| WILLIE MALEY |
|
|
From the club's founding until it became a limited liability
company in 1897 there was no recognised position of team 'manager', and
team affairs were run by a committee. Willie Maley was appointed
'secretary-manager' on 3 April 1897. But he was quite probably a fairly
influential figure in the running of team affairs prior to that date,
having played of course in Celtic sides during the first few seasons of
the club's existence, and having been appointed 'match-secretary' in
1894. In compiling Maley's statistics, I have included all Celtic's
matches from the beginning in major competitions while recognising that
this almost certainly gives undue credit to Maley for the club's
earliest achievements. Even after he was officially appointed as
manager, he probably didn't enjoy full control of team matters until
after the First World War, if even then. If it is hard to pin down a
date when Maley officially assumed the functions of a team 'manager' in
anything like the modern sense, it is also hard to pin down a date when
he was no longer in charge of team matters. His 'retiral' was announced
quietly by the Celtic board of directors on 1 January 1940 and took
official effect one month later. But his health had been poor even
before the New Year's day announcement, and it is not clear when he
really ceased to perform the functions of manager (he had also been in
dispute with the club's directors over the taxes owed on the honorarium
he was paid [2,500 guineas] in 1938.) I have not included therefore the
unofficial (wartime) 'Western Division' or other matches from the first
half of season 1939-40 in Maley's statistics, but I have included the
first 5 Scottish League matches of that season which were played before
the declaration of war and prior to the suspension of that season's
Scottish League programme. |
|
Scottish League: (won 19 times: 1892-93, 1893-4,
1895-96, 1897-98, 1904-05, 1905-06, 1906-07, 1907-08, 1908-09, 1909-10,
1913-14, 1914-15, 1915-16, 1916-17, 1918-19, 1921-22, 1925-26, 1935-36,
1937-38)
Played 1,561 Won 998 Draws 302 Lost 261 |
|
Percentage of Scottish
League matches won: 63.9 |
|
In season 1904-05 Celtic beat Rangers in a play-off for
the league championship. This match is not included in these statistics. |
|
Scottish Cup: (won 15 times: 1892, 1899, 1900, 1904,
1907, 1908, 1911, 1912, 1914, 1923, 1925, 1927, 1931, 1933, 1937)
Played 220 Won 161 Draws 30 Lost 29 |
|
Percentage of Scottish Cup matches won: 73.2 |
|
|
| JIMMY McSTAY |
|
|
McStay took up his appointment as manager on 19 February 1940, and
was dismissed on 23 July 1945. At no time was he in charge of the team
for Scottish Cup or Scottish League matches, since these competitions
were suspended during wartime. It is also doubtful that he really had
much control over team affairs. Certainly he was handicapped not only by
wartime conditions in general, but by the club's own directors' seeming
indifference to Celtic's performances in wartime football. I have
included his statistics for major competitions in wartime, but these
competitions do not enjoy official status in the record books, for
understandable reasons (e.g. the widespread use of 'guest' players and
the frequent unavailability of members of clubs' own playing staffs.)
|
|
Western and Southern League matches: Played 164 Won
83 Draws 34 Lost 47
Percentage of Western and Southern League
matches won: 50.6 (Best finish: 2nd in the Southern League, seasons
1943-44 and 1944-45, seven points behind the winners on both occasions) |
|
Southern League Cup matches: Played 33 Won 19 Draws 2 Lost
12 |
|
Percentage of Southern League Cup matches won:
57.6 (Best finish: beaten semi-finalists in seasons 1940-41,
1941-42, 1943-44) |
|
Summer Cup matches: Played 13 Won 5 Draws 2 Lost 6
Percentage of Summer Cup matches won: 38.4 (Best finish: beaten
semi-finalists in season 1944-45) |
|
TOTAL: Played 210 Won 107 Draws 38 Lost 65 |
|
Percentage of all matches won in major wartime competitions:
51 Other honours Glasgow Cup (won once: 1940-41); Charity Cup (won once:
1942-43); Victory-in-Europe Cup 1945; (This was a single challenge match
between Celtic and Queen's Park, won by the Celts 'on corners' after a
1-1 draw over 90 minutes) |
|
|
| JIMMY McGRORY |
|
|
Jimmy McGrory was appointed manager 24 July 1945. His successor
was announced on 31 January 1965, though McGrory remained in charge
until Stein arrived on 9 March 1965. It is certain that Jimmy McGrory
did not enjoy full control over team affairs in his nearly 20 years in
the manager's job at Celtic Park. The ultimate authority when it came to
picking the team was the chairman, Robert Kelly. So again, it is hard to
decide how much responsibility McGrory should carry for Celtic's results
while he was 'in charge'. Still, here are the statistics for the
relevant period. I have included the unofficial 1945-46 season in the
Scottish League statistics, but this is not strictly accurate, as the
first official post-war Scottish League season was the following one,
1946-47. |
|
Scottish League (won once: 1953-54) Played 621 Won
294 Draw 135 Lost 192 |
|
Percentage of Scottish League matches won: 47.3
|
|
Scottish Cup: (won twice: 1951, 1954) Played 93 Won
59 Draw 18 Lost 16 |
|
Percentage of Scottish Cup matches won: 63.4 |
|
Scottish League Cup (won twice: 1956-57, 1957-58)
Played 135 Won 71 Draws 22 Lost 42 |
|
Percentage of Scottish League Cup matches won: 52.6 |
|
European Competition Played 14 Won 7 Draws 3 Lost 4
|
|
Percentage of matches in European competition won: 50
(Best finish: beaten semi-finalists in the European Cup Winners' Cup,
season 1963-64) |
|
TOTAL: Played 863 Won 431 Draws 178 Lost 254 |
|
Percentage of all matches in major competition (SL, SC,
SLC, EC) won: 50 |
|
Other honours St Mungo Cup 1951;Coronation
Cup 1953;Glasgow Cup (won four times: 1948-49, 1955-56, 1961-62,
1963-64); Charity Cup (won five times, including once jointly: 1949-50,
1952-53, 1958-59, 1959-60, 1960-61) |
|
|
|
|
|
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|
|
| JOCK STEIN |
 |
|
Stein took charge on 9 March 1965, though his appointment had been
announced almost six weeks earlier. I have included all his time as
manager except for the whole of the 1975-76 season during which he was
recovering from the effects of a car accident. Sean Fallon took over for
that season (see 'Caretaker Managers' section). |
|
Scottish League (won ten times: 1965-66, 1966-67, 1967-68,
1968-69, 1969-70, 1970-71, 1971-72, 1972-73, 1973-74, 1976-77)
Played
421 Won 296 Draws 66 Lost 59 |
|
Percentage of Scottish League matches won: 70.3 |
|
Scottish Cup (won eight times: 1965, 1967, 1969, 1971,
1972, 1974, 1975, 1977)
Played 68 Won 49 Draws 15 Lost 4
Percentage
of Scottish Cup matches won: 72.1 |
|
Scottish League Cup (won six times: 1965-66, 1966-67,
1967-68, 1968-69, 1969-70, 1974-75)
Played 127 Won 97 Draws 16 Lost
14 |
|
Percentage of Scottish League Cup matches won: 76.4 |
|
European Competition (won European Cup once: 1966-67;
beaten finalists once: 1969-70; beaten semi-finalists in European Cup,
seasons 1971-72, 1973-74; beaten semi-finalists in European Cup Winners'
Cup once, season 1965-66)
Played 67 Won 39 Draws 11 Lost 17 |
|
Percentage of games in European competition won: 58.2 |
|
TOTAL Played 683 Won 481 Draws 108 Lost 94 |
|
Percentage of all games in major competition won: 70.4 |
|
Other honours Glasgow Cup (won five times, including once
as joint holders: 1964-65, 1966-67, 1967-68, 1969-70, 1974-75);
Dryborough Cup (won once: 1974-75);World of Soccer' Cup (Australia) 1977 |
|
|
|
|
| BILLY McNEILL (part one) |
|
|
Billy McNeill was appointed as Jock Stein's successor on 29 May
1978, having previously had spells with Clyde and then Aberdeen. He
departed the club following a public row with the chairman Desmond White
over the terms of McNeill's personal remuneration. |
|
Scottish League (won three times: 1978-79, 1980-81,
1982-82) Played 180 Won 114 Draws 33 Lost 33 |
|
Scottish Cup (won once: 1980) Played 21 Won 14 Draws 3 Lost
4 |
|
Percentage of Scottish Cup matches won: 66.7 |
|
Scottish League Cup (won once: 1982-83) Played 40 Won 29
Draws 2 Lost 9 |
|
Percentage of Scottish League Cup matches won: 72.5 |
|
European Competition: Played 16 Won 8 Draws 2 Lost 6 |
|
Percentage of European matches won: 50 |
|
TOTAL: Played 257 Won 165 Draws 40 Lost 52 |
|
Percentage of all matches in major competitions won: 64.2 |
|
Other honours : Glasgow Cup (won twice: 1979-80,
1981-82) |
|
|
|
|
| DAVIE HAY |
|
|
David Hay became Celtic manager on 4 July 1983 having previously
coached at Chelsea and been manager of Motherwell. He was dismissed on
28 May 1987 |
|
Scottish League (won once: 1985-86) Played 152 Won 90 Draws
35 Lost 27 |
|
Percentage of Scottish League games won: 59.2 |
|
Scottish Cup (won once: 1985) Played 19 Won 12 Draws 4 Lost
3 |
|
Percentage of Scottish Cup games won: 63.2 |
|
Scottish League Cup Played 21 Won 10 Draws 7 Lost 4 |
|
Percentage of Scottish League Cup games won: 47.6 (Best
finish: beaten finalists, seasons 1983-84, 1986-87) |
|
European Competition Played 16 Won 6 Draws 3 Lost 7 |
|
Percentage of European games won: 37.5 |
|
(NB: The European statistics do not include the match won 3-0
versus Rapid Vienna in season 1984-85) |
|
TOTAL Played 208 Won 118 Draws 49 Lost 41 |
|
Percentage of all games in major competitions won: 56.7 |
|
|
|
|
| BILLY McNEILL (part two) |
|
|
Billy McNeill returned to Celtic as manager on 28 May 1987, almost
exactly nine years since he first took the job. After a very successful
first season (Celtic's centenary year), the challenge presented by the
new set-up at Ibrox was not properly responded to by the Celtic board,
and the fortunes of the team and McNeill suffered, though he was not
helped by some poor purchases in the transfer market. He was dismissed
on 22 May 1991. |
|
Scottish League (won once: 1987-88) Played 152 Won 78 Draws
35 Lost 39 |
|
Percentage of Scottish League games won: 51.3 |
|
Scottish Cup (won twice: 1988, 1989) Played 22 Won 17 Draws
3 Lost 2 |
|
Percentage of Scottish Cup games won: 77.3 |
|
Scottish League Cup Played 15 Won 11 Draws 0 Lost 4 |
|
Percentage of Scottish League Cup games won: 73.3 (Best
finish: beaten finalists in season 1990-91) |
|
European Competition: Played 8 Won 3 Draws 1 Lost 4 |
|
Percentage of European matches won: 37.5 |
|
TOTAL: Played 197 Won 109 Draws 39 Lost 49 |
|
Percentage of matches in all major competitions won: 55.3 |
|
Other honoursDubai Cup 1989 |
|
|
|
|
| LIAM BRADY |
|
|
Liam Brady, appointed on 19 June 1991, was the first Celtic manager
who had not previously played for the club, and also the first since
Willie Maley in the 1890s to have had no prior experience of football
management. Some of his major player purchases proved to be flops, and
most of his time at Celtic Park was overshadowed by rumblings over the
direction in which the club was being taken by its senior management. He
tendered his resignation following a league defeat at Perth on 6 October
1993. He was the first Celtic manager ever to step down entirely of his
own volition. |
|
Scottish League: Played 98 Won 52 Draws 27 Lost 19 |
|
Percentage of Scottish League games won: 53.1 (Best finish:
3rd, 10 points behind winners, season 1991-92) |
|
Scottish Cup: Played 7 Won 4 Draws 1 Lost 2 |
|
Percentage of Scottish Cup games won: 57.1 (Best finish:
beaten semi-finalists, season 1991-92) |
|
Scottish League Cup: Played 11 Won 8 Draws 0 Lost 3 |
|
Percentage of Scottish League Cup games won: 72.7 |
|
(Best finish: beaten semi-finalists, seasons 1992-93, 1993-94) |
|
European Competition Played 10 Won 4 Draws 2 Lost 4 |
|
Percentage of European matches won: 40 |
|
TOTAL Played 126 Won 68 Draws 30 Lost 28 |
|
Percentage of matches in major competitions won: 53.9 |
|
|
|
|
| LOU MACARI |
|
|
Lou Macari took over the reins at Celtic Park on 27 October 1993.
It was, however, Frank Connor who selected the team for the first match
after Macari's appointment, at Ibrox on 30 October 1993. (Celtic won
2-1; I will include this result in Macari's statistics.) Macari never
seemed to settle fully into the job and he would be criticised for not
spending enough time at the ground doing it. In addition, his purchases,
like those of his two immediate predecessors, did not meet with general
approval. He survived the takeover of the club by Fergus McCann, but not
for long. He was sacked on 14 June 1994 after only eight months in the
job, and little more than three months after the new regime had gained
control of the club. |
|
Scottish League Played 32 Won 12 Draws 14 Lost 6 |
|
Percentage of Scottish League matches won: 37.5 |
|
(In Macari's only season in charge Celtic finished 4th in the
Premier League) |
|
Scottish Cup: Played 1 Won 0 Draws 0 Lost 1 |
|
Percentage of Scottish Cup matches won: 0 (Celtic lost to
Motherwell in Macari's only Scottish Cup tie in charge) |
|
Scottish League Cup No matches played in this competition
during Macari's management |
|
European Competition Played 1 Won 0 Draws 0 Lost 1 |
|
Percentage of European matches won: 0 (Celtic lost to
Sporting Lisbon away in the only European match played during Macari's
time as manager) |
|
TOTAL: Played 34 Won 12 Draws 14 Lost 8 |
|
Percentage of all matches in major competition won: 35.3 |
|
|
|
|
| TOMMY BURNS |
|
|
Tommy Burns was appointed team manager on 12 July 1994. He was able
to spend more on players than any previous manager in Celtic's history.
In his first season the club won its first trophy in six years (the
Scottish Cup), though league form was poor and there had also been an
embarrassing League Cup final defeat early in his tenure. Results and
performances improved markedly during his second term in charge, and
only one league defeat was sustained. But progress was not maintained,
and towards the end of a disappointing third season at the helm
(especially as regards results of matches v Rangers) he was offered
another position at the club in charge of youth development—an
effective demotion which he refused to accept. He resigned accordingly
on 2 May 1997. |
|
Scottish League: Played 105 Won 56 Draws 34 Lost 15 |
|
Percentage of Scottish League games won: 53.3% |
|
(Best finish: 2nd, four points behind winners in season 1995-96) |
|
Scottish Cup (won once: 1995) Played 16 Won 11 Draws 3 Lost
2 |
|
Percentage of Scottish Cup matches won: 69.3 |
|
Scottish League Cup: Played 11 Won 8 Draws 0 Lost 3 |
|
Percentage of Scottish League Cup matches won: 72.7 (Best
finish: beaten finalists in season 1994-95) |
|
European Competition: Played 8 Won 3 Draws 1 Lost 4 |
|
Percentage of European matches won: 37.5 |
|
TOTAL Played 140 Won 78 Draws 38 Lost 24 |
|
Percentage of all matches in major competition won: 55.7
|
|
|
|
|
| WIM JANSEN |
|
|
Wim Jansen was Celtic's first manager from the continent, although
he did not enjoy that title, but rather that of Head Coach, in a new
structure which saw Jock Brown being given the newly created post of
General Manager of the Football Department. A Dutchman, Jansen had
enjoyed an illustrious career as a player (principally with Feyenoord,
with whom he won a European Cup winner's medal in 1970 against Celtic).
He was a member of the two Dutch World Cup sides of 1974 and 1978 and
had played in two World Cup finals, before going on to manage Feyenoord,
with whom he won the Dutch league championship. Later he coached in
Saudi Arabia and Japan.
He was appointed to the job with Celtic in
early July 1997, two months after the departure of Tommy Burns. The
announcement was greeted with widespread surprise and some uncertainty
about his credentials. It appears that he had some misgivings about
coming to the club and took the precaution of ensuring there was an
escape clause in his contract which would allow him to leave after one
year. After managing the club for one full season, during which he led
Celtic to their first league title for ten years--thus preventing
Rangers from surpassing Celtic's record of nine consecutive titles--and
their first League Cup for 15 years, Jansen announced his resignation on
11 May 1998, citing irreconcilable differences with both Jock Brown and
chairman Fergus McCann. |
|
Scottish League (won once: 1997-98) Played 36, Won 22,
Draws 8, Defeats 6 |
|
Percentage of Scottish League games won: 61.9% |
|
Scottish Cup (semi-finalists: 1997-98) Played 4, Won 3,
Draws 0, Defeats 1 |
|
Percentage of Scottish Cup games won: 75% |
|
Scottish League Cup (won once: 1997-98) Played 5, Won 5,
Draws 0, Defeats 0 |
|
Percentage of League Cup games won:100% |
|
European Competition Played 6, Won 3, Draws 2, Defeats 1
|
|
Percentage of European games won: 50% |
|
TOTAL Played 51, Won 33, Draws 10, Defeats 8
|
|
Percentage of games in major competition won: 64.7% |
|
|
|
|
| DR. JOZEF VENGLOS |
|
|
The appointment of Dr Jozef Venglos as Celtic Head Coach to succeed
Wim Jansen came as a complete surprise when it was announced on 17 July
1998. The tabloids were quick to ask in predictably mocking tones, 'Dr
Who?' Despite being the head of the European Coaches Union, a member of
FIFA's technical committee at France '98, and having coached
Czechoslovakia to European Championship success 1976 and the quarter
finals of the World Cup at Italia '90, very few Celtic fans had ever
heard of him. The dignified Slovak had also coached at such clubs as
Sporting Lisbon, Aston Villa, and Fenerbahce, but this counted for
nothing as far as the press were concerned. He had a hard act to follow,
and many fans were irate at the time it took to land the new man. All
the indications were that he was not the first choice (it now appears
that that distinction belonged to Egil Olsen, who initially agreed to
take the job but then backed out for reasons which are still not
entirely clear). Hampered by the lateness of his own appointment, a
severe injury crisis (exacerbated by the World Cup), a bonus row, and a
much delayed entry into the transfer market, Venglos got off to a
worryingly poor start. Only three of the first ten league matches were
won, the team made an ignominious early exit from the League Cup, and
after failing to qualify for the Champions League, matters reached a
head on 3 November 1998 with the disastrous loss to Zurich in the UEFA
Cup. One immediate casualty was General Manager Jock Brown, but Venglos'
own job was hanging by a thread when Celtic faced Rangers at Parkhead on
21 November. Strengthened by the signings of Riseth, Mjallby and
Moravcik, Venglos' team responded with an unforgettable 5-1 thrashing of
their arch-rivals, which went down in history as The Humping. That gave
Venglos much needed breathing space and results gradually improved. A
major setback occurred when the long-sought new striker Mark Viduka went
AWOL immediately after completing his transfer, and the team promptly
lost to Hearts at Tynecastle. After the winter break, Celtic began to
play some of the most exhilirating football seen in years, with Larsson
in stupendous form. But it was always asking a lot to make up the lost
ground in the title race, the challenge faltered on 24 April with a 0-1
defeat at Perth. The league title was conceded in traumatic
circumstances at Parkhead on 2 May, and the Scottish Cup remained the
sole hope of consolation. But in the final against Rangers, a much
criticised team selection failed to rise to the occasion, giving an
insipid performance which left many muttering darkly about the Head
Coach's future. It says much for the genuine esteem in which Venglos was
held that he was able to retain much of his dignity when the new
management team of Kenny Dalglish and John Barnes was installed a short
while later. Venglos also retained employment at Celtic, moving to the
newly created post of European Technical Advisor. The circumstances
surrounding his season in charge were most unfortunate, though many felt
that he was never really the man for this most demanding of jobs. |
|
Scottish League: Played 36 Won 21 Draws 8 Defeats 7 |
|
Percentage of Scottish League games won: 58.3% |
|
Scottish Cup: Played 5 Won 4 Draws 0 Defeats 1 |
|
Percentage of Scottish Cup games won: 80% |
|
League Cup: Played 1 Won 0 Draws 0 Defeats 1 |
|
Percentage of League Cup games won: 0% |
|
European Competition: Played 8 Won 4 Draws 2 Defeats 2 |
|
Percentage of European games won: 50% |
|
TOTAL: Played 50 Won 29 Draws 10 Defeats 11
|
|
Percentage of all competitive matches won: 58% |
|
|
|
|
| JOHN BARNES |
|
|
John Barnes was announced as Head Coach of Celtic on 10th June
1999. The story of his impending appointment had been reported in the
press, but it still came as a considerable surprise given that it was
the former England international winger's first managerial job in
football. Kenny Dalglish was already in place as Director of Football,
and the choice of Barnes was clearly his, the two having been team-mates
at Liverpool. By July, new signings Olivier Tebily, Stilian Petrov, Eyal
Berkovic, Dmitri Kharine, and Bobby Petta had been secured. Berkovic's
signing from West Ham broke the Scottish transfer fee record, at 5.75m.
Early results, despite a loss at Tannadice in the third league game,
were promising, but there were some misgivings about the new coach's
4-2-2-2 formation, as well as murmurings about the role that Craig
Burley could be expected to play in the new system. Both the misgivings
and murmurings proved well-founded when the team lost key matches to
Motherwell, Lyon and Rangers in the autumn, and Burley was sold to Derby
County. Compounding the gloom was the loss of Henrik Larsson due to a
severe leg break in the first leg match in Lyon, an injury which was to
keep him out for the rest of the season. Barnes moved quickly to secure
Ian Wright as a short-term replacement, but it was a measure which did
not really pay off, as the ageing Wright struggled to cope with the pace
of the Scottish game. However, Celtic maintained interest in the league
championship race with a 1-1 draw at Parkhead against Rangers just prior
to the winter break. During that break, Barnes made another big money
signing, Rafael Scheidt from Brazil. But the player would not really
feature much due first to a sudden bout of appendicitis and then later
an injury. The other signings Barnes had made were none of them
unqualified successes either. Celtic returned from the winter break with
hopes high that they could push Rangers for the league title. But those
hopes suffered major set-backs with dropped points at Kilmarnock in the
first league match after the shutdown, followed by a very discouraging
loss at home to Hearts after Celtic had led 2-0. Three days later
Barnes' team crashed disastrously at home against First Division
Inverness Caledonian Thistle (8th February 2000), one of if not the
worst cup result in the club's history. Rumours of dressing room strife
were rife. The following day, Barnes was summarily fired (along with
Eric Black and Terry McDermott), despite assurances earlier in the
season from senior management that he would be given plenty of time to
become successful. Kenny Dalglish stepped in as interim boss [for
Dalglish's record in charge, see Caretaker Managers section] |
|
Scottish League : Played 20 Won 13 Draws 2 Defeats 5 |
|
Percentage of Scottish League games won: 65% |
|
Scottish Cup: Played 1 Won 0 Draws 0 Defeats 1 |
|
Percentage of Scottish Cup games won: 0% |
|
League Cup: Played 2 Won 2 Draws 0 Defeats 0
|
|
Percentage of League Cup games won: 100% |
|
European Competition: Played 6 Won 4 Draws 0 Defeats 2 |
|
Percentage of European games won: 67% |
|
TOTAL: Played 29 Won 19 Draws 2 Defeats 8
Percentage
of all competitive matches won: 65.5% |
|
|
|
|
| CARETAKER MANAGERS |
|
|
Celtic have had several caretaker managers. The most significant of
these appointments was that of Sean Fallon, who managed the team for the
whole of the 1975-76 season during Jock Stein's absence while
recuperating from injuries sustained in a car crash. Fallon's record
that season was as follows: |
|
Scottish League Played 36 Won 21 Draws 6 Lost 9 |
|
Percentage of Scottish League matches won: 58.3 (Celtic finished
2nd, 6 points behind the winners) |
|
Scottish Cup Played 1 Won 0 Draws 0 Lost 1 |
|
Percentage of Scottish Cup matches won: 0 |
|
Scottish League Cup Played 10 Won 8 Draws 0 Lost 2
Percentage
of Scottish League Cup matches won: 80 |
|
(Celtic were beaten League Cup finalists during this 1975-76
season)
European Competition Played 6 Won 3 Draws 2 Lost 1
Percentage
of European matches won: 50
TOTAL Played 53 Won 32 Draws
8 Lost 13
Percentage of all matches in major competitions won:
60.4 |
|
|
|
Other caretaker managers were Frank Connor who was in charge for 2
league matches (one victory, one draw) and a European tie first leg (won
1-0 v Sporting Lisbon) in the interval between Liam Brady's departure
and Lou Macari's appointment. As mentioned previously he also picked the
team to face Rangers (a 2-1 victory) three days after Macari's arrival.
So Connor can claim to have an unbeaten record in charge of the team. So
can Billy Stark who was in charge of the team in the last three league
matches of the 1996-97 season (two victories and one draw), though the
team under his charge lost in a testimonial match v the Republic of
Ireland for Packie Bonner a few days after the end of Celtic's
competitive season. Joe Jordan spent less than 24 hours in charge as
caretaker manager. David Hay was appointed caretaker manager following
the departures of Burns and Stark but was not in charge for any matches.
|
|
|
|
Kenny Dalglish, a famous ex-Celtic player and former manager of
Liverpool, Blackburn and Newcastle United, returned to Celtic Park as
Director of Football in the summer of 1999. Having been principally
responsible for the appointment of John Barnes as Head Coach, it fell to
Dalglish to take over the reins as interim manager of the first team in
the wake of Barnes' dismissal on 9th February 2000. Dalglish's position
was always under scrutiny, and he became embroiled with the press during
his time in charge. Under his management, the team succeeded in winning
the League Cup, defeating Aberdeen in the final at Hampden, but his
longer-term position was never very clear. With Tommy Burns appointed as
his interim assistant, the team Dalglish inherited still had a chance of
winning the Premier League title at the beginning of March, but three
defeats in that fateful month, one by Hibs and two by Rangers, the
second a particularly disappointing display at Ibrox, ensured that
Dalglish would not be asked to take over the job on a permanent basis.
He became an increasingly marginal figure, with little apparent
involvement in the search for a new manager. Following the appointment
of Martin O'Neill, Dalglish's contract was terminated on 29th June 2000.
In addition to the reported unwillingness of O'Neill to work under a
superior football staff employee, Dalglish's fate was probably sealed by
the team's distant finish behind Rangers in the league championship, a
record 21 points. His record as interim manager was as follows:
Scottish
League: Played 16 Won 8 Draws 4 Defeats 4
Percentage of
league games won: 50%
Scottish Cup n/a League Cup
(winners) Played 2 Won 2
Percentage of League Cup games won:
100% European competition n/a
TOTAL Played 18 Won 10 Draws
4 Defeats 4
Percentage of all competitive matches won:
55.6% |
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| SUMMARY |
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Easily the most successful manager of Celtic has been Jock Stein.
He alone has a success rate of matches in major competitions exceeding
70 per cent. Technically, and rather surprisingly, John Barnes is the
next most successful manager after Stein solely in terms of competitive
games won with 65.5%, though given the shortness of his tenure and the
calamitous nature of the defeats in key matches sustained during his
time in charge, one is tempted to say that this particular statistic
belongs with the category of "Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics".
The next most successful is Willie Maley, though he was an altogether
different kind of manager from the contemporary type The next most
successful is Willie Maley, though he was an altogether different kind
of manager from the contemporary type. Closely following Maley's 65 per
cent success rate in major competitive matches is Billy McNeill during
his first period in charge of the club. David Hay pips McNeill's second
spell in charge. Tommy Burns was only a very slight improvement on
McNeill's second period in charge in terms of results, though McNeill
won more major trophies (three to Burns's one). Liam Brady is not far
behind in terms of overall competitive results (though he won no
trophies at Parkhead), while bringing up the rear, well behind both
Jimmy McStay and Jimmy McGrory, is Lou Macari. No wonder Fergus fired
him. Sean Fallon, though he won no trophies in his season in charge as
caretaker manager, comes out with a creditable overall 60 per cent
record in terms of match results.
Although Wim Jansen was at the
club for a much shorter period than most of Celtic's managers/coaches,
his overall percentage of games won is very creditable, almost as good
as Maley's 65%. |