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Peirre Van Hooijdonk made his Celtic debut on 11 January 1995 in a
league match against Hearts at Hampden Park. The big striker made an
instant impact for his new team by scoring a stunning opening goal.
Alas, Hearts went on to equalise and the game finished 1–1. However, Van
Hooijdonk settled quickly at Celtic and he became an instant favourite
with the fans. When Van Hooijdonk arrived at Celtic they had not won any
trophies in six years. However with Van Hooijdonk Celtic won the
Scottish Cup right away and Van Hooijdonk was the only goalscorer in the
final against Airdire in May 1995. The following season, 1995–96, saw
Van Hooijdonk in outstanding form for Celtic. He scored 32 goals,
including 26 in the League which saw him finish top scorer. Of
particular note was Van Hooijdonk's prowess at scoring from free kicks.
However, despite Van Hooijdonk's goals and the attractive football being
played by manager Tommy Burns' side, Celtic still finished the season
without any silverware. Van Hooijdonk's last season at Celtic, 1996–97,
was an unhappy time for both the player and the club. A row with the
Celtic chairman/owner, Fergus McCann, would rumble on through the year
and as a result he often ended up on the substitute bench. The manager
of the Dutch national team Guus Hiddink told him he would not be
selected for the national team as long as he was not a regular first
team player at Celtic.
In total Van Hooijdonk scored 52 goals for
Celtic in 84 appearances. He eventually left Celtic over a wage dispute
towards the end of the 1996–97 season, stating that the reputed £7,000 a
week rise he was being offered might be "good enough for the homeless"
to live on "but not for an international striker."[4] He went on to join
Nottingham Forest in a deal worth up to £4.5 million.
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