Outside90’s David Vutoupal continues an examination of Scottish Football’s legendary Old Firm rivalry.
Under David Hay, Celtic finished runners-up to Aberdeen for two years running, but won the Scottish Cup in 1985. By their standards this was considered an underachievement and no doubt a source of frustration. It was now Hay’s third season in charge and Celtic began well enough, but a dip in form just as Hearts began their surge left them with a lot of work to do – although games in hand were to ultimately prove handy. From Christmas, form began to pick up and they would go into the fourth and final Old Firm game of the season on the back of a seven-game unbeaten run, although the last three of those had been draws that left them in fourth place. Hay had a squad including the midfield trio of Paul McStay, Murdo MacLeod, Tommy Burns and Roy Aitken, while Brian McClair and the soon-to-be-infamous Maurice Johnston were the stars in attack. Danny McGrain was in the twilight of his career, while the promising signs of Davie Provan was ultimately ended by illness. The major question mark of this team was in defence, a major Celtic problem for years despite having one of the best right-backs in football, and the many years of service provided by Aitken.
Rangers, in the second spell of Jock Wallace, were floundering despite winning back-to-back League Cups. They had started the season reasonably, but settled into inconsistent form – for instance losing 3-0 at home to Aberdeen in a famously spiteful game, then beating Celtic 3-0 in the second Old Firm showing of the campaign. Seemingly rudderless, Rangers had not only fallen off the pace in the League but also struggled to hold off a challenge from Dundee for what would be the last UEFA Cup place, in a time when half the League qualified for European competition out of a 10-team competition. Failing to recapture the success of his first stint in charge, Wallace was increasingly under a cloud. On the playing side, and this becomes a familiar theme, there was still a good deal of quality in the Rangers squad though. The roster featured Ally McCoist, Bobby Russell, Ted McMinn and Davie Cooper, while young players like Derek Ferguson, Ian Durrant, Dave McPherson and Robert Fleck had been brought through. As with Celtic, it was at the back where they was short of quality.
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That was evident in the Old Firm encounter where both defences leaked goals to produce an eight-goal thriller. Rangers began the game well, but it was Celtic who took their chances as McClair and Johnston scored to put them 2-0 up inside half an hour. Ted McMinn came in for some rough treatment by Willie McStay, who would be ordered off for his bother. After Celtic went a man down, Rangers came back through Cammy Fraser and the scoreline would show 2-1 at halftime.
The second-half was even more dramatic as Tommy Burns found the net to extend Celtic’s lead shortly after the restart. However, five minutes later saw the beginning of a Rangers revival and an 11-minute turnaround during which McCoist, Robert Fleck and a second from Fraser turned the tables and put Rangers 4-3 ahead. On 70 minutes, MacLeod was set up by Johnston for an unstoppable drive to level the scores at 4-4 and salvage a point for Celtic. The game was characterised by wet and windy weather and shabby defending from both teams, but this was one Old Firm game not short of entertainment value from either side.
As for the rest of the season? It was the last point Celtic dropped in the middle of a 16-game unbeaten run – for they would win their remaining eight outings, which included their two fixtures in hand on long-time league leaders Hearts. This form set up a dramatic final day of the season in which Celtic still had a considerable task at hand when they travelled to St Mirren – to score at least three goals and hope that Hearts would lose at Dundee. As it was, both of these things happened: The Hoops won 5-0 at St Mirren while Hearts lost 2-0 at Dundee. Celtic won their first League title for four years on goal difference and many felt the attacking football they played in that game warranted the reward. Hearts, on the other hand, had doubly blown their chance of ending a generation long trophy drought.
The Rangers muddled along and would finish fifth with 35 points – the first time that they lost more games than won – but it was still enough to qualify for Europe despite Dundee’s final day win. Jock Wallace left the manger’s job, and the club was to appoint Graeme Souness in a move that would dramatically alter the Scottish football landscape, shaping it for the rest of the 20th Century.
In the following season, the men in blue won their first title in nine seasons. Souness certainly benefited from players who were already there when he arrived – a fact shared with many other successful managers – but also had licence to buy from beyond Scotland’s borders. As it were, Rangers were to win the League 12 times in the next 14 seasons.
Many questions have since been raised in light of the club’s subsequent bankruptcy. Celtic blew a considerable lead and David Hay resigned at the end of the season where Billy McNeill returned. Despite a number of player departures, Celtic won the double in their Centenary campaign. However, the next six years saw decline and boardroom incompetence (despite a handful of quality players and the odd memorable result) spiral until the condition of Celtic FC became sufficiently critical, that radical change at the top would have to take place to usher what would be the next phase in the history of Scottish football.
Old Firm games in the League will resume next season. What role this will play for a league and game in the country, trying to extract itself from long-term decline, remains to be seen.
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