Hartson

It could have been so, so different. When John Hartson 'failed a medical' at Ibrox in August 2000, Celtic got lucky. 12 months later, Martin O'Neill 'gambled' £6M on a set of knees that supposedly wouldn't look out of place on a geriatric elephant. Looking back on his time at Celtic Park, I think it's fair to say we got our moneys worth.

According to Soccerbase, John Hartson scored 109 goals in 201 appearances for Celtic. But Big Bad John was about more than goals. Often simply regarded as a huge battering ram of a player he also had a surprising deftness about his play, as witnessed by some truly great goals scored while playing in the Hoops. He was also a team player, forming impressive understandings with the Suttons and Larssons of this world - never afraid of putting his head where it might get hurt.

His form may have gone downhill over the course of his final full season in the East End of Glasgow, but that shouldn't detract from the overall contribution to the cause.

There's no doubt that we've been a poorer team without John Hartson. Here's a wee reminder why.

Click on the link below this video to see it in a larger format, or to download the file.

Hartson from celtic clips on Vimeo.

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Jorge Cadete - Goal Machine

Re-uploaded on the back of the "How Good Was....Jorge Cadete" thread on Kerrydale Street, here's a stack of Jorge Cadete goals. This was my first attempt at a Celtic video (it shows!), and the quality isn't great at all. But you get the general idea.

All Hail Jorge Cadete. The most natural penalty box predator I've seen in the Hoops (give or take a Swede) and as mad as a brush to go with it.

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Hunskelpin'

Lots of goals against the Orcs. No further explanation needed. If you want to watch the vid in a wider format follow the 'hunskelpin' link below the clip.

Enjoy!


HunSkelpin' from celtic_clips on Vimeo.

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Sutton

So. Chris Sutton. Stalwart of the Martin O'Neil era, perfect foil for Henrik Larsson, and all round hunskelper par excellence. As with nearly all of the MON era Celtic players Sutton's contribution to the Celtic cause is probably slightly under appreciated - lost in the glare and euphoria over the achievements of a certain Swedish superstar. But his contribution was no less important than that of Mr Larsson.

According to Soccerbase, in his 5 seasons at Celtic Park Sutton scored 86 goals in 199 appearances, including 63 league goals in 127 starts. That's a respectable tally by any standard. But he brought so much more to the team than goals. An incredibly versatile player, Sutton could do it all - and did. From marshalling the back line from the centre of defence to leading the line up front, Chris Sutton did a job for Celtic all over the park. And in a team full of captains, he stood as tall as any.

He provided us with some magical moments too. Who could forget that header in Amsterdam, or his volley against Juve at Celtic Park? Or the last minute winner against Rangers to complete the whitewash - a goal which sums up pretty neatly his time at Celtic park; Strong and skillful, mobile, excellent linkup play and a just a hint of contempt for those in blue. But perhaps the best compliment I can pay Chris Sutton is that without him alongside, Henrik Larsson would not have been the same player.

Enjoy...


Sutton from celtic clips on Vimeo.

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Not dead. Just sleeping.

Those of you paying attention may have noticed that the clips have all stopped working. Unfortunately Stage6, the video hosting website that I was using, has closed it's doors and is about as dead as Gary Caldwell's chances of making player of the year. This really is quite sad news, because Stage6 provided a quality of streaming video that was far and away superior to the other websites out there.

Thanks to everyone who gave positive feedback - particularly the folks at Follow Follow who seem obsessed with Alan Stubbs last minute equaliser in the Jansen season. As for Celtic Clips, well the future is about as murky as an Alan Hutton transfer to Spurs. I might get around to finding a new host for the clips (If anyone can recommend a website that provides the quality of Stage6, get in touch!), but then again I might not. And no. I won't use YouTube. If you're still truly desperate to see a clip I had on the site, then get in touch and I'll see what I can do. I can usually be found pottering about Kerrydale Street (link on the right).

Hope there was some good memories in there while it lasted.

Moravcik67

[EDIT : And they've gone again. Vimeo seem rather trigger happy in removing clips. The Larsson7 video is back, but that's all for now]

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Larsson 7

So. Henrik Larsson. 242 goals for the Hoops in 7 seasons. We'll never see a player like him again. But while we wait in hope, here's a stack of Henke goals.


Larsson7 from celtic_clips on Vimeo.

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How To Win A Treble - Season 2000/01

It's easy to forget just how bad a decade Celtic endured during the 90's. One solitary league title, one solitary Scottish Cup and a couple of League Cups were all we had to show for ten seasons of abject misery.

It's also easy to forget the remarkable transformation the club went through in the space of one short season, in 2000/01, under the guidance of Martin O'Neil. So for those of you too young to remember, or those of you who were too drunk at the time to remember, here's where it all began. This is how we exorcised the horrors of the 90's and laid the foundation for us becoming the dominant force in Scottish Football for the best part of the last 7 years. Over 22 minutes of goals from season 2000/01. 138 goals in total, accounting for every goal we scored in competitive competition.

There are two versions. One small (320x240, 200Mb), the other Large (640x480, 600Mb). If you want to download, follow the links beside each clip.

Here's the small version (200Mb)

For those brave enough to try, here's a larger version (600Mb)
Enjoy!

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Celtic 2 Rangers 0 - 2nd January 1998

After back to back wins at Celtic Park against the two Edinburgh sides Celtic travelled to Perth to face St Johnstone - and were brought crashing back down to earth in a post-christmas 1-0 defeat. With Rangers and Hearts both winning their own festive encounters, Celtic again slipped back down to third in the table, now 4 and 2 points behind Rangers and Hearts respectively.

But the new year would bring a swift change in fortune. The Edinburgh Derby on the first day of 1998 would see bottom of the table Hibs fight out a 2-2 draw at Tynecastle. The following day, Rangers arrived at Celtic Park eager to open up a 5 point lead for themselves at the top of the table. They were to leave dissappointed.

Celtic were fired up. Defeat was unthinkable. The game began cagily, with neither team on top. But by the time Half time came, still goalless, Celtic had the upper hand. Jansen's side would increasingly dominate the second half, with only Goram in the Rangers goal keeping his side in the game. Yet it took until the 66th minute for the deadlock to be broken - a beautiful reverse pass from Jackie McNamara giving Craig Burley a clear sight at goal from the edge of the Rangers box. Burley rifled the ball into the corner of the net, and all hell broke loose inside the stadium.

It would take until the 85th minute for the points to be secured, but the wait was worth it. The Rangers defence struggled to clear an awkward looping ball into their box and the ball fell into the path of Paul Lambert, who fired an unstoppable shot into the top corner from 25 yards. Celtic Park went into full party mode.

The result left Wim Jansen's men just one point behind Rangers once again, and saw them leapfrog Hearts back into 2nd place, albeit on goal difference. The psychological impact of the victory, however, was just as important as the points. For the first time since the Centenary season Celtic had came out on top in the New Year Old Firm fixture. 7 defeats and 2 draws had been endured since a Frank McAvennie double had set us on our way to the title in 1988. The Celtic fans hoped that this victory would set us on our way the the title a decade later.

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Celtic 5 Hibs 0 - 20th December 1997

Having secured a crucial 3 points against League leaders Hearts the previous week, Celtic went into this match against a struggling Hibs side full of confidence. And with title rivals Hearts and Rangers meeting at Tynecastle, the Celtic players knew that there was a chance they could end the day in top spot, if results went their way.

The Celtic players did their bit, thrashing Hibs 5-0. Craig Burley opened the scoring, with a rare Morten Wieghorst header doubling the lead before half time. Further goals were added by Jackie McNamara and Henrik Larsson, before Burley rounded off the scoring with a 25 yard screamer in the last minute.

However, Rangers would thrash Hearts 5-2 in Edinburgh and, in the process, take over the top spot in the league. Celtic also jumped above Hearts into second place, still just a point behind Rangers.

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Celtic 1 Hearts 0 - 13th December 1997

Having secured the first trophy of the season by beating Dundee Utd in the League Cup final, Celtic returned to league duty with a dissappointing 0-0 draw against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park. This was followed up by a 2-0 midweek win at Pittodrie. That result left Celtic in 3rd place in the league - 5 points behind leaders Hearts, 3 behind Rangers.

Next up was a crunch match against the Edinburgh side. A win was vital. Celtic came out with all guns blazing, dominating the match from start to finish. However several good chances were squandered and it seemed like a frustrating afternoon was in store; frustration made worse by the news that Rangers were only drawing with Dunfermline. But just as it looked as if the game would end without a goal, Celtic got the breakthrough. With just 10 minutes to go, Henrik Larsson scampered down the left wing and delivered a fine cross to the back post. Craig Burley did the rest. Celtic moved to within 2 points of Hearts at the top of the table, just 1 behind Rangers who only managed a draw at East End Park. Jansen's team were back in the hunt.

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