Celtic: The Official Illustrated History, 1888-1998 (Hamlyn illustrated history) - Hardcover

McColl, Graham

9780600595977: Celtic: The Official Illustrated History, 1888-1998 (Hamlyn illustrated history)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0600595978 ISBN 13: 9780600595977

Publisher: Hamlyn, 1998

This officially-endorsed history of Celtic includes previously unpublished photographs and comprehensive season-by-season statistics.

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Review:

In the long and colourful history of Glasgow Celtic Football Club, amid the names of the great players and managers who brought joy to the packed crowds dressed in green and white hoops, there is one name which stands out above the rest.

That name is Jock Stein, the man who created and presided over the most trophy-laden period in the club's existence.

Stein took over the Parkhead hot seat in March 1965 when the Glasgow giants were in disarray. A lean period without trophies, while fierce city rivals Rangers were claiming silverware regularly, had led to Celtic's once-great support to dwindle away.

On the pitch the team was mediocre--talented but apathetic players in and desperately under-achieving side.

It was Stein who turned this around, winning a record-breaking sequence of nine league championships in a row, 10 in total. Eight Scottish Cups and six League Cups, alongside the 1967 European Cup--still the pinnacle of Celtic's achievements--is a record which speaks for itself.

Stein built three great Celtic teams in his 13 years as manager and brought unmatched glory to one half of Glasgow--and this book is a true testament to the man.

The authors discuss the faults in Stein's character as well as his many strengths. Everything is here, from the glory to the disappointment, in one detailed, well-written and honest volume.

A passage in the book's epilogue is a perhaps fitting way to describe the end of Stein's tenure at Celtic and contrasts well with the glory and adulation of his formative years. --Andrew Thursday

"All careers decline--as do all men, inevitably. Football is for the young, and ageing can be cruel. This book is a football life, and ideally the story of such a man would end with the capture of a European Cup to crown a career; instead, frequently, life does not imitate art."

About the Author:

Graham McColl is an established writer and the author of several successful sport books. He contributes to numerous publications, including The Times, LivingWell Life and the official programme for the Dunhill Links Championship.

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