Latest news with #SimplyTheBest
Daily Record
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Rod Stewart delights Celtic fans as singer in high spirits at Parkhead
Rod Stewart has been spotted by footballs fans having a whale of a time in the stands of the Scottish Premiership trophy day. Rod Stewart has been pictured revelling in the stands at Parkhead on trophy day for his beloved Celtic FC. The Maggie May singer, 80, was joined by his son Alastair Wallace Stewart as they watched St. Mirren take on the Hoops on Saturday. Rod was in high spirits as he was seen dishing out thumbs up to fellow fans in the crowd while keeping a keen eye on the match. His appearance comes just days after he backed calls from his fellow fans to adopt Rangers anthem 'Simply The Best' as a new Hoops tune. A familiar face at Celtic Park, the singer was first introduced to football by his Scottish father Robert Stewart. However, while invoking the love of the game in his son, Robert was unable to get young Rod to support his team Hibernian F.C. The star has previously flaunted a collection of Celtic themed clothing and memorabilia over the years - going as far as creating a Hoops themed vinyl edition of his latest album. At the end of his tour in 2023 he revealed a Hoops tattoo. At the time he shared a pic in a tattoo parlour and wrote: "Getting a 'Glasgow Celtic' tattoo in Auckland to celebrate my beloved team 'You're in My Heart'". His love for the boys in green and white has since passed down to his own son, who was also soaking up the electric atmosphere in Glasgow. His other children, Aiden and Renee Stewart, are also fans of the team as Rod has previously posted videos of the family dressing up to cheer on the Celts. In one video, Sir Rod was seen to show off his special Celtic logo socks. In the Instagram post he wrote: " Celtic forever." Renee then went on to post a video of her dad walking around in his special socks, captioning: "You know Celtic is about to play a game when dad has these socks on." Scottish Premiership trophy day has become Celtic's day with the Parkhead side winning 13 of the last 14 titles. Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community! Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today. You'll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland. No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team. All you have to do is click here if you're on mobile, select 'Join Community' and you're in! If you're on a desktop, simply scan the QR code above with your phone and click 'Join Community'. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose 'exit group'.
Daily Record
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Priest in cheeky 'Simply the Best' dig at Rangers as Celtic fans in hysterics at viral Paisley service clip
Father Ryan Black appeared to take a not-so-subtle dig at the Ibrox side during an address at a service in Paisley A Catholic priest appeared to take a not-so-subtle 'Simply the Best' dig at Rangers during a Mass in Paisley. The Celtic fans at Ibrox last weekend pilfered their rivals' longstanding anthem and belted out the Tina Turner hit from the away corner in Govan. Their side came from behind to take a 1-1 draw, ending a run of back-to-back defeats against their bitter foes, and their substantial away support – who celebrated wildly a week early after they were crowned Premiership champions for a fourth season running – let the suffering home support hear it. Celtic followed that up with a 3-1 win over Hibs on Saturday, at that point moving onto 88 points for the season – 20 points clear of their rivals. And a clip which went viral on Sunday afternoon showed Father Ryan Black of St Mirin's Parish in Paisley making a cheeky reference to Celtic fans nabbing one of Rangers' favourite tunes. After reading out the schools from which pupils had been confirmed that weekend, he's heard saying over the tannoy: "It just got me thinking - a new Pope, lots of confirmations, first Holy Communions and lots of beautiful weather... "You might say that this week is Simply The Best." Celtic face Aberdeen on Wednesday and and St Mirren next weekend before the Scottish Cup final against the Dons on May 24 – which they hope will see them clinch another Treble. Follow Record Sport on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-the minute breaking news, video and audio on the SPFL, the Scotland national team and beyond. You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We're also on WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to you phone. Join our Rangers community here and our Celtic community here.
Daily Record
12-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Brendan Rodgers takes Celtic team and makes it strong even if the best simply isn't expected
Hoops are already officially better than all the rest but there was minimal rotation on show in Hibs win There were no renditions of Simply The Best this weekend. But Celtic didn't have to be at their best to overcome a stubborn Hibs side. The Hoops have proved all season that they are better than all the rest in Scotland. And gleeful diehards could've been in no better place than Ibrox last Sunday as they hijacked Tina Turner's famous walkout anthem and made it their own. Unlike in Govan, the Hibees lined up before kick-off for a Guard of Honour as the newly-crowned champions returned to home soil for the first time since wrapping up the league a fortnight ago. Fans who hang on every word Brendan Rodgers says might have expected wholesale changes. The gaffer hinted in Friday's presser that he'd be handing his second-string some minutes, with one eye on the Scottish Cup Final. But aside from absentees Cameron Carter-Vickers and Alistair Johnston, the big hitters were out in force. Kasper Schmeichel was even back between the sticks after recovering from a shoulder injury. It might have been a sore one to take for deputy Viljami Sinisalo, considering how impressive he's been over the last six games. Yet with the Hampden showpeice less than two weeks away, Schmeichel needs games to get back up to speed after a six week lay-off. Not that the Dane looked rusty. It felt like he'd never been away. On paper, it was a dead rubber for the four-in-a-row title winners. For Hibs, it was anything but. David Gray's European-chasing team arrived in Glasgow's east end with every intention of ending their horrific 15-year wait for a victory at Celtic Park as they aimed to tighten their grip on third spot. A wretched run of results stretching back 22 games since Danny Galbraith bagged a dramatic last-gap winner in 2010. And you have to rewind even further the last time the Leith side recorded back-to-back league wins over Celts in a single campaign. Winston Churchill was in office at No10 when the men from Leith made it two-in-a-row against Jimmy McGrory's troops in 1950/51. Almost 75 years later, Martin Boyle had Hibs fans dreaming both those records would be smashed with a sublime first-half opener. You could feel the energy being sucked out of the sold-out home end as the away corner burst into life. The hosts had controlled early proceedings without piercing the organised Hibs rearguard. Boyle then flattened the party atmosphere with a goal against the run of play for the visitors. Josh Campbell's effort ricocheted off Auston Trusty before falling into the path of Boyle who rifled past comeback keeper Schmeichel. It was a real sucker-punch for Celtic, who had set their sights on surpassing a target of their own. Rodgers' class of 2016/17 rattled 106 league goals during their Invincible campaign and heading into the game just three behind, the Treble specialist challenged his current group of stars to surpass that milestone. With Jota crocked for the next nine months, the enigmatic Adam Idah was once again given the nod up front, nudging 33-goal hitman Daizen Maeda out on the left-hand flank. And the Japanese Duracell Bunny could've had a hat-trick of assists after flashing numerous crosses across the box for Idah, who always seemed a yard short. You just know that had the PFA Scotland Player of the Year been given that kind of service, the ball would've ended up in the back of the net. In fairness to Idah, he has notched five in his last four games but the jury remains out due to his £9.5million price tag. The Irish powerhouse is a likeable big fella and Rodgers sees huge potential in the second most expensive signing in the club's history. But you get the feeling the ex-Norwich City striker has much more to give and should bury more opportunities. The groans from the terraces told its own story. Thankfully for Celtic, Nicolas Kuhn was on hand to get the place rocking again as the German winger produced two moments of magic. Kuhn - sporting a war wound above the eye after an accidental collision in training - was back in the trenches after missing the battle of Ibrox. And he dug Celtic out of a hole with a goal and assist just minutes before the interval. As Idah shrugged off Rocky Bushiri, Kuhn latched onto Anthony Ralston's ball over the top, rounding keeper Jordan Smith to roll in his 21st strike of the campaign. Minutes later, he turned provider with a deft chip into the path of unmarked Idah who fired a first-time effort into the bottom corner, completing the comeback before half-time. There's no doubt that Kuhn has gone off the boil in recent months. Some of the criticism may be over the top. But the bargain £3m signing from Rapid Vienna looks to be rediscovering his form at the right time with Hampden on the horizon. Hibs started the second half brightly and flirted with a few early headers. But Reo Hatate - linked with Serie A side Udinese - put the game beyond doubt by finishing off some exquisite one-touch football inside the box to equal the 106 league goals tally set eight years ago. To be fair to Rodgers, he stuck to his word by rewarding academy starlet Sean McArdle with a dream debut from the bench in the dying embers. The 17-year-old midfielder looked confident and assured as he got his first touch out of the way and sprayed a cross-field pass to the opposite flank. Fans will hope to see more of the promising youngster and others like Paulo Bernardo, Luke McCowan and Johnny Kenny as the curtain prepares to fall on another Premiership campaign.
Daily Record
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Record
Rod Stewart wants 'Simply the Best' installed as Celtic club anthem as he tells Rangers to get real
The Hoops fans sang the Tina Turner classic at Ibrox last weekend and the music icon has backed a call to adopt the tune Celebrity Celtic supporter Sir Rod Stewart has backed a call from his fellow fans to adopt Rangers anthem 'Simply The Best' as a new Hoops song. The travelling fans sang the Tina Turner classic at Ibrox before the 1-1 Old Firm draw last weekend. Rangers have used the 80s pop anthem as a walkout song for decades but last week Celtic fans took it off their old rivals by belting it out in the away end as the team arrived on field before the game. It's led to calls by Rangers fans online to dump the tune and Parkhead punters want Brendan Rodgers' champions to use it for their end of season celebrations. And music icon Rod agrees. The veteran rocker said: "I'd like to think our dear rivals Rangers would allow Celtic FC and our fabulous supporters to borrow 'Simply The Best' for the league trophy presentation at Parkhead and the Scottish Cup Final at Hampden where we'll hopefully seal yet another Treble. "We could then keep using it for the foreseeable future until Rangers win a trophy." The 80-year-old Maggie May singer admits this is just a bit of tongue-in-cheek banter. He said: "Wind ups are what football rivalry is all about. "So I hope all the lovely Rangers fans won't be angry or upset. "Please remember the words I've been repeating for many years now - Celtic NEED a strong Rangers. "But come on, let's be serious. Dear old Tina Turner was a close, personal friend. "Should Barry Ferguson's boys be running out to Simply The Best when they're clearly not?' You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. "We're onalso WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to you phone. Join our Rangers community here and our Celtic community here.
Daily Record
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Brendan Rodgers has Celtic twinkle in his eye as Simply The Best wind-up heard loud and clear at Ibrox
Hoops fans went viral over the weekend for hijacking the Rangers anthem at Ibrox Brendan Rodgers admits the sight of Celtic fans partying in the away end again at Ibrox was a joy to see. Around 2,000 Hoops supporters were back in the Broomloan Stand last weekend for the first time since January 2023. And they raised the roof when the teams emerged from the tunnel by outsinging the home crowd to Ibrox classic Simply The Best. Footage of the green-and-white faithful hijacking Rangers' famous anthem went viral on social media in a season where Celts clinched a 55th title and became the most decorated club in Scotland. And in an interview with Celtic TV, Rodgers - chasing a third Treble as Hoops boss - had a twinkle in his eye as he hailed the atmosphere. Asked if the players enjoyed seeing the colour from the away end as the champions walked out onto the pitch, Rodgers said: "Yeah. "We've had those experiences before when you have 7,000 people behind the goal and it's just such a wall of noise and colour which gives the players a great boost. "But the 2,500 in the corner was still a great boost for us, just knowing that you're in that arena and you have millions of people watching worldwide, but you've got that support in there that just gives you that extra push when it's needed in the game. "So, yeah, it was absolutely fantastic to have them there. We could hear them the whole game. The support they gave us really helped us push through, especially in that second half. So yeah, it was a nice moment to have the supporters back again." Rodgers has lost just three derbies of his 23 derbies as Celtic manager - with two of them coming this season. With nothing at stake other than bragging rights, both clubs settled for a point in the end as Adam Idah cancelled out Cyriel Dessers' first-half opener. Rodgers was content with a draw but believes the runaway leaders could've snatched all three points with a bit more ruthlessness up front. He said: "Listen, it doesn't matter how many points you are ahead, a Celtic vs Rangers game is always a difficult one. Obviously, when you travel across the city to Ibrox, it's difficult. "I think it was absolutely brilliant to have the supporters back, that felt a real big difference for us in the game. "We had to stand up performance-wise early on, you know, lots of direct balls going forward and crosses into the box. We were obviously disappointed with the goal we gave away just before halftime because that could be a critical point. "But my message really at halftime was that we've shown some real good moments in the first half. The actual lead up to their goal could have easily had us in front. "So we just had a couple of positional changes and just reinforcing some pressing items. And then I felt second half, we had possession and good possession coming through the pitch. "Not a criticism, but maybe where we could have been better was just a little bit better in the final third of the pitch. That would have allowed us to progress like we have done and we could have had more opportunities to score. "But overall, the point each was probably deserved. We had the chance late on which would have been a great end to the game for us. But listen, we leave there 17 points clear and a massive goal difference. I'm pleased with the fightback from the players in the second half."
