"I like being able to say I played for Celtic." For Dion Dublin, that one sentence carries more weight than most players would admit about a single season at a club. But then again, most players didn't score in a League Cup final for the Hoops.
In a candid interview, the former striker — who joined Celtic under Gordon Strachan at 35 or 36 — reflected on what made his time in Glasgow stick with him two decades on. The goal against Dunfermline at Hampden. The green and white shirt. His name on the back. The number nine. "Walking out at Parkhead as the Celtic centre-forward," he said. "It was just amazing. It really was."
The thing that actually surprised him
Dublin knew the Celtic fanbase was something else before he arrived. The noise, the loyalty, the supporters flying across Europe — none of that was news to him. What he didn't see coming was the sheer territorial dominance on the pitch.
"I sat on the bench thinking, we've got the ball again! We've got the ball again!" He laughs telling it, but the point is serious. That level of control — game after game — came from a squad that included Neil Lennon, Alan Thompson, John Hartson, and Roy Keane. A different era of Scottish football.
Dublin's honest enough to acknowledge things have shifted. "All the teams in Scotland have got a bit better," he says, pointing to Hearts and others pushing into the top tier through smart recruitment. The gap has closed. Celtic's dominance is no longer a given, and anyone pricing them for the title this season should factor that in.
On the expectation levels at the club, he was direct: "Losing is not acceptable at Celtic Football Club — by the football club first and foremost, the fans, the manager, the players. Even more than at a club like Manchester United. You simply have to win." That's not nostalgia talking. That's a man who felt the weight of it firsthand.
Martin O'Neill and the Europa League
After the Champions League exit in Linz, Celtic dropped into the Europa League — and Dublin thinks they can do damage there. "I don't know why they can't go far this year," he said. "Martin's got a good squad of players there and I'd love Martin to do something."
He's got little patience for the critics questioning O'Neill's age or commitment. "Leave him alone. It's Martin O'Neill." Short, sharp, and probably right. O'Neill has the tactical nous to navigate a Europa League group and knockout structure that Celtic, under the right conditions, should be equipped for.
Dublin still crosses paths with plenty of his old teammates — Neil Lennon on the punditry circuit, Chris Sutton through media work, John Hartson, and Roy Keane as recently as last week. The network is alive. The affection for that one season in Glasgow is clearly genuine.
"I had the green and white shirt on. I had my name on the back." Twenty years later, he's still talking about it like that. That's Celtic.
