Probably one of Celtic’s unsung heroes after stopping Rangers’ ten in a row in 1998, Jonathan Gould has shared how his big move to Parkhead nearly never happened.
During his Celtic career, Gould won two Scottish Premiership titles, a Scottish Cup and a League Cup before leaving the club in 2003.
Now a coach at Auckland FC, Celtic hero Gould shares how his life-changing move to one of the biggest clubs in Europe never happened after being lied to by his agent.
What a ‘chat’ with Celtic managing director Jock Brown revealed to Jonathan Gould
Gould joined Celtic in a free transfer move from Bradford in the summer of 1997, but a phone call from his agent whilst at Bradford almost scuppered his Paradise move.
Gould told CS-Aye, “I was in Bradford and the night before I had been told by Chris Kamara I was allowed to have a free transfer.
“That morning the phone the phone rang and Murdo [Gould’s agent] said, ‘Would you be interested in a move to Celtic?’
“I didn’t really trust my agent at the time so I rang my dad and I said, ‘Dad do you know anybody at Celtic?’ and he said, ‘Yeah I know Jock Brown so Dad got straight on the phone to Jock Brown and is there any interest and Jock said, ‘Well let’s have a chat.'”
The ‘crazy thing’ Jonathan Gould’s agent did that made Celtic move happen
“That was the crazy thing”, Gould continued, “Because when I then spoke to Jock Brown and I said, ‘I think my agent spoke to you’ and he said, ‘Well, who’s your agent?’ I said, ‘It’s Murdo McKay’ and he said, ‘No, no he put Brian Gunn forward’.
“So if I had not made that phone call to my dad if I’d have trusted my agent at that moment in time this would not have happened.
“And when you think about little things like that you just think, well, my whole life, my family’s life just changed in that moment if I hadn’t spoken to my father.”
Gould made 144 appearances for Celtic but, undoubtedly, the 1997/98 season was one of the most important in the club’s history.
The Bhoys stopped Rangers’ bid for ten-in-row and Gould was pivotal for Wim Jansen’s team that season making 23 appearances and starring in wins over the Ibrox club, Aberdeen, Hearts and Hibs.
Gould also played in every minute of Celtic’s League Cup run that season to help clinch two pieces of silverware in an era where trophies were hard to come by.
Where players like Henrik Larsson, Paul Lambert and Craig Burley stole the headlines that season, Gould was pivotal in ensuring Celtic’s original nine-in-a-row record was never bested by our rivals.
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