Celtic’s Best Academy XI Since 2000

From the 1950s until the mid-80s, Celtic had a conveyor belt of outstanding young talents that graduated to its first team. This included some of the Lisbon Lions (e.g. Johnstone, Murdoch, Auld, and Lennox) and Quality Street Gang members (Dalglish, McGrain, Hay, Connelly etc.). Later on, the likes of Burns, Aitken, Nicholas and McStay all emerged from the youth system to becoming first team stars.

However by the 1990s, this production line came to a grinding halt! A few players looked promising, including Gerry Creaney, Steve Fulton, Mark McNally, Stuart Kerr, Brian McLaughlin and Mark Burchill, but they failed to make the grade at Celtic long term. Simon Donnelly (and to an extent, Brian O’Neil) was the only real success during the decade, albeit he was nowhere near the level of those that came before him. 

In the late 90s/early 2000s, opportunities for younger players became very limited as the club was able and willing to sign foreign players for big money. However, as Scottish football struggled to compete with the finances available in the English Premiership and other big European leagues, it became essential for the club to look to its youth system. This resulted in a greater emphasis and focus on youth development.

Here is Celtic’s best XI to have graduated from its academy since 2000: 

Goalkeeper: David Marshall

David Marshall announced his arrival with a stunning performance in a 0-0 draw against Barcelona at Camp Nou in 2004. It appeared that he would remain as Celtic’s number one for the next decade. 

However, Marshall was dropped by Gordon Strachan following the calamitous 5-0 defeat against Artmedia Bratislava in 2005. In fairness to him, his defence was non-existent during this humiliation and it was by no means his fault. He was also unfortunate to be in competition with Artur Boruc – Celtic’s best goalkeeper since Ronnie Simpson. 

After failing to reclaim the number one spot from Boruc, Marshall left Celtic in 2007. Since he left, Marshall has built a stellar career in England with Norwich City, Cardiff City, Hull City and Wigan Athletic. He has also earned 29 caps for Scotland. 

Left Back: Kieran Tierney

Kieran Tierney is the best player to have come through Celtic’s youth system since Paul McStay. After making his first team debut at the age of 18, he played a leading role during the treble-treble. After living the dream of playing for his boyhood idols, Tierney recently made the difficult decision to move to Arsenal for £25m. Whilst this has split the opinion of the Celtic support, no one can deny the lasting impact that he made during his time with the club. 

Centre Back: Stephen McManus

In 2007, Stephen McManus became Celtic’s youngest captain since Billy McNeil at the age of 24. 

He formed a steady defensive partnership with Gary Caldwell as Gordon Strachan’s side won three league titles in a row between 2005-08. His two greatest moments at Celtic included scoring an injury time winning goal against AC Milan in the Champions League, and captaining the team to an unlikely ‘Title for Tommy’ in 2008. Furthermore, he also earned 26 caps for Scotland. 

After ending his career at Motherwell, McManus joined Celtic’s coaching staff. 

Centre Back: John Kennedy 

John Kennedy is the greatest captain Celtic never had! At the age of 16, he became the youngest ever first team player. His finest moment in a Celtic shirt came at Camp Nou in 2004 when he managed to put the shackles on Ronaldinho’s Barcelona as the Hoops drew 0-0 on the night to send them through 1-0 on aggregate. 

Unfortunately, Kennedy’s career was cut short soon afterwards. In a friendly match for Scotland against Romania, a horrific challenge from Ionel Ganea, caused him cruciate knee ligament damage. This injury kept him sidelined for three years. 

After a long rehabilitation program, Kennedy made his return to the team. However, in a 2007 Champions League tie against Shakhtar Donetsk, he landed awkwardly on his knee. This led to a recurrence of his injury, and he was eventually forced to retire in 2009 at the age of 26.  

Since his retirement, Kennedy has been part of Celtic’s coaching staff. Had it not been for his injury, he could have been one of the club’s all-time greats! 

Right Back: Kristoffer Ajer

After Kieran Tierney’s recent £25m move to Arsenal, many fans are now tipping Ajer to either become the next Celtic captain and/or move on for even more money. In recent months he has demonstrated that he is an exceptional talent. 

Although he was signed from Norwegian side IK Start at the age of 16, he spent the latter part of his development in Celtic’s academy; therefore he is eligible for selection. 

Since breaking into the first team, Ajer has slowly emerged as an excellent central defender. He is strong, quick, reads the game well, has good aerial ability and is a technically gifted footballer. Although he has played centre-back for most of his Celtic career so far, he has demonstrated his versatility to performing well at right back. In the future, he could also play in midfield. 

Celtic has produced a few first team players at centre half since 2000 (e.g. McManus, Kennedy and O’Dea) but not too many at right back. Whilst Anthony Ralston has looked promising at times, he has yet to make the position his own. As a result, Ajer takes the right back position. 

Hopefully Celtic manages to keep hold of him for a few more years before clubs from the big leagues come calling. 

Left Midfield: Aiden McGeady 

Aiden McGeady was an extremely skillfull winger that could use both feet. After scoring on his debut away to Hearts in 2004, he became one of Celtic’s star players for the rest of the decade. 

McGeady had amazing dribbling skills that bamboozled defenders both in Scotland and in the Champions League. Although he was born in Scotland, he opted to play for the Republic of Ireland – earning 93 caps. 

His best season was in 2007/08 when he was named both SPFA Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year. 

Although he was an excellent dribbler, he was often criticised for his final ball, as well as not scoring enough goals. 

He was sold to Spartak Moscow for £9.5M in 2010 before moving to Everton in 2014. After loan spells at Sheffield Wednesday and Preston North End, McGeady has played for Sunderland since 2017. 

Defensive Midfield: Callum McGregor

Callum McGregor is one of the academy’s biggest success stories. After a successful loan spell at Notts County in 2013/14, he scored the winning goal on his Celtic debut against KR Reykjavik in 2014. 

Although he scored in the next two qualifying rounds against Legia Warsaw and Maribor, it took McGregor time to truly establish himself in the eyes of supporters. It is difficult to comprehend now, but around three years ago most people had written off his chances of making it at the club! 

However, after starring throughout the club’s treble-treble, ‘C-Mac’ is now one of the first names on the team sheet. In addition, he is quite possibly Celtic’s most important player. 

McGregor’s game developed immensely under the guidance of Brendan Rodgers. Until last year, he played more as an attacking midfielder (scoring 12 goals in 2017/18). However, due to his range of passing, ability to orchestrate play and reading of the game, he has evolved into an excellent holding midfielder.  

Centre Midfield: Liam Miller 

In 2003, Liam Miller burst onto the scene in Champions League games against Lyon and Anderlecht. The latter is probably the best individual performance of any Celtic player in the competition’s history. On a night when he dominated the midfield and scored in a 3-1 victory, many believed that he would go onto be the club’s best midfielder since Paul McStay. 

However, it was not meant to be, as a watching Sir Alex Ferguson liked what he saw and signed him for Manchester United on a pre-contract agreement in January 2004. Miller joined the Red Devils on a free in the summer to the dismay of Celtic. 

After failing to establish himself at Man United, Miller became a journeyman throughout the rest of his career with spells at Leeds United, Sunderland, QPR, Hibs, as well as several clubs in Australia.   

Sadly, Liam Miller passed away in 2018 at the age of just 36!  

Right Midfield: James Forrest

James Forrest is the most successful graduate from Celtic’s youth academy this millennium.

After making his first team debut under Tony Mowbray in 2009, Forrest is now in his eleventh season as a senior professional. After scoring recently, he became the first player since Paul McStay to score in 11 consecutive seasons. 

In many ways, James Forrest is a throwback to an old fashioned winger that has blistering pace, can beat a man and deliver crosses into the box. Over the past couple of years, he has developed more directness to his game. As a result, he cuts inside more often and has increased his goals tally considerably – scoring 17 in each of the past two seasons (he only scored two in 2015/16). 

To date, Forrest has won 17 trophies (including 8 league championships). Last year, he became the first Celtic player to score a hat trick for Scotland since Jimmy Quinn in 1908. 

Attacking Midfield: Shaun Maloney

In 2005/06, Shaun Maloney became the first player in Scottish football to win the SPFA Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year in the same season. 

Maloney was a very gifted footballer that could link the play between midfield and attack, and score goals from inside and outside of the box. One of his greatest attributes was his ability to score direct from free kicks.   

Looking back, he had quite a stop-start Celtic career and never really fulfilled his potential with the club. After making his debut at Ibrox under Martin O’Neil in 2001, he found it difficult to dislodge Larsson, Hartson and Sutton in attack. Furthermore, he suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury in February 2004, which kept him out for over a year.  

After winning both Player of the Year Awards in 2005/06, Maloney was injured at the start of the following season. With less than a year left on his Celtic contract, he was unable to agree a new deal and moved to Aston Villa in January 2007. 

Although he returned to the club in 2008, his second spell with Celtic was blighted by injuries before he moved to Wigan in 2011.  

Striker: Tony Watt

Tony Watt is the greatest ‘one goal wonder’ in Celtic’s history. On the club’s 125th anniversary, he scored what proved to be the winning goal against one of the greatest ever club sides – Barcelona. As a result of its sheer magnitude, his place in Celtic’s folklore is secure. Although it is not technically right to select a player on one moment alone, what a moment it was!

Unfortunately, Watt’s inclusion is also largely due to default. Despite scoring this goal, he has done very little since (at Celtic and a range of other clubs) to truly merit inclusion. Although Celtic has produced some very good players (e.g. Tierney, Forrest and McGregor) in certain positions, a decent striker is not one! The only other player that could have rivalled Watt for this position was Craig Beattie.

It is alarming that the last quality centre forward to have emerged from the club’s ranks was Charlie Nicholas way back in the early 1980s. Hopefully, in the years to come Celtic’s Academy will finally produce a decent striker – something it has not done in a very long time!  

Honourable Mentions: 

Jamie Smith, Ross Wallace, Darren O’Dea *, Stephen Crainey, Craig Beattie, Dylan McGeoch, Liam Henderson, Eoghan O’Connell, Anthony Ralston 

* Darren O’Dea came very close to making this team. He was a fairly steady defender during his time at Celtic. His best moment came in the 2009 League Cup Final against Rangers when he scored the vital first goal in extra-time; as Celtic went on to win 2-0.  

Possible Future Additions (From Current Squad): 

Mikey Johnston, Karamoko Dembele, Armstrong Oko-Flex, Ewan Hendersen, Calvin Miller

Conclusion

As Celtic and Scottish football continues to struggle to compete with the finances on offer in European football’s big leagues, it is becoming ever more vital for the club to produce its own players. Last season, Ajax produced a number of homegrown players that helped them to defy the odds by reaching the Champions League Semi-Final.

Celtic has produced a number of talented players in recent years, such as Tierney, Forrest and McGregor. Young winger, Mikey Johnston is also emerging as a first team regular after putting in some impressive displays. Other potential stars that will emerge in the coming years, include Karamoko Dembele and Armstrong Oko-Flex.

One of the few advantages that Celtic has over wealthy clubs in England, is providing a more accessible route to the first team for young players. Its record in recent years has been fairly impressive in that department.

In the near future, expect more players to emerge from Celtic’s Academy. Some of them will remain at the club long term like Forrest, whilst others will eventually move on for big money (e.g. Tierney). It is essential that the club does all it can to produce future stars in today’s challenging financial football landscape.

By Mark Nicholas 

Celtic bounced back after Artmedia! It will bounce back after Cluj!

After one of the worst results in Celtic’s recent history, it is hard to find any cause for optimism following our Champions League elimination to Romanian champions, CFR Cluj. 

Like many Celtic supporters, I spent today in a state of shock, disbelief and devastation! Yes if you put it into perspective, there are far more important things in life, but we are emotionally attached to the club we love. This defeat hurts! It really hurts! 

The team put us through every emotion on a rollercoaster evening. This consisted of anger at half time, the sheer joy and ecstasy after twice taking the lead, as well as the ultimate agony of losing a tie that should have been in the bag. 

There is no denying that this is a damaging defeat for Celtic in terms of moral, progression and finance. The latter is the most worrying, as it will cost the club between £30m – £40m in Champions League revenue. This will have an impact on the club’s ability to sign players. It could also mean that more first team stars are sold!   

Although this defeat is being treated like a catastrophe of epic proportions right now, we must remember that Celtic has come back from devastating losses in the past, and it has done so fairly quickly. Here are some examples:

1. Celtic 1 – 3 Inverness Caledonian Thistle (February 2000)

After Celtic’s most humiliating Scottish Cup defeat to lower league ICT, Head Coach, John Barnes was relieved of his duties soon afterwards. At the end of the season, Martin O’Neil was appointed as manager. In his first season, Celtic won its first treble since 1969. After finishing 21 points behind Rangers in season 1999/00, Celtic won the league by 15 points the following season (a turnaround of 36 points). The club also reached the UEFA Cup Final just over three years after ‘Super Caley went Ballistic!’ on a terrible night for the Hoops. 

2. Motherwell 2 – 1 Celtic (May 2005) and Artmedia Bratislava 5 – 0 Celtic (July 2005) 

In the space of a few months, Celtic experienced two devastating defeats. The first occurred at Fir Park with Celtic needing a victory to clinch the league championship. After leading 1 – 0 until the 88^th minute, Motherwell equalised and scored again in stoppage time to deny us the league title in the cruellest way possible. 

The second was a Champions League qualifier against unknown Slovakian side, Artmedia Bratislava. This was a dark time for the club, as we had recently thrown away the league title. We were also in a transitional period following Martin O’Neil’s departure and Gordon Strachan’s arrival. An ageing team urgently required rebuilding. On a humiliating night, Celtic suffered its worst ever European result as our defence parted like Moses through the Red Sea, as the hosts scored five goals without reply. Although Celtic won 4 – 0 in the return leg, the defeat in Bratislava was too great a deficit to overturn. As a result, we crashed out of Europe entirely for the season ahead. 

Despite these disastrous defeats however, Celtic slowly managed to rebuild and won the league at a canter that season, along with the League Cup. Even more impressively, Celtic defeated Manchester United 1 – 0 in November 2016. This victory ensured progression to the last 16 of the Champions League for the first time. Bear in mind this happened merely 16 months after the Artmedia humiliation! 

3. FC Sion 3 – 1 Celtic (August 2011) 

Although Celtic received a reprieve from UEFA (as Sion fielded ineligible players for the tie), this defeat showed how poor we were at that time. Not even Nostradamus could have predicted that 15 months later, Celtic would record one of the greatest results in its history. On November 2012, Celtic beat the mighty Barcelona 2 – 1 on the club’s 125^th Anniversary. 

4. Scottish Cup Semi-Final (2016): Celtic 0 – 0 “Rangers” (“Rangers” win 5-4 on penalties) 

Defeat to “Rangers” (a Championship club) was a real sore one for Celtic fans to take, as Ronny Deila’s side was outplayed for large parts of the game. 

This defeat marked the end of Deila’s time as manager and ushered in the appointment of Brendan Rodgers soon afterwards. In the following season Celtic won an unprecedented invincible treble. Two more trebles followed in the next two seasons. As a result, the club bounced back from this humiliation by winning the treble-treble. 

5. Celtic 3 – 4 CFR Cluj (CFR Cluj win 5-4 on aggregate) 

This story has yet to be told, but hopefully Celtic will bounce back after another disastrous defeat as it has in its recent past.

Seemingly devastating losses since 2000 have not been as bad as people imagined. Celtic Football Club was born out of adversity. It has been knocked down throughout its history, but it has always risen. It will rise again! It’s what we do! It’s who we are! 

This defeat hurts right now, but it will feel so much better when we go on to win ten-in-a-row.

Keep the faith.

Hail! Hail! 

By Mark Nicholas 

Kristoffer Ajer: How Celtic can get the best out of him in midfield

As fans mourn the loss of Kieran Tierney’s departure to Arsenal, Kristoffer Ajer is emerging as the new star at Celtic. 

The young Norwegian put in an immense display in today’s 5-2 victory over Motherwell at Fir Park. Playing in an unnatural right back position, he scored an impressive equalising goal in a man of the match performance. 

A Trained Defender

Since he joined the club from IK Start as a 16 year old, Celtic has trained him to play in central defence. He was even loaned to Kilmarnock for half a season on the condition that Killie played him in this position. 

After breaking into Celtic’s first team, Ajer has slowly emerged as an excellent centre-half. He is tall, strong, quick, good in the air, reads the game well, and has good technical ability. Furthermore, he has demonstrated his versatility by adapting well to playing in different positions.

A Natural Midfielder

Although he is proving himself to be a highly capable defender, it is easy to forget that his natural position is in central midfield. Celtic trained him to be a defender due to necessity, as central defence was a problematic position. 

Given Ajer’s attributes, he could become an outstanding holding midfielder if given the chance. In the middle of the park, he would have an imposing presence. His experiences as a defender would enable him to protect the back line and break up the opposition’s play. Furthermore, he has the composure and technical skill to keep hold of the ball, create opportunities and score goals.  

In the next couple of years, Scott Brown will retire and Olivier Ntcham will probably have moved on. As a result, there should be opportunities for him to play in central midfield alongside Callum McGregor (assuming he remains at the club).

Bolt the Door

Until the defence is sorted however, Ajer will be required to play at the back. Hopefully, Julien and Simunovic form a solid central defensive partnership and Elhamed proves himself at right back/centre half. The club must also sign another decent right back and replace Tierney at left back.

It is vital that Celtic spends a large portion of Tierney’s £25m transfer money to solve its defence once and for all! This would provide the added benefit of enabling Ajer to play further forward.

Whilst Ajer is emerging as an excellent defender, his talents would be maximised further if he played in his natural midfield position. As a result, Celtic would have a truly outstanding player on its hands and the long-term replacement for Scott Brown.

By Mark Nicholas 

From Dalglish to Tierney: Celtic departures that hurt fans the most

Fans are in a state of mourning as boyhood Celtic fan, Kieran Tierney finally completed his long speculated move to Arsenal. ‘One of our own’ has become the latest star to head out the Parkhead exit door. 

Unfortunately, in modern football’s financial landscape, Celtic cannot keep hold of its best players. Even for a supporter playing for the club he loves, the lure of big money and the opportunity to test himself against some of the world’s best players is too good an opportunity to turn down! 

In recent years, Celtic have lost a number of top players, including Victor Wanyama, Fraser Forster, Virgil Van Dijk, Stuart Armstrong, and Moussa Dembele 

Although the majority of fans understand their reasons for wanting to move to England or another top league, it does not make it any easier. The case of Tierney will hurt more than most, because he is a die-hard Celtic fan. Losing him will be a huge blow to the club and to the supporters that hold him in such high regard. 

However, Tierney is not the first club icon that has left the club. Here are five other major departures that broke our hearts:  

Kenny Dalglish (1977)

In 1977, Celtic fans were stunned when the club’s star player, Kenny Dalglish was sold to Liverpool for £440,000 (a British transfer record). At the time, King Kenny was one of the finest players in world football. 

His departure was devastating for Celtic, as he was irreplaceable. Furthermore, many fans believed that the club did not do all it could to keep him, as Jock Stein is believed to have alerted his good friend, Bob Paisely to his availability. 

A year after moving to Liverpool, Dalglish scored the winning goal in the 1978 European Cup Final at Wembley. He went on to win two more European Cups during his time at Anfield, as the Merseysiders became the dominant force in English and European football.  

Having been champions of Europe in 1967, whilst remaining a top European side between 1966 and 1974 (coinciding with nine league titles in a row), Celtic’s last chance of reclaiming its former glories vanished the day Dalglish was sold. 

Charlie Nicholas (1983) 

In the early 1980s, the man that became known as ‘Champagne Charlie’ had emerged as Celtic’s new star striker.  

In season 1982-83 (his last at the club), he scored 48 goals and won the awards for Scottish PFA Player of the Year and Scottish Football Writers Player of the Year. During that season, he scored a superb winning goal against Ajax in the away leg of a European Cup tie.  

His goals had made him the darling of the Jungle. As the best Scottish player to emerge since Kenny Dalglish, Celtic had a real star on its hands that could have been the club’s talisman throughout the 80s. 

Inevitably, he attracted the attention of England’s biggest clubs. However, he was living the dream by playing for his boyhood heroes, therefore supporters hoped that he would stay loyal to Celtic. After months of speculation linking him with a move away, Nicholas was tempted by the bright lights of London and signed for Arsenal for £750,000 in the summer of 1983. 

Although he eventually returned to play for the club in 1990, Charlie Nicholas continues to break Celtic hearts’ through his often-derogatory comments about us in the media!  

John Collins (1996)

In the dark days of the early-mid 1990s, one of Celtic’s few beacons of light was John Collins. 

Collins was a supremely talented midfielder that had a cultured left foot. His creative influence, and two goals from free kicks at Ibrox, made him a hero of the Celtic faithful. Just like Tierney, Collins was a lifelong Celtic fan that supporters adored. It was assumed by many that he would remain at Celtic until the end of his career.  

However, the Bosman Ruling (1995) meant that out of contract players could now leave their clubs without them receiving a transfer fee. After protracted negotiations and speculation, Collins left Celtic to go to A.S Monaco for free. The club’s best player at the time had left and the club received nothing for him! 

At the time of his departure, Rangers had just won 8 league championships in succession. Celtic was desperate to stop them from equalling, or even surpassing Jock Stein’s record of 9 consecutive league titles. Collins’ leaving the club on a free transfer was a hammer blow to Celtic’s chances of stopping their big spending rival’s relentless march towards 9 in a row.

To this day, many fans still feel a sense of bitterness towards Collins for the manner that he left the club. This was apparent during his spell as Assistant Manager to Ronny Deila between 2014-16.

Henrik Larsson (2004)

Out of all of the people on this list to have left Celtic, ‘The King of Kings’ is the only one to have truly done right by the club. 

Throughout his Celtic career (1997-04), Larsson could have starred in any of the top leagues. Despite interest from some of the biggest clubs in Europe, including Manchester United, Henrik and his family was settled in Glasgow. Fortunately, he remained at the club far longer than lesser players of his ability tend to do. 

During his seven years at the club, he scored 174 goals. This made him Celtic’s third highest all-time goal scorer. Furthermore, he also won 4 league titles, 2 Scottish Cups, 2 League Cups, and scored twice in the UEFA Cup Final defeat to F.C Porto in 2003. 

When he signed his final contract, Larsson was very clear from the offset that it would be his last. As a man true to his word, he stayed for its duration until it expired in 2004. In his last competitive appearance in that year’s Scottish Cup Final, Larsson scored twice in an emotional send off before he left for Barcelona.

Despite the loyal service and dignity with which Larsson left Celtic, his departure was still very difficult for fans to take. Just like Dalglish in the 1970s, Larsson was a player that was truly irreplaceable.  

A year after leaving the club, Celtic threw away the league title on the final day of the season at Fir Park on the infamous Helicopter Sunday, as the team struggled without his goals and inspiration.

Brendan Rodgers (2019) 

Brendan Rodgers is the only non-player on this list to have broken the hearts of the Celtic family. 

Managing Celtic was supposedly a lifelong dream for Rodgers. In his 2017 autobiography, he talked at length about his love for the club. Fans believed that he was a real Celtic man! Or so we all thought…

After guiding Celtic to an invincible treble in his first season, Rodgers followed this up by winning a double-treble in his second. However, in the summer of 2018, all did not appear to be rosey behind the scenes. After the club failed to land a number of his main signing targets, including John McGinn from Hibs, he reportedly fell out with Chief Executive, Peter Lawwell. 

As the season progressed, Celtic despite its off-field problems had won the League Cup, was top of the league and on target for completing an historic treble-treble. However, with immortality at his fingertips, Rodgers stunned Celtic by leaving abruptly for Leicester City. 

Rodgers’ defection came at a crucial time in the season. He left the day before a difficult midweek fixture at Tynecastle and a Scottish Cup trip to Easter Road on the Saturday. Furthermore, despite being ahead in the league, the title race was far from over. 

His abrupt departure and total disregard for the club has angered many Celtic fans. Rodgers was a man that supposedly loved the club, but took his 30 pieces of silver, pulled out his blade and stuck it into the back of everyone connected with the club. 

Conclusion

Whilst Kieran Tierney’s departure to Arsenal is being greeted like a death in the family amongst some Celtic supporters, the club has a long history of losing its best players to clubs in England and the continent. 

In the past, there were around one or two major departures per decade, as shown by this list: Kenny Dalglish (1970s), Charlie Nicholas (1980s), John Collins (1990s) and Henrik Larsson (2000s). However, in the 2010s decade, there has been a far greater exodus of top players, as well as the departure of a successful manager. 

Although Celtic lost players previously to other clubs, it also retained many, including all of the Lisbon Lions (1960s), Danny McGrain (1970s/80s) and Paul McStay (1980s/90s). 

In days gone by however, the financial disparity between Scotland and the top European leagues was nowhere near what it is now. Although greats like Johnstone, McGrain and McStay remained loyal servants to the club, would we have been able to keep them if such an enormous financial gulf existed during their playing careers? It is possible (McStay turned down Juventus) but the temptation would have been far greater. 

One day, hopefully Celtic will be able to move to one of the big leagues (e.g. The English Premiership). This would enable us to compete on a level competitive and financial playing field and thus keep our best players. Unfortunately, this does not appear to be a realistic prospect in the foreseeable future; therefore the club will continue to lose them and supporters will experience that same kind of hurt that we are now experiencing with Tierney’s move to Arsenal.  

By Mark Nicholas

An Alternate History of Celtic: Series Finale

About the Series

Over the past few weeks, some of the key events in Celtic’s history have been analysed. An attempt was made to gain an appreciation of the essential role each of them played in the club’s evolution. Once established, each event was placed into an alternate historical context. Questions were asked along the lines of “What if…had/had not happened?” For example, “What if Jock Stein had not been appointed in 1965?”

Celtic Football Club has a rich history spanning more than 130 years. Many people and events have helped shape its development throughout the decades. Without them, Celtic would not be the club that supporters now identify with.

Initially, ‘An Alternate History of Celtic’ series was intended to be in ten parts. However, because there have been so many defining moments since the club’s foundation, it developed into a thirteen-part series:

Contents

Part 1. What if Brother Walfrid had never formed the club? 

Part 2. What if Willie Maley had never managed Celtic?

Part 3. How great would John Thompson have gone on to become? 

Part 4. What if Jock Stein had not been appointed in 1965? 

Part 5. What if the 1970 European Cup Final had gone to a replay? 

Part 6. What if the Quality Street Gang had stayed together? 

Part 7. What if ‘Bottle-gate’ had been avoided? 

Part 8. What if Mo Johnstone had actually signed for Celtic in 1989? 

Part 9. What if Fergus McCann had not saved the club in 1994? 

Part 10. What if Larsson hadn’t got injured against Lyon in 1999? 

Part 11. What if John Hartson had passed his Ibrox medical? 

Part 12. What if John Kennedy had not got injured whilst playing for Scotland? 

Part 13. What if Celtic had won the 2016 Scottish Cup Semi-Final?

* These chapters are available here: https://themarkjnblog.wordpress.com

Levels of Impact:

The impact for some alternate histories discussed in this series would have been more profound than others. For example, without Brother Walfrid’s founding of the club, there would be no Celtic! If Jock Stein had not become manager, there would have been no European Cup win in 1967 and no Lisbon Lions! Without the intervention of Fergus McCann in the 90s, the club could have gone out of business!

Other events may have had a less significant impact on the club overall, but were important nevertheless. For example, sliding doors moments for players like John Hartson and John Kennedy enabled the former to go on and become a Celtic legend, whilst the latter was prevented from becoming one. 

Some of the alternate histories in the series might have had positive outcomes, including the 1970 European Cup Final going to a replay. Celtic could have won this game and became European champions for a second time. Other events highlighted could also have had negative ramifications, such as McCann not coming to Celtic’s aid in its darkest hour.

Although this series was confined to thirteen parts, there are countless other alternate histories that could have been assessed. These could relate to major world events (e.g. the devastating impact of both world wars), on the field matters like refereeing decisions that went against Celtic, or even Rangers’ use of Employee Benefit Trusts (EBTs) that enabled them to win trophies at the expense of Celtic and other clubs.

An Alternate Reality

Had certain events not happened, or occurred differently then the very fabric and nature of Celtic Football Club would have been altered. Imagine walking towards our old decrepit stadium that has a capacity of 30,000. The Lisbon Lions never existed. There are no statues immortalising Jock Stein, Jimmy Johnstone or Billy McNeil holding aloft the European Cup. The fans do not sing about how Willie Maley brought some great names to the game. Neither do they acknowledge the 67th minute with a rendition of “In the Heat of Lisbon!” History has been altered. The club has changed.

A Club Like No Other

Now come back to reality. Appreciate the club for what it is. Understand its past. Acknowledge its greats. Recognise how differently things might have been without them. The club has been built on its triumphs and tragedies. All of the events throughout its history, along with the players, managers, board members, non-playing staff, and supporters; contributed to making Celtic unique – a club like no other!

Having addressed the above scenarios in ‘An Alternate History of Celtic’ series, are there any other events that you feel were pivotal towards defining the club’s future?

By Mark Nicholas

An Alternate History of Celtic (Part 13): What if Celtic had won the 2016 Scottish Cup Semi-Final?

A Catalyst for Change 

In Part 10 of An Alternate History of Celtic series, the humiliating defeat to Inverness Caledonian Thistle in February 2000, was highlighted as an important catalyst for change. It brought about the demise of the so-called Dalglish-Barnes ‘Dream Team’ and paved the way for the Martin O’Neil era in the summer. 

Another important defeat in Celtic’s more recent history was the penalty shoot out loss to Championship side, Rangers in the 2016 Scottish Cup semi-final. 

This was both bitter (as it was against the club’s rivals) and humiliating, as it was against a lower league side. Furthermore, Celtic was outplayed for large parts of the game by the slick passing and movement of Mark Warburton’s men. 

Stagnation and Decline 

The defeat highlighted the team’s stagnation during Ronnie Deila’s second season. Although Celtic won the league at a canter, the side had visibly gone backwards. It exposed its deficiencies as being too slow and lethargic, as well as lacking in vibrancy and confidence.   

The manner of the defeat was a stark warning to the club’s hierarchy, as it generated an enormous backlash from the fans. Many held Celtic’s majority shareholder, Dermott Desmond and Chief Executive, Peter Lawwell accountable for the decline. The club’s power base had to act swiftly and decisively or else the full wrath of the support would have been unleashed upon them! The fans demanded the sacking of Deila and the appointment of a top class manager. 

Another factor that supposedly led to a strong reaction in the aftermath of the semi-final was the Rangers board’s over exuberant celebrations and goading towards their Celtic counterparts. Desmond is said to have taken exception to this. Rumour has it that he told Lawwell, “Now go and find me a real manager!” 

In the following days, Deila announced that he would be resigning at the end of the season, and Brendan Rodgers became the man that replaced him. 

Brendan Rodgers

For the first time since the appointment of O’Neil in 2000, the Celtic board had pushed the boat out to land a top quality manager with a proven record in the English Premiership. 

Although many Celtic fans now feel bitterness towards Rodgers for the manner in which he departed the club in February 2019, his domestic achievements cannot be denied. In his first season as manager, he guided Celtic to an unprecedented invincible treble. This was followed by the double-treble in his second season. Before his departure, he also won the Scottish League Cup; therefore winning seven consecutive domestic trophies. Following his shock exit to Leicester City, the team (now managed by Neil Lennon) went on to complete a famous treble-treble. 

Deila has stated that he planned to resign at the end of the 2015/16 season regardless of the the outcome of the semi. However, it is unlikely that the board would have acted so emphatically if Celtic had won. Had the team managed to scrape a win then it would have merely papered over the cracks, but it would not have led to a demand for drastic action. As a result, a ‘cheaper option’ than Rodgers would have been appointed. This would have meant no Invincible-Treble, no Double-Treble and no Treble-Treble.

The Future 

In the coming years, Celtic could make history through completing its quest for The Holy Grail of ten-in-a-row. It could also win more trebles, and become regular participants in the group stages of the Champions League. This will only become a reality if the board backs Neil Lennon sufficiently in the transfer market. 

This is a pivotal summer transfer window for Celtic as it aims to accomplish this historic achievement. The board has the funds and capabilities to ensure that the dream becomes a reality. Nothing less will be accepted! 

Hopefully in the future, I will not be adding another part to this series titled “What if Celtic had signed John McGinn?” or “What if Brendan Rodgers had stayed?” in trying to identify reasons why ten-in-a-row was not accomplished. Despite these setbacks, the board owes it to the fans to ensure that the club’s run of consecutive league titles includes La Décima. 

By Mark Nicholas 

An Alternate History of Celtic (Part 12): What if John Kennedy had not got injured whilst playing for Scotland?

The greatest captain Celtic never had! 

In a 2004 UEFA Cup tie, John Kennedy put in a colossal performance at the heart of Celtic’s defence against a star studded Barcelona at Camp Nou. At 20 years of age, the young defender kept them at bay as the Hoops recorded a famous 0-0 draw to send them through at the expense of their illustrious opponents.   

In this game, Kennedy looked strong, quick, composed, had good aerial ability, read the game well, looked like a natural leader, and appeared to have all of the attributes to make it at the top level. A star was born! He was the man that would become Celtic and Scotland captain for the next decade.

A Horror Challenge

Unfortunately, a cruel twist of fate met Kennedy soon afterwards. Whilst playing for Scotland in a “friendly” against Romania, hatchet man, Ionel Ganea put in a horrendous challenge on the young defender. This caused him serious cruciate knee ligament damage that ruled him out of action for three years! 

After becoming the club’s youngest ever player in 2000 (making his first team debut at 16), before shackling Ronaldinho and company four years later, Kennedy’s bright future was effectively over!

Forced Retirement

Although he eventually returned to the first team, he was never the same player. It felt like only a matter of time before his injury would flair up again and finish his career.

Unfortunately, this happened in a Champions League tie against Shakhtar Donetsk in November 2007. After landing awkwardly in the build up to the visitor’s goal, Kennedy lay in agony on the floor. Everyone in the stadium and those watching on TV instantly feared the worst. Scans later showed that it was in fact a recurrence of his cruciate ligament injury. 

Sadly, this proved to be his last game for the club. Having made only 28 appearances for Celtic, he was finally forced to retire in 2009 at the age of 26. 

Stephen McManus – Club Captain

Between 2007-10, Kennedy’s fellow youth academy graduate, Stephen McManus was club captain. Without being disrespectful to him, Kennedy was a far superior central defender. 

McManus played consistently throughout the 2006/07, 2007/08 and 2008/09 Champions League campaigns. He also scored Celtic’s late winner against AC Milan. His greatest achievement was captaining the club to the famous 2007/08 league championship that was dedicated to the memory of Tommy Burns. Furthermore, McManus earned 26 caps for his country and even deputised as captain.

Whilst McManus and his defensive partner, Gary Caldwell performed admirably during Strachan’s title winning seasons (2005-08), Kennedy was a better player than both of them. He should have been the rock at the heart of the defence as Celtic won three league titles in a row.

Filling a Defensive Void

After 2009, the central defensive position was highly problematic. A number of defenders failed to convince, including O’Dea, Loovens, Majstorovic, Hooijveld and Ambrose. A fit John Kennedy in his prime would have been the answer throughout Strachan’s final season, Mowbray’s ill-fated reign, and during Lennon’s first spell as manager.

Although, Kennedy continues to work as a Defensive Coach as part of Celtic’s backroom team (having suffered his fair share of criticism within this role), fans can only wonder how good a player he might have been.

As discussed, he could have been Celtic and Scotland captain for a decade. Unfortunately, his career was needlessly and recklessly cut short in an international friendly in 2004 by a moronic thug! 

John Kennedy is one of Celtic’s lost legends and the greatest captain the club never had!

By Mark Nicholas 

An Alternate History of Celtic (Part 11): What if John Hartson had passed his Ibrox medical?

As Celtic’s fourth highest all-time leading goal scorer that has built an incredible bond with the fans, John Hartson is one of the most iconic players to represent the club since the turn of the millennium.

After his playing career, his affinity with the fans was further strengthened through the incredible support he received following periods of adversity, including personal problems and treatment for cancer. Today, in his role as a media pundit, he continues to have great rapport and respect from the Celtic family.

Given the relationship that Big John has built with Celtic since he joined in 2001, it is very difficult to imagine him ever playing for Rangers. However, that very nearly happened in September 2000, as he was all set to sign for them.

An Imminent Signing

Prior to Celtic’s renaissance under Martin O’Neil at the start of the 2000/01 campaign, Rangers had dominated Scottish football for over a decade. It was an era when their club’s mentality was to ‘spend a tenner, for every fiver Celtic spent!’ After suffering a 6-2 derby demolition a few weeks prior, an emphatic response in the transfer market was inevitable.

After completing the signing of Ronald de Boer from Barcelona, Rangers had agreed to pay Wimbledon £5.5m for Hartson. Personal terms were settled, as he waited to be paraded along with the Dutchman.

A Twist of Fate

However, his move to Rangers collapsed at the last minute due to a failed medical. Their medical team had apparently identified a knee problem and claimed that he was not match fit enough to play in their upcoming Champions League ties. Hartson is highly critical of the Ibrox club’s handling of the affair, particularly in regards to the medical.

At the time, the player had no connection to either Celtic or Rangers; therefore he would have had no qualms in signing for them. He was devastated when the move collapsed, as it appeared to be a great career and financial move for him and his family. Fortunately for him, every cloud has a silver lining! And in this instance, a tint of green and white!

Whatever the reasons were for his failed medical, it had an enormous impact on the player and on the fortunes of both Glasgow clubs. It was one of the most significant sliding doors moments in the history of Scottish football, as he signed for Celtic the following summer (albeit without any problems with his medical).

A Celtic Legend

Over the next five years, Hartson scored 109 goals in 201 games. As mentioned, this feat made him the club’s fourth all-time leading goal scorer. He won six trophies, including three league titles and scored memorable goals against Celta Vigo and Liverpool on the road to Seville in 2003.

Furthermore, he stuck the boot into Rangers continually during his time at the club by scoring eight times against them – each one a wee reminder!

What if his medical had been passed?

Had he passed his medical at Ibrox in 2000 then it is likely that he would have achieved a similar level of success with them. He would have scored many goals, including a number against Celtic and would be lauded as one of their club icons. Hartson was a big game player with a huge presence that would have been a real thorn in our side (similar to Mark Hately in the 90s). He was the kind of player that defenders hated to play against and opposing fans feared!

In a dark parallel universe, Hartson would have passed his Rangers medical and gone on to be one of their all time greats. Fortunately for Celtic, his move to Ibrox collapsed and the player found himself on the side of the angels within a year!

By Mark Nicholas

An Alternate History of Celtic (Part 10): What if Larsson hadn’t got injured against Lyon in 1999?

The Dream Team

The summer of 1999 was a very exciting time for Celtic as club legend, Kenny Dalglish made his long awaited return to the club as Director of Football Operations. To spearhead this new ‘dream team’, King Kenny appointed his protégé, John Barnes as Head Coach. Supporters anticipated that this was the dawn of a new golden era.

During the close season, Barnes made several signings including Stillyan Petrov, Olivier Tebily, Bobby Petta, Stephane Bonnes, Dmitri Kharine and Eyal Berkovic – a £5.75m signing from West Ham (a Scottish record fee at the time).

Barnes discussed his football philosophy with the media and how he aimed to implement a lucid 4-2-2-2 formation.

Early Promise

In the early months of the season, the dream appeared to becoming a reality as Barnes won 8 out his first 9 league games. His early record is one of the greatest for any Celtic manager.

Celtic was scoring goals for fun! Talisman, Henrik Larsson had formed a great strike partnership with Mark Viduka. Days before a UEFA Cup tie away to Lyon, they both scored hat tricks in a 7-0 hammering of Aberdeen. The season looked set for an epic tussle for the league title between Barnes’ Celtic and Dick Advocaat’s big spending Rangers.  

The Dream Ends

However, Celtic’s title challenge effectively ended on October 21st, when Larsson broke his leg against the French side. Having started the season so brightly, this single event proved to be the beginning of the end for Barnes’ tenure as manager! 

The Nightmare Begins!

In the weeks after Larsson’s injury, Celtic lost three league games (twice against Motherwell and 4-2 to Rangers at Ibrox).

Barnes’ signings were not proving to be very effective. Berkovic was an expensive flop and there were murmurings that he was becoming a disruptive influence in the dressing room. Petrov was being played out of position at full-back and was yet to emerge as the star midfielder that he would go on to become. Tebily was the Efe Ambrose of his time (i.e. a bomb scare of a centre half!) and Petta was usually injured.

After Larsson’s injury, Arsenal legend, Ian Wright was signed as his replacement. However, he was coming towards the end of his career and was a shadow of his former self. Fans questioned his level of commitment to the cause as he appeared to be more interested in building a new career as a TV presenter.

Furthermore, Brazilian defender, Rafael Scheidt was signed for £5.6m from Gremio. Scheidt hardly kicked a ball for Celtic and became the club’s worst ever pound-for-pound signing. He proved to be every bit as bad as his name suggests!

Super Caley Go Ballistic!

By early February, the writing was on the wall for Barnes after his team let a 2-0 lead slip in a 3-2 defeat at home to Hearts. This came days before one the biggest ever Scottish Cup shocks when Celtic lost at home again to lower league side – Inverness Caledonian Thistle. This defeat as ‘Super Caley went ballistic!’ was the final nail in Barnes’ coffin! In the coming days he was sacked and Dalglish replaced him for the remainder of the season. 

A Blessing in Disguise

In hindsight, losing to ICT was probably Celtic’s best ever defeat! It brought about an early demise of the Barnes-Dalglish regime. It also paved the way for the club’s most successful period since the halcyon days of Jock Stein with the appointment of Martin O’Neil in the summer of 2000.  

If Larsson had not broken his leg, Celtic would have put up a strong title challenge that season, but probably fell just short in winning the league. Also, with him in the side, Celtic would most likely have beaten Inverness and Barnes would not have got sacked. After challenging closely for the league and possibly winning a cup, Barnes would have remained as manager longer term.

As damaging as Larsson’s injury was to the club during the 1999/00 season, it proved to be one of the most significant sliding doors moments in Celtic’s history. If it had not happened, there would have been no Martin O’Neil era, no domestic treble in 2000/01 and no road to Seville in 2002/03.

By Mark Nicholas

An Alternate History of Celtic (Part 9): What if Fergus McCann had not saved the club in 1994?

This is the biggest ‘What if?’ scenario of the modern era. The Celtic that we know today is all thanks to McCann’s intervention, investment and management of the club during his tenure. 

A Club on the Brink

By 1994, years of mismanagement at boardroom level under the Kelly/White dynasty had put the club on the brink of bankruptcy. 

Celtic had a decrepit old stadium that was no longer fit for purpose. The club’s fortunes had declined drastically, as it struggled to compete with a big spending Rangers’ team that was completely dominating the Scottish game. Celtic was not even the second best team in the country, as it did not finish in the top two league places since its Centenary double winning season of 1988, and had not won a trophy since 1989.

Most alarmingly, the club had run up huge debts that would have put it out of business had they not been repaid! 

“The rebels have won!” 

Fortunately, former board members, Brian Dempsey and John Keane helped Canadian businessman, Fergus McCann to buy the club at the eleventh hour to save it from going under. After a long and bitter struggle, ‘the rebels had won!’ The old board was ousted, all debts were repaid, and the club was in good hands. 

During McCann’s five years at Celtic, he got it back on a sound financial footing; invested in the playing squad; built one of the finest stadiums in Europe, and prevented Rangers from winning ten in a row. 

The Alternative to McCann

The other alternate histories in this series are hypothetical issues that require a degree of speculation as to what might have occurred. However, the outcome of McCann not taking control actually happened, but fortunately, not to Celtic.

After years of running up debts, including an unrepayable tax bill to HMRC, the old Rangers Football Club was forced into administration in 2012. Unfortunately, for them, they did not have a Fergus McCann. Their club was not saved from Armageddon as it went into the abyss of liquidation.

Had it not been for McCann’s intervention, Celtic could have faced a similar fate in the 90s. As a result:

• Celtic would have reformed as a ‘newco’ in the bottom tier of Scottish football
• Rangers would have won an unlimited number of consecutive league titles
• There would be no 60,000 all-seater stadium
• Larsson would not have starred for Celtic
• There would have been no road to Seville in 2003 
• Rival fans could taunt Celtic as no longer being the same club! 

Whilst “The Bunnet” was not always popular during his tenure, his importance to the club is undeniable. If Celtic had a Mount Rushmore of the most important figures in its history (off the field), his face would be carved into the limestone along with Brother Walfrid, Willie Maley and Jock Stein! 

Fergus McCann’s successful takeover of Celtic in 1994, is the single most important event in the club’s recent history. Most importantly, the club was saved in its darkest hour from going out of business. Furthermore, the foundations were laid for the emergence of a financially stable and modern football club.

Had the outcome of McCann’s takeover bid failed then the consequences to Celtic could have been disastrous. It is highly likely that the club would have gone the same way as other dead entities such as Rangers and the dodo!

By Mark Nicholas