In what formation will Celtic face St. Roch’s?

A Celtic State of Mind and St Roch’s have been friends for a while, and at our first Charity Weekender, ACSOM raised money for the Candy’s ‘Roch Talk’ mental health initiative.

Following this, St. Roch’s requested that ACSOM put together a Celtic Select team for the club’s centennial festivities, which were postponed by the pandemic by three years.

This request was proudly granted by ACSOM, and over the past few weeks, the Celtic Select lineup has taken shape. The St. Roch’s Centenary Match at James McGrory Park will take place this afternoon, on October 15, in front of a sold-out crowd.

Who will the management team have at their disposal? Willie Haughey will oversee a star-studded roster of former Celts, and he will be supported in the dugout by Lisbon Lion John Clark, as well as James Simmonette and Tommy McIntyre.

Todd Fox
Along with players like Charlie Mulgrew, Paul Caddis, and Simon Ferry, the 36-year-old goalkeeper began his career at Celtic.

He later made 359 senior appearances for a number of Scottish clubs, including Ross County, Cove Rangers, and Partick Thistle.

Fox was called up by Gordon Strachan in 2013 for Scotland’s friendly against the United States and Norway.

R. Vata
In 1992, Liam Brady signed the 54-year-old Vata, who went on to play 60 times for the Irishman, Lou Macari, and Tommy Burns.

The 1995 Scottish Cup champion is revered as a Celtic cult figure and is a member of the Albanian national team.

Rocco, Rudi’s 18-year-old son, has already made 4 appearances for Celtic’s first team, continuing in his father’s footsteps.

‘Yogi’ John Hughes
This Edinburgh-born center-back, who was the second Yogi Hughes to don the hoops, was acquired by Tommy Burns in 1995 to bolster the defense.

Yogi continued to play for Celtic, making 46 games and scoring twice. His most famous performance was the equalizer in a 1-1 draw with Rangers at Ibrox.

Yogi transitioned into management after his playing career ended, and in 2015, he won the Scottish Cup with Inverness Caledonian Thistle.

McKinlay, Tosh
On May 3rd, 1986, left-back In the final league match of the year against Hearts at Dens Park, Tosh McKinlay was replaced by Albert Kidd. That afternoon, Celtic played St Mirren at Love Street, hoping for a 3-0 victory and Dundee to defeat Hearts.

Celtic would take home the league title if that series of circumstances transpired.

Tosh made more than just one memorable league-winning contribution to Celtic; eight years later, via Hearts of all teams, he joined for his childhood favorites.

McKinlay made 139 games for Celtic, helping the team win the Scottish Cup in 1995 and the league in 1998. He is currently a scout for the club.

David Elliot

Under Billy McNeill, Elliot rose through the ranks at Celtic and made six first-team appearances after breaking through.

Prior to joining Strathclyde Police, the left midfielder played for Partick Thistle, St Mirren, Falkirk, Wigan Athletic, and Hibs.

Keep an eye on Elliot down Celtic’s left side as his quickness can catch some people off guard.

Neil Lennon

This weekend, Neil Lennon, a club legend and former Celtic manager, will play. Although he hasn’t been spotted on a football field since he announced his retirement from the game in 2008, he’s set to lead the Celtic Select at James McGrory Park.
Lennon’s most recent managerial experience was with Omonia Nicosia, and he is keen to return to the position. However, if he performs well against the Roch, a return to his playing days may be in the works.

Chic Charnley

Charnley played professionally for 21 years, spending time with teams including Partick Thistle and St Mirren.

Henrik Larsson provided assistance to Charnley as he scored the game-winning goal for Hibs against Wim Jansen’s team on the opening day of the 1997–98 campaign.

Chic never concealed his affection for Celtic, and in 1994, at Mark Hughes’ testimonial game against Manchester United, he did make one earlier appearance in the basket.

McGinlay, Pat
Pat McGinlay, a midfielder who can score goals, led Celtic in goals scored during the 1993–1994 campaign.

Liam Brady brought him to the team from Hibs, and Tommy Burns sold him to the same team 15 months later.

Roberto Petta
The Dutchman played 81 times for Celtic in the early 2000s after being acquired from Ipswich by the team under John Barnes’ brief presidency.

Petta probably had his best stretch of play during Martin O’Neill’s tenure, which includes legendary efforts against Rangers (6-2) and Ajax (3-1). Petta, who was at the height of his game, had three calls to play for the Netherlands but had to withdraw due to an injury.

Frank Miller
Between 1987 and 1993, the forward appeared in 199 games for the Hoops and scored 32 goals.

Wee Joe played a crucial role in Celtic’s league and Scottish Cup-winning squad during the season’s centennial celebrations.

His winning goal in the 1989 Scottish Cup final against treble-hunting Rangers stands out as his most enduring memory.

John Byrne
Irishman Before moving to Arsenal in 1991, Byrne made his professional debut for Oxford United at the age of 16.

In 1993, Liam Brady signed him for a pittance after he had lived back home for a few seasons.

Tommy Burns, under whose leadership he scored twice against Rangers, was when he was at his best for Celtic.

Scott McDonald

When he played for Celtic, Scott McDonald Skippy was the man for the big moment.

He consistently made a difference in derby games, contributing to both famed Jan Venegoor of Hesselink’s late winner and his own improvised goal against AC Milan.

McDonald is presently the team’s manager at the Gold Coast Knights in his native Australia as he pursues a career in management.

Darren Payton
Payton, while playing for a losing team, was a productive attacker for Celtic.

He spent 46 appearances and 20 goals at Parkhead before having successful stints at Barnsley, Huddersfield, and Burnley.

Before Tommy Johnson Johnson joined Tommy Burns’ final Celtic team, he had scored goals for Notts County, Derby, and Aston Villa.

The Geordie finished his Celtic career as a treble-winner under Martin O’Neill after playing for Wim Jansen’s league-winning team, scoring in the 2000 League Cup final under Kenny Dalglish.