PART 4 – “A terrible beauty is born” – Celtic after the takeover: The first half (1994-1997)
Click HERE to read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 of this five-part series.
The phrase ‘he who laughs last, laughs longest’ might well have been invented to describe Fergus McCann’s time at Celtic.
In the immediate aftermath of his successful 1994 takeover, he was lauded by fans and acclaimed by the media. Neither of these sentiments would continue for long. Over the following five years he enacted a range of changes which ultimately transformed Celtic – but did so at the expense of his personal reputation, including ludicrous comparisons with Middle East dictators in the Scottish mainstream media.
No sooner had the ‘rebels’ coalition ousted the old board and taken control of Celtic, it fell apart. The two most prominent leaders – McCann and Brian Dempsey – soon parted ways. Dempsey initially declined a seat on the board, and when later reversing this decision, was no longer given the opportunity. These events would repeat themselves with other individuals, including Willie Haughey and Dominic Keane who would later leave the board.
McCann’s plan when taking control of Celtic was simple. He said that he would remain at the club for five years. In that time he would oversee a major new share issue, fix the club’s finances, rebuild Celtic Park and put a successful team on the park. At the end of that time, he planned to sell his shares (allowing him to make back his initial investment) and leave Scotland.
His first conflicts were in relation to Celtic’s manager. Lou Macari had been appointed in 1993 but the team continued to struggle. McCann questioned Macari’s commitment, given that he continued to have his main home in Stoke; the manager in turn believed he was not being supported. This led to Macari’s dismissal, and also later court cases concerning this.
Celtic now needed a new boss, and McCann knew who he wanted; former player and current Kilmarnock manager, Tommy Burns. Celtic pursued the Calton-born Burns, despite the Ayrshire side refusing to release him. Eventually Burns resigned and this resulted in long-term battles between Celtic, Kilmarnock and the SFA, which saw Celtic fined hundreds of thousands of pounds.
However, at least McCann now had his man, albeit this was another relationship which would soon flounder. In Burns’ first season, better days seemed to be coming. In November 1994, Celtic faced First Division side Raith Rovers in the League Cup Final. It was widely expected that the club would end their trophy drought – until a penalty shootout proved otherwise.
This defeat could not have come at a worse time for Celtic. The much vaunted share issue was due to take place; a trophy on display at Celtic Park would help attract investors. Still, regardless of on-field disappointment, the financial reforms continued. Beginning in early-1995, the shares were on sale for a few weeks, with interest-free loans available.
The result was a phenomenal success. More than 10,000 fans rallied to buy the shares which gave them ownership of Celtic. It led to more than £20 million being raised, the most successful share issue in British football history. It gave McCann full control and raised finances which would be used to improve the club.
May 1995 was a microcosm of McCann’s Celtic Park reign. In the space of 24 hours the club went from elation to warfare. On 27th May, the Bhoys ended their long wait for a trophy as Pierre van Hooijdonk’s header gave Celtic a 1-0 Scottish Cup Final victory over Airdrie. Players, fans and the manager celebrated – but this did not last long.
Following the final, Tommy Burns publicly complained about the support he was being given by the Celtic board.
McCann was furious, coming close to sacking the Celtic boss. Burns himself considered quitting. Eventually the fight was smoothed over, but it was a rift which never truly healed between the two men.
The summer of 1995 marked a major milestone for Celtic; their return to a revamped Celtic Park. In 1994/95, the Bhoys had played at Hampden Park because their home since 1892 was a building site. From August 1995, the huge North Stand became the club’s biggest stand, and this was later joined by the Lisbon Lions and Jock Stein stands completing the redevelopment.
It was clear that Celtic were investing in a better standard of player. Fans were hugely excited by stars such as Andreas Thom, van Hooijdonk, Paolo di Canio and Jorge Cadete. However this came at the expense of new problems, particularly involving the latter three, referred to as the ‘Three Amigos’ by McCann. Each complained about money, suggesting they were being paid less than their worth, or that Celtic had reneged on verbal agreements to improve their deals.
Cadete was also the centre of (though not to blame for) another Celtic controversy. He arrived in February 1996, and the Bhoys hoped to see him play against Rangers in an upcoming Scottish Cup tie. Instead, the SFA’s Jim Farry deliberately delayed Cadete’s registration, meaning he could not play against Rangers. McCann was furious and pursued the matter for years before the SFA admitted what had happened, and dismissed Farry.
This was far from the only fight between Celtic’s owner and the SFA. There had already been the punishment handed out concerning Tommy Burns’ arrival at Celtic. As well as this, McCann was deeply opposed to plans to revamp Hampden Park. He believed there was no need for a national stadium and that Celtic Park and Ibrox could instead be used.
Fan relations were also strained for McCann. In addition to complaints over a lack of spending, the Bhoys Against Bigotry initiative was launched. This was an attempt by the Celtic owner to improve the club’s reputation, and remove what he saw as unacceptable chants and songs. Others however believed he was trying to change the club’s Irish links, and it was a sore which continued to cause him problems.
The first half of McCann’s regime had undermined the Celtic’s owner’s once heroic status. It remained to be seen if this could be changed in subsequent years.
Visit The Celtic Star tomorrow to read Part 5 of this five-part series.
Matthew Marr
