Working at Celtic During McCann Revolution
Celticunderground:The Celtic Football Fan Podcast
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. ...
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Cup Final Preview Audio
Celticunderground:The Celtic Football Fan Podcast
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...
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Charity begins at home
Celticunderground:The Celtic Football Fan Podcast
Following securing the league, Andrew Smith met with Celtic FC Foundation CEO Tony Hamilton to ask about the work of the Foundation and discuss the forthcoming charity game against the Dortmund Legends. Andrew asks searching questions such as - aren't all chairtie just a tax on the poor? But Tony robustly defends the work of the Foundation and the input of the club who are by far the biggest contributors to The Foundation. To get tickets for the game, which takes place after the cup final, log on here https://www.celticfc.com/tickets/celtic-legends-v-borussia-dortmund-legends/ ...
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Winners...again.again
Celticunderground:The Celtic Football Fan Podcast
Winners…again This Saturday saw the final Glasgow Derby of the league campaign and for listeners to last week’s podcast the result will have come as no surprise. Despite the comments of pundits, this is a game where form does not go out of the window. It is a game that the form team (or more appropriately the better team) nearly always win. Celtic are the better team. Celtic won. Whilst the league is not mathematically secured, we’re almost there being 6 points clear with just 2 games remaining. We therefore got two boys to discuss with Harry...
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Fun Bhoys Three
Celticunderground:The Celtic Football Fan Podcast
Fun Bhoys Three We have the final Glasgow Derby of season 2023/24 coming up this weekend and so we have organised some experienced heads to discuss the prospects with @Paul1888 joining Andrew & Harry to discuss the game. We roll out the metaphors and the cliches to preview the game in the context of our performance on last weekend when Brendan finally had his full first choice 16 to field. As Andrew H says - use your testicular metaphor of choice when previewing the game and have some fun. Enjoy…
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Smith and Brady Dundee review and Hearts preview
Celticunderground:The Celtic Football Fan Podcast
Smith and Brady - Dundee review and Hearts preview This week Andrew H Smith joins Harry to review the performance and result at Dens Park. The chat takes a meandering turn as the bhoys discuss the events at Dens almost 34 years ago to the day when Celtic really blew the 1979/80 season by losing 5-1 to Dundee during the title run in. Andrew was there and experienced the vitriol. When they get on to the 21st Century tie they get on to discuss how brilliant James Forrest is and anyone who disagrees will go on Wolfie Smith’s list. Finally, the bhoys get to the...
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Smith and Brady The Scottish Cup Semi Final
Celticunderground:The Celtic Football Fan Podcast
Smith & Brady - The Scottish Cup Semi Final Following the dramtic 3-3 draw and subsequent penalty shoot-out victory, Harry Brady and Andrew H Smith review the cup semi and discuss all of the action. There’s a review of the defensive short-comings and like every discussion by Celtic fans of a certain age, 20+ year old Hampden games are shoehorned in. Enjoy…
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Whats Going On
Celticunderground:The Celtic Football Fan Podcast
What’s Going On? There’s hasn’t been a podcast in ages and then, in usual style, two come along at once. If you’ve not listened, then get your ears around St Anthony’s Recollections podcast out earlier in the week. It was a short sharp pod all about Paul McStay. For the longer form podcast (and it’s very long) we have Remy, Lawrence & me asking (and attempting to answer) the simple question - what’s going on? The answer seems to be Dermot with everything flowing from that! It’s nearly two hours long so you’ll maybe listen in...
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Recollections - Paul McStay
Celticunderground:The Celtic Football Fan Podcast
Recollections - Paul McStay Paul McStay was born on 22nd October 1964 in Hamilton, Lanarkshire. Grand-nephew of former Celtic team captain and manager Jimmy McStay, playing for Celtic was in the family blood. A hotly tipped youth prospect Paul McStay was a member of Celtic Boys Club who burst onto the football scene in remarkable style when he hit two goals and was man of the match as Scotland schoolboys defeated their English counterparts at Wembley in front of a live TV audience in June 1980. He signed for Celtic aged seventeen and made his senior Celtic debut in a 4-0 home Scottish...
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Are we at the end of the road
Celticunderground:The Celtic Football Fan Podcast
Are we at the end of the road The Green Brigade - ostensibly a small group of fanatical “ultra” supporters below the age of 30 so who better to discuss their behaviours than a group of aging middle aged fans…? Hullbhoy, Lawrence, Eddie & I appreciate that none of us share the likely demographic of the supporters group that we discuss, but Celtic is a broad church with fans from 1-100 and all within that spectrum are entitled to their views. Online is principally in one place on the GBand so one element that we discuss is whether the wider fan base are broadly...
info_outlineAnd so after 17 years in the job Peter is leaving.
Peter Lawwell was first employed by Celtic as the club's Financial Controller from 1990 to 1991 under then Chief Executive Terry Cassidy. In September 2003, he returned to Celtic succeeding Ian McLeod as Chief Executive. The job title was changed for Lawwell to Executive Director, Head of Operations as many of the previous Chief Executives had performed poorly in that role. Arsenal were interested in appointing Lawwell as their chief executive in 2008, but Lawwell rejected their approach. Lawwell has been credited with increasing revenue, reducing debt and is considered a tough transfer negotiator. He has attracted criticism since 2008, however, as Rangers had won three championships in a row. In particular, Celtic fans cite the club's refusal to increase their offer for steven Fletcher in January 2009, after which Rangers overhauled Celtic to win the 2008/09 SPL. In 2010 it was reported that Lawwell earned a wage of more than £700,000 a year, after receiving a 25% rise from his previous contract for the 2008–09 season.
Everything at Celtic changed in 2012 when Rangers went to the wall and this saw the club commence an incredible period of dominance, winning trophies and building cash in the bank for a rainy day, We had the Brendan era followed by the appointment of Neil Lennon in the showers and for many, the diasters of the current season were sewn on that day.
Peter leaves and Hullbhoy and I assess his legacy.
Enjoy…