retired_bbcarr

cheers all three of you David, i think a hanging would be pretty suitable punishment for bringing Ferguson to Celtic Park mattie, i only signed him because there was no other even half decent scottish striker interested in joining and LC, i'm expecting it to be a very long and hard road (if i ever get there at all)

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Herald on Sunday
5th August 2001

LACKLUSTRE CELTIC SEE OFF DONS

A burst of two goals in the first two minutes of the second half saw Celtic to their first win under new manager Bill Wallace but the performance over the ninety minutes from the Bhoys was hardly the most convincing that their fans have ever seen. With Aberdeen trying to settle into life under Jimmy Calderwood, it seemed the perfect opportunity for the new-look Celtic side to turn a few heads and score a few goals, but they were sadly lacking in both departments as few chances were created and those that were generally failed to find their way towards David Preece in the Dons' goal.

With the game scoreless at the interval, the headlines of 'Second Dull As Dishwater Draw For Celts' were being readied. But, for a brief moment at the beginning of the second period, we saw what Wallace is trying to do with his troops. From the kick off the ball was spread right to Juninho and the Brazilian trickster worked his magic. Sensing what his team mate would do, Stephen Pearson made his way towards the Aberdeen penalty area and arrived at the back post just in time to meet Juninho's stunning 30 yard ball and head it easily past Preece.

With confidence now oozing out of them, Celtic went in search of the killer second. And it came just two minutes later from the boot of young striker Craig Beattie. The 21 year old, promoted to the first team at the beginning of the season was another beneficiary of Juninho's magic. It seems a shame that the 31 year old World Cup winner's time in Glasgow is sure to be short due to the Scottish player policy of Celtic, but if we were treated even to just these three minutes of brilliance then we'd be fulfilled. Again working his way down the right, Juninho befuddled the three Aberdeen defenders who had come across to kick him off the ball and he then spotted Beattie free on the penalty spot and chipped a delightful ball across the box for the young Scot to volley home from twelve yards.

That; however, was to be all the entertainment we were treated to for the day as Wallace was clearly seen on the sidelines telling his troops to sit back and defend what they had earned. To many a team better than Aberdeen, that would be an open invitation to take the game to the hosts and try to fight their way back into the reckoning, but the Dons have a real lack of anyone creative in the centre of the park. Summer recruit from Hearts Scott Severin may provide that at some point in the season, but the tenacious midfielder will need time to settle in to his new club before they can rely on him too heavily. The only player in red who looked in anyway decent was winger Darren Mackie. The 22 year old right sided player was full of industry down the flank and provided a few good balls into the box but his strikers were woefully inept at converting them. If rumours which have mounted over the past few days are true, then Mackie could find himself in the green and white of Celtic before much longer, and Aberdeen would find themselves with a sizeable void in their team.

Final Score: Celtic 2 - 0 Aberdeen Pearson 46"; Beattie 48"

retired_bbcarr

Scotsman
Wednesday 8th August 2001

TRIO OF NEW CELTS UNVEILED

Celtic unveiled their three new signings at a press conference held at Celtic Park yesterday afternoon. Hugh Murray, Michael Stewart and Darren Mackie have cost the Glasgow club a combined fee of £6.6M, the vast majority of Bill Wallace's transfer fund for the season.

Murray's £700K move from St Mirren is perhaps the one which will raise most eyebrows as he has never been seen as someone talented enough to grace the 'best of the rest' teams, let alone wear an Old-Firm shirt. Indeed, so questionable are Murray's credentials that he hasn't made it into the starting line-up for any of St Mirren's first division fixtures so far this season. The Paisley club will, no doubt, be very happy with the seven hundred thousand pounds that they've received for a player they consider a fringe squad member.

Both Stewart and Mackie are certain to be received better, with Stewart being an obvious long-term replacement for ageing midfielder Paul Lambert. Stewart, who began the season on loan at Hearts, has cost the Bhoys £1.9M and, with him having been capped twice for Berti Vogts' Scotland, that doesn't seem a bad price by any means. Frozen out of first team affairs at Old Trafford, Stewart tried to earn a move to Ibrox over the summer months, but was unable to suitably impress Alex McLeish. THat saw the defensive midfielder have to fund his own loan move to Hearts, but when Celtic came calling there was no doubt about where he would end up playing. With worries abounding over how much of a season Lambert will be able to play, it was important to Wallace that he bring in back-up so as not to have to rely on Neil Lennon and go against his Scottish policy.

The third, and most expensive of his signings completed yesterday is Darren Mackie. The 22 year old winger impressed Wallace at the weekend when his side faced Aberdeen, and so much so that it prompted a bid from the Celtic boss. Initial talks were held on Monday with the two teams appearing poles apart in terms of valuation, but eventually Celtic were talked up from their starting bid of £1.5M to a final cost of £4M, a seemingly high price for a player who has yet to represent his country. However, with Celtic having no Scottish players down the right hand side of the park, and with Didier Agathe having been moved on to Lyon, Wallace was forced to play Momo Sylla on the wing against the Dons, and it is a situation he is loathe to repeat, hence the arrival of Murray and Mackie, both of whom are very comfortable on the right flank.

It remains to be seen whether these new recruits will have the desired effect on Celtic's performances which have, so far this season, been underpar. But the fact is that it's a further step along the road to fielding an all Scottish side, a goal which now seems all consuming in the minds of the men that matter at Celtic Park.

retired_bbcarr

The season hadn't begun as i had planned at all. Dropping points on the opening day was not in my carefully prepared script, and sitting two points behind Rangers at such an early stage was demoralising, both to players and fans. The idea of playing all Scottish boys was a long way of fulfilment yet, but even so it needed all the backing it could get, and that meant being above the Huns in the table. People now perceived us as an All-Scots side, so despite the fact that we were still fielding quite a few foreign boys seemed to pass them by, and both our successes and failures were noted as done by the all Scottish side. So we just had to make sure that there were more good words to write than bad.

The boys i'd brought in were hardly of a high calibre either. Michael Stewart, a total failure at Man Utd was the best i could bring in to back up Paul Lambert, and Darren mackie was hardly going to be a world beater during his career. And, of course, the less said about Hugh Murray the better. BUt as well as having to sign Scottish players, i was being crippled by the fact that the club wasn't exactly floating in cash. The board had been kind enough to supply me with more money to spend in the transfer market than the club actually had in the bank, but i was determined that we wouldn't be crippled in trying to get some useless players, just because they were the right nationality. I'd play a season with foreigners before i'd do that.

And the chants of "**** off, you dirty Hun" made me realise that i'd perhaps made a mistake in bringing former Rangers striker Duncan Ferguson to the club. As well as the fact that he'd proven to me during training that he had both the worst attitude and the least talent of anybody in the squad, the fans were obviously not keen and i'd would certainly be seeking a replacement before long. But until Shaun Maloney were fit he would be in the side from the start.

I knew it would be a long and hard road, but just how long and how hard was something i couldn't tell.

retired_bbcarr

Herald on Sunday
12th August 2001

'OLD LEGS' LAMBERT INSPIRES CELTS TO VICTORY

There have been many questions raised over recent months about the ability of Paul Lambert to keep on playing at the level Celtic expect of him. Having just passed his 35th birthday, the former Dortmund player and 26 times capped Scotland international is thought by many to have simply run out of steam and not have the legs to carry him anymore. Well, if yesterday's performance against Motherwell at Fir Park is anything to go by, you'd think the Celtic captain was still in his teens such was the energy and enthusiasm with which he played.

The criticism he received from many quarters over the summer period have quite obviously sparked Lamber into life on the pitch as he has played so far this season in a way we haven't seen for a few years now. And yesterday he showed the type of play which saw him attract the interest of Dortmund way back in 1996 and which helped him lift the Champions League trophy with them in 1997. He controlled the game from start to finish, taking on the roles of both breaking up any attack which Motherwell tried to muster, and being the vreative centre of all Celtic's good work. And, just incase that weren't enough, the ageing midfielder banged in the only two goals of the match for good measure.

The game had been all Celtic before Lambert deservedly gave them the lead on the stroke of half time. In fact, it was only the inspirational performance of Gordon Marshall between the sticks for the home side which had kept the scores level. His namesake in the Celtic goal had hardly needed to touch the ball. The thing that most struck about Celtic though was the fact that no matter how many chances went begging as Marshall repelled them, they didn't once panick. There was always, it seemed, a confidence amongst the players that the goals would come. That they would win the game. And they were proven right. When Jackie McNamara got onto a loose ball first down the right flank, he immediately played a low cross into the box and it magically avioded everyone until reaching Lambert who took one touch to control before placing it perfectly past Marshall.

The confidence which Celtic had only shown in very brief patches until the start of this game was now there in abundance and i still can't fathom how they won the game by a mere two goals. They should have had many more (two more at least in the second half) before Lambert struck for the second and final time just before the hour mark. When McNamara delivered from the right, Marshall managed to tip Ferguson's header round the post, giving away a corner which would prove fatal. Juninho, who had been the least impressive Celtic player, went across to take the kick, and sent the ball into the area with pin-point accuracy, landing it squarely on the head of Lambert who made no mistake and gave Marshall no chance with his downward header.

From 1-0 down there had been no chance of Motherwell coming back, from 2-0 down it was an absolute impossibility. The battering that Celtic might have handed out to the Fir Park side never materialised though as Wallace employed will surely become a familiar trait and asked his players to sit back on their two goal lead. It ended the match as a spectacle with neither side showing any ambition for the final half hour, but no doubt Wallace will be delighted with the performance and attitude shown by his team, and one young at heart midfielder in particular.

Final Score: Motherwell 0 - 2 Celtic Lambert 45", 58"

retired_bbcarr

Scotsman
Tuesday 14th August 2001

ONE IN, ONE OUT AT CELTIC PARK

Two more transfer deals were announced by Celtic yesterday afternoon as it was confirmed that Bobby Petta had left the club to join Spanish side Mallorca for £1M. The Dutch winger said he was said to leave Glasgow, but recognised that his time was up in Scottish football and was excited by the challenge ahead of him.

Coming into the club at the same time was St Mirren midfielder Ricky Gillies. Celtic manager Bill Wallace has been chasing Gillies' signature for a few weeks now, but had been unable to agree a deal with his club. However, late on Monday evening the two sides agreed a fee of £1M for the 27 year-old uncapped Scot and negotiations with the player were quickly wrapped up yesterday morning. Former Aberdeen player Gillies is likely to play some part, probably off the bench, in Saturday's visit of Hearts to Celtic Park.

retired_bbcarr

Herald on Sunday
19th August 2001

FALSE START DOESN'T STOP CELTS FROM MOTORING TO VICTORY

Despite a woeful start to their first encounter with Hearts since Bill Wallace took the reigns, Celtic fought hard to record a well deserved win over the Edinburgh side. Hearts defender Steven Pressley gave his side the lead in just the fourth minute when he rose highest to head home Joe Hamill's corner, but that was as good as it would get for the Tynecastle captain and his teammates.

By half time they were a goal down as Paul Lambert continued his good form from the Motherwell game, latching onto Duncan Ferguson's pass before slotting home past Craig Gordon. Three minutes from the break, Ferguson turned goal scorer to put the Bhoys in the lead when Lambert returned his compliment, swinging a good cross into the box for the former Evertonian to grab his first goal in a Celtic shirt.

The second half fared just as well for the home side as they netted another two goals to secure their victory. When Jackie McNamara's cross was headed by Craig Beattie, it was certainly going wide but Hearts defender Andy Webster couldn't get out of the way in time, and deflected the ball into his own net past Gordon. Four minutes later the scoring was complete when substitute Chris Sutton pounced on a loose ball to hit home his first of the season.

Final Score: Celtic 4 - 1 Hearts Pressley 4"; Lambert 36"; Ferguson 42"; Webster (OG) 55"; Sutton 59"

retired_bbcarr

Scotsman
Thursday 23rd August 2001

CELTS GIVEN TOUGH TASK IN CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

In the draw for the first group phase of the Champions League which took place in Monaco last night, Celtic were handed a tough task if they have ambitions of reaching the second group phase. They were placed in group B of the competition alongside Swiss side Basel, German giants FC Bayern and former Spanish champions Deportivo.

The competition begins for Wallace's men with a home tie against Bayern before they travel to the Parc Saint-Jacques to face Basel. A double header against Deportivo follows (in La Coruna before the return leg in Gaslgow). A trip to the Olympic Stadium in Munich will be the penultimate game before ending at Celtic Park against Basel.

If Celtic are to qualify, wins in each of their home games are vital, as is claiming three points in Basel. The twelve points gained from that may well be enough to see them through, but anything which could be squeezed from away ties in Munich and La Coruna would be real benefits.

Having said that, it is a hugely daunting task that they face. Qualification for the second phase of the tournament is the holy grail which no Celtic manager has yet achieved, and if Wallace does get them through this group it would probably be counted as a miracle. Conventional wisdom says that Bayern and Depor should have no real problems qualifying, which leaves Basel and Celtic squabbling over the UEFA Cup qualification spot for finishing third.

retired_pahuja_satish

This is good stuff Terk :thup:

retired_bbcarr

cheers, SoS

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Herald on Sunday
26th August 2001

NEW BOYS CLAIM POINT AGAINST UNDER-PAR CELTIC

SPL new boys Inverness Caledonian Thistle woke up this morning after claiming another good result against Celtic. The club who ended John Barnes' reign at the club with a 3-1 demolition of the Bhoys at Celtic Park were not quite that good, but they did take advantage of a poor Celtic performance to grab a point which may be vital come the end of the season in their battle to escape relegation.

After a dire start to the game, the 8,000+ Caley fans thought they were going to witness defeat when Paul Lambert put the Glasgow side ahead inside twenty minutes. Jackie McNamara crossed and Duncan Ferguson knocked the ball down into the path of Lambert who hammered home another goal in what has been a good start to the season for the veteran midfielder.

That; however, was as good as it got for the defending champions as the home side, spurred on by the noisy Caledonian Stadium crowd, began to play all the football and pin the Bhoys back in their own half. And, if truth be told, Ross Tokely's twenty-third minute equaliser was scant consolation for a game which Caley went on to dominate until the finish. It was only the good goalkeeping of young star David Marshall which kept the hosts at bay for the rest of the game.

The result drops Celtic down to third in the table and there are already people voicing concern over Bill Wallace's reign at the club.

Final Score: ICT 1 - 1 Celtic Lambert 18"; Tokely 23"

retired_bbcarr

Herald on Sunday
9th September 2001

CELTS TAKE HONOURS IN OLD-FIRM DERBY

The first Old-Firm derby of the season went the way of Bill Wallace's Celtic in an unusually good-tempered affair at Celtic Park yesterday. Only two yellow cards were shown during the ninety minutes, one of which, admittedly, was for an horrendous lunge by Fernando Ricksen of Celtic captain Paul Lambert which saw the Bhoy's captain stretchered off just a minute into the second half. By that time; however, the home side were already a goal to the good and so much in the ascendancy that the loss of Lambert wouldn't hinder them in their quest for three points.

Jackie McNamra had scored the goal in the first half which gave Celtic the lead. In just the fourth minute of the match he made his way forward from right back for a Stephen Pearson corner and was left unmarked at the back post, able to put Pearson's delivery beyond Klos without any trouble whatsoever. It was that sort of slack attitude from Rangers which helped Celtic along the way to victory.

And poor defending was at the heart of Celtic's second, which wrapped up the game and the three points. Just before the hour mark, Danish defender Martin Laursen swung a poor cross into the box, but both Marvin Andrews and Craig Moore took fresh air swipes at the ball, their complete misses allowing it to run through, untouched, to Hugh Murray who stabbed at it with his right foot, a shot which Klos should have held but ended up only palming it into the corner of the net.

This was an important victory, more for Wallace than for Celtic, as, even with the help of an inept Rangers side, any win over their city rivals is well greeted. The fact that it lifts the Bhoys to the top of the table for the first time since Wallace took over from the departed Martin O'Neill is another bonus which should, for now at least, quiet those who have begun to voice concerns over Wallace being in charge at Celtic Park.

Final Score: Celtic 2 - 0 Rangers McNamara 4"; Murray 59"