| Match Pictures | Matches: 1999 – 2000 | 1999-2000 Pictures |
_
Trivia
- The team had arrived in Kongsvinger, a small town of 5000 people to the north of Oslo on the 10th July and settled into their pre-season training camp. One unexpected arrival was Alan Stubbs who had undergone exploratory surgey for testicular cancer between the seasons. He undertook light training but to the surprise of everybody was able to kick a ball. One player that didn’t arrive was Stiliyan Petrov. Despite being signed for £2.8million from CSKA Sofia the club’s first submission for a work permit was rejected. Petrov was still back in Bulgaria and had played for CSKA in a 2-0 defeat by Obelic, a Yugoslavian club.
- Lubo Moravcik was to be offered a further 1 year extension to his current deal which would make him a Celtic player till July 2001. Moravcik’s previous club, Bastia were offering him a 5 year contract to become their manager.
- The identity of the UEFA Cup qualifier opponents was made in the draw. Celtic would face Welsh side Cwmbran Town away on 12/8/99 followed by a home tie on 26/8/99.
- Marc Rieper had undergone a foot operation in Denmark during the closed season and still was hoping that he would play again during the season. He was still recuperating from the operation
- The match was played at the Briskeby Stadium in Hamar, kick off 19:00
Review
The first game of pre-season required a late goal by Brattbakk for a Hoops win. Ham Kam played in the Norwegian second division.
Teams
HAM-KAM – Hareboe-Ree, Bjerke, Gjerdalen, Garshol, Overby, Brannstorph, Brun, Berget, Maurud, Skogheim.
Subs – Rudi, Granum, Jonassen, Nygard, Novak, Olav Lie, Bueie.
Goals: Brannstorph (57), Novak (64)
CELTIC – Kerr, Boyd, Mjallby, Tebily, McKinlay (Mahe), Riseth (Kientz, 78), Bonnes (Moravcik, 68), Wieghorst (Lambert, 85), Blinker, Brattbakk, Johnson.
Non Used Subs – Gould, Kharine, Berkovic, Viduka, Petta, Burchill, Larsson.
Goals: Bonnes (15), Blinker (43), Brattbakk (87)
Referee – Kjetil Berntsen.
Attendance: 1,000
Articles
- Match Report
Barnes is off to a flier
The Herald 14/07/1999
rob robertson
Ham-Kam ………….. 2
Celtic ………………… 3
JOHN Barnes the player took the final step last night to becoming John Barnes the manager as he led Celtic into battle for the first time and saw them emerge with what he hopes will be the first of many victories.
First impressions are that he will take the style that personified his play on to the sidelines. Always a thinker rather than a demonstrative player, he showed the same qualities last night as his entry into the list of Celtic managers was marked in Norway with a 3-2 win over second division part-timers Ham-Kam, thanks to a late goal from Harald Brattbakk.
Barnes was mobbed as he entered the stadium from supporters desperate to get the signature of the former Liverpool player and he looked calm and relaxed as he sat in the dugout 20 minutes before kick-off watching his players going through their final training routines.
It was only 10 minutes before kick-off when he moved from his seat to give last-minute instructions to his side. Dressed in a Celtic t-shirt, shorts, and sunglasses, he spent most of the game leaning against the dugout, only becoming animated as the game progressed.
He left most of the shouting to his assistant, Eric Black, and coach Terry McDermott and, as he sat in the small VIP lounge afterwards, he gave off an air of quiet satisfaction. He had been pleased at the way his side had played and was particularly happy with their fitness, although they had understandably tired as the game progressed.
Their task was not made any easier by the large, rutted playing surface. Talking of his own first experience as a football manager, Barnes said he had felt remarkably calm throughout: "I would like to think that I would be as relaxed when we play Rangers away."
Indeed, Barnes joked: "One game, one win, what more could I ask for?" While he gave little away, something that is in keeping with his nature, he made it clear that he felt well on top of the job.
"I hope to keep my hair this colour for a long time to come," said Barnes. With that, he was off to the team bus, clearly enjoying his honeymoon period and bedding down nicely for when the real work begins in three weeks' time.
The match itself, the first of three they will play on their 12-day pre-season tour, against Ham-Kam, who are in the middle of their domestic season, was clearly more than just a run-out for his team. Goals from French trialist Stephane Bonnes, Reggi Blinker, and that late strike from Brattbakk, who had missed an easy goalscoring opportunity in the first half, gave Celtic victory over the part-time side, whose goals were scored by a teacher and an estate agent.
Bizarrely, the Glasgow club's record signing, Eyal Berkovic, was denied his debut as a substitute because he had left his football socks in the dressing-room – and, to save time, Barnes put on Lubomir Moravcik instead.
What must have pleased Barnes, however, was the performance of another new signing, Olivier Tebily, a central defender who looked like he has a good footballing brain and is at ease with the ball coming forward. Barnes felt that the player, who comes from the Ivory Coast, had fitted in well and looked strong and quick.
The head coach's starting 11 included trialist striker Bonnes, who opened the scoring in 15 minutes. However, obviously nothing too deep can be read into his team line-up at this stage, as he also named 10 substitutes, only three of whom got a run-out.
Briskeby Stadium, which holds around 5000 people, only had a fifth of that figure in for the visit of Celtic and, due to the closeness of houses to the stadium, huge stretches of netting are put up behind the goals to make sure the ball does not leave the ground and find itself in someone's front room.
Such was the wayward nature of the opposition shooting early on that the nets turned out to be a bit of a godsend. Celtic took the lead when Bonnes scored with a tap-in from a Morten Wieghorst cross after Ham-Kam goalkeeper Hareboe-Ree made a hash of a clearance. The Parkhead outfit went further ahead in 35 minutes when Blinker sidefooted home, but Ham-Kam did have their own chances and hit the bar and post with long-range efforts.
As the game progressed, Celtic did begin to tire and, indeed, the Norwegian side's two second half goals were of a much better quality than Celtic's. The first, in 57 minutes, came from a delightful chip by Brannstorph, an estate agent by day, who turned inside three Celtic defenders on his way to scoring, while their second, from Novak, a teacher, in 64 minutes, came after he got away from Riseth before calmly knocking the ball past goalkeeper Jonathan Gould.
The winner came from a good run from Tommy Boyd to the byline and his low cut-back left Brattbakk with the easiest of opportunities to tap the ball home from a yard out to allow Celtic to progress with confidence to their next match, on Friday, another tough affair against current Danish league champions Aalborg.
- Manager Interview
John Barnes, post match:
"It was a difficult game but it's what we expected and it's why we came here in the first place.
"I enjoyed being in the dug-out. I was actually very calm, I hope I'm like that when we're playing away against Rangers.
"I will try to stay calm all the time and I hope I can keep hold of my hair and that it stays the same colour as it is just now."