Follow the Tangerine template for unlikely glory, says Gallacher
KEVIN GALLACHER is hoping that Celtic can follow Dundee United’s route to success in Germany on Tuesday night. The former Scotland striker helped the Tannadice side conjure up a memorable 2-0 win on Borussia Monchengladbach’s turf back in 1987 to reach the UEFA Cup Final.
However, Gallacher believes that Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers could take a leaf out of Jim McLean’s book by silencing one of the most partisan supports in Europe.
The German club now have a state-of-the-art stadium after opening the 54,000-capacity Borussia-Park in 2006 but the fans’ passion is still the same as when their old Bokelberg Stadium was feared around the continent.
That was the platform for Borussia’s two UEFA Cup triumphs in 1973 and 1979 — and reaching the European Cup Final in 1977. The only side which had beaten Gladbach in Germany was Inter Milan in 1971, and that match was played in Berlin because UEFA punished Borussia after Inter’s Roberto Boninsegna was hit on the head with a Coke can thrown from the Bokelberg crowd. Inter had lost the original game 7-1.
That proud home record was wrecked when Dundee United went to Monchengladbach in April 1987. The sides had drawn 0-0 at Tannadice in the first leg, after United famously knocked out Barcelona in the previous round.
‘We were really disappointed with that,’ recalls Gallacher. ‘After beating Barcelona we felt we didn’t do ourselves justice but Borussia were ecstatic at taking us back to Germany. They celebrated as if they had won it.
‘They also told the German press they were going to batter us.
Someone got hold of the articles and Jim McLean used it for his team talk, saying: “They think they’ve won already and you lot are just turning up to keep the score down”.
‘Gladbach were a very good team, full of German internationals such as Stefan Effenberg. Germany had been in the World Cup Final nine months earlier and Bayern Munich got to the European Cup Final that season, so the German public expected Borussia to do the same.
‘Yet they were over-confident and that’s not a good thing in football. Writing off that Dundee United side was something you did at your peril. Wee Jim got his tactics spot on. He said he wanted us to frustrate the crowd.
‘It was one of the best moments of my career and amazing for a little Scottish club to reach a European final.’
United upset the odds 29 years ago. McLean’s ‘corner-shop team’, as the Tannadice boss liked to call his side, succeeded where wealthier clubs had failed.
Monchengladbach had knocked out Graeme Souness’s star-laden Rangers earlier that season and polished off Real Madrid 5-1 in the previous campaign.
Gallacher has seen the modern version of Gladbach, in his role as an analyst for BT Sport, but he is convinced Celtic can also upset the European elite.
‘Borussia obviously did their homework on Celtic after the Man City game,’ said Gallacher. ‘Celtic never got the space they did against City. However, Rodgers showed what he’s capable of in that game because after they had drawn 3-3, everyone in England started to copy Brendan’s tactics to stop City.
‘If Celtic get the first goal in Germany, the way we did with Dundee United, then who knows?’
They told the German press that they were going to batter us