Adam Matthews Reveals Celtic Player’s Green Brigade Prank

Former Celtic full back, Adam Matthews, appeared on Open Goal podcast recently and revealed how Charlie Mulgrew and Paddy McCourt once set up the club’s head of security, Jamie Church, on a pre-season trip.

Matthews told podcast host, Si Ferry: “He (Church) used to come on pre-season – head of security, that’s his title – and basically just to hold on to the passports. Charlie and Paddy used to have him on toast. I think he fell asleep once on the way to Australia and they drew something on his face, and he did not have a clue until we landed. He’s walking through and being asked for his passport and he had something drawn on his face.”

Harmless as that prank was, Matthews revealed how Mulgrew and McCourt once had Church on the brink of tears after a prank involving the Green Brigade Ultras.

“I don’t know much of the details,” Matthews said.

“Basically we had a massive game on the Saturday and he’s head of security, and one of the Green Brigade got chucked out of the stadium. Anyway, that was all fine. It’s come to the Sunday or Monday, Paddy’s gone up to Churchy and gone, ‘the Green Brigade are raging with you’. He was just like ‘yeah, good one’.

“I think Paddy’s gone to Charlie, Charlie’s changed his profile picture to a picture of Paddy’s brother Leroy, and has got Charlie to text Paddy saying look, the Green Brigade are raging with this guy. They’re going to get a banner up for the next game saying ‘Jamie Church get out of our club’.

“So then Paddy’s obviously shown Churchy this text and he’s like: ‘No that can’t be serious, please speak to your brother. I’ll lose my job if they put up a sign like that!’

“They must have kept it going for three days and it got to the Thursday or Friday and Paddy’s like: ‘I’ve tried to speak to him but he’s not having any of it. They’re raging and it’s going up on Saturday’.

“I think Churchy was close to crying and I think Broony or somebody must have said: ‘Boys, you’ve taken this a bit far now. He’s going to start crying here. You could be in trouble here!’

“So then I think Paddy and Charlie came clean. I swear to God, he was close to tears!”

About Author

Hailing from an Irish background, I grew up on the English south coast with the good fortune to begin watching Celtic during the Martin O'Neill era. I have written four Celtic books since the age of 19: Our Stories & Our Songs: The Celtic Support, Take Me To Your Paradise: A History Of Celtic-Related Incidents & Events, Walfrid & The Bould Bhoys: Celtic's Founding Fathers, First Season & Early Stars, and The Holy Grounds of Glasgow Celtic: A Guide To Celtic Landmarks & Sites Of Interest. These were previously sold in Waterstones and official Celtic FC stores, and are now available on Amazon.

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