1988 Stopping the Ten

STOPPING THE TEN

On 3 July 1997, ‘Wim Who?” or Wim Jansen as he became known thereafter, was installed as Head Coach of Celtic. Not manager mind you. That title went to the man who ran the business side of things, Jock Brown. Tommy Burns, the popular and beloved ex-Celt who had been manager for the past four years was now gone. His team had played some of the most exciting football seen in hooped shirts for a generation, but his own personal voyage of managerial discovery had come aground on the beach of one of Celtic’s most jealously guarded achievements – the Nine.

Between 1966 and 1974, Celtic had won nine consecutive championships under the guidance of the legendary Jock Stein – a Scottish and World record. It was one of our most famous achievements, one which no-one thought could be equalled, far less bettered.

With the arrival of Graeme Souness as the manager of Celtic’s greatest rivals, Rangers in 1986, the unthinkable had become a definite possibility. Souness had come accompanied by a battalion of bullion wagons laden with enough cash to tempt top English players to Scotland. The subsequent arrival two years later of the Scotland’s Largest Chequebook, in the shape of new Rangers’ chairman and owner David Murray added to the Ibrox war chest. Between them, Murray and Souness – and Walter Smith who replaced Souness as manager in 1991 – went on a spending spree, gunning for Celtic’s most coveted records – the European Cup and the nine consecutive championships.

By the end of Tommy Burns reign as Celtic boss, the record was gone, and Rangers, although they had failed miserably to make any sort of impression in the European scene, had equalled the Nine. Burns never stood a chance of survival as the absolute Holy of Holies was in peril. Never, since the destruction of the Great Library of Alexandria, had a foundation stone of civilisation been so threatened.

Enter Jansen, a man who’s previous claim to fame had been as a midfield destroyer who had snuffed out Bobby Murdoch in the 1970 European Cup Final in Milan. A man too, whose hairstyle still lived in those ancient times (1970 not the 1st century AD).

When Wim arrived – only three weeks before the start of the season, Celtic hardly had a team, and Rangers were arguably at their strongest, preparing to take Ten Championships. Things didn’t look too good.

Jansen realised that Celtic’s defence had been leaking of goals. Of course we had had exciting players in the recent past in the shape of the three amigos, Di Canio, Cadete, and van Hooijdoonk. All three, however, had fled Glasgow shortly after pledging their undying love of the club.

Wim decided to get his defence sorted and instilled a more defensive discipline on his players. Goalkeeper Jonathan Gould was brought in from Bradford City, Centre-back Marc Rieper from West Ham, and Craig Burley, a strong all purpose midfielder who had good defensive qualities, a great engine, and a strong shot. In November, Jansen brought Borussia Dortmund’s Scottish midfielder Paul Lambert back to Scotland. Lambert may have been a large piece in the Jansen jigsaw, but perhaps the most significant addition to the squad was that of Feyenoord’s Swedish forward, Henrik Larsson.

On the first day of the season, Celtic played Hibs at Easter Road. Hopes rather than expectations were high that the new Coach would be able to work some magic. Those hopes lay in tatters at the end of that first match, as new signing Larsson, belied his future contribution to the club, gifting Hibs’ Charnley with the opportunity to score the winner. In the next match, Celtic were defeated by Dunfermline. Eight consecutive wins followed those setbacks, until Rangers won the first Old Firm match of the season at Ibrox. Then another defeat a week later to Motherwell (0-2 at home) and another draw with Rangers at Celtic Park, before getting back to winning ways.

When Celtic lost a match at Christmas time at Perth, the league nightmare was becoming reality; however the New Year fixture with Rangers on January 2 1998 was the psychological turning point of the campaign. Celtic ran out 2-0 winners in that famous match which saw two of the finest goals (one each from Burley and Lambert) scored in an Old Firm match. Celtic hadn’t defeated Rangers in a league match since May 7 1995. It seemed that the Ibrox side had an Indian sign over Celtic, and although Celtic had outplayed their rivals in several matches since their last victory, all too often they had succumbed to the Rangers counter-attacking suckerpunch. To win that match was the lift that everyone at Celtic needed.

Although Rangers did win the last Old Firm match of the season at Ibrox, by that time Celtic had, due mostly to the most niggardly defence in the country, gave them the cushion of a league lead in the run-in, and on May 9, travelled to Dunfermline needing a win to clinch their first title in 10 years. With fifteen minutes to go in that match, Dunfermline equalised Simon Donnelly’s strike, and after a long hard season, in which Celtic had famously added the League Cup to their trophy haul, it all came down to the last match of the season against St Johnstone at Celtic Park.

The 9th of May 1988 is the day when the matter was resolved in a positive manner for Celtic. Rangers were to play Dundee United at Tannadice whilst Celtic entertained the Perth side. Celtic merely had to win to be champions. If Celtic failed to win, and Rangers claimed all three points, then they would have made history as the winners of ten consecutive titles.

Six minutes into the match, Henrik Larsson, whose contribution throughout the season had begun to take on superhero proportions, cut in from the left and glided a sweet shot low into the right hand side of the goal. The newly built Celtic Park stands shook to their foundations as the crowd prepared to celebrate.

Celtic however, failed to kill off the opposition, and in fact George O’Boyle, missed a glorious chance to equalise. Nerve-ends in the stands were jangling as the match approached the last fifteen minutes. A nervy last quarter of an hour could see a goal for the opposition – a goal whose worldwide repercussions would far outweigh its value in a single match.

Cometh the hour however, cometh the man. The man from the land of the ice and snow, from the midnight sun, and where the hot springs flow. Norwegian Harald Brattbakk had been a controversial signing for Celtic, and his signing had famously added to a growing rift between Wim Jansen and Jock Brown. Much maligned in his time at Celtic, Harald certainly became one of the club’s favourite sons. A lovely man of humility and intelligence, and a swift and clever runner, he was a natural goalscorer. However his confidence had taken a few knocks after missing some vital chances in previous matches. But Harald was a true Celt, and he grabbed his opportunity to write himself into the history books with only thirteen minutes of the match left. As a St Johnstone attack broke down, Burley speared a pass out to the right releasing Jackie McNamara. As Jackie set off after the ball, a flash of lightning took off some thirty yards behind him in the direction of the Saints penalty box. McNamara crossed crisply into the area as the lightning flash arrived in the shape of the frail Norwegian. The pattern of his stride coinciding perfectly with the arrival of the ball, he met it first time and despatched it behind Alan Main in the St Johnstone goal.

There was – in this order – a great outpouring of relief that the potential banana skin had been avoided, then a great outpouring of ecstasy in the knowledge that the Ten had been foiled.

Harlad Brattbakk and Henrik Larsson, the two scorers, celebrated at the main stand in the now iconic piggy-back pose. An image which in time will be as much a part of Celtic fabric as the sight of Billy McNeill’s great leap in the 1965 Scottish Cup Final, it endures as the confirmation that the league was won.

Celtic’s banana skin came days later in the shape of Jansen’s resignation over his disagreements with Brown. However both men, and assistant manager David Hay and assistant coach Murdo McLeod all deserve credit for their efforts in that great season.

It might be said that the achievement was in a sense a negative one; preventing Rangers’ ten in a row rather than setting any significant benchmark for Celtic. However it needs to be realised that the pride and passion of the players and staff that season were lifted to heights they might never have otherwise because they needed to preserve the cherished traditions of their club. That makes every one of them Celtic through and through, and they deserve our undying gratitude giving us back our pride

Led by Harald and Henrik, they gave us that wonderful afternoon when we won the league at home for the first time since 1979 – nearly twenty years earlier.

The twenty second century Celtic history books will remember each and every one of them.