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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winning captains
It’s imperative we send him a truck load of pies to keep his mind on the job he is doing so badly!
Vive Le Pie..
BT
Make sure VP gets a signed copy
Love
blantyretim is praying for the Knox family
23:09 on 20 May, 2014
Keep the best Lion book to last then?
HH
CRC
squire danaher: The next week I was living in Arizona … *laugh*
Gary, agree with you about Watt.
ET, but they were liquidated! So much for masons, protection etc. How are Fiorentina now defined in Italy I wonder? Were there debates about history etc?
Well, I hope you stick with it ET but it is your choice.
Good night everyone.
TET,
no bother mucker no damage done
Sipsini
Grand to meet you too pal.
I’ll have to give Stirling a miss this weekend. My wee son likes to wear his cross outside his top and God only knows what would be said. He’s 9 and doesn’t get bigotry. Long may that continue. Long may FOD FC be deid.
HH jamesgang
Eddieinkirkmichael
You are speaking subjectively and have allowed personal emotion to cloud your opinion somewhat.
The guys in the suits from London couldn’t give a hoot about any other club in the SPL – their own supporters barely can judging by cup final attendances.
Take Celtic out of the equation and you’d be left with Irish FA type coverage, but with maybe half a dozen games shown per season.
Their only interest pre liquidation was the ‘OF’ (can’t say it won’t say it) package, which was why regretfully everything we did came as a pair.
Now thankfully their is no OF its all Celtic (until their corpse returns when they will gee the battle up again for tgeur own self serving interests)
This whole TV thing is v weird.
JFs blog was excellent in summary but it threw up questions in my mind largely because I have no idea how such contracts work.
Things I think I understand…
TV companies wanted to pay less for an assumed less attractive offering
TV companies encouraged to show RIFC matches on assumed market interest
SFA/SPL was fearful of a financial crisis
Things I think I don’t understand…
A contract specifically GUARANTEEING minimum 4 Glasgow derbies
Things I know are crazy…
End of season game Hibs v Killie, NOT SHOWN LIVE as contracted transmissions had been fulfilled. TV companies wanted a fee free tranmission
End of season games Hibs v Accies (x2) SHOWN live on a fee free transmission
The PROVIDER pays the CLIENT £250k to transmit games NOT of the primary product.
OK as the great man said….
“A child of five would understand this. Send someone for a child of five”
GrouchoMarxCSC
They showed the Lions on tonights news but I was struggling to identify the chap on the left next to Lennox.
Emdae????
ttt
I cancelled Sky a few years ago, wouldn’t dream of paying for another sub.
Aye, when it’s too late I expect the support to take action, but sadly by then it will be too late.
BT
Knowing the truth is all very well, still disny help tho, they are still shafting us every which way.
The thing that sticks in the craw more than anything is the theft of millions from our club,and had it not been for the bhoys who brought up Res 12, the club would have said and done feck all.
Where in the world would a company just accept crap like that ?
It’s not as if we are asking for preferential treatment like they get, a level playing field, that’s all, yet we have no chance of anything remotely close to getting one.
If he writes a a book, I will buy it >}
HH
TET
You mentioned a Real Madrid supporter you know over there.
He’ll be feeling the pressure now that Atletico have taken La Liga, and could go on to a historic double, depriving his team of ‘la decima’ at the same time.
Anyway, I hope they both put on a good show for the Lions in attendance. They entertained to the max in their Lisbon final, and deserve to be similarly entertained on Saturday.
TET,
I understand where your coming from, they will always have the cabal bending rules or just blatantly breaking them.
As you say there seems no end to it.
Personally, I think they may struggle this season and if they do, it will set them further back.
The impression I get from huns in the work (not that they speak to me about their reincarnation) is, they are pissed off with watching a crap team and want Sally to gtf.
That is the reason thems are not renewing sb’s, the king facade is being used as an excuse.
They are drifting away as they did in the eighties, the only way they will return is if a sheik yermunny rich Arab bails them out…Thems can but dream.HH
MLS — America’s top level football league — have in the past paid broadcasters to carry their matches. The only way it would make sense is if the league either 1) used it to build public awareness of the league, or 2) if the league sold the advert space in the broadcast (pre-match, halftime or post-match).
1 is not the reason for the Regan/Doncaster scheme as, obviously, football is well known in Scotland. (Obvious, I know.)
2 is not the reason either, as obviously neither of those goofballs is capable of selling adverts or sponsorships as if they were the league would actually have a sponsor.
We all know what the only other reason would be …
Night bhoys
KTF
and if you want a membership contacr crc….8)
It is strange to think about how much the slime club irritated me. I have no interest in ever seeing them again. Death becomes them.
Asked much earlier…
Emdae know how our ST sales are getting on compared to last year?
beatbhoy
Most of the people here are Real supporters, they would outnumber the others by 10 to 1.
They are as confident as hell, I think AM will surprise them tho, I hope so anyways, come what may it will be a decent game with both teams going for it I reckon.
I am in the forgive AM camp, I hope they stuff Real, if they do there will be much wailing and much tears, a sight to behold seeing grown men bubblin and greetin when they lose, they all feck off home, take off their Real tops and back to the bar different people, weird so it is >}
HH
TET,
They are not”Untouchable”.They were liquidated.They are facing the prospect of Admin,at least,again.No one can help them.No SFA,SPL,bent referee,because the many problems that the hun face now,really are,insurmountable.It all comes down to cash.They have none,they have no way of getting it,and the people running that club at the moment,Hedge Funds,could not give a monkeys about “Ra peepul,Masons,Lodges”.
Stay chilled and watch them implode.There is no other outcome.
HAIL HAIL.
Justafan
I saw this earlier, but not sure how accurate it is.
http://www.talkceltic.net/forum/showthread.php?t=141970
jude2005
That’s Willie Wallace – seen earlier today in Dunblane!
Justafan.
I’m hoping to get up to Celtic park and renew my book and my bhoys tomorrow, if not defos Friday, I’ll ask when I’m up and let you know.
Tailendcharliecfc
sipsini
It’s just a case of wait see what happens.
I dream of seeing them back to early 80s, but times have changed, too much money involved these days, and the bigot pound is as good as anyone elses to a money man, and they have pleanty.
I just wanta semblance of a level playing field, I honestly don’t think that is too much to wish for.
Maybes my young fella will see it, cos I would wager I won’t
HH
Sleep well Timland, hopefully wake up a tad more positive, doubt it tho >}
Take care and god bless.
HH
vikes are going nowhere, browns all the way.
sipsini…
Thanks. My ST renews automatically.
I really hope we manage to keep above 40k. It was great there were more sold for last season than the one previous although of course the tickets were appreciably cheaper.
Turkeybhoy
I wish I had your faith mi amigo.
We will see >}
HH
Back in quickly(perhaps not a wise remark to make).
Just been on the don’t shrink tony site again and had a longer look around. Very good it is too with a lot of laughs. Best wishes to Tony and family.
Offski.
TET
Sounds as if you’re looking to enjoy a bit of Schadenfreude on Saturday then!
I can’t forget how much I willed Bayern to beat AM in that 1974 final. Only Celtic goals have been celebrated more by me than big Georg Schwarzenbeck’s last minute equaliser to deprive them of the Big Cup!
And Justice was served in the replay.
THE EXILED TIM 22:14 on 20 May, 2014
Evening Timland from a very warm hun free mountain valley.
……………………………
If you jump how can you keep the mountain hun free. You’ll lose your touch, then you’ll be selling leather goods one day and the punter will be wearing one of their tops.
KTF
Enjoy a great band and songhttp://youtu.be/MPzJWd-PJ48
Try again http://youtu.be/MPzJWd-PJ48
Popt into hun media…ano…anyways there’s a thread on watty doing a Q&A in the louden.
A poster asked…Why did you run, when things got tough when you were the chairman. Ouch
Now this hun isn’t a newbee…thems are beginning to realise things are getting worse and don’t see it getting any better.
I’ve witnessed heated arguments between them in work….divide and conquer…hahaha
Bedtime with a smile.
leftclicktic:
Now I know you don’t read my posts. Take a wee look at… this. There are a few other links on that page that are worth watching too.
Here’s Rod the Mod god bless him http://youtu.be/jZwT9vBUZOU
sipsini
WS’s answer would be full of how he stood on his dignity as a legned.
HH
I’m looking for a couple of links that were posted in the last couple of days.
SFA Giving Sevco a hand by “sponsoring” them by televising their games.
and a Japanese TV show which saw the host belting oot’ a rebel song.
I was a wee bit the worse for wear and I can’t find them after scrolling back through the pages.
Anyone help?
I seem to remember Morrissey had something to do with the latter.
setting free the bears supports res. 12 & oscar knox
23:09 on 20 May, 2014
Diego 10, if it is still around. If not you can enjoy a bag of chips next door in The Tivoli.
Boab1888
Great quality sound on a great track.
There’s a few on that Southern Harmony and Musical Companion album.
But that’s the standout.
Great when a band can do it live too.