Tom Brogan rounds up his three part series on Celtic’s often overlooked 1970 European Cup adventure

Having disposed of Leeds United in the semi-final Celtic were immediately installed as heavy favourites for the final. Their Dutch opponents, Feyenoord hadn?t endured quite as many tough matches as Celtic in the earlier rounds, although they still had their significant triumphs.
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Before the draw for the semi-final was made, Celtic had already decided to move their home leg from Celtic Park to Hampden in order to accommodate the large number of fans eager to see the game.

Jock Stein spoke about his hopes for the draw, ?Sure, I?d like to miss Leeds, for I feel an all-British final would be a terrific morale boost to our country.?

But he was not to get his wish, as the draw in Rome paired Celtic with Leeds United, with the first leg at United?s Elland Road ground.

Leeds had started their first European Cup campaign in style, disposing of Lyn Oslo 10-0 at home and 6-0 in Norway. In the second round they knocked out Ferencvaros of Hungary, the team they had beaten in the 1968 Fairs Cup Final, winning 3-0 both home and away.

In the quarter-finals they came up against Standard Liege, who had disposed of Real Madrid. They triumphed in Belgium thanks to a Peter Lorimer goal. The job was finished with an eightieth minute Johnny Giles penalty at Elland Road.
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Celtic open their Champions? League campaign on Wednesday against Manchester United at Old Trafford. Their UEFA Cup Final appearance in 2003 gave the current support a taste of European success that fans of earlier generations enjoyed for a number of years.

While I was watching The History of Football DVD it focused on the rise of Northern Europe in the game. This began at club level with Celtic?s 1967 European Cup win over Inter Milan.

Three years after their triumph in Lisbon, Celtic returned to the European Cup Final, this time in Milan to play Dutch champions Feyenoord. As I watched the goals from that match it dawned on me that although I had seen the 1967 success many times on TV, I had never seen the highlights from the 1970 game before.

As a result of this I thought now might be a time to have a look at the campaign that saw The Bhoys fall at the final hurdle in their quest for a second European trophy.

Their run to the 1970 final saw dramatic comebacks, sensational climaxes, records being broken, a ?Battle of Britain? and some truly memorable matches.
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As it was well documented by the tabloids Celtic did not have the happiest times on the money making trips abroad. In short Poland: 2 games 2 defeats. America: 3 games 1 defeat and 2 draws. Japan: 1 game-1defeat. The trip to Poland was more of a goodbye to the fans by Majic Zurawskii and Arthur Boruc more than anything however 2 poor performances by a not so much under strength Hoops team.

The States where many ex pats and distant Celts are now based were licking their lips at seeing their heroes in the flesh were quickly demolished by what was no more than a hiding by DC united team well into their season, the 4-0 scoreline was no more than Celtic deserved. 2 more games, a slight improvement, still no win.

In the land of the rising sun. if anyone was in any doubt how much of a impact Shunsuki Nakamura has made on Celtic the sell out crowd of screaming fans all in hooped jerseys enjoyed Celtic going down again to a J-league team who were sitting pretty at the top of the up and coming J-League.
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Celtic dipped into the transfer market this past week, to bring in full-back Lee Naylor and forward Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink. The Scottish tabloids have been chattering for weeks about Celtic manager Gordon Strachan?s desperate search to fill both positions.

Naylor arrived from Wolves at a cost of ?600,000 with youngster Charlie Mulgrew heading in the opposite direction. Vennegoor of Hesselink was signed from PSV Eindhoven for a cost of around ?3.4M.

Some of Strachan?s previous forays into the transfer market have been slightly suspect. Defenders Mo Camara and Adam Virgo both recently left Parkhead having failed to make any kind of impact in their one year at the club. Eyebrows were raised when both were signed, but no one was surprised to see them both head back down to England.
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Chelsea and Champions League holders Barcelona will renew their rivalry after they were drawn together in the first phase of this year’s competition. The two sides, who have now been paired for the third time in three years, also face Werder Bremen and Levski Sofia.

Manchester United will meet Celtic in Group F with Benfica and FC Copenhagen.

Last year’s finalists Arsenal take on Porto, CSKA Moscow and Hamburg while Liverpool face PSV Eindhoven, Bordeaux and Galatasaray.

British teams in bold and the top seeds in CAPITALS.
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Gordon Strachan has said that he would love to sign Real Madrid’s Thomas Gravesen on the proviso that the Dane’s wage demands fit within the tight wage structure that the Glaswegians operate under.

“We would have to have a look at it but there would have to be some homework done on wages,” said Strachan.

“We would like to try and keep him within the structure that we have got here just now.

“But I think it’s unfair to speak about anybody who is not here, it is unfair on the team, the player and our fans.”

Gravesen would probably favour a return to the English Premiership after enjoying his time at Everton but his agent, former Manchester United midfielder John Sivebaek, has said that Celtic is still a very realistic destination for the midfield hardman.

Following Real Madrid’s summer reshuffling, Gravesen has been made available for a cut price ?2m and would be an ideal replacement for the retired Roy Keane in the Hoops’ midfield.

Celtic, and other interested suitors, are hopeful of a decision this week.

Despite reports in the weekend press of having been given the all clear for another season at Celtic, Roy Keane has today announced that he is retiring from professional football because of his problematic long term hip injury.

The former Manchester United star only signed for Celtic on a free transfer last january but was unable to shine for his boyhood heroes as a career ravaged by injuries and playing at the top level finally caught upwith him, eventually resulting in his retirement from the game.

As a transfer record breaking ?3.75m signing for Alex Ferguson and Manchester United in 1993, Keane went on to become the driving force behind United’s dominance of the English game during the 1990s and helped them to a trophy haul of seven Premiership titles, three FA Cups and, somewhat cruelly, to the European Cup final in 1999 which they won in his absence as he sat it out through suspension.

The definitive defensive midfielder in British football, Roy Keane was an often controversial figure, as aggressive on the pitch as he was private off it, and was no stranger to the controversy of red cards or bust ups with fellow professionals, referees or managers. The eventual onslaught of time and injury coupled with increasingly outspoken behaviour finally brought the curtain down on his time at Manchester United and lead to his career swansong in Glasgow with Celtic.

Keane said: “Having received advice from my surgeon and the Celtic doctor my only option is to retire.”

In a statement, Keane added: “I would like to send the manager, staff, the players and the supporters of Celtic football club best wishes for the future.”

Barcelona’s European Cup victory still hasn’t helped Swedish striker Henrik Larsson get over the heartbreak of Celtic’s defeat to Porto in the 2004 UEFA Cup Final.

While Larsson was instrumental in Barcelona’s victory over Arsenal after coming on as a second half substitute in his last game for the Catalan club, he told Scottish newspaper the Daily Record that the defeat at the hands of Jose Mourinho’s men still haunts him.

“Years and years ago I would watch the European Cup and hope that one day I’d get the chance to play in it and even win it.

“Now I’ve realised that dream and it’s something I can always look back on with a huge amount of pride.

“But you can’t say that it erases the memory of losing the UEFA Cup with Celtic. That was a different team and I will always feel sorry we lost that game.

“Whenever I watch a UEFA Cup final I will be disappointed that I didn’t win it with Celtic.

“But at least now every time I watch the Champions League I can hold my medal and be incredibly happy that I achieved that.”

Henrik Larsson is now returning to his native Sweden to play for Helsingborgs.

The east End of Glasgow will grind to a halt today as football fans, friends and family prepare to say a last farewell to Celtic legend Jimmy Johnstone who died on Monday after a long battle against motor neurone disease.

Strathclyde police are expecting thousands of fans to line the route as the cortege passes from the St John the Baptist Church in Uddingston to Celtic Park, with the statdium he graced so many times awash with football scarves, shirts and messages proclaiming the talent of one of Scottish football’s greatest ever players.

Johnstone won nine consecutive Scottish league titles with Celtic between 1965 and 1974 and was an integral member of Celtic’s Lisbon Lions team, who beat Inter Milan to become the first British winners of the European Cup in 1967.

He was diagnosed with motor neurone disease in November 2001 and became a fervent campaigner for research into the condition.

As a further mark of respect the St Patrick’s Day committee in New York has given permission to Celtic supporters to hold a minute’s silence in memory of Johnstone when they stop outside St Patrick’s Cathedral on Fifth Avenue.