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24 Dec 2021 22:26:32
"ERS RA SPEARMINT CHEWING GUM MACAROON BARS" (part one)

When I started attending football matches in the 60's these were the "delicisies" on offer outside the ground. Inside you could get such exotic food and drink like pies, bovril, kitkats, coca cola and a watered down orange drink that came in a plastic container and made kia ora look positively tempting. But a pie and hot bovril on a cold winter's day went down a treat, and I seem to remember winter's were freezing back then.
My dad did not keep well so my uncle Jim took me to the football, first on the supporters bus, then a trolley bus (more later) if we missed the supporters bus. Our Celtic bus left from the Wallace bar corner of Paisley Road West and Admiral Street, Kinning Park and was the one and only Tim bar in Kinning Park, KP as we called it was just down from Ibrox hence the lack of other Celtic pubs.
I hated going on the supporters bus as a young boy for 2 main reasons, first the supporters bus ALWAYS left late about 2.30 for a 3 oclock kick off. We never got in ground before match had started and if there was an early goal.
Second reason and all the boys who travelled on a supporters bus will vouch for this one, all us kids were left standing in the cold, rain or snow while the dads enjoyed their pints, the only perk was the dads in the pub would send out cans of coke and crisps for all us weans. If we were very lucky, the supporters bus would come early and we could wait on a warm bus until all the dads rolled out of the pub.
My uncle Jim always took me to the Celtic end, which I loved but even then at age 10 I wanted to be with the "big boys" in the jungle.
The Trolley Bus used to go from Govan to Shettleston I think, we got on at Paisley Road Toll and got off at Bridgeton Cross and then had to walk down London road to Celtic Park, my uncle always made me put my scarf and tammy in my pocket as all the currents waited there for unsuspecting Celtic fans and sadly some people got right doings. One of the things I loved about the trolley bus (like a Blackpool tram) was the big electric black trolley arms that drove the bus on the cables above, when it reached the terminus the driver had to get out with a giant stick and literally lift these arms up and turn them other way as trolley buses could not turn because of the straight tracks. As they were electric they were also silent, which meant we could sing all our Rebel songs and it seemed louder because there was no engine noise.
Also the trolley buses and ALL Glasgow buses were painted Green, White and Orange so there were about 1000 mobile Irish tricolours driving round the streets of Glasgow. As you can imagine the currents HATED these buses.
The JUNGLE, my first experience of the jungle was both exciting and scary, it was a heaving mass of people and you used to get lifted off your feet and carried forward by the crowd when Celtic scored. Also the jungle was inhabitated by all the Glasgow gangs, ones I remember were The Fleet, Gaucho, Shamrock, San Toi, Baltic and the Cumbie. All had their very own standing area in the jungle, mostly just in jungle next to Celtic end, and woe betide anyone who tried to stand there without their permission.
The television gantry was above the jungle in the centre and had a gangway high above which the TV people had to walk along to reach the camera spot. I remember one big European night against Benfica I think (Eusebio and all) and Archie McPherson climbed up the gangway with a Portuguese commentator, halfway across both stopped and Archie must have been showing this guy all the fans below, suddenly the whole jungle burst into this song "ARCHIE ARCHIE GET TAE F. K" he quickly scurried along to the camera position.
Getting to the toilets in the jungle was an experience in itself trying to push past 10,000 fans, some took the easy way and p! ssed in their empty beer cans, but perseverance paid off and once inside said toilets you saw some characters. In those days without mobile phones the only way to get the half time scores was if some fan had a small transistor radio and they told we fans the half time scores. I remember this one chap big heavy coat on, stank to high heaven, he was peeing with one hand and had a pie in his other hand with all the pie grease rolling down his face and chin, in a booming voice he enquired "how are the ANIMALS doing" The whole toilet erupted in laughter.
The cans and bottles also had other uses as well as mobile toilets, they could be THROWN from the back of the terrace down to the front. I remember standing just near a very nervous fan and he was jinking and ducking all the time, one wit across from him said "hey pal if the bottle has your name on it there is nothing you can do about it" the nervous fan replied "that's what I am worried about my name is MCEWAN"
The Celtic songs of that time were "Feed the Bear" (big Yogi John Hughes
We've got Jimmy, Jimmy Johnstone on the wing"
"There's only one King Billy, that's McNeil"
The Holy Ground which was belted out with gusto by the jungle and it was a few years later when I finally realised the chorus line "FINE GIRL YOU ARE" was NOT an Irish Gaelic chant as to my immature ears when chanted at once it SOUNDED like Gaelic
I mentioned Euesebio earlier and another Celtic song of the period was
"AYE AYE AYE, WE ARE THE GLASGOW CELTIC, WHEREVER WE GO WE FEAR NO FOE COS WE ARE THE GLASGOW CELTIC
AYE AYE AYE SIMPSON IS BETTER THAN YASHIN
YOGI IS BETTER THAN EUSEBEIO
AND JOHNSTONE IS BETTER THAN ANYONE

Hope this made you all smile I have some more memories of following Celtic in europe which I will try and put up tomorrow evening (IF Mrs T let's me lol)

In the meantime have a HOOPY Christmas hail hail.

Agree0 Disagree0

25 Dec 2021 07:23:42
Good memories Tim.
I’ve seen videos and pictures of Celtic fans wearing hard hats to the games.
The hard hats would have Celtic stickers on them and some would be painted in Green and White hoops Etc.
Enjoy the rest of Christmas Day with your Wife and Daughters. ?.

25 Dec 2021 07:39:35
Timalloy= FANTASTIC what a great detailed description, i could almost smell the pie n pish.

25 Dec 2021 09:27:52
Buzz I had a hard hat and was so small I stood on Italy some games just to see HH.

25 Dec 2021 11:03:37
Really enjoyed that Tim. A nice bit of Nostalgia. Merry Christmas Ed and everyone. Good luck to all this year Wether you are Green or blue.

25 Dec 2021 19:58:09
A fine read.

25 Dec 2021 20:28:39
Brilliant story Tim. Nollaig shona daoibh go léir ?







 

 

 
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