Blue Lagoon Chip Shop: Desmond White’s Office To (Mis)manage Celtic

In the 1970s Celtic were a European powerhouse. The club had won the European Cup, reached the Final in 1970 and the Semi Final in 1972 and 1974. Crowds for these European clashes and big league games were astronomical, including the 136,505 attendance in the 1970 European Cup Semi Final match against Leeds, which remains a continental record in terms of club football. Naturally, the revenue generated by these crowds was monstrous and Celtic was very much a cash intensive business at the time.

Unfortunately, the club’s stature on the field wasn’t matched off it. Indeed, the old Celtic board was headed by Desmond White during most of the 1970s and, despite his love for the club, he ran a very amateur business. Nothing exemplifies this better than the fact that the financial matters of Celtic Football Club were all being managed from a small office above a Blue Lagoon fish and chip shop in central Glasgow.

Many fans will have bought a sausage supper in the West Nile Street branch at the interface with Bath Street and had no clue that important decisions about the direction of their club were being made right above their heads. Although, others will have been very aware as supporters were even directed to this chip shop to find the Celtic office, when looking to collect season tickets at various times until the early 1980s.

This little known and unexpected landmark holds a piece of Celtic history, which highlights just what an important role Celts For Change took in ousting the old board and allowing Fergus McCann to come in.

In January 2020 it was announced that the buildings at that part of the street were planned to be demolished to make way for a new £30m hotel. This meant the loss of the Blue Lagoon chip shop and the offices above it.

Desmond White

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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