Celtic’s Eighth Manager – Lou Macari never had a chance

Lou was an ex-Celtic player although he struggled to reconcile his claim to love the club with his abrupt departure to Manchester United in 1973. He was never really forgiven for that. He was currently with Stoke City, and he returned there after his months with Celtic.

It is easy to be critical but he never really had a chance. His buys were generally ridiculed, but he was given hardly any money at all by a Board which was on the brink of collapse. He had a genuinely good start with a victory against Rangers at Ibrox, but by the time that Rangers came to Celtic Park on New Year’s Day, there were major demonstrations against the Board with the particularly chilling image of a Celtic scarf looking like a hangman’s noose being dangled in front of the Directors’ Box. Rangers won 4-2, and any hope for Macari or the Board disappeared when the team exited the Scottish Cup tamely to Motherwell in late January.

Lou Macari wasn’t expected to survive the March revolution, and duly didn’t. He remains a footnote in Celtic’s managerial history, but it would gave been nice to see him given a chance in more fortunate circumstances.

David Potter

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