Former Celtic manager Wim Jansen, who sadly passed away last week aged 75, has been given the most incredible of send offs by his first love Feyenoord and at Celtic Park around 60,000 Celtic Supporters and the visiting support from Dundee United stood for a minute’s applause in tribute to Wim. Both sets of players applauded as Callum McGregor and Ange Postecoglou paid a wreath at Celtic Park while high above the Jock Stein and Lisbon Lions stands the screens carried an image and message of sympathy and respect for the man who stopped them doing Ten-in-a-Row.
A Green Brigade banner simply said ‘Rest in Peace Wim’ and the entire Celtic Support joined in with a spontaneous chorus of ‘There’s Only One Wim Jansen’. Respect to another of our former managers, Brendan Rodgers who came along to Celtic Park on Saturday specifically to pay his own respects to Wim.
Jansen of course, as a player with Feyenoord, was part of their 1970 European Cup winning team that defeated Celtic in Milan. He was much loved as a player and manager for the Dutch club as well as being highly respected for the work he did with the young stars of the future coming through at the club.
Feyenoord have put up some clips of an emotional send off for a legend of Feyenoord, with a car carrying his coffin travelling to the stadium in Rotterdam, the Feyenoord Academy and being greeted by hundreds of fans with lit flares adding incredible colour to an emotional video. However, for Celtic fans as well as Feyenoord supporters it is the playing of ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ that will bring a lump to the throat and a tear to the eye.
Een laatste groet aan een groot Feyenoorder.
Wim Jansen, voor altijd in ons hart. ♥️ pic.twitter.com/UD8BNup1Dr
— Feyenoord Rotterdam (@Feyenoord) January 29, 2022
Celtic of course only had Wim Jansen for one season, but what a season that was.
Few men arrive at Celtic, stay 12 months and are regarded as a legend of the club. However, Wim Jansen as the man who stopped our rivals march, to what seemed a foregone conclusion Ten in a Row season, was such a man. And when he departed, he did so with a mark made on Celtic that will never be forgotten by those who witnessed his achievement of lifting that league title in 1998. It was an achievement that will be passed through the generations and ensure that although we have lost him now, Wim Jansen will forever be remembered and celebrated by Celtic supporters.
Here are the photographs from the weekend as both Celtic and our friends over at Feyenoord both paid our respects to a legend not only of both clubs but of the game of football.
Feyenoord’s send-off for Wim is as emotional as it comes, and Celtic too paid tribute to Wim Jansen on Saturday afternoon as manager Ange Postecoglou and captain Callum McGregor laid a wreath at the edge of the centre circle before the club celebrated his life and marked his death with a rousing minutes applause, and no little cheering, prior to the win over Dundee United on Saturday.
The send-off for Wim Jansen in both Rotterdam and Glasgow shows just how loved Wim Jansen was in both cities. He will be greatly missed but fondly remembered.
A very fitting tribute to an incredible man. 💚