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Trivia
- The case of Macari –v- Celtic reopened in the Edinburgh Court of Sessions. The case had been suspended and was now in its summing up phase. Macari was seeking £431,000 for breach of contract. The club were counter-sueing for £250,000 – the price paid to Stoke City to bring Macari to Celtic.
- Out-of-favour Tommy Johnson was trying to arrange a loan move to Crystal Palace. This move hit a wall and faded when it was learnt that the minimum loan period was three months, as this was interpreted as a cross-border loan/transfer arrangement, which would make him ineligible for any permanent transfer this season.
- Tosh McKinlay was said to be looking at a move to Huddersfield and Malky MacKay, Brian McLaughlin and Gordon Marshall were all set to have their taxis waiting.
- Morten Wieghorst was in re-contract talks. He would be out of contract at the end of the season and was free to talk to any club.
- Celtic sent a letter to the SFA complaining about Gascoigne’s flute-playing antic. David Murray responded that this was an over-reaction. Gascoigne meanwhile made a public apology.
- Immediately prior to the game Enrico Annoni had to rush back to Italy to attend his sick father.
- Stephane Mahe returned from injury and Regi Blinker was included in the squad.
- On the day after the game David Hay took the newspaper’s money and went to the Sunday Mail with his ‘inside story’. Jock Brown countered through the Celtic View.
Review
Commonly a sticky fixture, Jansen called for his players to concentrate throughout the game. The message clearly didn’t get through and left the Bhoys with a 1 away win in five games record. Jackson missed a penalty after Lambert’s 35 yard equaliser.
Teams
Motherwell:
Woods, May, McMillan, Newman, Martin, Falconer, McCulloch, Garcin (Valakari ,64 ), Coyne (Shivute ,85 ), McSkimming ,Coyle
Subs not used: Hendry
Scorer: Falconer (55)
Bookings: Coyle ,Martin (Motherwell)
Celtic:
Gould ; Boyd , Mahe, McNamara , Rieper , Stubbs , Larsson , Burley , Brattbakk (Jackson ,61 ), Lambert, Wieghorst (Blinker,82)
Subs not used: Hannah
Scorer: Lambert (61)
Referee: M Clark (Edinburgh)
Attendance: 12,350
Articles
- Match Report (see below)
Pictures
Stats
| Motherwell | Celtic | |
| Bookings | 2 | 0 |
| Fouls | 18 | 13 |
| Shots on Target | 3 | 4 |
| Corners | 4 | 14 |
| Offside | 1 | 2 |
Hapless Celtic’s spot of bother
Scotland on Sunday 11/01/1998
Motherwell 1 Celtic 1
CONTINENTALS have been telling us for years that, in the wider scheme, Old Firm barneys are not that important. One of their number, Wim Jansen, has been stating that wisdom since he arrived in Scotland. It is a pity for Celtic, therefore, that his players have not yet grasped that in the Premier Division the reward for victories does not deviate from week to week. Following the feast against Rangers, Celtic again dieted in a “lesser” game and deserved to drop two points.
Motherwell had rigidity and determination on their side, a combination Celtic appear to fear more than, say, Laudrup and Gascoigne or McManaman and Owen. “Sometimes we have problems with this sort of team,” Jansen admitted. “We start to play in the same style as them and this gives us difficulties. At the moment it looks like every time we play well, in the next game we lose points.”
Jansen was sighing and rubbing his big face when he emerged to deliver his verdict. Behind him a succession of Celtic players followed, their expressions like men sucking lemons. Another blunt inquest had been conducted by the coach, it appeared. The problem with correcting slow learners, however, is that sometimes mere admonition does not prove enough.
Craig Brown was present and was told by Celtic supporters as he arrived to forget Gary McAllister in favour of Craig Burley. While admiring Burley’s scoring, however, there are those who suspect he lacks quick enough feet to be an international central midfielder. There was little in Burley’s performance here to scotch that view and Brown may be reasoning that his current use of Burley is correct.
At least Brown will have smiled at Paul Lambert’s continuing excellence and another prodigious strike. But for his FP, Alex McLeish might have enjoyed a second victory against Celtic in two games. “We’ve got to play like this against all the teams,” he said, and not for the first time.
Celtic retained the 3-5-2 formation in which they looked so comfortable against Rangers, but by the end were back to 3-4-3 and at square one. Their system meant Celtic started without width in forward areas. Ironically this was the very tactic used by McLeish. His decision to spread Motherwell’s wings, with Shaun McSkimming and Lee McCulloch augmenting the strikers when possible, was what made his side so troublesome on the counter.
Prior to the game, Alan Stubbs denied reports he is about to leave Celtic. Last time the defender played at Fir Park his demeanour was of a village idiot caught in the stock and bowled no end of tomatoes by Tommy Coyne. However, that was before Marc Rieper’s presence brought succour to the Englishman. If they are parted in the summer Celtic will suffer gravely.
By half-time the glow of Rangers had been replaced by a dire chill among Celtic’s support. Their team won 11 corners in that period yet failed to slake pressure with a goal. Motherwell’s corner count had been two, but from the second – hooked wide by Coyne in 25 minutes – they were more potent than anything offered by Celtic.
Eric Garcin and Willie Falconer played with rigour in midfield and Burley and Morten Wieghorst could not shake themselves. The plan was to get the ball in front of Harald Brattbakk as quickly as possible but Celtic never quite managed the right delivery. When they came close the Norwegian did little to suggest they should bother.
So it was that Motherwell traded goal efforts with Celtic despite lesser possession, notably at the end of the half when Brattbakk volleyed over from the penalty spot and McSkimming went upfield and leathered a long-range shot at Jonathan Gould.
Motherwell played with much verve and some wit to be leading with an hour gone. Falconer, in his first game since breaking an ankle in October, planted a big header past Gould from McCulloch’s corner in 54 minutes and it was no more than their organisation merited.
It was supposed that never again in his puff would Lambert score a goal like he did against Rangers. Maybe not, but he scored an even better one yesterday. Mentally, Celtic were back at McDiarmid Park, by the time Lambert picked up the ball in midfield and cut through space. In flight, and from 35 yards, he rammed a shot over Steve Woods’ head and into the top corner. “Contrary to the people who say that Paul learnt such things in Dortmund, he has always been able to strike a ball like that,” mourned McLeish.
Brattbakk was withdrawn, having fluffed a Jackie McNamara cross in front of goal, causing the jury to go back out on him. Enter Darren Jackson, who 10 minutes later found himself standing over a penalty, Brian Martin having pulled back Henrik Larsson. The five minutes it took referee Martin Clark to make up his mind over the award, then get round to dealing with the back-chatters gnawed at the striker.
There was none of the customary Jackson gallusness in the spot-kick which dribbled past the post.
- Manager Interview
Wim Jansen post match
“It’s a bad habit (inconsistency) we will have to get rid of – we play well in one game and then in the next we lose a goal. We have to learn from this and even if it is not so easy, we have to have it in us to win these kind of games.
“This was one we had to win to stay very close to the top but we didn’t play to our usual style.
“Sometimes we have problems against teams like Motherwell when we can’t play our very quick passing game.
“There was a lot of fighting in the air and this doesn’t suit our style so we have to work on this.”