Forgive me for taking this series down a maudlin road but the loss to Hearts a few weeks back or more the reaction to the loss to Hearts has really stuck in my throat.
Celtic never so much rolled into Ibrox for this tie but took on the look of a disheveled tramp waking up in a shop door way after a night on Blue Nun. They were facing a middling Falkirk side and after we had defeated R*ngers 2-0 in the previous round this was our only chance of silverware.
The team had recently been boosted (ok, that is dependant on your viewpoint) by the signings of Enrico Annoni and Tommy Johnson. We were overwhelming favourites despite a previous run of results that saw us not win in 3 games (defeat to R*ngers – Hateley’s return to CP – and draws with Dunfermline and Raith Rovers – an unwanted Fife double).
Ibrox was bathed in sunshine and the Celts dominated, Thom and Cadete both missed chances and captain for the game Di Canio – due to Paul McStay and Peter Grant being injured – was in mercurial form. Tommy Johnson scored his first goal for Celtic in 66 minutes but such was the fragile mind set of this Celtic side Falkirk equalized through half man half giraffe Kevin James with 8 minutes left.
A replay it was.
The spring sunshine had disappeared as we trudged into Ibrox for the replay a week and a half later. It was an atrocious night. The dark clouds that were hanging over club had decided that they would call their cousins to rain on our last grasp at salvation. The wind brought with it an Armageddon outcome.
The side played as if crippled with fear and it’s docile nature saw us lose 1-0. On the night Falkirk fully deserved their victory they smelt blood and gleefully feasted. Di Canio once again played a captains role but without Burns on the touchline (Burns was suspended and had to watch the game in the stands due to his behavior on the touchline in previous games) the Italian couldn’t be reigned in and while his efforts were admirable they had a loose cannon – he was booked for diving – feel and ultimately proved fruitless.
Di Canio said after the game that the fans deserved more passion. He then received a two game ban for saying that the referee would be better being a R*ngers manager.
This Celtic team was the strongest of Burns reign. The fact that it so comprehensively was found wanting can probably be pointed to Burns and the pressure he was under that season. He understood the enormity of failing to win the title more than most and he couldn’t get his players to rise to this and he maybe even crippled them with fear.
I have no doubt that pressure clouded Burn’s decision making that season and he didn’t have enough Di Canio’s when the chips were down.
That night at Ibrox was a bitter pill. The bitterest of my Celtic supporting life. Our unique 9 in a row record was gone, we had lost 4 times in the league to R*ngers for the only time in its 22 years existence and the season would end trophyless due to our inability to beat a mid table 1st division side.
Burns was relieved of his duties the day after the defeat. The club had been engulfed in rumours for months of in fighting and back stabbing. That summer would see Cadete and Di Canio (our two best players) both leave and Paul McStay retire. It would also take us an age to appoint Wim Jansen as manager.
The club was in crisis.
So, forgive me for not wailing too much about losing to Hearts when I have a league win to get me through the summer.
