John Gribbon is a lifelong Celtic fan and described the impact of Dalglish’s move, saying: “He was probably my first boyhood idol; that leaves a mark on you throughout life. Dalglish is a huge part of the bond between the two clubs and cannot be underestimated in my opinion.” The Scotsman would go on to be the first of the six players or managers who would have their testimonial between Liverpool and Celtic. On the other hand, just two testimonials have been held between Rangers and Liverpool.

Now, whilst they are in periods of on-field success, the customs of yesteryear that have been passed down on the terraces, only add to the aura surrounding the football clubs.

You may also like...

Many went on to make the perilous journey to America, but it’s estimated that up to a quarter of them remained on Merseyside instead. Such a large volume stayed, it’s thought up to 75 percent of Liverpool’s population could have some form of Irish ancestry. Nowadays, you are far more likely to encounter an Irish tricolour on the Kop than a Union flag, which is a million miles from the ’70s when British flags were commonplace amongst Liverpool fans on European adventures.

Liverpool lost the match with Reds captain Ron Yeats scoring an unfortunate own goal in extra time. Every football supporter feels a significant connection to their club, but there does exist a certain type of folklore surrounding both Celtic and Liverpool that is hard to find elsewhere. Before we went, Celtic fans had been writing to the [Liverpool] Echo and the club to say how sorry they were for what had happened. They wanted to make up for it. The bond between Liverpool and Celtic is different for everyone, especially with the ever-increasing globalisation of football. These outside perceptions propel the clubs forward on the pitch and off it, from a commercial point of view. When overseas supporters start following Celtic or Liverpool, they aren’t there just to watch the football. They are there to become part of a community and to buy into the culture around the football.I thought we should sing that without the religious undertones and one night I just had The Dubliners on and started to put words in for Liverpool.