Hartson, John

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Big Bad John

Personal

Fullname: John Hartson
aka: Jonny Hartson, Big Bad John, BBJ
Height: 6.01
Weight: 14.06 st
Born: 5 April 1975
Birthplace: Swansea, Wales
Signed: 2 Aug 2001
Left: 27 June 2006
Position: Forward, Striker
Squad No.: 10
Debut: Kilmarnock 0-1 Celtic, League, 4 Aug 2001
Internationals: Wales
International Caps: 51 caps
International Goals: 14 goals

Summary

Born on the 5th of April 1975 in Swansea, Wales

On the same day as O’Neill made Steve Guppy and Momo Sylla Celtic players in the summer of 2001, John Hartson was bought for a fee of £6M from Coventry City [BBC]

The signing came nearly a year after failing a medical with Rangers [BBC]

Hartson retired from international football in 2006, having scored 14 goals in 51 appearances for Wales

In June 2006, John signed for West Brom for an undisclosed fee, thought to be around £500k. [BBC]

Signature tune after scoring a goal was “Big Bad John”.

Biog

“I was never a great, great player. I was just somebody who gave his heart and soul into every performance.”
John Hartson

[Untitled]

John Hartson’s (“Big Bad John”/”BBJ”) first stint in Glasgow was brief. He came to Glasgow to have a medical only to be turned down by Rangers for a transfer on having failed the check-up! A year or two later, Martin O’Neil decided to take a punt on the big Welshman with many guffawing and baffled by his choice.

When you look at John Hartson it is hard to envisage that he was actually one of the team and not some bloke off the terracing. His physique was more akin to a pie-eater’s, whilst his penchant for cigarettes and alcohol was well known and publicised. A complete contrast to his team-mate Larsson in his appearance and preparation yet he was still taken to heart by the Celtic support as affectionately as the King of Kings himself. He was a lumbering, pugnacious player who could bully the opposition by simply his presence and size. Nothing stylistic about his methods and very much a throwback to olden days. Possibly his failings are what made him a hero to many!

Before he even came to Celtic, he already had a bit of a wild reputation, having been caught on camera by the press kicking a team-mate in the mouth at training. Taking in that the petty little Eyal Berkovic was the victim (sic!), there were likely few if any sympathisers at Celtic (in either the support or management) or even outwith of the club.

Truth is that many were less than enamoured at Hartson’s arrival after he signed, wondering why Celtic had spent so much on him (£6m) when he was expected to play second fiddle behind both Sutton and Larsson. To the surprise of many from the off he actually worked hard for his place and more than earned his right to be there. Goals galore were to the fore, and he blended in well with Larsson and Sutton which was no easy feat trying to keep up with the super duo. As with everyone else, he was in awe of Henrik, but complements for Hartson were also high in regard for him as well.

He had a slow start at Celtic taking eleven games to finally score his first goal (which gave the cynics some room to take aim), but when he finally got going he was on fire. His first goals came in a 5-1 win over Dundee Utd at home in the league in a 5-1 win where he scored a hat-trick! There was no turning back from there.

The highlights of Hartson’s time at Celtic would for any of them be enough for any other player, such as scoring against Barcelona at the Camp Nou in the Champions League to earn us a draw or more importantly scoring a belter of a goal against Liverpool away from outside the box in a two nil win on the Road to Seville (UEFA Cup). Must add that he was a bit of a hunskelper too and scored some memorable goals against them. Although he missed a late penalty against Rangers in a cup final that sadly grated for him but he didn’t let it get him down and more then made up for it.

He was quite measured on the pitch at times as well, for example when he showed excellent restraint in Vigo having been sleekitly gobbed on by opposition player Luccin. He could easily have reacted and got sent off leaving Celtic to play with 10 men away to a good Spanish side in a game where the team were very much hanging on.

Sadly though injuries hampered his career and what should have been the highlight of his career by playing in the UEFA Cup final was curtailed by required back surgery.

However, Europe was also quite where his limits could be found out. Despite an incredible scoring record at home, in Europe his record was less impressive but by no means necessarily terrible. Lack of pace and mobility was more of a handicap in the more tactical and defensive European matches. It’s hard to say what impact he might have had if he was there for the UEFA cup final (albeit coming on off the bench). Saying that he still managed to score away against Barcelona in the European Cup, and Porto manager Jose Mourinho admitted that John Hartson was the player he found most difficult to figure out how his team was to adapt to for the UEFA Cup final match in 2003 (so relief for him when John Hartson was ruled out). So John Hartson did himself proud in the European matches despite any issues.

He recovered from his back issues, and in Season 2004/05 his exceptional season was capped by being named both the Scottish Football Writers’ Association Player of the Year and the Scottish PFA’s Player of the Year (although he shared the latter bizarrely with Rangers’ Fernando Ricksen).

Off the field he remained a much colourful character, often smoking and drinking to the fore, sadly, although his weight was a constant bone of contention. Possibly the most highlighted incident was a night out in Ireland at a CSC where he and then fellow team mate Stephen Pearson were caught on a mobile phone video amongst a crowd singing tunes with the ‘Ra boy “add-ons”. He was absolved of it but you can imagine now the furore that surrounded this even though he was never seen or heard singing anything offensive.

On his departure, he described the fans as being “his rock”! Great as that sounds, at the end of MoN’s last season, a season in which Celtic lost the league to Rangers in the last game, the truth is that most of the calls were not for him to be canonised but more showered with pelters after taking a lot of flak for failings in the past season (and a few others too). He was unfit and slower than at any point beforehand and was an easy target. However, it should be put into context for what had happened at the end of that season, and in any case we shouldn’t let any of this take away from what he had been part of and achieved with the club beforehand over his entire time at Celtic.

A great player and character who achieved more than we’re sure he even thought was possible.

Bizarrely in an interview in February 2008, John Hartson claimed that Rangers tried to get him to go to Ibrox after he’d finished with Celtic. Don’t know how serious that offer was or not but it’s funny all the same. Anyhow, he has always been very welcome back to Celtic Park and will be remembered by many as a certain cult hero.

Post-Celtic

In July 2009 it was reported that John Hartson was diagnosed as having testicular cancer which had spread to his brain (link: BBC). In typical Hartson style, Big John responded to this setback in tenacious fashion and responded positively to early treatment. He faced a long road to recovery but this hugely popular figure had Celtic fans and all football supporters cheering on his every step back towards good health.

By Dec 2009, he’d tackled the disease, and it was reported that the cancer had been virtually eradicated from John Hartson’s body although he was in need for more surgery and treatment to come. He was now quite emaciated but well enough to pick up some pundit roles on the TV both in Scotland and in Wales (where he spoke in Welsh Gaelic).

John Hartson is a battler, and that is what the support loved him for. A much respected and loved Celtic player.

He was to become a regular pundit across the football media circuit, and unashamedly pro-Celtic, and very much an intelligent and worthwhile addition.

Quotes

“Rules are rules. We abided by them, so can they!”
John Hartson on Rangers attempts to extend the season in 2007/08 to help themselves (The Sun newspaper, Apr 08)

“I was never a great, great player. I was just somebody who gave his heart and soul into every performance.”
John Hartson

“Mike McCurry knew how big a game this was to Rangers and he simply bottled it!”
John Hartson after Rangers 3-1 Dundee United where Mike McCurry handed Rangers the game

“There’s only two clubs on this planet I wouldn’t play for, even for £1m a week. That’s Rangers and Cardiff.”
John Hartson, 2006

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland, the Welshman said: “Rangers need a strong Rangers for Rangers, not for Scottish football. Celtic haven’t looked back in the last six years in my opinion. It’s Rangers people that have brought this club down, they cheated if you like, their over-payments, EBTs… they need to run the books properly and not pull every stroke in the book.”
 John Hartson (Nov 2017)

“I’ve faced many great strikers, but the toughest one was when I was 17 and playing against a great Celtic team. On the other side was Larsson and Hartson, which was just an unbelievable strike force.”
Vincent Kompany (2019)

“My time at Celtic was magical… Celtic was a very special club for me.”
John Hartson just now on Sky Sports News – The Debate (March 2020)

Playing Career

Club From To Fee League Scottish/FA Cup League cup Other
Norwich 12/10/2007 12/11/2007 Loan 2 (2) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0
West Brom 27/06/2006 30/01/2008 Signed 14 (7) 5 1 (0) 1 1 (1) 0 0 (0) 0
Celtic 02/08/2001 27/06/2006 £6,000,000 125 (21) 88 11 (1) 8 10 (1) 7 25 (7) 6
Coventry 08/02/2001 02/08/2001 Signed 12 (0) 6 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0
MK Dons 14/01/1999 08/02/2001 £7,500,000 46 (3) 19 1 (0) 0 7 (0) 2 0 (0) 0
West Ham 14/02/1997 14/01/1999 £3,300,000 59 (1) 24 7 (0) 3 6 (0) 6 0 (0) 0
Arsenal 13/01/1995 14/02/1997 £2,500,000 43 (10) 14 2 (1) 1 2 (4) 1 8 (1) 1
Luton 19/12/1992 13/01/1995 Trainee 32 (22) 11 3 (3) 2 0 (1) 0 2 (0) 0
Totals £19,300,000 333 (66) 167 25 (5) 15 26 (7) 16 35 (8) 7
goals / game 0.41 0.5 0.48 0.16
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals

Previous Clubs

1992-1995 Luton
1995-1997 Arsenal, £2.5m
1997-1999 West Ham £3.3m
1999-2001 Wimbledon £7.5m
2001-2001 Coventry Undisclosed [BBC]
2001-2006 Celtic £6m [BBC]

Honours with Celtic

UEFA Cup

Scottish League

Scottish Cup

Scottish League Cup

Pictures

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Books

DVD

Articles

Fit enough for Wimbledon.. fit enough for wales..but he’s not fit enough for Rangers –

Football
Sun, The (London, England)
September 1, 2000
Author: Ewan Smith

Hartson has played just two games for the Londoners this term and struggled to make an impact in Monday’s clash with Preston.

Yet Murray rushed him up to Glasgow in his private jet to try and beat the Euro deadline – only to send him back after getting the doc’s verdict.

The Ibrox chairman said: “He doesn’t have the required level of match fitness we need. He’s simply not fit enough to play for Rangers.

“Yes he can play for Wimbledon and Yes he can play for Wales but he has to meet a higher standard for the Champions League.

“That’s what we wanted him for and I feel really sorry for the boy that we haven’t signed him. We really didn’t have a lot of time to look at him.

“We got him for his medical at 4pm. We did MRI scans and all sorts of tests and the conclusion was not a good one.”

“His agent Jonathan Barnett insisted Hartson will be back – maybe even for Celtic. He said: “He is upset and sad but he is a very determined person and I am sure he will go out there and show what he can do.

“I can’t say whether Rangers will still be interested but it won’t stop any other teams.

“Strikers like John don’t grow on trees. He is a young boy and if he doesn’t score goals for Rangers in the future, who knows – it could be for Celtic.”