exiledbhoy skrev:What do you remember about Marc Rieper and Morten Weighorsts time at Celtic? Did the standard of football back then, make them good players for Denmark?
Can't say I remember much about Marc Rieper, because I didn't pay attention to club football in the 90's (too young). Only that he scored an important late winner against Saudi Arabia in the 1998 World Cup. Don't know too much about Wieghorst's time at Celtic either, but he was a solid player for the national team.
I know Ulrik Laursen, madman Thomas Gravesen and of course Midtjylland's own Morten 'Duncan' Rasmussen played for Celtic as well. Too bad Rasmussen didn't really get the chance at Celtic - he was instrumental to our championship last year bagging 13 goals in 23 games, and 15 goals in 30 games the season before.
Anyway, I feel that the Danish players at Celtic always had a decent shot at playing for the national team, but it was Rieper and Wieghorst who had the biggest impacts. Gravesen, possibly the best footballer out of the five (in his glory days, at least), stopped playing for Denmark when he joined Celtic. Laursen and Rasmussen didn't get many caps (although more may still come for Rasmussen).
The standards of Scottish football may have declined somewhat since the 90's, but the collapse of Rangers definitely made matters worse. I hope Rangers will return to the top flight soon, and who knows - maybe Sviatchenko will be the next Rieper?
Did Brian Laudrup also raise the profile of Celtic when he played for Rangers?
I'm sure he did, but again, didn't pay much attention back then.
TV2 used to cover Old Firm derby games in the past, did you ever see them?
Yes! It was back when TV2 would also cover the English FA Cup. Ahh, I'm getting all nostalgic. The Old Firm derbies were fantastic. It might have been television, but even so I was amazed by the Old Firm atmosphere. You could just feel it was something very special. Regrettably, I think I was rooting a bit for Rangers back then, haha! I think the reason was that they had Peter Løvenkrands in their side. Not to worry, though. After the Sviatchenko transfer, I am completely on the Celtic bandwagon!
The Danish media used to promote Celic v Rangers as a clash of religious cultures, what do you understand about the rivalry?
I won't pretend to have a deeper understanding of it. But as far as I know, Celtic's fan base is mostly Catholic, while Rangers' is Protestant. There is a link between the rivalry and The Troubles in Northern Ireland. Celtic being the Irish rebels and Rangers being the British loyalists.
Do you think Sviatchenko moving to Celtic is good for him and good for the National team?
I think it will be good for him personally, but it's too early to tell whether it will improve his chances in the national team. Sviatchenko has his work cut out for him. Unfortunately for him, while the Danish national team is in a sorry state in multiple areas, we do have a lot of good or promising centre backs. Besides a declining Daniel Agger (Brøndby), there's also Simon Kjær (Fenerbache), Jores Okore (Aston Villa), Jannik Vestergaard (Werder Bremen), Andreas Bjelland (Brentford) and possibly Frederik Sørensen (1. FC Köln).
Celtic are called a 'storklub' in the Danish media, do you agree that they are a big club?
Absolutely. Celtic are world famous, even if the Scottish league and Celtic aren't what they used to be. There is a lot of exposure just because it's Celtic, and I think that's one of the main reasons Sviatchenko chose The Hoops over, say, Norwich, even though their league is more prestigious.
Is there anything you want to say about Sviatchenko as a player?
Sviatchenko was one of my favourites during his time here. Not only is he from our own academy, he is a very complete and intelligent centre back. He's strong, good in the air and has the qualities of a leader (he was vice captain for us). He will not shy away from trying to score goals, especially from corners or long throw-ins. He's sympathetic and smart on and off the pitch. I'm glad he chose to stay at Midtjylland for as long as he did, but he deserved this transfer after helping us to the title and qualifying for the Europa League knockout stage. He gets a warm recommendation from me, and I can only hope that he will become a fan favourite at Celtic, too.
I hope this was of some use to you!
