From Bhoys To Men

[sherm]

John McCormack was sat in the front row of the local church, his dark suit crumpled and tears streaming down his face. He was, along with other members of his family, mourning the death of his beloved father, Duncan. He had suffered from lung cancer for several years, and had lost his battle just three weeks before. His relationship with his father was a close one, as the had been confidantes in each other for years. His father's death hit John hard, and with his mother dead years before, and no other close family, it meant he had lost the last person close to him. He was 38 now, and due to his ambition in his career, he had never found time to settle down and start a family.

Leaving the church, he took one last look at his fathers coffin, laid his wreath on top of it, and got into his car. He drove home, and as he sat in his armchair, he felt himself welling up. The tears flowed, and it hit him hard. He had lost the closest person in his life, and it was like he had nothing. He took out his box of memories, the only thing he felt could bring a smile to his face. Well, that and his bottle of scotch.

His career had started from the age of 15, when, playing for his local side, East Kilbride, he was spotted by the Celtic boss Billy McNeill. He was a marauding, powerful midfielder, and though he was only a young boy, he had a size and strength that was unique to him. He signed on for the club, and within six weeks of his sixteenth birthday, he made his debut against Kilmarnock. He spent seven brilliant years at Celtic Park, winning two League titles, two Scottish Cups and a Scottish League Cup. 208 appearances later though, he found himself moving to Manchester United. This had always been his dads team, and when he phoned him to tell him, he could feel the pride in his father. He stayed at Old Trafford until 1999, and after 323 games, 17 trophies (including his last game for the club, the amazing Champions League final against Bayern Munich), he returned to Scotland to become manager of Celtic's youngsters. The academy was his pride and joy, and he built up several youngsters.

With the death of his father hitting him hard, he had considered packing up the job and concentrating on other things, but it was two days after the funeral that he got a phonecall that was to change his mind completely...

---

He hadn't been very active in the days following the funeral, but he was sat watching the t.v with a glass of scotch when he received a phonecall from Martin O'Neill

"How are you John?"

"I'm coping. Not sure if returning to work is the right idea for me though"

"Well, that's actually what I'm phoning about"

John had a confused look on his face

"How do you mean?"

"Well, I've resigned from the job..."

"You're kidding? Why?"

A little wry chuckle came from the other end of the phone

"I just felt I couldn't take the club any further. Anyway, they asked who should replace me...I said you John"

The shock reverbarated around him as he heard the news. He was basically being offered the job of his boyhood club. The club that turned him from a boy to a man. He couldn't turn it down. He had to do it for his father...

---

Game played on FM07, with Scottish, English, Spanish and Italian Leagues loaded up. Large Database too. A game that I resurrected a few months back and thought it would be a good one to turn into a story

[sherm]

Walking down those familiar hallways, his eyes were averted, as always, to the pictures of the famous players and managers of the era. Jock Stein, Kenny Dalglish, Billy McNeill, Paul Lambert. They were all greats, and if everything went well for John, maybe he would join them one day?

He headed into the press room where he met his staff, many of whom he knew anyway, and shook hands with the board members. The good thing about Celtic's board was that they didn't interfere too much in team matters, and they were always there in the background. John was just keen get started, and with his first training session in less than a week, he was eager to get his head down and head into it

---

July 2005 (Pre-Season)

The squad was, in terms of playing ability, the best in the league. Players like Bobo Balde and Didier Agathe at the back, while midfield saw the likes of Stilian Petrov, Shaun Maloney and Alan Thompson. Though the strikeforce was strong, with the likes of Maciej Zurawski and John Hartson, it was the area that John felt he needed to strengthen, so he made quick notes and set about scouring the transfer market.

It didn't take long to bring new faces to the club, and the first one to join the revolution was young French goalkeeper Vincent Degre. The 16 year old was a real prospect for the future, and he came highly recommended by the scouts. £210,000 was a small price to pay for a future star. Two more players joined the club at a combined £640,000 fee. The first was Arsenal's young Danish midfielder Sebastian Larsson. The versatility of the youngster was a real key to his purchase, as his ability to play in defence or midfield would see him do well for the club. He was joined by Inverness midfielder Liam Fox. The Scotland under 21 star was another future star, and John was delighted with his transfer dealings to start with. That however, did not mean it was over.

The first pre-season match saw a trip to France to play Metz, and to avoid selection dilemmas, the strongest possible team was fielded. However, things did not start as planned, as a defensive slip from Stanislav Varga allowed Gueye in, and the striker quickly rounded David Marshall and slid home into the goal. However, it was all Celtic after this, and they dominated the remainder of the game. 28 minutes in, the equaliser came, a lovely move down the right between Agathe and Petrov seeing the fullback overlap, and his cross found the head of John Hartson, the Welshman beautifully heading home into the corner. Unfortunately though, there were no more goals, despite the domination of Celtic through the remainder of the game, and they had to settle for the 1-1 draw

Following the Metz game, the team boarded a plane for a ten day tour of Greece, which would see them play four pre-season games, a perfect opportunity to hone the fitness of his players. John also had one eye on the Champions League qualifiers, as he would be interested to see who his side would face in the second round. Kalamata were the first test on tour, and just like against Metz, they dominated the game. This time however, it took just 34 seconds to open the scoring, Petrov and Beattie combining to slip in Alan Thompson, with the midfielder slotting into the bottom corner. Chances came and went in the rest of the half, Michael Gardyne, Shaun Maloney and Bobo Balde all testing the 'keeper, before Nakamura rattled the crossbar with a vicious free-kick. The second half was much of the same, as chances and opportunites fell to Celtic, a swarm of green and white on the attack, and when Panagopoulos received his marching orders, it looked game over. However, a lapse in concentration from Scott Cuthbert allowed Pappas in, and he made no mistake, rounding Boruc and equalising in stoppage time

With the senior players having played the majority of the first couple of games, John felt it was a good chance to blood some of the younger players in their next game against Levedeiakos. This meant the likes of Teddy Bjarnason, Liam Fox, Michael Gardyne, Michael McGovern and Scott Cuthbert all started, aswell as Gary Irvine. They started really well too, a very impressive and fast paced start, with Gardyne and Bjarnason all testing the 'keeper, and Scott Cuthbert powering a header against the bar. It was Cuthbert's central defensive partner that opened the scoring though, as a combination of Camara and Fox whipped in a perfect free-kick, and Bobo Balde rose highest to head home past the 'keeper. The one worrying thing in the previous games had been the lack of composure in front on goal, and despite creating chance after chance, they could not find that killer goal in this game either. They paid for it too, as Semertzidis rifled a 25 yard shot into the corner of the goal and handed us a third successive 1-1 draw

[sherm]

It took until the fourth pre-season game, and the penultimate tour match against Kalamaria, but finally John saw his side pick up a win, a 1-0 success. It was probably their worst performance, which was ironic, but thanks to Teddy Bjarnason's goal in stoppage time at the end of the first half, it was enough. John had been making notes through the games, and the pleasing thing for him was that he felt he had some real good youngsters who he could blood in the first team over the season. Teddu Bjarnason had been most impressive, but then the likes of Stephen McManus, Gary Irvine, Scott Cuthbert and Kjartan Henry Finnbogason had also impressed enough to be in contention for the forthcoming season

The final game in the tour of Greece came when John's side faced Xanthi. Former Greek champions, they were undoubtedly the biggest test that would be faced so far. Befitting this, it was also the best performance John saw his side give, as they completed a superb 3-1 victory. The scoring was started by an own goals from Spyropoulos, who turned Nakamura's cross into his own goal. The second half saw the rest of the goals, but two in two minutes from John Hartson sealed it. A clean sheet would have suited John, but a bit of slack defending saw Giannopoulos nip in and pull a consolation goal back, but the 3-1 win was a lovely way to end the tour

On arriving back in Scotland, with one more game left in their pre-season preparations, John discovered that their Champions League qualifier would be against Lithuanian side Kaunas. Not easy, but not the most testing of draws. Before that though, a professional 3-1 win over Clyde rounded off the pre-season, goals coming from Zurawski and two from Craig Beattie, but it was two good performances that was a high note of the campaign.

Picking a side for the home leg against Kaunas was an easy task, as John wanted to get the best possible result so he could rest a few players in the second leg. So with that, he fielded his strongest available side, and it proved to be a great decision. It took seven minutes for the opening goal, as Fox and Nakamura combined to set up their midfield partner Stilian Petrov, and the Bulgarian curled home into the bottom corner beautifully. Zurawski had a chance to double the lead a couple of minutes later, but headed wide, but he made up for it on 12 minutes, collecting the pass and firing home past the 'keeper.The rout continued ten minutes later, a long ball finding Liam Fox, who raced clear into acres of space and slotted home to pretty much seal the game. John was delighted with what he had seen, but his side took their foot of the gas, which he didn't want to see. A few yelled instructions and a Mo Camara penalty later, it was 4-0, but they had to wait until stoppage time to really seal it, the magical fifth coming from a Petrov free-kick and securing their place in the next round with a game left to play

Following the brilliant 5-0 win over Kaunas, John saw his side travel to Tannadice to face Dundee United in their opening league game. Again, they got off to a terrific start, Polish striker Zurawski racing clear and rounding Paul Gallagher, but the first half was slow, the home side stifling all of Celtic's attacks. However, five minutes into the second half, it came alive, as Didier Agathe's crossfield pass found Alan Thompson, who whipped a cross in, and Petrov met it smack on the volley, which flew into the back of the net. Paul Ritchie's header gave his side a glimmer of hope, but when Zurawski netted his second to make it 3-1, it looked all over. Former Rangers man Billy Dodds made it interesting, but a breakaway was always on the cards with the home side going for the equaliser, and it saw Hartson break, before squaring it for Zurawski who completed his hat-trick and sealed a 4-2 win

[sherm]

August 2005

Before the second leg of their Champions League tie, John dipped into the transfer market, bringing in two new faces to the club. The first was Benfica's midfielder Petit. The Portuguese international had fallen out of favour at his club, and available at a cut price £775,000, it was a signing that John had no hesitation in making. He was strong, could make a great pass and never shirked a tackle, and he would be a perfect anchor man. The second new face was Paraguayan striker Salvador Cabanas. Many people would wonder who he was, but at £1,300,000, the Jaguares man would provide at least 20 goals a season, all you can ask for from your strikers.

Both men were ineligible for the second leg against Kaunas, but with a 5-0 advantage, several key players were rested. That meant a bit of rustiness came in, ans after 25 minutes, they found themselves behind, a slip fron Stan Varga allowing Maksvitis in and he finished beautifully past Michael McGovern. This seemed to be the wake up call they needed, and Craig Beattie, Liam Fox and Michael Gardyne all tested the palms of the 'keeper. Hartson and Nakamura were introduced, which made a difference, and it was those two that combined to equalise, the Japanese winger slipping in Hartson who rifled into the roof of the net fiercely. Slavickas received two quick yellow cards to see red a few minutes later, but the game petered out and Celtic advanced into the final qualifying round

It would have been nice for both new signings to make their debut in the next game, as Hibernian made the trip to Glasgow, but due to Cabanas picking up a knock in training, only Petit made an appearance. The visitors made a fast start, testing David Marshall a couple of times early on, while Zurawski and Beattie both missed decent ooportunites. However, it didn't take long for the Pole to open his and his side's account, as he picked up the ball, played a lovely one-two with Stilian Petrov and finished beautifully. Going into half time ahead was always a nice bonus, but it took just nine minutes of the second half to double the lead, Beattie playing the ball across fro Petit, who curled a ball into the top corner from 30 yards out, to score a magnificent debut goal. That was enough to win the game, but Craig Beattie, for all his prowess, could not find a goal to match his endeavours, despite having three really good chances, but 2-0 saw the points secured.

Having defeated Kaunas, John knew his side were just 180 minutes away, and though they had been in the draw with some very tough sides, they had gotten quite lucky by drawing Swedish side Malmo FF, a fairly simple draw in the circumstances. The opening leg was, as in the previous round, a home game, and as they did in the previous round, John's side secured a comfortable and professional win, as goals from Hartson in the first half, and Beattie and and Fox in the second 45 minutes meant they were halfway towards the Champions League.

[mark wilson27]

Excellent as always Sherm, looking forward to reading more mate

[sherm]

Cheers Mark, glad to have you along

---

Following the win against Malmo, German defender Roland Benschneider completed his £50,000 move to the club from FC Koln. Not the most gifted of defenders, but he did the basics well and would provide a useful cover for the regular centre halves. The new acquisition took his seat in the stands to watch his new side crush Falkirk 4-0 at Parkhead, with goals from all three strikers, Zurawski, Cabanas with a debut goal and two from Craig Beattie maintaining their 100% league record. Cabanas was mighty impressive, dropping off his partner Zurawski and creating chances for his team-mates, and though he was replaced after an hour, he received a well deserved standing ovation from the fans

Another league game soon followed, as a trip to Fir Park to face winless Motherwell provided another three points. Zurawski picked up a knock in the warm up, so the on form Beattie started the game, and he certainly continued his fine form. The first half was all Celtic, with chances coming and ultimately going, Beattie, Petrov, Fox and McGeady all missing opportunites to put their side ahead. However, Bulgarian midfielder Petrov managed to take his fourth chance six minutes into the second half, before he headed the ball across goal for Beattie to smash home and settle the game

Barcelona's out of favour left back Pena made a £550,000 move to Glasgow soon after, and John was happy with the way his side was shaping up. The side travelled to Sweden hoping to secure Champions League qualification, a task that shouldn't be too difficult following a 3-0 win in the first leg over Malmo, and they put in a performance that was required, with a thorough 2-0 win enough to secure their progress. A brace from John Hartson, in the second minute and the second minute of stoppage time, even with a red card for a shocking lunge by Neil Lennon, was enough for the 5-0 aggregate win.

Seven new players had arrived, for a combined fee of £3,500,000, and they were all starting to settle into the team well. The combined mixture of youth and experience was the right mix, and John was sure he had the right blend in his squad. He watched his side's best performance of the season as they dispatched an unbeaten Aberdeen side 3-0. Zurawski bagged himself a brace, while Cabanas got the other one. They were combining beautifully as a strike pairing, feeding off each other, setting each other up, and John was sure that he had himself a winning pair.

[Johnny Drama]

Nice start, will be keeping an eye on this.

[sherm]

Cheers Johnny

---

September 2005

John had flown to Zurich for the draw for the Champions League, hoping his side could somehow avoid an impossible group. They were in the fourth pot, which meant they would have got a hard group whatever the case, but when Lokomotiv Moscow, Liverpool and Schalke came up, it could have been worse. Before any European football though, there was another domestic game to play, as a trip to Inverness Caledonian Thistle was on the agenda. Unfortunately though, it was a poor start from the Bhoys, and they just could not get into the game on a wet and slippy pitch. They paid for this with a poor piece of defending, a shocking pass from Stan Varga allowing Roy McBain in, and he nipped round David Marshall and slid his side ahead. This led to fireworks and a few harsh words in the dressing room, but it worked, as goals in the 50th and 67th minute from Salvador Cabanas saw the scoreline reversed and the three points going back to Glasgow with John and his side

It was never easy travelling to Russia at any time of the year, but the cold was really starting to take it's place as they stepped on to the pitch to face Lokomotiv Moscow. This was a game that John felt his team could win, but unfortunately, they had to do it without ineligible players Petit and Cabanas, while Balde and Petrov picked up injuries. This meant Neil Lennon, Craig Beattie, Scott Cuthbert and Teddy Bjarnason all made an appearance, and as it turned out, the little Icelandic midfielder was the star of the show. He controlled the game from midfield, putting passes everywhere, really enjoying himself, and it was his crossfield pass that set up the opener, as he found Agathe, who whipped a cross onto the head of Zurawski, and the Pole guided it home beautifully. There should have been more in the half, as Beattie and Fox both missed good chances, but Zurawski sealed the points and got the campaign off to a flyer when he capitalised on a defensive error and slid the ball home into the bottom corner.

The whole of Glasgow had been divided in the few days leading up to the next game, which would see Celtic make the short trip to Ibrox to face their great rivals Rangers. John knew all about his history with the clubs, as he had spent many years playing in the Old Firm games, but he was as nervous as anything about leading his table toppers out onto the Ibrox field. He had Cabanas and Petit back, which was a bonus, but Cuthbert kept his place in the centre of defence. It was a tight game, as would be expected, with neither side wanting to make a mistake to lose the first goal. As it happened, it wasn't a mistake, but a wonderful passage of play that opened the scoring. Mo Camara played the ball down the line to Shunsuke Nakamura, who shimmied inside with a lovely bit of skill. He rolled it across for Petit, who dummied the ball, which Fox played into Cabanas, and the Paraguayan slammed it into the roof of the net. It was a wonderful team goal and gave them a terrific start to the game. The home side were shocking in the first half, with David Marshall not making a save, but less than two minutes into the restart, they were level, Buffel combining well with Franny Jeffers who slipped in Frederic Neito and the striker slotted through the legs of the 'keeper. It was only an equaliser that lasted four minutes, as Nakamura crossed for Cabanas to head home his and the side's second, and it was the goal that would prove to be the winner, a winner that advanced the lead at the top of the table to five points.

[sherm]

Following on from the Old Firm win, there was a League Cup game against Partick Thistle. John wasn't too concerned with this competition, and that was obvious with his team selection. There was no names like Zurawski, Petrov, Balde, McManus, Nakamura or Cabanas, and several younger players such as Bjarnason, Fox, Finnbogason and Maloney all started the game. The home side, despite being in a lower division, gave a really good account of themselves, going ahead after six minutes thanks to a Ricky Gillies goal, his skill taking him past Scott Cuthbert and he fired the ball into the bottom corner. Despite the team selection, a win for Partick would still be a shock, and Celtic got their heads together realising this, testing the home 'keeper as much as they could. Bjarnason hit a post, Fox had a shot tipped wide, and Stanislav Varga had three headers from corners cleared off the line, but after 69 minutes, the equaliser finally came, substitute John Hartson collecting the pass and firing in hard and low. From then on in, there was only one winner, as the tired legs of the Partick players gave out on them, but the effort from them was heroic. Chance after chance came, but it took until the 28th minute of extra time to seal the game, Maloney racing clear before slotting home and sealing their place in the hat

It had been a fairly routine win in the cup game, and there was another one soon to follow, as John and his side welcomed Kilmarnock to Celtic Park. Thirteen games undefeated became 14, and it was another win that was due to the coolness and composure of the players. The regulars were all back in the side, and it took two minutes to click back into place, Petrov and Petit combining for the Portuguese midfielder to slide in Zurawski, who stepped over the ball and slid past Alan Combe beautifully. Craig Beattie had started the game, but he limped off after 23 minutes after a crunching tackle, which saw Cabanas replace him. The Paraguayan was linking superbly with his team mates, and was unlucky not to double the lead just before the break, chipping the ball over the 'keeper, but his shot rebounded off the bar and into the grateful Combe's arms. Eventually though, the second did come, and it was from Cabanas. a nice move down the right, Agathe and Fox doing well, before Zurawski swung the ball in and Cabanas rose highest to thump in his header and seal the points. Again, David Marshall had very little to do, and another easy win saw their winning run extended to eight league games.

The Glasgow papers had lauded John's side and their start to the season, but for all their superb domestic form, they were soon brought crashing down in their next game, as Group B opponents Liverpool made their way to Glasgow. The Merseysiders were obvious favourites to win the group, aswell as the game, and they started in that fashion, taking the game to Celtic using their pace and power. David Marshall was tested early on, forced into saves by Cisse and Gerrard, with Morientes and Riise both missing opportunities, but it was Spaniard Morientes who broke the deadlock, his run timed superbly as he lost his marker and flicked his header into the bottom corner. The defence was kept busy for the rest of the half, and it was only the heroics of Balde and McManus, aswell as some super saves from Marshall that kept the scoreline at 1-0. They did come back into it in the second half, with the introduction of Beattie and Thompson mkaing a difference, but their one top class opportunity fell to Stephen McManus from a corner, and he put his free header over the bar, and though they never conceded another, a 1-0 defeat was a bit of a blow in the group.

--

Manager's Summary (August/September)

　

A terrific start to the season from the players, and I certainly can't complain. Eight wins from eight in the league, progression in the League Cup and to the Champions League. Disappointing to lose at home to Liverpool, but they were the better side so I can't be too disappointed. Zurawski and Cabanas both hit good goal scoring form, and the new lads seem to fit in well. All in all, very pleased with the way things have gone. Can only ask for more of the same over the next few weeks

League Position

1st, 24 points

Group B Position (Champions League)

2nd, 3 points

Top Scorer

Maciej Zurawski