Celtic Exchange: Celtic Football Club in Focus

George Connolly remains one of the most fascinating figures in Celtic’s history.

A hugely gifted footballer who won seven league titles, three Scottish Cups and two League Cups, made 254 appearances for Celtic and famously scored against Leeds United in the 1970 European Cup semi-final.

Yet for decades, his story has so often been framed around phrases like “what might have been”, “wasted talent” and “if only…”

Filmmaker Ged Fitzsimmons wants to change that.

In this special episode of The Celtic Exchange, Ged joins Tino to discuss his forthcoming documentary 'George Connolly: Far From The Madding Crowd' and why George’s story deserves to be told properly.

We explore his extraordinary Celtic career, his relationship with Jock Stein, his part in the Quality Street Gang and the circumstances surrounding his eventual departure from the club.

But this is about far more than football.

It’s also a story about mental health in the 1970s, men in crisis, the impact on their families and why those themes have made this such a personal project for Ged.

With the film now edging closer to completion, Ged also explains the challenges still facing the project, George’s own feelings about seeing his story brought to the big screen and how Celtic supporters can help get it over the line.

The story of a remarkable Celtic player - and, more importantly, the man behind the footballer.
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🍀 See how you can play your part in the George Connolly Project here: https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/george-connelly-celtic-film
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It’s been quite the start to life at Celtic for Kasper Høgh.

Two games into his Celtic career and our new No.9 has already
bagged a hat-trick, making an immediate impact on the side and showing that he means business in Glasgow.



Nobody’s getting carried away just yet, obviously… although 40 goals this season and a place alongside Jimmy McGrory as one of our greatest every strikers now seem absolutely inevitable.



In this latest Celtic Exchange Weekly we discuss:



🍀 THE KASPER HØGH EFFECT



What has Celtic’s new striker brought to Martin O’Neill’s side, what made the difference for him at Rugby Park, and could the arrival of genuine width make him even more dangerous?



⚽ CELTIC HIT FIVE AT KILMARNOCK



Høgh grabbed the headlines, but there was plenty more to like about Celtic’s performance. Benjamin Nygren continued his impressive start, Arne Engels produced one of his strongest displays in green and white, and the champions suddenly look to have rediscovered their attacking threat.



🔄 TRANSFERS, SQUAD GAPS & CELTIC’S COMMUNICATION



With Camilo Duran and Høgh still the only two major summer arrivals, Celtic apparently hope to add another three or four players ahead of the upcoming LASK tie. We discuss where the squad still needs strengthened, the latest on Haissam Hassan, as well as the club’s reported investment in data analytics. Plus - why Celtic could be doing far more to communicate positive
developments with supporters and fan media.



⚽️ LEAGUE CUP SQUAD ROTATION?



Finally, with Dundee United awaiting at Tannadice in the League Cup this weekend, we finish by looking ahead to who should get their opportunity in that one – or should the management team resist the temptation
to make changes and look to maintain our early season momentum.



🎙️ Tune in to the latest Celtic Exchange Weekly as Tino, Asim & Brydo get stuck into all the big talking points from another busy week at Celtic.

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Celtic opened the new Scottish Premiership campaign with a 1-0 win over Dundee on Flag Night at Celtic Park - but did the performance match the occasion?

Tino and Conor break down the result, the overall display and the competitive debuts of new arrivals Camilo Duran and Kasper Høgh.

They also discuss:

🍀 What the opening game told us about Martin O’Neill’s New (ish) Look Celtic
🔑 The key areas that still need improving
💰 Celtic’s latest transfer speculation, both in and out

Three points are on the board, but with that vital Champions League playoff agaisnt LASk fast approaching, we can all agree that there's still plenty of work to be done to get this squad even close to where it should be.
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🎬 Watch Episode One of At The End Of A Storm FREE on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7SSOFvY7sU

🔒 Episode Two – The Gamble is available now exclusively on Patreon: https://patreon.com/celticexchange

🍀 And as always let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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The new season is almost here... and Celtic's biggest week of the summer could also be about to kick in!

With just seven days until Flag Day, the panel look ahead to the start of the new campaign as Celtic close in on what looks set to be a club-record deal for Danish frontman Kasper Hogh.

And further moves for Mika Baur and Haissem Hassan could also be in the pipeline as Martin O'Neill looks to transform his frontline ahead of the start of our title defence.

This week we discuss:

🍀 A huge week for Celtic? We assess the imminent arrival of Kasper Hogh, what Camilo Duran has already shown in pre-season, and whether Celtic's summer recruitment is finally gathering real momentum.

🎙️ RAC. Recruitment, Ambition & Communication. Has the club turned a corner, or do the same fundamental questions remain around strategy, leadership and the relationship with supporters?

🎬 A landmark week for The Celtic Exchange. We reflect on the incredible launch of At The End Of A Storm, our premiere night at Grace's, and the response from supporters around the world

🇯🇵 Finally we say farewell to Daizen Maeda and ask if he's Celtic's greatest ever Japanese player.
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🎬 Watch Episode One of At The End Of A Storm FREE on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7SSOFvY7sU

🔒 Episode Two – The Gamble is available now exclusively on Patreon: https://patreon.com/celticexchange

🍀 And as always let us know your thoughts in the comments.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Celtic Exchange has gone stateside - at least for a few days - as Tino and Paddy crossed the Atlantic to soak up the World Cup atmosphere in the Big Apple.

The trip also provided the perfect opportunity to visit the Manhattan CSC at Ernie O'Malley's, where Club President Stevie Wright joined the lads on stage for a special live recording to discuss the latest happenings - or lack thereof - at Celtic Park.

A huge thanks to Stevie, the staff and all the members for the warm welcome. It was a brilliant afternoon in fantastic company and a real pleasure to chat, debate and share all things Celtic with such a passionate group of supporters.

Enjoy the episode. And if you ever find yourself in Manhattan when Celtic are playing, you'll know exactly where to go. 🍀
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