If you register for free, you will be able to post threads, vote on polls and lots more. If you have problems with the registration or logging in, please contact the administrator.
Author’s Note I am running 702 with the data update, hence of the historically inaccurate placing of some players and managers.
July 2006
It had been a long long time since the golden age of Scottish football – almost 40 years since Glasgow Celtic became the first British team to lift the European Cup in 1967. The famous Lisbon Lions had fielded an all-Scots eleven on that historic day and their victory heralded a period were Scottish clubs had punched above their weight in European competitions. Celtic Reached the European Cup final again in 1970, Rangers lifted the Cup Winners Cup in 1972 and Aberdeen won the same trophy in 1983. Dundee United reached the semi finals of the European Cup in 1984 and the UEFA Cup final in 1987. Even before Celtic’s momentous triumph Scottish clubs had enjoyed some exciting times in Europe. Rangers reached the final of the Cup Winners Cup in both 1961 and 1967 before they finally won the trophy. Hibernian were invited to participate in the inaugural European Cup competition in 1956 and reached the last four, a feat repeated by Dundee in 1963. The old Inter Cities Fairs Cup, the precursor of the modern UEFA Cup, saw Hibs and Kilmarnock contest semi finals in 1961 and 1967 respectively.
A lot of water had passed under the bridge since those heady days and the closest that any Scottish club had come to success in Europe since then came in 2003 when, under the management of the esteemed Martin O’Neil, Celtic came agonisingly close to lifting the UEFA Cup. To make matters worse for Scots football fans, the national side had also been performing poorly in recent years and had failed to qualify for a major international tournament since 1998. However the removal of the dismal Bertie Vogts from the post of national team manager brought some improvement and although his successor Walter Smith was now installed as the new manager of Rangers, former ‘Gers boss Alex McLeish looked likely to continue the good work.
Like many tens of thousands of his countrymen Gordon Strachan was frustrated by this state of affairs. But unlike his fellow patriots the manager of Glasgow Celtic was actually in a position to do something about it. He had done a lot of thinking over his short summer break and he had reached a decision – he was going to change the face of Scottish football forever by proving that it was still possible to be one of the greatest teams in Europe without using a bunch of overpaid and expensive foreigners. His intention was to rebuild his Celtic squad by bringing in the cream of Scottish football, making his club a centre of excellence for local talent and helping to restore the fortunes of the national side into the bargain. The 49-year-old had always been a true loyalist and had amassed 50 caps for his country in his distinguished playing career and the thought of building his team around Scots skills and passion had the blood coursing through his veins. But he was under no illusions – it would be a hard task to achieve, perhaps even impossible, but the fiery redhead was determined to give it his best shot.
Wisely, he did not make any public statement of his intent, correctly believing that he would be roundly ridiculed and that his Chairman and Board of Directors would be highly unlikely to support his crazy plan. The manager also knew that he could not come close to achieving his objective overnight and that he would need to change the complexion of his squad gradually. Scottish players would replace those from abroad over a period of time - as long as he brought continued success to the club then he would have a lot of latitude. No one connected with a football club wants to upset a successful manager so if the silverware continued to pile up in the Celtic Park trophy cabinet then he would be safe.
Strachan already had a core of quality Scots in his first team squad – keepers David Marshall and Mark Brown, defenders Gary Caldwell, Stephen McManus, John Kennedy, Mark Wilson, Paul Telfer and Stephen Pressley, midfielder Paul Hartley and strikers Kenny Miller, Derek Riordan and Craig Beattie – so they would get as much playing time as possible. He also had his eye on a few youngsters in the reserves and youth teams – players such as keeper James Gilpin, midfielders Rocco Quinn, Charlie Grant and Michael Gardyne and forward Kevin Cawley all had the potential to shine through in the future.
As the pre-season preparations continued the Celtic boss was quietly putting together his own private shortlist of potential targets, Scottish players of quality that he would monitor and look to bring in to the club whenever possible. There were some very obvious names on the list – established internationals such as Craig Gordon, James McFadden and Darren Fletcher. But he had also singled out some exciting youngsters who had not yet made a name for themselves such as Man United youth player Daniel Galbraith, Dundee United midfielder Ryan McCord and Hearts striker Calum Elliot to name but three. And of course everyone in Scottish football was acutely aware of a clutch of talented Scottish youngsters plying their trade at Hibs and Strachan was keen to try to attract a few of them. With transfer funding available he would have a great opportunity to bring in some new talent although he knew that he would be walking a tightrope at Celtic Park as both the Board and the supporters expected silverware. Should he fail to deliver, his grand plans would count for nothing so it was clear that he would have to manage a careful balancing act.
The other thing that Strachan wanted to achieve was to have his team play in the kind of vibrant attacking style that brought such success to the original Lisbon Lions. He was keen to entertain as well as win trophies, in the same way his own former manager at both Aberdeen and Manchester United had. He had not always seen eye to eye with Fergie but he had the utmost respect for his managerial achievements even if he did not necessarily always like the methods that the great man had used.
By the eve of the season opener at Aberdeen, Strachan had sold midfielder Paul Lawson to Southend for £100K, a good deal in the manager’s mind, and had brought in just one new player, young midfielder Kevin McDonald from Dundee. He had missed out on two of his targets with 18-year-old left back Lewis Stevenson preferring a move to Bolton and 19-year-old striker Steven Naismith opting for West Ham. He had also allowed a number of his younger players to go out on loan to a variety of clubs with the aim of getting them some valuable first team experience although he was careful to include a recall option whenever possible. He was missing three experienced players for the trip up north as Neil Lennon, Thomas Gravesen and Craig Beattie had all suffered pre-season injuries.
Strachan retained very happy memories of his time as a player in the Granite City but with the two clubs having developed quite a rivalry in recent years there was only one thing on his mind as a manger – winning the game! He sent out his side in an attacking 4-3-3 formation with instructions to attack from the off and they always looked the most likely to score first. But they had to wait until just after the half hour to make the breakthrough, Aiden McGeady taking advantage of a defensive slip to score. The bustling Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink put himself about up front as was his wont and was unfortunate not to double their lead before half time, his scoring effort denied by the tightest of offside decisions. The big Dutchman went on to hit the woodwork in the second half but it was not to be his day and he was replaced by Kenny Miller near the end of the match. Despite having several more good chances, Celtic were unable to build on their lead and almost came to regret that at the death when the Dons came within the width of the post of scoring an equaliser.
The first home game of the season came early in the month when they entertained Motherwell and Hesselink got off the mark when he scored the opener on the half hour. But Strachan was not best pleased with his defence when they allowed the visitors an equaliser minutes later. He had warned them about the threat that ‘Well striker Scott McDonald would pose and despite being tightly marked the Aussie showed some skill to steer a shot past Artur Boruc to square the game. The home side were quickly back into their stride however and in virtually their next attack they were unfortunate not to retake the lead when Hesselink’s header came back off the post. That proved to be just a momentary respite for the visitors though as the Dutch marksman got his second of the game just before half time. He came close to securing a deserved hat trick on several occasions in the second half, forcing on-loan keeper Iain Turner into a couple of smart saves and hitting the woodwork yet again as his power in the air told. The points were secured with 20 minutes remaining when he was held back in the area and a penalty was awarded. Centre back Steven Pressley, named captain in the absence of Lennon, pulled rank and took the spot kick, making no mistake and rounding off a good 3-1 win.
The TV Cameras were at Tynecastle for Celtic’s next match as Strachan hoped to add to the Edinburgh side’s woes. Having lost both of their league games thus far Hearts were desperate for a decent result but they were soon on the back foot as young midfielder Charlie Grant scored within five minutes of his first team debut. There was perhaps a touch of luck about his goal as his shot from the edge of the area did take a deflection but Strachan was delighted for the 19-year-old anyway. The home side gradually began to see more of the ball and Boruc was twice forced into action as they looked to get back into the game. At the other end Shunsuke Nakamura tested Craig Gordon with a trademark free kick that the keeper did well to reach but that was quickly followed by another attack from Hearts and another good save by Boruc. The game turned Celtic’s way in the closing minutes of the half when Hesselink gave them breathing space, latching on to a wonderful through ball from Nakamura to finish well. Gordon was tested again before half time when Hesselink struck a sweet half volley but the keeper was equal to the task and saved well. Ten minutes after the restart the game was over as a contest when Jiri Jarosik found Nakamura unmarked at the back post and the Japanese midfielder rounded off an excellent display when he scored his second with 20 minutes remaining.
Now Strachan was no stranger to the unique atmosphere of the Old Firm derby but he still felt the pressure begin to mount as the first clash of the season approached. The match would take place at Celtic Park and the TV cameras would be there, adding to the already intense media interest in the encounter. Club captain Neil Lennon had suffered a setback in training and would be unavailable, as would Maciej Zurawski the popular Pole known as Magic by the home fans. Rangers had not enjoyed a productive start to the season, a win, a draw and a defeat leaving them nearer the bottom of the table than the top.
Despite Celtic having home advantage it was Rangers who threatened first, Kris Boyd controlling a raking diagonal ball and forcing Boruc to save low to his left after just five minutes. Another searching pass opened up the Celtic defence five minutes later and this time Filip Sebo made no mistake with his finish to open the scoring. Shocked by conceding such an early goal the home side looked to strike back quickly but Jiri Jarosik headed over from Paul Telfer’s cross. Play then bogged down in midfield for a period with neither side able to keep possession long enough to build an attacking platform. Then midway through the half the Celtic Park faithful were on their feet as first McGeady and then Hartley were denied by a brilliant double save from Alan McGregor. Rangers were the next to carve out a chance as Sebo set up Boyd but Boruc made an instinctive parry to deny the visitors. Nakamura had been having a quiet game but he set the crowd roaring with a stunning equaliser ten minutes before half time. Latching on to a diagonal cross from Hesselink he took one touch before steering a delightful lob over McGregor’s head and into the top corner. With the game all square at the interval it was anybody’s match and once again it was the visitors who got into their stride first as Barry Ferguson hit a sweet volley that was well held by Boruc. The decisive goal came just shy of the hour mark as McGeady whipped in a near post free kick that Pressley finished off with a glancing header to put Celtic in front. Hesselink twice came close to extending their advantage, his first effort well saved and his second wide of the mark and finding the side netting. An increasingly desperate Rangers side finished with a flourish and substitute Novo was denied by Boruc but Strachan’s team held on for the win to send the faithful home happy.
The visit of Dundee United in late August produced a comfortable 3-0 victory in a very one sided contest although it took Strachan’s team over an hour to register their first goal after a fairly sluggish first half. Nakamura found himself all alone on the penalty spot and had time to control McGeady’s free kick before firing the ball home. The second from Jarosik was a spectacular 30-yarder that fair flew into the top corner. Man of the Match McGeady wrapped up the scoring with a simple tap-in after some unselfish play from Hesselink who drew the keeper before squaring the ball for his unmarked teammate to have the simplest of finishes. That evening the draw for the group stage of the Champions League was completed and Celtic were drawn in Group A alongside Arsenal, Sporting of Portugal and Ukrainian side Shakhtar. Strachan was happy enough with the draw, feeling that whoever came out of the hat his team would have their work cut out to make it through to the knockout stages. Hearts had made it through the qualifying rounds and they were drawn in Group H with Manchester United, Roma and Bordeaux and in Strachan’s opinion would struggle to pick up many points.
With international matches forthcoming Celtic Park took on a rather abandoned air as no fewer than 14 Celtic players, 7 of them Scots, were called up by their countries. As always in these circumstances the manager’s main hope is that all of his players return fit and healthy so that his own plans are not disrupted. On the final day of the month Strachan secured the signature of one of his shortlisted young Scots as 19-year-old centre back Garry Kenneth joined from Dundee United for a fee of £250K. The manager was doubly pleased to have landed the player as he was in competition with rivals Rangers for the lad.
The Celtic scouting team had been instructed to keep abreast of how the cream of young Scottish talent was progressing and Strachan received a glowing report on the Under-21’s 7-1 win over Northern Ireland in their European Championship group. Hibs striker Steven Fletcher had scored four goals in the rout and the 19-year-old was firmly on the wanted list at Celtic Park. The seniors played out a disappointing goalless draw at home to the Faroe Islands in their first qualifier as five Celtic players all featured. However, a fine 4-2 win in Lithuania in midweek gave some compensation even though only three Celtic players featured in that match.
Good to see a Lisbon Lions story back again :thup: I tentatively tried to move my Morton team in a Scottish direction, but there was so little Scottish talent around and those I did sign rapidly attracted interest from the EPL and demanded to move to a bigger club so I gave up!
With his players all back from international duty safe and sound the team journeyed to bottom of the table Falkirk in confident mood knowing that they would be travelling to the Ukraine the next day for their opening Champions League match on the Tuesday. An early goal from Nakamura settled any nerves that there might have been and Hesselink went on to score twice, once in each half, to secure a comprehensive 3-0 win. The home side showed some spirit though and had they managed to get some of their scoring efforts on target it could have been a different story.
The journey to Donetsk proved to be uneventful and despite his scouts reporting that their opponents had half a dozen first team players unavailable through injuries and suspensions Strachan still had in mind a conservative game plan. With Neil Lennon finally fit and back in full training he decided that his club captain would make his first start of the season so that he could bring his experience to bear. An eventful first half saw Celtic survive an early scare as the home side rattled the crossbar with a header. But on ten minutes Jarosik got his head to a McGeady free kick to score the opening goal in virtually their first meaningful attack. The home side refused to be rattled though and in the next half hour they forced Boruc into action, the Pole making three excellent saves before he was finally beaten. Celtic continued to play a containing game, looking to break forward at the right time and they almost re-took the lead just before half time but McGeady’s header came back off the post. The second half saw the visitors control play for long periods with Boruc untroubled until late in the match. By that time Celtic were ahead, Hesselink finishing after being set free by the excellent McGeady. Strachan was delighted with the 2-1 win, a result that he felt gave his side a good chance of getting something out of the group. Arsenal secured a comfortable 3-0 win at home to Sporting in the other match in the group whilst Hearts lost narrowly in Rome.
There continued to be much speculation in the press about whether rookie manager John Collins would be able to continue the good work that Alex McLeish and Tony Mowbury had done at Hibernian. There was no doubting the fact that the Edinburgh club had developed a core of very promising youngsters and Strachan had a feeling that the former Scotland star had what it took to be a successful manager. He certainly felt that the trip to Easter Road would be difficult but was nonetheless shocked when his side reached the interval a goal down after a poor first half performance. The home side had enjoyed much more of the ball in the opening period and after threatening on several occasions they scored twice in a minute on the half hour. The opener came from Scott Brown, a player very much on the Celtic manager’s radar and the second was scored by young Moroccan striker Abdesslam Benjalloun, his 3rd goal in 3 league starts. Nakamura pulled a goal back shortly before the break in Celtic’s first meaningful attack of the half. The second period was a different affair entirely after some harsh words in the dressing room and the Hibs keeper made some stunning saves before being beaten by McGeady. A new signing in the summer, Honduras international Noel Valladares was voted Man of the Match for his performance in the 2-2 draw.
As preparations continued for their next match, a midweek CIS Insurance Cup tie, rumours began to surface in the media that Celtic Chairman Brian Quinn was actively looking to sell the club and step aside. Strachan had some concerns over this but tried not to concern himself too much with things that were clearly out of his control. He kept his focus on the forthcoming visit of Clyde, a team that had inflicted an embarrassing defeat on Strachan’s side in last season’s Scottish Cup. The manager had no intention of experiencing a similar outcome in this match and although he took the opportunity to give playing time to some of his bench he still fielded a strong eleven. Despite this the home side made heavy weather of the match with some shoddy defending from Gary Caldwell allowing the visitors to take an early lead. It took a goal from the unlikely source of full back Lee Naylor to square the game after half an hour, the left back finding himself totally unmarked on the penalty spot with an easy finish. Chances were being created but squandered as half time came and went but finally the second goal came, Paul Hartley getting his first of the season on 60 minutes to secure a narrow 2-1 win. As it happened Celtic weren’t the only Premiership side made to struggle against First Division opposition – in an extraordinary match at New Broomfield Aberdeen required extra time to beat Airdrie United 5-4 with Dons striker Lee Miller netting all five goals. Dundee United had a narrow 1-0 win at home to Hamilton, Inverness squeezed through 2-1 at St. Johnstone and Rangers scored just twice at Third Division East Fife. The draw for the Quarter Finals produced another Old Firm match up, the tie to be played at Ibrox in early November.
A run of four successive home games continued with a visit from a struggling St. Mirren side and Strachan named a few changes in his starting eleven with half an eye on the visit of Arsenal in midweek. Once again the manager was furious to see his team give up the first goal against inferior opposition as Saints target man John Sutton (ironically the younger brother of former Celt Chris) comfortably outjumped both Celtic centre backs to score with a header. However, this proved to be the visitor’s only scoring effort of the entire game as the home side took charge. But despite their weight of possession they were having trouble converting their chances and it took a 37th minute penalty, converted by Hartley, to square the game. The points were secured by the mercurial Nakamura who struck twice in the second half to seal a comfortable 3-1 win. Strachan had mixed feelings about his Japanese star and his performance in the match summed up the manager’s misgivings. The midfielder had been almost totally anonymous until he ghosted into the box to put his side in front on 67 and then repeated the feat just four minutes later, McGeady the provider on each occasion. The Celtic manager had been considering replacing Nakamura, such was his lack of contribution but he was the type of player who was always likely to conjure up something special and his goals justified the manager’s decision to keep him on the pitch.
Strachan was pleased to see Hearts secure their first points in the Champions League with a gutsy 3-2 win at home to Bordeaux but less pleased when he heard that former Jam Tart Paul Hartley would miss the visit of Arsenal because of a training ground injury. A crowd of over 60,000 sat through a surprisingly poor match, the visitors scoring the only goal of the game inside ten minutes when a shot from Cesc Fabregas took a deflection off Gravesen and wrong-footed Boruc. Arsenal made more chances but failed to get one on target and the closest that Celtic came to scoring was when substitute Craig Beattie forced Jens Lehmann into a sprawling save late in the game. The manager was disappointed as much by the nature of the defeat as the result itself as he felt that his team failed to do themselves justice in front of their devoted fans. To some extent he blamed himself for adopting a very conservative game plan and vowed to be more positive in their remaining home games in the group.
Their final action of the month came on the last day of the month and visiting Kilmarnock had just one thing on their minds – avoid defeat at all costs. And for 92 minutes they looked like achieving their goal thanks to a combination of desperate defending and poor finishing. That was until Gary Caldwell lined up a free kick just outside the 18-yard box and proceeded to “do a Nakamura” by curling his shot over the wall and into the net to secure a narrow but deserved win.
Thanks sherm - I had a lot of fun with this one first time around but I fancy it will be a bit harder in FM07.
October 2006
There was another international break at the start of the month and this time there were 15 players absent from Celtic Park during that time. The national side came close to a historic upset in their match at home to France, only a stoppage-time goal from David Trezeguet denying them a famous victory. They followed this up with an impressive 3-0 win in the Ukraine with former Celt Shaun Maloney scoring twice to add to the goal he scored against France.
Meanwhile there was encouraging news concerning some of the Under-19s that Strachan was tracking. Dundee United youngster David Goodwillie scored twice in two games and Man United prospect Daniel Galbraith also generated positive feedback. There was less welcome news for the manager when his players returned from their various overseas trips as Boruc, Jarosik and McGeady all came back carrying injuries. They were joined in the treatment room by Lee Naylor leaving Strachan with no option but to make several changes to the eleven that took to the pitch in the next league game at Dunfermline. The changes in personnel were undoubtedly a factor in the poor showing on the day but as far as Strachan was concerned it was a poor excuse for a pretty lifeless display and had the home side shown a degree of composure in front of goal then the goalless draw could have ended as a defeat for the visitors.
A few days later another big European night beckoned as Sporting came to the east end of Glasgow. This was a match that the manager had identified as a must-win if his team was to progress out of the group and he sent his lads out in an attacking formation. Despite their positive intentions the team were unable to deliver in terms of either chances or goals and the 0-0 draw was not to the manager’s liking. The only consolation was that Arsenal had won a 4-3 thriller in Donetsk and the point was enough to move Celtic into second place in the group.
Strachan was beginning to get a little frustrated by his team’s recent performances and for the visit of Inverness in the league he decided to re-jig his starting eleven, moving captain Lennon to the bench and bringing young Charlie Grant into midfield. It took his team a while to get into their stride and half time came and went without the Highlanders goal being unduly threatened. But on 56 Thomas Gravesen broke the deadlock when he timed his run into the area to perfection, meeting Mike McGlinchey’s cutback on the full and sending the ball through a forest of legs and into the bottom corner. An exquisite solo effort from Nakamura in stoppage time secured a comfortable win to maintain their unbeaten record in the league. Celtic now held a nine-point lead over Hibernian with Rangers and Aberdeen a further point adrift.
Their next opponents were Aberdeen and Celtic were always in control of the game but struggled to convert chances into goals, their cause not helped by an early injury to Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink. He was replaced by Craig Beattie and the substitute scored his first goal of the season on the half hour, running on to a through ball from Pressley to slide the ball past the onrushing goalkeeper. The home side went on to carve out several more opportunities over the course of the match but Jamie Langfield in the Aberdeen goal was rarely tested. The Dons raised their game in the closing period and Mark Brown made three smart stops in the last few minutes to secure the win. The Celtic number two was yet to concede since replacing Boruc and was now keeping the Pole on the bench. The news on Hesselink wasn’t good, a hip injury requiring specialist treatment and ruling him out for several months.
The final day of the month brought a crunch Champions League match in Portugal, Strachan aware that if his team could get a positive result then they would keep their qualification hopes very much alive. His intention was to ask his team to try to contain Sporting and look to hit them on the break whenever possible and the resulting goalless draw was vindication of his approach. Beattie came close to scoring inside five minutes but his first time shot struck the foot of the post before rebounding into play and being cleared by the defence. He had two further opportunities in the first half but failed to hit the target with either attempt. The home side were limited to a couple of efforts of their own in the opening 45 minutes, neither of which bothered Brown and on balance Strachan was happy to reach the interval with the scores tied. The pattern continued after the break with Beattie spurning chances and the Sporting attack rarely forcing the Celtic keeper into action. A 4th straight win for Arsenal saw them secure qualification with Celtic, Sporting and Shakhtar all still in with a shout.
The Parkhead Panthers Revisited 
Linear Mode
