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Glasgow Celtic was formed in 1888 by a Marist Brother and some Irish businessmen as a charitable trust to raise money to help the poor mainly Irish immigrant population of the East End of Glasgow. By Febrary 1889, they were already appearing in their first Scottish Cup final - against Third Lanark at Cathkin Park. A morning blizzard left a covering of snow on the pitch but SFA officials passed it fit for play. Then as the crowd started to arrive, there was another snowstorm. The SFA admitted that the pitch was unplayable but still ordered the match to proceed. Both teams protested but to no avail. Due to the conditions, a gentleman's agreement was made between the players that it was to be only a friendly and that the Cup wasn't at stake. Third Lanark defied the conditions to win 3-0 and then, to Celtic's amazement, denied that they had ever made any agreement and claimed the Cup as their own. Celtic complained at this, the SFA stepped into the fray and ordered a replay, which Third Lanark won 2-1.

It was for the first nine to ten years of its existence a charitable trust, not officially a football club. The club was given the name Celtic to reflect both its Scottish and Irish identity, and played their first match against Rangers, winning 5-2 in the first of many derbies that became known as 'Old Firm derbies'.

Along with the club's transition from a charitable trust to a limited company in 1897 came the appointment of Celtic's first manager: Willy Maley. He was to manage the club for the next 43 years right up to the outbreak of the Second World War. By the start of World War One, Celtic had won eleven league titles and nine Scottish Cups. Through the club youth policy Celtic were able to sign the likes of Jimmy Quinn and Patsy Gallacher, who along with Jimmy McGrory and John Thomson, became Celtic favourites during the 1920's. However success was not as great during the 1920's, although there were two league wins in 1922 and 1926 as well as Scottish Cup successes in 1923, 1925 and 1927.

In the early 1930's tragedy struck the club as goalkeeper John Thomson was killed whilst diving at the feet of a Ranger's player, sustaining a fractured skull as a result. It emerged from that with league wins in 1933 and 1937, as well as Scottish Cup wins in 1931 and 1933. In 1937 another Scottish Cup was won in front of 147,000 fans at Hampden Park. A year later Celtic had it's record Celtic Park attendance of 92,000 for a New Year's Day game against Rangers. A year later manager Willy Maley resigned to be replaced by Willie McStay who, after five undistinguished years in regional competition was replaced by Jimmy McGrory in 1945. There followed six uneventful undistinguished years, during which no trophies were won and there was even danger of relegation in 1950. In 1951 Celtic won their first trophy in over ten years by winning the Scottish Cup, and a year later won the Empire Exhibition Cup, more commonly known as the Coronation Cup, in which they beat off the best of both England and Scotland to win. They also won successive League Cups in 1956 and 1957, the latter an emphatic 7-1 win over Rangers at Hampden Park.

During this time the club unknowingly laid the foundations for the outstanding success that was to follow. In 1951 Celtic signed Jock Stein as a player, who would return as manager after a time with Dunfermline to lead Celtic into the most successful period of the club's history. They set into place a youth system which would produce players such as Jimmy Johnstone, Tommy Gemmell and Billy McNeill. Numerous other players who were to make up the 'Lisbon Lions' were signed in the late 1950's as youth players or as players in their early 20's. Defeats in the 1961 and 1963 Scottish Cup finals and the 1964 League Cup final were disheartening for the club, but reaching the European Cup Winners' Cup semi-final in 1965 was perhaps a sign of things to come.

Jock Stein returned to Celtic in March 1965, and within a month had won the first of what was to become many trophies by leading Celtic to Scottish Cup success in April. The next season Celtic won their first league championship for twelve years, as well as winning the League Cup.

In season 1966-67, Stein led Celtic to a domestic treble before taking his side to Lisbon to face Italian champions Inter Milan, who had already won the European Cup in 1964 and 1965.

Celtic's attacking prowess rendered the stifingly defensive catenaccio system useless as it buckled under relentless second half pressure, culminating in an 85th minute goal from Steve Chalmers to make Celtic the first British winners of the European Cup. A full report of this famous match can be found by clicking here. For years after right up to the present day the members of this team are known as the Lisbon Lions. Celtic won successive championships until 1974-75, during which time there was an exciting European Cup semi final tie against Leeds Utd. Dubbed 'The Battle of Britain', English journalists did not give Celtic a chance in either legs, but Celtic won both legs to progress to their second European final in four years. 142,000 fans watched Celtic beat Leeds at Hampden Park in the Glasgow semi, which is still to date the largest ever attendance at a European match.

After this famous win over Leeds the Celtic players were confident of beating Feyenoord in the final. The Dutch side were rank outsiders in the bookmakers shops and among most of the pundits. Perhaps because of this the players became complacent and put in an under par performance in the final, losing to a goal four minutes before the end of extra time, having taken the lead in the first half. Playing in central midfield for Feyenoord that day was a man by the name of Wim Jansen. A year later the Lisbon Lions played their final match together in an emphatic 5-0 victory, as Stein builded a new side to bring success for the next decade. Kenny Dalglish, Lou Macari, David Hay and George Connelly were all brought into the team as Celtic continued their league success and won doubles in 1971, 1972 and 1974. They also won the double in 1975, but failed to win the league for the first time in ten years.

A car crash in 1975 nearly killed Stein and kept him out of the game for nearly a year. He returned to lead his club to another double winning season, but the next season was not so successful when Dalglish left for Liverpool while injuries dogged Celtic's title challenge, and they ended up only finishing fifth. Jock Stein, Celtic's most successful ever manager, duly stepped down. By this stage Celtic had only had four managers in it's ninety year history. Stein's successor was his European Cup captain, Billy McNeill, who had retired from football after a Scottish Cup victory over Airdrie in 1975. He quickly bought Davie Provan and Murdo MacLeod to strengthen the defensive areas, and it paid off when they beat Rangers 4-2 on the final day of the season to win the league in his first season. Over the next few seasons Celtic won the league title in 1981 and 1982, the League Cup in 1982 and the Scottish Cup in 1980 by beating Rangers, although that match was overshadowed by a number of charges up and down the pitch by the rival Old Firm fans.

In the mid 1980's there were numerous disputed over pay and conditions: first Charlie Nicholas left the club for Arsenal, who were willing to pay him five times as much as the going rate at Celtic. Eventually McNeill himself left over a pay dispute in 1983, to be replaced by David Hay, himself another ex-Celtic player.

In 1985-86 Hay won his first league title in the most dramatic league conclusion ever seen. Hearts had led the league since Christmas, and needed only a draw in the final game to clinch the title. They lost 2-0, while Celtic won by the required five goals to steal the title on goal difference.

The following season Celtic lost the league title to big spending Rangers, and surrendered a ten point lead to the same side. Striker Mo Johnstone, Alan McInally and Brian McClair all left, while Davie Provan retired from football at the end of the season. Mo Johnstone later became a hate figure for Celtic fans after saying he would re-sign for Celtic bfore going to Rangers. Hay was sacked by the board, who asked Billy McNeill to return. Billy Stark, Andy Walker, Mick McCarthy and Chris Morris all joined Celtic before the start of season 1987-88, the club's centenary season. Celtic won the double this season, but it is the last league title won to date. The next season, although Celtic won the Scottish Cup, the gap between Celtic and their Old Firm rivals was growing, as was seen by a 5-1 defeat at the hands of Rangers in that season. A year later McNeill lost his job after another barren season and was replaced by Liam Brady.

At this time Celtic began to run into financial trouble. By 1990 Celtic were £3.5 million in debt, and were years behind Rangers in terms of playing and commercial success. The Taylor report meant they had to seat 60,000 terrace places, but they hadn't any money with which to do this. Divisions became apparent in the boardroom, with Brian Dempsey being forced off the board. He mounted a takeover bid in 1992 along with a Scots-Canadian businessman Fergus McCann, which was rejected by the Celtic board. They devised a project to build a 52,000 seat stadium in Cambuslang which would silence all critics and prove the strength of the board. By two years down the road though the fans had had enough and were calling for the removal of the major shareholder's from the club. The fans took part in organised boycotts of the games which starved the club of the money it needed to survive. The final hours of the old board began on 1 March 1994. A spokesman for a financial institution withdrew his funds from the Cambuslang stadium project, saying Celtic did not have "the cash flow to borrow £2 million, let alone £20 million". Celtic's bankers demanded an immediate payment of £1 million to reduce the overdraft in Celtic's accounts, which they could not provide.

On 4 March the old board capitulated and handed over control to Fergus McCann, who had first offered to invest in Celtic in 1992 and had been waiting in the wings ever since. He installed himself as Chief Executive and paid off Celtic's debts eight minutes before it was due to be declared bankrupt.

By this stage Brady had resigned and had been replaced by Lou Macari. McCann had not concealed his dislike for Macari, and soon sacked him to install Tommy Burns as manager. He had to pay a £100,000 fine for poaching Burns and Macari filed a court case for unlawful dismissal which he recently lost.

McCann consigned the Cambuslang plans to the waste bin, instead deciding to rebuild Celtic Park. On the field, Tommy Burns started to build a team which would challenge Rangers for the domestic honours, signing Pierre van Hooijdonk, Phil O'Donnell and Andreas Thom, culminating in the 1995 Scottish Cup final victory over Airdrie. Off the field the new 26,000 seat North Stand was built, meaning the club had to spend a season at Hampden as the stadium was being developed. To finance the second phase building of the East Stand, fans were able to buy shares in their club. They duly did, £14 million in total, the most successful football flotation in Britain. They later did a second issue to raise more money, which brought in over £10 million more.

The following season Celtic failed to win a trophy, but pushed Rangers to the final match of the season and only lost one league game all year. To prepare for a league challenge the next season, Tommy Burns bought Alan Stubbs for £3.5 million, a club record, Paulo Di Canio from AC Milan for £1 million and Portugese international Jorge cadete for £400,000 thanks to a transfer loophole. However the title challenge never materialised, and Celtic lost all four league matches against Rangers for the fist time ever. Van Hooijdonk, Di Canio and Cadete all left the club due to pay disputes, Di Canio remaining in Italy before a transfer to Sheffield Wednesday then to West Ham while Cadete said he was mentally ill to avoid coming back to Glasgow. These players were offloaded for a total of £9.5 million, while Burns was removed and replaced over the summer by current manager Wim Jansen, who had played for Feyenoord against Jock Stein's Celtic in the 1970 European Cup Final 27 years earlier.

Although he had a worrying start with two league losses in his first two games, he has since got his team playing fast passing football through the midfield. The club's rise culminated in the 3-0 victory over Dundee Utd in the League Cup final at Ibrox. Celtic have signed Swedish international Henrik Larsson from Jansen's old club Feyenoord, Scottish internationals Craig Burley and Paul Lambert and Norwegian international Harald Brattback. Brattback had a slow start to his Celtic career, many fans wondering whether he had a long term future in the first team before scoring all of Celtic's goals in a 4-0 league win over Hibernian. Jansen has built a team in his own style as a passing team that can break quickly from defence, he has broken Celtic's trophy drought at his first opportunity and now looks set to lead Celtic into years of success after ten years of false dawns.

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