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Trivia
- Following the Board’s rejection of the Consortium’s takeover plan, the consortium front men of Kenny Dalglish, Jim Kerr and Jim McAvoy held a press conference where they insisted they were football men but were still very hazy on where the money would come from with many questions being met with “we are unable to comment” style replies. On the 22/12 they withdrew there offer saying the club was over-valued on the basis of their own bid. They did not however rule out a further bid at a later date.
- Mark Viduka turned up at the Melbourne Australia Celtic Supporters Club Christmas Party.
- Annoni again made noises about returning to Italy as he was not an automatic first choice and for much of the time was a squad player only.
- Craig Burley suffered a setback on his recuperation from first a groin and subsequent back injury.
- Croatia Zagreb made a formal complaint to FIFA over the lack of payment for Viduka.
- Riseth was restored to the starting line up at the expense of Donnelly. McNamara finally returned as a late second half sub; despite suffering from a strained hamstring Johan Mjallby played. Back up keeper swings ‘n’ roundabouts fell to Barry John Corr for this game.
- Celtic fans sang ' cheerio 10 in arow' for almost the entirety of this game.
Review
Teams
Dundee:
Douglas, Smith, Rogers (Sharp 63), Adamczuk, Irvine, Anderson (Annand 63), Grady, McInally (Rae 75), Falconer, McSkimming, Tweed.
Subs Not Used: Raeside, Langfield.
Celtic:
Gould, Boyd , Mahe, Stubbs , Larsson, O'Donnell, Lambert, Moravcik, Burchill (Brattbakk 80), Riseth (McNamara 78), Mjallby.
Subs Not Used: Annoni, McBride, Corr.
Goals: O'Donnell 3, Riseth 12, Douglas 56 og.
Booked: Rogers, McSkimming (Dundee) Mjallby. (Celtic)
Ref: W Young (Clarkston)
Attendance: 10,043
Articles
- Match Report (see below)
Pictures
Stats
| Dundee | Celtic | |
| Bookings | 2 | 1 |
| Fouls | 14 | 10 |
| Shots on Target | 3 | 9 |
| Corners | 7 | 10 |
| Offside | 1 | 6 |
Where there's a Phil there's away for Celts
The Scotsman 28/12/1998
Dundee 0 Celtic 3
IN this singular season which has seen more excitement in boardrooms and airports than on the football pitch, Celtic have meandered mysteriously from the atrocious to the outrageous. Last night at a bitterly cold Dens Park, however, they discovered a third way of clinical efficiency which secured their first away victory since 3 October.
After a blitzkrieg opening which saw goals for Phil O'Donnell and Vidar Riseth in the opening 12 minutes, the result was never in serious doubt and, with the help of a third goal via the legs of Dundee goalkeeper Robert Douglas, Celtic were able to coast through most of the encounter and save precious energy for Sunday's Old Firm game.
As has happened before under coach Jozef Venglos, and symbolic of the still fragile confidence within the team, the capturing of the first goal of the match was followed by a comfortable Celtic victory.
The champions did not repeat the six-goal mauling inflicted on Dundee on their last meeting nor the five swept past Rangers last month – both, significantly, achieved in the unrelenting atmosphere of Celtic Park – but they never needed to. Until the final stages, their back three was largely untroubled while Paul Lambert and Lubomir Moravcik were outstanding in midfield. The passing and movement up front was also too much for a team of Dundee's calibre, bereft of attacking ideas.
For Jocky Scott's team, who have now lost three on the gallop after a promising run, there was to be no repeat of their victory in the derby the last time they played in front of Sky's cameras as the game served as an unwelcome reminder of the fumbling start they made to their SPL life back in balmy August.
Despite the recent 2-1 defeats to Motherwell and Aberdeen, the quality of his team's play had persuaded Jocky Scott to leave Willie Falconer and derby hero James Grady up front together, thus condemning Eddie Annand, the scorer of both his club's goals against Celtic this season, on the substitutes' bench, from where he was to appear later when the cause was already lost.
Scott's decision to utilise three strikers when his team were already three down unsurprisingly failed to alter the course of the match.
However another switch had the bigger impact on the game's first incident in the second minute. A ball knocked speculatively into the visitors' box saw Johan Mjallby tussle suspiciously with Falconer before the former Motherwell striker fell to the floor but Willie Young, a late refereeing replacement for Jim McCluskey, waved play on. The speed of events in the following minutes meant that incident was soon forgotten in the greater scheme of things.
Moravcik the midfielder -dropped back in the absence of Simon Donnelly – was to demonstrate his versatility by laying on the opening goal a minute later. Given the time and space which was to prove a feature of the hosts' generosity in the encounter, the Slovak clipped a fine right-footed ball into the path of O'Donnell, who ghosted past Brian Irvine with his first touch before stroking past Douglas. Whether it was a V-sign to Fergus McCann or an invitation to a nationwide television audience, it was a fine finish from the contract rebel who is free to talk to other clubs from Friday.
Yet it was only the start of Dundee's discomfort. Douglas had a clearance charged down by Mark Burchill and Moravcik sent a 30-yard skimming across the face of his goal before the lead was doubled after 12 minutes. Lambert was the creator this time, waltzing elegantly past a posse of defenders on the left flank before curling a cross for Riseth to head his first goal for the club.
Lambert was to prove a major obstacle to Dundee throughout the affair, not only through his cultured yet simple passing but also in his defensive duties. Time and again, Dundee's attempts to relieve pressure by punting the ball forward to Falconer and Grady was thwarted by the Scotland international, who merely stationed himself in front of them. With the passing, movement and interchanging of Celtic's midfield and attack causing the home back four to be caught constantly flat, the task to avoid a result as embarrassing as the 6-1 loss at Parkhead in the wake of Jock Brown's resignation was an early task.
Dave Rogers vented his frustrations seven minutes later and only a ridiculous dive from the Norwegian prevented the defender getting an early, warming bath.
Burchill, another Celt out of contract at the end of this season, had the ball in the net again two minutes after half-time at the second attempt following Douglas's parry, but the goal was disallowed for using his hand to control the ball.
Celtic extended their lead, and removed any remaining lingering doubt over the outcome of the match, with the third goal after 56 minutes. Another segment of fine passing released O'Donnell down the left and his looping cross found the unmarked Larsson, who headed back across and past the diving Douglas. A retreating Irvine scooped the ball away -and stopped the Swede registering his 18th goal of the season – only to see it strike the legs of the prostrate Douglas and trickle over the line.
In the remainder of the game, Dundee could have nicked one -Moravcik cleared off the line from a Falconer header – and could even have scored twice, as they had done previously this season. But to score three times would have rivalled another greatest story ever told recently recounted and the closing minutes were merely sweet nothings after the stuffing had already been applied.
It was no feast, but it left a travelling Celtic support lately starved of success strangely satisfied. In this season of goodwill. Even Harald Brattbakk earned a cheer for a late appearance.