Celtic F.C.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 84.67.53.186 (talk) at 22:37, 19 January 2006 (→‎Current squad). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Jump to navigation Jump to search
Celtic F.C.
File:Celtic FC logo.png
Full nameThe Celtic Football Club
Nickname(s)The Bhoys,The 'Tims, The Hoops
Founded1888
GroundCeltic Park,
Glasgow, Scotland
Capacity60,830
ChairmanBrian Quinn
ManagerGordon Strachan
LeagueScottish Premier League
2004-05Scottish Premier League, 2nd

Celtic Football Club, more commonly referred to simply as Celtic (pronounced 'seltik'), is one of the world's most famous football clubs. Based in the Scottish city of Glasgow, the club is officially nicknamed the Bhoys, or unofficially the Hoops. Together with their city rivals Rangers, they have dominated Scottish football for over 100 years as part of the Old Firm, forming one of the most famous and fiercest rivalries in sport.

Celtic's home kit is green and white hooped jerseys, white shorts and white socks (although it is also not uncommon for them to wear green and white hooped socks). The club play their home matches at the 60,830 all-seated Celtic Park in the east end of Glasgow, one of the most famous football stadia in Europe.

In 1967, the club became the first British team to win the European Cup, which had previously been in the preserve of Italian, Portuguese and Spanish clubs. Prior to Celtic's historic win, no other club in Northern Europe had reached the final of the tournament and emerged successful. Additionally, Celtic remain the only Scottish club ever to have reached the final, and are the only club ever to win the trophy with a team composed entirely of home-grown talent; all of the players in the side being Scottish in origin, and all born within a 30-mile radius of Celtic Park in Glasgow.

History

Main article: History of Celtic F.C.

Celtic Football Club was formally constituted at a meeting in St. Mary's church hall in East Rose Street (now Forbes Street), Calton, Glasgow, by Marist Brother Walfrid on November 6, 1887, with the purpose stated in the official club records as "being to alleviate poverty in Glasgow's East End parishes".

The charity established by Brother Walfrid was named 'The Poor Children's Dinner Table'.

Walfrid's move to establish the club as a means of fund raising was largely inspired by the example of Hibernian who were formed out of the immigrant Irish population a few years earlier in Edinburgh. Walfrid's own suggestion of the name 'Celtic' (pronounced Seltik), was intended to reflect the club's Irish and Scottish roots, and was adopted at the same meeting.

On May 28, 1888, Celtic played their first official match against Rangers and won 5-2 in what was described as a "friendly encounter". Over the following 118 years, Celtic achieved much and many famous managers have come and gone. The club grew exponentially and a detailed history of Celtic Football Club and it's exploits over the years can be found in the main article History of Celtic F.C..

Celtic and the media

Celtic have always attempted to engage directly with the fans and bypass the traditional media outlets as a method of communicating accurate information to the outside world about the inner workings of the club. When Jock Stein took over as Celtic manager, he instigated a trend in British football that subsequently became known as the "tracksuit manager", where he trained publicly with the playing staff, hosted media/press conferences and instituted the UK's first ever regular football club newspaper to be produced directly by the club itself, The Celtic View.

An anti-Celtic agenda?

Whilst often a result of obvious misfortune, there are instances where the club appears to have been denied crucial victories or opportunities to advance in local and international competition.

For example: in 1996 prolific goal-scorer Jorge Cadete's SFA registration papers were deliberately delayed by SFA chairman Jim Farry, at the same time as a sequence of below-par results for the team during the period when Cadete was ineligible to play. Rangers went on to win a league and cup double, with Celtic losing only one match all season. Farry was later found guilty of misconduct and was sacked by the SFA, while Celtic received just £50,000 in compensation.

On the other hand, cynics and supporters of other Scottish teams have often suggested that the club has enjoyed, in tandem with Rangers, the benefit of a pro-Glasgow bias amongst both the media and governing authorities, anxious not to offend their largest constituents. Supporters of smaller Scottish football clubs will also lay claim to an institutionalised bias towards the Old Firm clubs in relation to the games governing bodies, the Scottish media, and referees.

Recent Seasons

2003-2004

After a draw in the opening game of the season, Celtic notched up a record-setting 25-match winning run, now a British record in top-level football, giving Celtic a healthy lead in the title race. Celtic did not lose a game until after the club's 39th championship was delivered.

The 2003-2004 season also saw Celtic notch up four league wins over Rangers, and one in the Scottish Cup - the first time in either club's history when a five-match "whitewash" had been achieved.

Club hero Henrik Larsson played his final professional match for Celtic in the 2004 Scottish Cup Final victory over Dunfermline, scoring both goals to overturn an early setback, and handing Celtic their second double under Martin O'Neill. Larsson is now widely acknowledged as one of the club's greatest ever players, and ranks amongst the top three goalscorers in the club's history.

Many Celtic fans are unhappy that following an unsuccessful time at Barcelona, Larsson has agreed to sign for their rivals Heart of Midlothian on a short term contract until the end of the current season.

2004-2005

Following a close race for the SPL title, with Rangers closely following, the club extended their lead at the top of the SPL table to two points as they lined up for the final game of the season, with a win at Motherwell required to seal the title. With two minutes remaining on the clock, Celtic were leading 1–0 — a result which would have handed them the crown. However, Motherwell's Scott McDonald netted two last-minute goals and handed the Fir Park side an unlikely victory. Rangers defeated Hibernian 1–0 at Easter Road, thereby winning the league championship title. Earlier in the season Celtic recorded a record seventh straight win over city rivals.

Celtic ended the season one week later with a 1–0 win over Dundee United in the Scottish Cup Final, which was marked by fans as Martin O'Neill's final match as manager.

On 25 May 2005, O'Neill announced he would resign as manager of Celtic at the end of 2004/05 season along with first team coach Steve Walford and assistant manager John Robertson. It was widely reported that O'Neill decided to take time out of football in order to care for his ailing wife Geraldine, who is ill with lymphoma.

Martin O'Neill is now recognised as Celtic's most successful manager since Jock Stein and is credited with helping to restore some pride in Celtic's ability to compete on the European stage.

2005-2006

Former Aberdeen player and Scotland international Gordon Strachan from Edinburgh took charge of the club on June 1, 2005, on a 12-month rolling contract, similar to O'Neill's arrangement with the club; his contract effectively extending for one calendar year from any current date. Garry Pendrey was appointed as Strachan's assistant manager.

In his first competitive match, against Artmedia Bratislava on 27 July 2005, Celtic lost 5-0 in the first leg of an important Champions League 2nd Round qualifier, suffering the worst European defeat in the club's history and the widest margin of defeat since the 1963-64 season, when the club lost 6-0 to Kilmarnock at Rugby Park.

In Strachan's first domestic match of the 2005-2006 SPL season, Celtic relinquished a 3-1 half-time lead over Motherwell at Fir Park on July 30, 2005, the game ending in a 4-4 draw after Celtic managed to equalise through a goal by Craig Beattie.

The nine goals against Celtic in Strachan's first two competitive matches is the biggest goal tally scored against the club in successive matches for 14 years.

In the return leg of the Champions League 2nd Round qualifier against Artmedia at Celtic Park, Strachan's vastly improved side won 4-0 but were eliminated from European competition 5-4 on aggregate.

However, following these setbacks, and a defeat against Rangers in the first Old Firm match of the season at Ibrox, Celtic recorded a series of victories, including beating Rangers twice, and returned to the top of the SPL - a vast improvement on their form at the start of the season.

Celtic knocked arch rivals Rangers out of the League cup on the 19th of November 2005. Celtic were knocked out of the Scottish Cup on 8 January 2006 by First Division Clyde FC.

Club records

  • The Scottish Cup final win against Aberdeen F.C. in 1938 was attended by a crowd of 146,433 at Hampden Park in Glasgow, which remains a record for a club match in European football.
  • Celtic currently hold the UK record for an unbeaten run in professional football: 62 games (49 won, 13 drawn), from November 13, 1915 until April 21, 1917- a total of 17 months and four days in all (they lost at home to Kilmarnock on the last day of the season).
  • Celtic also hold the SPL record for an unbeaten run of home matches (77), spanning from 2001 to 2004 and the record for the longest run of consecutive wins in a single season (25 matches).
  • Record Victory: 11-0, against Dundee in 1895.
  • Record defeat: 0-8 against Motherwell in 1937.
  • Record European defeat: 0-5 against FC Artmedia Bratislava on July 27, 2005.
  • Record points earned in a season: 72 (Premier Division, 1987/88, 2 points for a Win); 103 (Scottish Premier League, 2001/02, 3 points for a win), which is also the SPL points tally record.
  • Record home attendance: 92,000 against Rangers in 1938.
  • Most Capped Player: 80, Pat Bonner: Republic of Ireland
  • Most Scotland Caps: 76, Paul McStay.
  • Record Appearances: Billy McNeill, 486 from 1957-1975.
  • Most goals in a season: Jimmy McGrory, 50.
  • Record scorer: Jimmy McGrory, 397 (plus 13 whilst on-loan at Clydebank).
  • First British club to reach the final of the European Cup.
  • First and only Scottish club to reach the final of the European Cup.
  • First British and first Northern European team to win the European Cup.
  • Only club to have won the European Cup with a team comprised entirely of home-grown talent (all last four in 1967).
  • Fastest hat-trick in European Club Football - Mark Burchill v Jeunesse Esch of Luxembourg in 2000.

Honours

  • European Champions Cup (1): 1967.
  • Scottish League Champions (39): 1893, 1894, 1896, 1898, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1914, 1915, 1916, 1917, 1919, 1922, 1926, 1936, 1938, 1954, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1988, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2004.
  • Scottish Cup (33): 1892, 1899, 1900, 1904, 1907, 1908, 1911, 1912, 1914, 1923, 1925, 1927, 1931, 1933, 1937, 1951, 1954, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1980, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1995, 2001, 2004, 2005.
  • Scottish League Cup (12): 1957, 1958, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1975, 1983, 1998, 2000, 2001.
  • Drybrough Cup: 1974.
  • Tennents' Sixes: 1992.
  • Coronation Cup: 1953.
  • Scottish League Commemorative Shield: 1904/05 1909/10
  • Empire Exhibition Trophy: 1938
  • Victory In Europe Cup: 1945
  • Saint Mungo Cup: 1951

All time scorers

Top 10 all time goal-scorers (including, League, Scottish Cup, League Cup and European goals):

  1. Jimmy McGrory - 397 (McGrory also holds the record for the most professional career league goals in British football history).
  2. Bobby Lennox - 273
  3. Henrik Larsson - 242
  4. Stevie Chalmers - 232
  5. Jimmy Quinn - 217
  6. Patsy Gallacher - 192
  7. John Hughes - 188
  8. Sandy McMahon - 177
  9. Jimmy McMenemy - 168
  10. Kenny Dalglish - 167

Top 10 League goal-scorers:

  1. Jimmy McGrory- 397
  2. Jimmy Quinn - 187
  3. Patsy Gallacher - 186
  4. Henrik Larsson - 174
  5. Bobby Lennox - 167
  6. Stevie Chalmers - 159
  7. Jimmy McMenemy - 144
  8. Sandy McMahon - 130
  9. Adam McLean - 128
  10. John Hughes - 115

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Poland POL Artur Boruc
2 DF Scotland SCO Paul Telfer
3 DF Guinea GUI Mohammed Camara
4 DF Scotland SCO Adam Virgo
6 DF Guinea GUI Bobo Balde
7 FW Poland POL Maciej Żurawski
8 MF England ENG Alan Thompson
10 FW Wales WAL John Hartson
11 MF Scotland SCO Stephen Pearson
12 DF Scotland SCO Mark Wilson
16 MF Ireland EIR Roy Keane (player manager and referee advisor)
17 MF France FRA Didier Agathe
18 MF Northern Ireland NIR Neil Lennon (captain)
19 MF Bulgaria BUL Stilian Petrov (captain 2)
22 GK Scotland SCO David Marshall
23 DF Slovakia SVK Stanislav Varga
25 MF Japan JPN Shunsuke Nakamura
29 FW Scotland SCO Shaun Maloney
No. Pos. Nation Player
31 DF Scotland SCO Anthony McParland
33 DF Scotland SCO Ross Wallace
35 MF Scotland SCO Paul Lawson
37 FW Scotland SCO Craig Beattie
38 MF Scotland SCO Rocco Quinn
39 DF Scotland SCO Charles Mulgrew (on loan to Dundee United)
40 MF Scotland SCO Michael Gardyne
41 DF Scotland SCO John Kennedy
42 FW Scotland SCO Michael McGlinchey
43 FW Scotland SCO Diarmuid O'Carroll
44 DF Scotland SCO Stephen McManus
46 MF Ireland EIR Aiden McGeady
47 GK Northern Ireland NIR Michael McGovern
48 DF Ireland EIR Darren O'Dea
49 DF Scotland SCO Scott Cuthbert
50 DF Scotland SCO Gary Irvine
54 MF Scotland SCO Ryan Conroy (Yth)
-- GK Scotland SCO Sandy Wood (on Loan to Montrose F.C.) (Yth)

Transfers Season 2005-06

In:

Out:

Famous Celts

Listed according to when they debuted for Celtic (year in parentheses):

Famous Celtic fans

See also

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Celtic_F.C.&oldid=35869891"