Football Without Fans – The History of Celtic Supporters Clubs. Researched and compiled by David McIntyre.
AI Book Publishing; 471 pages illustrated; paperback; £18.99 (Kindle edition £9.99).
David McIntyre has to be congratulated on compiling this book. A labour of love it surely is, he has put together a history of some 400 Celtic supporters clubs still in existence as well as some that are no longer around. Each club has its unique story and all have contributed in large part or small to the rich tapestry that is the history of our club.
Not that it confines itself to simply cataloguing the adventures and misadventures of the CSCs. The book opens with a chapter on the history and foundation of the clubs, starting with the League of the Cross in 1873. This was a temperance society so it’s no great surprise that it was soon superseded by the brake clubs in the 1880s.
McIntyre himself points out that, “The only difference between the brake club pioneers of the late 1880s and the present-day CSCs is the mode of transport.” In his book he describes their mode of transport, but also their various complaints and run-ins with the Celtic board. Maley, especially, seemed to loath the fans who organised themselves into these colourful and noisy clubs in order to follow Celtic around the country. He called them gangsters and did whatever he could in order to kill the buzz. Post WW1 he is quoted as saying: “The war fever is dying out of men’s blood. I feel sure that by next season we will be rid of the brake club hooligan, against whom all sporting men’s hands should be turned. The greatest blot that has ever soiled Scottish football. To achieve this, it needs spectators to shun the company of those who curse and swear at the referee and players.”
The clubs were also the target of discrimination from law enforcement and the judiciary and there are some great stories in the book about their run-ins with the authorities. Those who consider themselves hard done by today might care to consider the case of a youngster from the Govan Brake Club: “A boy bugler was arrested for refusing to stop blowing his bugle. The evidence showed that the vehicle was that of the Govan Brake Club and that the accused, who sat in front with the driver, was paid to blow the bugle. Mr JJ McIntyre, who prosecuted, said the accused was one of a number of football enthusiasts who made the streets of low hideous on afternoons,”
The horses gave way to charabancs enabling the clubs to travel farther afield to support the team and later still they were able to take advantage of the railways. Anybody who ever travelled on a football special in the 70s or 80s will have some idea of the escapades that took place on this particular method of transport, but at least the trains were rarely involved in accidents. One mishap in 1925 following a Third Lanark v Celtic match saw a train returning to Glasgow Central hit the buffers resulting in several being injured, with 45 requiring hospitalisation. “When one casualty regained consciousness he wasn’t concerned about his injuries, only asking how his coupon got on.”
Life after brake clubs is brought up to date in the following chapter when the supporters clubs as most of us know them today were formed. The book provides a list of the oldest CSCs still in existence, and if you’d really like to know to which club that honour belongs then you’ll have to buy a copy.
For me that was an ideal intro to the histories of the clubs themselves. There are a few digressions that cover the likes of modern fan media, Celtic bars and other such ephemera, which are interesting enough in their own right (did you know there was a Barlinnie CSC? Their classified ad in the View read: “Meeting C Hall on Saturday – season tranny holders only”) but the stories of the CSCs are the stock in trade of the book.
They’re listed in alphabetical order (there’s no index, which is perhaps a small detail that could be sorted out in future print runs) and naturally I started with those I had a personal connection with. From there I found my memory being jogged back to the Saturday mornings and afternoons on the Glasgow Uni bus glancing at the wooden shields on the other coaches we were following or overtaking: Govan Emerald, London No 1, Phil Cole, James Stokes VC…
Most are in the book and it was fascinating to learn so many back stories and read about the characters who played their part in the Celtic movement.
David McIntyre already goes above and beyond as the curator of the invaluable Celtic Bars website. His book on the supporters also deserves wide recognition.
If you find this in your Christmas stocking you will not be disappointed. An NTV recommendation.
Manfred Lurker
ntvcelticfanzine.com 