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Celtic F.C.
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The Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. Celtic are the champions of Scotland, having completed a hat-trick of titles on 22 May 2008, the final day of the 2007/08 season. Since the club's formation in 1888, Celtic have won the Scottish championship on 42 occasions and the Scottish Cup 34 times (a record), and won the European Cup in 1967.
Celtic's home stadium is Celtic Park (commonly referred to as Parkhead), the largest football stadium in Scotland, with a capacity of 60,832.
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Encyclopedia
The Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. Celtic are the champions of Scotland, having completed a hat-trick of titles on 22 May 2008, the final day of the 2007/08 season. Since the club's formation in 1888, Celtic have won the Scottish championship on 42 occasions and the Scottish Cup 34 times (a record), and won the European Cup in 1967.
Celtic's home stadium is Celtic Park (commonly referred to as Parkhead), the largest football stadium in Scotland, with a capacity of 60,832. Together with their Glasgow rivals, Rangers, they form the Old Firm, one of the most famous and fierce rivalries in sport. Celtic have an estimated fan base of nine million, including one million in North America. The club's traditional playing colours are green and white hooped shirts with white shorts and white socks.
In 1967, Celtic became the first British team to win the European Cup and are one of only two clubs (with Steaua Bucharest) to have won the competition with a team composed entirely of players from the club's home country.. All of the players, subsequently known as the Lisbon Lions, were born within a 30-mile radius of Celtic Park. Celtic won every competition that they entered that season: the Scottish League Championship, the Scottish Cup, the Scottish League Cup, the European Cup and the Glasgow Cup, to become the only team to win the Quadruple. Celtic also reached the 1970 European Cup Final, but were beaten by Feyenoord.
In 2003 Celtic reached the UEFA Cup final, where they lost 3–2 to FC Porto. Approximately 80,000 Celtic supporters, the largest travelling support in history, made the journey to Seville for this game. Celtic fans also received awards from UEFA and FIFA for their behaviour throughout the tournament.
Formation and history
Celtic were formally founded in St. Mary's Church Hall on East Rose Street (now Forbes Street), Calton, Glasgow, by Brother Walfrid, an Irish Marist brother, on 6 November 1887.
Walfrid's move to establish the club as a means of fund raising for his charity, The Poor Children's Dinner Table, was largely inspired by the example of Hibernian who were formed out of the immigrant Irish population thirteen years earlier in Edinburgh. Walfrid's own suggestion of the name 'Celtic' was intended to reflect the club's Irish roots, and was adopted at the same meeting.
On 28 May 1888, Celtic played their first official match against Rangers and won 5–2 in what was described as a "friendly encounter". Celtic had 8 'guest' players from Hibernian playing that day. The club's first ever goal was scored by Neilly Mochan in this match. During these formative years, Celtic played in a white shirt with a green collar and a red Celtic cross on the breast, then switched to green and white vertical stripes around 1890. They made the switch to their iconic green-and-white hoops in 1903.
Celtic media
In 1965 Celtic began publishing The Celtic View, the oldest club magazine in football .
In 2004 Celtic launched its own digital TV channel Celtic TV available in the UK through Setanta Sports on satellite and cable platforms. Since 2002 Celtic's Internet TV channel, Channel67 (previously known as Celtic Replay), has broadcast Celtic's own content worldwide, offers live match coverage to subscribers outside the UK, and now provides 3 online channels.
Old Firm and sectarianism
Celtic have a historic association with the people of Ireland and Scots of Irish extraction, who are both predominantly Catholic. Fans of rivals Rangers tended to come from Scottish Protestant backgrounds and were supporters of British Unionism. As a result both clubs attracted the support of opposing factions in the political difficulties of Northern Ireland, which intensified the rivalry in Scotland.
In recent times both clubs have taken measures to combat sectarianism. Working alongside the Scottish Parliament, church groups and community organisations, the Old Firm has clamped down on sectarian songs, inflammatory flag-waving and troublesome supporters, using increased levels of policing and surveillance. In 1996, for instance, Celtic launched their Bhoys Against Bigotry campaign, later followed by Youth Against Bigotry to "educate the young on having ... respect for all aspects of the community - all races, all colours, all creeds", according to then chief executive Ian McLeod.
Recent seasons
2006-07
Such was the good form of Celtic and the lack of a clear rival in the early stages of the 2006/07 season, that bookmakers Paddy Power paid out on Celtic as the winners of the SPL on 4 November 2006, only 13 games into the season. By mid-November Celtic were 15 points clear of their nearest challengers.
Having qualified automatically for the group stage of the Champions League, Celtic were drawn with Benfica, FC Copenhagen, and Manchester United. Although Celtic lost their 3 away games, a 100% record at home earned them qualification to the knockout stage for the first time since the group format was introduced in 1992/93. Their opponents in the last 16 were AC Milan. After both legs of the tie ended 0–0, Celtic's Champions League run was ended by a solitary Milan goal in extra-time by Kaká.
During the January 2007 transfer window Celtic signed Scotland internationals and former Hearts players Steven Pressley and Paul Hartley, full-back Jean-Joël Perrier-Doumbé from Rennes on loan and goalkeeper Mark Brown from Inverness Caledonian Thistle.
On 22 April 2007 Celtic won their second consecutive league championship, and 41st overall. The title was secured by an injury-time free-kick from Shunsuke Nakamura in a 2–1 victory against Kilmarnock. The result left Celtic 13 points clear of Rangers with four matches remaining. They finished the season 12 points above Rangers.
On 26 May 2007 Celtic won the Scottish Cup for a record 34th time after beating Dunfermline 1–0. The winner was scored by Jean-Joël Perrier-Doumbé in the 84th minute.
2007-08
Celtic bolstered their side for the 2007/08 season, signing Scott Brown, Chris Killen, Scott McDonald and Massimo Donati. Skipper Neil Lennon left for Nottingham Forest after seven years with the club, with Stephen McManus taking over the club captaincy. However Lennon returned to the club later in the season as a coach.
Celtic were drawn against Russian side Spartak Moscow in the third round of qualifying for the 2007/08 Champions League. The tie ended in a penalty shootout, with Artur Boruc saving twice to ensure Celtic's passage to the next round. This was Celtic's first European penalty shootout victory. They competed against AC Milan, Benfica and FC Shakhtar Donetsk in the group stages, who they beat 2–1, 1–0, and 2–1 respectively at home, but lost all their away matches. They finished second in their group, ensuring qualification to the knockout stage for the second year in succession. Celtic were drawn against FC Barcelona in the last 16 of the Champions League. The first leg, played at Celtic Park, saw them defeated 3–2, after being ahead 1–0 and 2–1. In the second leg Barcelona grabbed an early goal through Xavi and held on for a 1–0 win on the night and 4–2 on aggregate.
The club's first signing of the winter transfer window was Andreas Hinkel. They followed up by signing Japanese youngster Koki Mizuno, Barry Robson from Dundee Utd as well as young striker Ben Hutchinson from Middlesbrough.
Although leading for the early part of the season, Celtic found themselves 7 points behind Rangers having played a game more with only seven weeks of the season left. However, the club made a remarkable comeback, winning their last 7 games, including two victories over rivals Rangers at Celtic Park 2–1 and 3–2, and won the league on 22 May 2008, the last day of the season with a 1–0 win over Dundee United. Meanwhile Rangers lost to Aberdeen at Pittodrie. The victory was dedicated to the memory of Celtic's coach Tommy Burns, who had died the previous Thursday. The result also meant Gordon Strachan became only the third Celtic manager to win three consecutive League Championships.
Current season 2008-09
Celtic signed winger Pat McCourt from FAI League of Ireland side Derry City, and Greek international striker Georgios Samaras, who had spent the second half of the 2007/08 season on loan from Manchester City, signed on a permanent basis. Celtic also added the signings of Marc Crosas, Glenn Loovens and the return of Shaun Maloney from Aston Villa before the closure of the summer transfer window.
As SPL Champions, Celtic gained automatic entry to the UEFA Champions League, but after being drawn with Manchester United, Villarreal, and AaB Aalborg, they finished fourth in their group.
In the January transfer window, Celtic signed winger Niall McGinn from Derry City, left back Milan Misun from FK Príbram, and midfielder Willo Flood from Cardiff while also agreeing a deal to sign Dundee United goalkeeper Lukasz Zaluska on 1 June 2009.
Celtic have qualified for the final of the League Cup, where they will play Rangers at Hampden Park on Sunday 15 March 2009.
Records
- The Scottish Cup final win against Aberdeen in 1937 was attended by a crowd of 365 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 13 November 1915 until 21 April 1917 - a total of 17 months and four days in all (they lost at home to Kilmarnock on the penultimate day of the season)
- Celtic also hold the SPL record for an unbeaten run of home matches (77), spanning from 2001 to 2004.
- Record home attendance: 92,000 against Rangers on 1 January 1938. A 3–0 victory for Celtic
- Most capped player: 83, Shunsuke Nakamura: Japan
- Most capped player (Scotland): 76, Paul McStay
- Record appearances: Billy McNeill, 790 from 1957–1975
- Most goals in a season (all competitions): Henrik Larsson, 53 (2000/01)
- Most goals in a season (league only): Jimmy McGrory, 50 (1935/36)
- Record scorer: Jimmy McGrory, 468 (1922/23 - 1937/38)
- Most goals scored in one Scottish top-flight league match by one player: 8 goals by Jimmy McGrory against Dunfermline in 9–0 win on 14 January 1928
- First British club to reach the final of the European Cup
- Only Scottish, and first British team to win the European Cup
- First club in history to win the European Cup with a team made up only of players from the club's home country (in Celtic's case, all born within a 30 mile radius of Celtic Park)
- Hold the record for the highest score in a domestic cup final: Celtic 7–1 Rangers, Scottish League Cup Final 1957
- Hold the record for the highest attendance for a European club competition match: Celtic v Leeds United in the European Cup semi-final, 15 April 1970 at Hampden Park, Glasgow. Official attendance 136,505
- Fastest hat-trick in European Club Football - Mark Burchill vs Jeunesse Esch, Luxembourg in 2000, a record at the time.
- Earliest SPL Championship won. Won with 6 games to go against Kilmarnock on 18 April 2004 and Hearts on 5 April 2006
- First weekly club publication in the UK, The Celtic View
- Biggest margin of victory in the SPL. 8–1 against Dunfermline Athletic, February 2006 and 7-0 against St Mirren on 28th February 2009.
- Celtic and Hibernian hold the record for the biggest transfer fee between two Scottish clubs. Celtic bought Scott Brown from Hibernian on 16 May 2007 for £4.4m
- Appeared in 14 consecutive League Cup finals, from season 1964/65 to 1977/78 inclusive, a world record for successive appearances in the final of a major football competition
National honours
International club honours
Minor honours
* 1975 trophy shared with Rangers after a 2–2 draw
Special honours
Individual
- All players are from Scotland unless otherwise stated.
Managers
| Name | Scottish League | Scottish Cup | Scottish League Cup | European Cup | Total |
|---|
| 1897–1940
| 16 | 14 | — | — | 30 | | 1940–1945
| 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | | 1945–1965
| 1 | 2 | 2 | — | 5 | | 1965–1978
| 10 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 25 | | 1978–1983
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | | 1983–1987
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | | 1987–1991
| 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | | 1991–1993
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 1993–1994
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 1994–1997
| 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | | 1997–1998
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | | 1998–1999
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 1999–2000
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | | 2000
| 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | | 2000–2005
| 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 7 | | 2005–present
| 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
Players
- As of 31 January 2009.
Current squad
Players out on loan
Reserve team and youth squad
For Celtic's reserve and youth squads, see here.
2008/09 transfers
- Click here for a list of Celtic transfers in season 2008/09
Non-playing staff
Board of Directors
| Position | Name |
|---|
| Chairman | Dr John Reid | | Chief Executive | Peter Lawwell | | Director of Finance | Eric J. Riley | | Non-Executive Director | Ian Livingston | | Non-Executive Director | Dermot Desmond | | Non-Executive Director | Eric Hagman | | Non-Executive Director | Thomas E. Allison | | Non-Executive Director | Brian McBride | | Non-Executive Director | Brian Wilson | | Commercial Director | Adrian Filby | | Director of International Developments | Jason Hughes | |
Management
Sponsors
Notable former players
See List of Celtic F.C. players for players with over 100 appearances, List of Celtic F.C. international footballers and Category:Celtic FC players
Scotland Football Hall of Fame
So far 13 Celtic players and managers have entered the Scottish Football Hall of Fame:
Scottish Sports Hall of Fame
In the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame 5 Celtic players have been selected, they are:
Greatest ever team
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| Greatest ever Celtic team |
The following team was voted the greatest ever Celtic team by supporters in 2002.
See also
External links
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