Back in September 2000 Martin O’Neill was busy putting together a side capable of taking Celtic back to the very top of Scottish football. Little did we know that this was the beginning of a quarter century of Celtic’s total and utter domination of the Scottish game…
In his first few months in charge Martin’s ambitions were met by the Celtic hierarchy as he was allowed to spend big to entice the likes of Chris Sutton and Joos Valgaeren for combined fees of around £10 million.
Sutton added an extra dimension to our forward line and would prove to be the perfect partner for Henrik Larsson, whilst big Joos added much needed strength and presence to our backline. O’Neill, who had been a BBC pundit, had noticed Valgaeren playing for Belgium at the Euros that summer. Both were excellent signings.
Sutton’s signing was actually funded by the sale of want-away striker Mark Viduka who went on the have a good career at Leeds United but had been something of a divisive character during his eventual spell at Celtic.
Next on Martin’s list was to add some creativity and he pulled off a double signing that would prove to be perhaps his shrewdest business deals in the transfer market as manager of Celtic.
Alan Thompson, a well known name from England’s top flight, was signed for £2.5 million from Aston Villa and he brought with him a cultured left peg that was capable of creating and scoring goals. He was a big game player and scored a winner against Barcelona and so many important goals against Rangers who before O’Neill arrived were having things their own way after Wim Jansen had stopped them doing ten-in-a-row a few years earlier.
Thommo as he was known was the creative spark we needed on the left hand side to supply the ever growing deadly partnership of Henrik Larsson and Chris Sutton. He was also capable of grabbing vital goals and was deadly at set pieces as the following years would prove.
Didier Agathe was a bit of a surprise addition as the Reunion born attacker was snapped up from Hibs for a bargain £50,000. Agathe had been in Scotland since 1999 and had starred for Raith Rovers before joining Hibs on a short term deal scoring four goals in 6 appearances. That form impressed O’Neill who had no hesitation in bringing him to Celtic Park.
Martin deployed Didier in the right wing back role and he showed what he was capable of in his debut against St Mirren at Celtic park a few weeks after signing. Didier showed pace, power skill and strength on the right hand side and it would prove to be his trademark for years to come.
Both Didier and Alan were mainstays of the side during the successful Martin O’Neill years and were vital cogs in a side which yielded seven trophies and made an appearance in the UEFA cup final, before losing in extra time to Porto. The Portuguese side under Jose Mourinho would of course go on to win the Champions League the next season.
The pair were bought for under £3 million and both players proved to be brilliant Celtic signings by Martin O’Neill.
Martin O’Neill at the SEC Armadillo
Martin O’Neill recently appeared at a special event on 8 June at the SEC Armadillo, Glasgow . The legendary Celtic manager was joined onstage by some of his biggest Celtic stars from that wonderful team, including Neil Lennon, John Hartson and Stan Petrov, to take an often hilarious look back at how he transformed Celtic’s fortunes twenty five years ago.
Here’s a snippet of what happened as the gang discuss John Hartson’s goal in Celtic UEFA Cup quarter final win over Liverpool in 2003. It’s well worth a listen for the memories and also for the humour! Laugh out loud stuff…
Talking of laughs, have you read Sandman’s brilliant season review on The Celtic Star yet? It was published last night and if you haven’t seen it, you’ll find it HERE. Brilliant as always from Sandman!
Just an Ordinary Bhoy
READ THIS…Sandman’s Definitive Graphically Enhanced Review of Season 2024/25
