Which clubs do Hibs have a positive association with

[Duke of Currie]

Are there any clubs , home or abroad where Hibs have a positive association or relationship with.
Am thinking along the same lines as the supposed bond between Celtic and Liverpool and wondered if Hibs had something similar

[Hibee ultra]

Are there any clubs , home or abroad where Hibs have a positive association or relationship with.
Am thinking along the same lines as the supposed bond between Celtic and Liverpool and wondered if Hibs had something similar

Well in my experience with younger fans any club with a connection to Ireland is generally respected if not liked even Celtic (but come game day that’s all out the window )


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[TelaStella]

Celtic and at a push St Mirren in Scotland. Gais of Sweden, Eintracht Frankfurt of Germany, Shamrock Rovers of Ireland, am I missing anyone else?


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[Clarence]

We’ve become quite buddy buddy with St Mirren recently.

[Hibee ultra]

Celtic and at a push St Mirren in Scotland. Gais of Sweden, Eintracht Frankfurt of Germany, Shamrock Rovers of Ireland, am I missing anyone else?


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More of a recent thing but I remember the home molde fans being nice in Norway


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[Iggy Pope]

Are there any clubs , home or abroad where Hibs have a positive association or relationship with.
Am thinking along the same lines as the supposed bond between Celtic and Liverpool and wondered if Hibs had something similar

There was a group of Green Brotherhood a while back not sure if that is still a concern. Hibs never played any of them as far as I remember but I’d love a trip to play Yeovil away. I’d say we were more closely associated with the clubs we give friendlies to, Craigroyston, Vale of Leithen, Selkirk and the like. Think we get on well with the Fife clubs too, or we used to.
I had a half and half Hibs / Arsenal hat in the 80s. It was only associated with my head though.

[The 90+2]

Berwick Rangers and Cowdenbeath are our go to clubs in the leagues below.

[Clarence]

Did we loan youngsters to Stenhousemuir for a while or was that just Kenny Miller that went there. Seem to remember others going but can’t quite remember who.

[ErinGoBraghHFC]

Celtic and St Mirren in Scotland as said above. Eintracht Frankfurt, Groningen, Shamrock Rovers (although Cork City were once Cork Hibs if I'm correct?).

Oh and our best pals Linfield of course 😉

[Hibee ultra]

Celtic and St Mirren in Scotland as said above. Eintracht Frankfurt, Groningen, Shamrock Rovers (although Cork City were once Cork Hibs if I'm correct?).

Oh and our best pals Linfield of course [emoji6]

Hope Linfield one is a joke


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[PatHead]

A number of the players used to have a close association with the clubs in George Street.

[ErinGoBraghHFC]

Hope Linfield one is a joke


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Yes.

[Hibee ultra]

Yes.

Very good [emoji1132][emoji1132][emoji1132]


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[Iggy Pope]

Celtic and St Mirren in Scotland as said above. Eintracht Frankfurt, Groningen, Shamrock Rovers (although Cork City were once Cork Hibs if I'm correct?).

Oh and our best pals Linfield of course 😉

We never followed up on that day out at Glentoran either mind you.

[StevieC]

I was always warmly welcomed at FC Dnipro matches, and my Hibernian/Dnipro Scotland flag (gifted to me by their supporters) was always given a prominent spot alongside those of the ultras and other fans groups (including the Europa Cup Final).

Sadly an egotistical owner, that refused to pay a league fine, saw the demise of the team and its eventual liquidation last season.

[Since452]

I don't think there's much love lost between Hibs and Celtic. Especially at boardroom level.

[ErinGoBraghHFC]

We never followed up on that day out at Glentoran either mind you.

I had to leave early to get to mass, for some reason they didn't seem keen on coming with?😂

[hibsbollah]

Celtic? 1987 CS gas at Easter Road? Repeatedly decimating our squads? Not for me.
Im not sure we really have that ‘brothers in arms’ thing with other teams. More common on the continent I think; Marseille, AEK Athens and Livorno have a triangular thing going on where their ultras attend other teams matches, fly banners supporting the brother teams and so on. Seemed odd to me but each to their own.

[Iggy Pope]

I had to leave early to get to mass, for some reason they didn't seem keen on coming with?😂

It was a Saturday. You sure it was mass now?

[Hibee ultra]

I'm not convinced there's much love lost between Hibs and Celtic. Especially at boardroom level.

Not love but with younger supporters the Irish hearatige is well received aswell as there position on Scottish independence so perhaps a better word is respect between supporters but none of this cousins *****


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[ErinGoBraghHFC]

It was a Saturday. You sure it was mass now?

Pub, mass, same thing man

[Iggy Pope]

I was always warmly welcomed at FC Dnipro matches, and my Hibernian/Dnipro Scotland flag (gifted to me by their supporters) was always given a prominent spot alongside those of the ultras and other fans groups (including the Europa Cup Final).

Sadly an egotistical owner, that refused to pay a league fine, saw the demise of the team and its eventual liquidation last season.

I honestly had no idea of that Stevie. That really is sad.

[Pagan Hibernia]

This friendship between clubs stuff is all a bit cringy for me. Leave that kind of stuff to the ugly sisters

in an ideal world we’d still have a close relationship with the clubs who partly owe their existence to us, celtic, Dundee United etc, but as has been covered many times before certainly Celtic have been anything but ‘brotherly’ to us

[Since452]

In Scottish football everyone is out for themselves, and I like it that way to be honest.

[StevieC]

I honestly had no idea of that Stevie. That really is sad.

Owner let them drop down the leagues as a youth/development team, until they ended up in the amateur league (where he then ended the club).
In the meantime he started a new club, Dnipro-1, which he ploughed his money into. They rose through the leagues at the same rate that FC Dnipro plummeted, and ended this season in 7th place in the Premier League.
I was at an FC Dnipro/Dnipro-1 match as they passed each other in the leagues and it was all a bit surreal (FC Dnipro won, which was allowed a great big GIRUY to the owner from the fans).

The FC Dnipro fans hate the new team (understandably) and want nothing to do with it, but it will be interesting to see if their feelings change through time. There will be a new generation of youngsters that want to go watch their local team, that won’t have the same attachment to FC Dnipro as the current supporters

[Austinho]

There was a massive love in between us and Aston Villa after selling John McGinn.

[FilipinoHibs]

Dundee for obvious reasons. Always a good reception from Kilmarnock fans - they were magnanimous when we beat them in LC final. Wished as well after beat them in the cup with late Tam Mcmanus goal. They have a disdain for the Old Firm because of glory hunter busses leaving Ayrshire on the weekends.

[Sammy7nil]

Anderlect fans applauded the Hibs fans very warmly at the end of the away 1 - 1 leg

[Andy74]

Celtic and St Mirren in Scotland as said above. Eintracht Frankfurt, Groningen, Shamrock Rovers (although Cork City were once Cork Hibs if I'm correct?).

Oh and our best pals Linfield of course 😉

I've been making inroads on the Linfield front. A good friend of mine is on the Board there and I've been a guest in the boardroom a few times. They are well aware of my Hibs background and they are always extremely welcoming and keen to talk about Hibs. Pat Fenlon is of course Director of Football there and he speaks very fondly of us still.

Interestingly when Linfield were on the brink of the Europa League group stages earlier in the season it was ex Fenlon signing Zoubir that scored the decisive goal for Qarabag. Another ex Hibee Rherras had scored in the first leg. Ryan McGivern was on the Linfield bench.

[BoomtownHibees]

Brondby fans classed us as “the drunkest/craziest fans they’ve ever seen” if that counts?

[JDT]

What is the connection between Celtic and liverpool? Only thing I know of is celtic nicked there song, I don't even know why they sing it

[KingPat4]

Kilmarnock.

The only good thing about Celtic is that they are not Rangers.

[Mibbes Aye]

Not sure we have a ‘relationship’ but Bohemians in Prague makes sense. They play in green and white, in a stadium that is a bit rough and ready. There are the equivalents of Sparta, Slavia and Plzen for Celtic, Rankgers and Aberdeen.

Hibernianka/Bohemka! :flag:

[Mibbes Aye]

Another shout would be Portugal.

Belenenses won the league around the same time as we did with the Famous Five.

They play in a league dominated by Sporting and Benfica, with Porto showing up as well.

And Belenenses’ first ever European tie was against us. We won.

[Scott Allan Key]

What's the story behind Maltese club Hibernians?

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[Hibee ultra]

What's the story behind Maltese club Hibernians?

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That is sumthin I wood be interested to know as when u google hibs ultras it comes up with mixed results for us and them


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[Andy74]

What's the story behind Maltese club Hibernians?

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The history section on their club website suggests they changed their name as a nod to us.

[Hibee ultra]

The history section on their club website suggests they changed their name as a nod to us.

Thx


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[Vault Boy]

What's the story behind Maltese club Hibernians?

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According to a not excellently translated Wiki article, they used to go by Constituionals FC, named after a pro-British political party in Malta in the 20s/30s.

The party had issues with the Catholic church after they had taken to government. The church issued a pastoral letter imposing mortal sin and an interdict on voters of the Constitutional Party and its allies. In response to this, the club changed its name to Hibernians FC, obviously named after us, due to the fact we were founded by a Catholic priest.

Interesting that a decision made on the back of a contemporary political statement has stuck all this time!

[TelaStella]

Kilmarnock.

The only good thing about Celtic is that they are not Rangers.

It’s about any credible relationship or attachment we as a support or wider club may have to another team though. Fair enough if you have a soft spot for Killie but there’s definitely no way we have any kind of positive associations with them. Usually I thought thinking of them is always typically more negative than positive anyway?


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[Mibbes Aye]

According to a not excellently translated Wiki article, they used to go by Constituionals FC, named after a pro-British political party in Malta in the 20s/30s.

The party had issues with the Catholic church after they had taken to government. The church issued a pastoral letter imposing mortal sin and an interdict on voters of the Constitutional Party and its allies. In response to this, the club changed its name to Hibernians FC, obviously named after us, due to the fact we were founded by a Catholic priest.

Interesting that a decision made on the back of a contemporary political statement has stuck all this time!

Tricky one now, are they still living in mortal sin or have they repented? Would be helpful to know before visiting the online club shop.

[jgl07]

Another shout would be Portugal.

Belenenses won the league around the same time as we did with the Famous Five.

They play in a league dominated by Sporting and Benfica, with Porto showing up as well.


Porto showing up as well?

Porto have won 29 titles compared to 18 for Sporting.

Apart from 37 titles for Benfica, the above and one for Beleneses, the only other title winner in Portugal are the other Oporto team, Boavista.

Some may recall that Hibs signed Russell Latapy from Boavista. This happened a couple of years before Boavista won thier only title win in 2001.

[Scouse Hibee]

[QUOTE=JDT;6239819]What is the connection between Celtic and liverpool? Only thing I know of is celtic nicked there song,

The Hail batters the windscreen as the bus ploughs on through the darkness of the M6, back down to Merseyside. The passengers have been up since early morning, but the mood is buoyant having just seen Celtic sweep aside Kilmarnock 3-1. To the jocular annoyance of the Evertonian on board, intermittent outbursts of Roberto Firmino’s ditty accompany Celtic anthems, old and new, as the soundtrack to the journey home. Half and half scarves are acceptable today.

The season looks set to be the first one since 1988 in which Celtic and Liverpool have both won their respective leagues.

As we roll towards a traditional away day meeting point, The Rocket pub, members of the party wave brief goodbyes as they’ll meet again in less than 24 hours. This time though, it will be at Anfield for the arrival of West Ham United.

The driver of the said bus is Peter Carney, a lifelong Liverpool fan who survived Hillsborough. He has followed Celtic since he was a boy. “Celtic started as my Scottish team; everyone had one. I was born into a Catholic family so Celtic was hereditary to me. When they won the European Cup in 1967 it was massive. That team was one of the best in the world.

The more I learned about Celtic, the better they were. Everything I got to know about them reinforced my love for the club.”

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The clubs lie nearly 220 miles apart, are located in different countries and play in different leagues, yet there is something that brings together fans of Liverpool and Celtic.

Each had very different beginnings and upon first glance, the pairing seems unlikely. Liverpool were founded by John Houlding, a businessman and member of the Orange Order, whereas Glasgow Celtic were born out of charity for Irish immigrants in the East End of Glasgow. Liverpool FC’s link to the Orange Order was never really sustained and Merseyside clubs have become irreligious.

The same can’t be said in Glasgow. A lot of the younger generation of Celtic supporters identify as Catholic but don’t particularly follow the religion. Although belief in God is definitely waning, a sense of belonging and everything that comes with Irish Catholicism can be what draws the younger generation.

Countless intertwining factors have come together to culminate in the relationship present today, however, the roots of most of them are entrenched in the cities’ ports.

As a result of deep poverty and the potato famine of 1845-1849, around one and a half million Irish, made up of both Catholics and Protestants, travelled to Liverpool. Many went on to make the perilous journey to America, but it’s estimated that up to a quarter of them remained on Merseyside instead. Such a large volume stayed that it’s thought up to 75% of Liverpool’s population today could have some form of Irish ancestry.

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At the same time, Irish proletariat were also flocking to the west coast of Scotland, with many of them taking up residence in Glasgow. Ghetto-like areas came about and sectarianism started to kick off in both cities.

By percentage, the Archdiocese of Liverpool is the by far the most Catholic part of England, Scotland or Wales, even dwarfing Glasgow’s numbers. It’s only a small part of it, but the strong Irish Catholic presence on Merseyside has fed into the disdain that some right-winger factions seem to have for Liverpool.

The older generation can still remember sectarianist incidents in Liverpool. Margaret Millne comes from a Catholic family and lived in the city centre after the Second World War. She said: “There were always things going on. The Orange Lodge used to throw stones up at St Patrick’s church.” On 12th July, an Ulster protestant celebration day, things would often rise to a crescendo. “My grandmother would tell me I wasn’t allowed out on the 12th.”

As time went by, the lines between Catholic and Protestant areas of both cities became blurred, and by the mid-50s sectarianism was dying down for good in Liverpool, largely down to post-war planning decisions. In Glasgow though, sectarianism is still rife in the 21st century.

The clearing of Liverpool’s inner-city slums led to the displacement of communities. When people arrived at their new homes, they had been deliberately placed amongst one another, Catholic and Protestant. With being forced to co-exist, the hostilities eventually came to an end. Instead of identifying as one religion or another, people now started to feel civic pride more intensely. They were red or blue, not Catholic or Protestant. The pressing issue was no longer of sectarianism, but rather growing social inequality.

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Years of decline, culminating under Thatcher’s government, transformed Merseyside from what was once a mixed political area, into one of the biggest left-wing hotbeds in the whole of Europe.

Most of Glasgow, especially in the green and white half, feels similarly. The Celtic Football Club is an embodiment of the Irish Glaswegian community, which has long been on the wrong end of British imperialism throughout history. This, alongside Glasgow’s working-class background, has sent The Bhoys to the left also.

Although it may manifest itself in different ways, the sentiment today is just as vehement as in the 1980s. There are regularly anti-Tory banners held up on The Kop at Anfield or by the Green Brigade at Parkhead. On numerous occasions, the two sets of supporters have felt isolated, particularly around Hillsborough and systems of government. Many Liverpudlians don’t necessarily identify with ‘Englishness’ and the London-centric state. In 1999, Glaswegian activist, Margaret Simey, even said: “The magic of Liverpool is that it isn’t England,” a tendency shared by those who are cynical of the establishment.

When Labour’s long-established ‘red wall’ fell in the 2019 General Election, it only added to the detachment. The North’s major cities still voted labour, but they were surrounded by a sea of blue, which flooded former mill towns and mining communities.

The aforementioned, Peter Carney, remembers the first time he went to Celtic Park, a day which encapsulated working-class life in Glasgow and Liverpool at the time. “The first time I saw them live was in 1981. I went to Glasgow for an unemployment march and went from the march to the match on the bus. The bus was genuinely rocking all the way to the ground. It was against Rangers and I got a ticket outside. When I got in the ground it was saintly and strange. The noise and passion were incredible.”

Celtic were 1-0 down at half-time when he had to leave, to catch the train back to Liverpool. “When we got back to Lime Street, I learned Celtic had come back to win 3-1. When I think back to that day, I laugh at the thought of being in two 50,000-strong crowds; one taking on the Tories and the other taking on Rangers.”

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Celtic and Liverpool’s connection isn’t solely political though.

Several players and managers have a place in their hearts for the corresponding club, and Liverpool’s Scottish connection goes back a long way. LFC’s past is littered with great Scots, of Rangers and Celtic persuasions. From Billy Liddell through to Andy Robertson, they seem to fit in with the community ethos of the city and its clubs.

Bill Shankly and Jock Stein, the men behind the clubs’ rise to international fame, were good friends. Both worked in coal mines before they got their break into the football world.

The words Shankly allegedly said to his friend in the changing room after Stein had won the European Cup, have gone down in Celtic legend. “John, you’re immortal now.” Jock just laughed, but the Liverpool manager was right. He was immortal in the minds of Hoops supporters.

The two of them, along with the great Matt Busby, who had played for Liverpool and managed Manchester United, all came from a Scottish mining background. They instilled similar ethics into their teams, those of hard work and desire. Shankly and Stein’s teams were built for the people. The latter’s European Cup-winning side consisted almost entirely of players from Glasgow.

During Shankly’s tenure came a key moment that would be the catalyst for friendship between the clubs’ supporters. Ian St John, born in Motherwell, scored the goal which won Liverpool their first ever FA Cup in 1965 against Don Revie’s formidable Leeds. The trophy success meant that The Reds qualified for the next season’s Cup Winner’s Cup.

Liverpool had beaten Standard Liège, Budapest Honvéd and a strong Juventus team to reach the semis. They would be facing Celtic for the first time in the club’s history. A solitary home goal, scored by the legendary outside left, Bobby Lennox, left Shankly’s side with work to do in the return leg at Anfield.

Five days later, Tommy Smith and Geoff Strong were the scorers as Liverpool overturned the one-goal deficit but the night was marred by crowd trouble amongst a section of the travelling Celtic contingent. Beer bottles were brought into the stadium and thrown towards the pitch, forcing Liverpool keeper, Tommy Lawrence, to move to the edge of his penalty area. One of the flying glass bottles hit a young Liverpool fan, who was stood on the front row. He was badly injured.

Liverpool would go on to play Borussia Dortmund in their first European final and, as fate would have it, the decider was up at Hampden Park in Glasgow. This provided the perfect opportunity for Celtic supporters to repent to their visitors. That night, the relationship between the sets of fans changed forever.

[Mibbes Aye]

Porto showing up as well?

Porto have won 29 titles compared to 18 for Sporting.

Apart from 37 titles for Benfica, the above and one for Beleneses, the only other title winner in Portugal are the other Oporto team, Boavista.

Some may recall that Hibs signed Russell Latapy from Boavista. This happened a couple of years before Boavista won thier only title win in 2001.

Yeah, fair point, i made a lazy comment. I meant culturally that Benfica and Sporting were predominant. Porto have won a good share of trophies. And they have all had degrees of success in European tournament football.

[Bob1875]

More of a recent thing but I remember the home molde fans being nice in Norway


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I remember them being really nice 🤭

[Hibee ultra]

I remember them being really nice [emoji2960]

Aha [emoji23][emoji23]


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[Hibernia&Alba]

Manchester United, courtesy of Sir Matt. :agree:

[mim]

Brondby fans classed us as “the drunkest/craziest fans they’ve ever seen” if that counts?

They also gave us a great round of applause at the end. :nlgwa

[FilipinoHibs]

Yeah, fair point, i made a lazy comment. I meant culturally that Benfica and Sporting were predominant. Porto have won a good share of trophies. And they have all had degrees of success in European tournament football.

The two big teams in Portugal are Porto and Benfica. Sporting are a poor third and little support outside Lisbon. Porto are followed in the north of Portugal from Coimbra to Porto. Benfica from Lisbon down to the Algarve.

My father is from Porto and mother from Lisbon. Some good banter in the house. But they both enjoyed it when we pumped Sporting who were at the time the dictatorship's team.

[Hibee ultra]

The two big teams in Portugal are Porto and Benfica. Sporting are a poor third and little support outside Lisbon. Porto are followed in the north if Portugal from Coimbra to Porto. Benfica from Lisbon down to the Algarve.

Not really a poor 3rd quite close tbh


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[Mibbes Aye]

The two big teams in Portugal are Porto and Benfica. Sporting are a poor third and little support outside Lisbon. Porto are followed in the north if Portugal from Coimbra to Porto. Benfica from Lisbon down to the Algarve.

My understanding was that Sporting averaged a bit better than Porto.

I have been to the Estádio da Luz and the José Alvalade a few times. They are similarly sized and were pretty much the same attendance for Primero Liga games and European games.

[Auckland Hibs]

Shamrock Rovers and Oldham if you want to count pavement dancing (although I'm not counting that as a positive association).

[blaikie]

Ross County ...

They have signed a few players from us over the past few years who were surplus to requirements.

[Devonhibs]

Not sure we have a ‘relationship’ but Bohemians in Prague makes sense. They play in green and white, in a stadium that is a bit rough and ready. There are the equivalents of Sparta, Slavia and Plzen for Celtic, Rankgers and Aberdeen.

Hibernianka/Bohemka! :flag: Bohemians are from Prague!! Well I never, for 56 years I thought they were Irish:greengrin

[Itsnoteasy]

There was a massive love in between us and Aston Villa after selling John McGinn.

Yes I never quite understood that. Would they have had the same love in if he went to Celtic.

There might be a new love in if he leaves Villa.

[FilipinoHibs]

My understanding was that Sporting averaged a bit better than Porto.

I have been to the Estádio da Luz and the José Alvalade a few times. They are similarly sized and were pretty much the same attendance for Primero Liga games and European games.

Really talking about the following throughout the country rather than attendances at games. Sporting's support mostly from Lisbon and the middle classes.

Good article on the Lisbon rivarly:
https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/portuguese-men-o-war-why-benfica-vs-sporting-more-game

Average attendances 19/20

Benfica 51.5k
Porto. 35.0k
Sporting 31.0k

[Brizo]

Know quite a few folk of my and older generations who have a liking for Everton. Seem to remember a picture of the Everton crest on the wall in the Hibs club before it was refurbed ?

Nearly 40 years ago in the days of half and half ski hats :) there were quite a few Hibs / Everton ones about as well as the more expected Hibs / Liverpool and Hibs / Man U ones.

[Auckland Hibs]

Know quite a few folk of my and older generations who have a liking for Everton. Seem to remember a picture of the Everton crest on the wall in the Hibs club before it was refurbed ?

Nearly 40 years ago in the days of half and half ski hats :) there were quite a few Hibs / Everton ones about as well as the more expected Hibs / Liverpool and Hibs / Man U ones.

Was thinking about the half hats when this thread appeared - I think I've only ever seen a half Hibs and Everton, can't recall seeing Man U or Liverpool.

[Keith_M]

Well in my experience with younger fans any club with a connection to Ireland is generally respected if not liked even Celtic (but come game day that’s all out the window )


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Celtic and at a push St Mirren in Scotland. Gais of Sweden, Eintracht Frankfurt of Germany, Shamrock Rovers of Ireland, am I missing anyone else?


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Celtic and St Mirren in Scotland as said above. Eintracht Frankfurt, Groningen, Shamrock Rovers (although Cork City were once Cork Hibs if I'm correct?).

Oh and our best pals Linfield of course ��


Is this meant to be a joke?

...or an infestation of undercover yams?

[Since452]

Is this meant to be a joke?

...or an infestation of undercover yams?

My thoughts exactly. Like I said previously there's no love lost at boardroom level. And their fans, in my experience, are a shower of patronising sectarian ****bags. Neither me or the group I go with have ever associated ourselves with them.

[The Count]

In the old black and white TV days i followed teams that strips looked the same as Hibs !!! Clyde Best was the first black player outside Brazil that i liked.We do not have any special relationships now you would have to go back to the 1870/80s to find them.

[Peevemor]

Over the years there have no doubt been times when we've had closer relationships with certain clubs than others which has probably been down to managers and maybe even friendships at boardroom level.

We seem to have had good working relationships with some teams in terms of loans (to & from) and others in terms of friendly & bounce games.

Outwith all that, I don't think we have a special association with anyone - at least I hope not.

[The Harp Awakes]

My thoughts exactly. Like I said previously there's no love lost at boardroom level. And their fans, in my experience, are a shower of patronising sectarian ****bags. Neither me or the group I go with have ever associated ourselves with them.

I think the John McGinn transfer soured relationships at Board level. Prior to that though, there was clearly an association in terms of player loans; Ambrose, Commons, Scott Allan, Liam Henderson and Stokes etc.

[BILLYHIBS]

None

There is nobody else

Just us.

Always has been

Always will be.

The HIBS go marching on

GGTTH


:flag:

[Keith_M]

I thought we had a Special Relationship with Hearts?

:dunno:

I'm sure Leeann gets on the phone to the good Doctor whenever she has a major decision to make and always receives useful advice.

[superfurryhibby]

Well in my experience with younger fans any club with a connection to Ireland is generally respected if not liked even Celtic (but come game day that’s all out the window )

No, completely false statement.

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Celtic and at a push St Mirren in Scotland. Gais of Sweden, Eintracht Frankfurt of Germany, Shamrock Rovers of Ireland, am I missing anyone else?

Again, no. Never heard of the Swedish club and never known of anyone with any affinity to Eintracht Frankfurt or Gronigen or Shamrock Rovers.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk[/QUOTE


[QUOTE=The Harp Awakes;6239916]I think the John McGinn transfer soured relationships at Board level. Prior to that though, there was clearly an association in terms of player loans; Ambrose, Commons, Scott Allan, Liam Henderson and Stokes etc.

Yep, common denominators, Neil Lennon and Alan Stubbs.

[Brightside]

[QUOTE=TelaStella;6239750]Celtic and at a push St Mirren in Scotland. Gais of Sweden, Eintracht Frankfurt of Germany, Shamrock Rovers of Ireland, am I missing anyone else?

Again, no. Never heard of the Swedish club and never known of anyone with any affinity to Eintracht Frankfurt or Gronigen or Shamrock Rovers.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk[/QUOTE




Yep, common denominators, Neil Lennon and Alan Stubbs.

Plenty Frankfurt fans in our support. :thumbsup:

[.Sean.]

The mere notion of any ‘relationship’ with Celtic churns my stomach.

Shower of inbred, sectarian, patronising ****s. I hate them as equally as I do their blue brothers. **** them both

[Pete]

I'm surprised more isn't made of our common love of white sleeves involving a team from London.

Did we copy them or do we just have very similar taste in sleeves?

[oneone73]

[QUOTE=TelaStella;6239750]Celtic and at a push St Mirren in Scotland. Gais of Sweden, Eintracht Frankfurt of Germany, Shamrock Rovers of Ireland, am I missing anyone else?

Again, no. Never heard of the Swedish club and never known of anyone with any affinity to Eintracht Frankfurt or Gronigen or Shamrock Rovers.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk[/QUOTE




Yep, common denominators, Neil Lennon and Alan Stubbs.

Lots of people on the Bounce with connections to Gronginen.

[weecounty hibby]

It gives me the boak that anyone thinks we have any kind of connection with celtic.

[TelaStella]

[QUOTE=TelaStella;6239750]Celtic and at a push St Mirren in Scotland. Gais of Sweden, Eintracht Frankfurt of Germany, Shamrock Rovers of Ireland, am I missing anyone else?

Again, no. Never heard of the Swedish club and never known of anyone with any affinity to Eintracht Frankfurt or Gronigen or Shamrock Rovers.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk[/QUOTE




Yep, common denominators, Neil Lennon and Alan Stubbs.

There was a strong link with Gais around the time of 2012 between a section of their support and ours, the old green and black bar scarfs worn by Sect43 was lifted from them. Frankfurt connection has been going strong for years through the Edinburgh Adler group. Shamrock rovers is a more recent CCS thing.

@superfurryhibby

Not sure why your reply has been quoted as said by me.
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[HUTCHYHIBBY]

My thoughts exactly. Like I said previously there's no love lost at boardroom level. And their fans, in my experience, are a shower of patronising sectarian ****bags. Neither me or the group I go with have ever associated ourselves with them.

Likewise. 👍

[St Pauli Hibee]

Eintracht Frankfurt, Werder Bremen, Groningen, Ferencvaros, Shamrock Rovers.

[weecounty hibby]

The mere notion of any ‘relationship’ with Celtic churns my stomach.

Shower of inbred, sectarian, patronising ****s. I hate them as equally as I do their blue brothers. **** them both

👍👍👍

[Duke of Currie]

Eintracht Frankfurt, Werder Bremen, Groningen, Ferencvaros, Shamrock Rovers.

Are these teams which preminantly play in green or is there a reason ?
Then you could add St Etienne into the mix , the team that is, not the popular 90's band led by the lovely Sarah Cracknell

[The Baldmans Comb]

[QUOTE=superfurryhibby;6239951]

Lots of people on the Bounce with connections to Gronginen.

Similarly with Frankfurt. Seems to be a big fan tie up given the 30 or so Eintracht Ultras I came across in the GrassMarket one night.

They seem hard core Ultras but perfectly well behaved and great fun and look like both sets of fans make regular trips.

[Itsnoteasy]

None

There is nobody else

Just us.

Always has been

Always will be.

The HIBS go marching on

GGTTH


:flag:

👍

[hhibs]

Aston Villa ,lots of Hibbies played for both,during my time in Sheffield(shudder) I used to see Alec Cropley play but connections are aplenty,Crops,Bremner,Holt,SuperJohn.

Col L started a thread on this back in 2018 :aok:

[The Wireless]

I think the John McGinn transfer soured relationships at Board level. Prior to that though, there was clearly an association in terms of player loans; Ambrose, Commons, Scott Allan, Liam Henderson and Stokes etc.
Was Dylan not a loan at first??

[superfurryhibby]

[QUOTE=superfurryhibby;6239951]

There was a strong link with Gais around the time of 2012 between a section of their support and ours, the old green and black bar scarfs worn by Sect43 was lifted from them. Frankfurt connection has been going strong for years through the Edinburgh Adler group. Shamrock rovers is a more recent CCS thing.

@superfurryhibby

Not sure why your reply has been quoted as said by me.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Not sure why, tech isn't my forte, so happy to exonerate you from association with said quote.

Have to say, as a non reader of the Bounce, non member of the CCS and being completely unaware of what the Edinburgh Adler group is, I am oblivious of any connection between our club fanbase and that of any others mentioned. I do know we have been involved with charitable work through the Dnipro.

[Kato]

Is this meant to be a joke?

...or an infestation of undercover yams?

Take your pick. The club has the same relationship with Celtic is it has with any other club. The fans pretty much the same.

[edinburghhibee]

I hate Celtic... like proper hate them!

Sick of the wee cousins pish they spout, love telling them to bolt when I meet them at the mrs local bars in Carluke.


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[heretoday]

When Celtic come to ER I always get the impression it's like having a rather tiresome relative visiting for the afternoon.

[The Harp Awakes]

Was Dylan not a loan at first??

Yes, think so. We've certainly done alright with their loanees over the years and particularly in 2016.

[Stuart93]

When Celtic come to ER I always get the impression it's like having a rather tiresome relative visiting for the afternoon.

The atmosphere is never as good as a hibs v rangers/hearts. Pretty noticeable too. Not the same kind of hatred without particularly liking them.

[Hibee ultra]

When Celtic come to ER I always get the impression it's like having a rather tiresome relative visiting for the afternoon.

Yes aha but with younger supporters because of the Irish connection that we share they are preferred to the huns


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[AndyM_1875]

Celtic no. Their 'please love us' schtick and their phoney anti establishement crap whilst having a boardroom of Tories really grinds my gears.
The've also become the go to club for any brainless clown who knows nothing about football, just like Rangers were in the 90s.

Scottish clubs we get on well with I'd say are St Mirren (OBIKA! and their relentless trolling of the Jambos this summer) and some respect for Kilmanock (so easy to follow the ugly sisters given their geography).
No hate either for the Dundee clubs or any of the Fife clubs.

[StevesFamau5]

Not sure if it counts but Rott Weiss Essen? Think we marked the 50 year European adventure with a friendly against them?

Definitely agree with the Celtic love in being utter rubbish. Absolutely detest them and the faux anti establishment crap..
Horrible club with numpty supporters who say one thing and forget their own club is run by the very thing they claim to be against. They & their city rivals deserve each other.

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[marinello59]

Celtic no. Their 'please love us' schtick and their phoney anti establishement crap whilst having a boardroom of Tories really grinds my gears.
The've also become the go to club for any brainless clown who knows nothing about football, just like Rangers were in the 90s.

Scottish clubs we get on well with I'd say are St Mirren (OBIKA! and their relentless trolling of the Jambos this summer) and some respect for Kilmanock (so easy to follow the ugly sisters given their geography).
No hate either for the Dundee clubs or any of the Fife clubs.

Spot on, Celtic’s claims to be anti-establishment are laughable. They had a former UK defence secretary on their board at one time, you can’t get more establishment.
Their fans are still fighting some romanticised version of the NI troubles inside their heads. Much like the Huns they are stuck in their own bigoted version of the past. Special relationship? No chance. Mind you I will easily find a reason to dislike every club that isn’t us. :greengrin

[Roxyhibee]

I was always warmly welcomed at FC Dnipro matches, and my Hibernian/Dnipro Scotland flag (gifted to me by their supporters) was always given a prominent spot alongside those of the ultras and other fans groups (including the Europa Cup Final).

Sadly an egotistical owner, that refused to pay a league fine, saw the demise of the team and its eventual liquidation last season.

This is unbelievable and I did not know this. I’ve just caught up on the whole saga - it’s bizarre and tragic for their fans. I was over in Dnipro for the game and have great memories of our trip and the legacy of the Hibs fans that set up the appeal etc.

[Steve20]

Yes aha but with younger supporters because of the Irish connection that we share they are preferred to the huns


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They’re every bit as bad as Rangers IMO.

Time we knocked this Celtic nonsense on the head.

[Sir David Gray]

The mere notion of any ‘relationship’ with Celtic churns my stomach.

Shower of inbred, sectarian, patronising ****s. I hate them as equally as I do their blue brothers. **** them both

:top marks Well said.

The day we have a positive association with that bunch of terrorist sympathising **** is the day I pack it all in.

[Since452]

This is unbelievable and I did not know this. I’ve just caught up on the whole saga - it’s bizarre and tragic for their fans. I was over in Dnipro for the game and have great memories of our trip and the legacy of the Hibs fans that set up the appeal etc.

Pitty about Dnipro. Always a mainstay in Europe.

[James Stephen]

Know quite a few folk of my and older generations who have a liking for Everton. Seem to remember a picture of the Everton crest on the wall in the Hibs club before it was refurbed ?

Nearly 40 years ago in the days of half and half ski hats :) there were quite a few Hibs / Everton ones about as well as the more expected Hibs / Liverpool and Hibs / Man U ones.

Had an older relative who followed Everton - they were, apparently, the traditionally catholic team in Liverpool, which is why he followed them i think.

[Hakim Sar]

I don’t think as a club we have enough clout to really be on any other teams minds.

That being said our fans are usually well received and positive impressions are left with any visitors to the Capital etc.

I’d love to say Arsenal as we inspired their white sleeves but in reality I think it’s really only Berwick Rangers and Dunfermline whom we use annually for pre season friendlies etc that is really apparent.

Out of interest... have we ever had any connection with Gala Fairydean or any of the borders clubs at all?

[Prof. Shaggy]

I don’t think as a club we have enough clout to really be on any other teams minds.

That being said our fans are usually well received and positive impressions are left with any visitors to the Capital etc.

I’d love to say Arsenal as we inspired their white sleeves but in reality I think it’s really only Berwick Rangers and Dunfermline whom we use annually for pre season friendlies etc that is really apparent.

Out of interest... have we ever had any connection with Gala Fairydean or any of the borders clubs at all?

I thought Arsenal inspired our white sleeves?

[nonshinyfinish]

I’d love to say Arsenal as we inspired their white sleeves

That was the other way around.

[Hakim Sar]

That was the other way around.

Interesting. So we have probably copied 1930s Arsenal who were rather successful!

[tamig]

I’ve taken a shine to Nairn County following the magnificent statement they released a few months back. A real community club who’ve done sterling work since March and I had no hesitation in donating to them. I’ll try and take in a game once they’re back up and running and would hope some of my fellow Hibees would follow suit.

[Pretty Boy]

I can't really muster the same distaste for Celtic as I can for Rangers. I'm not sure Celtic fans can be accused of being inherently sectarian in the way Rangers fans are. Songs like Grace, The Fields of Athenry, Amhrán na bhFiann and the like don't really belong in a Scottish football stadium but I don't think I could be convinced they are sectarian. Even their more controversial numbers aren't explicitly anti Protestant.

I accept fans of others clubs may see a darker side to Celtic fans though. For me it's the patronising attitude towards us that does my head in and don't even get me started on the 'soup takers' patter. Not being obsessively focused on a romanticised view of a small timespan of Irish history does not make us lickspittle apologists for British imperialism.

I don't really view us as having an accord or association with Celtic or any other club en masse. I know some groups have link ups with other clubs but there's nothing on any great scale to my knowledge.

[Mibbes Aye]

I don’t think as a club we have enough clout to really be on any other teams minds.

That being said our fans are usually well received and positive impressions are left with any visitors to the Capital etc.

I’d love to say Arsenal as we inspired their white sleeves but in reality I think it’s really only Berwick Rangers and Dunfermline whom we use annually for pre season friendlies etc that is really apparent.

Out of interest... have we ever had any connection with Gala Fairydean or any of the borders clubs at all?

Pre-season friendlies, especially for the dev team were commonplace in recent years and I think we made a couple of loans to Gala. Games tended to be against Gala, Hawick Royal Albert, Selkirk and Coldstream. I think we may have played Vale of Leithen too and there were probably others.

[Mibbes Aye]

Really talking about the following throughout the country rather than attendances at games. Sporting's support mostly from Lisbon and the middle classes.

Good article on the Lisbon rivarly:
https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/portuguese-men-o-war-why-benfica-vs-sporting-more-game

Average attendances 19/20

Benfica 51.5k
Porto. 35.0k
Sporting 31.0k

Aah okay. Good article, thanks for putting it up.

[Iggy Pope]

Pre-season friendlies, especially for the dev team were commonplace in recent years and I think we made a couple of loans to Gala. Games tended to be against Gala, Hawick Royal Albert, Selkirk and Coldstream. I think we may have played Vale of Leithen too and there were probably others.

Stubbsy’s first match in charge was at Vale of Leithen. Great wee ground to visit.

[Iggy Pope]

Interesting. So we have probably copied 1930s Arsenal who were rather successful!

There was once a lot of talk that Harry Swan wanted to go the whole hog and change the shirt colour to red as well as the white sleeves. Mind you, a lot gets said about Harry Swan.

[Kato]

I thought Arsenal inspired our white sleeves?

Was it not the Austrian national team inspired both Hibs and Arsenal independently?

[EI255]

Are there any clubs , home or abroad where Hibs have a positive association or relationship with.
Am thinking along the same lines as the supposed bond between Celtic and Liverpool and wondered if Hibs had something similarCeltic and Liverpool? Really?

Think if you ask any Celtic fan they'd quickly disagree!

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[EI255]

I've been making inroads on the Linfield front. A good friend of mine is on the Board there and I've been a guest in the boardroom a few times. They are well aware of my Hibs background and they are always extremely welcoming and keen to talk about Hibs. Pat Fenlon is of course Director of Football there and he speaks very fondly of us still.

Interestingly when Linfield were on the brink of the Europa League group stages earlier in the season it was ex Fenlon signing Zoubir that scored the decisive goal for Qarabag. Another ex Hibee Rherras had scored in the first leg. Ryan McGivern was on the Linfield bench.Lindfield are 100% loyalist. They can get tae......

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[EI255]

Not sure we have a ‘relationship’ but Bohemians in Prague makes sense. They play in green and white, in a stadium that is a bit rough and ready. There are the equivalents of Sparta, Slavia and Plzen for Celtic, Rankgers and Aberdeen.

Hibernianka/Bohemka! :flag:Saw Bohemians 1905 a few times. They have punters in Hibs tops (and Celtic), so there must be a love in with us.

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[hibbymark]

:top marks


The mere notion of any ‘relationship’ with Celtic churns my stomach.

Shower of inbred, sectarian, patronising ****s. I hate them as equally as I do their blue brothers. **** them both

[Prof. Shaggy]

Was it not the Austrian national team inspired both Hibs and Arsenal independently?

I've not heard that before. I've got no idea. I thought the change happened in 1938 so, was it before or after Anschluss?

[Mibbes Aye]

Saw Bohemians 1905 a few times. They have punters in Hibs tops (and Celtic), so there must be a love in with us.

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Bohemka has a bit of a vibe to it and I think it draws in a lot of expats from the UK and USA. There is probably something a bit ‘cool’ about how they are perceived but that has shifted I feel towards lower-League Prague teams like Victoria Žižkov.

Perennial underdogs, a very loyal fan base, a ground that is rather different from most and the funky kangaroo badge. When I am in Czeska Republika I try and get to as many football and ice hockey games as we can fit in but Bohemka is always the priority.

A klabasa on dry bread with a dollop of mustard and ketchup, and a Pilsner Urquell in a plastic tumbler with Antonín Panenka’s image on the side, sporting a mouser that would cause Rod Petrie to feel slightly challenged. That is what watching football is about.

[Greenbeard]

So in summary there is no one club in particular.
But I like the idea of being "twinned" with a foreign club.
Criteria:
1. Play in a working class port.
2. Community club.
3. Good history and competitive on their day.
4. No dictatorial oligarch owner.
5. Pref got green in their colours.
Candidates?

[Hibee ultra]

I can't really muster the same distaste for Celtic as I can for Rangers. I'm not sure Celtic fans can be accused of being inherently sectarian in the way Rangers fans are. Songs like Grace, The Fields of Athenry, Amhrán na bhFiann and the like don't really belong in a Scottish football stadium but I don't think I could be convinced they are sectarian. Even their more controversial numbers aren't explicitly anti Protestant.

I accept fans of others clubs may see a darker side to Celtic fans though. For me it's the patronising attitude towards us that does my head in and don't even get me started on the 'soup takers' patter. Not being obsessively focused on a romanticised view of a small timespan of Irish history does not make us lickspittle apologists for British imperialism.

I don't really view us as having an accord or association with Celtic or any other club en masse. I know some groups have link ups with other clubs but there's nothing on any great scale to my knowledge.

Fax


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[Paisley Hibby]

What is the connection between Celtic and liverpool? Only thing I know of is celtic nicked there song, I don't even know why they sing it

Only in the heads of Celtic fans. Celtic have rarely come up with any ideas of their own. They nicked our colours, players, charitable role and nearly our name too. They nicked the idea for their slogan from Barcelona's "More than a Club". Celtic's is "A Club Like No Other". When you consider they are a Scottish Club that thinks it's Irish and really wants to play in England - they certainly are a club like no other 🤣 Like most Hibs Fans I don't hate them but I don't like them. When a Celtic fan starts all that "brothers" pish "but we were the first to wear the green" usually shuts them up. It's one of the few things they'll never be able to steal from us.

[Eyrie]

None

There is nobody else

Just us.

Always has been

Always will be.

The HIBS go marching on

GGTTH


:flag:
:thumbsup:

[One Day Soon]

I find it hard to think of many teams I find as obnoxious as Celtc. Their ugly sister too obviously. Twin parasites responsible for the stunted under achieving nature of Scottish football.

I'm gagging for absolutely anyone to stop the plastics from winning a tenth title next season - including Sevco. Maybe even especially Sevco.

[StevieC]

This is unbelievable and I did not know this. I’ve just caught up on the whole saga - it’s bizarre and tragic for their fans. I was over in Dnipro for the game and have great memories of our trip and the legacy of the Hibs fans that set up the appeal etc.

I had a meeting with one of the directors of FC Dnipro regarding a friendly at Easter Road (Hibs were also keen), but unfortunately the restrictive visa process imposed by the UK government ended up ruling it out and they did a pre-season in Germany instead.

[Duke of Currie]

So in summary there is no one club in particular.
But I like the idea of being "twinned" with a foreign club.
Criteria:
1. Play in a working class port.
2. Community club.
3. Good history and competitive on their day.
4. No dictatorial oligarch owner.
5. Pref got green in their colours.
Candidates?

Interesting article with a few candidates ,

https://thesefootballtimes.co/2019/01/09/the-intoxicating-allure-of-port-side-football-clubs-where-shady-nights-give-way-to-hopeful-days/

[Scott Allan Key]

I thought we had a Special Relationship with Hearts?

:dunno:

I'm sure Leeann gets on the phone to the good Doctor whenever she has a major decision to make and always receives useful advice.To be fair, a hotline to Budge would be ideal in knowing that doing the exact opposite of what she suggests will lead to success.

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[Duke of Currie]

So in summary there is no one club in particular.
But I like the idea of being "twinned" with a foreign club.
Criteria:
1. Play in a working class port.
2. Community club.
3. Good history and competitive on their day.
4. No dictatorial oligarch owner.
5. Pref got green in their colours.
Candidates?

As it was late at night and with time on my hand , I looked up the some clubs whch are quoted in the European cities mentioned in this Wiki page as a starter (Leith gets a mention)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanseatic_League#Lists_of_former_Hansa_cities


A few names came up , some with good histories , but ones which I think tick the boxes are

Werder Bremen (Bremen , Germany)
Hammarby (Stockholm , Sweden)
Lechia Gdansk (Gdansk , Poland)
FC Flora (Tallinn , Estonia)
Groningen (Groningen, Netherlands)

[Scott Allan Key]

[QUOTE=JDT;6239819]What is the connection between Celtic and liverpool? Only thing I know of is celtic nicked there song,

The Hail batters the windscreen as the bus ploughs on through the darkness of the M6, back down to Merseyside. The passengers have been up since early morning, but the mood is buoyant having just seen Celtic sweep aside Kilmarnock 3-1. To the jocular annoyance of the Evertonian on board, intermittent outbursts of Roberto Firmino’s ditty accompany Celtic anthems, old and new, as the soundtrack to the journey home. Half and half scarves are acceptable today.

The season looks set to be the first one since 1988 in which Celtic and Liverpool have both won their respective leagues.

As we roll towards a traditional away day meeting point, The Rocket pub, members of the party wave brief goodbyes as they’ll meet again in less than 24 hours. This time though, it will be at Anfield for the arrival of West Ham United.

The driver of the said bus is Peter Carney, a lifelong Liverpool fan who survived Hillsborough. He has followed Celtic since he was a boy. “Celtic started as my Scottish team; everyone had one. I was born into a Catholic family so Celtic was hereditary to me. When they won the European Cup in 1967 it was massive. That team was one of the best in the world.

The more I learned about Celtic, the better they were. Everything I got to know about them reinforced my love for the club.”

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The clubs lie nearly 220 miles apart, are located in different countries and play in different leagues, yet there is something that brings together fans of Liverpool and Celtic.

Each had very different beginnings and upon first glance, the pairing seems unlikely. Liverpool were founded by John Houlding, a businessman and member of the Orange Order, whereas Glasgow Celtic were born out of charity for Irish immigrants in the East End of Glasgow. Liverpool FC’s link to the Orange Order was never really sustained and Merseyside clubs have become irreligious.

The same can’t be said in Glasgow. A lot of the younger generation of Celtic supporters identify as Catholic but don’t particularly follow the religion. Although belief in God is definitely waning, a sense of belonging and everything that comes with Irish Catholicism can be what draws the younger generation.

Countless intertwining factors have come together to culminate in the relationship present today, however, the roots of most of them are entrenched in the cities’ ports.

As a result of deep poverty and the potato famine of 1845-1849, around one and a half million Irish, made up of both Catholics and Protestants, travelled to Liverpool. Many went on to make the perilous journey to America, but it’s estimated that up to a quarter of them remained on Merseyside instead. Such a large volume stayed that it’s thought up to 75% of Liverpool’s population today could have some form of Irish ancestry.

Embed from Getty Images

At the same time, Irish proletariat were also flocking to the west coast of Scotland, with many of them taking up residence in Glasgow. Ghetto-like areas came about and sectarianism started to kick off in both cities.

By percentage, the Archdiocese of Liverpool is the by far the most Catholic part of England, Scotland or Wales, even dwarfing Glasgow’s numbers. It’s only a small part of it, but the strong Irish Catholic presence on Merseyside has fed into the disdain that some right-winger factions seem to have for Liverpool.

The older generation can still remember sectarianist incidents in Liverpool. Margaret Millne comes from a Catholic family and lived in the city centre after the Second World War. She said: “There were always things going on. The Orange Lodge used to throw stones up at St Patrick’s church.” On 12th July, an Ulster protestant celebration day, things would often rise to a crescendo. “My grandmother would tell me I wasn’t allowed out on the 12th.”

As time went by, the lines between Catholic and Protestant areas of both cities became blurred, and by the mid-50s sectarianism was dying down for good in Liverpool, largely down to post-war planning decisions. In Glasgow though, sectarianism is still rife in the 21st century.

The clearing of Liverpool’s inner-city slums led to the displacement of communities. When people arrived at their new homes, they had been deliberately placed amongst one another, Catholic and Protestant. With being forced to co-exist, the hostilities eventually came to an end. Instead of identifying as one religion or another, people now started to feel civic pride more intensely. They were red or blue, not Catholic or Protestant. The pressing issue was no longer of sectarianism, but rather growing social inequality.

Embed from Getty Images

Years of decline, culminating under Thatcher’s government, transformed Merseyside from what was once a mixed political area, into one of the biggest left-wing hotbeds in the whole of Europe.

Most of Glasgow, especially in the green and white half, feels similarly. The Celtic Football Club is an embodiment of the Irish Glaswegian community, which has long been on the wrong end of British imperialism throughout history. This, alongside Glasgow’s working-class background, has sent The Bhoys to the left also.

Although it may manifest itself in different ways, the sentiment today is just as vehement as in the 1980s. There are regularly anti-Tory banners held up on The Kop at Anfield or by the Green Brigade at Parkhead. On numerous occasions, the two sets of supporters have felt isolated, particularly around Hillsborough and systems of government. Many Liverpudlians don’t necessarily identify with ‘Englishness’ and the London-centric state. In 1999, Glaswegian activist, Margaret Simey, even said: “The magic of Liverpool is that it isn’t England,” a tendency shared by those who are cynical of the establishment.

When Labour’s long-established ‘red wall’ fell in the 2019 General Election, it only added to the detachment. The North’s major cities still voted labour, but they were surrounded by a sea of blue, which flooded former mill towns and mining communities.

The aforementioned, Peter Carney, remembers the first time he went to Celtic Park, a day which encapsulated working-class life in Glasgow and Liverpool at the time. “The first time I saw them live was in 1981. I went to Glasgow for an unemployment march and went from the march to the match on the bus. The bus was genuinely rocking all the way to the ground. It was against Rangers and I got a ticket outside. When I got in the ground it was saintly and strange. The noise and passion were incredible.”

Celtic were 1-0 down at half-time when he had to leave, to catch the train back to Liverpool. “When we got back to Lime Street, I learned Celtic had come back to win 3-1. When I think back to that day, I laugh at the thought of being in two 50,000-strong crowds; one taking on the Tories and the other taking on Rangers.”

Embed from Getty Images

Celtic and Liverpool’s connection isn’t solely political though.

Several players and managers have a place in their hearts for the corresponding club, and Liverpool’s Scottish connection goes back a long way. LFC’s past is littered with great Scots, of Rangers and Celtic persuasions. From Billy Liddell through to Andy Robertson, they seem to fit in with the community ethos of the city and its clubs.

Bill Shankly and Jock Stein, the men behind the clubs’ rise to international fame, were good friends. Both worked in coal mines before they got their break into the football world.

The words Shankly allegedly said to his friend in the changing room after Stein had won the European Cup, have gone down in Celtic legend. “John, you’re immortal now.” Jock just laughed, but the Liverpool manager was right. He was immortal in the minds of Hoops supporters.

The two of them, along with the great Matt Busby, who had played for Liverpool and managed Manchester United, all came from a Scottish mining background. They instilled similar ethics into their teams, those of hard work and desire. Shankly and Stein’s teams were built for the people. The latter’s European Cup-winning side consisted almost entirely of players from Glasgow.

During Shankly’s tenure came a key moment that would be the catalyst for friendship between the clubs’ supporters. Ian St John, born in Motherwell, scored the goal which won Liverpool their first ever FA Cup in 1965 against Don Revie’s formidable Leeds. The trophy success meant that The Reds qualified for the next season’s Cup Winner’s Cup.

Liverpool had beaten Standard Liège, Budapest Honvéd and a strong Juventus team to reach the semis. They would be facing Celtic for the first time in the club’s history. A solitary home goal, scored by the legendary outside left, Bobby Lennox, left Shankly’s side with work to do in the return leg at Anfield.

Five days later, Tommy Smith and Geoff Strong were the scorers as Liverpool overturned the one-goal deficit but the night was marred by crowd trouble amongst a section of the travelling Celtic contingent. Beer bottles were brought into the stadium and thrown towards the pitch, forcing Liverpool keeper, Tommy Lawrence, to move to the edge of his penalty area. One of the flying glass bottles hit a young Liverpool fan, who was stood on the front row. He was badly injured.

Liverpool would go on to play Borussia Dortmund in their first European final and, as fate would have it, the decider was up at Hampden Park in Glasgow. This provided the perfect opportunity for Celtic supporters to repent to their visitors. That night, the relationship between the sets of fans changed forever.I think Hibs have a stronger connection to Liverpool as we're perhaps the only club to be managed by both Lennon and McCartney.

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[wpj]

[QUOTE=Scouse Hibee;6239847]I think Hibs have a stronger connection to Liverpool as we're perhaps the only club to be managed by both Lennon and McCartney.

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👍

[BILLYHIBS]

[QUOTE=Scouse Hibee;6239847]I think Hibs have a stronger connection to Liverpool as we're perhaps the only club to be managed by both Lennon and McCartney.

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:top marks

[heretoday]

I love threads like this. Full of pishful thinking!

[marinello59]

So in summary there is no one club in particular.
But I like the idea of being "twinned" with a foreign club.
Criteria:
1. Play in a working class port.
2. Community club.
3. Good history and competitive on their day.
4. No dictatorial oligarch owner.
5. Pref got green in their colours.
Candidates?

No green, that’s the colours of their tri-City rivals in Gdansk but Arka Gdynia meet the rest of the criteria. Well maybe not the competitive bit for now, they’ve just been relegated. They’ll be back though. :greengrin

[Greenbeard]

As it was late at night and with time on my hand , I looked up the some clubs whch are quoted in the European cities mentioned in this Wiki page as a starter (Leith gets a mention)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanseatic_League#Lists_of_former_Hansa_cities


A few names came up , some with good histories , but ones which I think tick the boxes are

Werder Bremen (Bremen , Germany)
Hammarby (Stockholm , Sweden)
Lechia Gdansk (Gdansk , Poland)
FC Flora (Tallinn , Estonia)
Groningen (Groningen, Netherlands)
Good article in previous post about port teams.
I challenge you to do a wee summary of why each of these five suggestions fits the bill as a sister club, then do a poll.
Personally, I don't think Bremen qualifies as a port. Gdansk I like cos I was there early 70s before Lech Walesa came to prominence with the trade union thing, but their strip is too like Celtic's.
And I don't ever think I could associate myself with a team named after a margarine.
So for me it comes down to Hammarby or Groningen. I can associate with Scandi teams.

[.Sean.]

As it was late at night and with time on my hand , I looked up the some clubs whch are quoted in the European cities mentioned in this Wiki page as a starter (Leith gets a mention)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanseatic_League#Lists_of_former_Hansa_cities


A few names came up , some with good histories , but ones which I think tick the boxes are

Werder Bremen (Bremen , Germany)
Hammarby (Stockholm , Sweden)
Lechia Gdansk (Gdansk , Poland)
FC Flora (Tallinn , Estonia)
Groningen (Groningen, Netherlands)
Hammarby for me. Lovely kit and tidy stadium and Stockholm looks like some place

[Greenbeard]

Hammarby for me. Lovely kit and tidy stadium and Stockholm looks like some place
Fans look pretty mental. Flares and smoke bombs galore. Even fireworks. Dunno about Land of Hope and Glory though!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uc7j0TS4OXo