Celtic will forever be thankful for Coventry City exploits in 2001: View

John Hartson enjoyed a fantastic five-year spell with Scottish giants Celtic between 2001 and 2006, and the Hoops have Coventry City to thank for that.

After leaving Wimbledon in 2001, the Welsh striker joined the Sky Blues on a pay-as-you-play deal, and he performed admirably for the Highfield Road-based outfit.

With Coventry battling relegation from the Premier League, Hartson scored six times in 12 games for the club, but was unable to keep the Sky Blues in the Premier League, and they were relegated after finishing 19th in the league.

Hartson’s excellent performances in a poor side brought interest from other clubs, and aided by the Sky Blues’ relegation, the Scottish giants were able to swoop to sign the striker in the summer of 2001 for a fee of £6million.

Had Coventry City remained in the Premier League, Celtic may not have been able to sign Hartson, and the Scottish side really have the Sky Blues’ relegation to thank for being able to sign the Welshman.

John Hartson performed admirably in a struggling side at Coventry City

John Hartson had spent the first half of the 2000/01 season at First Division side Wimbledon after the Dons had been relegated to the second tier of English football at the end of the 1999/00 season.

It was clear that Hartson was a Premier League player, and wanted to return to the top-flight of English football, and he got his wish with a move to Coventry City in 2001.

As he had signed a pay-as-you-play deal, it was a risk for Hartson as it meant that he wasn’t guaranteed a wage, but it showed how desperate he was to play Premier League football.

It proved the right call too, as he scored six times in 12 Premier League games, one every other game, and that was playing in a side that finished second bottom of the league, too.

Had Hartson spent the whole season at Highfield Road, he could have kept them up, and it was just a shame that he joined the club so late in the season.

However, any chance of playing in the First Division with the Sky Blues soon evaporated when Celtic offered £6million for him. Not a bad sum of money for Coventry considering he’d only joined the club a couple of months prior.

Coventry City’s relegation helped Celtic find a club legend

It was clear that John Hartson wanted to play elite level football, so when Celtic came in for him in the summer of 2001, he left Coventry City to move to Parkhead.

During the next five years, the Swansea-born striker became a club legend at Celtic, helping the club win three SPL titles, two Scottish Cups, and a Scottish League Cup.

He was also incredibly prolific in front of goal, scoring an incredible 105 goals in 194 appearances, and he’s still loved by the Celtic supporters to this day.

Over his five-year stay at Parkhead, he scored an average of 21 goals per season, and it’s easy to see why he’s regarded a modern-day Celtic legend.

The Hoops have Coventry City’s relegation to thank for signing Hartson in 2001, and given his form north of the border, there must have been plenty of Premier League sides kicking themselves for not signing the big Welshman when they had the chance.