make it, Neil Lennon will be held almost in as high esteem as Jock Stein.”
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3k1Tln5
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