| Match Pictures | Matches: 1998 – 1999 | 1998-1999 Pictures |
Trivia
- Celtic began talks with Larsson to secure him on a long term deal
- On the 1st December the Department of Employment granted Viduka’s work permit. The club set about bringing him to Scotland for his medical and introduction to the press and team mates. He arrived in Glasgow with the divine Ivana on the night of 1st December.
- Rangers had played St Johnstone at Celtic Park on 29/11 in the League Cup Final winning 2-1. After the match the police had to enter the Rangers dressing room at Celtic Park to attempt to quiet the singing of ‘The Sash’ and various other sectarian ditties. Campbell Ogilvie, Rangers secretary, refused to intervene.
- The consortium bidding to take over McCann’s shareholding were not having a lot of luck with their bankers. Wall Street-based Bankers Trust were bought by Deutsche Bank in a pounds 6.12billion deal.
- With the signing of Viduka, Brattbakk’s position looked in doubt. Rosenborg were said to be assessing the situation with a view to taking him back to Norway.
- Burley failed to make it back in time but Gould had recovered enough to take his place back between the sticks.
- Phil O’Donnell and Simon Donnelly along with Mark Burchill, who were in re-contract talks with the club were warned by Fergus McCann that the club would not be held to ransom. Both Sid and Pod had rejected the initial offers of new contracts. Larsson was also about to start re-contract talks. And John Paul McBride was being sought by Tommy Burns for Reading. Brian McLaughlin was wanted by Livingston but after looking at their offer the player said that he did not want to drop down to the Second Division side.
- On the 5th Viduka disappeared, with reports in the papers saying that he had quit – not just quit Celtic but quit football. The club released the following statement. "Marko Viduka has advised Celtic FC that he does not consider himself to be in a fit state of mind to play football and it is his intention to return home to Australia within the next couple of days.
- "There had been no previous indication of any psychological problems and no declaration of such a problem had been made at the time of Marko Viduka's medical examination, when he had an opportunity to do so. Marko Viduka told Celtic that he greatly regretted being unable to join the club, but that the way he felt he could not play football for any club." Fergus declined to pay the transfer fee to Croatia Zagreb who immediately complained to UEFA.
Review
The injury crisis was slowly abating with Gould back, Marc Rieper, Craig Burley, Regi Blinker, and Jackie McNamara close to returns and new players on the team. This then came as a bit of a slap in the face.
Teams
Hearts:
Rousset, McPherson, Naysmith, Weir, Ritchie, Fulton, Adam (Juanjo 86), Hamilton (Holmes 80), Flogel, Murray, Guerin (Locke 83).
Subs Not Used: McKenzie, McKinnon.
Goals: Adam 37, 49.
Bookings: Hamilton (Hearts)
Celtic:
Gould, Boyd , Mahe, Stubbs , Larsson, O'Donnell, Donnelly, Lambert, Moravcik (Burchill, 60), Riseth, Mjallby.
Subs Not Used: Brattbakk, Hannah, Annoni, McCondichie.
Goals: O'Donnell 74.
Bookings: Larsson, Stubbs (Celtic)
Ref: M McCurrie (Glasgow).
Attendance: 17,334
Articles
- Match Report (see below)
Pictures
Stats
| Hearts | Celtic | |
| Bookings | 1 | 2 |
| Fouls | 21 | 12 |
| Shots on Target | 7 | 6 |
| Corners | 5 | 5 |
| Offside | 7 | 5 |
Star Stephane gives Hearts a wee French tickler but it's no joke for Jo
The Scotsman 07/12/1998
HEARTS inflicted defeat on Celtic in a league game for the first time in four seasons last night thanks to their most complete display in months at Tynecastle. Although they were under the cosh at the end when Celtic summoned up the blood, stiffened the sinews and chased an equaliser, Hearts resisted all attempts to deprive them of a deserved success.
With good players in every department – David Weir and Paul Ritchie in central defence were the rock on which the win was based – Hearts looked far more like the side which challenged last season than the one which looked like falling by the wayside this term.
For an hour, Hearts were the better team going forward: when they were in the ascendancy the home side were served diligently up front by Stephane Adam, who scored both his side's goals, and Vincent Guerin in midfield.
In the closing phase, when Celtic battled their way back into contention after Phil O'Donnell's goal, Weir and Ritchie held firm and the French connection was complete when Gilles Rousset made a timely save from Stephane Mahe.
Distracted off the field by the increasingly bizarre transfer saga of Marko Viduka, Jozef Venglos's men also lacked focus on it. With a chance to narrow the gap on Rangers and Kilmarnock at the top, Celtic coughed and spluttered for long stretches of this match.
When the team eventually got their act together, they laid siege to Hearts' goal and felt hard done by when they were denied a penalty claim after Thomas Flogel armed a cross away.
On this evidence, Celtic are as irritatingly inconsistent as ever.
Needless to say, no Celtic fan will thank you for a video copy of this 90 minutes for Christmas. But close study might prove instructive.
As the match unfolded on a bitterly cold night, Celtic's shortcomings as well as Hearts' appetite for the game were both soon evident. Some members of the Celtic side took to the field in short-sleeved shirts. Both sets of players, though, turned up the heat during a predictably frantic start to the game.
It took at least 15 minutes for the chill night air to cool fevered brows and allow a pattern of play to emerge. When the football started, it was Hearts who controlled the contest in the middle of the park. With Neil McCann absent from Hearts' line-up, the return of Guerin allowed the Edinburgh side to reprise the diamond formation in midfield which caused Kilmarnock problems last month.
Guerin does the job which was previously Colin Cameron's responsibility. He knits the play between midfield and attack, makes darting runs and supplies deft touches for others.
Hearts would have been in front earlier if Jim Hamilton's knack of finding space had been matched by a similar aptitude for hitting the target. Weir's cross ball in the 16th minute should have been cut out by Tom Boyd but the defender jumped too early and allowed the striker the opportunity to lash a low shot wide.
When Adam sent a piercing diagonal ball into the six-yard box four minutes later, Hamilton showed courage to get on the end of the pass. Gould, however, was equally unflinching and forced the Hearts forward to thump the ball over the bar.
Celtic were second best before the break mainly because their main creative force was shackled. Henrik Larsson was intelligently marked by Ritchie, who formed an impressive partnership at the centre of the home side's defence with Weir. Strong and mobile, Weir and Ritchie didn't concede Celtic anything like the room which was Rangers' undoing in the most recent Old Firm match.
A wonderful one-handed save from Jonathan Gould prevented Dave McPherson from ripping a 20-yard shot into the top right-hand corner, but there was nothing the goalkeeper could do to prevent Hearts taking the lead eight minutes before the break.
The goal had more than a whiff of the Auld Alliance about it as McPherson struck a long ball into the box which caught Johan Mjallby off guard. The Swede allowed Guerin to knock the ball on and ghost to the line before cutting back a tempting cross for Adam. He glanced a precise header into the far corner of the net and the men in black gloves celebrated with raised fists.
Hearts underlined their superiority three minutes into the second period. Mahe gave the ball away in the left-back position and Flogel swiftly returned the ball to Hamilton on the right flank. The striker moved equally smartly to dispatch a cross to the near post where Adam flicked the ball away from Gould. Celtic now needed a large helping of inspiration to salvage something from a game which had drifted ever further out of reach. Larsson came close to providing part of the answer, feeding Lubomir Moravcik but Ritchie again saved the day with a recovery tackle.
As an attacking force, Hearts continued to deliver their brightest display of the season. A backheel flick from Hamilton, Steve Fulton's 40-yard crossfield pass and a snapshot from Adam drew another good save from Gould to deny the Frenchman a hat-trick.
To his credit, Lambert never lost an appetite for the game and it was sheer grit and persistence on the part of the midfield player which brought Celtic back into the game for the closing 20 minutes. Lambert's ball over the top in the 74th minute found Larsson, who turned and swept a pass into the six-yard box which O'Donnell prodded over the line.
If this Hearts victory was stamped with the mark, 'Made in France', the Edinburgh side were as grateful in the end to Rousset, as they were to Adam and Guerin. With five minutes left, Mark Burchill, who replaced Moravcik, together with Larsson forced an opening for Mahe. A volley was blocked at point blank range by Rousset:
That French resistance over, the final whistle soon followed and the Hearts fans were chanting encore as they look forward with fresh relish to their next game, at St Johnstone.
- Manager Interview
“From an effort and performance point of view we deserved more, maybe a draw.
“We really needed one point minimum at Hearts. We again showed good grace and combinations. But we are not dangerous enough in front of the goal area. Late on we put them under pressure but did not get the goal we deserved.
“I do not think that Mark Viduka had any influence but it is difficult to take because the club did everything. The statement the club and Mr. Chairman made was correct.”