'The Greatest Team on Earth'
Local billing for Celtic on a visit to the Midlands in the 1890s
'I was told when I joined about Celtic's ''paranoia''. Now I know it is true. We are hard done by. Religously and politically, there are people agaisnt us.'
Liam Brady, Celtic Manager, Octboer 1992
'Even when we played the likes of Raith Rovers or Dunfermline, the referees would be against us. That's because in Scotland it's always a two horse race, and by hurting us, they were helping Rangers.'
Paolo di Canio, 2000
'The game was ninety minutes longs but for me the game lasted as long as my five years as captian and six years without a trophy'
Paul McStay speaking after beating Airdrie in the 1995 Scottish Cup Final
'One of my jobs at the start - and you can write this as a headline - was trying to find out why exactly we had spent some of our money on Rafael Sheidt'
Martin O'Neill speaking in 2004
'We thought it would be impossible. We had seen Real Madrid play and all those teams, Milan and all those and we thought they were magnificent.'
Bobby Lennox speaking in 2003 about the players assesment of success in 1967
'We knew within ourselves, our own ability and we started to believe in ourselves but we never, ever for a minute thought that we would win the European Cup.'
Jinky, 1995
'At that point we had no thoughts about winning the European Cup. In fact it was a big thrill for us to just go to Zurich because we had never been there.'
Bobby Lennox speaking in 2003 about Celtic's opening tie of the European Cup 66/67.
'I feel we have the players fit to wear the mantle of champions of Europe. I have told them so. Now it's up to them.'
Jock Stein after beating Vojvodina Novi in the QF of the European Cup, 1967
'It's not that they weren't penalties - it's just that they're the kind of penalties nobody else gets!'
Not the View fanzine in 2003 after Rangers were awarded three penalties in their 2-2 draw with Dundee in May 2003
'Martin did have one thing going for him when he arrived up there in Glasgow - he didnt need to work too hard to get fans to come to the ground. All he had to do was tell them it was a Saturday! What a luxury, massive home crowds virtually guaranteed.'
Brian Clough on MON, 2002
'I don't see anything postive about my performance in the final. Scoring two goals in a final doesn't mean anything if you lose. All I wanted was for Celtic to win the cup.'
Henrik Larsson speaking after Seville, 2003
'I thought they were great and deserved everything they got.'
Paul Lambert on Porto, 2003
'I don't beleive 50,000 fans will travel to Seville. Thats is madness, an exaggeration. I think a fair number will be around 4,000. We are talking about a final being played on a Wednesday, a day when people normally work.'
Rafael Carmonna, security cheif for the 2003 Uefa Cup final
'It was just an accident waiting to happen.'
John Barnes on the 2-1 defeat to ICT in 2000, speaking in 2002
'I probably did 15 or 20 years as a manager in those three years.'
Tommy Burns on his three years as Celtic manager under Fergus McCann
'A publicity stunt.'
Fergus McCanns view on the appointment of Lou McCari by the board he was trying to oust.
'Unsporting conduct.'
FIFA's verdict on fining Le Petite Merde £3,500 for going back on his announcement to sign for Celtic, 1989.
'I'll finish my career here. I don't want to play for any other club.'
Le Petite Merde at a press conference confirming his return to Celtic from Nantes.
'There's as much chance of McAvennie leaving as there is of us losing 5-1 tomorrow.'
Billy McNeil speaking in 1988. The next day Celtic lost 5-1 to Rangers and McAvennie eventually left for West Ham
'The UEFA Cup is not just one notch up from what we're used to, we are talking about four or five notches.'
MON, 2003
'The gaffer said it was men against boys out there.'
Blackburn captain Gary Flicroft on Celtic after the first leg, 2003. Celtic won 1-0
'They should learn a lesson. Never talk untill the game is finished.'
Larsson on Blackburn after the second leg, 2003. Celtic won 2-0
'If Celtic score one then we can score three. Hopefully by 10pm tonight people will be saying 'Bloody hell, that Blackburn are a good side'.'
Graeme Souness prior to the second leg against Blackburn, 2003
'When they attacked we were four players down.'
Tommy Burns on fielding Paolo di Canio, Jorge Cadette, Andy Thom and Piere van Hooijdonk in a UEFA Cup game defeat against Hamburg, 1996
'I only know the first two lines of 'The Sash' because after that we've usually scored.'
Roy Aitken on Old Firm games in the 1980s
'There was hatred in the Old Firm and I soaked it up. I used it to my advantage. I knew perfectly well it was about religion and while, i did not understand or wish to get involved in the dispute, I would feed off it.'
Paolo di Canio, 2000
'When the final whistle blows and you're in front; thats the only moment you really enjoy it.'
MON on Old Firm games
'I've always seen us as the Cavaliers and them as the Roundheads.'
Billy McNeill on Celtic and Rangers
'Even if something had gone wrong on a Saturday and a player had made an obvious mistake, McGrory would never come across and speak to the guy during the week. We never got an ounce of coaching from either McStay or McGrory.'
Alec Boden, ex-Celt, in 2002, on Jimmy McStay, Celtic manager 1940-45 and Jimmy McGrory, manager 1945-65
'I've got a vivid memory from 1965, when it was announced he was coming back from Hibs, of Billy McNeill saying, ''Oh thats fantastic! Wait and see how things change now!''.'
John Divers, 1995 on the return of Jock Stein to the club as manager.
'The best place to defend is the other team's penalty box.'
Jock Stein
'How dare Martin O'Neill ask Rivaldo to go for a trial in America! That is an insult to my client and to football. People will be crying tears of laughter when they hear Celtic wanted to take Rivaldo on trial.'
Carlos Arime, Rivaldo's agent, June 2004
'Without a shadow of a doubt that was my best game for Celtic. With a quarter of an hour to go, none of them would come near me.'
Jinky on Alferdo di Stefano's testimonial speaking in 1995.
'I hit the ball against the goalkeeper. It was just one of those things but I reckon when I did that, that was me finished at Celtic. Jock Stein was like that: he tended to blame you for things. Within a year I had left the club.'
John Hughes on missing a goal-scoring oppurtunity in extra-time of the 1970 European Cup Final with the score at 1-1.
'It will stick in my mind forever that after the game the Celtic players were extremely good sportsmen and, together with their supporters, they gave us a standing ovation when we were receiving the cup.'
Eddy Pieters Graafland, goalkeeper for Feyenoord in the 1970 final.
'That defeat in 1970 took a lot out of the club and took a lot out of the self-belief and everything else. We never quite got back to that level again.'
Billy McNeill on losing the European Cup Final in 1970, speaking in 1998
'We thought they were on something!'
John Hughes, in 2003, talking about meeting an extremely energetic Ajax side in 1971. They went on to win the European Cup that year.
'He is the type of player that makes people come to watch football.'
Rangers midfielder Ronald de Boer on Lubo Moravcik, 2002
'I caught the beginning of the stadium. I caught just that wind of change and I remember thinking that when this place is full it is going to be quite an arena. I felt the warmth and swell of the Celtic support.'
Tony Mowbray, 2004
'McCann built a stadium. Oh, whata great great thing. Ceaucescu built pretty amazing stadiums, so did Mussolini. I'm in it for the team. It's like building La Scala and having a run of the mill pub-singer perform.'
Jim Kerr, May 1999
'If you put that wee thing out on the park, you'll be done for manslaughter!'
Jimmy Quin to manager Willy Maley after first seeing Patsy Gallagher
'We climbed three mountains then proceeded to throw ourselves off.'
Billy McNeil on losing out on away goals, 6-6, to Partizan Belgrade.
I remember Paul McStay saying to Krankl, in very clear English, ' You're a cheat'. The bottle had landed 20 yards away from their player.'
Peter Grant, 2003, on the Rapid Vienna fiasco. Krankl was Vienna's captain.