1994-12-03: Celtic 2-2 Motherwell, Premier Division

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  • Celtic appear to be ending the calendar year as it began, unable to win anything

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Scotland on Sunday
December4, 1994, Sunday
Celticdeath wish strikes again

BYLINE:Kevin Mccarra At Hampden

WITH half-time approaching it seemed thatCeltic'sraw failure was about to reach a neat conclusion. A sequence of nine matches, in which they had failed to beat any of the Premier Division's members, began atMotherwell. With Tommy Burns' team holding a fortuitous 2-0 lead yesterday, the Lanarkshire team appeared set to serve as a solution to the catalogue of distress which they had begun.
Celtic'sinability to win from such a position epitomises the fecklessness which now clings to them. It was totally just thatMotherwellshould eventually secure a draw, since they had been far more artful and controlled in their play. However, it is precisely the knack of riding their luck, which a major club such asCelticought to possess, that hasMotherwellsitting in the ascendancy.

In reality, the home team played as if their good fortune was an embarrassing encumbrance which they had to ditch as soon as possible. Tommy Coyne was happy to be of assistance. The Premier Division's top scorer took two chances with a calmness which was almost solemn. He might easily have won the match, snapping a header wide after Dougie Arnott had eluded Mike Galloway to cross.Motherwellmust eventually have felt rueful about missing out on full points from a match which, at one stage, had seemed beyond their reach. Disappointment comes readily to talented people andMotherwellhave entered a spell in their history where they should feel exasperated whenever they let a limited side such as Celtic escape with a draw.
They were level with half an hour remaining and faced with opponents who seemed to be proving that bewilderment is a terminal disease. In such circumstancesMotherwellought to have been heartless, but the savagery drifted out of their play. In all the time that was left there was only a long range shot by Billy Davies, which rose over the bar, to hint at the destruction which might have been inflicted.
Motherwellshould expect to challenge for the title. With players of great accomplishment and a squad of reasonable depth there can be no reason for mealy-mouthed comments about taking one game at a time. Why not take the entire fixture list by the throat instead?
Now, Motherwell players are in for an anguished afternoon on the living-room couch with the match from Tannadice on the box today. Should Rangers display their durability and defeat Dundee United, the Ibrox side will enjoy a four-point lead in the Premier Division. Motherwell could have made Rangers' task this afternoon even more stressful than it already is.
At the start of the match at Hampden they had looked as if they would trounce Celtic rather than pursue them. The team were at their most streamlined with all the clever confident movement which has become their habit. Coyne and Arnott were losing markers and finding the ball delivered to their feet.
The Player of the Month Award may have gone to Coyne, but the shape of Motherwell's style is determined by Paul Lambert. He is a player who trusts every part of his game at present, as happy to carry the ball past an opponent as he is to slip a pass beyond him.
In the first minute Lambert manoeuvred round Brian O'Neil and from the byline pulled back a low cross which Davies squandered by firing high. Perhaps Motherwell's ascendancy led them to believe that they could afford to miss a chance here or there. Few in the ground, however, would have disagreed with that viewpoint.
Not when Lambert put Davies through on the right and his shot was deflected into the air before Peter Grant headed over his own crossbar. Nor when Arnott sent Coyne through and saw him overrun the ball. Still less when Arnott headed Lambert's free kick beyond the post.
All of this happened in the first quarter of an hour. Throughout that period,Celticwere a disconnected bunch of distressed individuals. Injuries have made manager Burns alter his team, but he is also eager to test youngsters such as Brian McLaughlin and Stuart Gray, who both performed quietly yesterday. The novelty of changed faces may distract the fans from their complaints. However, it also ensures a lack of cohesion in the ranks.
Celticneeded a freak to bind them together. It came in 20 minutes when Willie Falconer scored an outrageously inventive goal, his first of the season. From the right he noticed the goalkeeper Stevie Woods off his line and flighted a 30-yarder over him to the top corner.
Four minutes from the break it appeared that the fates were determined to provide compensation for allCeltic'srecent pains. Following a corner, the ball ran to the back post and Tosh McKinlay's low cross cannoned off John Philliben for an own goal. Celticonly required a little spell of studiousness to take them to safety. No chance. The death wish took over.
In 44 minutes Rab Shannon lifted the ball over and it spiralled up into the air from Galloway's head. Coyne read the situation most lucidly and, as others dithered, lobbed a clever shot over Gordon Marshall. The Motherwell manager, Alex McLeish, was to say that his team's revival had been assisted by a shouting match in the dressing room at half-time.
The recriminations, though, were to pass over toCeltic. In 61 minutes Arnott flicked the ball over O'Neil, who was disastrously positioned, to find Coyne. The finish was delicate and sure.
Celticare left with a run of 10 league matches without a win, the worst spell in their history.

The Herald (Glasgow)
December5, 1994
The day of reckoning cannot be far off now

BYLINE:James Traynor

TIME has run out for many ofCeltic'splayers. Five years of failure is too damning an indictment and if Tommy Burns were operating in a financially healthier environment, he would have shown at least half a team the door only a few weeks after having taken over as manager atCelticPark.Burns had to go among the faithful before last Wednesday night's game against Hibernian at Easter Road and ask them to be patient. In effect he was pleading for leniency, trying to buy time.

It was a decent attempt to bring the fans closer to the club, but loyalty has to be earned. Supporters deserve something in return and it is all very well for Burns and the new owner, Fergus McCann, to say they played no part in the wretched mess in which Celtic find themselves, but fans need signs. They require more than words, even though Burns speaks with a passion.The supporters have given up expecting a cup as evidence that their club is on the road to recovery — last week's defeat by Raith Rovers disabused them of that notion once and for all — but they would appreciate the odd win in the premier division. Surely Celtic have not become so backward as to be incapable of beating somebody?
It would seem so. Saturday's 2-2 draw with Motherwell stretched Celtic's run of matches without a win to 10, even though they had been two goals in front. It was one of their most disappointing lapses to date and one which may finally have sealed the fate of several players.
Burns, honest enough to admit Celtic were fortunate to take even a point, stressed that he will have to turn to the younger players in the club because some of the more established professionals have squandered enough chances to take the club forward. "I was pleased with Stuart Gray and Brian McLaughlin against Motherwell and now I will be bringing in more youngsters to see if they can take us further down the road," the manager said.
"Motherwellare a good side and we have a bit to do before we can be as good as them, but if I've got to sit for a while with nothing much happening for us while the younger ones mature, then that's what I'll have to do.
''The fans will continue to back us, but not if we continue to play the same group of players. I need to stimulate the side."
It was especially difficult forCeltic'ssupporters to watch on Saturday while Tommy Coyne, who used to be on their side, score two goals and threaten to collect all three points on behalf ofMotherwell. His goals took his tally this season to 16, making him a clear leader in the premier division's scoring league, and each time he plays he seems to make a mockery of formerCelticmanager Liam Brady's decision to get rid of him a few seasons ago.
Coyne has never looked sharper and has given the Fir Park side greater confidence, making them one of the most dangerous teams in the division.
Motherwellhave now gone 15 matches without defeat, but they needed a sharp reminder during half-time at Hampden before producing the form which has made them such a force this season.
"You don't want me to repeat what I said in the dressing room," said manager Alex McLeish. "Let's just say we exchanged words."
Celtic took the lead in 22 minutes when Willie Falconer, pushed wide about 30 yards out, looked up and saw Steve Woods off his line. The striker curled the ball across the distance and into the net.
It was a marvellous goal and when a Tosh McKinlay cross was turned into his own net by John Philliben in 41 minutes,Celticappeared to be heading for their first win since they beat Aberdeen in the Coca-Cola Cup semi-final in October.
However, Coyne chipped over Gordon Marshall on the stroke of half-time and gave a repeat in 62 minutes when an error by Brian O'Neil allowed him to run clear.

The Independent (London)
December5, 1994, Monday
Scottish Football: Celtic face an uphill struggle

BYLINE:DAVID MCKINNEY

While Rangers took their opportunity yesterday to stretch their lead at the top of the Scottish Premier Division, those below them faltered on Saturday, writes David McKinney.Motherwellcame back from two goals down againstCelticat Hampden to earn a point, which left the Glasgow club without a win in 10 League games.

Their manager, Tommy Burns, suggested he might forgo his championship hopes in the short term by bringing in young players and safeguarding the future of the club. He must surely have been dismayed as he watched Tommy Coyne, a player who was allowed to leaveCeltic,scored both theMotherwellgoals. IfCeltichave a long journey ahead of them, so do Aberdeen and their manager, Willie Miller. With only two wins this season, they slumped to the bottom of the League after a 1-0 home defeat by Kilmarnock.