| Match Pictures | Matches: 1999 – 2000 | 1999-2000 Pictures |
Trivia
- In the Celtic Head Coach Handicap stakes, Luis Fernandez (who had looked to be a major contender) ruled himself out saying that he wanted to return to his previous club Paris St Germain. Next up was Raymond Domenech, manager of the French U21 side and seriously up-and-coming French coach. Leo Beenhakker’s name also appeared in the frame when he resigned from his head coach’s position at Feyenoord. The smart money however, was on Guus Hiddinck, then manager at Real Betis. His name cropped up in reports from Glenn Gibbons of The Scotsman (who was known to be “Celtic friendly” and to have the ear of Allan Macdonald). MacDonald and chairman Frank O’Callaghan left Glasgow on 11/4/00 on a four-day European whirlwind tour to interview prospective head coaches. Hiddinck was known to be high on his list. He had a contract at Real Betis to the end of the season and Betis were in serious trouble with the prospect of relegation looming. MacDonald and O’Callaghan returned to Scotland on the 14th but were replaced in Seville by Celtic Contracts Manager, Jim Hone – which tended to suggest that something was on the cards.
- What was also being reported and evident was that there appeared to be splits in the executive Board on the choice and process for the new Head Coach. It seems likely that MacDonald faced severe criticism, possibly even sanction, following collapse of the Dream Team and the sacking of Barnes, which was essentially his choice and instigation following his appointment of his golfing buddy, Kenny Dalglish as Head of Football.
- In the background to the continental candidates (which it looked as if Frank O’Callaghan and Allan MacDonald were chasing), there appeared to be a second list of British-based candidates. These were Joe Kinnear, Mick McCarthy, Peter Reid and Martin O’Neill. There was the suggestion that this, given the Irish association of these candidates, was the short list of principal shareholder, Dermot Desmond.
- Injury problems continued to mount. Boyd, having overcome a knee injury was again suffering a recurrence of the back problems that had seen him miss virtually all of the first five months of the season. He underwent a further operation on his back; Stubbs was recuperating from a cartilage op.; Wieghorst was out with a swollen knee injury; Johnson also picked up a knee injury in the previous Hearts game; and finally Rafael Scheidt was out for the rest of the season following a training ground collision which caused knee ligament damage; Lambert was also suspended following his red at Tynecastle. Tebily was back from international duty and Mahe and Vidyuka recovered from ankle and hamstring injuries respectively.
- The pre-match Press Conference was again held in the CSA with Dalglish running ineterference with the Press for Allan MacDonald’s pursuit of Hiddinck in Seville.
- Debut for de Ornelas.
Review
An all-time classic on ‘What happened Next’ with Jonathon Gould throwing the ball into the net. It all kind of summed up the season – the league all but lost with still six games to go and everything becoming an agony to sit through whilst chaos reigned (or appeared to) off the park.
Teams
Celtic: Gould, Riseth, Mjallby, Tebily, McNamara (de Ornelas 81), Berkovic, Petrov, Blinker, Mahe (Crainey 61), Burchill, Viduka.
Subs Not Used: Kerr, Moravcik, Healy.
Goals: Mahe 30, Burchill 45.
Dundee: Douglas, Smith, Wilkie, Ireland, Maddison, Rae (Miller 87), Artero (Boyack 74), Billio, McSkimming (Bayne 46), Annand, Luna.
Subs Not Used: Langfield, Tweed.
Goals: Luna 1, Gould 54 og
Booked: Mahe, Petrov, McNamara (Celtic) Wilkie, Luna (Dundee)
Referee: Stewart Dougal (Glasgow).
Attendance: 47,163
Articles
- Match Report
Fool's Gould
Sunday Herald 16/04/2000
Michael Grant;at Celtic Park
Celtic 2 Dundee 2
IF they had conceded one more goal Celtic would officially have presented the championship to Rangers yesterday. That might suggest the closing stages resembled a walk on a tightrope but, in truth, Celtic have no further to fall. The side was jeered off the park at the end of Kenny Dalglish's 12th game as caretaker manager and, though it would be churlish to criticise a 47,000 attendance, that represented 13,000 empty seats and just as many disenchanted supporters.
It was another wearying day for them all, never more so than when Jonathan Gould made a slapstick mistake to gift Dundee the game's final goal. It was the type of horrendous error certain to feature on a future video compilation of comic blunders, or Question of Sport's "what happened next …" but no other element of Celtic's display was remotely as memorable.
"The players are playing for their careers, either here or elsewhere," said Dalglish afterwards, glum even by his standards. "I don't think many did their reputations any good.
"With a performance like that it's difficult to see where they are going to be because not many [potential buyers] would be comfortable with a performance like that."
Celtic Park had the feel of a stadium where the regulars bitterly regret the fact six more games must be endured before the season can be finally laid to rest. The early afternoon revelations that Guus Hiddink is liable to be Celtic's head coach next season did nothing to stir the dying embers of Dalglish's disintegrating reign. Eyal Berkovic played with a hint of verve, but the others seemed a disparate group fearful of being sold off around Europe whenever John Barnes' successor takes command. Their efforts so far have left them 18 points behind Rangers in the championship.
When Dundee took the lead after one minute and 43 seconds' play it was, at that point, enough to hand Rangers the championship regardless of their own result at Tannadice. Gavin Rae burst down the right wing and crossed for the unmarked Francisco Luna to head a simple finish past Gould. The bustling Luna was one of a trio whose arrival from Spain began to generate rumblings about Jocky Scott's security at Dens Park. The man accused of facilitating the three transfers without Scott's knowledge, Steve Archibald, was again in place among the Dundee directors yesterday. It is Peter Marr and his board's right to invite any guest they choose, but Archibald's presence is so contentious it seems almost a calculated attempt to undermine Scott's authority.
Celtic's early defending was reminiscent of the carelessness shown in the decisive Scottish Cup defeat against Inverness Caledonian Thistle, with only Vidar Riseth denying Luna another attempt on goal after the striker chested down a right wing cross from fellow Spaniard Javier Artero. Asked about the signings, Scott's reply was terse: "The two boys that played today have done well for us, they have shown they can play." He did not expand.
Eyal Berkovic's impact as the most expensive player in Scotland has been so anticlimactic that now, in a run of satisfactory form, he is damned with faint praise. To play well when the decisive league game is over, critics argue, is symptomatic of a personality lacking the qualities of true winner. Yet Berkovic's ability is not open to debate. Given a few yards of space by Dundee, who were subdued between their two goals, his passing and movement identified him as a constant source of danger. He released first Stilian Petrov and then Mark Burchill for attempts on goal, Burchill's requiring an alert one-handed save by Rab Douglas.
Dundee's resistance was stubborn but Douglas was beaten after 31 minutes when Mark Viduka found the byline despite pressure from Craig Ireland and hit a back post cross which Stephane Mahe met with a firm header. Dundee were able to thump the ball clear after numerous intricate Celtic build-ups but Berkovic created a second goal a minute before half-time. Burchill used the Israeli for a precise one-two through the congested centre of the Dundee defence and the young Scotland striker struck a low shot into the net.
NO one, though, foresaw Dundee's equaliser. Those who doubted the wisdom of signing a goalkeeper from Bradford's reserve side have waited a long time for justification via a truly calamitous blunder, but yesterday Gould obliged. Artero's deep cross was met by a Graham Bayne header which the goalkeeper collected low at the near post. Holding the ball on the ground, he used it to lever himself up again only for it to squirt under his body and trundle over the goal line. Like a Glasgow Empire audience savaging an English comedian, the Celtic support howled its contempt.
"I never even saw it," said Scott. "I turned away because he had saved the thing. I was more disgusted with my forwards for not going in to meet the header back across goal. We have lost a lot of bad goals this season so I am delighted to get one for us."
Dalglish said: "The mistake he made was no worse than many of the others made out there but unfortunately for him he will be the focal point of one or two of the headlines."
Eddie Annand might have scored with another header from a Lee Maddison cross and Gould, too late to salvage credibility, reacted admirably to parry a 22-yard Patrizio Billio drive. Berkovic sent a fizzing low shot which skimmed wide of goal after a deflection and then substitute Stephen Crainey struck a skilful free kick which had Douglas scampering to dive to his top left-hand corner. Celtic supporters, applauded the save, only to erupt when referee Stuart Dougal awarded a goal kick rather than a corner.
Celtic's late pressure, though lacking craft, may have produced a winner when Crainey curled an impressive pass down the left wing which released Burchill behind right-back Barry Smith. Burchill hared in on Douglas only to unleash an effort which was neither shot nor cross.
"Coming to Parkhead and getting a result is obviously different class for us," said Scott. "Far too often this season we have allowed Celtic to walk over the top of us and at times I thought it was going to happen today as well. We ended up getting a lucky goal, but they all count."
As this Celtic team may discover in the coming months, they can count against you too.
- Manager Interview
"Jonathan will attract the headlines, but his mistake wasn't the worst.
"Not too many of them have done their reputations any good today….whether it’s here or elsewhere."
Pictures
Stats
| Celtic | Dundee | |
| Bookings | 3 | 2 |
| Red Cards | 0 | 0 |
| Fouls | 10 | 17 |
| Shots on Target | 6 | 4 |
| Corners | 7 | 4 |
| Offside | 4 | 0 |