SENTINELCELTS

Nostalgia and Celtic Supporters go together like salt and vinegar, so today I return to the never ending well to refresh Timdom about another ex hero, and one who can honestly say ‘I Captained the Hoops!’.

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“Fancy a Scandinavian International defender Mahe?”
“Hmmm”
“Experienced and a beast to boot.”
“Stop teasing me!”.
“Honestly, 50 caps and past Club Captain!”
“Out of our range son.”
“Mahe, he’s on a free and wants to join!”
“Which God did I please? Get that pen in his hand right now!”

When judging a past player I often ask myself one question,,given what you now know, would you sign him again? With Colin Healy and Effrain Juarez, the answer is no, but with today’s player, I’m leaning towards yes, for personal not professional reasons.

His two year stint at the club just didn’t really work out on the field, infact he spent much of it on the treatment table, but when he did take the field and especially on the two occasions he took the Captains armband, my goodness he was a sight to behold.

He was the white Bobo Balde, and like Bobo wasn’t a great footballer per se, but I feel bad typing that because in their days the game was much more physical and less technical, starting the play from the back was almost unheard of. These days a brute just won’t cut it at the top, and our protagonist joined just as football was switching and asking more than winning headers and personal duels, which at times left him looking outdated. Being 33 and huge his lack of pace never helped his cause, but I can honestly understand signing him up because not only was he worth a shot being free but good God he was scary to even look at, I can’t imagine what was going through the opposition strikers heads. He wasn’t an oaf given he was his sides first choice penalty taker for spells, but rather bloopers seemed to follow him,,,such as an own goal for his national against England at Wembley, and shockingly a first minute red card in a vital away European Qualifier.

Have you guessed who it is yet?

A poor decision here, a string of different partners in central defense there, another injury bringing the sidelines,,and before you know it the big man was a scapegoat on the park for what we now refer to as the ‘kissing frogs’ strategy,,the then purse controller was spending minimally hence a freebie was quickly ushered into Parkhead, and once the numbers were deemed sufficient the manager just had to get on with it. While I’ve no doubt the manager wanted him because of what he could bring, a wise head holding together a young defense, he simply wasn’t that man due to the mixture above. Sometimes he did pull it out of the bag becoming our defensive general, he wouldn’t be bottom of the POTY competition for instance.

But ultimately, although I like the player, he was just the wrong man at the wrong place at the wrong time. Not just at Celtic, I’m talking about Scottish football in general. The refs were starting to target ‘man mountain’ defenders whilst also helping their chosen side to lifeline victories in the final years of that clubs existence. He had no pace but was expected to form a high line leaving space, he wasn’t technical enough to burst through the gap and start something, and a lifetime of tough football was taking its toll on his body.
If born a thousand years ago there would be many songs about him, for he’s exactly the type of viking leader I imagine leading hundreds in laying siege or killing and plundering, with the ‘oh shit, look at the size of him!’ fear factor.
That’s more than likely why he was actually offered the armband.

Big Daniel Majstorovic has almost no internet history Celtic, few of his performances are immortalized on Timternet for eternity, but it’s a matter of fact that he pulled on the Hoops and as such he has earned his rightful place as todays Blast From the Past.

I hope you enjoy this type of article, if you don’t let me know, but no matter what, please give us all your recollections of the player. Yesteryears Hoops deserve to be recalled and discussed, for they lived the dream that we all helped create, and each and all are a part of our past whether we wish it or not.

Thanks,
Mahe.
If you ever fancy penning some words about an ex-player that intrigued you, we would be more than pleased to publish it.
sentinelcelts@gmail.com