| Match Pictures | Matches: 1999 – 2000 | 1999-2000 Pictures |
Trivia
- Craig Burley completed his move to Derby County for £3.00million rising to £4.00 million based on appearances and a 3 ½ year deal. He left still saying that he had not wanted to leave but when the club accepted the offer he had to do the right thing and move. Part of his move deal included a gagging clause in return for his £300k golden handshake.
- Tommy Johnson returned to Celtic Park from his loan period at Everton on 1st December after failing to win a permanent move to the Merseysiders. Everton had wanted him to stay on for a third month on loan. Celtic immediately fielded an enquiry from Jim Jeffreys of Hearts as to Johnson’s availability.
- Mahe’s red in the League Cup game saw him pick up enough points to have to serve a four game suspension, one of those games being the Rangers game at home.
- Johan Mjallby was being linked with a move back to AIK Stockholm.
- An embattled Allan MacDonald took the trouble to issue a statement through Celtic View, the Press and individual leaflets on each seat at this game to explain the situation at the club. This was to detail that the club were in the third phase of development following the stadium and organisational rebuilding. The third phase involved creating a first team capable of achieving success in Scotland and Europe. To this end the plc Board had met to sanction further investment in the team.
- Both Morten Wieghorst and Alan Stubbs had spoken out over the sale of Craig Burley. Barnes appeared more unhappy about the two speaking out rather than the sale of Burley at the pre-match press conference
- On the day of the game the news broke that Celtic were considering a bid for a Brazilian called Raphael Scheidt
- Berkovic was restored to the starting line up. Petta made the bench. Lambert played his first game after his concussion and loss of teeth. Mahe suspended.
Review
Everybody felt something was wrong. The spin doctors had all been wheeled out. The personal messages fired in by the high heid yins. And Pravda was in overdrive. But then the team start firing on all cylinders for this game. Surely it couldn’t be THAT wrong could it? The second game in a row with Lubo Moravcik on fire.
Teams
Celtic: Gould, Stubbs, Tebily, Mjallby, McNamara, Riseth (Petrov, 71), Berkovic (Petta ,71), Lambert, Wieghorst, Viduka, Moravcik (Burchill,71)
Subs not used: Kerr, Wright
Goals: Viduka (pen, 18), Moravcik (29), Moravcik (58), Wieghorst (86)
Hibernian: Colgan, Collins, Hughes, Dennis, Jack, Smith, Brebner, Latapy (Hartley ,81), McGinlay (Lovell ,63), Paatelainen (Lehmann ,73 ), Miller
Subs not used Gottskalksson, Bottiglieri,
Bookings: Riseth, Viduka (Celtic) Hughes, Jack (Hibernian)
Referee: Stuart Dougal (Scotland)
Attendance: 60092
Highlights
Goals
Articles
- Match Report
Celtic knocked into shape
Scotland on Sunday 05/12/1999
By Graham Spiers at Celtic Park
Celtic 4-0 Hibs
NOT for the first time, a Celtic crisis has proved to be pitifully weak in stamina.
Few at Parkhead yesterday would bounce away from this expecting weeks of remorseless calm, but there was a feeling that, with performances like this stuffing of Hibs, everyone's recent protest and outrage should be healthily kept in check. After a week of angry shouting about Celtic's plans, their opponents were ripped up and turfed out of Parkhead with very little fuss.
The faltering weaknesses of the visitors – excepting their brave reserve goalkeeper, Nick Colgan – shouldn't be allowed to diminish John Barnes' pleasure. The Celtic coach, mostly by his own means, has spent recent weeks and months rounding up enemies for himself, but the vitriol Barnes faced for selling Craig Burley must have staggered those who thought that football clubs selling players was less than criminal. The sheen of silverware might not be near to blinding Celtic's eyes, but they have now won twice, are propped well up the league, and yesterday recovered their appetite for creating chances and scoring in spate.
Since Henrik Larsson's injury, Lubomir Moravcik has taken the mantle of adoration in Glasgow's east end, and the Slovak here contagiously applied his skills while helping himself to two goals. But it is hard to think when any side in Scotland last had a striker of such build and strength and technique as Mark Viduka. Built like a barn, Viduka has the power to plough past opponents while at the same time displaying tricks and feints that only a man half his size should possess. There is almost something balletic, indeed, about this bulky striker's twinkling feet.
In Larsson's absence, Viduka once more was the cerebral source of Celtic's attacks, bringing team-mates into play with some seamless running and passing. Having scored a penalty, he was denied further glory by Colgan's blocks, but, like Moravcik, he left his signature scrawled all over this match.
Despite the gnashing and wailing of these last few Celtic days, it won't be startling if this eventful week proves a turning point for the club. The departure of Burley might have been met with ridiculous yelps of grief but what might be more important to Barnes is the way his team are now playing to a discernible shape. This was the third straight game where Celtic applied a 3-5-2 pattern – albeit with Eyal Berkovic shuttling back and forth in attack – and the sheer familiarity of what they are doing and where they are going seems to be flooding their players with confidence.
Barnes, of course, has repeatedly indicated that he feels the value put on experience is rather exaggerated. You wonder, though, what he could have done with these players – especially against Lyon – had he tried to be this pragmatic before. Initially full of romance about how the game should be played, and even, there is a suspicion, besotted with South American style, Celtic's coach has gradually accepted his players were baffled and that perhaps he was baffling himself. Celtic now play a highly unoriginal, but effective, game of football. The greatest football coaches have all had to learn.
But now the dark news. The notion that Barnes has a romantic streak about African or Latin styles is reinforced by the not surprising bulletin that he is chasing a Brazilian defender. Nobody knows much about Gremio's Rafael Scheidt, but for the fee of 6m which Celtic are reported to be offering, this is the sort of alarmist stuff that will get the circus big top raised once more. Can someone answer this: what is wrong with Celtic paying a sober 2m or 3m for a player who turns out to be accomplished, though not very extravagant or flamboyant? Is Brazil really the place this club must visit to spend this amount … and for a defender?
"We've only made a tentative enquiry about the lad but but we're hopeful of getting him," Barnes said. Chief executive Allan MacDonald has said prudence, prudence all week, but you obviously have to go to Brazil to buy a defender costing more than three times Johan Mjallby, who was once again outstanding.
Hibs haven't exactly been floundering under Alex McLeish but yesterday they were run over. Shaun Dennis hauled down Viduka on the corner of the six-yard box on 17 minutes and the striker hoisted himself up to slot the penalty to Colgan's right. It was just the start.
Celtic enjoyed their torrents of fine passing and it was one of those days when Moravcik was irresistible. He wheeled away right and left leaving defenders in a spin, and this player's ability to bend over crosses with either foot is a delight to watch in a business of one-footers. In the 29th minute, Moravcik took down Stubbs' long pass to lob the stranded Colgan for Celtic's second.
Moravcik, on 58 minutes, converted the lowest diving header of his life after a Viduka burst, and, on 85 minutes, Morten Wieghorst lobbed Colgan. Still, worse keepers than him will concede fewer goals here.
- Manager Interview
Pictures
Stats
| Celtic | Hibernian | |
| Bookings | 2 | 2 |
| Red Cards | 0 | 0 |
| Fouls | 13 | 15 |
| Shots on Target | 13 | 3 |
| Corners | 7 | 1 |
| Offside | 1 | 0 |