Photo of the Day: Celtic Fan’s Display v Ajax (2013)

On Tuesday 22 October 2013, Celtic Park rocked to its foundations as the Bhoys dispatched of Ajax 2-1 in the UEFA Champions League group stage.

There had been ill feeling between the clubs after some Ajax fans smashed the train station at Glasgow Central, though worse would follow in the reverse fixture and subsequent meetings over the next few years.

Ajax claim to be the originators of total football, a system employed by Johan Cruyff, who took the style to Barcelona. However, it was Celtic’s Lisbon Lions who revolutionised the game with relentless attack and pushing the full backs forward. From there the ideas were developed by others and cluminated in the rounded approach of Ajax’s total football.

The Green Brigade Ultras played on that historical theme with an incredible display spanning two tiers. It read “Original total football”, “Class of 67”, with an image of the Lisbon Lions in the middle.

The atmosphere was electric that night as Celtic recorded a fantastic win, during what was ultimately a disappointing campaign.

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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