Yesterday, we heard of how Celtic managed to blow the Scottish League in 1983. It was a bitter experience, but if anything April 1980 was even worse – not least because so many people, even Celtic’s opponents, were convinced that Celtic were going to win.
Eight Days in April 1983 – a Cautionary Tale for Celtic ahead of Ibrox | The Celtic Star https://t.co/ZoKNm3GdZ0
— The Celtic Star Editor (@CelticStarMag) March 11, 2020
March 1980 had seen an honourable, but ultimately predictable defeat by Real Madrid in the European Cup quarter final. But the first leg 2-0 win had enthused the support in a way that had not been seen for a few years, and then even more encouraging was the signing of Frank McGarvey from Liverpool.
Frank had never really made it at Liverpool, but his signing seemed to indicate that Celtic at long last meant business. There were problems involved with Frank – his friendship with bookmakers was hardly any great secret in Glasgow, it may be that some of the players resented the wages that he was on, and of course his very presence meant that someone would have to lose his place in the forward line – but generally speaking, it was good news.
Even better news came on Wednesday 2 April 1980 when Celtic beat Rangers 1-0 at Celtic Park, and McGarvey scored the goal! Celtic and their supporters have often been guilty of believing that beating Rangers is all that matters, and this particular game (against a very poor Rangers side) put Celtic 7 points ahead of Aberdeen.
Admittedly, the Dons had a game in hand, but things looked very good for Celtic as Aberdeen, who had still to play Celtic twice at Celtic Park, came to Glasgow on Saturday for their first of these encounters on Saturday 5 April.
It was a lovely sunny day, the ground was full, and even though Aberdeen won 2-1, the Celtic fans, still on a high after beating Rangers, sang “We’ve won the League again! Fly the Flag!”. The Sunday Post shared their optimism, declaring that Aberdeen’s challenge had come too late, and one would be forgiven for thinking that Celtic had won that game. Glaring deficiencies in the play were overlooked as indeed was the grim determination of Alex Ferguson’s Aberdeen team. We were indeed living in a “Fool’s Paradise” as a more perceptive supporter noticed. But we were still five points clear.
Things took a far more serious turn on the Tuesday night when Celtic to Tannadice Park and lost 0-3. There was no excuse for a really very poor performance against a team that was always difficult to beat at Tannadice and whom Celtic had grossly underestimated. McGarvey had to be substituted and we wondered whether his signing had been a good idea after all. It was quite simply a hammering, but yet we were still three points ahead, but only one if Aberdeen won their game in hand.
The next week saw a slight improvement with a 5-0 win over a woeful Hibs side in the Scottish Cup semi-final, then a steady but hardly spectacular win over Kilmarnock at home on the Wednesday night while Aberdeen dropped a point. Alex Ferguson said “we’ve handed the title to Celtic on a plate” as he berated his players, who had also let him down on the Saturday by losing to Rangers in the Scottish Cup semi-final. But Ferguson often used this tactic of berating his players in the Press to bring out the best in them.
So Celtic were four points clear as they approached Dens Park on the dreadful day of 19 April 1980.
Dundee, managed by Tommy Gemmell were virtually relegated, and no-one saw what was coming. Celtic scored first on a dry, windy day with a bumpy surface, but then unaccountably lost 5 goals, all of which were occasioned by shocking defending.
At the other end, Celtic missed a penalty and countless chances, and quite a few supporters wondered just what was going on. This game was definitely not “fixed” – it would have been far too blatant to lose 5-1, if you were going to “fix” a game – but it was very clear that many players were simply not happy. Why?
With their Manager, Billy McNeill? Something about wages or bonuses, perhaps? Problems involving the arrival of Frank McGarvey? Or they really were poor. In any case, they were not fit to be League champions. The attitude was totally wrong, and even forty years later, this result remains one of the most bitter of a lifetime of supporting the club, made all the worse by the air of mystery and puzzlement about it.
Just what was it all about?
Celtic could have redeemed themselves instantly by beating Aberdeen at Celtic Park on the Wednesday. Significantly perhaps, McGarvey was relegated to the bench for a game that Billy McNeill said Celtic simply had to win. Equally significantly, the wise but ageing Bobby Lennox was out injured, and 48,000 watched in horror as Celtic scored first through a penalty and then failed to match Aberdeen in any department of the game, losing 3-1 in a mortuary like atmosphere in the Jungle and the Railway End.
Technically Aberdeen had not yet have won the League, but we all knew that it was over.
Celtic had blown up spectacularly.
On 10 May, several Celtic careers (including that of the Manager, one suspects) were saved when Celtic beat Rangers 1-0 after extra time to win the Scottish Cup. Once again, the disproportionate element of beating Rangers came into play.
But the Scottish League of 1980 is another Celtic horror story. It must not be allowed to recur forty years later!
David Potter
Revealed – The Celtic Supporters behind the plane over Ibrox | The Celtic Star https://t.co/HOVd7pAhuz
— The Celtic Star Editor (@CelticStarMag) March 11, 2020
When David Murray banned Celtic fans from Ibrox | The Celtic Star https://t.co/wKuowATKLK
— The Celtic Star Editor (@CelticStarMag) March 11, 2020
Boozers, Celtic on the wrong end of Refereeing Controversies and the SFA | The Celtic Star https://t.co/eCDoOWYV83
— The Celtic Star Editor (@CelticStarMag) March 11, 2020
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