More than 90 Minutes Celtic Fanzine Issue 141 print edition is now SOLD OUT. You can still DOWNLOAD the new digital issue and enjoy another 48 page packed edition of the publication. The best way to ensure you never miss a print copy of the fanzine is subscribe and the post man will deliver every issue into your letterbox.

Issue 142 will be out next month. Thanks again for the continued support hope you enjoy reading the new issue. Log onto celticfanzine.com or download the Celtic Fanzine APP for daily blogs and news.

You can also listen or watch the Celtic Soul Podcasts, Get news and tickets of up coming events and visit our online shop at celticfanzine.com

DOWNLOAD NOW

https://celticfanzine.com/product/more-than-90-minutes-issue-141-celtic-fanzine-digital-edition/

SUBSCRIBE NOW

https://celticfanzine.com/product-category/monthly-print-subscription/

Click Image for Match Day Fanzine

Over the course of match day on Thursday I spoke to numerous Celtic fans who all have their opinions on how the game would go and the over all picture now at Celtic. There is a deep divide among the Celtic support. Last week we all had high hopes that talks between the Celtic board and Celtic supporters would see a blanket ban on the Green Brigade being lifted ahead of Thursday nights game.

Sadly it now seems that the meeting was a box ticking exercise by the Celtic board and a PR stunt. Pre-match the Stuttgart fans enjoyed themselves in Glasgow’s city centre pubs mixing with Celtic fans and exchanging stories from their last visit to Celtic Park back in 2003.

Celtic were a different animal back then and Martin O’Neill knew every one of his players inside out, because of the cluster f**k of a season he now has to try plaster over the cracks and do everything he can twice a week to try and get results with the current team. The Green Brigade remain banned and it was the Stuttgart Ultras who were in full voice on Thursday night. They brought their flags, their drums and their loudspeaker. They brought colour and they sang for 90 minutes. They even unfurled a banner in solidarity to the Green Brigade.

Celtic Park is no longer the fortress it once was on European nights. I am not sure if throwing tennis ball onto the pitch served any purpose on the night or brought any more support to the Celtic Fan Collective. Social Media was as toxic on the night as ever. Blaming Celtic fans for the teams performance last night or the state of play at Celtic is wrong. The fault of Celtic’s decline lies with Dermot Desmond and an under performing board.

Dermot Desmond was absent again last night from the directors box. He has not been seen at the stadium since Martin ‘Neill’s first game in charge against Falkirk back in October. It was sad to see the ground almost empty when the referee blew the final whistle. Thursday night felt like the life was being sucked out of Celtic both on the field and in the stands.

Father time is catching up on Kasper but hearing him being booed by Celtic fans is wrong and I think most Celtic supporters would agree with me. The Ultras are not everybody’s cup of tea but win, lose or draw they back the team from the first whistle till the last.

After the game Stuttgart fans celebrated in Glasgow pubs while we watched on knowing our trip to Germany is a lost cause but we will still travel and enjoy the trip. I don’t expect any of the travelling support to boo any of the Celtic players. Lets hope that was a one off.

Martin O’Neill will be able to rest some key players in Germany ahead of the rangers game at Ibrox but before that he must now pick up the Celtic players after Thursday nights hammering for the Hibs game today which should see Alex Oxlade Chamberlain make his first start for Celtic and we will need him.

As the Stuttgart Fans sang last night “Always look on the bright side of life” I try to but it can frustrating when you consider how close Celtic pushed Bayern Munich around this time last year in the Champions League before the club went it to reverse and crashed  it into a wall last night in the Europa League.

Andrew Milne is Editor of More than 90 Minutes & Host of the Celtic Soul Podcast 

Click Image for Match Day Fanzine

On Sunday Martin O’Neill reached a milestone in his Celtic managerial career when he took charge of Celtic in the 3-2 nail biting win over Kilmarnock. The win marked his 300^th game in charge of Celtic. Tonight he reaches another milestone his 1000^th game as a football manager.

Since his return to Celtic he is unbeaten in Scotland and out of his 3 Europa League games his record reads played 4 won lost 1 and drawn 1. He took 7 points out of a possible 12. Those 4 points helped Celtic to reach the knockout stages of the Europa League.

Tonight he will face an inform Stuttgart team who sit fourth in the Bundesliga. Yesterday at his press conference he commented on the challenge

“They’re obviously very strong, physical, with a lot of good players playing for them. So they’ll be difficult games for us, but while we’re there, let’s go for it.”

“Oh, without a doubt, it would be the toughest, considering the position that they’re in, considering the league that they are in as well. So this would be pretty tough.”

During the Europa campaign Stuttgart finished in 11^th spot having won 5 of their games. In Germany they have won 3 and drawn 1 of their last 5 games. St. Pauli beat them earlier in the month.

I was at Celtic Park back in 2003 when O’Neill’s current number 2 Shaun Maloney took the place of Henrik Larsson who watched from the stands. Maloney scored that night in a 3-1 win. Stuttgart had a player sent off. I think we would all be over joyed if we got  a similar result tonight.

Getting up at 2am to travel to Dublin Airport for an early flight to Edinburgh. It must have been the cheapest route left when I was booking. Back in 2003 I travelled on the bus and the boat which left at the respectable time of 9am arriving into Glasgow shortly after 5pm.

I will arrive much earlier today and I am looking forward to the match day build up in the city and maybe one or two beers.

Andrew Milne is Editor of More than 90 Minutes & Host of the Celtic Soul Podcast 

More than 90 Minutes Celtic Fanzine Issue 141 is out now. Download the new issue or order the print copy and the post man will drop it through your letterbox. Enjoy another 48 page packed edition of the publication.

A big shout out to all our writers, readers, subscribers and sponsors who make it possible for us to continue to produce the fanzine 25 years on since it first went on sale outside Celtic Park. Martin O’Neill was manager then hard to believe he still is!

The cover features what could be a quality midfield partnership Cal Mac & Alex Ox. Every game now Celtic must continue to fight right until the end and that was evident in recent games with late winners. Can Oxlade Chamberlain play a vital part in Martin O’ Neill’s title ambitions?

The new issue includes a wide range of opinion and articles on the current state of play at Celtic including Wilfried Nancy’s 33 days at Celtic. During the transfer window Celtic brought in 5 players on loan before the transfer window shut what impact can they make?  Will it be broken Hearts again as in ’86?

As always Celtic Supporters and Supporters Club feature. In issue 141 we feature Charlie Glavin and the great work Cork No. 1 CSC Pat Glavin 1988 are doing in Thailand with the Mercy Foundation School in Hua Hin. In Away Days we feature Celtic Supporters in Italy for the Bologna game. Where Celtic picked up a valuable point.

Celtic Fan unrest continues we have had a match day boycott but with talks on going between Celtic Supporters and the Celtic board is it now time that we all got behind the team and start Marching with O’Neill but that march should include members of the Green Brigade who had a blanket ban imposed on them.

Brian Keenan Celtic Supporters club celebrate 25 years on the road travelling from Monaghan to Glasgow and they feature in our CSC Focus. Tain Bhoy Eoin McGuinnes features in our Fan Focus and Lurgan Ghirl, Maria Foy features in First, Worst and Leave the Best till Last.
In the Potter Archives we look back on when the late John Fallon finally got his medal returned to him from Lisbon 1967. We also feature a Celtic Fan known as the Tim Reaper for his tours of Dalbeth Cemetery next to Celtic Park.

Thanks again for the continued support hope you enjoy reading the new issue.

Andrew Milne is Editor of More than 90 Minutes & Host of the Celtic Soul Podcast

Back in 2002/03 season Celtic had plenty of quality attacking options including Larsson, Hartson and Sutton. Henrik was injured and a young Shaun Maloney came into the team to face Stuttgart in the UEFA Cup home leg and played up front with Chris Sutton. John Hartson was also missing.

Our supporters club would have travelled over on the bus and the boat back then and those European boats would be packed with Celtic fans sipping pints out of plastic pint tumblers wearing club polo tops or replica jerseys.

They were great times and we created some memories marching with O’Neill first time around. The Squirrel was our regular watering hole in Glasgow back then. We would have packed in for a few pre-match pints before getting a fish supper on the way to the ground. Once through the turnstiles we climbed the steps to take our seats in the Jock Stein Upper.

We all talk about how good the players were back then that Martin O’Neill had at his disposal and he had some quality players but he also had some very ordinary players and he got the best out of them. His man management skills have never been in question.

The team that night was Douglas, McNamara, Balde (Laursen 88), Valgaeren, Agathe, Lambert, Lennon, Petrov, Thompson (Smith 69), Sutton, Maloney. Subs Not Used – Marshall, Sylla, Fernandez, Healy, Guppy.

Stuttgart had a player sent off after 17 minutes for a foul on Petrov and then 10 minutes later they went 1-0 in front. Paul Lambert got the equaliser and just on the stroke of halftime Maloney scored from close range to make it a very happy half time.

In the second half Petrov made it 3-1. After the game we were straight back onto the bus to head straight down the road to Stranraer to catch the HSS sailing to Belfast. The bus down the winding road along the Scottish coast was always a time to try and get a bit of sleep before maybe a pint or two on the boat with the thoughts of going into work a few hours later never far from your mind. On the odd occasion a sick call went into work from outside the early house.

We go again on Thursday. Buses, Boats, Planes and Trains. Let’s hope Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney can inspire the current crop of Celtic players to another famous victory at Celtic Park.

Andrew Milne is Editor of More than 90 Minutes & Host of the Celtic Soul Podcast