A personal message from Rosemary Potter to Celtic supporters | OneFootball

The late David Potter’s final Celtic book, Celtic in the Eighties was published on Celtic Star Books in early September 2025…

Celtic in the Eighties by David Potter. Published by Celtic Star Books.

The legendary Celtic historian submitted his manuscript a few months before his sad passing in July 2023. Matt Corr and I wanted to ensure that David’s final book was a huge success, note least because we wanted to ensure that David’s widow Rosemary would receive a ‘surprise’ financial benefit from the book sales.

Danny McGrain signing copies of Celtic in the Eighties by David Potter. Photo: Celtic Star Books

Danny McGrain was asked to write the foreword for Celtic in the Eighties and as you would expect the legendary Celtic captain’s opening remarks were outstanding. However in the sad circumstances we also asked David’s widow Rosemary if she would like to submit a few words to introduce her husband’s final published work.

Rosemary Potter did so writing a personal message to the Celtic support. We have been delighted with the success of Celtic in the Eighties which has now completely sold out – apparently the excellent online bookstore Soccer Books have two copies remaining from their stock – but that’s it.

Celtic in the Eighties by David Potter. Out now, order your copy at Celticstarbooks.com

We’d like to thank so many readers of The Celtic Star for keeping the post office busy in recent months as we shipped out the two and a half pallets of books all over the world. And Danny McGrain was kept busy too because he personally signed just about every book!

So at this stage we’d like to share the words written by Rosemary Potter in her personal message to Celtic supporters.

David Potter, Celtic Historian and Author.

A personal message from Rosemary Potter

It was a great joy for my late husband David Potter to discover that his writings on his beloved team, Celtic, were received so well and enjoyed so widely by the Celtic support at all levels.

Once started, therefore, with the publication of his first book, entitled Our Bhoys Have Won the Cup!, in 1996 when Celtic had won the Scottish Cup for the thirtieth time, he continued to write with enthusiasm over the following 27 years.  He always had a new idea for the next book and often was researching and writing three different titles at one time. Of the 71 books in his bibliography, 35 are about Celtic Football Club and/or its players.

David Potter in the mid 1990s

This latest book, number 36, was one that David had worked on in the weeks leading up to his last illness and untimely death on 29th July 2023. I am indebted in particular to David Faulds and Matt Corr at The Celtic Star for their hard work to bring this title to publication in David’s name, and for all their unswerving loyalty to David’s memory. Their support to me and my family over the past two years has been much appreciated.

From Celtic F.C itself, their huge acknowledgment of David’s contribution to the Club with his writing, his historical research, his recording of past players’ stories and participation in commemoration events by the Celtic Graves Society, has touched and honoured our family. The black armbands worn by the team and manager at the first game after his death and the onscreen tribute made us proud.

David Potter’s Celtic books prior to Celtic in the Eighties. Photo Peter Marshall

We were grateful to Peter Lawwell (Chairman, Celtic FC) for his attendance and participation in the celebration of David’s life in Kirkcaldy Old Kirk, along with Tony Hamilton (Head of Celtic FC Foundation) and many Celtic fans in the 500 present. It opened our eyes to realise just how respected David was in the Celtic family.

A special and unique event was the presentation of a Special Recognition Award for David, which I was privileged to accept on his behalf at the Ovo Hydro Player of the Year Awards in 2024 and which now sits on the mantelpiece.

As I said on the night, David would have been touched but delighted to stand on the huge stage in front of 12,000 people to receive that accolade: what actor – and David was an amateur actor all his life in the Auld Kirk Players- would not have appreciated applause from such an audience!

David Potter – Special Recognition Award from Celtic, May 2024.

For our grandchildren there that night, Michael (then 13 years) and Hannah (then 19 years), sitting among the Celtic fans in full voice, this was an experience they will remember all their lives.

A special word of thanks must go to the Joseph Rafferty Supporters’ Club here in Kirkcaldy for their kindness before and after David’s death. David has written himself acknowledging their camaraderie on the bus to games, the discussions, analyses and stories that he had with Raffs and the other members en route to home games and some away games, all of which was distilled into his writing.

Typically, David would come home from a game and immediately sit at his laptop typing away with his impressions of the game, celebrating the goals, and commenting on the flow of the play and the game strategy.

For those past players of an earlier era, David would research their lives and careers, seeking their roots in Scotland or Ireland and talking with family members or descendants. He checked the newspapers to read any reports there. He had a good memory and many stories from the Celtic games his father had talked to him about. This had special resonance for David because it was his father’s influence that had passed on the love of Celtic to him.

Whether from games he had attended personally, or from these memories, David wrote vividly as though he were present in the moment and this style was appreciated by his readers. So now, I hope you enjoy reading these last of his words as though he is present speaking them to you, for as the Celtic Graves Society says, “They never die who live in the hearts they leave behind”.

C. Rosemary Potter