Moore: My pal Viduka could have been a Ger
Moore recalls his Old Firm cruncher after making Celt a top tip for Ibrox
CRAIG MOORE famously put the blocks on Mark Viduka with an incredible goal-saving tackle to deny the former Celtic striker on a rain-lashed night at Parkhead.
But a year earlier the then Rangers defender tried to pave the way for his Australian team-mate to join him at Ibrox after tipping off boss Dick Advocaat.
Moore and Viduka were childhood pals after coming through the Socceroos’ Centre of Excellence together and the former Light Blues stopper was a huge admirer of his talents.
But while Viduka scored some memorable goals for the Hoops, it was Moore who got the better of him when they crossed swords in an Old Firm clash in March 2000.
Viduka beat the Gers defence for pace but Moore made up incredible ground and, with the ball sticking on the sodden surface, he timed his tackleackle perfectly to deny the strikerriker just as he was aboutout to pull the trigger.er.
It was a tacklekle t hat dreww comparisons at the time with Tam Forsyth’s famous challenge on Mick Channon for Scotland against England at Hampden in 1976.
And it proved vital as Rod Wallace struck a late winner to send Rangers 12 points clear of Celtic as they secured a second successive title under Advocaat.
Despite only lifting a League Cup during his two seasons at the Hoops,p Viduka was regarded g as a top striker and proved that after his £6million move to Leeds.
He joined Celtic four months after helping DDinamoinamo ZagrebZagreb eliminate them from the Champions League, signing in a £3.5m move. But it was a controversial start to his career in Glasgow when the enigmatic frontman walked out just four days after putting pen to paper, citing stress, and returned Down Under before eventually getting his career up and running. And after being invited to recall that tackle on Viduka by Record Sport, Moore revealed that he wanted Gers to sign him. He said: “I recomrecommended Viduka to Rangers when he was at Dinamo ZaZagreb. “I was like, ‘Try tot get him here’. It was mentionedment to Advocaat at the timetim but for whatever reason nothing came of that tip-ofoff. “When you’re involved in a club, we all want the best pplayers at our clubc and when wh you k now s oomeone
then it’s nice to get someone in. But I don’t think he’s got too many complaints – he went on to have not too bad a career!”
On the tackle, he added: “It was a wet night and I actually did my knee making the challenge.
“It was the start of my issues because I had to go for surgery shortly after that.
“It was quite an awkward tackle but I made up some ground on the big fella and came in from a side where I was able to get contact on the ball just as he was about to pull the trigger.
“He wasn’t slow but he wasn’t electric or quick out of the blocks. He got going and because he had a decent frame maybe got his body across and his arms out.
“But he had everything else. He could head a ball, bring other players into play and score goals with his right foot, left foot and his movement was decent.
“He was, physically, a beast and better with his back to goal. He liked to feel his opponent and if you got too tight he had a turn and would guide you rather than the other way around.
“We grew up together and came through the Australian Institute of Sport Football. When he joined Celtic we stayed friends and went for a coffee but it wasn’t often.”
In terms of the Old Firm fixture, Moore is best remembered for two tackles – the one on Viduka and a crunching challenge on Henrik Larsson at Ibrox.
Moore was booked for sending the Swede flying in a 2-0 defeat in September 2001 and Hoops boss Martin O’Neill said: “It looked ugly. I wouldn’t have been surprised had it been a red.”
The Aussie, 44, relished his battles with Larsson and his strike partners Chris Sutton and John Hartson. Moore took no prisoners as a player and said: “I loved my tussles with Larsson. You could be at your best but because you’re up against a quality y player still lose that battle.
“He knew how to o improvise. He scored a goal l at Parkhead when the ball ll came in with his back to o goal. He was looking to take ke it across his body to get a shot off with his right foot. ot.
“He actually took a bad ad touch and it didn’t go back ck to his right side. It fell to his left side but he just swivelled and ‘boom!’ – I was like, ‘What are you meant to do about that?’. “Larsson was such an intelligent player. He’d set little traps where he’d let you build up but suddenly close angles and force you to go where he wants and you would end up losing the ball in a bad area. “People remember my tackle on Larsson because it was at Ibrox in front of the Main Stand. Everyone loves to see a body going in the air! “I got the ball and I never went into a tackle with an intent to injuinjure someone. “HaHartson, Sutton and Viduk Viduka were big, physicaltype strikers who pinned you anda all of a sudden you’d give away a silly free-kick.”
It was the start of my issues, I had to go for surgery shortly after that CRAIG MOORE