The Man Who Saved Celtic

And They Gave Us...

'The Man Who Saved Celtic'
The Legend of Fergus McCann



Rebels: Fergus McCann and Brian Dempsey
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March 1994. 'The Rebels have won!' It was a message splashed across the headlines, that only weeks, days, and even hours before that had seemed so impossible had indeed come to pass. But winning control at such a critical time in such a spectactular manner meant there was much to do. This was not to be the end. It was just a beginning, and at the centre of it all was an expatriate, Canadian-based businessman and Celtic supporter, Fergus McCann.

The man who saved Celtic.

This is no small statement, nor is it an exaggeration. Quite simply, Celtic does not exist as we know it today without McCann. Indeed, it can be very reasonably argued that without ever having laced a boot, McCann's was the single most important signature that the Hoops have secured since the foundation of the club in 1887. Without McCann, Celtic were hours away from becoming but a memory.

For every goal scored by Larsson or McGrory, every trophy won by Maley or Stein, every piece of Jinky wizardry and Lubo magic that has added to the Celtic story, McCann's 5 year association was every bit as crucial and profound. He lifted the club from the brink of oblivion and left us with perhaps the greatest tangible legacy of them all - 'Paradise' as we now know it.

Football and business. The genesis and ideal of Celtic may belong with Brother Walfrid, but it was businessmen such as John Glass that made it every bit as much a reality. Indeed, it could be said that McCann was the re-founding father. Yet even after so long, after he came, saw, resurrected & left, McCann remains still something of an enigmatic figure to many. A fighter, a renegade, a rebel and an administrator of the highest quality, who could also be obstinate, lack sensitivity and almost Machiavellian at times.

When he arrived, donning his soft cloth cap from which derived his nickname, he spoke of what he planned to achieve and when he departed in April 1999 it was indeed mission accomplished.

During his youth McCann had watched the Hoops through a period where they were far from dominant, leaving an understanding of what it was like to support a struggling Celtic side. During the late 1940's & early 50's the club had struggled on the pitch and had even come close to relegation. Perhaps some memories of these struggles had lingered in his memory, as more than 40 years later when the 'Bunnet' returned there was an opportunity to help his boyhood heroes. McCann emigrated to Canada and made his fortune in golfing holidays, but continued to follow the fortunes of the club from afar.

McCann had initially approached the board in the late 80's. As a certain club on the south side of the city had begun its expansion under David Murray, the Bhoys were showing the strain in attempting to keep the pace. Parkhead at the time had large areas of terracing and really only the one stand for seating. McCann proposed building a second stand for seating on the opposite side of the ground and would leave either end available for standing. As the board dithered on the details, the fallout of one tragic day in 1989 would make such plans immediately moot.

Hillsborough 1989: Fans escape from the deadly crush below
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In the aftermath of the Hillsborough Disaster, in which 96 Liverpool fans had perished, the need for a review into the safety practices of stadia across Britain was called for. The Taylor Report recommended the implementation of all seater stadia for all top flight football venues by 1994. Celtic, who were already in financial turmoil, would now need to find a way to do a massive redevelopment also. McCann made an approach in the early 90's about financing the redevelopment, in exchange for the rights to the next 3 years of marketing season tickets. The Board rejected the offer as other options, including a possible relocation to Cambuslang, were being weighed up.

Despite the setback, McCann was not to be swayed. If the Board did not want his help, why not remove the Board? Easier said than done, but with this purpose the 'Bunnet' set about working in conjuction with the 'Rebels' consortium of investors, to wrest control away from the encumbent Board; one that was fraught with problems and had long overseen and mismanaged the club.

To say the least, the business acumen and practices of men such as former Chairman, Jack McGinn was questionable at best. Indeed, revealing a telling insight as to how Celtic had gotten itself into so much trouble in the first place, McGinn had stated publicly that 'season ticket sales are more trouble than they are worth.'!

A long, protracted and bitter battle followed (during which time McCann was even refused entry inside Celtic Park), and during which the very existence of the club was threatened. In truth, Celtic was extremely close to insolvency, administration and even liquidation, as the banks moved to foreclose. But on the 4th March 1994, the 'Rebels' won - the old Board were on their way out and McCann on his way in, adamant that the departing executives would walk away without 'one thin dime'.

Amid the Rebel Consortium, McCann (3rd from right)
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Whilst some did not take to his sometimes eccentric behaviour, others admired his no nonsense approach to business. There is no getting around the fact, McCann's primary goal was always about profit margins. Clearly McCann understood the role; that he was there to maximize the way of generating money for the club. It may be true that an overwhelming majority of supporters and shareholders alike are only interested in the football, but as McCann himself would regularly point out, without the business, there is no football.

It is undoubted that he certainly had his critics and made enemies along the way. Guess it was only to be expected, given the scale of the task that was set before him upon his arrival, that this was inevitable that his single-mindedness was not always going to be everybody's cup of tea, both within the Celtic family and amongst the wider Scottish Football community. That said, it hardly justifies some of the comments and criticism that were levelled at the man, with the Daily Record in particular likening him to Saddam Hussein!

Virtually from the moment he walked through the doors, the Bunnet set to work. Five years, he had promised. Five years, to turn the club around financially, set in place a sustainable infrastructure, as well as the small measure of building a stadium and producing some success on the park. There was alot to be done and not a moment to waste.

One of his first acts was to replace Lou Macari as manager, with another former old-Bhoy, Tommy Burns. Burns at the time was in charge of Kilmarnock, having helped them as player-manager to win promotion, but it was this appointment that would lead to possibly the most famous feud in the history of Celtic & SFA relations.

Tommy Burns: McCann's choice to take the club forward
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Burns & Billy Stark were not only the Killie management team at the time, but also on their books as players. The SFA, under the guidance of Jim Farry, were sympathetic to Killie & out of all proportion for the time, decided to fine Celtic £100 000 & pay Killie twice that (£200 000) in compensation, for having poached players. By means of contrast, R*ngers had poached Duncan Ferguson from Dundee Utd the previous year, yet had only been fined £5000! What could be said that can justify such a discrepancy?

McCann also submitted plans for the redevelopment of Celtic Park. The SFA's Stadiums Commitee decreed that Celtic would have to play their home games elsewhere for the 1994/95 season, which was understandable given the safety concerns. What got under McCann's skin about that was that the SFA was making a decision, from which the SFA would be financially benefitting directly from. Surely such a decision should have been deferred to an independant body?

Celtic Park in the 1980's
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That one season at Hampden saw Celtic fork out £600 000 tenancy for the year to the SFA, as well as portion of programme sales, and ALL the catering & refreshment kiosks. The SFA also refused to allow for any touches to be made to the stadium, so it could feel a little more like 'home'. In doing so, the SFA was effectively saying that they were more than happy to accept Celtic's money, but that Celtic actual presence was only merely being tolerated.

Around the same time as Celtic Park was being redeveloped, Jim Farry spearheaded the redevelopment of Hampden Park also. This redevelopment had many opponents, including McCann, who referred to it as a waste of public money on 'the third best ground in Glasgow'.

All of this was a precursor to what would be the defining chapter of the feud; the Cadete Affair, in which it was proven that Farry had deliberately interfered and delayed the registration of Jorge Cadete, and after a lengthy battle the disgraced SFA chief was forced out of office. It was through these types of events that McCann was effectively declaring that Celtic would no longer be treated as the second class citizens by the SFA.

In the centre of the storm: Cadete
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The list of McCann's achievements is simply phenomenal for such a short period of time. The share float which converted the club to being a PLC was a massive success (the most successful in the history of British Football at the time, despite the consensus in the Scottish media that it would be a huge flop) and funded the development project, demand for season tickets soared, revenues from commercial sales and merchandising skyrocketed, and despite Murray continuing to finance a dominant R*ngers team, the Hoops under McCann overtook their rivals in both revenue and attendance.

Meanwhile the stadium reconstruction continued at a pace. There had been many critics of the proposal to building a ground capable of holding 60,000 people, especially as the average attendance at the time was less than 40,000. "They will come", McCann boldly predicted. The first phase of the new stadium was opened in August 1995, with a capacity of 34,500, augmented by the addition of a temporary stand, that lifted the capacity to 37,500. One year later and Phase Two was complete, lifting capacity to 50,500. There was still work to be done, but the progress was impressive.

Whilst this was happening Tommy Burns' team was being justifiably praised for the quality of football on display. The Scottish Cup success that earmarked the end of McCann's first full season in charge unfortunately was the only silverware that was won under Burns' guidance, but nobody could argue that McCann was not backing his manager in the transfer market.

Pierre Van Hooijdonk, Paolo Di Canio and the aforementioned Cadete complemented the likes of Tom Boyd and Paul McStay in the first team squad, but contractual spats blighted this era also. The 'Three Amigos' all departed under a cloud of such disputes. Van Hooijdonk for example, scoffed at the £7,000 pay rise that was offered, claiming that it was 'good enough for the homeless'. Even the great Paul McStay, for all his long years of service, was offered only a derisory contract by the McCann administration, forcing the player than never liked the spotlight to tell his side of the story to the media.

In a way it is fitting that the sour departure of Tommy Burns and Paul McStay's contract controversy (two of Celtic's most loyal and respected individuals) sit side by side with those contractual disputes of the 'Three Amigos' and difficulties working with Jensen, as it gives an overall perspective, and an uncomfortable portrait; that length of service and sentimentality meant absolutely zilch to McCann.

The Quiet Man: Paul McStay went public because of a poor deal from McCann
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McCann may have been focused on increasing revenues for Celtic, but there were times when he recognized a bad deal for what it was. Indeed, in 1997/98 the sponsorship deals that were on the table were unsatisfactory to McCann, so to give potential suitors more time, he opted for Umbro (the kit provider at the time) to be the shirt sponsor, whilst other, longer term deals could be uncovered and negotiated.

McCann will never be particularly remembered for his inter-personal relationships and his man management style left much to be desired. Indeed, it was this aspect that was often criticized, along with his preferring to build the financial infrastructure, rather than invest more in the team that raised the ire of sections of the support. Notably, even celebrity supporters, such as Jim Kerr (of Simple Minds fame), were especially vocal in his criticism of McCann in this regard.

Tales of bonus disputes also emerged, often ill-timed and disruptive. Such as just before a League Cup tie against Hearts in 1996 and again in 1998, on the eve of the Champions League Qualifier with Croatia Zagreb. The latter incident came to a head when a number of players, believed to include Regi Blinker and Marc Rieper failed to attend the launch of the Celtic 'Away' strip for that season. This sparked a furious response from McCann, claiming that the players greed was to blame. According to McCann, the squad had been offered the largest bonus in the history of the club (believed to be in the region of £20,000), should they reach the group stage, but players were disputing the size of the bonus, because it was not of the same level that the R*ngers players were promised, for reaching the same stage.

Perhaps, with the way that pay demands have continued to spiral ever upwards in European Football, it can now be viewed in context how McCann thought of these episodes as greed driven, whereas the players would no doubt argue that they were merely commensurate with the terms that were on offer elsewhere. One can only imagine what McCann would make of today's footballers salaries, where some players in leagues across Europe earn wages in the hundreds of thousands of pounds every week!

Aside from the contractual rifts, others also referred to the difficult relationships that they had with McCann during those 5 years. Tommy Burns once said that "I probably did 15 or 20 years as a manager in those three years." when referring to his working relationship with McCann, and Burns was not alone in holding such a view.

One of the longest lasting impacts that McCann has left was the 'Bhoys Against Bigotry', which was launched in 1996. The goal was to highlight Celtic's charitable works & the all-encompassing views of the club, as well as attempting to stamp out Irish political chants at the games. Whilst this was met with mixed reactions at the time, 15 years on and many who had belittled the campaign at the time have accepted that there is no room in the 21st century for bigotry in football. The ideals of the campaign continue to live on. Other clubs have had and continue to have a much bigger problem than what the Celts do in this regard, but McCann's efforts were directed in correcting the problem at our club, and such a stance has served as a model for others to follow elsewhere.

In 1997, Tommy Burns was replaced by Wim Jansen at the helm and was set the task of 'stopping the 10'. Jensen and the 'Bunnet' were often in disagreement over the direction of the club even from the outset, and the controversial appointment of Jock Brown as General Manager did little to ease this friction. That said, with the help of new arrivals, including Champions League winner, Paul Lambert and a certain dreadlocked Swede named Larsson, the Bhoys would go on to win both the League Cup and League Championship that season; the latter in particularly memorable fashion and sparked wild celebrations across the entire Celtic community. It would be a short lived party however, as Jansen announced his departure from the club just two days later.

Dr. Jozef Venglos was brought in to oversee first team affairs and again McCann furnished him with the funds to bring in some notable names, including Mjallby, Moravcik and Viduka. However, in what now seems a bizarre atmosphere, what should have been a particularly spectacular opening day of the League campaign (especially as the Hoops beat Dunfermline 5-0), the abiding memory is of the League Championship flag being unfurled, being met by sections of the crowd who boo-ed McCann.

The following week, The Bunnet's vision, the development of the place we call Paradise was finally completed, with the official opening of the Jock Stein Stand on the 8th August 1998.

View from the Jock Stein Stand
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Fergus McCann departed Celtic in April 1999. He once said "I want people to judge me after 5 years." At the time of his departure McCann had delivered on so many promises and then some. Paradise was complete, the course had been corrected, a sustainable financial infrastructure was in place, a major victory over the SFA had been achieved, and the ideals of the 'Bhoys Against Bigotry' have set the Celtic support up, for thriving in the 21st century.

He was always a businessman first and foremost, and when hard decisions needed to be made he was in the place to make them. Fergus McCann may never be universally popular in the memory of some and whilst some of the criticism is justifiably merited, much of it was not. The Bunnet did right by Celtic and nobody can argue that he left the club in a much better and healthier position than the one he found it in.

Without doubt, he is the man who saved Celtic.

Further Reading:

The Cadete Affair Series
March 1996 by Col
http://www.talkceltic.net/forum/showthread.php?t=101006
Farry & McCann by Firefly
http://www.talkceltic.net/forum/showthread.php?t=101061
Has the SFA Learnt From Past Mistakes by Taz
http://www.talkceltic.net/forum/showthread.php?t=101089






The House That McCann Built

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