Events between Seasons 1998/99 and 1999/00

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The following events were taken from newspapers reports from the period between the end of the Cup Final 1999 and the start of the Pre-season tour of Norway 1999-2000.

  • Following on from Rangers Cup Final win and the final part in their season Treble, Donald Findlay was captured on film leading the Rangers Supporters Club in a rousing rendition of ‘traditional’ songs. This led to his resignation as Rangers vice-chairman.
  • Burley was said to be unhappy at the club and wanting a better deal despite still having three years to run on his contract. The club were also said to be prepared to accept a £1million loss on the sale Brattbakk to Rosenborg.
  • Eric Black turned down a move to Aberdeen as manager. For his loyalty he was awarded a three year contract as Assistant Head Coach when Barnes and Dalglish’s appointments were announced.
  • On 10/6/99 Kenny Dalglish was presented as the new Director of Football Operations and John Barnes as the new Head Coach. Dr Josef Venglos would stay in position to ease John Barnes into the role before stepping aside for the new position of European scout and adviser. Dalglish said,
    • "John is the first-team coach and is responsible for everything connected with the first-team. He will pick the team, he will take the training sessions, and he will have total control over the pool of players. I won't be interfering with that. When it comes to identifying players he might want to bring into the club, or even players he decides should be leaving, then, again, he will put the names forward and then we shall have talks on how to go into the transfer market. I shall work with him on that aspect and then the negotiations regarding salaries or fees will be worked out by the finance people at the club. That is how things will happen."
    • John Barnes added, "It is good that I have someone with Kenny's experience around and, if I need advice, I know he will be there. But the responsibility for the first-team is mine and I shall be talking to Eric Black soon to take on board his assessments of the playing staff. I have seen the team, I watched some of the derby games last season, but I know that have to familiarise myself with all of them. Once I have done that, we shall start to identify areas of the team which might need strengthening and that's when Kenny and I will talk."
    • Dalglish would also be responsible for setting up a soccer academy and building a training ground, which had long been promised. but never delivered. He would also liaise with Dr Jozef Venglos, who would remain with Celtic as the club's European technical adviser. Dalglish said, "Dr Venglos is a very intelligent man and someone who is very knowledgeable on modern training routines and preparation work and we shall be consulting him once we start the job. He is not being kept at the club simply because he is a gentleman, he is here because he will make a valuable contribution."

  • Stiliyan Petrov and Milen Petkov arrived in Glasgow on 14/6/99 to train. 25-year-old winger Petkov was also wanted by Newcastle United, as well as Sunderland, Spurs, and Leeds United.19-year-old midfield man Petrov, who is seen as the successor to Hristo Stoichkov in the Bulgarian national side. Petrov was signed for £2.8million whilst Petkov, who preferred to play on the left side in which positon it was hoped Lubo Moravcik would continue, was released.

  • The backroom staff started to be assembled by Dalglish with the appointments on 16/6/99 of ex-Newcastle colleagues Terry McDermott as assistant to Head Coach Barnes and Eric Black (which would have made him 'assistant assistant', but in truth first team social secretary) and Terry Gennoe as goalkeeping coach. His appointment followed on from the sacking by David Kells of Peter Latchford the previous week. It took some time to sort out Gennoe's contract and for him to be released by Newcastle.

  • The club were in talks with West Ham to sign Eyal Berkovic and Chelsea for goalkeeper Dmitri Kharine. Kharine was duly signed on a Bosman deal for free on a 3 year deal on 22/6/99. Stewart Kerr had yet to leave but saw the writing on the wall with the signing of another goalkeeper and immediately put in a transfer request and started looking for another club. Berkovic begged West Ham to release him and he was finally signed, after haggling over the price, on 8/7/99 for £5.75million with a 4 year deal alleged to be worth £28,000 per week. He became the most expensive footballer in Celtic and Scottish football history at that time. Olivier Tebily was signed on the same day for £1.25 million

  • Brian McLaughlin, who had been loaned to Dundee Utd then taken a free transfer there, landed a three year deal with Wigan. Tosh McKinlay, in the absence of offers for his service, said he wanted to stay and fight for a place in the team. Former Celtic loan goalkeeper Tony Warner signed for Millwall.

  • On 29/6/99 it was announced that Alan Stubbs had undergone exploratory surgery for testicular cancer at Bon Secours hospital in Glasgow following on from further tests, after a routine drugs test at the end of the 1999 Cup Final had picked up irregularities in his sample. The operation was said to be successful and Stubbs was said to be recuperating and would start on a light training programme. His rejoining the team would be at least six to eight weeks away.

  • The club made a £1.00million bid for Olivier Tebily of Sheffield Utd. With both Stubbs and Rieper likely to be out at the start of the season, centre halfs were needed. He was signed on the same day as Berkovic for £1.25 million with a five year contract.

  • The SFA hit Mahe with a 2 match ban for the events during the Rangers game on 2/5/99. Scottish referees reacted angrily to what they considered to be a light action.

  • On 10/7/09 the team flew to Norway to begin their pre-season tour, games and preparation. With them went trialists Jochen Kientz, a young defender from TSV 1860 Munich who was invited to trial, Stephane Bonnes from FC Mulhouse and Bobby Petta, a left winger picked up from Ipswich Town on a Bosman free.

Eric Black, John Barnes and Terry McDermott

Arrivals:

Allan MacDonald – officially left BAe and became full time Chief Executive of Celtic on 1/7/99
Kenny Dalglish – new Director of Football Operations, appointed by the Board after recommendation by Allan MacDonald
John Barnes – new Head Coach, appointed by the Board after recommendation by Kenny Dalglish – left early February after Inverness CT.
Terry McDermott – appointed First Team Assistant coach and Chief Scout and social secretary appointed by Kenny Dalglish; left with Barnes
Terry Gennoe – new goalkeeping coach taking over from Peter Latchford; appointed by Kenny Dalglish
Stiliyan Petrov – £2.8 million from CSKA Sofia
Dmiti Kharine – arrived on a Bosman free from Chelsea
Eyal Berkovic – the most expensive footballer at that time in Scottish football at £5.75 million.
Olivier Tebily – £1.25 million from Sheffield Utd.
Bobby Petta – Free Bosman from Ipswich
Stephane Bonnes – free from Mulhouse
Simon Lynch – had been U16 Academy and given a full contract – mostly U18 and Reserve but came into the first team end of season
Mark Fotheringham – another arrival from the Academy U16's
John Kennedy – a/a

Soon to Arrive:- those that would arrive after the start of the season proper.

Jim Hone – said to be one of Allan MacDonald's 'lieutenants'; appointed Business Operations and Resources Director at the beginning of September '99
Heather Anne Barton – took over as Company Secretary from Kevin Sweeney, who moved upstairs to a non-executive directorship
Tommy Burns – would arrive as Assistant Head Coach following the sacking of Barnes in February
Chris McCart – joined this season for his first stint with the club as assistant to Willie McStay and U16 youth coach.
Roddy McDonald – following the retirement of long-term club doctor Jack Mulhearn, Roddy took over the reins
Mark Casey, Michael Doyle, Peter Flynn, Graham Fyfe, Stephen Jack, Stephen Low, Shaun Maloney, Stephen McManus, Tony McParland, David Moore, Alan Morrison, Brian Prunty, David van Zanten – all came either from the Academy or outside and into first time Pro contracts and would play in the U18's or U21's
Ian Wright – late October '99 arrived on a free following Larsson's leg break, free signing but 20k/week wages; left early February
Raphael Scheidt – Brazilian defender of legend acquired sight unseen for £4.8million in December '99
Paul Shields – picked up from Raith Rovers in March 2000 for £100k
Fernando de Ornelas – Venezuelan picked up on a free in March 2000 after a tip from Ian Wright (see above)

Departures:

Most of the departures between the seasons were from the Great Cull of the Youths and Reserve squads at the end of the Dr Jo season.

Marc Anthony – joined Berwick Rangers
Paul Borland – joined Queens Park as a part-timer
Gerard Crossley – had trials with Reading and Derby County but ended up with Hamilton Accies
Joe Hayes – ended up going to Junior football
Peter MacDonald – trialled with Clydebank and had some time with Stirling Albion
Graeme Morrison – had been on loan with Dundalk; joined Morton
Stephen Murray – joined Clydebank
Gary Nicol – after a spell with Inverness Caledonian Thistle he joined Ross County.
John Potter – picked up by Dunfermiline
Brian Vaugh – was playing for Waterford Utd at the start of the new season.

Enrico Annoni – missed pre-season nursing a sick father; on return told he had no future at the club and left before the start of the season after negotiating a pay-off of the rest of his contract, and retired.

Soon to Depart: – those that would leave after the start of the season proper.

Tosh McKinlay – went on loan to Grasshoppers Zurich in mid October and joined Kilmarnock on a free transfer 10/1/00
Craig Burley – rumours of unhappiness continued; recontracting talks failed; left 1/12/99 for Derby County.
Harald Brattbakk – unfancied, missd chance to move back to Rosenborg; transferred to FC Copenhagen 10/1/00
Marc Rieper – finally accepted that the toe injury would never let him play again; started working with the training staff from Feb 2000 and retired end of season
Barry Elliot – never made it through and left on a free for Dundee 31/3/00
Eric Black – would leave with Barnes after the Inverness CT debacle.
Heather Barton – the newly appointed Company Secretary would depart fairly rapidly, allegedly because she felt frozen out by Allan MacDonald. She would go on to join the SFA to lead their legal department.