Here it is, our third and last newsletter of 2015! Enjoy the reading! Hoopy Christmas and a Hoopy New Year from all at CSC Switzerland! Hail,Hail!
[button] Link text[/button] [box] Here we go – The links to Stephs post (http://www.celticfc.ch/steph-on-tv/) AND Celtic Highlight pages: https://www.facebook.com/CelticHighlights/ & https://twitter.com/CelticHighlight[/box]
A bunch of CSCS-members went to Glasgow for the game against Kilmarnock.
Many of them travelled on their own or had already been in Edinburgh / Glasgow the day before. Finally, we all gathered at Babbity’s where we met many other friends. In the end we were about 15 persons (Swiss, Spanish, Basque, Scottish, Irish, Japanese). After a quiet Friday, we met our honorary member Martin and we handed him a wee present over – a fondue set, with a personalized steel sheet.
The same set was made for Brian as well. Unfortunately he couldn’t join us this time, because of his health condition.
Afterwards we headed off to Paradise and watched a poor 0:0. The Bhoys were not able to score any goal. But all in all it was a cozy afternoon @ Celtic Park.
After the game and a few beers at Kerrydale Suite, we moved on to the highlight of the night: The Wolfetones concert @ Barrowlands. The venue was sold out and it was good craic!
On Sunday some flew back to Switzerland, others relaxed, and a few did a stadium tour.
It was a fantastic weekend with fantastic people in a fantastic city! We will organize another trip like this in the next months. So please keep yourself informed!
Marcus – president CSCS
Early morning on the 21st October we started from Zurich with Helvetic Airways to Oslo. While some of us preferred to sleep, some played cards. Arrived in Oslo we were surprised by beautiful rainy and windy weather. Therefore, our traditional “Cultural Celtic Supporters Day” was shortened to seeing a bit of Oslo, like the Kings house and the harbour. After that we were soaked and decided to get a first pint. Surprise, the pints were more expensive than in Switzerland. For us a totally new experience.
We went on to pick up our friends Pat and Jill at the station and drinking some pints at Olso Sports Bar, where the local Celtic fans uusally meet up. And ended the day in The Dubliners Pub with loads of Tims and quite good live Irish music.
Early in the morning we travelled to Oslo airport and then to Molde. What a beautiful view we got over the incredible landscapes of Molde from the airplane! In between of 10 minutes two airplanes full of Celtic fans arrived and tried to get all in one bus.. well logically this didn’t work and some had to wait. In Molde town everything was still closed except 1-2 restaurants. So we headed for breakfast and beer.
From 2 onwards the pubs opened and matchday atmosphere spread more and more. The Celtic fans mostly enjoyed the 1910 Puben, the local Molde fans pub. We had a great time (http://tiny.cc/fodj5x) and at some point Ronny even walked the 3 min way from the Stadium to the Hotel. The fans quickly realized and the pub was empty in between of 30 seconds. Ronny took his time to take some pictures and have a chat.
Some hours ago after we got a small stadium tour by ourselves (we asked one Steward if we can enter and have a look around) I ran back to the stadium as I heard that the Celtic team is doing a round at the harbour at the stadium. I met Broony, Gordon and Fasan. The Captain replied to my “Can I please have a picture with yous, I travelled over from Switzerland to see the Hoops playing.” With “have you been jogging here from Switzerland, eh?!” doing a typical broony-banter. Gratefully they took me some pictures too.
It was time for the match. Of course it was pouring down again, especially for the game. We went early and they wouldn’t let us in with the banners and although they took us out of the rain and placed the Celtic fans with no away tickets all together in the balcony, they split the fans in two groups. We couldn’t hear each other sing. It was a pitty, just like the game. Celtic played dreadful. Molde only played counter football, but at least with skill and passion. The home support was stunned by the Celtic fans, but after the first goal started singing too. The Molde fans were very nice with us, as well as the club stewards.
I better stop talking about the game at this point, but all in all it was a normal Celtic European away game – horrific.
After some pints in the hotel lobby and dried cloths the mood got back and we all enjoyed some good hours talking with fellow Celts and some Molde fans. Some even gave us their scarves and blankets (?). Great people. Thanks for the good time 🙂
The next morning we’ve been surprised by our friend Gary Patrick Mullen, who replayed the “Commons incident” in a genius way and placed in on Facebook. I shared it on our page and it went totally viral.
A good and funny end to an amazing trip in a beautiful country! I will be back to Norway, no question. With or without Celtic, but surely prideful wearing the Hoops.
Hail, Hail!
Stevie
Here it is, our second newsletter of 2015! Enjoy the reading! Hail,Hail!
Fanny and Küsä were heading off to Eibar (Basque-Country, Spain) for the friendly game on the weekend of july 18th. It was Eibar SD’s 75 birthday. We met there many of our friends from Spain and Martin & Gill from Scotland. A big thankyou to Maureen, who organized nearly everything!
We arrived on Friday and after a speed-bar-crowl (7 or 8 bars in one hour) we finally settle down in a nice bar where we have good talks with old and new friends.
Weather was fantastic, beer cold (for 5 minutes), and it was a pleasure to take part at the festivities on the main place, where we were letting our flag fly. Rebels and Celtic songs habe been played and we could watch bit of the basque-style of the “Highland-Games”.
The game wasn’t that bad and Celtic comfortably won 4:1. Ambrose and Griffiths (with a hattrick) were the Celtic goal scorers. Bailly saved a penalty aswell. After the game we had a fantastic time in the city center with Celtic supporters and members of the Eibar supporters club which is named “ESKOZIA LA BRAVA” (Scotland the brave). Could not have matched better!
On Sunday, Gonso guided us to different spots at the Basque-coast. We finally ended up in Hondarribia (next to the French boarder / San Sebastian-Airport). Very nice village and the right place to relax, before we were flying back the next day to Basel.
It was another fantastic trip, with many stories to tell! Looking forward to the next trips!
Eskerrik asko & Agur
Fanny & Küsä
Here it is, our first newsletter of 2015! Enjoy the reading! Hail, Hail!
My journey started on Wednesday 18th of February. Early in the morning I travelled via Luzern, Olten to Basel. In Olten Beat „Bob“ joined me and we did take an EasyShit flight to Edinburgh. There we took the bus to Glasgow Buchanan Station. After checking in our Hotel (Travelodge City Centre) we headed for a first wee journey to Kilmarnock. Martin and his family awaited us for dinner. After enjoying the dinner together with them, a Spanish Celtic fan and Greg, a family friend and big Killie fan, we went to a local pub. After some rounds we headed back to Glasgow for the first big day.
On Thursday we met up with Martin and Carlos for having a bit of match day drinking. We went to Failté where we met Pascal and friends from the French CSC. Later we moved on to Babbicy Bewster and enjoyed Scottish meals and drinks. From there we went on to another Pub before heading to Parkhead.
The atmosphere was electric. It felt so good to be back home, to see the stadium. Each meter was a step closer to where I wanted to be every weekend, but obviously I can’t. So happiness and excitement floated through mine and Beat’s bodies. We couldn’t wait to go inside the stadium to sit on the CSCS’ seats.
After enjoying the fantastic pre match atmosphere we were blown away with the YNWA. What an experience it is each time you can hear, feel and see this song been sung at Parkhead.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXuhUuLLlJg
The game started bad. After just 4 minutes swiss national player Shaqiri scored and Parkhead reacted fantastically by trying to give the players courage to hit back. It did come different: After 13 minutes Palacio scored a second and the stadium was silent. The fans were shocked and thanks to an superb pass form Matthews and the good finish from Armstrong after 24 minutes the hope was back and so was the singing and pushing by the supporters. And it helped to give Inter’s player a shock themselves as Armstrong scored the second in between 2 minutes, although the ball was deflected by Campagnaro and therefore given to the Italian as an owngoal. Paradise exploded and Celtic went on dominating most parts of the first half. Shortly before halftime it was Inter with their 3rd goal out of nothing. Campagnaro took advantage form a rare Gordon error and scored an easy 3rd for his team.
Celtic played on level with Inter during the second half and had chances. But Gordon was needed several times as Shaqiri stared the match with his skills and pace. Inter showed for a first time how good they can be in time wasting and diving too. Italian team are worldclass in that. It didn’t save them from conceding the equalizer after 93 minutes. Guidetti after a chip pass form Henderson volleyed home in front of my end. A fantastic goal, but it wasn’t the end. Shaqiri had a late freekick saved brilliantly by Gordon.
What a game it has been, what a night, a match to be remembered for years to come. And Celtic were left with a good chance for the away leg.
We went on drinking and partying till late. As usual. As we did on Friday too.
On Saturday Beat, Carlos and me enjoyed a trip to Edinburgh to watch Hibs taking the better of Dumbarton (3-0) and another night out in Glasgow.
Sunday is match day. So was it on that weekend. The second Celtic match for us in 4 days was a different one. It was one way traffic, but Celtic failed to score the first goal against Hamilton in the first half. Rain and wind showed us what cold and wet means, even sitting underneath the stadium roof. But we didn’t care as Celtic went on to score 4 in the second half and handing Beat a good bit of money thanks to a tip for a 4+ win from Celtic.
After the game we went back to Edinburgh and enjoyed the night there, although it was just for food and a shooooort sightseeing trip (we saw the Edinburgh castle and ladbrooker…).
The morning was all about getting home and getting back to normal life for at least 3 days.
On Wednesday morning I got up early again, it was time for my 3rd Celtic match in 8 days. By train I went to Bern where the other members awaited me in the train to Milano. The journey was lovely. Beautiful landscapes and nice people around me, just fantastic.
Arrived in Milan at around 11 we took the metro to Duomo square and searched our hotels. First fans already started covering the square. After check-in we directly headed to the square and placed our banners on the floor. Friends from all over the world came to say hi and we enjoyed quite a few beers. And some even a good bottle (or 2..) of red wine in a restaurant.
At around 5 we left Duomo Square and by metro we arrived near the stadium. The police wanted us to board busses but thankfully they hadn’t enough so we walked to the stadium, entered the away end without having tickets for that end (yes, we were surprised as well when the entrance turned green when scanning the tickets). Martin, Brian and Paddy already did place our banners in the first row so we found them easily. First row seats in the away end of Meazza? Not too bad…
The atmosphere was fantastic and the Celtic fans did make the team proud. And so did the team the travelled supporters. They played with passion and heart. Inter played on level, although Mackay-Stevens had the best chance till around 35 minutes were played. Then the dreadful ref showed a second yellow to VvD and it was a very very harsh one. Celtic tried their best, fighted, fired up by the fans, played great football and even created some good attacking moments. Gordon showed that he is one of the best keepers and saved the team 3-4 times from a 0-1. The ref went on showing yellow after yellow to Celtic, while the dives and tactical fouls from Inter mainly stayed ignored by the Slovakian Ref. He even showed Gordon a yellow for time wasting.. yes, time wasting from our goal keeper when we needed at least one goal.. while the Italian needed 2 minutes to sub 2 players. While they took every chance to fall, to complain and to asking for yellows for Celtic players. Inter players got 2 yellows in all the game. Guarin settled the game with his beautiful shot in the right hand corner from Gordon after 88 minutes. Seeing their superiority with 14 to 10 men it was a deserved win….
The fans went on partying and celebrating our team, even singing YNWA some minutes after full time and the Meazza fans waited outside to applaud us. Some fans swapped scarves, as i did. Their supporters generally showed class and fairplay. I want to wish their team good luck for the next rounds and the season, but i also hope that they stop their diving and complaining, as this is not a fair behaviour. Anyway, it is not the fans’ fault, so good luck to them!
After the match we walked away in direction of a metro station and ended up for a “Pete-Stop” at a mobile snack bar. After 2 hours we went on and in the city centre we eat good pizzas and drank wine / beer (again).
The next day we did a bit of “cultural CSC” and did a small sightseeing tour to the Duomo. Some even went upstairs with the elevator. After that we went for O’Connoll Pub and enjoyed a great afternoon with other Celtic supporters.
In the evening we took the train Bern and enjoyed our own mini bar.
On this point I want to thanks all my friends and all the Celtic Family. Special thanks to all my swiss and scottish friends who travelled with me and made me enjoying my trips to Glasgow and Milan. As well thanks to all the new and old faces I / we met on tour! Three Celtic matches in 8 days, something i will never forget!
Hail, Hail!
StevieBhoy
Here it is, our second newsletter! Enjoy the wee read! Hail, Hail and a good new year!
On the 27.12.2014 some of our members will be travelling to Glasgow for watching Celtic at Parkhead against Ross County. We would like to offer all members and friends the opportunity to get tickets and travel with us. Please give us feedback until 23.11.2014 otherwise it will be too late! Those who’d like to join and ask for tickets have to keep word and will have to pay the organized tickets. Our season tickets are already reserved and can’t be used. Flights and hotel arrangements have to be taken on your own. Most of us fly on the 26th and return on the 29th.
Recommended hotels:
Babbity Bowster, Blackfriars St.Glasgow (only a few rooms), about 50-65 £ a night
Merchant City Inn, Virginia Street, about 70 £ a nights
Your CSC Switzerland board,
Hail, Hail!
http://www.celticfc.ch/OurEvents/2014/12/spfl-celtic-fc-ross-county/
Am 27.12.2014 werden einige Member des CSCS das Spiel gegen Ross County besuchen. Bitte bis 23.11.2014 Bescheid geben, wer interesse hat und für wen wir Tickets organisieren sollen. Wer sich anmeldet und bei uns Tickets bestellt, muss diese auch bezahlen. Momentan sind beide Season-Tickets bereits in Verwendung (reserviert). Flug und Hotel muss jeder selber schauen. An- und Abreise sind individuell. Einige fliegen am 26.12. hin und am 29.12. zurück.
Mögliche Unterkunfstvorschläge:
Babbity Bowster, Blackfriars St. Glasgow (nur sehr wenige, einfache Zimmer), ca. 50 – 65£ pro Zimmer
Merchant City Inn, Virginia Street, ca 70 £ pro Nacht
Euer CSCS Vorstand,
Hail, Hail!
http://www.celticfc.ch/OurEvents/2014/12/spfl-celtic-fc-ross-county/
Here it is, our second newsletter! Enjoy the wee read! Hail, Hail!
Our 3rd trip in a short time was another success. Not only did Celtic win a point in a 2-2 draw thanks to goals from Captain Brown and new Bhoy Wakaso, but we also had a few fantastic days.
We started with an early train from Zurich HB on Thursday morning. After 5.5h we reached Salzburg and straight went to meet the other fans in the local irish Pub. To our suprise there were quite a few. We enjoyed the matchday athmosphere and around 6 p.m. we headed to the stadium where we met our friend Frannie to get our tickets. I then went directly to the stadium to put the banners up. The stewards were very nice and even helped me putting them on.
The game itself started with high tempo on the pitch and our set of fans were full voice for most of the game. Wakasos goal, a wonderful strike from outside the box, and Brooney’s deflected long strike where nice goals and we celebrated them heavily. Salzburg’s fans presented an “Ultra section”, but they prefered to sing about Red Bull instead of Salzburg. The home fans were a disappointment, specially the ones who told us they are supporting Red Bull but still are Austria fans.
Here a wee video of the Celticfans in Salzburg:
The night then ended in the same Pub with lot of singsong and having a good time until early in the morning.
On Friday we started our fecking Tourist day with exploring the old part of Salzburg and we went to the Castle up on the hill. I can recommend Salzburg as a city, it’s small but beautiful! Enjoy the photos! THe next day we headed back to Switzerland and trust me, the 5h on train were perfectly for taking a bed belated sleeping time.. 😉
All in all it was a fantastic trip and we met lots of new friends! Thanks to the Elgin Ches (CSC), Zurich guys Matt & Christoph, Frannie, Brian (for organizing the tickets) and all the tims!
Hail! Hail!
Stevie
Dear members, We would like to thank you for your confidence and your commitment to CSC Switzerland. We hope you enjoy our first newsletter! Hail, Hail !
Markus, Fanny and myself started our wee 4 days trip on the 2nd of September with getting on train to Geneva Airport. There we hit the international roads with a shitty EasyShit flight to Barcelona. Spanish fenian Gonso picked us up with his new car at Barcelona’s airport and we drove about 3.5h to Villarreal where we had a first positive shocker. When we walked into our hotel the whole Celtic team was waiting in the lobby, what lead to a “fucking hell” shout by myself. The team wasn’t too happy about having supporters in their hotel and just gave us a wee wave. Kayal at least was ready to take a picture with me (see below).
We then headed to town to the peña Celticsubmari, the clubhous of the local Celtic Supporters Club, where we were having chats with new and old friends from the Yellow Submarines. Some beers and sandwiches later we headed to bed for being ready for the matchday on the next day. And it was worth it! We started with some drinks at around 11, singing, dancing and meeting other Tims (just a few though) and having a great day. In the afternoon we were invited for a loads of beers, paella and were even interviewed by the Villarreal FC TV (see video)! Friendship at it’s best! Doing a march before kick off with the organized band wasn’t that bad either.. 😉
More videos can be found here and for game highlights click here!After long discussions we even could take our flags inside and put it up (maybe you spotted it in the hihglights). We sang all the game, even started Villarreal songs as their fans didn’t start singing. The game itself wasn’t very good, but still nice because of the 6 goals we did see. And the best of it was the wee cancer patient who scored a nice goal (click here to watch)! This goal was shown all around the world! You got to love Villareal and their peña!
After the game we went on with having a good time, as we did the other day with a wee tour to Peñiscola, a neighbour village, plus having a last blast in Villarreal the night!
We want to thank Javier and David Vilar Blasco, Gonso, Dirk, all the new sottish and spanish friends and all we forgot for an great trip!
Hail, Hail!
Stevie
Our annual hiking tour started at around 11 a.m. at train station Ostermundingen. Our organizer & vice president Heinz had to answer the questions why he did choose Ostermundingen quite a lot as it is not really having a similar name to Dundee’s. His solution was suprisingly understandable… A neighbourhood of Ostermundingen is called “Dennigkofen” – spoken in Heinz’s accent – it sounds close to “Dundeekofen”…. Well, we all believed him and then enjoyed a nice wee 1h walk to Bern. Next to the Bärengraben we then went to the “Altes Tramdepot” for having a nice homemade beer! After a pint we went on to Mr. Pickwick Pub and enjoyed a very SPFL-midclass performance of Celtic in their bad 1:1 draw to Dundee FC. Thank god Rik, the barkeeper of Piwi, was very nice to us and supplied us with chips, tacos and of course – some beer. All in all we had great day and enjoyed the first official hiking tour of our new formed CSC Switzerland. Thanks to all who took part!
Hail, Hail!
Stevie
PS: Hoopy Birthday Martin ” Tinu” Amstutz! Thanks for all & all the best mate! “Oh Tinu Amstutz, Celtic loves you more than you’ll ever know! Ohohohoh..!”
We are very happy to announce that our 2 season tickets have arrived! On the 13th of September will be the first home game where we can use them. The tickets are in good company of our dear friends Martin and Brian in Scotland and they will meet up with any member of us to give them the tickets and collect them afterwards. If the tickets aren’t used by our members Martin and Brian will look for Celtic fans who can’t afford tickets or just give them to friends. On that I want to give them way an official THANK YOU MATES! As well we’d like to thank McArthurs Pubs who helped us financially to buy the tickets! Thanks Tony and Gary! Hail Hail!
PS: Seats are in the green section on the Stadium plan
On the Weekend of 24 th to 26th of July a group of swiss Tims went to St.Pauli, Hamburg to meet up with friends from all over the world and enjoy St.Pauli, their club and their Fans. As every year we had a blast of a weekend, met a lot of new people, had some beers and enjoyed a weak Celtic side losing 0-1 to St.Pauli. A weak side, but a side actually only playing with youth players. So the result actually isn’t even that bad for playing a Second Bundesliga team. Here you’ll find some picture of our weekend. Hail! Hail!
