After Wim Jansen’s sad death, and memories of the 1970 European Cup Final, I was thinking of other times that future Celtic managers have played/managed against Celtic. This article looks at some of these events….
One of former Celtic manager Wim Jansen’s finest moments came on a dark day for Celtic on 6 May 1970. The man who would one day lead Celtic to title glory and stop Rangers’ ten-in-a-row bid helped his Feyenoord teammates win the European Cup with a 2-1 win over Jock Stein’s Celtic side, who were favourites to win the Big Cup for the second time in three years.
What a fantastic picture to have at this moment! https://t.co/E3QfNQqRnO
— John Hughes (@yogijunior3) January 26, 2022
Jansen’s victory in Milan is perhaps the most prominent example of a Celtic manager whose previous career saw them compete against the Celts, but it’s not the only one. Over the years, multiple future Celtic managers have faced Celtic, often in high profile matches.
Jimmy McStay and James McGrory both played versus the team they would one day manage; McStay for Hamilton and McGrory for Clydebank (scoring against Celtic in a 2-1 defeat for the Hoops).
Perhaps most notoriously, Gordon Strachan met Celtic on multiple occasions as a player for Dundee and then Aberdeen. Many Celtic fans have still never forgiven Strachan for defeat in the 1984 Scottish Cup Final when his influence led to Roy Aitken’s dismissal.
READ THIS FROM DAVID POTTER…‘A despicable little stirrer’ Gordon Strachan got Roy Aitken sent off
Liam Brady also played against Celtic in a high-profile match, one which ended in green-and-white disappointment. In the 1981-82 European Cup, Celtic defeated Brady’s Juventus team 1-0 in Glasgow, but a 2-0 defeat in Turin sent them out of Europe.
John Barnes’ games for Liverpool against Celtic were different. On a sad occasion he came to Glasgow in 1989 for a Hillsborough tribute game, and earlier that month was on the losing team when Celtic won the Dubai Champions Cup.
Other Celtic bosses competed against their future employers when managing elsewhere.
Tommy Burns is an example of both. He played against Celtic in 1993-94 during his player-manager stint at Kilmarnock. He had a strong record; out of four games, his Killie team won once and drew twice.
Like Burns, the Bhoys’ all-time top scorer James McGrory also managed Kilmarnock against Celtic, including knocking the Hoops out of the 1938 Scottish Cup.
Billy McNeill’s time as Aberdeen boss (1977-78) was equally one that hurt Celtic; in four games the Dons won twice and drew once in league matches.
Jimmy McStay (Hamilton), David Hay (St Mirren, Livingston and Dunfermline), Tony Mowbray (Hibs) and Neil Lennon (Hibs) did take charge against Celtic but without any hugely significant results.
Jozef Venglos was involved in one momentous Celtic game before he took charge at Parkhead – but it was probably one he would rather have forgotten.
In October 1983, Celtic played Sporting Lisbon in Portugal, losing 2-0 in the UEFA Cup. Venglos was in charge of the Portuguese side. The return game in November was one of the all-time great nights at Parkhead as Celtic overturned the deficit by winning 5-0.
Jock Stein also had a notable record versus Celtic – one that surely helped persuade the top men at Parkhead that he should be the club’s boss. As Dunfermline and Hibs boss he played various league and cup games against Celtic.
The most significant of these contests was the 1961 Scottish Cup Final when he led the Pars to victory against Celtic. Of course, the game he truly announced his arrival as Celtic manager was the 1965 Scottish Cup Final when events were reversed and he oversaw a Celtic victory over Dunfermline.
Hail Hail History – follow on Twitter @hailhailhistory
Here’s a former Celtic manager enjoying Matt Corr’s wonderful biography of Celtic legend Harry Hood…
