1988-03-26: Celtic 0-0 Dundee United, Premier Division

Match Pictures | Matches: 19871988 | 1987-88

Trivia

  • Celtic have beaten Dundee United just twice in the previous 12 matches
  • Celtic reported to be interested in Jan Molby of Liverpool.
  • Mick McCarthy missing after sustaining an injury for the Republic of Ireland v Romania in midweek
  • Much hilarity over Rangers’ Jan Bartram, who tells Danish reporters that Graeme Souness is a “bisse,” variously interpreted as, “bastard,” “hooligan,” and “rascal.” Also claims Souness sends his teams out to tackle at knee height and that the moustachioed one threw teapots around the dressing room and kicked a television in the Dunfermline dressing room after a Scottish Cup defeat.
  • Celtic’s league match with St Mirren, originally scheduled for Scottish Cup semi-final date 9th April, is brought forward to 5th April, meaning Frank McAvennie will have served his upcoming suspension before the semi-final with Hearts

Review

A frustrating draw marked by two top class goalkeeping performances from Pat Bonner and Billy Thomson. Andy Walker hits the crossbar in the final minutes and Chris Morris shoots inches past from the edge of the box. Celtic’s lead at the top down to five points, with a game in hand over Rangers to be played on the Wednesday at Pittodrie.

Teams

Celtic:
Bonner, Morris, Whyte, Aitken, Baillie, Grant, Stark (Miller), McStay, McAvennie, Walker, Burns
Subs: Miller, Rogan
Dundee United:
Thomson, Bowman, Malpas, McInally, Clark, Narey, Bannon, Gallacher, Ferguson, Irvine, Redford
Subs: Hegarty, McLeod

Articles

  • Match Report (see below)

Pictures

Articles

1988-03-26: Celtic 0-0 Dundee United, Premier Division - The Celtic Wiki

(From Jungle of KDS forum,

Source: https://kerrydalestreet.co.uk/billy-mcneill-rip-the-greatest-celt-of-all-t135683-s160.html)
April 2019

I may have posted this before, no matter.
During the Centenary season I met Billy McNeill for the second time. He was manager, it was a match day, Celtic v Dundee United (0-0) at around 11am.

In those days the stadium tours were never as formal as they are now, and they were free. You went and asked at a gate/exit, and they just got anyone who might be around to take you a wee wander. Myself and eight others from our supporters club with a small Glaswegian fellow with glasses who stayed in Donegal, who later appeared on some documentary thing from his shed at the foot of his garden in Donegal.

The tour wasn’t that extensive in those days, dressing room, board room (all prepped with booze for the game) up to the gantry above the main stand and then across to the press gantry above the Jungle. We did walk around the park, not on it. I remember the guy who took us around pointing out various things as we went and saying, when pointing at the terraced Hun end as it was called then saying “the people who stand there are not nice, they are just different”.
Back in under the main stand and where the case with all the Lisbon memorabilia was, we lingered and through walks the great man. People speak of certain folk having “an aura”, Cesar most certainly had a very large one. You could feel it in his presence.

Remember, this was a match day, it was getting busy around the corridors of the main stand, but Billy took us all into the home dressing room and asked us all where we had come from, remarked on the time and cost we had following Celtic. The talk was all about us and Celtic, the club, following the team and we were hanging on every word. He was interested in us when he was the “celebrity” and the manager of the team during a key period and under pressure to win silverware during an iconic season.

We took photos, I still have my A4 copy of the two of us in the dressing room during that glorious 1988 season. A treasure to have.

A family man, a one club man, an absolute gentleman and a Celtic great in every sense of the word.

Rest easy.