A SECOND CHANCE TO GO BALLISTIC; Celtic were atrocious, but Steve

Steve Paterson reflects on the Inverness side's shock cup win over Celtic, left. Photograph: Ken Macpherson

GOLIATH has been resurrected for a second chance with David. On Wednesday, Celtic are up against Inverness Caledonian Thistle at Parkhead again, this time in the CIS Insurance Cup just 32 months after the Highlanders won there in the Tennents Scottish Cup. "Super Caley Go Ballistic, Celtic Are Atrocious", as the newspaper headline, now framed and displayed in the foyer at Caledonian Stadium, put it at the time.

That extraordinary 3-1 victory made Steve Paterson's name but sadly not his reputation, which emerged later. As a child growing up in Moray, Caledonian Thistle's manager was nicknamed Pele because of the precocious talent which saw him signed by Manchester United as a 15-year-old. During this year's World Cup finals, while Pele of Brazil suffered a heart scare, it was Pele of Mosstodloch who made the bigger news.

For two days a tabloid newspaper carried lurid coverage of the breakdown of Paterson's marriage and allegations of excessive drinking and gambling. That Paterson was deemed worthy of such treatment was down not only to his win over Celtic but the remarkably consistent levels of success the 44-year-old has enjoyed in a managerial career now in its 15th year.

Paterson is loved in the north; a talented, quietly charismatic football manager able to command unusual degrees of respect and admiration from virtually every player who works for him. He invigorated Elgin City and Huntly in the Highland League before performing a similar feat at Caledonian Thistle, which he has lead from Third Division to, going into yesterday's match at Alloa, second place in the First Division.

Hearts and Dunfermline have joined Celtic as Caley Thistle's SPL cup victims in the past three seasons.

So why, exactly, has no Premierleague club taken a chance on Paterson? Why does he seem a class act who remains the Highlands' little secret?

He has been linked with Motherwell (when Eric Black got the job), St Johnstone (Billy Stark), Kilmarnock (Jim Jefferies) and, currently, Dundee United, where new chairman Eddie Thompson's vision of a young, hungry, successful manager seemed to incorporate Ian McCall but not his most able rival outwith the Premierleague.

The unpalatable truth may lie in the reports which scandalised Paterson in the summer. The newspaper story crystallised a whispering campaign against him which seems to have scared off club chairmen who would otherwise find his track record irresistible. "I'm not being bitter but the kind of stuff that came out in the summer was outrageous," he said. "They portrayed me as a gambler and an alcoholic, which is way off the mark.

"Someone sold the Daily Record a story, pure and simple. You saw it recently with the allegations against Sir Alex Ferguson. Someone made money out of that to make it a better read. That didn't do me any favours, without a doubt. All that happened to me was what happens to one-in-three couples - my marriage broke down for various reasons. The way they portrayed it was way below the belt."

Paterson, who worked for a decade as a children's home social worker, now has custody of his two daughters following his divorce. The football club which knows him best - the one which has employed him since 1995 is happy to be the only one without a reservation about his ability to deliver.

When the story broke, Caledonian Thistle's directors immediately reassured Paterson that he had their unequivocal sympathy and support.

"Because the club knows me they were tremendously supportive. One hundred per cent. The first thing I got was a message from the board saying 'you're doing a great job here and we're not interested in that kind of stuff'. I feel that kind of story can only be damaging. If you don't know a person and then you read that about them " Tommy Docherty never benefited from bringing Paterson to Old Trafford. A serious ankle injury effectively ended his career at the outset, though spells followed at Sheffield United and in Hong Kong, Australia and Japan, where he opened supermarkets as the country's first British player.

He returned to the Highlands, broke and in his 30s, and successfully applied to become player/manager at Elgin because he needed to provide for his young family. Championships, cups, and giant-killing followed, culminating years later in the night which brought down John Barnes at Parkhead.

"That raised my profile and gave me, for life, the label of the guy who beat Celtic. Since then I've been continually linked to vacancies in the Premierleague, albeit nothing comes of them. It's a compliment on the one hand but it can be an unsettling feeling that you're constantly missing the boat.

"It's certainly worked against me that all my success has been in an isolated neck of the woods. There has been a price to pay for a lot of my success being solely up in the Highlands. The main thing you should be judged on, as a manager, is what your return is at the end of the season. I started at a lower level, came through to a better one, and have done more than what was asked of me."

Perhaps there never will be a phone call asking him to do it all again for one of the country's leading clubs. At 44, Paterson is seven years older than McCall and older, for that matter, than Alex McLeish. He suspects that if he is to ever get a chance at Premierleague level it will have to be with Caley Thistle. "You have to balance your personal ambition with your personal circumstances. If I was single and had no commitments I'd probably be in America now. I have connections there. I could have gone away in the summer, basically been full-time over there."

Family responsibilities keep him in the Highlands but the area suits him too. Caledonian Thistle still feel like a club moving forward. The current stadium has fewer than 3000 seats and is inadequate for the Premierleague but Asda are interested in buying the site and the club may move closer to the city centre. A boardroom takeover removed a debt which once approached (pounds) 2 million.

Paterson suspects he is afforded greater trust and freedom to run Caledonian Thistle than he would enjoy from most other boards of directors. It suits him to have peace to think during his one-hour drive to and from Inverness, and he even likes the routine of six- hour round trips along the A9 for every away game.

On Wednesday the route takes him back to Parkhead, a ground he has not set foot in since winning there. A squad night out is planned whatever the result. Paterson's team will be adventurous and he will be "surprised" if they do not score at least once. It will help his team, though, if Celtic remember that they should be grateful to Caley Thistle. That result in 2000 accelerated Barnes's removal and Martin O'Neill's arrival.

"We did them a huge favour. No disrespect to the past management, and who knows what would have happened down the line if they'd beaten us that night, but events since then have been a really good couple of years in Celtic's history after their lowest ebb.

"Caley Thistle should be popular with Celtic and Rangers - we put one over on Celtic, which pleased Rangers, and when they think about it Celtic probably now see what happened that night as a blessing in disguise.

"If it comes to the worst and we do get a right good going over it will be because Celtic are such a good side. They've moved on so much in two years."

Paterson continues to wait for his own green light.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Tennents Scottish Cup third round, February 8, 2000 Celtic 1 Inverness Caledonian Thistle 3 Burchill 17 Wilson 16, Moravcik 24 (og), Sheerin 57 (pen) Jonathan Gould One of the survivors, but rarely seen. Replaced by Rab Douglas the summer after the Caley defeat and now even further down the pecking order.

Tom Boyd Another survivor and an MBE into the bargain. Still at Celtic, the club he joined from Chelsea in February 1992, but likely to leave at the end of the season.

Oliver Tebily Or Bomb Scare as he was known. Bought for (pounds) 1.25 million from Sheffield United and sold to Birmingham two-and-a- half years later for (pounds) 700,000.

Stephane Mahe Overall a reasonable servant for Celtic. Joined Hearts as a free agent last year after over 100 appearances.

Vidar Riseth A Jo Venglos signing from Linz in 1998. Loaned to 1860 Munich in March last year before the deal was made permanent for (pounds) 975,000.

Colin Healy The third, and youngest, survivor at Celtic Park. Started more games in a three-month loan at Coventry City than he has in four years at Celtic. Emerging midfielder restless for first-team football to safeguard his place in the Republic of Ireland squad.

Regi Blinker "Having a Regi," (Regi Blinker = stinker) became an apt description of his performances at the time. Freed to Roosendaal in Holland in the summer after the Caley game. Now at Sparta Rotterdam.

Lubo Moravcik Scored on the infamous night for Caley. Countless heroics on Celtic's behalf, though, ensured an emotional farewell when he left on a free for Ichihara in Japan's J-League in the summer, before succumbing to injury and retiring to live in France.

Eyal Berkovic Left for (pounds) 1.5m in 2001 having cost (pounds) 6.5m two years earlier. Fans turned on him for his apparent lack of commitment to the club. Loaned to Blackburn but signed permanently by Manchester City.

Mark Viduka Involved in an infamous half-time row with Celtic's assistant manager, Eric Black, and refused to play the second half. Sold to Leeds for (pounds) 6m four months later.

Ian Wright (substitute for Viduka, half-time). Retired the summer after the Caley game. Played only once more for Celtic in caretaker boss Kenny Dalglish's first game before a brief, ill-fated move to Burnley.

Mark Burchill Once a Scottish international prospect, now on the sidelines and stuck on six caps. Loaned to Birmingham City and Ipswich before a (pounds) 900,000 sale to Portsmouth, where injury problems have disrupted his career. Scored a first-half equaliser for Celtic on the night.

Jim Calder 42-year-old keeper (38 at the time of the upset) retired in the summer but turns out for juniors Strathspey Thistle.

Mike Teasdale Former Dundee defender joined Elgin City as player and commercial manager in March after seven years at Caley Thistle.

Stuart Golabeck Defender approaching his 28th birthday and still at Caley Thistle.

Bobby Mann Still sore that Moravcik's deflected own goal was not credited to him, and still at Caley Thistle.

Mark McCulloch Left the summer after the Parkhead win and had spells at Livingston and Partick Thistle before returning to the Highlands to join Ross County.

Richard Hastings Canadian international (he played against Scotland on Tuesday) had six years at Caley Thistle before leaving for Ross County in the summer of 2001. Now with Graz AK in Austria.

Paul Sheerin Former Southampton midfielder scored the conclusive penalty to make it 3-1 on the night. Left in the summer of 2001 to join Ayr United.

Ross Tokely 23-year-old Aberdonian now in his seventh season at Caley Thistle.

Kevin Byers (substitute for Tokely, 89th minute). Had a loan spell at Montrose before joining Forfar in July last year after two seasons at Inverness.

Barry Wilson Goalscorer and arguably the most successful member of the giant-killing side. Left the following close season in a (pounds) 100,000 move to Livingston. Momentarily thought he was about to be capped when Craig Brown telephoned him, but Brown thought he was speaking to another Barry Nicholson.

Martin Glancy (substitute for Wilson 87th minute). Left for Clydebank nine months after the Celtic game. Followed that with spells at Berwick, Queen of the South, Stranraer and now Airdrie United.

Charlie Christie 36-year-old Inverness institution, still at the club as player and commercial manager. Joined Celtic as a teenager under Billy McNeill and also had spells at Inverness Thistle and Caledonian. Been at the merged club since day one.

Dennis Wyness Still with Caley Thistle having joined them after being released by Ebbe Skovdahl's Aberdeen in January 2000, and currently leading goalscorer in the Bell's First Division.

Martin Bavidge (substitute for Wyness 79th minute). Left Caley Thistle this summer to join Forfar.

Copyright 2002
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