Tag: The Celtic Noise

I read the news today, oh boy

This morning started out early, as it always does on a Saturday, game day or not: Coffee and pre-dawn writing before catching up with the rest of the world as the sun rises here on the Pacific coast. Then there’s deciding what to watch when neither Celtic nor FC St. Pauli are playing on this rare Saturday. Would it be AC Milan-Atalanta? Cheltenham Town-Man City? Or maybe even St. Johnstone-Hibs in the Betfred Cup semifinal?

Then I got an e-mail around 9 from my good friend in Vancouver who goes by the name of Dilligaf on The Celtic Noise forum. Dill told me that our Celtic Noise compatriot Michael Duffy had passed away, according to an e-mail Dill had received from Michael’s sister.

Michael was a regular on The Celtic Noise, a very friendly fatherly figure in his late 60s (I think) with a rock-and-roll past, whose depth of Celtic knowledge was only surpassed by his unequivocal and unrivaled love for the Bhoys in Green. He essentially ran the “night shift” on The Noise — for those of us in North America, most of our visiting hours were our afternoons and evenings when most of Glasgow slept. But not Michael. While he was always ready for a discussion, his real bailiwick was the music threads, where he marshalled some of the best music on the site.

How much he was loved by everyone, and will be missed, is captured here on this thread on The Celtic Noise.

A few weeks ago, Michael did a wonderful thing. Having struck up a trans-Atlantic friendship with Dilligaf (who himself is a Greenock kid by birth), Michael sent a child’s Celtic kit to Dill’s granddaughter as a Christmas gift. It was number 7 — the hallowed Celtic number belonging to the legendary Henrik Larsson — with the granddaughter’s name on the back where Larsson’s would have appeared.

Our own interaction revolved around Celtic, of course, music, and his interest in American politics and history. Often our discussions in the latter involved me “translating” CNN and Fox News, which he watched regularly, into rational bits and bobs, and convincing him (successfully, I hope) that the U.S. was not a nation of wall-to-wall, red-capped bigots. While my heart aches to see him go, it does make me smile a bit knowing that he lived long enough to see the exit of the former president and the inauguration of a new, more sensible one.

While no one was more supportive when you were right, Michael was also quick to correct or “adjust” you when you weren’t. To be honest, I’ve been on that side of him only once, when he defused an argument I was having with someone on The Noise with a post of “Let the People Sing” from YouTube and a stern personal warning to me on the side.

He was right. I stood corrected. Play continued.

Also, while I am gathering more information to write a proper obituary for one so deserving, I would again strongly urge you to visit this thread on The Celtic Noise to see what effect Michael has had on those of us who have been touched by his wisdom, his wit, and his musical tastes online. I would urge you to comment below if you knew him, online or in person. He will definitely be missed.

Michael Duffy, you’ll never walk alone. Requiescat in pace, comrade.

Riding the storm out: Coping with the virus-caused Hoops-free spring

So some of you may have noticed — at least my mother did (thanks, Mom) — that I hadn’t posted all last week. As you might imagine, that pesky COVID-19 has put a huge crimp on my life (as it has everyone’s) on several levels: My freelance work has all but evaporated for the moment, leaving me scrambling for a bit to rearrange my life and my work. But now all seems to be fine, relatively speaking, as the governor of California is making me stay indoors for the time being.

I do freely and readily admit, though, perhaps the biggest adjustment is not having football. Probably yours too, no doubt. And plans to visit Glasgow mid-year have been put on hold, so Celtic Park (and Calton Books, incidentally) will have to wait before I grace both with my presence.

So since I am stuck at home, I would like to remind everyone that it is only quarantine if it’s from the quarantine region of France; otherwise, it’s just sparkling isolation. With this in mind, here’s how to pass the time.

Subscribe to Celtic TV and watch past games

Though I am not on the payroll of the broadcaster, I am one of the biggest fans of Celtic TV. Tom Boyd, Paul Cuddihy, and Kelly Clark — I miss you guys! Celtic fans outside the UK have it great, with live broadcasts of the Hoops, not to mention being able to re-watch games once they’re through.

I understand that UK subscribers must wait 24 hours to watch the live games. But now that there are no live games to wait a day to watch, the Celtic TV library is filled with this season’s games — as well as some past classics, reserve squad games, and other Celtic-related programming — and you’re able to watch the games by just calling them up on the screen. Easy peasy.

For the US$28 a month I pay, Celtic TV is now a godsend since I can watch games any time. I don’t know if the cost is the same in the UK, but even if it is, it’s a steal.

I have started watching this season again, starting with the Hearts game. To keep things authentic, I still wake up at 4 a.m. to watch the noon kickoffs, just as I would if the Bhoys were still playing. And they keep winning– Olivier Ntcham always manages to score late at the end of the Lazio game in Rome to save the day. It’s amazing.

“Rome, conquered!”

Join us at Celtic Noise for some banter

Ever since I’ve been a fan of the Hoops, I’ve been a regular at The Celtic Noise, an online forum of Celtic fans hosted by the folks that bring you The Celtic Star (full disclosure: My blog posts often appear on The Celtic Star, as I am a regular contributor to the online publication).

The Noise is a collection of passionate and opinionated Celtic fans who are not shy about showing their allegiance to the green-and-white, and the freewheeling nature of talking about a wide range of topics — not always Celtic-related — makes it a very interesting place to spend time if you’re cooped up in place to ride out the virus.

Again, as passionate and opinionated fans can be, bear in mind that a few of the participants can be . . . let’s just say “overbearing,” but don’t let that deter you from participating. It’s a great community and a great avenue to talk about Celtic. And many threads are entertaining, whether they started out to be or not.

So sign up and get into the game . . . I mean, discussion.

Read, watch videos, and stay safe

Order a copy of just about anything from the Celtic FC Store (books or DVDs) or the Celtic Star Bookstore and read or watch. If you don’t want to venture out to the bookstore or the library, the selection of Celtic books and media in both places are top-drawer. Probably the best Christmas gift I received back in December was the Broony DVD — a definite must-watch for any Celtic fan, and I still pop it in the DVD player from time to time.

Of course, if you’re broke (and I know the feeling, believe me), YouTube has a plethora of complete games and highlights to watch as well.

Most importantly — because both the US and UK governments are racing each other to see which can be more incompetent in dealing with this pandemic — it is incumbent on every one of us to look out for ourselves and our neighbours. Take all suggested precautions, don’t hoard the toilet paper (or other necessities, for that matter), and we’ll all get through this until football starts again.

What do we do now?

So, now that the Bhoys in Green made easy work of Motherwell, what do we do for the next two weeks?

The final scene in the Robert Redford movie “The Candidate” has the newly elected Senator Bill McKay asking the campaign manager, “What do we do now?” This question, of course, runs through the film like a thread, with the McKay character — new to politics — asking the campaign manager what to do throughout the film.

Celtic easily handled Motherwell on Sunday; some might have thought of a 2-0 victory as a letdown after conquering Rome in the victory against Lazio on Thursday, but the bhoys played great and got the three points. Unfortunately, the next game for the Hoops isn’t until Nov. 23 against Livingston at Parkhead.

“What do we do now?”

Now that there’s no Celtic football for a fortnight, this question always rears its ugly head during the international break. Each time, I take a deep breath, line up what games are played internationally and hope I can somehow pick them up on the wild and wooly world of the Internet.

I can’t wait for that big showdown between the Republic of Ireland and New Zealand on Thursday. No, I’m not being sarcastic.

But Thursday aside, here’s a list of things to do — or at least a list of what I usually do — to get your fill of Celtic football during the two-week break.

1. Thank God for YouTube

Got a favorite game? Favorite player? Thanks to the modern technological miracle known as YouTube, you can watch games past, or collections of highlights of players past and present. Want to see Henrik Larsson’s greatest hits? All of Shunsuke Nakamura’s goals for Celtic? At about 5:40 is Shunsuke’s first goal against the Rangers, and given the chance I would loop this video, spending all day watching Nakamura make Allan McGregor look like a fool. Want to see the Holy Goalie? A collection of Artur Boruc’s best saves — if you turn down the techno music (unless that’s your thing) and can overlook some of the special effects — is a joy to watch.

Go crazy in the search on YouTube. There are several games that are worth watching, as well as a variety of documentaries that are worth a watch (especially the documentary about Tommy Burns, which is very moving and worth the watch even if it’s for his rendition of “Mack the Knife”).

Even the Lisbon Lions victory in Portugal which brought the European Cup to Scotland in 1967 is on YouTube. Start to finish. And, having seen it, oh, about 300 times so far — it never gets old — it’s always worth a watch during the break.

Captain. Leader. Legend. DVD star. That’s Scott Brown.

2. Get the Broony DVD

Captain. Leader. Legend. And now, he’s a DVD star. With much fanfare, Celtic has released a video celebrating the current Celtic captain entitled — wait for it — “Broony”. Narrated by actor Martin Compston and featuring tributes and anecdotes from current and former players and managers — and Celtic fan extrordinaire Sir Rod Stewart — it also has exclusive behind-the-scenes footage. The DVD takes us through the early years right up to the moment when Scott Brown became the first Scottish player in domestic football history to lead his team to The Treble Treble!

3. Hang out at The Celtic Noise

One of my favorite online hangouts is the forum known as The Celtic Noise. It’s a place where you can go and banter about the Bhoys in Green, and discuss just about everything else under the sun (oh yes, the forum dwellers at The Noise — of which I am proud to admit I am one — have opinions on everything). During international breaks, the conversation may get a little slow, but it is a chance to catch up on the myriad of topics. It’s work a look, and definitely worth joining and making your voice heard on all things Celtic. And everything else, for that matter.

4. Go outside

OK, so that’s easier said than done where I am, on the Central California coast, rather where you might be, for example, in Scotland. Temperatures here are not yet into the freezing zone — that’ll come around Christmas — and the weather is still pretty bright and sunny. However, if you get the chance to get outdoors, do so. I’ll be walking around the redwoods if someone needs me.

Remember, Celtic is back on the 23rd at home against Livingston. Revenge is in the air. My calendar is marked — is yours?

Talk to you later in the week, folks!