Stan Petrov has been at the heart of Celtic’s greatest performances of this century.
The teenager seemed like a lost bhoy when he arrived at Celtic in 1999, one of the few successful signings made by John Barnes.
Celtic entering 2000 were a shell of a club. Barely also-rans in European competition.
Under Martin O’Neill Celtic and Petrov were transformed.
A first treble since the sixties was achieved. The Champions League was reached.
PEAK PETROV PERFORMANCES
Porto, Juventus, Lyon and Anderlecht tumbled at Celtic Park. In 2003 Celtic reached the final of the UEFA Cup. Around 80,000 travelled to Seville, most had no intention of paying over the odds for aticket but they wanted to be there.
Celtic had an identity and a purpose.
Post Stein Europe was for other clubs. Under Martin O’Neill Celtic were reborn. A force, a club to be avoided.
A powerful team on the park- a formidable force off it. In October 2003 Bayern Munich players celebrated a 0-0 draw at Celtic Park.
That was then.
Now things are very different.
This season alone Braga, Roma and Stuttgart have won at Celtic Park. Kairat Almaty took a 0-0 draw home to Kazakhstan on route to knocking Celtic out of the Champions League. Kairat earned one point out of 24 after knocking out Celtic.
Petrov wasn’t born a Celtic fan but six years in Glasgow shaped his career. What he saw last night caused alarm.
Listening to Petrov on TNT Sports last night the Sun reports the former Celtic midfielder saying:
It’s a way of protesting, it’s a way of doing it. But listen, we’ve played at this stadium, we’ve came out here every Saturday and every European night, we loved playing under the lights of Celtic Park with the fans behind us.
If you don’t have the fans, the club becomes an ordinary club. The Celtic fans are special. It seems like the club is pulling apart at the moment.
The fans are not happy with the board, the board are not happy with the fans, the performances are not good enough and the team suffers.
The fans need to understand that they are the most important at the moment in order to get results. If the fans are behind the team, they will produce.
In 2003 Celtic led Stuttgart 5-1 on aggregate 10 minutes into the first half of the return leg.
Next Thursday will be a damage limitation exercise. Neither Petrov or Neil Lennon on TNT could offer a case for Celtic to progress.
Sadly there is no sign that things are bottoming out at Celtic.
We now have a new sponsor,Sudocrem for thst massive sore arse we got last night.
We are now at the bottom of the barrel,should we get any lower than that, it would have to be a snakes belly.
We got Absolutely punched drunk last night,and I’m dreading these 2 games coming up with the ZOMBIES,they will tattoo us to the wall in both games,2 games I will definitely be avoiding,couldn’t put myself through that pain.
Lawwell was a bean-counter and imo not a very bright one. But he could follow orders, like Desmond’s.
If I’m correct, then despite Seville, Celtic made a loss in season 2002/03.
Lawwell saw this and seized on it to form his accountant-like view that because of that season, one season, Europe was dodgy and best avoided. Celtic PLC could live without it and it made an easy job that he had even easier. Keep the beloved ‘blue pound’ at any and all cost and the garden would be rosy for ever, maybe even longer!
The rest is history but we’ve currently got a mountain to climb due to decisions made by Desmond and Lawwell and his ilk.
BTW, we all heard the noise those annoying Germans made last night yet the board continues to ban the GB!
Is the board’s disgraceful intention to continue the ban and offer the GB’s area to those on the much-disputed waiting list? Regardless, they need hunted out of CP and a precedent set to show greedy, conspiring capitalist gits that CP is a no-go area for them now and forever.
Maybe a 6-1 thrashing by Sevco will be what it takes to get Lucan and Sly out !
I’ve still got hope for the Title, Clach, so if the new huns give us a doing I hope it’s in the cup.
But we’re in a really bad place due entirely to a dysfunctional board and ONE shareholder.
So sickening, so avoidable.
Not Another Penny, Bin the Board.