The 2000/01 Campaign

Greenock_Loyal

Active Member
Been watching old games on YouTube and why was there such a massive difference between Advocaats 2nd and 3rd season?

Quick check of the league table and in 2000 we won 28/38 league games, losing only 2 and getting 90 points.

Following year after spending an absolute fortune (Ricksen, Miller, De Boer, Konterman, Flo - combined 25 million quid in 2000!) we won 26/38 games but lost an incredible 8 times.

Squad was clearly improved and albeit the mhanks improved as well, but how did we go from losing only twice to eight times and then put out the cups as well?

O'Neill just got better off Advocaat? Injuries? Fluke season from them (they got 97 points so good total).

I was only young but remember getting few doings at home from likes of Killie, Dundee etc.

Did fans want Advocaat sacked end of season or still bit of goodwill for the previous two seasons? Arguably one of our best ever squads as well with Gio, Reyna, Tugay, Klos, RDB, Flo, Ferguson, Ricksen, Mols).
 
I remember being at a 3-0 home drubbing to Kilmarnock and wondering the very same.

The biggest issue was the team started leaking daft goals. We were always prone to it but it started off that way and the whole team lost confidence. I personally think the signing of Konterman was the main issue. We didn't really need to upgrade the centre halves yet he came in and caused anxiety in nearly every game. Larssons chip in the 6-2 game was a good finish but his attempt at tackling him was pathetic.

I think the dressing room fell apart too with all the Dutch players coming in. De Boer and Albertz famously didn't like each other etc.
 
We spent an absolute fortune and only De Boer was better than what was there.

Added to that, we were complacent on field, and the filth racked up a 40 point swing from memory
 
We suffered a couple of shocking decisions in the first OF game which contributed to us getting gubbed 6-2 and our confidence was totally fucked after that
 
I remember being at a 3-0 home drubbing to Kilmarnock and wondering the very same.

The biggest issue was the team started leaking daft goals. We were always prone to it but it started off that way and the whole team lost confidence. I personally think the signing of Konterman was the main issue. We didn't really need to upgrade the centre halves yet he came in and caused anxiety in nearly every game. Larssons chip in the 6-2 game was a good finish but his attempt at tackling him was pathetic.

I think the dressing room fell apart too with all the Dutch players coming in. De Boer and Albertz famously didn't like each other etc.

Didnt know that about De Boer and Albertz tbh.

Makes sense then why he was punted end of that season now thinking about it, always thought it was Advocaat and him who never got on.
 
Of the signings, only De Boer was good enough to improve what we had. Ricksen struggled that first year and didn’t really settle until the following season. Flo didn’t have a chance of living up to the price tag although his goals to games ratio was still very good. Kenny Miller didn’t really offer much until his next spell either. The less said about Konterman the better.
 
Ricksen and Konterman were miles worse than what we had, the players knew it but there was a growing perception of Dutch bias by the manager.

Dick basically lost the plot and the dressing room.

TBF to Advocaat, he quickly dropped Ricksen from the big games first half of the season when he realised he wasn't up to it. After the 6-2 game he never started a big game until the 2-2 Monaco draw

He was subbed at HT in Kaiserslautern and then sent off at Parkhead in February.

But Konterman ? Jesus Christ, until my dying day I will never understand why he persisted with AND altered the formation to accomodate him. Gutless, weak willed and hopeless.

That Dundee United game where he shat out of the tackle for Lilley's goal was diabolical.
 
Konterman contributed heavily to it - he was brutal.

We were all desperate to see Mols back in the team after his injury and I can remember the frustrations when the realisation hit us that he was nowhere near the player that we saw for those first 4 months in 1999.

If we had signed Hartson in the summer of 2000 we would have won the league, and several more against O'Neill's Tims. Isn't hindsight wonderful...

We came flying out the blocks in the Champions League as well that year. Thumping Sturm Graz then beat Monaco away. Amoruso's brain fart in the last 10 minutes at home v Monaco was a sore one.
 
I think a lot of complacency set in based on how easy we got it domestically in the 1st two years and our minds were more set on Europe. The amount of signings was unnecessary as all we needed was a top class striker to replace Mols, a couple of backup players in defence.

The most bizarre signing was Paul Ritchie who we waited for on a season to get in on a free and then we sold him to Man City just before the season started. We spunk £4.5 million on a poundland version of David Luiz in Konterman.

It got so bad that we ended up signing Marcus Gayle from Wimbledon in March when we out of the running for everything.
 
The warning signs were there from the first couple of games that season. Having to come from a goal behind at home to St Johnstone, then going two down after the first ten minutes at Kilmarnock before overhauling them.

In fact, alarm bells were starting to ring when watching Konterman at the Euros that summer !!!!
 
Moore gettung injured was a big factor and signing and sticking with Konterman who simply wasn't suited to Scottish football. Celtic, by contrast, signed players who would bully and played effective direct football.

That 6-2 game shifted the balance of power, and we just didn't recover from it even against the other teams.
 
The warning signs were there from the first couple of games that season. Having to come from a goal behind at home to St Johnstone, then going two down after the first ten minutes at Kilmarnock before overhauling them.

In fact, alarm bells were starting to ring when watching Konterman at the Euros that summer !!!!

Andy McLaren, of all people, gave Konterman an absolute roasting in that killie game. Andy McLaren ffs!
 
Konterman contributed heavily to it - he was brutal.

We were all desperate to see Mols back in the team after his injury and I can remember the frustrations when the realisation hit us that he was nowhere near the player that we saw for those first 4 months in 1999.

If we had signed Hartson in the summer of 2000 we would have won the league, and several more against O'Neill's Tims. Isn't hindsight wonderful...

We came flying out the blocks in the Champions League as well that year. Thumping Sturm Graz then beat Monaco away. Amoruso's brain fart in the last 10 minutes at home v Monaco was a sore one.

Amo' s error, as bad as it was, was a convenient excuse for a manager who had lost the plot. Losing weakly to a fucking dogshite Sturm Graz over there after the most one sided group stage game you'll ever see at Ibrox was pathetic.

The season was like a performance art version of Oasis recording Be Here Now
 
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Amo' s error, as bad as it was, was a convenient excuse for a manager who had lost the plot. Losing weakly to a fucking dogshite Sturm Graz over there after the most one sided group stage game you'll ever see at Ibrox was pathetic.

The season was like a performace art version of Oasis recording Be Here Now

With a fat Danish striker in goals v Graz. That last 18 months under Advocaat was grim, we completely wilted at the first sign of a proper challenge.
 
What on Earth happened to big Bert? By all accounts an excellent defender who was wanted by Real Madrid, he comes to us and looks like a 3rd division player, really terrible player at centre half for us.
 
Amo' s error, as bad as it was, was a convenient excuse for a manager who had lost the plot. Losing weakly to a fucking dogshite Sturm Graz over there after the most one sided group stage game you'll ever see at Ibrox was pathetic.

The season was like a performace art version of Oasis recording Be Here Now
Last sentence nails it squire.:cool:
 
Bad start and the manager panicked and reacted horrendously. If he had regrouped, dropped the obvious weak links he’d introduced and focussed on doing what we’d been good at in the previous two seasons, we might still have lost the league that season but would have been ready to challenge the next one.

As it was, he doubled down on his own stubbornness, changed the formation to accommodate sub-standard players and allowed himself to become too reliant on players he felt comfortable with rather than players who would fight for the club and for him. That allowed the cliques to develop and confidence to just vanish and eventually cost him his job.

Murray backing him to just throw bodies - very expensive bodies - at the problem cost us more than any of us realised at the time.
 
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Ricksen and Konterman were the two that seriously took us backwards in terms of starting 11 quality. Combine that with losing the dressing room and a ridiculous injury list by even our standards. I’m sure we went a ridiculous number of games without naming the same consecutive starting 11 because of injuries that year.
 
The warning signs were there from the first couple of games that season. Having to come from a goal behind at home to St Johnstone, then going two down after the first ten minutes at Kilmarnock before overhauling them.

In fact, alarm bells were starting to ring when watching Konterman at the Euros that summer !!!!
I remember that St Johnstone game we were extremely poor and sluggish.

Even some of the games that season we won comfortable in score line terms we got carved up at the back. The 3-0 win at Dens Park towards the end of the season could have been about 6-3 to Dundee. They tore us apart but couldn't score a goal.
 
Lost 3 league games in a row in October to Hibs,St Johnstone & Kilmarnock & went from 3 behind the mhanks to 12 behind in the space of a couple of weeks,we were always up against it after that.
 
Ricksen and Konterman were the two that seriously took us backwards in terms of starting 11 quality. Combine that with losing the dressing room and a ridiculous injury list by even our standards. I’m sure we went a ridiculous number of games without naming the same consecutive starting 11 because of injuries that year.

Were they that injured?
 
Bad start and the manager panicked and reacted horrendously. If he had regrouped, dropped the obvious weak links he’d introduced and focussed on doing what we’d been good at in the previous two seasons, we might still have lost the league that season but would have been ready to challenge the next one.

As it was, he doubled down on his own stubbornness, changed the formation to accommodate sub-standard players and allowed himself to become too reliant on players he felt comfortable with rather than players who would fight for the club and for him. That allowed the cliques to develop and confidence to just vanish and eventually cost him his job.

Murray backing him to just throw bodies - very expensive bodies - at the problem cost us more than any of us realised at the time.
Hard to argue with any of this.
 
Advocaat lost the plot. I'm so glad a lot of those players were able to redeem themselves under Big Eck.

Still haven't forgiven Advocaat for selling Albertz.

If he had stayed, when Eck took over we would have had a midfield of Ferguson, Arteta and Albertz. That is frightening.
 
Our form stank the place out that season. Bert Konterman was a stupid, calamitous and unnecessary purchase. There was nothing wrong with our defence the previous season.
 
Been watching old games on YouTube and why was there such a massive difference between Advocaats 2nd and 3rd season?

Quick check of the league table and in 2000 we won 28/38 league games, losing only 2 and getting 90 points.

Following year after spending an absolute fortune (Ricksen, Miller, De Boer, Konterman, Flo - combined 25 million quid in 2000!) we won 26/38 games but lost an incredible 8 times.

Squad was clearly improved and albeit the mhanks improved as well, but how did we go from losing only twice to eight times and then put out the cups as well?

O'Neill just got better off Advocaat? Injuries? Fluke season from them (they got 97 points so good total).

I was only young but remember getting few doings at home from likes of Killie, Dundee etc.

Did fans want Advocaat sacked end of season or still bit of goodwill for the previous two seasons? Arguably one of our best ever squads as well with Gio, Reyna, Tugay, Klos, RDB, Flo, Ferguson, Ricksen, Mols).

The squad wasn't clearly improved, far from it.

Ricksen wasn't the player he would become a couple of seasons later. Konterman was dreadful. Flo suffered from the price tag, de boer was hit and miss until mcleish got the best out of him and lovenkrands and Miller, were bought on potential.

Alan johnston was played sporadically, not given a run of games and often out of position. Paul Ritchie was a strange signing and 2m on jesper Christiansen was bonkers.

Gio and Moore were constantly injured and there was a lot of chopping and changing in the midfield.

I recommend you listen to the Advocaat years on heart and hand, all of this is discussed in great detail. If you aren't a subscriber, become one, it's the best few quid a month you can spend.
 
This is a big part in all the hardships we have faced!

Murray threw money at advocaat who wasted it all. He for some reason decided he didn’t like Amoruso,
Porrini, Albertz, Wallace and a few others. Guys that had been the consistent performers and massive reason we got where we were. We then had some injuries and bad times. The manager allowed cliques to form and then he entrenched himself and couldn’t turn to folk he’d thrown under a bus and apologise. Someone should have got in the middle of them all and said what the actual fv£k, as had folk pulled together we could have got nearer the tims and won the league. Was horrible watch what had the basis of being one of the greatest sides just crumble.
 
If he had stayed, when Eck took over we would have had a midfield of Ferguson, Arteta and Albertz. That is frightening.

The unpalatable truth was Albertz was no longer the player he was. We sold him at the right time because he had missed a huge chunk of the 00/01 season with his knee problems

Within 14 months of being sold to Hamburg he needed two operations on his knee, had the captaincy taken off him and was dumped in the reserves
 
The unpalatable truth was Albertz was no longer the player he was. We sold him at the right time because he had missed a huge chunk of the 00/01 season with his knee problems

Within 14 months of being sold to Hamburg he needed two operations on his knee, had the captaincy taken off him and was dumped in the reserves

You are probably right. I had totally forgot about his dodgy knee. Still nice to think about though!
 
It was a horrible time for us.

From a great couple of years under DA to that drubbing against the mhanks.

That set the tone for the season I feel even tho we trounced them at Ibrox 5-1 the following game it played on our mentality that seson.

O'Neil was given £20m also so dont forget that, he just invested in British guys like Sutton, Thompson, Lennon, Agathe who were physical. He shored up the defence with Valgaren and Vega who were physical also.

It was hard to work out if Oneil was making a rugby team or football team.
 
The papes signed a team of rugby players and we struggled to cope with their physicality.
 
Konterman and Ricksen were the beginning of the end.
Add Flo and thats 20 million down the drain.
I still maintain that season was the beginning of the financial problems with that 20 million.
 
What on Earth happened to big Bert? By all accounts an excellent defender who was wanted by Real Madrid, he comes to us and looks like a 3rd division player, really terrible player at centre half for us.

I remember watching him making a horrendous error at Euro 2000 when he mistimed a header with nobody within 30 feet of him, injuring his own neck in the process. Prompted Ruud Gullit to comment on it at half time, saying he couldn't believe how bad that was for a professional footballer! He arrived at Ibrox a few weeks later and the horror show continued.

To this day, I remain baffled that a Dutch international who'd led Feyenoord to win the UEFA cup the previous season could turn out to be so poor.

After leaving us, I think he signed for an amateur team in the Netherlands and never played professional football again.
 
Advocatt was a very good manager but his arrogance was his downfall that season. He thought, correctly, that we had a superior squad to the mentally challengeds talent wise and they would be unable to match us over the course of the league. Also he underestimated O'Neill's man management where he got the best out of his more limited players. He was wrong on both counts unfortunately. Add in the unnecessary signing and shoeing in of Konterman and the beginnings of an unhappy dressing room.
 
Amo' s error, as bad as it was, was a convenient excuse for a manager who had lost the plot. Losing weakly to a fucking dogshite Sturm Graz over there after the most one sided group stage game you'll ever see at Ibrox was pathetic.

The season was like a performance art version of Oasis recording Be Here Now

Sturm Graz were a completely different side at home though. They won every game.
 
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Not with us he couldn’t, he must surely have had it at one point.

That's the big unsolved mystery. Perhaps he was an average player with a good work rate in a very good Feyenoord team? Maybe the system that Feyenoord were playing with really suited him, but when taken out of that system and put in a team with problems he was exposed?
 
I remember watching him making a horrendous error at Euro 2000 when he mistimed a header with nobody within 30 feet of him, injuring his own neck in the process. Prompted Ruud Gullit to comment on it at half time, saying he couldn't believe how bad that was for a professional footballer! He arrived at Ibrox a few weeks later and the horror show continued.

To this day, I remain baffled that a Dutch international who'd led Feyenoord to win the UEFA cup the previous season could turn out to be so poor.

After leaving us, I think he signed for an amateur team in the Netherlands and never played professional football again.
Feyenoord won the UEFA Cup the season after Konterman joined us.
 
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