Big Rab and the wee guy at the bar
Football - Bank of Scotland Scottish Premier League - Celtic v Dunfermline Athletic - Celtic Park - 2/5/04 Rab Douglas - Celtic celebrates winning championship Mandatory Credit : Action Images / Lee Smith
Fourteen years ago Rab Douglas was pulling off incredible saves helping Celtic on the road to Seville.
Against Liverpool at Anfield he was in fantastic form with thousands of fans starting to believe and book up holidays in Spain in the hope of a glorious finale to the season.
As he watched from a pub in Benidorm as Dorus de Vries kept a clean sheet the former Celtic keeper was asked about the atmosphere at the ground.
While your watching the game tonight and the Wee guy in Scruffy Murphys in Benidorm asks you if you have ever been to any European nights at Celtic Park….
??????????????????????????????????????????????— Robert Douglas (@Robert__Douglas) February 15, 2018
Actually told him that I took my daughter to the games ????????????
— Robert Douglas (@Robert__Douglas) February 15, 2018
Like the barman in New york was telling Tom Boyd and Tom Boyd snr that Tom Boyd would be in the Bronx for the game the following morning ????????????
— Bronx Bhoy (@bronxbhoy) February 15, 2018
After we won the semi final and the full airport was on there knee bowing to you’s as you came through, I will never forget you pulling a guy to his feet and giving him a big cuddle Rab ????????????????????
— Tommy Cummings (@TommyCummings67) February 16, 2018
3 leagues and 3 Scottish cups not bad for a lad that just brought his daughter to a few games. ????????
— Woodsy (@WoodsyEire) February 15, 2018
Everyone has a fall from grace. I meet big Morton V in a market in Shanghai while he was buying a fake Rolex!! You were part of the best year of my life. Every game home and away!!
— Martin Kerr (@NavisionGuru) February 16, 2018
You’ll always have Valencia big fella. You were a cross between Lev Yashin and Pat Jennings.
— murphio1888 (@murphio1888) February 16, 2018
Those days seem like yesterday yet that guy was probably too young to remember them!
— Mark Nicholas (@joydivision61_h) February 15, 2018
Douglas was sometimes the fall guy in Martin O’Neill’s side but never shirked a challenge and put the team ahead of himself at all times.
At the start of the Seville season Magnus Hedman was brought in to take his place but the injury and gaffe prone Swede was rarely available when the chips were down.
Earlier this season Douglas turned out for Arbroath away to Queens Park, beating Shaun Maloney to the title of the last of the Seville side still playing senior football.