The 1996-97 season was the 103rd season of competitive football by Celtic.
Celtic finished the League second to Rangers same as the previous season; despite getting more points than their rivals against the rest of the teams in the league, they lost all four Old Firm derbies to end five points off the Govan club, equaling Celtic's 1966-74 record of nine-in-a-row league titles.
Manager and former player Tommy Burns was sacked shortly after losing the Scottish Cup semi-final to Falkirk, and Billy Stark finished the season as caretaker. It was the second season in a row with no major honours for the Glasgow club, and the ninth in a row in which they failed to win the League.
Pre-season and friendlies
Season summary Once again, the season saw a very close title race between the two Old Firm teams. Celtic consistently remained second, only topping the table for a few days at the start of November, but stayed hot on the heels of Rangers, usually only being a couple of points behind them, and sometimes only by goal difference. However, points dropped on consecutive weekends in late November and early December saw the gap increase. Both sides endured turbulent runs of form in March, the pressure of the "Nine In A Row" - one seeking to achieve it, the other stopping it - telling. Following a 1-0 victory at Celtic Park during the final meeting of the two that season Rangers pulled decisively ahead in the title race, and this led to the dismissal of manager Tommy Burns three games before the end of the season.
Competitions
Scottish Premier Division
League table
Results by round
Matches
Scottish League Cup
Scottish Cup
UEFA Cup
Statistics
Disciplinary record Includes all competitive matches. Players listed below made at least one appearance for Celtic first squad during the season.
Transfers
Transfers in
Total spending: £8.85 million
Players out
Total income: £3.22 million
References
See also List of Celtic F.C. seasons