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Fullname: Glenn Loovens
Height; 5.10
Weight: 11.09
Born: 22 October 1983
Birthplace: Doetinchem, Holland
Signed: 16th August 2008, undisclosed fee from Cardiff City
Left: 16 July 2012 (to Real Zaraogoza, free)
Debut: Celtic 3 – 0 Falkirk, SPL, 23rd August 2008
Position: Defender, Central Defender
Squad No.: 22
Internationals: Netherlands
International Caps: 2
International Goals: 0
Biog
| “I had some good times at Celtic and met some lovely people.” Glenn Loovens (2020) |
Dutch defender Glenn Loovens became Celtic’s fourth signing of summer 2008 when he arrived at Parkhead for an undisclosed fee from Cardiff City on August 16th.
A centre-half, Loovens began his professional football career at Feyenoord. He made his debut for the Rotterdam club in season 2001-02 season but after failing to hold down a regular starting spot was later loaned to Excelsior and De Graafschap. A Dutch Under 21 international, Loovens joined Championship no marks Cardiff on a season long loan (2005-2006).
The defender quickly became a fans’ favourite and a key player for the Bluebirds, and in the summer of 2006 he agreed a £180,000 permanent switch to ramshackle Ninian Park. Loovens was a stand out in the Cardiff side which shocked English football by making it to the 2008 FA Cup final. The Dutchman played in every tie – including the final – and impressed with his consistant and solid performances in the heart of defence.
By the summer of 2008, the ambitious Glenn Loovens realised his chances of a full international call-up were limited while he remained in the relative backwaters of the English Championship. Rangers were exceptionally eager to land the Dutchman, but Celtic then made a surprise move for the defender who they snapped up from under the noses of Rangers management.
Glenn Loovens arrived at Celtic in the unending search for a quality centre-half. Caldwell, McManus amongst many others were getting too much flak and criticism, so Loovens was seen as a serious player for a centre-half position. Supposedly taking him from under the noses of Rangers helped, but likely that has been overplayed.
In his first season at the club, the big defender was given little opportunity by Hoops boss Gordon Strachan to dislodge the McManus/Caldwell partnership at the heart of the defence. When he did step in – usually due to injury – Loovens produced some solid, if not spectacular performances, but he was rewarded with a place in the team which won the League Cup in March 2009, receiving a deserved winners medal after a fine performance against Rangers, taking the place of the absent McManus.
It was still a good first season for him, scoring four goals including the winner against Inv Caley in only his fifth game which made him popular. Problem was that (not his fault) he was brought in by Strachan at a time when Strachan was becoming unpopular with sections of the support, and the team had taken a turn for the worse. So in some ways, Loovens was possibly identified unfairly with Strachan’s dull style of play rather than on his own performances.
With the arrival of Tony Mowbray as the new Celtic manager in the summer of 2009, Loovens finally got the chance to push for a starting berth. With McManus out injured, the Dutchman produced some fine early season displays, and his good form was rewarded on September 5th when he picked up his first full international cap in a 3-1 friendly victory over Japan. He established himself as a first team starter under Mowbray, and continued this though the season, even after the departure of Mowbray whose reign was brief in a disastrous season.
As a player he was a strong forthright defender, good in the air and willing to put in a strong tackle, there was much to like. Pace though was an issue although he was far from being immobile. Always giving his best, he was admirable.
Injuries were Looven’s big problem. A good spell would often be matched by an even lengthier spell on the sidelines. Frustrating for all, but he couldn’t shake off the injuries jinx. They punctured his entire spell at Celtic, as can be seen by his appearance statistics throughout his time at Celtic.
After Mowbray’s departure, Loovens continued as an established first team starter in the early days of Neil Lennon’s tenure as manager. However, his form and confidence dipped in the autumn of 2010 and he lost his place to Thomas Rogne.
Overall, in seasons 2010/11 & 2011/12 under Lennon he ended up making a fraction of the appearances he deserved to. Injury, team chopping & changing and new transfers all were the main reasons. He was though much criticised by some sections of the support who argued that he could be quite languid in his efforts (which was nonsense) and could be poor in judgement, which didn’t help. Although, scoring an own goal v Rangers which let them back into a match to equalise and then to go on to win the game didn’t help his case.
Celtic couldn’t in any case manage a settled defence so no consistency hampered everyone, let alone just Loovens. He was being marked down by some for reasons beyond his control. A steady run with a more able partner in defence could have paid off hugely in dividends. When on-field, he was one of the more dependable central defenders in a long list of much maligned defenders during his years at Celtic.
There were some good points in his last seasons. He did score the winning goal v Hibs in September 2010 which was a welcome three points in the race for the title, the highlight for him that season, and his performances were generally more than adequate if never outstanding. He definitely loved scoring and was very expressive when he got the goals, demonstrating he appreciated his time at the club.
He grabbed a goal in the 6-0 tanking of Kilmarnock which sealed Celtic’s league title win for the first time for 4 years in 2011/12, and was a nice touch for him. He deserved the moment of glory and finally being able to pick up a deserved league title medal (so he had now won one of each senior trophy domestic trophy medals). He also gave a good account of himself in the 3-0 win over Rangers (oldco) (the last match ever against them).
Overall, despite being overly maligned by some sections of the support, the actual truth is that Loovens was a far better player than some would ever give him credit for. Lack of stability in the defensive set-up (the number of permutations in his time was ridiculous), general goalkeeping problems (e.g. Zaluska or a lazy Boruc) and defensive coaching problems combined to make life difficult for Loovens. Still he kept on and never a bad word. A good professional in that sense even when dropped.
The move of Mulgrew to centre-half kind of showed up the other central defenders in the squad, although Loovens had outlived most of the others so he must have been doing something right. He wasn’t as clumsy as some of his peers (e.g. Kelvin Wilson in his first season) and was never sent off. He also chipped in with some goals which we can all respect.
His contract wasn’t renewed at Celtic after the end of season 2011/2012, and becoming a free agent allowed him to sign up to Real Zaragoza. Taking in that La Liga was the pre-eminent league in the world at that time, it was to be interesting to see how he would cope. The change and new challenge was a good thing for him.
Sadly for him, his value at Celtic was not immediately recognised more after his move away as the squad hit a purple patch in the next season, and amazingly some out of form defensive players started to find their feet again. Ironically, Rogne who was marked as Loovens’ natural successor was to be as prone to injuries as much as Loovens was, so replacing like with like?
In reflection, Glenn Loovens will be remembered fondly for his effort and commitment over his time at Celtic.
Post-Celtic
After Celtic he had spells at Real Zaragoza, Sheffield Wednesday & Sunderland. He hung up his playing boots at the end of season 2018-19.
He never lost his Celtic roots, and played in front of 48,000 supporters for a ‘Celtic Legends‘ select side at Anfield v their Liverpool counterparts in a charity match in March 2023, winning the chance to relive old glories. You could clearly see the joy in his face at being back in a Celtic shirt, and very welcome he was too.
[…]
Playing Career
| APPEARANCES | LEAGUE | SCOTTISH CUP | LEAGUE CUP | EUROPE | TOTAL |
| 2008-2009 | 17 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 21 |
| Goals | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 2009-2010 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 7 | 29 |
| Goals | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 2010-2011 | 13 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 21 |
| Goals | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| 2011-2012 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Goals | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Total Appearances | 61 | 6 | 7 | 14 | 84 |
| Total Goals | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 9 |
Honours with Celtic:
Scottish Premier League:
Scottish Cup:
Scottish League Cup:
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KDS Honours
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12-May-09
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SPL | |
| 24-May-09 | Celtic 0-0 Hearts | SPL |
Pictures
Articles
Ex-Parkhead defender Glenn Loovens on the Holy Trinity behind Celtic’s quest for Nine-In-A-Row
Exclusive by Matthew Lindsay @MattLindsayHT Chief Football Writer
https://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/18357939.ex-parkhead-defender-glenn-loovens-holy-trinity-behind-celtics-quest-nine-in-a-row/
MUCH had changed when Glenn Loovens made an emotional return to Parkhead for the Ladbrokes Premiership match against St Mirren the week before the shutdown was imposed last month.
Some things, though, were exactly the same as when he had left eight years earlier; Celtic were still winning games comfortably and were still sitting proudly on top of the league table.
Loovens had helped the Glasgow club to lift the Scottish title back in 2012 – the first of their current run of eight consecutive league triumphs – just before he departed for Real Zaragoza in Spain.
Indeed, the centre half scored in the 6-0 blitzing of Kilmarnock at Rugby Park which ensured they were crowned champions and he personally completed a clean sweep of domestic honours.
It was very much business as usual, then, as his old side romped to a 5-0 win which fleetingly moved them 16 points clear of their nearest challengers.
“I had some good times at Celtic and met some lovely people,” said Loovens. “It is always nice to go back and see your old team. To see them doing so well was great too.”
There were a fair few well kent faces both in the side and on the sidelines when former Dutch defender made his fleeting visit. He enjoyed catching up with his old team mates Scott Brown and Fraser Forster and manager Neil Lennon.
Loovens, a cultured footballer whose time in this country was bedevilled by injuries and hampered by a raft of other problems not of his making, is unsurprised that Celtic have been able to avoid a fall from grace during his absence with that Holy Trinity still very much to the fore.
“Fraser did really well at Celtic first time around and as a result of that he got a nice move,” he said. “Unfortunately, he lost his place latterly at Southampton. But Celtic was a good place for him to go back to and show what he is capable of and he has done that.
“He is a big guy with a commanding presence. He is the sort of guy you look at and say: ‘Oh my God! Look at the size of him!’ People think twice going up against him when he is coming out at them full speed. Of course, he is a great goalkeeper as well. He is one of the best all-round goalkeepers I played with in my career.”
Loovens was in the Celtic squad when Lennon, who was just 38 and had no managerial experience, replaced Tony Mowbray with only a couple of months of the season remaining after a 4-0 defeat to St Mirren in Paisley back in 2010.
He quickly realised why the Parkhead hierarchy had taken such a gamble appointing their former midfielder and captain. He has been delighted to see him flourish in the high-profile and high-pressure role during two separate spells in charge.
“It was his first job as a head coach when I was there,” said Loovens. “He was young at the time, but he had some great teachers to learn from at Celtic in Martin O’Neill and Gordon Strachan. He did really well for himself and has done really well for himself since. That is probably why they took him back last year.
“I liked him a lot. I have a lot of time for him. He has got a lot of passion for the club and he cares for the players. It wasn’t easy for him to come in after Brendan Rodgers and carry that on because his predecessor did so well. But he has shown he is capable. I hope he continues for a long time. I think he is made for that job.”
Rangers very much held the upper hand on Celtic in the league during the first three seasons that Loovens was here. Still, the ex-Feyenoord player always relished their encounters. That is a trait which he very much shared with Brown.
He feels the continued presence of the combative ball-winning central midfielder, who is still going strong in the middle of the park at the grand old age of 34, has kept Celtic on top since the Ibrox club won promotion to the top flight four years ago.
“I don’t think you get the full feel of an Old Firm game until you play in one,” he said. “You can talk about it all day long, but until you play in it you can’t know what it’s like. When you are out there on that pitch there is an extra dimension to it. It was great to play in every one of them.
“It is an advantage to Celtic in those games having a manager like Neil who has played in them himself and been in the dugout on many occasion as well. But a guy like Scott Brown will help you a lot as well. He has played in a lot of them as well. I am sure he lets all the players know what the game means to everyone.”
Loovens’ first experience of the world-famous fixture in the League Cup final at Hampden in 2009 – which Gordon Strachan’s side won 2-0 thanks to extra-time goals from Darren O’Dea and Aiden McGeady – is one of his fondest memories of his time at Celtic.
“It is always nice to win things,” he said. “But winning the league in 2012 was especially sweet. You work hard for it all year. It was one of my favourite moments. Another was my first game against Rangers in my first season in the League Cup final. That was a classic match.
“I hope they keep winning the league. We all know what happened to Rangers that season. It is not easy for them to come back quickly from that. They have had to come from a long way down. But it has still not been easy for Celtic to keep it going.”
A switch to a 3-5-2 formation after the 2-1 defeat to Steven Gerrard’s side at home at the end of December has enabled Lennon’s team to build up a 13 point lead over their city rivals in the Premiership in 2020 and move to the brink of a record-equalling ninth consecutive title.
Loovens, who retired last year aged 35 following a final spell with Sunderland, recalled that is way they set up when their current streak of league wins had started.
“Funnily enough, that is how we ended up playing when I left Celtic, with three at the back,” he said. “We played in the last four or five games that season with three at the back. I played with Victor Wanyama on the right and Charlie Mulgrew on the left. They were great for me to play alongside.
“I think if you asked the players now they would say that it suits them. I think they do have the personnel because they have some superb centre backs and wing backs to fill in the positions.
“I liked Kristoffer Ajer a lot. He is big physically and good defensively, but he is also comfortable on the ball and quite quick. He has got all of the attributes needed to have a very good career.”
Glenn Loovens, who represented the Netherlands twice and also played for Cardiff City and Sheffield Wednesday, certainly did that, but he still looks back on the seasons he spent and trophies he lifted at Celtic with particular pride.