Celtic on this Day – “No flair, no panache, no football. The season from Hell continues”

The Celtic Star

·16 gennaio 2025

Celtic on this Day – “No flair, no panache, no football. The season from Hell continues”

Celtic on this Day…From an 8-1 win away at Dens Park to the season from hell, “No flair, no panache, no football,” makes you shudder even thinking about it…

Dundee 1-8 Celtic, 16 January 1971, Jimmy Johnstone and Bertie Auld lead the way. Photo The Celtic Wiki

16 January 1971

Dundee 1-8 Celtic. Jock Stein’s side thrash Dundee at Dens Park and coupled with Hibs’ victory over Aberdeen at Easter Road, these two outcomes hauled Celtic back into the title race. Aberdeen’s defeat in the capital was all the more surprising as the Dons hadn’t lost a goal in over 1157 minutes of football [a then European record]. Aberdeen’s loss ended their run of 15 successive league wins. On the match in Tayside, author and Celtic Podcaster Paul Larkin on Twitter said, “Bertie Auld told me he was carrying an ankle injury in this game, so Bobby Murdoch told him, “when you get it, just gie it to the wee man.” Subsequently, Jinky’s brace didn’t tell the whole story of his overall performance. It was one of Johnstone’s finest outings in a Celtic jersey.

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Dundee 1-8 Celtic, 16 January 1971, Tommy Gemmell in action. Photo The Celtic Wiki

Dundee 1-8 Celtic, 16 January 1971, press cutting via The Celtic Wiki

16 January 2021

Celtic 0-0 Livingston, 16 January 2021. Photo: Andrew Milligan

Celtic 0-0 Livingston. Bizarrely, Gavin Strachan was in charge due to the COVID isolation of 13 first-team players. Neil Lennon and John Kennedy were also in isolation after the infamous Dubai trip where Christopher Jullien tested positive for COVID. It was the first of two league matches against Livingston in four days — and in typical Celtic 2020/2021 fashion, we didn’t win in either. It was around this period there was an acceptance that the league challenge was now over, and the 10-in-a-row dream was dead. Supporters were apathetic towards manager, players and the boardroom over what was going on. Formerly of this parish, David Potter perfectly summed up the feeling during this period,:

“no flair, no panache, no football. The season from Hell continues” David Potter

Gavin Strachan in charge of Celtic for Celtic v Livingston match on 16 January 2021. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)

16 January 2005

Celtic’s Chris Sutton (L) celebrates scoring against Aberdeen with team mate Stephen McManus. (Photo by Maurice McDonald – PA Images/PA Images via Getty Images)

Aberdeen 0-1 Celtic. Chris Sutton’s effort sent Celtic back to the foot of the Scottish Premier League table with a hard-fought victory over Aberdeen at Pittodrie. Aberdeen was aiming for their third victory in a row over Martin O’Neill’s side, but Sutton’s deflected first half shot gave the Hoops three important points. Juninho made his first start since November. Thompson, Varga and Agathe were all missing which saw the Brazilian alongside Neil Lennon and Stephen McManus being brought back into the starting XI. Post-match Martin O’Neill said, “I thought we played very well in the first half, but the pitch was a bit sticky and Aberdeen made it more difficult for us after that. But, I am just happy with the win as it is a difficult place to come.”

Conor Spence

The late, great Celtic Historian David Potter’s Celtic Diary each morning on The Celtic Star looked back at key Celtic events and matches on this day starting on 16th January 1926…

Tommy McInally scored twice

SATURDAY 16 JANUARY 1926 – A quite astonishing game of football is played at Easter Road today when Hibs and Celtic play out a 4-4 draw. The 25,000 crowd are enthralled throughout. For Celtic, Tommy McInally scores twice and Jean McFarlane and Adam McLean once each.

The Celtic team that played Raith Rovers was Bonnar; Haughney, Meechan; Evans, Stein, Peacock; Higgins, Fernie, McPhail, Collins, Mochan. This is the team phot from the start of that season.

SATURDAY 16 JANUARY 1954 – Celtic’s chances of winning the Scottish League seem to suffer a severe blow when they go to Stark’s Park, Kirkcaldy and lose 0-2. It is of course no disgrace to lose to Bert Herdman’s fine Raith Rovers side which contains men like Andy Young and Willie McNaught, but it is a disappointment nevertheless. Ernie Copland scores two good goals for the Rovers.

Alec Byrne scored twice

SATURDAY 16 JANUARY 1960 – Celtic are struggling and are far closer to the relegation zone than they would like to be. Today injuries compel them to dig deep into their reservoir of reserves for the game against Clyde at Shawfield. The ground is hard, but the game is never in any danger, and the large crowd see an entertaining game which ends up 3-3. Neil Mochan scores with a penalty, and Alec Byrne notches a couple.

Jimmy Johnstone in action against Hearts on 16 January 1965

SATURDAY 16 JANUARY 1965 – Bertie Auld makes his debut for Celtic in the rain at Parkhead as they team go down 1-2 to a Hearts side with designs on the League championship. Tommy Gemmell scores Celtic’s goal and Celtic are by no means disgraced, but it is probable that in the 16,000 crowd, Hearts have more supporters than Celtic do.

Chris Sutton celebrates scoring against Aberdeen. (Photo by Maurice McDonald PA Images via Getty Images)

SUNDAY 16 JANUARY 2005 – As always, it is a tough game at Pittodrie, but Celtic win 1-0 against Aberdeen through a deflected Chris Sutton goal. Juninho, the Brazilian played a part in the build up to the goal, but it was one of the very few games in which he starred for the club.

David Potter