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A trip down memory lane shows that Celtic took part in their first European Cup in 1967 and won it.
That crowned them the first British team to win the trophy, achieving the feat with a 15-man squad of Scots with the majority of whom were born within 10 miles of Celtic Park. They also reached the 1964 and 1966 Cup Winners Cup semi-finals.
In the 1970s, they reached the final of the 1970 European Cup, the semi-finals of 1972 and 1974 and the quarter-finals of the 1976 European Cup Winners’ Cup. In 1980, they reached the quarter-finals of the European Cup. After the 1980 campaign, Celtic failed to stay in Europe beyond Christmas for TWENTY-THREE YEARS. It was a dark era in Celtic’s European history. That terrible run came to an end in 2003, when Martin O’Neill’s brilliant side qualified for the UEFA Cup final. They lost 3-2 in extra time to Jose Mourinho’s Porto, who of course would go on to win the Champions League the following season.
O’Neill had restored European pride for the hoops lost for so long. In 2004, they did well again, reaching the quarter-finals of the UEFA Cup, beating Barcelona in the process. Two straight years of good fortune in the circular of 16 after Christmas, it was hoped that a milestone would have been reached.
Since that circular victory on the 16th over Barcelona in 2004, Bebo, Twitter, Spotify, YouTube and Google Chrome have jumped on the bandwagon. The first iPhone was invented, and since then there have been 42 variants. The first Marvel movie and 32 more were released. Frequently. Had. . . Well, you’ve been given a point.
At the time, at Celtic and Rangers, Peter Lawwell, who joined Celtic four months after the 2003 UEFA Cup final, chief executive for 18 years, retired and joined Celtic as chairman. Most irritating for Celtic fans: Rangers reached a European final, lost to the Third Division, moved up a division to the Premiership and reached ANOTHER European final.
But we haven’t noticed any good luck in the round of 16 in Europe for Celtic at that time. It has been painful for Celtic enthusiasts to watch their team in Europe in recent seasons, and it won’t be until 2025 before their next chance to end this unwanted run that will last 21 years. This coincided with an era of near-total domestic dominance in which Celtic won 15 of the 20 league titles, 10 of the 20 Scottish Cups and nine of the 11 League Cups.
This is a unique case, unprecedented almost anywhere in Europe, where a club of Celtic’s stature, with the huge number of enthusiasts it attracts, has largely dominated its domestic scene and yet endured such a long era of underperformance in European competition.
No doubt the pain is exacerbated by the fact that the Celtic faithful have watched with envy the bitter rivals of the Rangers, who have enjoyed one of their most sustained periods of relative good fortune in Europe over the past 40 years. Celtic enthusiasts will say yes. There’s no need to compare yourself to their city rivals and of course Rangers’ recent good luck has been in the Europa League and not the Champions League, where Rangers themselves had a disastrous season last year with 0 problems and six hammer blows.
However, this arguably wouldn’t ease the blow much for Hoops fans. Celtic have won six European knockout matches after Christmas since 1975. The Rangers have won six in the past three years. It’s grim reading, but it’s not all doom and gloom. Celtic’s European front – they’ve been on 18 campaigns at European organisation level since 2004 and have come out of organisation level seven times, so there have been some decent campaigns along the way.
In addition, there are glimmers of optimism for the upcoming season. The new 36-team format will allow them to play 8 matches in either the Champions League or Europa League (depending on the position in the league), and two of those matches will be against groups. This may be an opportunity to get them back to winning ways in the Champions League, as they aim to finish in the 24 most sensible groups out of 36, to qualify for the knockout stages in February.
It is well documented that they have over £70 million in bank reserves, allowing them to earn more interest than some SPFL clubs will make in profits for an entire year. It is a very well managed club financially, with years ahead of its rivals, so it can invest. and build your team if the board makes a decision that is the direction it should take.
They have a very no-nonsense coach, one of the few who would be drawn to control in Scotland. Although the effects have not improved compared to last season, there have been advances in some of their performances. It’s the low margins, especially in home games, that leaves them with just 1 point as their ultimate home game is still to come.
With the right recruiting strategy, Brendan Rodgers may be the person who will bring outstanding European nights back to Parkhead next season. At the very least, UEFA’s new format will feature two matches at organisational level in January, so they would definitely have Boxing Day football. Next season will continue to be the organizational level. But beyond that, Celtic certainly “must” a career in Europe.