LAST WEEK we started a new series. We asked club Historian and author of countless Celtic books, David Potter to select The Celtic Star of the Decade for each and every decade since 1888.
Starting at the very beginning during Celtic’s early years, David opted for SANDY McMAHON and you can read his Celtic story below.
Moving into the first decade of the 20th Century there really only could be one name that David Potter could opt for and that’s JIMMY QUINN who David named as The Celtic Star of the Decade for 1900-1909 Here’s why…
And David’s next pick for The Celtic Star for the club’s third decade running from 1910-1919 is none other that PATSY GALLACHER. You can read about The Mighty Atom here…
Then David Potter’s selection for the Celtic Star of the club’s fourth decade running from 1920-1929, who else could he go for but the one and only JIMMY McGRORY Read about Celtic 550 goal legend below…
Now the brief to David Potter was clear, select The Celtic Star of each decade. That means he doesn’t necessarily have to opt for a PLAYER for that decade, although it could quite easily be a former player that the Celtic historian opts for. For instance he may well opt for Jock Stein as The Celtic Star of the 1960s but he doesn’t. The ONLY decade that David has opted for a non-playing winner of The Celtic Star of the decade was the one we featured yesterday for the decade 1930-39.
Read David’s logic in choosing JIMMY McMENEMY as The Celtic Star of the Decade 1930-39 below…
And for David Potter’s selection for the Celtic Star of the club’s sixth decade running from 1940-1949, is the one and only CHARLES PATRICK TULLY.…
On Wednesday David selected The Celtic Star of the 1950s and he opted for Celtic’s Forgotten Hero BOBBY EVANS, here’s why…
On Thursday the Celtic Historian probably had his most difficult decision yet, choosing just one Celtic man from the 1960s? Who could he choose, maybe the manager Jock Stein or any one of Simpson, Craig, Gemmell, Clark, Murdoch, Auld, Johnstone, Chalmers, Wallace, Lennox or maybe John Hughes, Joe McBride or John Fallon? Any of the above would have been a fine choice, but David has gone for the one Lisbon Lion we haven’t mentioned – the captain Billy McNeill.
And David reveals that the decision wasn’t that tough as we’d thought. It was rather easy actually.
Yesterday the club historian turned his attention to the 1970s when Celtic started the decade with most of the Lisbon Lions still doing their thing and added to that we had the Quality Street Gang before ending the decade with the likes of Roy Aitken, Tommy Burns and George McCluskey all emerging. Lots of names within that lot for David Potter to choose from.
But after giving the matter careful consideration David Potter selected The Celtic Star of the Decade 1970-79 and that Celt is Lisbon Lion Bobby Lennox. David explained why he opted for the Buzzbomb, see below…
And so moving on to today’s featured decade – the 1980s and David Potter has decided that The Celtic Star for 198-89 is The Bear himself, Roy Aitken. Read David’s reasoning for that decision on the next page…
The Celtic Star of the Decade
10. The Celtic Star of the Decade – 1980-1989 – Roy Aitken…
The 1980s were a confusing, topsy-turvy sort of decade for Celtic. Moments of extreme happiness were intertwined with moments of barely believable disappointments and heartbreaks.
Managers came, went, came back again, we had players as good as any we have ever had at the club, but we couldn’t be consistently successful, we had one brilliant player who failed to appear for a Scottish Cup semi-final then departed after playing his part in the throwing away of the League,the club reached the pinnacle of achievement winning the League and Cup double in 1988, then blew it all immediately, while sowing the seeds of its own destruction.
All this was amazing stuff – throw in Rapid Vienna, Albert Kidd and Judas Johnston and the whole thing was crazy. But one man remained constant throughout all this – step forward, Roy Aitken.
Still a schoolboy when he joined Celtic in 1975, he played 15 years for the club, winning the Scottish League on 6 occasions, the Scottish Cup on five and perhaps surprisingly, only one Scottish League Cup in his 667 appearances for Celtic.
He played for Scotland 57 times – and Scotland, of course, in the 1980s is an equally bewildering tale.
He is best remembered perhaps for his Scottish Cup finals. Harshly ordered off in 1984 when Celtic lost, he then took a grip of the team in 1985 and inspirationally, turned a losing position in 1985 into glorious victory. He did the same thing in 1988, then refused to be cowed by Graeme Souness’ s thugs in 1989.
It was also Aitken in the League campaigns of 1986 and 1988 who turned round many difficult situations into triumphs.
He could play as a defender or in midfield and arguments raged about what was his best position. Maybe he was just a little too careless (with an awful first touch on occasion) to be a world class defender, and he was better as an inspiration in the centre of the park.
His departure was a sad one – driven out by a combination of a glory hunting journalist called Gerry McNee and a few ungrateful Parkhead boo boys who had been reading that journalist rather too much, and blamed all the manifold woes of Celtic in 1989/90 on Roy. It would never happened had The Celtic Star been around in this days!
But that is Celtic supporters for you! Some of them booed Fergus McCann as well! And I have heard Kenny Dalglish, Paul McStay and Henrik Larsson all getting the works, now and again. I am prepared to put the great and immortal Roy Aitken into that bracket.
He was never really a success at Newcastle, St Mirren or Aberdeen (when he became their Manager).
He was always Roy Aitken of Celtic, and was undeniably The Celtic Star of the 1980s.
David Potter
Some additional reading about Roy Aitken on The Celtic Star…
‘It was like big Roy Aitken had killed the guy and they were putting a sheet over him,’ Dougie McGuire…see HERE.
Jim Craig – Bonner, McGrain, Reid, Aitken, W McStay, MacLeod, Colquhoun, P McStay, McGarvey, Sinclair and McClair…see HERE.
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