10 IAR failure - was it any one thing?

The club achieved what they wanted to: win 9.

It was harder to get up for winning another championship when everything over the past six or seven years has been working towards 9.
 
Smith announced he was leaving to motivate the players to win 10 in his last season. He did the same in 2011 and it worked.

I don't think too much blame can be apportioned towards his announcement about leaving.
 
omegaman said:
We knew Smith was leaving second time around too, yet the players busted a gut to ensure he went out on a high.

Had Negri not downed tools; had Laudrup stayed fit; had Amoruso not gotten injured; had Ferguson and Gattuso been given more of a chance; etc, etc, etc, mibbes aye, mibbes naw - but ultimately, if we’d just beaten Kilmarnock in the penultimate game, we would have won it.

I still contend that we lost it rather than Celtic won it.

They played as well as they possibly could; we didn’t.
Click to expand...

But we knew second time round for Smith that it was only ever going to be a short appointment. His announcement first time round set the tone for the rest of the season.
 
tazzabear said:
The St.Johnstone striker, O’Boyle, an avowed Rangers supporter, missed a snip at
0-1 in their game.
Had he scored, would they have had the strength to come back?
Click to expand...

I think the desire of stopping us was there but who knows if Boyle had scored if that might have changed things?
 
Diesel said:
Smith announced he was leaving to motivate the players to win 10 in his last season. He did the same in 2011 and it worked.

I don't think too much blame can be apportioned towards his announcement about leaving.
Click to expand...
Whereas the real fault was allowing him to stay, and, yes, I’m aware it didn’t hinder us in 2011.
 
Ultimately both Walter and the team had run out of ideas and out of steam.
It would have been a bold and brave call, but the decision to replace Walter should have been taken after 9.

If not then, the early season results in Europe should have sent alarm bells ringing and Walter should have been sacked immediately rather than the bizarre compromise of announcing his departure for the following summer. Unfortunately Murray would never have had the balls for such a move.
 
How this unraveled is still beyond me.

Their team was bang average.

Even with an ageing core, how we couldn’t get across the line infuriates me.
 
I thought I'd posted on here previously.

Imo Murray was to blame!

Back then there was no transfer window. The team was on its knees last few games. 2 or 3 seasoned pros from England. Say £5m and we'd still be buying the 10 merchandise and beyond.

Remember we brought Hately back n Dibble in under similar conditions. It worked !
 
o7o said:
I thought I'd posted on here previously.

Imo Murray was to blame!

Back then there was no transfer window. The team was on its knees last few games. 2 or 3 seasoned pros from England. Say £5m and we'd still be buying the 10 merchandise and beyond.

Remember we brought Hately back n Dibble in under similar conditions. It worked !
Click to expand...

Dibble... :-0

It’s frightening. You have a point, no transfer window and Murray’s ego, it is odd we didn’t go and get someone big in March.

I guess we had some breathing room. We fucked it late on.

I think the fact we called back the old guard just further cemented the lack of imagination.
 
It was a multitude of things, including Walter announcing he was going (pushed). However the aging squad being asked to give their all once too many times was a huge factor. Those players, our heroes for so many years, just couldn’t muster up one last decisive push. But I prefer to see it as Walter and the boys winning us 9 in a row rather than losing us 10.
 
Top with 4 games to go.
We win 2 and lose 2
They win 2 and draw 2
Two bang average teams that year.
Small margins etc
 
Crouchy said:
Dibble... :-0

It’s frightening. You have a point, no transfer window and Murray’s ego, it is odd we didn’t go and get someone big in March.

I guess we had some breathing room. We fucked it late on.

I think the fact we called back the old guard just further cemented the lack of imagination.
Click to expand...
Crouchy maybe Walter was to blame? Couldn't convince Sir Duped if that's blame?
 
Earl of Leven said:
Laudrup injured
Smith announcing he was leaving
Older squad

We never got going any time we edged in front we f***ed up. Can anyone with a better memory (so anyone :)) help me piece it together? One thing I do remember was losing late goals and lots of grumbles about fitness, drinking culture and 'bad habits'...
Click to expand...
Smith didn't announce he was leaving. Murray was getting a lot of flack to remove him. His response was to hold a press conference and announce Smith would be leaving at the end of the season.

Smith did not want it made public.
Murray was an utter c_unt
 
MrStruth said:
Smith didn't announce he was leaving. Murray was getting a lot of flack to remove him. His response was to hold a press conference and announce Smith would be leaving at the end of the season.

Smith did not want it made public.
Murray was an utter c_unt
Click to expand...

Smith announced it at the AGM in October IIRC.
 
govwalker said:
Losing that injury time goal at the piggery when Stubbs scored to equalise.

Game we had dominated.
Click to expand...
Baldy Rowbottom admited after that game that he send Gazza off to even the score (gmhe got flack for not sending him off v Aberdeen at Ibrox months earlier)
 
Last edited:
Hindsight is obviously a wonderful thing, most of it has already been covered, a combination of things to be honest, Smith leaving, the players not being on the ball, as mentioned already, the professionalism was lacking that season, of all bloody seasons.

Murray has to take a massive share of the blame, he effectively sacked Smith who was wanting to stay, but Murray told him he would be leaving at the end of the season.
 
It was definitely a combination of things.
We just looked like an old team, dead on outlet feet.
Walter should never have announced he was stepping down, he admitted as much afterwards.
Even given all that we would probably still have won if Negri hasn’t suffered that freak squash injury.
 
Earl of Leven said:
Laudrup injured
Smith announcing he was leaving
Older squad

We never got going any time we edged in front we f***ed up. Can anyone with a better memory (so anyone :)) help me piece it together? One thing I do remember was losing late goals and lots of grumbles about fitness, drinking culture and 'bad habits'...
Click to expand...
Selling Dave McPherson in 88 and Butcher then being injured.
 
Player v player we were miles better than that other lot. I think the Club and the fans lost a little bit of “hunger” after equalling the 9. It was as though the pressure was off a little and everyone took their foot off the pedal that little bit and thought we could freewheel our way to 10. We were under achieving a lot at times in Europe and took some embarrassing defeats but as long as we were still going for 9 and ultimately 10 it was acceptable. Outside this country no one in the football world really gives a toss about 9 and 10 in a row whether it’s us or them.
 
As much as he's a hero of mines for me smith was largely to blame sticking with an old group of tiring players that he had for years. Announcing that he was leaving didn't help either. He was unlucky with Negri and big Amo I'll give him that. But on the face of it that was such a poor Celtic team probably one of the worst Celtic teams to win the league ever imo. Look what we done to them the next season.
 
A) The postponed old firm
B) Marco Negri downing tools and stealing a wage for the next three years. Now back on the scene trying to steal the blue pound and still receiving adoration from some of the support. I’m absolutely baffled by this, can’t stand the man.
C) Selling Gascoigne, I would suspect due to pressure from Advocaat who clearly didn’t want him, he was off the rails but was always a big game player and could have provided some magic in a team that was badly struggling
D) Laudrup, in hindsight we should have cashed in the season before and spent the money on the rest of the ageing team.

the most galling thing was that they were absolutely awful too, it was there for the taking.
 
Don’t forget any game where Gaza came back from injury or suspension and had to feed his ego with a goal. Lost count of the amount of times another player had a tap in to win important games but instead the ego came first..... folk would be applauding the effort and saying how wonderful he was whilst wondering if my head would explode as in turned lava red with my screams to “feckin pass it to durie !” Heard only by me
I won’t mention negri or sticking with ally for health reasons
Still mad about it..
 
Laudrup for al we loved was at it after not getting his move. Gazza not great and sold when he showed signs of form to recoup some money and Walter announcing he was leaving didn’t help.

for me the main reason was that the core of the squad went a year too long, they just didn’t have another year in the tank
 
Regarding Gazza that season. Here's the points total.

With Gazza (29 games)
Rangers 57 points from 87.
Celtic 62 points from 87

After Gazza's sale (7 games left)
Rangers 15 points from 21
Celtic 12 points from 21

Selling Gazza didn't cost us. He left us when we were in THIRD place behind Celtic and Hearts.
 
ElBarrileteCosmico said:
If Negri doesn't down tools;
If Amoruso doesn't get crocked straight off the bat;
If Niemi doesn't break his finger;
If Goram and the rest of the old guard weren't fat messes;
If Smith played Ferguson more at centre mid;
If McCoist plays more than Durie;
If Gazza hadn't become a complete boozebag by this point;
If Laudrup had turned up even half the player we saw previously;
If we didn't lose a last minute goal at the swap and draw 1-1;
If we could just have scraped a win at home to Killie....

If any of the above happens we probably win it. But all of the above happened. And we were shite as well as that. A title that we seemed intent not to win.

So to answer, no it wasn't any one thing. But the margin was so tight that even any of thing changing could have done the trick. Imo.
Click to expand...
All of the above definitely played a major part but the one on the field that sticks out for me was when they scored that late equaliser at the piggery , if we had held on that night i'm sure we'd have won the league instead it gave them a massive lift.
 
IMHO smith announced he was leaving too early, he should have waited until the title was won and gone out on a high, a bit like Ferguson at United.

if we’d have won 10 then I don’t think the scum would ever have recovered as it was the last chance for McCann to win it before the hordes turned on him and his board
 
Earl of Leven said:
Laudrup injured
Smith announcing he was leaving
Older squad

We never got going any time we edged in front we f***ed up. Can anyone with a better memory (so anyone :)) help me piece it together? One thing I do remember was losing late goals and lots of grumbles about fitness, drinking culture and 'bad habits'...
Click to expand...

The Kilmarnock game at home was the key fixture, and if my memory serves me well the players actually came out with some of their kids before the game, which was crazy as we win that game we were going to go on and get 10.
 
Going top after beating them at home and then losing away to the sheep the following week.

We just didn't perform consistently over the season for many reasons already mentioned.
 
Shengus Malengus said:
Smith playing Durie as his striker.

He scored in two league games all season.

McCoist replaced Durie after he was concussed at Rugby park, proceeded to score 4 goals in 5 games.

Durie got back in once he recovered and never scored a single goal.

I’ve never forgiven Smith. As much as he’s done for this club he blew it by sticking by Durie.
Click to expand...

I was about to go on one of my Smith/Durie rants when I noticed it was an old thread and I already had. :))
 
An ageing team that used every last ounce the season before. The warning signs had been there in the previous season and the unwillingness to bring in fresh blood in the pursuit of title nine created many issues going forward.

Not only did the desire for nine prevent ten being achieved it set the chain reaction that would eventually lead to 2012 in view of the need to rebuild an entire new team.
 
main 2 things always in my mind were selling gazza and losing that late goal to the tramps that hauled a 3 points plus out of our fingertips .body blow
 
Grant K said:
An ageing team that used every last ounce the season before. The warning signs had been there in the previous season and the unwillingness to bring in fresh blood in the pursuit of title nine created many issues going forward.

Not only did the desire for nine prevent ten being achieved it set the chain reaction that would eventually lead to 2012 in view of the need to rebuild an entire new team.
Click to expand...

that’s how I remember it. Granted, I was young, but it seemed like so much effort and passion went into winning 9IAR, that it felt like job done at that stage. They didn’t have it in them to go once more.
 
People saying selling Gazza cost us must have their mind playing tricks on them.
He was a completely out of shape and a liability on the pitch. Mind you he wasn't the only one.

As others have said, unprofessionalism cost us that season. Losing the penultimate game of the season at home to a team like Kilmarnock with a record breaking title on the line tells you all you need to know.
 
We should be grateful for the 9IAR. But yeh, that Celtic team was pretty poor. Bad idea announcing Smith’s departure.

Wonder what would have happened had we stuck with Smith?
 
Some of your memories are way off re the kilmarnock game. It was never in our own hands after we lost at Pittodrie a few weeks before. Incredibly celtic kept trying to let us back in. Losing to killie only meant Celtic could win it a week earlier. They drew at East End Park and it went to the last day.
 
  • Like
Reactions: VGM
watch said:
We should be grateful for the 9IAR. But yeh, that Celtic team was pretty poor. Bad idea announcing Smith’s departure.

Wonder what would have happened had we stuck with Smith?
Click to expand...

Had he won 10 and stuck round for another season, then no Advocaat years.
So no Numan, van Bronckhorst, de Boer, Mols etc.

I think the likes of Goram, McCoist, McCall etc would have creaked on for yet another season. Probably wouldn't have won the league, Celtic had improved quite a bit in 98/99.
 
ElBarrileteCosmico said:
If Negri doesn't down tools;
If Amoruso doesn't get crocked straight off the bat;
If Niemi doesn't break his finger;
If Goram and the rest of the old guard weren't fat messes;
If Smith played Ferguson more at centre mid;
If McCoist plays more than Durie;
If Gazza hadn't become a complete boozebag by this point;
If Laudrup had turned up even half the player we saw previously;
If we didn't lose a last minute goal at the swap and draw 1-1;
If we could just have scraped a win at home to Killie....

If any of the above happens we probably win it. But all of the above happened. And we were shite as well as that. A title that we seemed intent not to win.

So to answer, no it wasn't any one thing. But the margin was so tight that even any of thing changing could have done the trick. Imo.
Click to expand...
Earl of Leven said:
Laudrup injured
Smith announcing he was leaving
Older squad

We never got going any time we edged in front we f***ed up. Can anyone with a better memory (so anyone :)) help me piece it together? One thing I do remember was losing late goals and lots of grumbles about fitness, drinking culture and 'bad habits'...
Click to expand...

I actually think AIMING FOR and TALKING ABOUT "9 in a row" for all those years was a big psychological mistake. Our aim should've been 10 all along.
 
TheBearNecessities said:
I actually think AIMING FOR and TALKING ABOUT "9 in a row" for all those years was a big psychological mistake. Our aim should've been 10 all along.
Click to expand...

I was born in 93 so missed all this, but I’ve always been curious as to whether the emphasis was on 9 or 10. I’d be disappointed if it was all on 9- we should have thought bigger than that.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Latest posts

Back
Top