The first day of March 1967 saw the Celts in Novi Sad, to take on Yugoslav champions, FK Vojvodina, in the Quarter-final of our maiden European Cup campaign. It was new territory also for the hosts.
They had pipped Celtic’s old Euro foes, Dinamo Zagreb, to win their first Yugoslavian title, the previous spring, as Serbian rivals, Partizan Belgrade, were marching all the way to the final of Europe’s premier competition, where they would lose narrowly to the old masters, Real Madrid, in Brussels. A sixth triumph for the Spaniards saw them awarded the old trophy permanently, and so a new Cup had been designed and was up for grabs for the first time.
The type of scenario where Celtic traditionally excel.
The strength of Yugoslav football at that time was further illustrated by Dinamo Zagreb. Despite failing to win a national title in the 1960s, finishing runners-up five times in that period, they had gone all the way to the Final of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1963, before losing to holders Valencia. And in 66/67 they would go one better, after a white-knuckle ride in the same tournament.
The First Round saw both legs of the tie with Czechoslovakia’s Spartak Brno finish 2-0 to the home side, so with the new ‘away goals’ rule’ still not separating the teams, it was down to the toss of a coin, Lady Luck then smiling on Dinamo. The new rule did come into play for Zagreb’s next hurdle, this time their 2-0 second leg victory in the Maksimir enough to eliminate Dunfermline, after a 4-2 defeat at East End Park, the first tie to be decided on this basis. And Dinamo Pitesti, decades later to meet Celtic as Arges Pitesti, as the tournament assumed yet another identity as the Europa League, were their Third Round opponents, a single goal in Romania settling the tie in the Slavs’ favour.
Zagreb’s Quarter-final challenge would be the mighty Juventus, beaten finalists just two years earlier. A fighting 2-2 draw in Turin was followed by an excellent 3-0 home victory, sending the underdogs through to the last four. There they would face Eintracht Frankfurt, a 3-0 defeat in Germany seemingly marking the end of the European line for another season. However, the three goals were matched within 90 minutes, a fourth then coming along in extra-time to secure Dinamo’s place in the Final.
Waiting for them were Don Revie’s Leeds United, fresh from a second successive Last 16 victory over Valencia, a coin-toss win over Italy’s Bologna and a Semi-final defeat of Kilmarnock. Zagreb’s home form would again prove decisive, yet another 2-0 victory followed by a goalless draw in Yorkshire, to secure a first-ever European trophy for Yugoslavia. Leeds would not have long to wait. The following season, they beat Hibernian, Rangers and Dundee in successive rounds, before defeating Ferencvaros to finally land the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, a feat they would repeat in 1971, in the last-ever competition.
So, whilst Vojvodina, ‘Vosa’ to fans, were not as well-known in wider football circles as Dinamo Zagreb or either of the Belgrade giants, Celts could ill-afford to under-estimate them in any way. And there were parallels with the culture, ethos and history of the two clubs, both born to represent a minority population group far from home. Where Celtic had sprung from the needs of the Irish diaspora in Scotland, in Vosa’s case it was the Serbian people of the Vojvodina region in northern Yugoslavia.
Established secretly in Novi Sad by Serbian students, studying in Prague just before the outbreak of the First World War, the club enjoyed the patronage and support of local side, Slavia, honouring them through the adoption of their distinctive red-and-white colours and star crest. The Prague side, of course, have their own links to Celtic, through Johnny Madden, ‘the Father of Czech Football’, who played in the Bhoys’ first-ever game in 1888, then went on to manage Slavia for twenty-five years, revolutionising the game in that country. This bond was marked in 2017, Celtic playing Slavia in a pre-season match in Prague, to open the stand which proudly bears his name.
If Johnny was Mr Slavia then Vujodin Boskov is Mr Vojvodina. Born within a few miles of Novi Sad in 1931, Boskov made 185 League appearances as a defender for his boyhood club between ‘46 and ‘60, as Vojvodina emerged from the regional set-up to join the new Yugoslav First League. It would be a case of ‘close but no cigar’ for his playing career, in terms of medals, runner-up to Dinamo Zagreb in both League and Cup before moving to Italy and Genoa, for a final top-flight season with Sampdoria. That would be a life-changing decision.
Vujodin also made 57 appearances for Yugoslavia, gaining a silver medal in the Helsinki Olympics of 1952, as the Mighty Magyars took gold with their star-studded line-up featuring our old friends, Bozsik, Czibor, Puskas and Kocsis. He then appeared in both the ‘54 and ‘58 World Cup Finals, facing Scotland in a 1-1 draw in Sweden, with Celts Bobby Collins and Bobby Evans in opposition. On both occasions, the Yugoslavs qualified from their group but were beaten by West Germany in the Quarter-final.
In 1962, Boskov was on the move again, this time to Switzerland as a player-coach with the brilliantly-named Young Fellows Juventus. Returning to Vojvodina in ‘64 as Technical Director, with former international team-mate, Branko Stankovic, as first team coach, he revamped the ailing club from top to bottom. Just two years later, he managed the club to its first-ever Yugoslav title, earning entry to the European Cup of 1966/67. That championship would be the highlight of his domestic career.
A fourth-place finish the following season provided entry to the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, where Vojvodina enjoyed a great run to the Quarter-final, eliminating Portuguese, East German and Turkish opposition, before losing to Bologna. And bizarrely, despite finishing 13th in 1968, Vosa were put forward again for the Fairs Cup, together with fellow-strugglers, Olimpija Ljubljana and OFK Belgrade. It would be a short reprieve, Rangers beating them in the First Round by the odd goal in three. Another top four placing in 68/69 saw them return on merit to the Fairs Cup that year, this time Polish side, Gwardia Warsaw, taking the First Round honours, before they, in turn, were eliminated by Dunfermline.
His final two seasons at Vojvodina were disappointing, this time no European salvation forthcoming. In 1971, he left Novi Sad, to take charge of the Yugoslav national team, a role he held for two years.
Vujodin Boskov then spent the next twenty-five years managing clubs across the continent, winning trophies in Holland, Spain and Italy, whilst achieving success on the European stage.
First stop was Holland in 1974, winning the Dutch Cup with Den Haag in his first season, beating FC Twente in the Rotterdam final. That success opened the door to the European Cup-Winners’ Cup of 75/76 and home and away wins over Danes, Vejle BK and Lens of France, before losing out to eventual runners-up, West Ham United, in the Quarter-final. Celtic, including the adopted Roy Aitken and with new signing Johnny Doyle looking on, exited at the same stage to East Germany’s Sachsenring Zwickau.
Next challenge for Boskov was in Rotterdam, replacing the Pole, Brzezanczyk, who, despite losing the Dutch title by just a single point to PSV, had ‘failed’ to replicate the glorious era of Happel and Coerver, in his only season at Feyenoord. Remaining from their European and World Champions team at that time was future Celtic Head Coach, Wim Jansen. Vujodin’s side finished fourth in his first Eredivisie campaign, missing out on an Euro spot to AZ ‘67, before dropping to tenth in his final year at the club.
His sole European venture with Feyenoord was in the 76/77 UEFA Cup, which Coerver had won in 1974, beating Tottenham Hotspur in the Final. As Jock Stein’s continental push with Celtic was ending in Krakow, at the hands of Wisla’s Kmiecik, Boskov’s team was eliminating Sweden’s Djurgardens. A tremendous five-goal victory at De Kuip saw off Kaiserslautern in the next round, followed by home and away wins over Espanyol. However, in the Quarter-final, a goalless draw with RWD Molenbeek was punished by a second-leg defeat in Brussels, ending Dutch dreams of glory for that season.
In 1978, he took over the reins at Real Zaragoza. The Aragonese club, newly-promoted to La Liga, would finish just above the relegation zone, in fourteenth place. Nevertheless, his personal reputation does not seem to have been adversely affected, the next call coming from champions, Real Madrid. He would spend three seasons at the Santiago Bernabeu, the first one perhaps the most memorable.
Boskov’s side finished one point ahead of Real Sociedad to claim a third successive title. They then completed a Liga and Copa double in the most curious of circumstances, beating their reserve side, Castilla, 6-1 in the Final on their own ground!
Real’s European Cup run had also started well, with wins over Levski Spartak and Porto, the latter on away goals. In the Quarter-final, they faced Billy McNeill’s young Celtic side, losing the first leg 2-0 in Glasgow. But the Spaniards were a different proposition in Madrid, in front of 110,000 baying fans. The star-studded Real, with Del Bosque, Juanito, Santillana, Stielike and the late Laurie Cunningham, found the three goals they required, to knock the Bhoys out.
In the last four, they met Kevin Keegan’s SV Hamburg, a 2-0 win setting them up perfectly for a place in the Final, like that of the Copa del Rey, to be played at the Bernabeu. Sadly, for Boskov, the roof collapsed in the return, the Germans recording a thumping 5-1 win. In the Final, Hamburg faced the holders, Nottingham Forest, featuring future Celtic management duo, Martin O’Neill and John Robertson, the latter scoring the only goal to retain the famous trophy for Brian Clough’s side.
Shrugging aside that disappointment, Real had again qualified for the tournament which made their name, for the 1980/81 campaign, kicking it off at Dublin’s Lansdowne Road, against Irish champions, Limerick. Comfortable victories against the part-timers then Hungary’s Honved in the next round, set up a last-eight meeting with Russian title-holders, Spartak Moscow. The only goals of the tie were both scored by Isidro, in the second half in Madrid, paving the way for a Semi-final with old rivals Inter Milan. Despite a single-goal defeat in the San Siro, goals from Santillana and Juanito in the home first leg allowed the Spaniards to narrowly progress to a ninth European Cup Final.
Standing in their way in Paris would be Bob Paisley’s Liverpool, conquerors of Aberdeen and FC Bayern and aiming to keep the cup in England for a fifth successive year. The only goal of the game came from an unlikely source, full-back Alan Kennedy cutting in from the left to fire home with just eight minutes remaining, Paisley thus becoming the first manager to win the European Cup three times.
As Boskov had been unable to secure a fourth consecutive Liga title in 1981, losing on a head-to-head with maiden champions, Real Sociedad, despite a better goal difference, it was the UEFA Cup next for Madrid. It was hardly an auspicious start for the Spanish giants, an ‘away goals’ victory over Tatabanya of Hungary followed by narrow wins over East German outfit, Carl Zeiss Jena then Rapid Vienna. The run ended in Kaiserslautern, in the Quarter-final, the Germans overturning a 3-1 deficit to hit Real for five without reply, the Spanish having three players dismissed on a sorry night. Buskov would pay for that result immediately, with his job, leaving the Bernabeu in March 1982.
He began the next season as manager at Sporting Gijon, a traditional ‘yo-yo club’ who were enjoying a period of success in the top flight, a third-place finish and two Copa finals in the previous three years. Whilst they retained their Liga status during his two-year reign, there was no further tangible progress.
In November 1984, Boskov headed for a new challenge in Italy, to preserve the Serie A status of Ascoli. His side came up just short, relegated to Serie B for season 1985/86 by three points, although he did enjoy success the next season, bringing Ascoli straight back up as champions. This led to the offer which would see his most high-profile period of success, a return to Sampdoria to lead his former club. So, as Irish superstar and future Celtic manager, Liam Brady, was signing for Ascoli from Inter Milan, Vujudin Boskov was checking out, swapping the Adriatic coast for the western seaport of Genoa.
Boskov’s impact on the club was immediate, finishing in sixth place in his first season, as World Cup-winner Maradona’s Napoli won a first-ever Scudetto as part of a domestic double. His Sampdoria side was and would be sprinkled with players who would soon become household names, such as Vialli, Mancini, Lombardo, Pagliuca and Vierchowod. They only missed out on European football that season through an extra-time defeat in the UEFA Cup qualification play-off to an AC Milan team, themselves about to embark on their own ‘Golden Period’. Italy was definitely the football place to be in 1987.
Season two in Genoa saw significant further progress, Sampdoria fourth in Serie A and Coppa d’Italia winners, following their two-leg victory over Torino. This provided entry into the 1988/89 European Cup-Winners’ Cup, a narrow defeat of Sweden’s Norrkoping followed by a 4-2 aggregate triumph over Carl Zeiss Jena. In the Quarter-final, a last-minute away goal by Vialli allowed Sampdoria to qualify at the expense of Dinamo Bucharest, after the sides were locked at 1-1. Boskov’s side would then face the Cup-holders, Belgium’s Mechelen, in the penultimate round, an excellent 3-0 win in the Stadio Luigi Ferraris enabling them to overcome a 2-1 first-leg defeat. The Final in Berne saw Sampdoria take on Cruyff’s Barcelona, Gary Lineker et al. The Italians never recovered from the loss of an early Salinas strike, Rekarte finishing it off in the closing minutes with a second, to claim the trophy for Catalunia.
La Sampa’s domestic season had again been successful, a fifth-place League finish, tucked in behind the traditional giants and Napoli, twinned with the retention of their Coppa, beating Diego and co in the final. This allowed Boskov another bite at the Cup-Winners’ Cup cherry and the opportunity to go one better, in 89/90.
The campaign began in Norway, with home and away wins over Brann Bergen, as Celtic exited on away goals to Boskov’s compatriots, Partizan Belgrade, on a never-to-be-forgotten night at Parkhead, Jackie Dziekanowski scoring four, only to watch as Stefan Skepovic’s dad scored the crucial goal at the death.
An excellent victory over Borussia Dortmund, followed by back-to-back wins against the Swiss side, Grasshopper, saw Sampdoria through to the last four, where George Weah’s Monaco lay in wait. Two vital away goals by Vialli secured a draw in the Principality, Vierchowod and Lombardo sealing a place in the Gothenburg Final, with strikes in the return.
There they would face twice-winners, Anderlecht, the ‘Celtic Da’ theme continued with the presence of a certain Charly Musonda Snr in their ranks. They had knocked out holders, Barcelona, in the early rounds and were confident of a third success. Ninety minutes came and went without a breakthrough in Sweden, before the goal-machine, Vialli, struck twice again in extra-time, securing a first European trophy for Boskov and Sampdoria. With Milan retaining the European Cup and Juventus and Fiorentina contesting the UEFA Cup Final, Italy was flexing its muscles in terms of continental football domination.
There was another Top Five finish for Sampdoria in domestic football that season and whilst they relinquished their Coppa to eventual winners, Juventus, the Gothenburg triumph gave them passage to defend that title in 1990/91. First up was Kaiserlautern, a single-goal defeat in Germany overturned by Mancini and Branca in Genoa.
This was followed by two victories over Olympiacos, before the Euro run was brought to a shuddering halt in the Quarter-final by Legia Warsaw, conquerors of Aberdeen in the previous round, Vialli’s late equaliser in the return unable to prevent a 3-2 aggregate defeat.
That European disappointment was tempered by a wonderful Serie A campaign, Sampdoria finishing five points clear of European Cup-holders, AC Milan, to win a first-ever Scudetto. Boskov would then have a crack at winning the Big Cup with a third side. It had been some time since the heady days of 1966/67 with Vojvodina Novi Sad, then with Real Madrid, a decade or so later.
So, for the last year of the European Cup before the rebranding as UEFA Champions League, Boskov’s Sampdoria faced our old friends Rosenborg, themselves at the start of what would be an incredible run of thirteen successive domestic titles. The Italians were on a different level however, winning 7-1.
Their Second Round match-up would be tighter, Honved only defeated by the odd goal in seven. For the first time, a group stage was then introduced to the competition, Sampdoria finishing top of a section which included Cup-holders, Red Star Belgrade, Anderlecht and Panathanaikos. Boskov would enjoy home and away victories over his Serbian countrymen, as the Italians qualified for the Wembley Final against Barcelona, a repeat of the European Cup-Winners’ Cup Final, just three years earlier.
That game had gone the way of Cruyff’s Catalan stars and, sadly for Boskov, this one would too. The Barcelona of Koeman, Stoichkov, Laudrup and Guardiola clinched their first European Cup in extra-time, thanks to a terrific free-kick from the powerful Dutchman. The next month, June 1992, Vujudin left Sampdoria after six wonderful years to join Roma, his place in their hearts and history secured.
His single season in the Eternal City produced a run to the Quarter-final of the UEFA Cup, beaten by eventual runners-up Borussia Dortmund, and an agonising ‘away goals’ defeat in the final of the Coppa d’Italia by Torino. However, a disappointing mid-table league finish marked the end of his spell there.
He resurfaced at Napoli, in October 1994, guiding them through a UEFA Cup tie against Boavista before losing to Eintracht Frankfurt but he was unable to replicate his Sampdoria success, leaving in June ‘96.
Brief spells followed at Servette Geneva and Sampdoria, again, with his last act in club football being to preserve the Serie A status of Perugia, in 1999. The following month, Boskov commenced his final managerial role, with the Former Republic of Yugoslavia (later ‘rebranded’ as Serbia & Montenegro). He led them to the Quarter-final of Euro2000, before losing 6-1 to hosts Holland.
In the early 1970’s, FK Vojvodina’s new training camp had been named the Football Centre Vujadin Boskov, after the man who had done so much to put the club on the domestic and continental map, in the preceding two decades. Those responsible for that decision would surely be so proud of what he subsequently went on to achieve, in a rich and varied career.
Vujudin Boskov, Mr Vojvodina, passed away in Novi Sad in April 2014, at the age of 82.
Hail, hail!
Matt Corr
Follow Matt on Twitter @Boola_vogue
Thanks as always to the folk behind the Celtic Wiki on Kerrydale St., a fabulous source of information for these stories.
THE VALENCIA FILE – Parts 1-6 are below…
The Valencia file (Part 6) – The Canaries are ‘bossed in France’ by the Flying Flea
The Valencia file (Part 5) – Celtic face another Magyar legend in Zurich
The Valencia file (Part 4) – A linesman’s flag prevents Celtic playing a European final at Hampden
The Valencia file (Part 3) – McGrory of Valencia and the end of an era
The Valencia file (Part 1) – Celtic’s European adventure begins
