The Lisbon Lions
The Lisbon Lions

Author: Billy McNeill

Publisher: Black & White Publishing

Published: 2007-05-03

Total Pages: 275

ISBN-13: 1845028708

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On May 25, 1967 Celtic Football Club made history by becoming the first British team to win the European Cup. Eleven players, all born within a 30-mile radius of Celtic Park, beat the Italian aristocrats of Inter Milan and took their place forever in the annals of fame. This is the story, four decades after that memorable triumph in the Portuguese capital, of each of the eight surviving Lisbon Lions, their own official take on exactly what happened before, during and after that never-to-be-forgotten encounter that shook the football world.Remarkably, the Lions have never sat down in the intervening 40 years and put their exclusive thoughts together in one book - this is that unique book. Billy McNeill, Jim Craig, Tommy Gemmell, John Clark, Willie Wallace, Stevie Chalmers, Bertie Auld and Bobby Lennox give their forthright views on the march towards Lisbon and a place in football history.Who was the Lisbon Lion who thought the European Cup Final was the easiest game of the season? Who now admits he made life difficult for Jock Stein? Who was the player who was conned by the Celtic manager? Which Lion had a running battle with his team-mates throughout the European Cup Final?And who thought Celtic had won the trophy before the kick-off? All is revealed!"The Lions" also give fascinating and thought-provoking insights to manager supreme Jock Stein, goalkeeper extraordinary Ronnie Simpson, midfield master Bobby Murdoch and the incomparable Jimmy Johnstone.Candid, frank and funny, "The Lisbon Lions: The Real Inside Story" reveals the secrets of Lisbon 1967, unlocked by the men who knew the inside track - the players themselves.

Life with the Lions
Life with the Lions

Author: Ian Young

Publisher:

Published: 2013-11

Total Pages: 176

ISBN-13: 9781907463853

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Ian Young played several seasons at Celtic Football Club in the '60s after signing from Neilston Waverley in 1961. During his time at the Club, the athletic, strong and tough-tackling full-back enjoyed league and cup success, and has often been credited in helping to turn the Club around by ending rivals Rangers' physical domination. Ian's name is warmly chanted in the famous Celtic song, Celtic, Celtic, That's the Team for Me' ('There's Fallon, Young and Gemmel...') He was also capped at Under-23 level for Scotland. Supporters and media reporters of that time say Ian's tackle on Rangers winger Willie Johnston in the League Cup final would spark the beginning of a Celtic team's ambition to match and defeat their greatest rivals with strength. It's perhaps no coincidence that Celtic would go onto make history soon after with the legendary Nine-in-a-Row era. Ian's autobiography follows the path from the humble beginnings in the junior ranks to European Cup nights and playing in front of 107,000 fans against Rangers. Just some of the highlights of a remarkable journey. The book also charts Ian's life, work and faith journey after he left Celtic. Ian Young is also listed in the few Celtic players who may well have turned out for Rangers, but for fate and circumstances. Ian ended his career quietly and without a fuss. This autobiography gives the reader a chance to get to know a player who served Celtic Football Club during its most significant years.

Celtic's Lost Legend
Celtic's Lost Legend

Author: Bryan Cooney

Publisher: Black & White Publishing Ltd

Published: 2019-06-06

Total Pages: 235

ISBN-13: 1785302760

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The incredible truth behind the legend of George Connelly Hailed as the greatest Scottish talent of his generation, George Connelly made 254 appearances for Celtic and played in the Scotland team that qualified for the 1974 World Cup Finals. But at the age of 26 he walked away from football and the promise of a glittering career. So, what went wrong? George Connelly had a rare talent. He could pass long or short with unerring accuracy, could entertain crowds with his keepie-uppie skills and seemed to have the world at his feet. But with a troubled private life and the pressures of stardom weighing on his shoulders, the man behind the laidback exterior was falling apart. In Celtic's Lost Legend, George Connelly tells the remarkable story of why he walked away from his dreams and from the team he loved. Here, at last, he answers the question that has intrigued football fans for more than forty years. Whatever became of George Connelly?

Keeping in Paradise
Keeping in Paradise

Author: David Potter

Publisher: Black & White Publishing

Published: 2015-08-31

Total Pages: 220

ISBN-13: 1845029755

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John Fallon remains one of Celtic's great characters and is a lifelong supporter of the club. Now, for the first time, this Celtic legend tells the fascinating inside story of his career in football and his years with the club. Fallon joined Celtic in the late 1950s when the club was struggling, saw a fair amount of the desperate days of 1963 and 1964 but was there at the start of the glory years when Celtic won the Scottish Cup in 1965. He shared in good and bad times with the club, was the substitute goalkeeper at the European Cup Final in Lisbon in 1967, and was suddenly called into action in South America when Ronnie Simpson was felled by a missile - and performed brilliantly. He hit a low point in 1968 after one bad game against Rangers at the New Year, but fought back gloriously to play his part in the incredible month of April 1969 when Celtic won all three Scottish domestic trophies in one calendar month. It is a career he is rightly proud of and now John Fallon reveals the inside story and some brand new insights into his relationship with Jock Stein and other members of the Lisbon Lions, which were not always straightforward.There are accounts of his dealings with opponents, the clashes with Rangers and with European opposition in what was a fantastic era for the game in Scotland.He also shares his opinions on the art of goalkeeping, the state of Celtic at the moment and the future of the game in Scotland.

Sean Fallon: Celtic's Iron Man
Sean Fallon: Celtic's Iron Man

Author: Stephen Sullivan

Publisher: BackPage Press

Published: 2013-10-08

Total Pages: 380

ISBN-13: 1909430129

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Sean Fallon is one of British football's great untold stories. For the first time, the Celtic legend speaks candidly about his time as right-hand man to Jock Stein and how together they ruled Scottish football and conquered Europe with the Lisbon Lions. We learn how the Irishman shaped Celtic's glory era of the 1960s and 70s by signing not only the majority of the Lions, but also players such as Kenny Dalglish, Danny McGrain, Lou Macari, George Connelly, Davie Hay, Pat Bonner and Paul McStay. Fallon also reflects on his stellar playing career including the 7–1 League Cup final win over Rangers in 1957, the lean years of the early 1960s and the uneasy final stages of his and Stein's tenure at Celtic. His own, oft-underestimated role is illuminated by revealing interviews with the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, Kenny Dalglish, current Celtic boss Neil Lennon, chief executive Peter Lawwell, Stein's son, George, Sean's family and former colleagues.

Celtic: The Lisbon Lions
Celtic: The Lisbon Lions

Author: Andy Dougan

Publisher: Random House

Published: 2011-04-30

Total Pages: 245

ISBN-13: 0753546558

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40 years ago a group of eleven young men stood in the Estadio Nacional in Lisbon and faced a crowd of 77,000 and the mighty Inter Milan. They were the first British team ever to reach the final of the European Cup. Indeed it was the first time their club had even played in the European Cup. And yet they faced one of the richest teams, with a fearsome reputation and an unbeaten defensive strategy. But these men would go on to make football history... Told by a life-long fan, The Lisbon Lions follows the fortunes of eleven men born within 20 miles of Glasgow who had come to play for a football team struggling in the League. Reinventing the team with his positive playing strategies, manager Jock Stein guided Celtic to victory in the Scottish championships and eventually to the European Cup itself. Andy Dougan takes us on the thrilling journey with Celtic as, round by round, the team's passion, inventiveness, and above all style brings them to the biggest game in their club's history. The story remains as romantic, inspiring and stirring as ever.

Pride of the Lions
Pride of the Lions

Author: Derek Niven

Publisher:

Published: 2017

Total Pages: 190

ISBN-13: 9780993555121

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Derek Niven sets out to tell the history of the Lisbon Lions from a completely new slant. This book is not just about an immortalised game of football, it seeks to tell the story of the unsung men and women who made the 16 players that are the Lisbon Lions through the extraordinary tales of their family histories.

The Lions of Lisbon
The Lions of Lisbon

Author: Willy Maley

Publisher: Luath Press Ltd

Published: 2020-12-11

Total Pages: 129

ISBN-13: 1912387220

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On 25 May 1967, Celtic beat Inter Milan 2–1 to become the first British team to win the European Cup. Fifty years on, The Lions of Lisbon relives the jubilation from the fans' point of view.

Playing for the Hoops
Playing for the Hoops

Author: Aidan Donaldson

Publisher: Luath Press Ltd

Published: 2016-10-04

Total Pages: 302

ISBN-13: 191032485X

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"How did George McCluskey become one of Celtic F.C.'s most memorable football players? What binds the fans and players and creates this strong sense of belonging? And what does the Irish diaspora have to do with Celtic F.C.? George McCluskey was one of the key strikers for the Hoops in the '70s and '80s, a successful time in the club's history. He did not only score for his team, but changed the entire game in favour of Celtic more than once. In this account of his life story told by his close friend Aidan Donaldson and his son Barry McCluskey, George McCluskey is praised as the embodiment of the Celtic spirit. His individual history is intertwined with the history and mentality of the club. However, George McCluskey did not only influence Celtic F.C. but also other clubs he played for and the people he has met during his life. This book takes you on a journey through the development of the club from its very beginning, as well as exploring the evolution of football in general. How did we get from football legends like George McCluskey to football celebrities like David Beckham? What did professional football look like back then, what constitutes it nowadays? This timely book will appeal not only to Celtic supporters, but to anyone interested in the development of professional football. His exuberant celebration depicted on the cover of the book remains iconic in the eyes of Celtic supporters today. His Cup winning goal led inadvertently to a riot and the banning of alcohol in Scottish football grounds."

The Last Line: My Autobiography
The Last Line: My Autobiography

Author: Packie Bonner

Publisher: Random House

Published: 2015-10-01

Total Pages: 370

ISBN-13: 1473528615

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Irish national hero, a Celtic great and their most-capped player, Patrick 'Packie' Bonner is a goalkeeping legend. He was Jock Stein's last signing for the club when he left his native Donegal for the city of Glasgow in 1978, where Packie evolved from being a shy, homesick teenager into a confident, world-class talent and first-choice goalkeeper. Billy McNeill handed him a debut on St Patrick's Day in 1979, and Packie went on to provide the last line of defence a record 641 times for the club. A seasoned Irish internationalist, Packie was a vital component in the most-celebrated Irish national squad ever, playing in a golden era under the tutelage of the inimitable Jack Charlton. In The Last Line, Packie shares stories from his incredible career, including his greatest moment in front of a global audience during the Italia '90 World Cup tournament when he became the penalty shoot-out hero of the nation by saving a spot-kick that took the Irish to the quarter-finals stage in their very first World Cup adventure. It was an iconic moment that would change his life forever not least because, whilst in Italy, he, along with his teammates, had an audience with another goalkeeper, Pope John Paul II. Throughout his 80 cap international career, he competed against the very best in the world. Men such as Ruud Gullit, Marco Van Basten, Gheorghe Hagi, Roberto Baggio and Gary Lineker came to know the name Packie Bonner. Equally, in his glittering Celtic career that included the winning of four Scottish League titles, three Scottish Cups and one Scottish League Cup, Packie Bonner played alongside some great Celtic names like Tommy Burns, Paul McStay, and Murdo Macleod. Along the way, Packie had to endure a career-threatening back injury, as well as the devastation of a routine save going wrong and costing a goal on the world stage against Holland in 1994, ultimately leading to elimination from the World Cup in America. More than just the telling of trophies, titles and triumphs, this is the story of a Celtic legend and a true great of Irish International football.