TALKING CELTIC

CELTIC were hailed far and wide earlier this month when they broke the post-war record for an unbeaten start to the domestic season set by Jock Stein’s legendary team way back in the 1966/67 campaign.

The 4-0 win over Hearts at Parkhead at the end of last month stretched their hot streak to an extraordinary 27 games – one better than their revered predecessors achieved some 50 years earlier.

But if, as the Celtic Song goes, you know your history, you may beg to differ.

Pat Woods (inset), a lifelong supporter, historian and author, maintains the record mark was only beaten when they thrashed Inverness Caledonian Thistle 6-0 in the fifth round of the William Hill Scottish Cup at the weekend and made it 30 matches without suffering a loss.

Meanwhile, Ian McCallum, another passionate fan who has written three books about the exploits of his heroes during the Great War, points out that Brendan Rodgers’ boys still have a bit to go before they can challenge the all-time Scottish record, which stands at 36 games.

Not only that, they are some way off matching the British record 66-match undefeated run which Willie Maley’s charges went on b e - tween 1915 and 1917 and which both McCallum and Woods are convinced is a European and possibly a world best. Woods believes the three Glasgow Cup games which Celtic played against Rangers, Queen’s Park and Partick Thistle in the 1966/67 campaign should be included in their run due to the massive importance of the tournament to the club and the supporters at the time. The fact that no fewer than 76,456 supporters watched Stein’s side win 4-0 over their Old Firm rivals Rangers at Ibrox in the opening cup fixture on August 22 courtesy of a Bobby Lennox hat-trick and a Billy McNeill goal backs up his argument.

WOODS said: “It was a massively significant competition to the Glasgow clubs.

“They took it very seriously indeed, particularly where Rangers were involved. I can remember Celtic winning the Glasgow Cup in 1964. It was greeted like a great breakthrough. People were getting very excited.

“That game against Rangers in the 1966/67 season was particularly important. Celtic had won the league for the first time in 12 years the season before, but Rangers had pipped them in the Scottish Cup. Kai Johansen had scored a late goal in the replay.

“That was a defining game, but Celtic won it comfortably by 4-0. Bobby Lennox scored a hat-trick that night. Rangers couldn’t cope with his speed. [John] Greig and [Ronnie] McKinnon couldn’t cope with his pace. Celtic outclassed them.”

The benefits of the summer tour of the United States which Celtic had embarked on that

There was a joke in Glasgow that was doing the rounds at the time. People said: ‘Who’ll lose first? Celtic of Perry Mason?’ Mason was a TV lawyer who never lost a case