The Celtic Wiki Book of the Year 2010 | Media | Celtic Books

Details

Title: When Football Was Football: Celtic: A Nostalgic Look at a Century of the Club
Author: Graham McColl
Published: August 2010

Synopsis

Celtic have always been associated with colourful football in the more than 120 years since the club was founded to feed the poor children of the East End of Glasgow.

Those romantic origins have been honoured by the many great Celtic teams who have lit up the game not only inside Scotland but in some of the most memorable matches the world has ever seen.

This wonderfully illustrated book provides a vivid and evocative celebration of the club's golden years. Drawing on the vast photographic archive of the "Daily Mirror" and "Daily Record", it features evocative, exciting and rare images that show why Celtic means so much to so many people. Here are the famous players who proudly wore their club's colours, producing some of football's finest moments in a more innocent age before commercialism took hold of the sport.

All the Celtic greats are here, pictured in their prime and often in intriguingly unusual behind-the-scenes situations: from Jimmy McGrory to Paul McStay, Jimmy Johnstone to Henrik Larsson, Kenny Dalglish to Frank McAvennie.

They light up these pages along with the great managers and the classic games in which Celtic have been involved. "When Football Was Football: Celtic" is not just about the showcase events and icons of yesteryear: it reveals the inner life of the club, with the players off duty, the vibrancy of the fans, plus the colourful and still intriguing lesser-known stories that have made Celtic so special. Revelling in the club's most glorious years, this is a must-have photographic tribute for any follower of Celtic and indeed any football fan.

Review

‘When Football Was Football...Celtic’ represents a change of direction for author and Celtic historian Graham McColl. McColl has penned more than half a dozen wordy and well researched tomes on his beloved Celtic , including Celtic In Europe, Head Bhoys and Jock Stein: The Celtic Years.

But for his latest work the freelance journalist has clearly decided a picture paints a thousand words. Although he hasn’t abandoned his keyboard completely McColl has raided the photo archives of the Daily Mirror and the Daily Record and it is these evocative images which take centre-stage. The coffee-table style book – part of a series on the game which features several other clubs - covers the period 1888-1998 and boasts an impressive collection of images covering almost every aspect of the world that surrounds Celtic Football Club.

There’s the expected selection of match images covering most of the key games – and players - in the history of the Bhoys. While some of these photos are familiar in theme they are certainly images Celtic fans will never tire of seeing. It is however those photos of life away from the games that are the real treat here.

From the WAGS of the 1960s and 70s to the sad images of John Thomson’s funeral the whole spectrum of emotions is captured. There’s also plenty of images of the Celtic support and some cringeworthy PR shots to raise a smile – from matador Billy McPhail to Simon Donnelly looking ‘mad for it’ as a 1990s fashion disaster.

Training sessions receive ample coverage and one photograph of Jock Stein and John Bonnar jogging high up on the bumpy slopes of Ben Lomond provides a stark reminder how times have changed in sports science. McColl’s text accompanying these images is typically informative but I’m sure the author will admit it is the pictures which really tell the story here. All in all 'When Football..' is an evocative, polished and enjoyable slice of Celtic nostalgia.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: J H Haynes & Co Ltd
  
• Language English
• ISBN-10: 0857330349
• ISBN-13: 978-0857330345

Links

• [...]