Jim Craig watched Liverpool ’s bid to emulate the Quadruple achieved by Celtic 55 years in the past as we speak come up brief on the weekend and admits he wasn’t shedding any tears over it.
The Lisbon Lion is fiercely protecting of the outstanding file set by his membership in 1967.
That's the reason he didn’t need Jurgen Klopp ’s males to win all 4 trophies accessible to them, simply as Jock Stein’s Hoops did after they lifted the European Cup within the Estadio Nacional.
They already had the league title plus Scottish and League Cups within the trophy cupboard after they headed to the Portuguese capital to face Inter Milan.
In actual fact, Craig makes a robust case for a quintuple in ’67 however extra of that later.
Craig, Stein’s right-back in Lisbon, isn’t satisfied his aspect’s clear sweep will ever be equalled after Liverpool’s effort crashed and burned when Manchester Metropolis pipped them to the title by a degree.
The 79-year-old smiled and mentioned: “I’m very happy with the very fact Celtic are nonetheless the one group to have completed it and I need to admit I didn’t need Liverpool to do it.
“Nothing in opposition to them or some other membership down there.
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“Liverpool had a superb season however when Man Metropolis get going, they're in a category of their very own.
“It regarded for some time on Sunday like they couldn’t get going.
“However they confirmed actual champions’ high quality in that final quarter-hour to come back again and take the title.
“That meant the Quadruple was now not on the desk for Liverpool.
“Our achievement has stood the take a look at of time and it'll simply preserve getting tougher to do. There are such a lot of high quality groups spending a fortune that it is going to be tough to maintain the momentum going over 4 competitions. Liverpool gave it a go however got here up brief. I’m proud we’ve held on to that file.”
Wanting again on that 1966-67 season, which noticed Celtic lose solely three of 59 video games performed – two to Dundee United and a defeat in
Yugoslavia by FK Vojvodina that was overturned at Parkhead within the European Cup quarter-final – Craig admits the recollections are tinged with disappointment that so a lot of his team-mates are now not with us.
Solely John Clark, Bobby Lennox, Willie Wallace and himself can mirror on the anniversary and Craig mentioned: “The unhappy factor is we’ve misplaced seven members of the group. There are 4 of us left however there have been different guys who performed a serious half in getting us to the Ultimate however didn’t play in Lisbon.
“Guys like Willie O’Neill, Charlie Gallagher and Joe McBride must also be remembered with as a lot pleasure.
“It was a outstanding season. Proper from the very starting, we felt we might do effectively. We received off to a fantastic begin, successful each recreation within the league, League Cup and two rounds of the European Cup till a December draw with Kilmarnock within the league.
“That good begin may very well be attributed to a tour of America in the summertime. I missed it as I used to be sitting my college finals.
“However the boys got here again in nice kind and received off to a flying begin. Once they got here again, I used to be compelled to play for the reserves as a result of the primary group was doing so effectively and Jock wasn’t going to alter a successful group.
“I used to be in seeing him on a weekly foundation, asking once I was getting my place again. He stored saying he wasn’t completely pleased with the way in which the group was taking part in however it was successful.
“However that modified round Christmas after we drew with Aberdeen then misplaced 3-2 to Dundee United at Tannadice.
“They have been the one group that beat us within the league that season – they usually did it house and away. However after that first loss, that was me again within the group and fortunately I stayed there.
“We gained a cracking League Cup Ultimate in opposition to Dundee 5-3 and we simply stored going.
“Beating Aberdeen within the Ultimate of the Scottish Cup was nice as effectively as a result of that they had a extremely good aspect and Wispy (Willie Wallace) scoring the 2 objectives made all of the distinction.
“By then, and with us being within the latter levels of the European Cup, we wished to win every thing and had an actual confidence that we might do it.
“Inter Milan was the ultimate hurdle. They may have been favourites however to not us. Everyone knows what occurred and we got here house with the largest trophy of all of them.”
Craig additionally credit Rangers for pushing Celtic to heights which have by no means been reached since.
He added: “They have been an excellent aspect and there’s little doubt they pushed us on. Don’t neglect, they received to the European Cup Winners’ Cup Ultimate every week after we gained in Lisbon they usually solely misplaced in extra-time to a wonderful Bayern Munich aspect in Germany.
“So Scottish soccer was in a fantastic place at the moment.
“We knew we needed to preserve successful to remain in entrance of Rangers and our followers pushed us all the way in which. So in that regard, nothing has modified over the 55 years. Celtic are nonetheless underneath the identical strain from the followers.”
As for the case for a fifth trophy in 1967, Craig mentioned: “The Glasgow Cup was a giant factor again then and we gained that as effectively.
“All of us performed full-strength groups and we beat Rangers 4-0 at Ibrox within the first spherical. It was only a fantastic season.”