Since the 10th of April I have been away in Bonny Scotland, as the Clichéd saying goes. I think the tourist board should take note of this one "Scotland - It’s more than bonny and it has the Clyde".
Scotland is brilliant place to stay in, the people are more than welcome and the pound shops have souvenirs worth buying. Glasgow was my habitat for my trip away and the architecture is astounding mainly thanks to Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
Glasgow’s historic 'mr art nouveau' had imagineered some of Glasgow’s most beautiful buildings. One of relevance possibly being the stylistic hotel looking building situated off Renfrew Street which now has a Tesco lying in its base. This structure in particular is a visually eye opening building which catches the eye and gives you the definition of what Mackintosh was all about.
Charles Rennie may have had some great architecture ideas but he did not put down the blue prints for Celtic Park. The Paradise ground tour experience was well worth the money paid. The tour all kicked off outside the Celtic Superstore when our tour guide greeted us.
A group of no more than 15 of us then followed our guide and mazed our way through the small car park, which the statue of Celtic founder, Brother Walfrid watches over until we got to the main reception entrance and entered history.
It was a milestone in my short life as this was the first time I have graced behind the scenes at Celtic Park, and my first time back in Celtic Park since I watched Celtic run out 2-0 winners against Inverness Caledonian Thistle in November 2006.
As we entered the building the group was initially led to a side room on the left with a small corridor which looked so fancy it could have been the inside of a palace. The walls of all covered with a shining ebony coloured timber with a pulchritudinous varnished wooden door.
Then as these doors opened a sightful boardroom-wooden table and chairs faced me and then to my left a small bronze statue of Brother Walfrids head and shoulders on a marble plinth and I then glazed to my right and history shone in my face.
The epitome of excellence gleaming and shining in the natural light of the room. Silverware, trophy after trophy in a cabinet the length of a double decker bus. The glimmer of Celtic success was breathtaking.
I soaked up the moment of seeing the 1967 European cup with my own eyes for the first time. The most historic and important piece in the whole Celtic cabinet. The light twinkled off its curved silver contours, a piece raised high in the air by 'Cesar' himself.
The trophy which Billy McNeill held aloft in Lisbon was sat inches from my gaze, a moment to treasure. The cabinet had a range of pieces stemming from the first trophy won to present day accomplishments.
Present day trophies included Japanese internationalist, Shunsuke Nakamuras PFA player of the season award (06/07) to Gordon Strachans manager of the year award (06/07) as well as the swoop of last seasons 06/07 trophies.
After this visioning of Celtics victorious history we went onwards to a corridor off he end of the room. In the dead centre of this corridor was a glass case with the late Phil O’Donnell’s Motherwell and Celtic shirt.
To the right encased in a glass cabinet was legendary Celtic goalkeeper John Thompson’s shirt, who died tragically in an old firm game. Then towards the far left end and the way out of the room was a special edition shirt encapsulating a cup competition which all that where involved had a colour on the shirt.
On exiting this room we headed onwards and towards the nitty gritty, the inside heart of Celtic Park. The place in which the finely tuned athletic machines prepare for battle, where matches are tactically won and mid-match encouragement is given, the changing rooms.
At first glance the dressing room was quite compact with a variable mixture of cases of sports drinks and Lucozade placed around the room. A bench made its way round the square outer edge of the room in front of the lockers.
The room was only about 20ft by 20ft to my estimation but you got the idea of closeness and team ethic that courses from the manager through to the Celtic squad. I was in awe and dis-belief with the match shirts hung up on display in front of the lockers, Georgios Samaras, Shunsuke Nakamura and Jan Vennegoor Of Hesselink.
The tour guide insisted we take a look inside a few of the lockers and I obliged in doing so. It was a bit surreal as I delved into lockers of some of Scottish football and the world’s biggest footballing icons.
Every Locker looked different. To ponder a few, Nakamuras was full of Adidas sports items, Jean Joel Perrier Doumbe’s locker was set perfect, some lockers had not much in at all but chewing gum packets.
After a few photographs of the changing facilities we moved onwards following the guide towards the pitch. We walked passed a big sign on the wall, "Celtic jerseys are not for second best...It won’t shrink to fit an inferior player". A quote from the legendary Jock Stein reminding us of the high standards of professionalism at Celtic Park.
Onward we passed this sign and we went through a small side door and into the tunnel. The tunnel which hundreds of Celtic players have walked through before matches.
To Be Continued
Scotland is brilliant place to stay in, the people are more than welcome and the pound shops have souvenirs worth buying. Glasgow was my habitat for my trip away and the architecture is astounding mainly thanks to Charles Rennie Mackintosh.
Glasgow’s historic 'mr art nouveau' had imagineered some of Glasgow’s most beautiful buildings. One of relevance possibly being the stylistic hotel looking building situated off Renfrew Street which now has a Tesco lying in its base. This structure in particular is a visually eye opening building which catches the eye and gives you the definition of what Mackintosh was all about.
Charles Rennie may have had some great architecture ideas but he did not put down the blue prints for Celtic Park. The Paradise ground tour experience was well worth the money paid. The tour all kicked off outside the Celtic Superstore when our tour guide greeted us.
A group of no more than 15 of us then followed our guide and mazed our way through the small car park, which the statue of Celtic founder, Brother Walfrid watches over until we got to the main reception entrance and entered history.
It was a milestone in my short life as this was the first time I have graced behind the scenes at Celtic Park, and my first time back in Celtic Park since I watched Celtic run out 2-0 winners against Inverness Caledonian Thistle in November 2006.
As we entered the building the group was initially led to a side room on the left with a small corridor which looked so fancy it could have been the inside of a palace. The walls of all covered with a shining ebony coloured timber with a pulchritudinous varnished wooden door.
Then as these doors opened a sightful boardroom-wooden table and chairs faced me and then to my left a small bronze statue of Brother Walfrids head and shoulders on a marble plinth and I then glazed to my right and history shone in my face.
The epitome of excellence gleaming and shining in the natural light of the room. Silverware, trophy after trophy in a cabinet the length of a double decker bus. The glimmer of Celtic success was breathtaking.
I soaked up the moment of seeing the 1967 European cup with my own eyes for the first time. The most historic and important piece in the whole Celtic cabinet. The light twinkled off its curved silver contours, a piece raised high in the air by 'Cesar' himself.
The trophy which Billy McNeill held aloft in Lisbon was sat inches from my gaze, a moment to treasure. The cabinet had a range of pieces stemming from the first trophy won to present day accomplishments.
Present day trophies included Japanese internationalist, Shunsuke Nakamuras PFA player of the season award (06/07) to Gordon Strachans manager of the year award (06/07) as well as the swoop of last seasons 06/07 trophies.
After this visioning of Celtics victorious history we went onwards to a corridor off he end of the room. In the dead centre of this corridor was a glass case with the late Phil O’Donnell’s Motherwell and Celtic shirt.
To the right encased in a glass cabinet was legendary Celtic goalkeeper John Thompson’s shirt, who died tragically in an old firm game. Then towards the far left end and the way out of the room was a special edition shirt encapsulating a cup competition which all that where involved had a colour on the shirt.
On exiting this room we headed onwards and towards the nitty gritty, the inside heart of Celtic Park. The place in which the finely tuned athletic machines prepare for battle, where matches are tactically won and mid-match encouragement is given, the changing rooms.
At first glance the dressing room was quite compact with a variable mixture of cases of sports drinks and Lucozade placed around the room. A bench made its way round the square outer edge of the room in front of the lockers.
The room was only about 20ft by 20ft to my estimation but you got the idea of closeness and team ethic that courses from the manager through to the Celtic squad. I was in awe and dis-belief with the match shirts hung up on display in front of the lockers, Georgios Samaras, Shunsuke Nakamura and Jan Vennegoor Of Hesselink.
The tour guide insisted we take a look inside a few of the lockers and I obliged in doing so. It was a bit surreal as I delved into lockers of some of Scottish football and the world’s biggest footballing icons.
Every Locker looked different. To ponder a few, Nakamuras was full of Adidas sports items, Jean Joel Perrier Doumbe’s locker was set perfect, some lockers had not much in at all but chewing gum packets.
After a few photographs of the changing facilities we moved onwards following the guide towards the pitch. We walked passed a big sign on the wall, "Celtic jerseys are not for second best...It won’t shrink to fit an inferior player". A quote from the legendary Jock Stein reminding us of the high standards of professionalism at Celtic Park.
Onward we passed this sign and we went through a small side door and into the tunnel. The tunnel which hundreds of Celtic players have walked through before matches.
To Be Continued
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