Celtic 'saviour' falls victim to new regime

showed him the red card.

THE rumours which have been rife around Parkhead since the dawn of the

Fergus McCann era became a sad fact for Lou Macari yesterday when the

most famous revolving door in sport -- that used most often by football

managers -- turned him out into the street after less than eight months

in the job.

Macari was to be the saviour of Celtic, the man to build a side

capable of ending Rangers domination of the Scottish scene, but while

the majority of fans welcomed his arrival with boundless enthusiasm

others were asking themselves why a man who publicly announced himself

to be a Celtic man through and through seemed at one point reluctant to

claim the job on offer after the sacking of Liam Brady.

Negotiations had been long, and until he eventually decided to return

to Parkhead on October 26 of last year, there always remained some doubt

as to whether he would leave Stoke City, where he had been immensely

popular.

Maybe Macari thought that a board of directors who could so easily get

rid of men of stature such as Billy McNeill, David Hay and Brady left a

lot to be desired. How ironic now that with the influence of the old

board practically gone, Macari should fall victim to the new regime.

Yet it all began so well for Celtic and Macari last autumn. His first

match produced a victory over Rangers in a premier division match at

Ibrox -- then came the little signs that all was not well. Backroom

staff had been shuffled and elbowed aside, Macari brought in his own

men, Chic Bates, Ashley Grimes and Peter Henderson, and the club was

knocked out of the UEFA Cup by Sporting Lisbon.

Even as a player Macari was never slow to air his views. In a way he

was something of a sports writer's dream, because you rarely got a ''no

comment'' from him. As a manager he had not changed much in that

respect, which meant he upset others.

As a player, it was mainly officialdom which suffered from his

comments, the most famous probably being his fierce criticism of the

SFA's arrangements during the World Cup finals in Argentina in 1978.

Most players thought the conditions at their training headquarters in

Alta Gracia were too spartan. Macari said it.

That ended an international career which had seen him win 24 caps and

score five goals for Scotland. Following Macari's blast, the then

secretary of the SFA, Ernie Walker, said his association ''would be

delighted to accede to Mr Macari's request not to be considered in the

future''.

Macari's Celtic career began in 1966 when he joined them from St.

Michael's Academy, in Kilwinning, and he made his first-team debut as a

substitute in a league cup tie against Ayr United at Somerset Park on

September 27, 1967. In the aftermath of Celtic's European Cup victory

and with the emergence of a new breed of outstanding players such as

Danny McGrain, David Hay and Kenny Dalglish, it took an exceptional

player to break through at Parkhead.

Macari did just that and before joining Manchester United for #210,000

in 1973, he had played 90 domestic matches for the club, scoring 48

goals. He also won two championship badges and two Scottish Cup winners'

medals.

Success followed at Old Trafford (a second division championship win

and an FA Cup final success against Liverpool) before he moved to

Swindon as player-manager in 1984. He steered the Wiltshire team from

the fourth to the second division in five years and then took over at

West Ham from John Lyall.

His reign at Upton Park did not last long. The man, who never hid the

fact that he liked a punt, was fined #1000 by the FA for breaking a rule

regarding betting on matches while at Swindon, and resigned.

He returned to football as manager of Birmingham City in 1991 and

after just four months there he joined Stoke. Controversy, as well as

success, followed the little man, and in 1992 he was cleared in court of

tax fiddle allegations involving under-the-table payments to Swindon

players.

Last October Macari returned ''home'' to his first love, but the

rapport he enjoyed with his players in other places seemingly did not

follow him to Parkhead. Senior players openly criticised his style of

management and if a manager does not have the confidence and respect of

his players there is no chance he will achieve success. That was most

emphatically underlined by yesterday's events in Kerrydale Street.

Lou Macari had a proven track record as a manager but, sadly, when it

came to the job in which he most wanted to succeed he was unable to

convince his employers, or his players, that he had what it took to win

trophies in such a high-profile position.

There is no doubt Macari will bounce back. He will not be lost to

football, because there are several clubs who would employ him

immediately. There is also little doubt that his Parkhead experience

will not alter his views on how he should go about his managerial duties

when he does take up the next challenge.

THE MACARI CAREER

* 1966 -- Joined Celtic from St Michael's Academy, Kilwinning.

* 1967 -- First-team debut for Celtic in League Cup tie at Ayr.

* 1972 -- Made Scotland debut in 1-0 win over Wales. Scored two goals

in Celtic's 6-1 win over Hibs in Scottish Cup final.

* 1973 -- Joined Man. United.

* 1977 -- Won FA Cup winners' medal with United.

* 1978 -- International career ended after criticism of SFA's World

Cup arrangements.

* 1984 -- Joined Swindon Town as player-manager.

* 1989 -- Took over from John Lyall at West Ham.

* 1990 -- Resigned West Ham post after #1000 fine by FA.

* 1991 -- Returned to football as manager of Birmingham City. Moved on

to Stoke City.

* 1993 -- Manager of Celtic.

* 1994 -- Sacked by Celtic.