KTF Reviews

The Road To Seville DVD Freemantle Media £19.99.

From the goal-fest that was Suduva, to that special evening in Seville, this DVD charts our adventures in the UEFA Cup, and even the fact that Dougie Donnelly presents it, shouldn't put you off making it the gift you want to find in your stocking this Christmas.

And, in Freemantle Media, it appears that the Club has finally found a production company who can put together an offering that is pretty slick and professional, as befits a Club of our stature.

However, it is far from perfect.

The Spanish guitar music between chapters was naff. Much the same way that the flamenco dancers, stamping away on sheets of chip-board, or MDF as it's now known, at the back of the goals in the game at Celtic Park prior to going to Seville, was.

Fair enough, we were in Spain. But I never heard any Spanish music in Seville!!!!!!!

Did you? .

Having Archie MacPherson comment on our European adventure from what looks like his retirement home in some windswept northern tundra doesn't really work either.

Although, the bracing North Sea winds do seem to have a medicinal effect on old “Shredded Wheat Heid”, as he actually talks a lot of sense. (I think Matron probably scripted it for him.)

One of the biggest disappointments in watching what is, in effect, an official and historical recording of one of our finest periods in a whole generation was the fact that Our Blessed Martin only made a couple of cameo appearances and, even then, it was facing Chick Young's less than searching, or indeed enthusiastic (about a Celtic victory), post-match questioning in some foreign clime for BBC Scotland.

Thankfully, that's about all the bad points……………………………………………...

Apart from a wee thing I spotted when watching what was, for this reviewer, the highlight of the whole feature.

Celtic v Liverpool……Celtic Park …..Full To Bursting…….Gerry Marsden…..“You'll Never Walk Alone.” I was there, and it felt fantastic at the time!

Watching it again, it's just pure and simply, awesome.

And then it happens! The camera scans the crowd.

Knowing that Liverpool lay claim to this anthem, even though we know we do it soooooooo much better, even though we know that the whole of the sports-viewing public will be watching this game, if you look closely, you will see something that beggars believe.

The odd, very odd, Celtic fan, standing, with a scarf around his neck! What were they thinking at this point? “Jeez, a bit cauld the night. Better keep this scarf tight aboot me, in case I get a chill.”

See if you can spot them. If you know who they are, educate them. Teach ‘me the way of the ‘Tic. Imagine not participating in such a phenomenon! They must be awfully shy, or lousy singers!

Thankfully, where possible, we get a host of English commentators to describe our march to Seville. There is nothing quite like impartial outsiders being in awe of Celtic and her Faithful. Motty, Brooking and mad mental Jonathan Pearce all add a touch of sophistication to proceedings.

Then, Rob “Aberdeen Fan. Honest!” McLean and Sandy “Bloody” Clark pop-up, twice, to lend their own brand of enthusiasm to the tight affairs that were Stuttgart and Celta Vigo, away. If you think about it, what a travesty it is to have this pair commentate on such tense and vitally important Celtic matches? They are about as Celtic as the Copeland Road!

Even now, those two victories seem so much sweeter, if only because the noise of all us Tims' celebrating drowned out the stunned pair of pundits who really couldn't, and didn't want to, comprehend what was enfolding before their eyes – a Celtic Festival!

Celtic were performing on the European stage, again, and to monumental effect.

There's plenty of input from the players too. Sutton, Thomson, Petrov, Agathe, Lambert – they are all there!

Billy ‘Caesar' McNeill's contribution is, as always, impeccable, and reveals the true passion this Celtic Great still holds for our dear Club.

Unfortunately, there is no Henrik, apart from the mundane post-match interview. (See Martin O'Neill and “The Chick Young Experience”, above.) To exclude more fulsome Henrik Larsson involvement, especially when one considers his pivotal part in the journey to Seville and the theatre of the Final itself, is negligent.

However, this DVD is really about the football we played to reach the Final - and, some fine football there is too – and Henrik, naturally, has a starring role in the match highlights.

But, one thing this campaign reminded me of, when reviewing this DVD, was of how much it was a team effort to reach the Final. Players who, for one reason or another, be it through injury or loss of form, and may have slipped out of our present consciousness, all play their part - Smith , Laursen , Guppy, and even David Fernandez get a mention along the way.

I suppose I could have reviewed this production game by game. But what would be the point? We all remember them vividly.

What this DVD does is remind us of what wonderful, skilful, passionate and, many times, gritty football our team produced for us, on what was, for me anyway, a journey of a lifetime.

Oh! I almost forgot. You also get the 90 minutes from Anfield as a bonus disc! Sheer indulgence!

Enjoy!