This will never do justice, but here goes.....

Ottawa to Toronto....hoops are evident in Toronto airport.  There is a guy who has forgotten his passport.  His wife has gone home to look for it.  He has retired to the bar to sit and hope.  Madrid.  More hoops on show.  It is now Saturday am.  We are in danger of missing our train due to the delay of our flight.  A big security guy saves the day, 'Si, Celtiiiic...Sevilla...this way'.  Just made it.  Not for the last time, we are thanking the Spaniards for their hospitality.

Seville...hotel, then zipping off to the Stadium to pick up the tickets.  I must admit to being a bit nervous.  Sure, TikTakTicket did say they would be there.......and they were!!!!  Got a quick look at the stadium, and got our pictures taken with the Uefa Cup.  So far so good.  Tickets locked in the safe, we took a taxi downtown, where we followed the hoops to Flaherty's bar.

On this first night, there were maybe 50 or 60 Celtic fans.  Among them were Joseph Toner and his lovely wife, from the Edmonton CSC.  This was the beginning of a week that brought new friendships and restored old ones.  The number of pals that I met unscheduled and unplanned was unbelievable.  Jimmy McGuire from Kearny CSC stepped out of a cab with his wife, right where I was standing.  Jimmy had flown New York-Paris-Barcelona.  Unable to get a train, they took a SEVENTEEN hour bus ride to Seville.  I bumped into Joe Cook from LA and Ian Gilmartin from Kearney.  We took time out to slag the daily record staff who were lurking around Flaherty's.  This became a nightly event, people singing 'you can stick your daily record...' until they left.

As the days went on, the crowds got bigger.  Irene and John MacAloon were staying in our hotel.  Soon the hotel was swamped with hoops.  Many of these Tims were turning from white to pink by the pool within minutes of arriving.  I bumped into a couple of guys that I used to know in Ottawa, who now live in Toronto. 

I saw 3 guys with LA t-shirts.  I wondered if they might know Tommy Love.  I waited before approaching them, as they were getting their picture taken.  Guess who was taking their picture?  Yep...Tommy Love!!!!!  Tommy was one of the majority, in that he had no ticket.  I hope that he and his boy got a pair.  Paul Gallagher from Perth, Western Australia was there, again with no ticket, but just happy to be part of the gang.

I met up with a pal from Scotland, and had a couple of beers with him and Simon Donnelly.  Chic Charnley was at the next table.  Wandering through the narrow streets of Seville, I saw this van, covered with scarves and banners, it was driving slowly.  Slowly enough for me to see that it was full of pals of mine from Scotland!!!!  In a city with so many Tims, I bumped into so many pals.  Trying to get back to my hotel on the tuesday night, I realised that the numbers were now bigger than the city could hold.  For miles, there was not a park bench that didn't have a Tim asleep on it.  Not a fountain or monument that wasn't surrounded by sleeping bags.

Eventually, it was game day.  Hotter than words can describe.  Went into the city, where I saw more Tims than I ever have in my life.  Yes, including big nights at Hampden.  Honestly, there were that many of us.  Too many for one to be able to move around.  We finally found a cab.  It took ages to get us back to our hotel.  For the entire 5 or 6 miles, it was an ENDLESS stream of green and white.  Every street, every corner, every bar.  I think that the crowd doubled on the wednesday.

There had been so much talk about forged tickets, that I didn't want to risk the possibility of Blackburn-like scenarios.  So we went early to the stadium.  It was hot.  Really hot.  I saw Harry Aires from the Hamilton CSC.  Tam Donnelly complete with his fabled Sombrero was outside the stadium.  Inside, it was the same thing.  John Mccarron from Tampa Bay was in front of me in the stadium.  Mike Boyd was a couple of rows back.  Mick from Windsor was 4 or 5 rows back.  NATIMS were every where.

Being in that stadium was an experience that I will never forget.  The highlight of my Celtic life.  TV did not do justice to the noise that the Celtic supporters made.  When the Bhoys went in the huddle I thought, 'My God, how can we making all this noise?'  But then, when the Huddle broke, the sound doubled.  My left ear popped - the way it does in a plane!!!  It was indescribable.

So, we sang and we sang.  You all saw the footnall game, so I won't go into that.  I remember the final whistle, and there was NO let up.  If anything, we sang louder.  The stadium staff couldn't believe what they were seeing and hearing.  The 2 kids in front of me were inconsolable, sobbing their wee hearts out.  We told them that they were young, they would be back.

On leaving the stadium, we got a bit lost, and were stumbling around in the dark.  My daughter called me from Ottawa on my cell phone.  She was heart broken.  But she's young.  Hopefully, she'll get a shot at this experience at some point.

We made it back to the hotel.  Called pals in Ottawa who told me that the Ottawa CSC had raised $900 at the game for Multiple Sclirosis.  That gave me a big lift.

So, next day, we relaxed by the pool, then went into the city to pick through the debris, and have a few pints and a sing song with a bunch of Irish lads that we met.

And home to Ottawa, with memories that will stay with me for the rest of my life.  This post really does not do justice to the experience.  My only regret was not bringing my son.  Whatever it takes, I will do everything in my power to get both kids to the next final.  And there will be another one.  Soon.

Sorry I missed so many people that I had planned to see, but I refuse to be down hearted about the game.  It's funny, the people who are most hurt, sad depressed, are those who had to watch on TV.  All of us who were in Seville and in the stadium will know that uefa know what we are about now.  All the way home, we bumped into civillians who kept saying 'You guys are awsome!!'

This was all about the fans.  The Porto folk were good as well.  Very friendly, and they made a racket early on.  They were in the stadium right way, hours before the majority of Tims showed up.  Then they just sat and watched us do our thing  Sometime in the 2nd half, they started beating a drum.  Gut behind me shouts, ' Haw...you lot still here?'  They won the cup.  We won the hearts of the football world.
Cheers,
Ronnie