Happy Birthday Alan Thompson

Today marks Alan Thompson’s 47th birthday. It’s hard to believe that Thommo left Celtic Park prior to turning 34 years old back in 2007. He was a sensational Celtic player, who played a huge part in what many would regard as Celtic’s best team since the Quality Street Gang.

Thompson signed for Celtic in September 2000 and was one of Martin O’Neill’s first arrivals. He brought a steal and determination to stand up to a Rangers team, who, although using EBT’s, had bullied us for the previous decade. Not only did Thommo have passion and strength, but he also had a wand for a left foot and phenomenal ability to pass, cross and shoot.

Never the quickest player, unlike Didier Agathe on the opposite wing, Thommo had excellent game intelligence to have an equally huge impact. A mark of his ability is that he became the first player to be capped by England whilst playing for Celtic. Many people feel it is criminal that he didn’t get more caps, particularly as England were crying out for a left sided player!

Alan was a modern Celtic great. He was a stalwart of the Seville team and notably scored a free kick at Anfield against Liverpool in the UEFA Cup Quarter Final. European goals were nothing out of the ordinary for Thompson either, as he scored magnificent headers against Bayern Munich and Stuttgart, as well as tidy strikes against Rosenberg and Barcelona among others.

Europe is the stage that our club belongs and for which it is famed. However, outside of the European domain, fans would look to the Glasgow Derby for high points. Thompson was up against a strong Rangers side in his spell at Celtic. Younger fans may not remember that club which used to exist in Govan, they looked similar to the new incarnation, but they had some fine players thanks to the use of underhand methods. Thompson rose to those occasions and scored seven goals against the old enemy, two of which were winners. Not only did he score goals, but they were pretty special too.

Another stand out moment was Thompson’s winning goal in the 2005 Scottish Cup Final. We won’t mention the red cards!

Alan returned to the club as first team coach after his playing days. Working alongside Neil Lennon, Thommo played his part in this nine in a row run and was instrumental in bringing Fraser Forster to the club from his native Newcastle.

Alan Thompson retains a strong affection for Celtic, and many of us have fond memories of him as a very, very good Celtic player. He really could perform for us at the highest level and what great times he gave us.

Many happy returns Thommo!