The latest football book from the ever expanding CQN publishing stable is a long awaited blast from one of the many world class players who were part of the Lisbon Lions of 1967. Celtic’s best ever left back has collaborated with Alex Gordon, a vastly experienced sports writer, to produce a rollicking tale from a football life that was full of adventure, just like Tommy’s own playing style and that of the team that made him famous.
Entitled “All The Best”, the title reflects the fact that Tommy offers these wishes to all his readers, that he is giving of his best in the writing of the book just as he did on the field, with candid comment and surprising views, but, mostly, because Tommy has taken the stable diet of the football memoir- “Who were the best players that you played with and against?”, and taken this to another level
He has listed nine “Best Of” teams in the course of the book: the Lions (of course), Tommy’s best Scotland teammates, the best Celtic players apart from the Lions, a World Football 11 Tommy’s played against, his best teammates from both Nottingham Forest and Dundee, as well as two generations of great Celtic players Tommy has watched as a spectator. There’s even a nod to his time as Albion Rovers’ manager.
Now, those of you used to the lazy format of a football book where not much thought, insight or honesty goes into the exercise, will be very surprised at the level of honesty, brutal in some cases, that goes into the pen pictures of those selected and some who just missed out. Tommy turns an honest spotlight on himself, you find yourself nodding your head in agreement, once you’ve recovered your breath, that is.
For this is a breathless read of a football life lived to the full. The forthright opinions on managers, even those he admired, are very revealing about the amount of dishonesty involved in football. You will be astounded at how these world class football players conducted themselves. If you are expecting to find tales of clean living, utmost professionalism on and off the field, and modern collegiate management, you will be very disappointed in this book. However, if you are looking for searing honesty, interspersed with several hilarious tales, then this is the book for you
It is not the polite memoir of a senior citizen glossing over the bad behaviour of his younger days, it is the “warts and all” tales of a more innocent time, when despite the absence of modern techniques, Scotland managed to rule the world and produce a Golden generation, for a brief period of time. Some of the opinions expressed are candid to the point of scurrilous-ness but the humour that is present in every chapter and every pen picture takes the edge of some of the more boorish behaviour which is recounted. There is no hiding place in sport. Everyone has an opinion and is keen to share it. Add booze to the picture and bad behaviour will inevitably follow,
It is fair to say that, even though I thought I was well acquainted with the details of Tommy’s life and career, there were many incidents that I was hearing about for the first time. Tommy’s description of one of his early team mates at Celtic who made life difficult for him will, first of all, shock you and then have you biting the carpet with laughter. His tale of transfer negotiations with the legendary Jim McLean and with a Ranger’s Director will also have you smiling broadly as Tommy does not miss and hit the wall.
From the Foreword by fellow Lisbon Lion, Bertie Auld, through to the final section, where Tommy fields some cheeky questions from the posters on the Celtic Quick News site, genuine laugh out loud humour is not far from the surface. This is a very funny book and captures the banter that still flows between these football legends.
It is a difficult task to combine such humour with frank honesty and then to maintain readability. In the 12 chapters of the book, you will find details which surprise, shock and amuse you. If you are a Celtic fan of a certain age, you will smile in reminiscence as long forgotten events are re-lived from an insider’s perspective. If you are a football fan at all, you will get an insight into the world of football from the 50s to the 80s from a practitioner and into modern football of the past 3 decades from an informed observer. If you just like to read a good book, this one will make you laugh out loud at many points.
Tommy Gemmell gave all his best for Celtic and Scotland while he played there. He continues to give us all his best in this publication. This is the best football memoir I’ve read in a long time. I am still remembering pieces and chuckling as I type this.
For a short period only you can add to the bundle Tommy is dedicating and signing (below) from the button at the bottom of the page.
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The internet bampots got the SFA/Sevco TV deal out there,amazed the SMSM have picked it up .PL looks culpable here IMO
BRTH,
The amounts paid, are IMHO a sideshow.
Available data suggests Scottish Football broadcasting rights get bought by the TV companies for pennies per viewer, whilst EPL are £s / viewer.
We all know that Dundee Utd vs Hibs is going to attract substantially less viewers than Stoke vs West Brom, but we also know that the production costs are far less, and the proportional payments / viewer look hard to justify.
Whilst this discussion is about money being given to broadcast Sevco games, there is a bigger issue, in that we “subsidise” the massive sums going to EPL, where £250k is literally a drop in the ocean
glendalystonsils
i think you’re spot on
a new club jumped the queue to get into the SFL. One in, one out. Poor old Spartans. They had 3 years accounts, but not 45,000 fans, so unlucky to them.
I also understood that insolvency laws prevent a new company ‘behaving’ like the liquidated company (brand, product etc.) so back to my studies i must go…
Oldtim67
Sorry I cant make it friday as I am away from thurs til sat.had good craic last time in b.v and millenium & bar67.hope you are well.will drop you an e-mail.
HH
An T
Lennybhoy
Yes mhate. Then tonight she caught me watching left click’s Esther rantzen clip at the dinner table! My life increasingly confirms her notion that can is a mentol sect of benign nutters and I’m in deep!
;-)
HH jamesgang
So Doncaster makes sure the huns are catered for ,but play off teams get hee haw TV money, sack him now.
Guys,
I’m not a massive Lawwell fan, but surely we can all acknowledge whatever the final deal which is agreed following these negotiations – the outcome will be reasonably and possibly significantly better with Lawwell, probably assuming the role of chief negotiator.
Lawwell, whether he was within the football industry or not – is a CEO in his own right and would command a 6 figure salary wherever he went.
It must gall him to have to sit within a ‘steering group’ with Neil Doncaster (SPL CEO), Duncan Fraser (Aberdeen FC CEO), Peter Lawwell (Celtic FC CEO) and Kenny Cameron (Inverness Caledonian Thistle Chairman) as his negotiation team.
I mean for anyone else listed within that group, how many could you say the same for?
Surely an initial indication of what negotiations would have been like prior to Peter, is the fact THEY have to travel as a group to the media broadcasters HQ.
Who wants to do what, who is asking who for something and who has the thing to sell??
You can imagine the inferiority complex of the other guys when negotiating with the professional commercial teams within Sky / BT.
Peter is the only one likely to have the chest puffed out and turn the negotiations on their head – because hes the only one proud of the Celtic ‘product’.
He could spin a hundred facts about the pulling and selling factor of Celtic the other guys wouldnt have dreamed of.
Celtic is the only show in town.
All other clubs are there simply be default.
Negotiations will therefore transpire in the only manner they should – but previous never will have.
I for one and glad Peter is in there on this one.
Sandman, guess we’re saddled with it then if others can’t be bothered with our ole pony and trap.
Ah the old petrol driven vacuum is not what it used to be.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jOE_J9DZq4o
Interesting experience today for all foodies.
Bought 3 lamb chops from my local butcher today. They didn’t look fresh, but as the guy was about 70, I didn’t have the heart to walk out his shop. I paid my £3.71 with good grace. I then proceeded to my local halal asian supermarket and bought 5 beautiful, french trimmed fillet chops for c. £4.20, as well as all the other ingredients for my tandoori lamb chop recipe. Sadly, I know where I will be going now, probably once a week. heh ho.
Eyes Wide Open
Spot on.
Gincher,
I went into my local Halal butchers today and asked the guy if he had a sheep’s head and he told me no, it was just the way he parted his hair.
I’ll leave now ;-)
Evening all.
Latest austerity cuts down Govan way – rumour has it that club cars are being withdrawn. As manager, Sally will be the only member of the playing staff to qualify for a car:
http://youtu.be/HHyn9jzNHuE
:-)
is halal not cruel?
the one thing we take from the gospel!
the compassion of Christ.
Ha ha!
Pogmathonyahun aka Laird of the Smiles
20:45 on
20 May, 2014
Gincher,
I went into my local Halal butchers today and asked the guy if he had a sheep’s head and he told me no, it was just the way he parted his hair.
I’ll leave now ;-)
grincher67
was it French trimmed when it was still alive
Bada
game on sky tomorrow night..
Barcabhoy @Barcabhoy1 1 hr
So a league that has no sponsor, decides to subsidise a broadcaster in order to maintain the profile of a single club. Total cost £750,000
pogmathonyahun- VG
I truly hope PL isnt complicit in any of this, I genuinely dont see any reason why we as a club have any need for them or would ever want to see them back. Like many on here I have great memories of doing them over, think I can remember just about every goal and goalscorer against them in the last 35 years, but I definitely dont miss them, and what theyre finding out is not too many other teams are missing them either. A blight on society
Connaire Good luck on Thursday
HH
Gincher67
Back to your studies, good mhan.
Study broadens the mind. For example if Doncaster and co had studied the articles of their own association………………
BT- TV companies showing both games free,no money for clubs involved.Sky tomorrow and BT showing 2nd leg on Sunday mate.Sheer incompetence.
Brogan Rogan Trevino and Hogan supports Oscar Knox, MacKenzie Furniss and anyone else who fights Neuroblastoma
20:03 on
Thanks for the detailed summary of the situation. Of course I know this isn’t a black and white issue and some of the detail was normal buisness practice where contracts are involved, especially where new issues have arisen(Sevco playing at 4th teir grounds eg).
Like you however my concern would be if as you say –
“IF, for any reason, the real details of the TV deal was witheld from the clubs ( as has been suggested ) then there is something very serious here to answer.
There needs to be a clear timeline and a full paperchase.” –
I am worried that this inducement to the TV companies was in effect a way of sustaining the Sevco brand as it made it’s way through the divisions.
It would genuinly break my heart if Celtic were complicite in this.
Shocking bada, the spfl as incompetent as its predecessor.
Aye, 4 years at one of Scotland’s ancient universities and 3 years to gain a Royal Charter should be enough. but no….
glendalystonsils
20:54 on
20 May, 2014
Gincher67
Back to your studies, good mhan.
Study broadens the mind. For example if Doncaster and co had studied the articles of their own association………………
westcraigs
20:46 on 20 May, 2014
Whit ….???????? ……. Hahahahaha
See the story posted earlier about Yaya Toure about wanting away from Man City cause he was disrespected on his birthday by the club…… was that a wind up or is it for real?
If real that is incredible .
Wanting a move coz noone shook his hand on his birthday!!!!
How much away from reality are these people?
Gincher67,
Each to their own and financially you got a great deal which I would never dream of criticising.
Personally though I think medieval methods and traditions for killing animals have no place in this day and age.
It does seem unknowingly though that I have participated in this practise.
HH.
Burgh
It’s on all the tv stations and website
Clearly his agent is trying to get him moved on
I think they are doing a tevez … To get the club to get rid for a fraction of his real value
They’ll be deid (again) before the postcards.
Gincher67
Cheer up mate> Just think, when you finally finish your studies you’ll be able to walk into any Lollipop man (sorry, school crossing attendant) job in the country!
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BoEeLNXCMAA42lO.jpg
burghbhoy
20:59 on20 May, 2014
Are you insinuating that I would create a phoney newspaper article or modify an existing one ?
HH
Maybe the black & red XXL Sevco shirt the “XXL” is Roman numeral, which would make it a more appropriate Size 480?
Don’t put a stamp on the postcard
Cost to Sevco
7 written in Crayon already
Glendalyatonsils
Hi there mhate, I am talking of 2 seperate and unique corporate identities.
Identity1- the 9minuters, the club chaired and davie murray which went skydiving in fincial terms without a parachute, taking all but 9minutes to end their 140 years of bile bigotry and inglorious history..
It happened…anything thereafter is questionable.
Identity2-Sevco scotland/rifc were then accepted into our league.not demoted.not relegated.not kicked down there,
Those of a squinty dispostion cling onto myths and media propoganda taking there lead from the 5way fraud which magics away all corporate and financial law.but we know the motto of the clubs playin
Out of the deludodome has went from aye ready to aye ‘but’.
eyes wide open- I don’t agree my friend.PL was instremental in the post Oldco TV deal.He is on the SPFL Board.He knew the deal with BT and the huns,he must have.All other clubs lose more money to feed the vermin,why? HH
Sorry glen hit post there quickly
Top moniker btw.i have yet to impersonate
Glen daly without loosing my voice :-))
HH