Movin’ on Up – Celtic Away Days – Portugal

Another away day trip for the faithful as we head to Faro in Portugal for Celtic v Sporting Lisbon. We arrived last night on the same day that another Celtic jersey was launched.

I checked the news yesterday morning online to see if Celtic had made any signings capable of walking into the first team but there was nothing to report apart from the usual transfer gossip.

The Celtic website was proudly boasting a really good promotional video for the new Celtic away jersey following on from a clever cover of the Celtic View inspired by Oasis and the Gallagher brothers comeback.

I have not bought a Celtic jersey since the late 1990’s or the early 2000’s not sure the exact season but NTL were the sponsors. When my son, Conor was younger, he regularly wanted the new strip but thankfully now he is old enough to buy his own when you see the asking prices for the official Adidas strips and merchandise you’re glad you don’t have that added expense to the season.

I am more worried about what players will be pulling on the jersey this season and to date we have not exactly set the World on fire in the transfer market but there’s still time to add quality to the starting 11.

I may not buy Celtic jerseys anymore but I am a fan of Adidas trainers and tops and I do think Adidas and Celtic have done really well with this marketing video. The match theme could not be more like my own and so many other Irish based Celtic fans weekly experience travelling to see Celtic home and away by air and by sea.

In the promo video Bobby Gillespie, from Primal Scream is in McChuills bar were I have had the pleasure of spinning the tunes. On the night Primal Scream played Glasgow earlier in the year I enjoyed a few beers in McChuills with resident Mod DJ, Paul Molloy before we went to the gig On that night listening to the guvnor, Nick Stewart Senior on the decks. It was great to see Nick in the video, a Glasgow legend and the man famed for bringing the Pogues to Glasgow for the first time back in the 1980’s . Although I’m hearing Average Joe Miller from Not the View was not allowed in for a pint of Stout during filming. Which is a shame as he has become part of the furniture there along with so many other great match going Tims.

Celtic legend, Henrik Larsson is featured in the video and can be seen in the pub and on the ferry. The ferry was our mode of transport when we travelled from Belfast to Scotland week in week out to see Henrik one of the greatest players ever to pull on the Celtic Jersey. We toasted him on many a return journey across the Irish sea.

Familiar football faces Callum McGregor, Kelly Clark, , Charlie Mulgrew and John Collins also feature in the video alongside some famous Celtic fans from the Rock & Pop World, Brooke Coomb and Rianne Downey, plus DJ Jasper James all make cameo appearances in the ad. Rianne Downey has been knocking it out of the park lately with her own band and with Paul Heaton who’s appearance on our own Celtic Soul Podcast is one of our most watched and listened to podcasts.

Set to Primal Scream’s classic 90’s hit Movin’ on Up, which is on my own DJ set list. The video is really cool and you can now pre-order the away kit ahead of its release date on Thursday July 24.

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