One of the most interesting aspects of researching Celtic’s first ever league title win – which happened in the 1892-93 season – was the language used in newspaper reports.
Compared with modern text – not least the bitterness of online debates – it is from a completely different era, including quaint words and descriptions which would never now make it into a sports report.
“Fag badly” (meaning to tire) and “invited to retire” (to be sent off) – all of these were common phrases that sports fans of the age would come to know.
Defensive actions could be detailed using very graceful language. Some reports used phrases such as a goalkeeper’s save showing that he was “fully worthy of his trust”, whilst conceding a goal could be said to have resulted in the “downfall of the citadel”.
Celtic’s ‘keeper Joe Cullen received specific praise during one friendly match in England. After a particularly impressive save, one journalist said there was “applause at [Cullen’s] magnificent exposition of science running like wildfire around the square.”
The ways that attempts on goal were described also involved long-forgotten words and phrases. A very common narrative used to describe shots on goal was a “clinker” (this meant a difficult, spectacular strike from distance).
When teams played well the praise they received could be very expressive. After one Celtic victory, a journalist stated that: “Every Celt played his part with a regularity which made the harmony of motion complete in the Celtic eleven.”
And equally poor play from teams could lead to direct ridicule. In one Celtic and Rangers match, the Ibrox side’s efforts were said to have left their players “looking as boobies”. Losing teams were also described as being in “sack cloth and ashes”.
There could be a whimsical element to previewing games. One match involving Celtic and Hearts was said to pit the “powerful representatives of Auld Reekie and St Mungo”, alluding to phrases describing Edinburgh and Glasgow.
Sports newspapers would also include other sections, including poetry used to describe the matches or events which had shaped the previous few days. Following a spate of bad weather which led to widespread cancellations, the Scottish Sport wrote about:
“The snow, the snow, the terrible snow,
Which covers up everything here below,
Which blots out the touch and the penalty lines,
Baffles the forward who usually shines.”
Even the fans had a friendlier tone when discussing their heroes. Celtic’s Johnny Madden was banned for one following an on-field fight, leaving the Bhoys weaker upfront. One newspaper noted a Celtic fan as saying:
“That fisticuff business of Madden’s has played the deuce with our forward division and we are wearying until he is back again”
However perhaps the most amusing statement came after a narrow Celtic win. The Bhoys’ opponents, Clyde, played well and were praised for these efforts. One reporter boldly claimed they were “entitled to cock-their-beaver in only losing by 2 to 1”.
Imagine reading that the next time you glanced at the back page of a modern newspaper!
Matthew Marr
Matthew Marr is the Author of ‘Walfrid and the Bould Bhoys: Glory To Their Name’ which will be proudly published by Celtic Star Books on 24 March 2023.
To read the full story of Celtic’s first ever league title, make sure you get your copy of ‘Walfrid and the Bould Bhoys: Glory To Their Name’…
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