The Celtic job was too much for a manager who led the club to a 5-1 rout of Rangers, according to Paul Lambert.
Slovakian coach Jozef Venglos was one of the most left-field appointments in the Bhoys’ history after Wim Jansen’s bombshell decision to leave after leading the club to the 1997/98 league title, thwarting Rangers’ hopes of 10 in a row. Jansen left due to differences with then owner Fergus McCann and managing director Jock Brown, who then made the surprise call by hiring Jozef Venglos, who previously managed Aston Villa and Fenerbahce, plus his country.
Venglos’ sole season in charge contained plenty of highlights, including a thrashing of Rangers. He was also lauded for the signing of midfield star Lubomir Moravcik. However, he left at the end of the 1998/99 season which saw Rangers regain the crown, six points clear of Celtic.
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Speaking to the Undr The Cosh podcast, Lambert said: “Jozef came in and he was a really top guy. A nicer guy you couldn’t wish to meet.
“I think Celtic was too much pressure for him because he came in at an older age (62). The best thing he did was bring Lubo Moravcik in. He was so good, you couldn’t tell what his strongest foot was. He was brilliant.”
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(Image: Undr The Cosh/YouTube)
Lambert wasn’t surprised by Venglos’ departure though, adding: “That job was excruciating for Jozef. To be fair, we beat Rangers 5-1 on Lubo’s debut. That bought a wee bit of time, but the job was too much for him.”
Asked if the weight of expectation was also too much for successor John Barnes, who was sacked just a few months into his reign, Lambert added: “I got on well with John, I never had any problems with him at all. I don’t know what he thought, coming up from Liverpool to Glasgow. To be fair, we started the season really well.
(Image: Daily Record)
“I then got injured, Henrik [Larsson] broke his leg. The bigger players were injured at the time. Obviously the straw that broke the camel’s back was when Celtic lost to Inverness [in the Scottish Cup], then it really did kick-off. I think that was John’s last game.
“Celtic’s a unique club. There’s no in between. You’re either top or you might as well be bottom because the club indicates that you have to win games. You have to be strong to take it.”