| Match Pictures | Matches: 1998 – 1999 | 1998-1999 Pictures |
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Trivia
- Following the defeat in Croatia and the lingering bonus dispute it was reported that six players had sought transfers. (Scotsman 29/8/98). One of those involved, Craig Burley denied the report but said that he could not speak for others.
- Jackie McNamara underwent knee surgery on his return from Croatia and he would be out for anything up to two months. Rieper was out again with the troublesome ankle injury.
- Morten Wieghorst went for further X-Rays to try to get to the bottom of his troublesome knee problems.
- The bonus dispute rumbled on with further meetings between Tony Higgins, the SPFA representative, and Jock Brown, with statements on behalf of the players made by Tom Boyd. With Jock Brown posted missing this season from most of the team press conferences Dr Josef Venglos was left commonly in the middle.
- Celtic drew Vittoria Guimares in the UEFA Cup First Round.
- Despite Burley denying that he wanted to stay, Sheffield Wednesday enquired about his availability on the day of this game
Review
Another poor game. Another rollicking for Jock Brown from the traveling support. A complete lingering sense that the fans were being under-sold.
Teams
Dundee: Douglas, Smith, Adamczuk, Irvine, Raeside (Annand ,82), Grady, McInally, Maddison, Falconer, Miller, Garcin (Grant ,10) (Rae ,63)
Subs not used: Coyne, Langfield
Scorer: Annand (90,pen)
Celtic: Gould, Boyd , Mahe, Stubbs , Larsson, Burley , Donnelly (Brattbakk ,57), Lambert, Jackson, Annoni, Blinker
Subs not used: McKinlay, Kerr, McBride, Burchill
Scorer: Burley (69)
Bookings: Adamczuk, Smith (Dundee) Mahe (Celtic)
Referee: Garry Mitchell (Scotland)
Attendance: 9853
Articles
- Match Report
Another bonus gets away as leaden Celtic unravel
Scotland on Sunday 30/08/1998
Jonathan Northcroft at Dens Park
Dundee 1 Celtic 1
HAVING spent too long worrying whether they should receive bonus cheques or reality checks, Jozef Venglos' players have plainly forgotten how to cash in. An injury-time penalty conceded by Enrico Annoni ensured that the old graphic of the torn Celtic badge will be aired on back pages for several days yet. After a fetid first-half performance, the champions had scraped together enough pressure to lead Dundee and it seemed they would escape with a drab three points.
Even Celtic fans' cult heroes are turning to clay before them. Annoni's aberration had them tossing scarves on to the trackside and jostling with stewards so as to get as close as possible before delivering V-signs to the players.
Venglos spoke of his players "courage", "desire" and "improved second-half performance" but his heart seemed heavy enough to drop through the floor. The coach again confirmed he is waiting for new signings to come in – and has identified a striker he wants – but either would not, or could not, be specific about timescales or names.
The bonus row has made it difficult to judge whether Celtic are poor because they are being distracted or whether they are just plain poor. Their play was constipated yesterday, lacking quality in wide areas, penetration before goal and any profound footballing notions in midfield.
Harald Brattbakk (who missed dreadfully again) and Regi Blinker will doubtless be the focus of popular blame once more but even the proven players seem pallid at present. Watching Henrik Larsson and Darren Jackson, and remembering that both are likely to be playing internationals this Saturday, was a worrying thought.
Already Dundee are nailing down the shutters and readying themselves for a long siege in the Premier League. This was an organised, vigorous and determined pursuit of their first point. Just as Dens Park is a throwback, however, so are Dundee's personnel and however attractive turning the clock back can appear in desperate times, it seldom works.
Jocky Scott's side have still not scored from open play in competitive football since April, and he left his main strikers, Tommy Coyne and Eddie Annand, out in favour of Willie Falconer and James Grady. This seemed a questionable piece of genius – Falconer never having been prolific and Grady, when jostling with his back to Alan Stubbs, looking like the defender's ventriloquist's dummy.
Grady, moving off his men like a little jumping bean, proved hard for Celtic's reorganised four-man defence to pin down. His activity made spaces for Falconer who, within 20 minutes had whisked a bicycle volley over the bar from the penalty spot and forced Simon Donnelly to clear off the line.
During this period Dundee established a sort of agricultural ascendency; their howks and howffs seemed better rehearsed than Celtic's. Only in the last 15 minutes of the first half did the champions discover fluency, though their crossing and final passes remained poor and their attacks too often log-jammed in central areas.
Blinker (grandly denoted as 'Reginald' on the Dens Park teamsheets, which only increased temptations to allude to his namesake Perrin) had Celtic's best effort when he knocked a Donnelly cut-back over. The way Blinker had muscled in front of his man was a surprise – usually he sticks with the 'rhythm method' of tackling, always pulling out prematurely.
Stephane Mahe and Dariusz Adamczuk have no such inhibitions, alas. A gruesome -but it must be admitted, diverting – sideshow took place between the pair, each slicing at each other's ankles like pick-axes and generally following a little argy with a bit of bargy wherever they met. First the Pole was booked for dumping the Frenchman on the turf and then trying to deconstruct the incident at shouting pitch when called over by the referee. Then Mahe received a yellow card for going in on his opponent over the ball with obvious glee.
Nothing Mahe could inflict matched Alan Stubbs' free-kick in the 59th minute which bayoneted Adamczuk's groin, making the Pole crumple. While Dundee were looking for play to be stopped, Annoni hung a chip over the defence and Larsson volleyed onto the bar. Burley uncharacteristically lobbed the rebound over the crossbar.
By this point Celtic were annexing all the possession and Dundee were firmly in the bunker. The champions' contortions meant, however, they required a mistake by Jim McInally to produce another chance. His side having coped with a Celtic attack, McInally loitered on the ball at the edge of the area and found it confiscated by Burley. The midfielder pushed the ball onto his shooting foot and dragged a shot along the ground back across Robert Douglas and in off the post.
It took a team truly into self-harm to ruin such a gift. Brattbakk skewed the ball into the stratoshphere from four yards and then in the midst of a final, 92nd-minute heave by Dundee substitute Annand went through on Brian Irvine's flick and, moronically, was tripped by Annoni.
Annand lashed the penalty into the top right-hand corner and was hailed by the tannoy for scoring Dundee's first Premier League goal. For Celtic, meanwhile, the novelties of this season have long since worn off.
- Manager Interview
Pictures
Stats
| Dundee | Celtic | |
| Bookings | 3 | 1 |
| Fouls | 17 | 8 |
| Shots on Target | 2 | 3 |
| Corners | 4 | 6 |
| Offside | 1 | 1 |