1999-08-29: Celtic 4-0 Hearts, Premier League

Match Pictures | Matches: 1999 – 2000 | 1999-2000 Pictures

Trivia

• Celtic were drawn against Hapoel Tel-Aviv in the next round of the UEFA with the first leg at home.
• Queens Park signed Paul Borland who had been released by the club at the end of the previous season.
• The supporters appeared to be getting anxious over the weird formation of 4-2-2-2.
• Tommy Johnson was the subject of a £1million bid from both Watford and Wolves. Wolves had just sold Robbie Keane to Coventry City (then managed by Gordon Strachan).
• Atletico Madrid were the latest team to be associated with a bid for Burley with an alleged £4million
• Whilst Kenny Dalglish had been tasked with pushing plans for a Celtic Academy ahead, plans were also announced to consider setting up a European Academy under Dr Jo Venglos with Bratislava being proposed as a venue.
• Celtic used the game as an opportunity to launch Celtic TV prior to the game. And somebody worked out it was Hoopy the Huddlehound’s first birthday, and some bird from London sang a song in the middle.
• Kharine dropped to the bench, Riseth was suspended, Lambert out with a knee injury and Petrov with an ankle injury. Boyd was still nursing his back injury. Stewart Kerr was also missing with a back injury. McNamara came back for his first game since the previous season after an injury nightmare period and Blinker and Healy were restored to the team.
• THE AMAZING LUBO 'ARSE-TRAP' – performed by Lubo Moravcik in the second half over in the south east corner.

Review

Despite rumbles about the tactics and undercurrents of unhappy players, the team really clicked into place on this one. Oh…Frank Carson on before the game and at half time.

Teams

Celtic: Gould, Mahe, McNamara, Stubbs, Larsson, Burley, Berkovic (Petta 74), Tebily, Moravcik (Blinker 79), Mjallby, Viduka (Burchill 74).
Subs Not Used: Kharine, Healy.
Goals: Viduka 17, Larsson 36, Berkovic 70, 72.

Hearts: Rousset, Pressley, Naysmith, Locke (Quitongo 45), Ritchie, McSwegan, Cameron, Jackson, Murray (Adam 45), Flogel (Fulton 87), Severin.
Subs Not Used: James, McKenzie.

Booked: Mahe (Celtic) Flogel, Locke, Pressley, Quitongo (Hearts)

Referee: Jim McCluskey (Scotland).

Attendance: 59,607

Articles

• Match Report

FOOTBALL: IT'S THE WAY THEY FELL EM

Daily Record 30/08/1999
KEITH JACKSON

CELTIC 4 HEARTS 0

Jim Jefferies' side were taken apart in quite ruthless fashion as the all-new Celtic system clicked back into place.
First-half goals by Mark Viduka and Henrik Larsson and a quick second-half double from Eyal Berkovic clinched the victory but this beating could have been so much more severe.
In fact, depending on the damage done to confidence levels inside Tynecastle, it may well have done some kind of lasting damage to a side which had seemed to be on the way back itself but which has now lost eight goals without reply in its two meetings with the Old Firm.
They were lucky that they did not concede that tally over the course of 90 minutes which brought fresh inspiration to Glasgow's East End.
New signing Stilian Petrov was nowhere to be seen though no one seemed to quite know why. Rather, coach John Barnes deployed Craig Burley and Johan Mjallby as his defensive midfield duo.
Jefferies, meanwhile, had decided to combat the Barnes system by flooding his midfield, relegating Stephane Adam to the bench and handing Gary McSwegan a lonely role up front.
Gary Locke, Grant Murray and Scott Severin were given man-marking roles on Eyal Berkovic, Henrik Larsson and Lubomir Moravcik respectively.
Well, that was the theory. In practice the three could not get close enough to their intended targets to carry out their duties as Celtic opened up at such a pace that the visitors could only stand watching and wondering why on earth they had come here.
The legs holding up those in maroon seemed to have frozen completely as, whenever they chanced upon possession they surrendered it just as quickly.
These same players said, following the 4-1 defeat by Rangers, that it had been men against boys that day. Well, to use another cliche, this was a case of taking candy from a baby.
Celtic were bombarding Gilles Rousset's goal with so much menace that an early breakthrough was inevitable.
Before it came Larsson had already recoiled in disbelief after his head flick had somehow been deflected over the bar and Viduka had also cursed his luck when, having been superbly played in by Moravcik, his shot was blocked by Rousset's French derriere.
Viduka was denied again soon after when he latched on to a wonderful first-time Larsson lay-off to crack a low shot which Rousset saved low at his right.
Still, it was only a matter of time as all around Hearts began to buckle.
Locke went into the book for a crunching foul on his man Berkovic and just a few moments later, in 16 minutes, Larsson outsmarted his shadow, Murray, to set up Viduka for the opener.
The Swede shaped to go one way but twisted the other leaving young Murray's legs in knots as he darted away down the right. His cross was hung up in the air in such a fashion that Viduka could not miss. He did not.
In fact, his header from just a couple of yards out hit the target with such force that it almost ripped the net up from its moorings.
Hearts were now in serious trouble but Jefferies chose not to change his tactics. Instead, he watched and hoped that somehow his players would rediscover their feet before it was too late.
Their confidence was lifted hugely in 25 minutes when Olivier Tebily, while attempting to shepherd a stray ball over the line for a Celtic bye-kick, found himself mugged by McSwegan. As Tebily checked his back pocket McSwegan sped off towards goal. Jonathan Gould made himself as big as he could but the keeper was fortunate that McSwegan's clever attempt to chip the ball into the far corner of his net was ever so slightly misjudged.
Celtic had survived but Hearts were growing in confidence all the time and McSwegan flashed another fine effort just wide of Gould's right-hand post soon after.
Celtic's support was becoming agitated and they took out their frustrations on ref McCluskey who has never been a favourite around these parts.
They were clearly unhappy that the official was not taking action against those Hearts players who were there to destruct.
As a result the unfortunate Steven Pressley found his name being taken in 34 minutes when he seemed to win the ball fairly in a strong challenge on Viduka. Still, the roar went up and McCluskey obliged.
Perhaps Pressley's mind was still on that injustice two minutes later when his misplaced pass sparked the attack which put this game beyond Hearts.
It was collected by Stubbs who fed Berkovic. The Israeli moved it on quickly to Viduka who sliced Hearts open with a through ball for Larsson, who slipped the coolest of finishes under Rousset.
In 39 minutes Rousset pulled off a fine save to keep out a Mjallby header and from the resulting corner Hearts survived what seemed a very decent penalty claim as Jackson just about blocked a very similar Stubbs effort on the line.
Before half-time Mahe was booked for a dangerously late tackle on Severin but the youngster was back out for the re-start unlike the other markers, Locke and Murray, whose services were no longer required.
Instead, Jefferies sent on Jose Quitongo and Stephane Adam in an attempt to give McSwegan a helping hand.
However, Hearts were no better able to keep hold of the ball after the break than they had been before as the Celtic onslaught continued.
Within minutes Burley had come close to his first goal of the season, heading a Viduka cross just over the top.
Hearts were again being penned deep inside their own half as Celtic moved in pretty patterns around their area. The defending was becoming frantic.
When they did break out, albeit momentarily, Quitongo folded like a pack of cards inside the Celtic box and earned himself a booking for his effort.
Mahe, the man nearest to Quitongo at the time, applauded that decision but the temperamental full-back risked a red himself moments later when he threw one of his tantrums right under McCluskey's nose.
Mahe hurled the ball away in disgust and, technically, having been booked already should have walked for that foolish indiscretion.
Flapping
In 71 minutes Mahe clawed back a few Brownie points with the home support at least when he raced to the byline to set up Berkovic to drill goal No.3 inside Rousset's right-hand post.
Berkovic struck again in 75 minutes as Hearts disintegrated completely.
This time he arrived in the box just in time to see Rousset flapping at a delicate Viduka chip. The keeper slapped the ball into Israeli airspace and Berkovic climbed to bang his header into an empty net.
With that Celtic's work was done and Viduka, Berkovic and Moravcik were replaced by Mark Burchill, Bobby Petta and Reggi Blinker.
Hearts? They made room on the bus for an old travelling companion – not an ageing Irish comic but the Old Firm inferiority complex which they once knew so well – and went home to lie down in the dark.

PA Sport Match Report

• Manager Interview

"I was not at all surprised at the way the team played without one or two players. That is why we have a strong squad because when suspensions or injuries come along then we don't have a side which is weakened too much.
"We played some great one- touch football today and maybe that was because Hearts had players in their midfield who wanted to go forward – such as Cameron and Jackson – and that allowed Eyal and Lubo a little bit more space than they enjoyed in our last two games up in Dundee where their room to play was limited.
"I have to be happy with the way the game went, our performance and the three points."

Pictures

• Match Pictures

Stats

	Celtic	Hearts
Bookings	1	4
Red Cards	0	0
Fouls	12	11
Shots on Target	12	0
Corners	14	7
Offside	3	3

Articles