FORMER Celtic executive David Hay told an industrial tribunal yesterday how he was sacked only weeks after giving a warning to Fergus McCann about problems at the club.

Mr Hay said he told the club's chief executive about problems between Jock Brown and Wim Jansen who had both recently arrived at Parkhead.

He also revealed how penny-pinching the club has been towards him by asking for money back on two 1997/98 season tickets he was allowed to buy at a discount while still employed there.

Mr Hay was sacked from Celtic last October after a dispute about his wages.

He is claiming unfair dismissal and breach of contract. He had been involved with the club for 17 years as a player, chief scout, and manager.

He told the tribunal in Glasgow that after getting nowhere in wage discussions with Mr Brown, the club's general manager, he went to see Mr McCann.

But his discussion with Mr McCann strayed away from his own personal position into a wider debate about the club.

Mr Hay told the tribunal: ''I went to see Fergus McCann because I felt I was getting nowhere with Jock Brown. He had never come back to me.

''But what actually happened there with Mr McCann was that it became a deeper discussion.

''I told him I felt it wasn't working between Jock Brown, the general manager, and Wim Jansen, the coach.''

Mr Hay then said about his wages: ''McCann said 'Leave it with me' and then when I went back to him he said Jock Brown would deal with it.''

Mr Hay then told how a few weeks before his dismissal he said to Mr Brown: ''I don't think you want me here and if that is the situation why don't you come up with a solution.

''I never said I wanted to go. The feeling I got was that Jock Brown wanted me to go.''

Mr Hay accepted that before Mr Brown had gone to the Celtic board to see what they would offer to terminate his contract that there could be difficulty if the figure was not acceptable.

He said the general manager ''more or less'' said that: ''This could be difficult and your employment could be at risk and you might have to go''.

Asked whether he wanted to leave Celtic he said: ''No''. Asked whether he thought he might have to leave, he again replied: ''No''.

He rejected allegations of refusing instructions from Mr Brown or refusing to work from the office he shared with the general manager.

Mr Hay also said that he did not regard that his relationship with Mr Brown had broken down and said that no disciplinary procedure had ever been taken against him.

He also said that the he still did not know how Celtic had arrived at the #16,500 termination figure.

Asked what he thought about the figure, he said: ''I just thought it was an insult and I just wouldn't accept it.''

He told the tribunal that he did not realise he had been sacked and turned up at Celtic Park the next day and met Wim Jansen and Murdo McLeod who said they had been told by Mr Brown: ''Davie has left.''

Mr Hay said: ''I said no, I haven't and Wim asked me to watch Rangers play next day on the Saturday for a match report.''

He further explained that when he went back to Celtic Park on the Monday he was told by Jock Brown that he was sacked.

He then cleared his personal effects in front of Mr Brown, including scouting records which sat on his desk in the office he shared with Mr Brown.

When the general manager gave evidence at the tribunal he expressed surprise at the lack of scouting records, Mr Hay said: ''Jock Brown actually saw me taking them away.''

Asked if he had ever been asked to return records before, he replied: ''Never before in my football management career.''

He also explained that a lot of scouting and match analysis reports were given verbally and that there was not a lot on paper anyway.

Asked why he eventually returned the records, after Mr Brown had sent a lawyer's letter, Mr Hay explained: ''I thought it was the best thing to do.''

He handed the records to a security officer at Parkhead at night. He denied that his actions were ''sinister''.

''I did not want to exploit any problems and as there was a lot of press interest I wanted to be as discreet as possible.

''Jock Brown had made such a big issue of it.''

Mr Hay also denied that he had breached a ''confidentiality'' clause in his contract by giving information to newspapers and denied receiving payment for any exclusive stories about his sacking.

Asked if it was not foolish not to have had a more watertight contract with Celtic, Mr Hay replied: ''I've done some foolish things in my footballing career.''

Then asked if he was proud to have worked with the club he said: ''That was the basis of why I was happy to work at Celtic.

''I have always regarded it as an honour in my position as a player, scout and manager, Celtic has always been a special club to me.''

He explained that when he became assistant general manager to Mr Brown he did not push on his salary and conditions because there were a lot of problems at the club and ''went along'' with the situation ''for the good of Celtic''.

He said that his demand for a salary of #75,000 was in part based on reports he heard that Mr Brown was earning #120,000 as general manager and because he had been paid #90,000 as interim football manager before the arrival of Jansen and Brown.

He did not accept that the offer of #50,000 as assistant general manager was adequate as he had been paid #45,000 as chief scout and had not had a rise for three years.

The tribunal continues tomorrow.