Wim Jansen arrived at from Japan, was ridiculed by Hugh Keevins, lost a few league matches early on as he was busy putting together his squad after significant player departures in the summer. He gradually got things up and running and before Christmas won the League Cup, for Celtic this was the first time in around 15 years that we’d lifted that trophy then went on to lose out in the Scottish Cup semi-final to Rangers with the old Ibrox club winning that one by 2-1.
They celebrated wildly but ended up losing the Scottish Cup final 2-1 to Hearts whereas Wim Jansen’s Celtic in a dramatic, nail-biting end to the season defeated St Johnstone on the last day of the league campaign to win the league for the first time in a decade to stop their Ten on a Row.
So a new manager arriving at Celtic from Japan (check), loses a few league games at the start of the season (check), wins the League Cup (check), loses the Scottish Cup semi-final to Rangers 2-1 (check), goes on the win the league and Hearts beat Rangers in the Scottish Cup Final 2-1…shades of season 1997/98 anyone?
Former Celtic midfielder Murdo MacLeod was Wim Jansen’s Assistant Manager that season and has been talking to Daily Record about getting the job done and the league won this season where Wim Jansen’s journey all those years ago is on course for history repeating itself for the current Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou.
The run-in the eventual title joy in 1998 was stressful to say the least for everyone at Celtic and of course the support. The penultimate match at Dunfermline saw Celtic conceding a late equaliser to draw the match 1-1 and that stopped the title celebrations in their tracks and took it all to the last day of the season.
“It’s going to be a tough run-in. Winning a title is never easy at any point,” Murdo said. “Celtic are going to have to go and get it. Go and earn it. The way Celtic are sitting at the moment, they are so comfortable with a big gap at the top of the table.
“But they will face five tough games because all of the teams who have made it into the top six are there due to the fact they have had great seasons in their own ways.
“Hearts have had a great season, Dundee United are doing so well, then you have Ross County. Look at their season compared to some of the teams who are down there in the bottom six who are seen as much bigger clubs. Motherwell as well and these teams will be relaxed going into these games. Reaching the top six is the bonus for a few of them and they’ll go and enjoy the games,” Murdo added.
He’s overlooked the three way battle between Dundee United, Motherwell and Ross County – the Tannadice outfit go into the split on 41 pts while the other two have 40 pts – for the final European place up for grabs, so all three teams have something meaningful to play for. The MSM are talking up Ross County’s chances at home to Celtic yet overlook how much Saturday’s home match against theRangers means to Motherwell. Funny that.
Murdo continued: “Celtic have their own target, so the matches will be good and they’ll be looking forward to them. But look at the last game in Dingwall. In recent years County have been down near the bottom scrapping for points here, there and everywhere at times.
“Yet this season they achieved greatly to get into the top six and will be looking for that same performance as the last time at home up there when it took Celtic until after 96 minutes to get their winning goal,” Murdo assessed, but he forgets to mention that Celtic had ten men that might and were actually the last team to go to Dingwall and get a victory.
“The title won’t be handed out to Celtic and nor should it be because leagues have to be won by the team who goes out there and wins it,” Murdo pointed out.
On picking the Celtic players themselves up quickly after the disappointment of losing in the Scottish Cup semi-final on Sunday to theRangers, Murdo had this to say: “They will be gutted with last weekend, especially when it seemed they were firm favourites for Hampden going into the match.
“For us back then, there was nothing that lingered beyond the match. The game was finished. It was over. And once any game is over, you just have to move on. The big thing that year was stopping 10-in-a-row and we always went back to that. That’s what it was all about for us in 1998.
“The incentive is different this time but also very rewarding. It’s great to go straight into the Champions League. That is what all footballers want. To have the opportunity to play against the best.
“To come from the position they were in at the start of the season, then being a number of points behind at one stage to canter away at the top of the table, it’s been a great run. You’d have to give a lot of credit to the manager for the way he managed to get his team playing.”
