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Trivia
- In early December 1996 Celtic were the subject of an investigation by the Inland Revenue. The investigation was to do with tax paid on transfer dealings going back as far as 1989 carried out by the old Board.
- Craig Burley was linked to a move to Celtic. Burley had fallen down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge and was looking for first team football. Darren Jackson of Hibs was also being linked after a strong start to the season (this possibly seen as a replacement if Van Hooijdonk left). Celtic also made a £700k bid for Aston Villa’s Andy Townsend and were told to come back with a higher bid
- Celtic had two games cancelled by the SFL on request – due to foreign players’ international commitments; the team should have played Kilmarnock (H) on 11/12/96 and Raith Rovers (A) on 14/12/96. Furthermore the re-arranged (twice) game against Dunfermiline (A) set for 18/12/96 was also once again postponed due to an unplayable pitch. The rest of the Celtic squad headed south to train at the Belfry in England whilst the internationals overseas took place.
- Though passed fit to play in the international for the Netherlands against Belgium (he only made the bench) Van Hooijdonk returned to Celtic claiming that his groin injury had still not healed. Contract talks still rumbled on with Van Hooijdonk making his comment in the Press that a £7,000 a week wage deal was good for the homeless, but not for him. He saw a specialist about the injury but turned down medical help for the injury.
Review
A win – but hardly stunning comprising plenty of possession but few chances – marked Phil O’Donnell’s return to the side since the first game of the season, capped with a goal and a yellow card.
Teams
Celtic (4-4-2):
Kerr; Boyd, McKinlay, O'Neil, Stubbs, Grant, Donnelly, O'Donnell, Hay (McLaughlin 89), Thom, Cadete.
Subs not used: Weighorst, Marshall.
Dundee Utd (3-5-2): Dykstra; Bowman (Johnson 86), Malpas, Pressley, Perry, Pedersen, Olofsson (McSwegan 66), Zetterlund, Winters, Hannah, McLaren. Sub not used: McInally.
Scorer: O'Donnell (39) 1-0.
Yellow cards: O'Donnell (Celtic). Bowman (Dundee Utd).
Referee: M McCurry (Glasgow).
Attendance: 46,590.
Articles
- Match Report (see below)
Pictures
Stats
| Celtic | Dundee Utd | |
| Bookings | 1 | 1 |
| Fouls | 12 | 10 |
| Shots on Target | 3 | 3 |
| Corners | 5 | 0 |
| Offside | 3 | 4 |
Appeal for love and devotion
Scotland on Sunday 22/12/1996
Celtic 1 Dundee United 0
PATIENCE is a virtue which Phil O'Donnell has had to show plenty of in the last two years. Maybe he should start spreading some more of it around Celtic Park.
While high anxiety from Celtic's frustrated support threatens to undermine any attempt to stay calm in the face of Rangers' gathering momentum, the marvellously-relaxed O'Donnell applied the balm to soothe everyone's nerves with the goal which brought Tommy Burns' side their first victory in four league games.
It has actually been seven long weeks since a match has yielded three points for Celtic, thanks to error on the park and idleness off it, but O'Donnell knows all about waiting, having seemingly spent most of his time with the club simply trying to get things started.
Most of the international midfielder's 26 months since Burns made him his first Celtic signing have been taken up with recovery from a succession of injuries. His mere presence constantly stirs the debate that O'Donnell has done nothing for the club.
Well, he refuted that argument with the decisive goal which broke a tightly-organised Dundee United side. After the recent serious questioning of Celtic's title credentials, O'Donnell's profitable return from the thigh injury which has kept him out since facing Aberdeen on the first day of the season, represents an upturn in fortune.
His manager was simply happy to get the pursuit of Rangers back into first gear again than worry about the style or closeness of the result. Indeed, Burns wishes that the Celtic fans would show a similarly pragmatic approach.
The patience of last year, on and off the park, is gone. One contributes directly to the other. Too often yesterday, much of the 46,590 crowd implored Celtic to get the ball forward as quickly as possible; all too often Burns' players complied and all too often the pass failed to reach its intended target.
Burns says that the virus is eating into his side's already fragile confidence. "The attitude of the fans has disappointed me. Being a Celtic supporter myself, I know that we are a hell of a group for arguing among ourselves. It can be a healthy thing sometimes, but when it becomes abusive, then it de-motivates people.
"We are doing everything we possibly can to win this title but if it's not meant to be then it's not meant to be. The players have been low in confidence and, really, I would like a bit more help and for people to show a bit more optimism than they have been doing in recent weeks."
Optimism is the quality Burns feels O'Donnell can bring to his side, not just in shoring up an ineffective midfield, but in providing some of the goals which hoisted him into the headlines at Motherwell and aroused Burns to spend 1.7m on the player in September 1994.
O'Donnell gave no indication in his healthy performance that he had last played in August, making strong forceful runs over 60 yards or so and always being in a position to offer support to colleagues. Burns later praised his returning midfielder, saying: "I thought Phil was our best player and he took his goal really well. The win wasn't nice to watch but at least we won the game and it's a vital three points for us."
That Celtic didn't record another frustrating result when having so much possession, as they have done recently against Rangers, Hearts and Motherwell, was down to O'Donnell's 39th-minute goal.
The move was started when Andreas Thom switched the ball from left to right, picking out Simon Donnelly on the far side of the box. Donnelly did very well not just to keep the ball in play but also in delivering a killer cross to the back post where O'Donnell climbed high to steer a powerful header past United keeper, Sieb Dykstra.
Maybe, that, and the preceding 60 seconds, indicates that Celtic's luck is turning. For just before O'Donnell scored, Dundee United looked as if they were about to take a lead of their own. Maurice Malpas had taken a free-kick which was headed on by Andy McLaren to Robbie Winters. The young United striker produced an inventive hook shot which looked like eluding Stewart Kerr's outstretched hand until the young Celtic goalkeeper clawed the ball back from his line.
Celtic should have wrapped the game up in the 63rd minute when Thom stooped low to glance a deft header from Tosh McKinlay's free-kick but the German striker's initiative was cruelly thwarted by the crossbar with Dykstra well beaten.
Tommy McLean's side were never totally out of the game, though their aim was merely to contain Celtic rather than threaten them and for the final half hour the Parkhead crowd's frayed nerves were all too apparent.
- Manager Interview
Tommy Burns:
"It wasn't nice to watch, but winning is the name of the game, especially for us."
Phil O’Donnell:
"The good thing about this club is that everyone kept me involved over the last four months. Actually, the dressing-room is very relaxed, contrary to impression, and there is a team spirit which pulls us through games like this one, and I'm sure it will do so again this season."
Dave Bowman, Dundee Utd.
"It's not often you come to Parkhead and your keeper doesn't have a save to make worthy of the name. When you come to Parkhead or Ibrox, you use any element you can, and we tried to antagonise their support. But I think the Celtic players were probably the most frustrated out of everyone."