| Matches: 1958 – 1959 | 1958-1959 Pictures | League Table | Statistics |
Where do we go from here and how did we get here….
- League Position – 6th
- League Cup – Semi Final losers
- Scottish Cup – Semi Final losers
- Others: Glasgow Cup – First Round Losers
- Charities Cup – Winners.
This season review is a difficult one to write. The previous season review contains the hints of what was wrong with the club (and also what was right). Mentioned was the growing need for change in outlook from the guardians of the club and the desire amongst the supporters for better. The need for change and reinvigoration of the team was embraced this season. The players that made up the teams throughout 58/59 were young, many under 20, and the majority under 25, and were the result of the work Jock Stein had been doing with the Reserves. These were supported and led by trusted veterans. A weighted average age of the teams through the season gives an age of 24, but this could drop to an average age of 20 as on the 24/1/59 against Queen of the South, even with the presence of Mochan, Evans and Smith.
Two of those veterans were out pretty much from the start and played no part in the season. In the pre-season trials Sean Fallon and Billy McPhail both picked up injuries which terminated their playing careers. It would be left to Evans, Peacock, Mochan, Collins and Fernie and to a lesser extent Eric Smith to guide and direct the young players. When a further two of those veterans, and by definition, players at the top of their game, were sold then the problems started to look ominous. The departures of first Bobby Collins and then Willie Fernie were sudden and unexpected. Popular myth has their departure paying for the new floodlighting which would be installed at Celtic Park. Certainly their transfer fees brought in about £40,000 to the club. The statement from the Board at both departures was that they would never get rid of a player that wanted to stay or stop a player leaving that wanted to move on. What was evident however was that their departure left tactical gaps which were not filled.
It is with these two big factors in mind that the results of the season need to be approached. The League Cup, which had been retained in style the previous season, began well with qualification from a group that included St Mirren, Airdrieonians and Clyde. Celtic succumbed to Partick Thistle at the semi final stage, despite the Jags losing their goalkeeper.
The Scottish Cup went a similar way. After an easy win over Albion Rovers, Celtic needed a replay to overcome Clyde. Rangers came next and against the odds Celtic came out 2-1 winners to claim their first win against the foe at Celtic Park in the Cup since 1901. Stirling Albion were comprehensively beaten to put Celtic into the semi final against St Mirren. Celtic were very much fancied to go on to the final. But they met a determined and spirited St Mirren team and Celtic were played out of the game and trounced 4-0.
The League was where the true nature of the team was shown. In the League campaign Celtic used 28 players during season 1958/59. No one player played the full 34 games, though Neil Mochan only missed one game, the replayed game against Motherwell when he was replaced by Jim Kennedy. Home form was reasonable losing only 2 games at Celtic Park (to Falkirk and Airdrie) but the away form was devastatingly poor, losing 10 games on the road and winning only three. Already noted above is the young nature of the team. During the season eight players received their competitive debuts and for many players this was their first full season at the club. Top scorer was John Colrain.
What we have from the start of the season is the decision at club ‘patrician’ level to play a young side. With that must have gone the belief that the club would not be challenging for the league title come the end of the season and that any trophies coming to the club would be from the Cup competitions. As it was the only trophy Celtic picked up was the Glasgow Charities Cup and the team ended 6th in the League. To add to the youth policy, the only way to raise the finance required for ground renovation and upgrade including the installation of floodlighting, would have to come from the sale of players. These would have to be senior players at the peak of their game. This left the remaining seniors in an unenviable position of having to marshal the young side and produce the results with whatever was available. Bobby Evans despite losing three months out to a back injury and surgery (some might say from carrying the team for so long!) had an excellent season and despite the injury he soon won back his Scotland jersey and captaincy. John Eric Smith tends to be overlooked within the Celtic history but he did much this season and at the age of 24 he was a senior player. Bertie Peacock as captain played well at left half and behind him was Neil Mochan who not only undertook his defensive duties like he had been born to the position but also got forward to play his old role as often as possible.
The two big finds of the season from the ‘youths’ were Billy McNeill and Duncan MacKay. MacKay started the season with his debut game and went on to make his Scotland debut this season too so confident and firm was he in his position as right back of choice. By the end of the season he was being tried out at right half. Billy McNeill too made his first team debut and he replaced Evans at centre half when the rock was out with his back injury. Everyone noted that ripe age of 18 the young McNeill was far from overawed by his responsibility. He lost out when Evans returned but Celtic knew they had a winner in the bag.
Of the others, Bertie Auld needs to be mentioned. Bertie had spent the previous closed season training when everyone else went on holiday and that showed at the start of the season. It was strongly mooted that he would be sold in the closed season. Bertie did not fit in with the ‘corinthian’ ‘gentleman-player’ view held by Robert Kelly and he found himself losing out simply because Bertie was Bertie. He could play the game no other way but hard and full tilt. That unfortunately brought him into dispute with referees at times. Celtic needed someone like Bertie, and the lack of recognition of this at management level spoke loudly of the amateurism that still pervaded the upper ranks of the club.
At the end of the season a further clear-out arrived. Sammy Wilson, one of the best free signings Celtic had ever made, was let go. Sammy had been a natural partner for Billy McPhail and when McPhail retired, Sammy was left out in the cold. He still managed 26 first team appearances and 14 goals this season. Also freed were John Higgins, John Jack and Frank Meechan. Higgins had succumbed really to a succession of knee injuries and when he did come into the side he looked half the player he had been. John Jack had performed well at various times at centre half and had spent a lot of his time in the reserves helping to coach before going out on loan to Stirling Albion. Meechan had spent the season in and out of the reserves. More was to come with the decision of Charlie Tully to retire.
Given the youth factor, given the loss of senior players, given the mindset of senior management then one might say the final results of the season were inevitable. That this was acceptable to both the senior management and to the players let alone the supporters, however, was not. Better was required.
