Celtic’s Twenty Managers from Willie Maley to Brendan Rodgers | OneFootball

1. Celtic’s First Manager (1897-1940) – Willie Maley was the man who made Celtic

Willie Maley was the man who made Celtic. Prior to 1897, the club was run by a Committee, but in 1897, the disastrous Scottish Cup defeat to Arthurlie led to the formation of a Limited Company and more importantly in playing terms, the appointment of a full time Manager in Willie Maley. There could hardly have been a better decision, for in Maley’s 43 years of management, the team won the Scottish Cup 14 times, the Scottish League 16 times, the Empire Exhibition Trophy and a host of Glasgow Cups and Glasgow Charity Cups.

It would be fair to say that he was an excellent Manager up to the end of the Great War, but only a good Manager after that, as the inter-war years saw a definite slippage and a slow transfer of hegemony to Rangers.

But the team that won 6 League titles in a row from 1905 until 1910 was probably the best team on earth, and then after a year or two of regrouping, another world beating team emerged in 1914, although sadly the dark days of World War One prevented us from seeing how good they were.

During this time, Maley was on the ball, genial, sociable, charming, helpful, encouraging and (with only a few exceptions) much loved by his players. Jimmy Quinn, Sandy McMahon, the immortal half back line of Young, Loney and Hay, Charlie Shaw, Patsy Gallacher and Jimmy McMenemy owed a great deal to Willie Maley.

The Great War changed a lot, and Maley found a lot of things hard to deal with, not least the rise of Struth’s Rangers. Rangers had good players, but Celtic who had equally good players, could not always cope and it is a shock to discover that on only five occasions between the wars, were Celtic the Champions of Scotland. Players like Jimmy McGrory, Peter Wilson, Alec Thomson, Jimmy Delaney and others were good enough to have done better than that but there were great moments as well with six great Scottish Cup finals and the Empire Exhibition Trophy.

There were three aspects to his comparative failure. One was his inability to deal with the bad boys and the trouble makers (a breed that the Great War threw up) – Johnny Gilchrist, Willie Cringan and Tommy McInally could have given Celtic an awful lot more if they had been better handled.

Another was his obsession with money including his laughable attempt to sell Jimmy McGrory to Arsenal with possibly John Thomson thrown into the deal, – but neither McGrory nor Thomson would go – and the third was Maley’s periodic bouts of depression caused by his own private life and the undeniable fact that men like Sunny Jim, John Thomson, Bertie Thomson and Peter Scarff all died far too young.

By the mid 1930s, he was obsessive, rude, curmudgeonly, unsociable, maudlinly sentimental and unfair to certain players. By 1935, he was happy sometimes to allow the loyal Jimmy McMenemy (the trainer) to run the team, and to a very large extent, the success of the late 1930s was down to Napoleon rather than Maley himself.

He ought to have announced a dignified retirement in 1938 at the Golden Jubilee but chose to stay on to pick a fight with the Directors about income tax on a honorarium before leaving at last at the New Year of 1940. Whether he retired, was sacked, resigned – who knows?

And yet Celtic owed almost everything to this man in the early years of the 20th century. Someone once said about James Kelly “No Kelly, no Keltic”. It would have been far more appropriately applied to Willie Maley.

He died a few weeks short of his 90th birthday in 1958.

Continued on the next page…

2. Celtic’s second Manager (1940-45) – Jimmy McStay, Celtic’s wartime boss

Jimmy McStay had been a great centre half and captain for Celtic in the late 1920s and early 1930s, but it was still a major surprise when he emerged as successor to Willie Maley in January 1940. The obvious choice might have been Jimmy McMenemy who was already there as trainer, but Napoleon was now in his 60th year and was possibly considered to be too old. McStay on the other hand was not yet 45.

The fact that he took over in January 1940 says it all. The country was at war, admittedly in January 1940 in what was known as the “phoney war” when nothing was happening, but that would soon change. Football in the war years is a study in itself, and it unfair to judge a Manager in those unnatural years when training barely existed and team selection was totally haphazard.

McStay tried his best, but the war years are a dark corner of Celtic history. There were only two successes. The Glasgow Cup in October 1940 brought an unexpected smile to the faces of the supporters, as did the Glasgow Charity Cup of 1943, but the rest was dismal failure.

The return of Jimmy Delaney after a broken arm in 1941 made a slight difference, but in general terms there was little to cheer in the letters written to soldiers and sailors, and in the World Service broadcasts to places like Cairo and Gibraltar, where the football was still followed avidly.

It is a total fallacy to say that football was a minority interest in war time. Other things were obviously more important, but football remained an obsession and Celtic supporters suffered dreadfully.

McStay was hamstrung by a Board who did not seem interested. Players were available, the obvious example being the Celtic daft Matt Busby, but Celtic failed to respond, and there was the ever present domination of everyone else by Rangers with only Hibs putting up the occasional resistance. Rangers managed to manipulate the war situation (not unlike the way that Maley had done to devastating effect in the First World War) and Celtic floundered.

It is hard to judge Jimmy McStay in these circumstances, but the Board did so and he was suddenly dismissed in summer 1945 after the team had shown the occasional sign of improvement. It would have been nice to have seen him given a chance in peace time.

Continued on the next page…

3. Celtic’s Third Manager (1945-65) – Jimmy McGrory, the benign, pipe-smoking gentleman

Much as it hurts to say so, it has to be admitted that Jimmy McGrory, arguably Celtic’s best ever player, was no great shakes as a Manager. He had the odd very spectacular success, but in the 20 years that Jimmy was in charge, Celtic could only record one Scottish League, two Scottish Cups and two Scottish League Cups. There was also the Coronation Cup in 1953 and one of the Scottish League Cups was the 7-1 thrashing of Rangers, but Celtic’s performance in those 20 years was woeful for a club with such wealth and support.

And yet, the players were as good as ever. Tully, Evans, Peacock, Fernie, Collins, Crerand, McNeill and many others would stand comparison with any, and things could have been so much better for Celtic and their fans. But gloomy mediocrity was normally the order of the day. “The poor team with the large support” was a frequent description, as was “The great players with the poor management”.

The problem was that Jimmy McGrory wasn’t really the Manager at all. “A glorified office boy” was another phrase frequently used and too many decisions were made by Chairman Bob Kelly, a man whose commitment to the club could never be doubted but whose judgement on footballing matters was so often suspect.

Teams were changed at the last minute – a reserve goalkeeper going to a game as a supporter was picked up by the team bus and given a place between the posts (incredible, but true), players whom Mr Kelly did not like were suddenly transferred, four Scottish Cup finals were lost through crazy team selections, the stadium was allowed to become a Music Hall joke, and by the 1960s, Rangers were allowed to run the show as Celtic predictably caved in.

Jimmy was far too nice a man to be Manager. A good Manager must occasionally be a brute, as Stein, Ferguson, Guardiola and Mourinho were and are, but McGrory simply lacked that ability. When he was made the Public Relations Officer in 1965, that was the ideal job for him for the benign, pipe-smoking gentleman.

But however great the Coronation Cup, the 1954 League and Cup double and the 7-1 certainly were, one awful statistic concerns the Scottish League. Not only did Celtic won the League only once in those dreadful 20 years (in 1954), but we were second only once to Aberdeen in 1955. The rest of the time, Celtic were nowhere in sight. That was simply unacceptable.

Continued on the next page…

4. Celtic’s Fourth Manager (1965-78) – Jock Stein, the man who changed Celtic

“Why man, he doth bestride the narrow world like a Colossus…” is the Shakespearean way of describing Julius Caesar. It was the way we could have described Jock Stein.

Everyone knows about the triumph at Lisbon and everyone knows about the nine in a row… and to put it another way, in Jock’s 13 completed seasons, he lost the League only three times! One was a season in which they won the two domestic Cups by compensations, another was one which Jock could hardly be blamed for because he had nasty car accident and was in hospital most of the time, and the other was his last one in which there was some suggestion that he was ill.

Jock Stein, Celtic manager

He was appointed in 1965 when Celtic were on their knees, and he picked them up immediately. The success was total, complete and overwhelming. Out of 40 domestic honours from 1965 until 1978, Celtic won 24, a statistic that speaks for itself.

It could even be argued that he did it with two separate teams – one in the late 1960s and another which evolved or emerged throughout the early 1970s – and although the late 1960s team was the better, the early 1970s team kept up the tradition of winning.

Several decisions were masterclass. The moving of Bobby Murdoch from inside right to right half was the first and best; he could spot a striker a mile away – McBride, Wallace, Hood, Deans and even Joe Craig were bought to score goals and did so; and his ability to read situations in that great but sometimes underestimated season of 1976/77 was awesome – Pat Stanton brilliant player for Hibs and Scotland came to Celtic at the end of his career and started winning medals, and Rangers were totally outmanoeuvred in the signing of Alfie Conn.

Jock Stein meets his new Celtic players at Barrowfield

Some newspapers who should have know better thought that his religion might have been an issue, and it was – in the eyes of bigots! Celtic supporters took to him immediately and loved what he wrote in The Celtic View, the new club newspaper. The atmosphere was upbeat and positive.

Only once did he come close to “losing the dressing room” and that was in 1970 round about the time of the Milan disaster when the European Cup was lost to Feyenoord. But most stayed loyal, and in any case, he immediately started to rebuild.

(L-R) Celtic manager Jock Stein and his predecessor Jimmy McGrory carry the Scottish Cup into the midst of Celtic’s victory celebrations in a suite at the Royal Stuart Hotel

In this he was only partially successful for he lost Macari and Hay to England and Connelly to his own private demons, but Celtic still kept winning.

It was the Dalglish transfer in 1977 that finished him. More or less on the eve of the season, Dalglish decamped for Liverpool. That was one blow to Stein, but the other was when the Board would not allow him to spend the transfer money on anyone else of similar calibre, and there were various suggestions that Stein was suffering some sort of illness, as the form of the team deteriorated alarmingly. He was replaced by Billy McNeill in 1978.

Jock Stein, 08.03.1974 Photo: imago/Colorsport

It was a sad end, but it must not be allowed to detract from the achievements of the greatest Manager of them all. If Maley was the man who made Celtic, Stein was the man who changed Celtic. Even today, close to 40 years since his untimely death in 1985, everyone still knows who “Big Jock” was.

Continued on the next page…

5. Celtic’s Fifth Manager (1978-83, 1987-1991) – Billy McNeill, There’s only one King Billy

Billy McNeill arrived back at Celtic Park in summer 1978 via Aberdeen for whom he had had a successful season (something perhaps for which he is not given enough credit). The shoes that he had to fill were large ones, but Billy in his first five seasons won a trophy per year, an achievement that is at least acceptable, especially as two new forces in the shape of Aberdeen and Dundee United were now appearing on the scene.

Billy made two major signings in Davie Provan from Kilmarnock and Murdo MacLeod from Dumbarton, and his first season saw a major triumph in the never to be forgotten climax at Celtic Park in the game known for ever more as “Ten Men Won The League”. Billy came across as confident, reassured and very definitely a man on a mission that spring as the team played off their backlog of fixtures caused by the bad weather in the winter, and it was a great moment for us all.

The final whistle goes at the 4-2 game in May 1979

It was not all rosy. The League titles of 1980 and 1983 were frankly thrown away by players failing to produce their best when they needed to, and Europe, apart from one spectacular first leg win over Real Madrid in 1980, was a predictable disappointment. But this has to be balanced against the marvellous form shown in early 1981 when, starting from New Year, the team suddenly turned over a new leaf, and defeats and feckless draws suddenly became victories, with Frank McGarvey proving his worth.

14.05.1988 Copyright: imago/ColorsportBilly McNeill (Celtic Glasgow) – at Hampden for the Scottish Cup Final against Dundee Utd

And there was the young man called Charlie Nicholas who could have been the new Patsy Gallacher (yes, he was that good!) but his head was turned by the bright lights and siren songs of London, and Billy was unable to dissuade him, to the distress of all concerned. All this possibly had something to do with the Board’s amazing refusal to offer Billy a contract is summer 1983 (AT THE TIME THE CELTIC MANAGER WAS THE FIFTH HIGHEST PAID IN THE SCOTTISH PREMIER LEAGUE!). Billy threatened to leave to Manchester City (WHO WERE SKINT)…and his bluff was called.

Celtic manager Billy McNeill with some of his young stars in what looks like 1982 – A current contender for the next manager of Celtic is bottom right…

Four years later, everyone seemed to admit that a mistake had been made, and Billy was back to lead the club to the spectacular Double in the Centenary Season of 1987/88. It was as if God was back in his heaven once again, and the future looked rosy. But then sadly, the team went down 1-5 to Rangers at the start of the 1988/89 season – and never really recovered as that defeat dominated everyone’s thinking for the next few years, and infected performances.

Photo imago/Colorsport Roy Aitken hands over the Scottish League Championship trophy to coach Billy McNeill. Celtic v Dunfermline 7/5/88.

To Billy’s credit, there was a partial recovery in the Scottish Cup including a fine win over Rangers in the 1989 Scottish Cup final, and Celtic also removed them in 1990 and 1991. But both these seasons ended trophyless (1990 a desperately unlucky penalty shoot-out) as Billy’s marquee signing of the Polish Dariusz Dziekanowski failed to deliver when he had to. Roy Aitken was lost to Newcastle United, and the team was, basically, not able to stand up to Rangers as Billy was not given enough to spend on players. Billy departed sadly in 1991, and the club’s decline now began to accelerate.

A day of infamy at Celtic Park as Billy McNeill is sacked by the old board

“Too much of a supporter to be a Manager” was the way one fanzine put it about Billy, and that really sums him up. To his death in 2019, Billy remained Celtic to the core.

Continued on the next page…

6. Celtic’s Sixth Manager (1983-87) – The manifestly likeable Davie Hay

Davie Hay was a very unfortunate Manager of Celtic. He had two successful and two unlucky seasons, his first and his last. It has also to be said that the two seasons in the middle were glorious at the end, but sometimes a little painful in the middle.

His appointment was sudden and Davie found Celtic at the start of the 1983 season without Charlie Nicholas. He also was the first Manager for a long time to face three major threats, and none of them were Rangers! Aberdeen, Dundee United and Hearts continued to be strong challengers and then Rangers rose again in 1986.

Davie Hay new Manager of Celtic Football Club with Chairman Desmond White July 1983

In Europe he had the scarcely believable cheating of Rapid Vienna to deal with and then in his final season, no fewer than four of his first team wanted to leave, one of them being the poisoned chalice that Hay had brought to the club and was called Maurice Johnston.

His first season saw Celtic nowhere really close to Aberdeen in the League race, and two very unfortunate domestic Cup finals where Celtic were the victims of some strange refereeing decisions and some sheer bad luck.

Hay’s bad luck continued into the next season, and he approached the Scottish Cup final of 1985 knowing that a defeat would probably spell curtains for his managership. However he made the inspired (and unpopular) decision with 15 minutes remaining to hook Paul McStay and bring on a defender to allow Roy Aitken to move forward and take a grip of the game.

1985/86 saw the terrific Albert Kidd finale to the season, but that did not disguise the fact that this season had also seen one or two distinctly ordinary performances, and then season 1986/87 was the season of the inevitable Rangers fight back.

SEASON 1983/1984 Celtic manager Davie Hay presents the “Shoot” trophy to his midfield player Paul McStay.

Rangers bought players from England while Celtic and Hay now floundered, and the cause was not helped when, in a move that suggested either ingratitude or pessimism about the future of Celtic, Johnston, McClair, McInally and MacLeod announced that they wanted to move on. The season finished with a whimper, and it was no great surprise when the ill-starred four year tenure of the manifestly likeable David Hay came to an end.

Continued on the next page…

7. Celtic’s Seventh Manager (1991-93) – Liam Brady, a rookie clearly not cut out for the job

Liam Brady’s years at Celtic Park were not good ones. Two full seasons and a bit in which not a trophy was won, not even a Final was reached while the club was frankly going to Hell.

It was not all the likeable Irishman’s fault; he was not even the main culprit. He was working for a Board whose total lack of knowledge about football, finances, business and even the realpolitik of Glasgow was truly astonishing.

Liam’s appointment was itself astounding. He had been a great player for Arsenal and Juventus, but he had never been a Manager. And now in summer 1991, he suddenly found himself in charge of Celtic, and an underfunded Celtic side who were light years behind Rangers and even a great distance below teams like Aberdeen. It defied belief.

Liam Brady Celtic football manager August 1991

And Liam also showed a total lack of knowledge of Scotland and Scottish football. He kept belittling the Old Firm derby games and comparing them to Arsenal v Tottenham, and Juventus v Torino. Celtic went out of the League Cup to Airdrie – a seismic, cataclysmic event in most Celtic households, but Liam said “Ah, but Airdrie are not a bad team. They beat Aberdeen as well, you know!” The man simply did not understand Celtic and their fans.

His acid test came in the Scottish Cup semi-final of 1992 one wet (very wet) April evening. For a few weeks Celtic had been playing well in League games and were even being talked about as “the form team of Scotland”. They dominated Rangers that night – but simply couldn’t score. But goalscoring is a very important facet of football, and domination counts for nothing.

Things went from bad to worse in 1992/93, the situation not helped by Rangers having a good run in Europe. The return of McAvennie might have worked with better management, and in men like Boyd, McStay and Collins there was obvious quality, but several other players were clearly not Celtic class.

Brady was allowed to continue against the background of imminent revolution until October 1993. After a dreadful defeat at McDiarmid Park, Perth in which, allegedly, there were fisticuffs in the Celtic dressing room, Brady was asked to leave by a Board who were desperately trying to blame it all on the Manager.

The faults lay a lot deeper than Liam Brady, but he had to go – a man clearly not cut out for the job.

Continued on the next page…

8. Celtic’s 8th Manager (1993-94) – Lou Macari never really had a chance

After a brief interlude involving Frank Connor who goes down in history as the only undefeated Manager of Celtic (in three games) the Old Board amazed the world in going for Lou Macari.

Lou was an ex-Celtic player although he struggled to reconcile his claim to love the club with his abrupt departure to Manchester United in 1973. He was never really forgiven for that. He was currently with Stoke City, and he returned there after his months with Celtic.

It is easy to be critical but he never really had a chance. His buys were generally ridiculed, but he was given hardly any money at all by a Board which was on the brink of collapse. He had a genuinely good start with a victory against Rangers at Ibrox, but by the time that Rangers came to Celtic Park on New Year’s Day, there were major demonstrations against the Board with the particularly chilling image of a Celtic scarf looking like a hangman’s noose being dangled in front of the Directors’ Box. Rangers won 4-2, and any hope for Macari or the Board disappeared when the team exited the Scottish Cup tamely to Motherwell in late January.

Lou Macari wasn’t expected to survive the March revolution, and duly didn’t. He remains a footnote in Celtic’s managerial history, but it would gave been nice to see him given a chance in more fortunate circumstances.

9. Celtic’s 9th Manager (1994-1997) – Tommy Burns gave us back hope and belief

Tommy Burns had an eventful three years as Manager of Celtic. He was appointed by the “new” Celtic Board, and he was definitely the right man in the circumstances. He had to be dislodged from Kilmarnock, which took a bit of doing, but he then proceeded in difficult circumstances to give Celtic back their self-respect, and then almost to regain the League.

The “self respect” came with the winning of the Scottish Cup in 1995. It was, frankly, an awful final against Airdrie after some other performances in the early rounds that struggled to earn the name “ordinary”, but silver was back after six years, and for that we have to be grateful. The next two years saw Celtic come second in the League, but still we could not quite rid ourselves of the Rangers complex. We were however close, and Tommy deserves our thanks.

He had several problems. His first season was at Hampden, and his other two were at a half built Parkhead. That was not easy for anyone. He also had severe problems with overseas stars who were talented enough (although they often over-estimated their own talent) but lacked maturity and common sense, and their personality disorders often gave Tommy and Fergus McCann a considerable amount of problems. And of course there was Fergus McCann himself – Celtic’s saviour, but often Celtic’s problem as well.

In addition, his best player Paul McStay was reaching the end of his career, his major opponents had possibly peaked and were beginning to slide, but they were still potent, and the Celtic death wish had not entirely disappeared. Celtic really ought to have won the Scottish Cup in 1997. They drew with Falkirk in the semi-final on a hot day at Ibrox losing a late goal, then could not find the net in the rainy replay. This was enough for Fergus McCann to blow the whistle on Tommy’s managerial career.

Tommy remained until his death in 2008 a well loved character among the Celtic fans. With a bit more luck, and had he come at a different time, he might have been a great Manager. As it was, he gave us back our hope and our belief that things did not have to be as bad as the nightmare years that had just gone.

Continued on the next page…

10. Celtic’s 10th Manager (1997-98) – Wim Jansen, the man who stopped their ten

When Wim Jansen was appointed Manager in 1997, less than one in a hundred of Celtic supporters could have told you who he was. Possibly the more geekish of us recalled that he had played against Celtic in the 1970 European Cup final for Feyenoord, but he was hardly a household name. And this was the man called upon to stop the 10 in a row!

Murdo and Wim with the League Cup in 1997 after a 3-0 win over Dundee Utd in the final held at Ibrox

He started badly with a defeat at Easter Road and his new signing Henrik Larsson a distinct flop.a few other signings followed, not all of them great ones! Some horrible games followed, but gradually Jansen, with the help of his assistant Murdo MacLeod (now there was an appointment we were all happy with!) got on top of things and a credible challenge emerged. Midwinter was good with the capture of the League Cup (something that convinced Celtic that they could win things again!), the signing of Paul Lambert, and the defeat of Rangers at Celtic Park. Although Celtic were still behind, the chase was on.

It was tense. Hearts were involved as well until a fairly late stage, and Celtic couldn’t always reproduce the form that the huge fanbase in the now three-quarters completed stadium craved. Jansen had learned quickly about Scotland, and was increasing in popularity, although we were all distressed to hear that he and Jock Brown the General Manager were not getting on.

9 May 1998: Celtic Coach Wim Jansen and Murdo McLeod celebrate after a Scottish Premier League match against St Johnstone at Celtic Park in Glasgow, Scotland. Celtic won the match 2-0 to become the league champions. Photot: Shaun Botterill/Allsport

It was a close run thing, but we eventually pulled through that bright May Saturday in 1998. Things looked good for the future, but then Wim suddenly resigned and disappeared! He was seldom seen again. This was a pity, for we hardly really got a chance to get to know him, and yet we owe him such an awful lot!

Wim died with dementia in 2022.

Continued on the next page…

11. Celtic’s 11th Manager (1998-99) – Dr Jo Venglos, such a nice gentleman

It wasn’t entirely his fault, but Jo Venglos’s season as Manager of Celtic was not a success. Like Wim Jansen, he wasn’t exactly well known among Celtic supporters but he had managed Czechoslovakia and Aston Villa.

Possibly, now in his mid 60s, he came just a little late for Celtic’s good. In particular he had some problems over which he had no control. The players chose to pick a fight with Fergus McCann before a League Cup game against Airdrie, and duly lost.

12 Sep 1998: Dr Jozef Venglos of Celtic watching the action during the Scottish Premier League against Kilmarnock at Celtic Park. Photo Clive Brunskill /Allsport

Mark Viduka was signed but there was a dreadful problem persuading him to come and play. When he did, he got sent off for spitting! There also seemed to be a particular problem about St Johnstone.

On the other hand, Jo signed class players in Lubo Moravcik and Johan Mjallby and there was a tremendous 5-1 thumping of Rangers in November. For a while in midwinter, we began to hope we could challenge Rangers, but we lost the League in early May at Parkhead in a disgraceful game when tempers were lost, and then the Cup in a 1-0 final to Rangers which was unlucky in many ways – but Rangers were probably the better team.

12 Aug 1998: Dr Jozef Venglos,  watches over the action during the qualifying match between Celtic v Croatia Zagreb in a Champions League played at Celtic Park. Celtic won the match 1-0. Photo Clive Brunskill /Allsport

Jo had no luck at all at Parkhead, and it was sad to see such a nice gentleman having to depart. He must have wondered what Scotland was all about!

12. Celtic’s 12th Manager (1999-2000) – John Barnes, his feet barely touched the ground on the way out

Not for the first time were Celtic forced to realise that a good player, no matter how good, does not necessarily make a good Manager. They made a similar mistake in 1991 with Liam Brady. John Barnes had been a great player for Liverpool and England, but Manager, he was not.

John Barnes Celtic Manager 30 October 1999 Photo Mary Evans

From an early stage criticisms were made of his team formation and his team selection, but fate dealt him a bad blow in Lyon in October when Henrik Larsson broke his leg. The misfortune was twofold. One was the loss a great player, but the other was the loss of a stable influence which could have counteracted the crazy things that happened in the Celtic dressing room on that fateful night in February.

July 1999: Celtic Manager John Barnes and Terry McDermott during their pre-season tour of Norway. Photo: Stu Forster /Allsport

Even before the Inverness game, storm clouds were gathering. The first game back after the midseason break was against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park and it was an appalling bore, then the Saturday before Inverness game saw a game against Hearts thrown away.

24 Jul 1999: Celtic Manager John Barnes signs autographs before the pre-season friendly against Leeds United at Celtic Park . Leeds won 2-1. Photo Chris Lobina /Allsport

The players took the field against Inverness with a mixture of arrogance about their lower League opponents, and opposition to their Manager. He had probably “lost the dressing room” long before, and his feet barely touched the ground on the way out after that humiliation which I hope, affected him in the same way as it affected us.

As Rudyard Kipling once said about the Boer War “it was no end of a lesson, but it will do us no end of good”.

13. Celtic’s 13th Manager (2000) – Kenny Dalglish was never interested in the job

Kenny Dalglish qualifies for inclusion as a Manager for, although he was appointed only as a Caretaker Manager after the demise of John Barnes, he did to an extent rally the team to win the Scottish League Cup, beating Aberdeen, a team who were in an even more desperate position than Celtic were.

Kenny Dalglish & Tommy Burns Glasgow Celtic FC 11 March 2000 Photo Allstar Picture Library

It made us smile, at least for one week, but Celtic were a terrible team and the football was poor. The following week, we went to Ibrox like a man going to the dentist’s and lost 0-4.

These were grim times, but Kenny on at least two occasions made us smile. Once was when he held his Press Conference among the punters in Baird’s Bar in the Gallowgate, and the other was when he turned on a reporter who was pestering him and said “you’re getting like Chick Young”. That was quite an insult, Kenny!

Photo: imago/Colorsport – Kenny Dalglish and John Barnes, Scottish Premier League 1999/2000,

He was never interested in the job on a permanent basis. I wonder what he would have been like?

14. Celtic’s 14th Manager (2000-05) – Martin O’Neill gave us back our glory

At long last in summer 2000, Celtic got the right man. For four successive years we had begun the season with a new man in charge, and this time, we got Martin O’Neill, a man with a proven record, and this time we backed him with money as well to buy players, notably Chris Sutton.

The effect was immediate. Martin O’Neill earned his spurs in the Demolition Derby, and for that season, apart from Europe, we never looked back as we earned our first treble since 1969 with Henrik Larsson clearly world class.

In his five years, Martin won the League three times, the Scottish Cup three times and the League Cup once.

Ironically his most famous season – the Seville experience of 2003 – was the only one of his five where we won nothing! “Taking the eye off the ball” was hardly appropriate, but in the wake of our triumph over Liverpool, we went down to Rangers in the League Cup final and then, with a strange team selection, we lost up at Inverness in the Scottish Cup.

Then we lost the League on a heartbreaking Sunday after Seville. We had possibly spread ourselves too thin, but we still had the bitter sweet experience of the Spanish sun to remember.

Martin O’Neill of Celtic celebrates victory with his players after his last game in charge after winning The Tennents Scottish Cup Final between Celtic and Dundee United at Hampden Park on May 28, 2005 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

We bounced back with a Double in 2003/04 and with a defeat of Barcelona into the bargain, but 2005 is still recalled as “Black Sunday”. It was an accident looking for a place to happen. In the run in, we managed to lose at home to both Hearts and Hibs (a very unusual occurrence) and the danger signal was up.

We had gone stale, and O’Neill was increasingly worried about his domestic problems. Things imploded piteously at Fir Park that awful Sunday, but with his final throw of the dice, O’Neill still managed to win the Scottish Cup before he departed. He returned to manage in England and with the Irish national side. His performances were respectable, but his glory years were with Celtic.

SEVILLE – MAY 21: A dejected Celtic manager Martin O’Neill after the UEFA Cup Final match between Celtic and FC Porto held on May 21, 2003 at the Estadio Olimpico in Seville, Spain. FC Porto won the match and trophy 3-2 after extra-time. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

If Tommy Burns as Manager gave us back our self-respect in 1995, Martin O’Neill gave us back our glory in the 2000s. If Stein and Maley gave us our golden years around 1967 and 1908, then Martin’s years were silver. Not quite golden, but glorious all the same, and to be looked back with happiness and affection, and light years away from what we had seen in the 1990s!

Former Celtic manager Martin O’Neill walks up towards the stadium with the SPL trophy during the Cinch Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Aberdeen at Celtic Park Stadium on May 24, 2023 . (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

We remain grateful to this man who is still happy to describe himself as a Celtic supporter.

15. Celtic’s 15th Manager (2005-09) – Gordon Strachan remains sympathetic to Celtic

Gordon Strachan would not have been the number one choice of many Celtic supporters to succeed Martin O’Neill in summer 2005. Indeed, there was an element of disbelief. There were those who still disliked him from his Aberdeen days.

Roy Keane , manager Gordon Strachan and Chief Executive Peter Lawwell attend a press conference to announce Keane’s signing for Celtic on December 15, 2005. (Photo by Alan Peebles/Getty Images)

On at least two occasions when playing for Aberdeen, he was attacked by a Celtic fan. No-one can, of course, such hooliganism by a mentally challenged individual, but the fact remains that he was not liked for his exaggeration of injuries, his incitement of the crowd and his general mouthing about anything and nothing.

Those who opposed his appointment said “I told you so” when the team went down to Artmedia Bratislava in his first game and again when they lost to Clyde in his first game in the Scottish Cup, but by the time we won the Scottish League Cup and the Scottish League in spring 2006, he was beginning to win them round.

Tommy Gravesen with Gordon Strachan. Photo: imago/IPA Photo

He was Manager for four years and he won the League three seasons out of four (2008 was breathtaking resurrection after having seemed to be entirely out of it at the beginning of April), the Scottish Cup once, and the Scottish League Cup twice.

That is not a bad record, and he also had some great moments in Europe, beating Manchester United, Benfica, Shakhtar Donetsk and AC Milan, and he brought great players like Shunsuke Nakamura and Scott Brown to the club.

Artur Boruc of Celtic shakes hand with Gordon Strachan at the final whistle of the UEFA Champions League match between Celtic and AC Milan at Celtic Park October 3, 2007. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

2009 was a disappointment with only the League Cup being won, and the fans turned on him when the League, which had seemed to be well within his grasp, was given away. Many of us felt that he was worth at least another year (three out of four League titles was not bad), but he possibly paid the penalty for his abrasiveness and tendency to upset too many people.

He was always kind to fans (particularly youngsters) but one feels that there were one or two in high places who tired of his constant apparently flippant attitude to life. And to an extent, he paid the price for the way he behave in his playing career.

Gavin Strachan. Photo for The Celtic Star by Vagelis Georgariou

He did know the game, though, is still sympathetic to Celtic, and of course his son Gavin is on the Celtic payroll.

16. Celtic’s 16th Manager (2009-10) – The job was beyond the luckless Tony Mowbray

The sad tale of Tony Mowbray! Always liked him and found myself supporting Sunderland last year because of him and Paddy Roberts – and me a Newcastle supporter!…

New Celtic signing China captain Zheng Zhi (L) attends a press conference with manager Tony Mowbray at Celtic Park d, on September 25, 2009. AFP PHOTO/Brian Stewart (Photo BRIAN STEWART/AFP via Getty Images)

It is sadly true that Tony Mowbray, however likeable and personable, is a very unlucky man. Indeed although one does not like to use the word “loser” with all its connotations, it is difficult to say anything else. As a player he came at the wrong time, and his only contribution was the introduction of the huddle; as a manager, it is hard to find much in his favour.

He had been a good manager of Hibs, and that is possibly where he should have remained but he moved to West Bromwich Albion whom he managed to relegate in 2009! Incredibly, Celtic then went for him to replace Gordon Strachan. Frankly, the job was beyond him, and as his season wore on, body language and a hunted look made it plain that he was struggling to cope with the abuse he was getting from the fans.

imago/ColorsportCeltic v Rangers, Celtic Park. 3rd January 2010:  Georgios Samaras with coach Tony Mowbray (Celtic)

The season started off badly with dismal performances in Europe, a defeat to Hearts in the League Cup and the fans getting restive. Then a dreadful game at Tannadice in which Celtic lost two goals to corner kicks in the last five minutes seemed to cause all sorts of panic, and the midwinter transfer window seemed to be used as an attempt to rebuild a team, rather than supplement.

Celtic manager Tony Mowbray (L) poses with new Celtic signing China captain Zheng Zhil at Celtic Park in Glasgow, Scotland, on September 25, 2009. Photo BRIAN STEWART/AFP via Getty Images)

All sorts of foreign nonentities appeared, and although there were one or two moments of hope like the arrival of Robbie Keane and a good 3-1 win at Kilmarnock in the Scottish Cup, it was increasingly plain that so many players were simply not Celtic class.

The end came at St Mirren as Celtic lost 0-4 in a performance which frankly gave the impression that some Celtic players were not even trying, and the crowd became dangerously angry with a hostile pitch invasion at one point looking possible. No Celtic Manager can hope to survive anything like that, and to everyone’s relief including his own, Tony had to go.

Tony Mowbray during the Scottish Premier league match between St Mirren and Celtic at St Mirren Park on 26 September, 2009. (Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images)

But the players must take some of the blame. On the night of the St Mirren disaster, Rangers had exited the Scottish Cup to Dundee United, leaving Celtic with a reasonable of chance of winning the Cup to salvage some self-respect. With Mowbray now gone, and Neil Lennon in temporary charge, they managed to blow up against Ross County in the semi-final!

Celtic’s manager, Tony Mowbray watches his team play against Hamburg during their UEFA Europa League, Group C, football match at Celtic Park, , on October 22, 2009. Photo GRAHAM STUART/AFP via Getty Images)

Such was Mowbray’s legacy, and how it hurts to say this about a man who was whole-hearted, sincere, honest – but neither talented nor lucky.

Continued on the next page…

17. Celtic’s 17th Manager (2010-14; 2019-21)- Neil Lennon, always Celtic at heart

It is difficult to assess Neil Lennon as a Manager. On the one hand, he won Scottish League Championships in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2019 and 2020, Scottish Cups in 2011, 2013, 2019 and 2020 and the League Cup in 2019/20, and he once managed to have us playing in Europe after the turn of the year, something that does not happen very often.

He was Manager from spring 2010 until summer 2014 when he suddenly departed to return to fish us out of a very large hole in 2019 before his career collapsed ignominiously in 2021. He remains a controversial character who manages to split the support down the middle.

Of his commitment to the cause, there can be little doubt. He was a tough, feisty character, never far from an argument with a referee or authority, and Celtic were never pushed around when he was in charge. He wasn’t necessarily the best of motivators, and was sometimes let down by players who did not always give of their best, particularly in big games, like finals and semi-finals. He never won the League Cup in his first spell, and he had some dismal European performances.

As to why he left in 2014, no-one will ever know, but it did seem strange for a Manager who had won three League Championships in a row. Rangers were not there, of course, but that need not diminish the achievement. He had also won the Scottish Cup in 2011 and 2013, but season 2013/2014 had seen dismal exits from the domestic Cups, both at Celtic Park to Morton (of all teams) and Aberdeen. Nevertheless, the League was won comfortably and the team was at least respectable, one felt. There was at least something to work on.

He had an unhappy time at Bolton Wanderers, then came back to Scotland as Manager of Hibs, but had left them a month or two before he was suddenly recalled as temporary Manager of Celtic in the odd circumstances of the departure of Brendan Rodgers in March 2019. Basically he carried on the good work, won the League and the Cup in 2019 before being appointed as permanent Manager.

He then won a treble in 2019/20. The League Cup was won by beating (the)Rangers in December, but the other two were won in strange circumstances because of the Covid pandemic. The League was awarded to Celtic (but they would have won it anyway!) and the Cup semi final and final had to be played behind closed doors later in the year.

07.11.2012 Glasgow, Scotland. Neil Lennon in action during the Champions League game between Celtic and Barcelona from Celtic Park.

Lennon won these games, but season 2020/21 was a disaster for Neil. Frankly, the peculiar, unprecedented season got the better of him, and he simply could not cope with empty stadia and players who could themselves not cope with the bizarre circumstances.

Many players, particularly the foreign players were possibly homesick and gave the impression that they could not be bothered, and that reflected badly on the Manager. This does not excuse the way that so many of the support turned on him, but it was clear that he had to go. Long before the end of the season, he had departed ignominiously.

Neil Lennon, Scott Brown and poolside after arriving Dubai ahead of the Winter training getting underway.

This distressed many people, because Neil’s record with Celtic is far more in credit than it is in deficit. He will always be Celtic at heart, and he has a great deal to be happy about. To his credit, he has been able to come out and discuss his mental health issues.

Photo: Andrew Milligan

Continued on the next page…

18. Celtic’s 18th Manager (2014-16) – Ronny Deila, so unlucky in three semi-finals

Norwegian Ronny Deila was Manager of Celtic for two years. He is however hard to classify as either a “good” Manager or a “bad” one. In fact he is probably the most difficult of the lot to analyse.

Ronny Deila Celtic manager arrives at the ground met by fans at the Scottish Premiership Match between Celtic and Inverness Caley Thistle at Celtic Park on May 24, 2015 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Jeff Holmes/Getty Images)

Maley and Stein were good. Brady, Mowbray and Barnes were awful and the rest are somewhere to the positive or the negative. But Ronnie Deila? He won 3 domestic trophies out of 6, he had some real bad luck in semi-finals, his European record was dreadful too (but so is the record of most Celtic managers!) and the antipathy that he aroused in the support was sometimes quite amazing.

Ronny Deila the manager of Celtic chats with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer the head coach of Molde prior to kickoff during the UEFA Europa League Group A match between Celtic FC and Molde FK at Celtic Park on November 5, 2015. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

His two League winning seasons, of course, were done without the opposition of (the)Rangers, still starting again in the lower Leagues doing penance for the old club’s financial mismanagement, corruption and other more grievous sins, like cheating the Inland Revenue.

The only opposition to speak of was Aberdeen, a club with the more or less permanent ability to blow up when their supporters needed them to do otherwise. They were not without their good players, but Celtic defeated them by 17 points and 15 points respectively, even though in the second of the two seasons, 2015/16 Aberdeen in early February came within a few points of Celtic and their supporters exhibited a banner saying “We’re coming to get you”. Their collapse however was as miserable as it was predictable.

Celtic manager Ronny Deila reacts at the final whistle as Celtic beat Motherwell 2-1 to move 8 point clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership, during the match between Celtic FC and Motherwell FC at Fir Park on April 9, 2016  (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)

In domestic Cup competitions, Celtic won the Scottish League Cup of 2014/15 by beating Dundee United in the final, but lost three semi-finals, all of them unluckily. It was the Scottish Cup semi final defeat to Rangers in 2016 that guaranteed his departure, but yet it was only by a penalty shoot out. And he is the only Manager to have a 100% record in winning the Scottish League!

Manager Ronny Deila of Celtic Glasgow talks to Mikael Lustig during a break on the touchline during the Pre Season Friendly between SK Rapid Wien and Celtic Glasgow at Gerhard-Hanappi-Stadium on July 6, 2014 in Vienna, Austria. (Photo by Christian Hofer/Getty Images)

Ronny was always a likeable character with his “Ronny Roar” after a good result. This involved punching the air three times with his left hand and was much enjoyed by the crowd.

Continued on the next page…

19. Celtic’s 19th Manager (2016-19, 23-?) – Brendan Rodgers, the prodigal son

span style=”color: #008000;”>Even after yesterday Brendan Rodgers is still an enigma. An unprecedented run of domestic success, and slight improvement in Europe is the way we can sum up his two and three quarter years with the club first time around.

His first season was the “Invincible” one, and that was exactly what Celtic were that season with the way that they won the Scottish Cup in 2017 over Aberdeen with thunder threatening “up there” with the best of the Cup finals. 2017/18 was not a lot worse, – in some ways it was even better – and 2018/19 was going the same way…when Brendan suddenly upped and left us for Leicester City.

It frankly defied belief, and if there is any “hidden agenda” story about his departure, we feel we should get to know it. In playing terms, the only possible reason might be something to do with the defeat to Valencia in Europe the previous week. Losing to Valencia is hardly a disgrace, but he may have decided that Celtic, for all their domination in Scotland, had reached their ceiling in Europe. But then again, he went to Leicester City in a country where he had already been a failure (at least in comparison with Celtic) and with all due respect to the good people of Leicester, they were not likely to do any better in Europe than Celtic were.

Brendan Rodgers. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

They had a far smaller fan base, and although they had won the English League in 2016, they were not likely to do it again any time soon. In the event, Brendan did win the English Cup in 2021 and also the Charity Shield … but then was sacked as the team plunged to relegation.

In any case, it is hard to believe that in 2019, Brendan was fed up of lifting trophies with Celtic. We have never tired of seeing green and white ribbons on silver trophies … and we never will. The team played some superb football in Brendan’s years – Scott Brown, Callum McGregor, Kieran Tierney, Scotty Sinclair, Moussa Dembele to mention just a few, (the)Rangers were repeatedly routed, and Brendan enjoyed the unalloyed love and affection of the Celtic faithful.

Best pals again – Peter Lawwell, Brendan Rodgers and Michael Nicholson (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

He had it in him to become an immortal in the mould of Maley or Stein – and he might have won a European trophy some day – but he chose to go. That banner 24 hours after his abrupt and bizarre departure at Tynecastle said “Never a Celt, Always a Fraud”. It hurt most of us to read that, but we would have felt better if he had given us an explanation. Why, Brendan, why?

Well that was partly answered yesterday at Celtic Park as Brendan Rodgers returned to the club. He told us that this time he would guarantee he will stay for the full three years of his contract, unless he sacked. He revealed that he has watched every Celtic game since he left. He tried to give some explanation as to why he did leave in the first place, but frankly that was never going to be possible, given that he has now returned.

Brendan Rodgers. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

He accepted that  his departure in 2019 upset and hurt the Celtic support and he promised to make amends come May next year. And he promised better progress in Europe while stating that he is now an even better manager that when he arrived in 2016.

Those at the Celtic fan media conference, I hear, where all very impressed by the manager and the crowd outside Celtic Park , while smaller than the last time, were enthusiastic and appreciative of the words that Brendan had to say.

Make no mistake yesterday was a big deal for Brendan Rodgers, his biggest hurdle in returning was always going to be winning the fans over, and if you look at the back pages in the papers this morning, you will see that their focus is on the Celtic supporters who haven’t forgiven him for his 2019 exit. There weren’t many of those at Celtic Park yesterday.

Here is the Celtic fan media conference from Celtic Park…

Welcome back Brendan.

Continued on the next page…

20. Celtic’s 20th Manager (2021-23) – Ange Postecoglou – Thanks and good luck

Ange Postecoglou left us at the height of his triumph in June 2023. Unlike one of his predecessors, he left at the right time and with his dignity intact, but we were all bewildered, puzzled and upset by it all.

In the first place, why would anyone want to turn his back on that magnificent scene at Hampden with all the scarves in the air as the Cup was presented, or indeed the equally magnificent scene at Parkhead a week earlier when the Premier League trophy was handed over?

There are things that a fella just can’t understand.

But also why Tottenham? Yes, yes, we know it is all about absurd sums of money and “the best League in the world”, but was he going to win much for them? He had just won five trophies out of six in Scotland. Why did not want to win more?

And why did he not want to have another go at Europe with the team that he had created by raiding the Far East market?

His two years were remarkably good ones. Celtic were on their knees in summer 2021, betrayed by poor management and players who, quite clearly, did not want to be there. But who was Ange Postecoglou?

It was a long time before even Celtic scribes learned how to spell his name, but a well known Scottish journalist, long discredited and laughed at for his stellar stupidity, said that Ange stood for Absolutely Not Good Enough.

That said more about the journalist than it did about Ange, for after an uncertain start, he settled the team down with his own players and began to play the football that Celtic and their fans craved.

And it is also important to state that our opponents were not the worst team in the world. They reached, after all, the final of a European trophy and you don’t do that with duds. Indeed, in the semi final of the Scottish Cup which deprived Ange of a trophy, it had to be admitted that they were the better team, faster to the ball and showing more hunger.

The League was won at Tannadice Park in May, and then the following season saw a treble. One again, our rivals put up a fight in the League, but Celtic certainly got the better of them on two occasions at Hampden – in the League Cup final and the Scottish Cup semi-final.

Ange had brought in some tremendous players from Japan and elsewhere, and it was hard to spot a weak link anywhere in the team, as Celtic repeatedly played, won and entertained in a season which, at several points, looked as if it might be spoiled by VAR. In both seasons, Europe was a disappointment – but then again, Europe normally is.

Photo Kenny Ramsay

Ange was a great man-manager. He never argued with match officials, never had any arguments with players who all responded to his positivity, and was always chivalrous to opponents. He interviewed well, occasionally bothered by a cough, but answering all questions competently and tactfully.

Pity he didn’t stay around. Thanks anyway, Ange and the best of luck at Tottenham.

David Potter

Click on the image above to shop

HUGE SAVINGS IN THE CELTIC STAR’S SUMMER SALE!

The Celtic Star’s Father’s Day Promotion has been so successful, with hundreds of books at great prices being posted to Celtic fans all over the world, that we’ve decided to continue with the sale until the end of July. We’ve reduced all six books currently available from their usual retail price of £20 and prices are as low as £6 (see below).

All books are high quality hardback, with some signed by the author. And it’s also worth noting that you only pay postage on one book, so it’s free for the second, third and so on. ORDER HERE or click on The Celtic Star image above…this is how it feels to be Celtic!

Summer Sale – Just £11

Summer Sale – Just £11

Summer Sale – Just £8

Summer Sale – Just £8

Summer Sale – Just £6

Summer Sale – Just £6

More Stories / Latest

Celtic’s Twenty Managers from Willie Maley to Brendan Rodgers

Jun 26 2023, 7:17

This is Yatao – Shunsuke Nakamura talks on the theme of Athletes and Food

Jun 25 2023, 22:13

“I want to go to Celtic”, summer transfer target breaks silence

Jun 25 2023, 22:07