| Match Pictures | Matches: 1998 – 1999 | 1998-1999 Pictures |
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Trivia
- Members of the ‘consortium’ that had sought to take control of the club kept raising their heads above the parapet. Jim Kerr stated he would not buy any of Fergus’s shares when he sold them to the public (an event which looked like it would take place the following season), his reason being that he did not want to provide for McCann’s retirement fund. Kenny Dalglish meanwhile, in a Grace Brothers moment, said that he was available, given the recent speculation that he was about to be appointed the new Technical Director.
- The final touches were being made to the new revamped Hampden in preparation for the Scottish Cup Final which would see a re-run of the 2/5 game again with Dallas as referee, but this time on neutral turf.
- Jack McGinn, the voice of power and imperator of Scottish football, said that no repeat of the behaviour of the 2/5 would be allowed at the Cup Final. Supporters of both clubs cowered cringingly in the corners after this warning from the Rod of Wax.
- Mark Viduka was the latest player to make a public apology for his very public gobbing on Marc Millar at Dunfermiline. These apologies had now taken on the air of a pro-forma sign-at-the-bottom given the fact that Viduka had had to be hauled off the team bus to make his personal apology to Millar. "I would like to apologise to everyone for my conduct at Saturday's match. I realise I let my team-mates, supporters, the club, the management, and myself down and, hence, regret my actions. I have apologised to Marc Millar personally. The club has made it very clear my conduct was unacceptable, which I fully acknowledge. I want to put this incident behind me and get on with my career at Celtic." I bet he did – put the incident behind him, that is!
- In a blast from the past Lou Macari returned to court to continue with his claim for unfair dismissal – over five years after the event. His appeal case against the original ruling by Lady Cosgrove was heard at the Court of Session in Edinburgh in front of three Law Lords. After four days m’learned friends retired to consider their verdict which would be delivered in writing many weeks and pounds sterling further down the line.
- After undergoing a medical before signing, Dariusz Adamczuk asked for more time to consider the offer from Celtic. It looked like he was being made other offers. He turned down the offer stating that he was looking for a longer term deal than the one made by Celtic. Celtic offered three years – he wanted four. He went to Ibrox.
- Brian Quinn, the vice-chairman of the Board, made a statement that there was no riff at Board level and that everything was glorious in Paradise. Hefty rumours had been circulating that Fergus McCann was spitting feathers at the prospect of Dalglish returning to the club as Technical Director and was demanding an EGM to discuss the matter. Quinn sought to allay these fears.
- Jackie McNamara’s knee problems continued when it was found that he would require surgery and would be out for the rest of the season.
- Tosh McKinlay was being sought by Motherwell and Tommy Burns at Reading was looking to take Brian McLaughlin, who was on loan to Dundee, to the Royals.
- Details were announced of the pre-season tour of Norway. The team would be based at Kongsvinger north of Oslo, a Division 6 team of which Vidar Riseth was club chairman.
- Gould had recovered from his shoulder injury and replaced Kerr, who didn’t even make the bench much to the bold Stewart’s chagrin, Riseth and Mahe were restored after their suspensions. Boyd and Viduka were themselves suspended. Blinker had recovered from his hammie. Healy continued in the starting line up with Donnelly and O’Donnell dropping to the bench. Young Liam Keogh, having enjoyed his brief moment of fame skelf-collecting was dropped from the squad as was Scott Marshall.
Review
The last home game of the season remembered for the singing of “Where’s yer chicken gone” to the lone Aberdeen supporter in the chicken suit who was huckled from the away support section. It should have been a thriller but failed to catch fire despite five goals. Gould’s nervousness on return, the dropping of Stewart Kerr (who had been more than competent deputising through Gould’s injury) gave a bit of weight to the rumour that Celtic were about to bid for Neil Sullivan of Wimbledon. The players threw their shirts to the crowd at the end. Donnelly and O’Donnell’s were promptly thrown back. John Clark must have had a fit.
Teams
Celtic: Gould, Stubbs , Annoni, Mahe, Riseth, Wieghorst, Lambert, Healy, Blinker, Larsson, Johnson (Burchill 76).
Subs Not Used: Brattbakk, O'Donnell, Donnelly, Corr.
Goals: Blinker 1, Johnson 60, Burchill 88.
Aberdeen: Warner, Anderson, Perry, Smith, Dow, Hart (Wyness 89), Bernard, Mayer, Jess, Winters,Hamilton (Young 73).
Subs Not Used: Leighton, Pepper, Milne.
Goals: Mayer 55, Perry 81.
Booked: Annoni (Celtic) Bernard, Anderson, Perry, Hart (Aberdeen)
Ref: A Freeland (Aberdeen).
Att: 59,138
Articles
- Match Report
Few feathers are ruffled; Celtic make it hard for themselves but do enough to beat Aberdeen in game of little passion
Sunday Herald 16/05/1999
Michael Grant at Celtic Park
THEY can move smoothly from mayhem to comical madness in Parkhead. The last time Celtic's stadium was dusted down for action events descended into Old Firm bloodshed. Yesterday Aberdeen were wounded before they arrived. An energetic performance earned the Dons two goals but Celtic finished them off with the nonchalance of a lazy schoolboy stepping on a finished cigarette.
Five-goal matches usually have a freehold on the adjective "thriller", though nothing quite stirred the senses like the sight of a colourful Aberdeen fan, clad in an all-in-one yellow chicken suit, being ejected from the away end for, presumably, foul behaviour.
There seems a peculiar malice in sacking a man then asking him to perform the clearing out of his desk before 60,000 onlookers. Paul Hegarty, trawled across the back pages earlier in the week, like so many at Pittodrie before him, had the unenviable task of raising a battered set of players for another daunting visit to Glasgow. It would have been hard enough for the man to raise his own enthusiasm.
Such is the catalogue of mismanagement and misfortune to befall Aberdeen, it seemed unnecessary for them to provide fresh cause for heartache. Yet, one minute and 10 seconds into the game, their defence was once more at its most obliging. From a Colin Healy lay-off, Henrik Larsson struck a shot which Mark Perry blocked, only for the ball to run loose. Regi Blinker was the only player to react, smacking a low left-foot shot through the static Aberdeen defence into Tony Warner's net.
Healy, the young Irish midfielder, might not have played had the destination of the championship remained a live issue. But he grabbed his opportunity with some crisp play. One stabbed pass sent Tommy Johnson through the heart of the Dons defence, to be denied only by Warner's save with his legs.
Aberdeen attacked with the aggression of a kitten pawing a ball of wool. Jonathan Gould was called upon only to save a swerving Andy Dow shot which took everyone by surprise, not least Dow. Aberdeen's passing was shoddy, surrendering possession to a lethargic Celtic midfield which never seemed entirely sure how to direct the play.
Johnson's season, almost obliterated by a knee injury, may yet have been resurrected in time to salvage some involvement in the Scottish Cup Final. There was a freshness and zip to his play which almost brought a goal immediately after the break, only for a loose ball in the Aberdeen penalty area to run a little too wide. His shot hit the side net, and not the open goal.
Johnson scored, however, his third in two games since returning to the side, with a low shot into the corner after an improvised back heel from Larsson. That restored Celtic's lead after a most unexpected equaliser. The home support, most watching their side for the last time this season, and reaching eagerly for the jerseys thrown to them by the players at full-time, was generally unable to rouse any excitement.
It took the equaliser, Russell Anderson, crossing for Andreas Mayer to lash a shot high into Gould's net, to inject some interest.
That Johnson could regain the lead so quickly for Celtic, as they were to do again later in the second half, spoke volumes about the low gear nature of their performance. Celtic played within themselves.
Coach Jo Venglos, asked if Healy and Johnson had given him selection headaches, replied dryly: "No, we have headaches every day." He then provided the evidence. Dropping Stewart Kerr to recall Gould prompted speculation that he may feel it necessary to seek a transfer. With Lubo Moravcik still to recover fitness and Mark Viduka's state of mind an issue once more, Venglos cannot freewheel into the Cup Final as he might have wished.
When Mark Perry scored eight minutes from time, poking the ball over the line after Gould fumbled a Derek Young effort, the Dons seemed on course to steal a rare point from Glasgow. Celtic substitute Mark Birchill gathered an Alan Stubbs pass with two minutes remaining, however, and made the space to strike a low, left-foot shot into the corner for the winner.
Hegarty spoke articulately after the defeat, though communicated more effectively through knowing looks and body language than by his choice of words. Had Aberdeen chairman Stewart Milne let him down? "If someone else had come in instead of me and kept them in the Premier League, I think any other manager looking in would be delighted for him."
Hegarty, who may yet linger at the club in a coaching capacity, was shrewd enough to play the diplomat.
- Manager Interview
“We had some good action from our striking players.
“Do I have a selection headache? I have headaches every day, but we have another two weeks before the cup final and we are preparing ourselves for the next match on Sunday against Dundee Utd.
“If Mark Burchill and Tommy Johnson are scoring goals that is fine. Colin Healy is also a player we let play the whole game because it’s important to see how young players cope with the pressure.”
Pictures
Stats
| Celtic | Aberdeen | |
| Bookings | 1 | 4 |
| Fouls | 17 | 8 |
| Shots on Target | 8 | 7 |
| Corners | 3 | 5 |
| Offside | 3 | 2 |