We have Tommy Gemmell on the blog from 13:00 this afternoon. He will introduce himself in the comments section and be available for a ‘chat’ and questions.
Pat Woods, one of Celtic’s finest historians, sent me this excerpt from his book, Celtic, Pride and Passion:
“Although there was no formal award at the time to mark his performance, Tommy Gemmell, memorably described by Geoffrey Green in The Times (London) as “A big blond cat set among the Italian pigeons ‘, was widely regarded as the man of the match of the 1967 European Cup Final.
The continental journalists were particularly effusive, amazed as they were by the stamina, energy, determination and shooting power he displayed as he continually surged forward into attack.
Jean Cornu of L’Equipe, the most prestigious sports paper of them all, described Tommy as ‘The executioner of Inter, the man who smashed their defensive screen’, while the correspondent of the Swiss newspaper Gazette de Lausanne singled him out as the symbol of his assertion that Celtic’s display had rehabilitated football’s image and its honour.
Noting the delight on Gemmell’s face after the final whistle as the full back, With Sandro Mazzola’s ‘swap’ shirt draped over his shoulders, celebrated on the pitch, the correspondent wrote: ‘His smile was the smile on the face of the whole of football, that of real attacking football in all that world, conquering passion and conviction which we have come to love so much’.”
Tommy was in every sense a modern footballer, capable of playing with either foot, he had the kind of engine players of the 60s just didn’t possess. This gave him range, which combined with speed and a legendary shooting ability made him one of the genuine world class footballers in Jock Stein’s armoury. At the very peak of European football, the only occasion when a collection of players from the one local area became champions of Europe, Tommy Gemmell made the stage his own.
Best wishes to Danny McGrain, another of Celtic’s legendary full backs, who is recovering from a minor heart attack. We don’t know how lucky we are to have Danny on the training ground and in the dressing room with the first team players.
Today, Tommy Gemmell releases his autobiography, ‘All the best’, a fresh work, written with his friend of 50 years, Alex Gordon, which examines his life and times, in particular during that unique period in the history of sport in this country, when Celtic cast an enormous shadow over European football. It is a fantastic read, full of inspirational recollections and anecdotes.
You can order a copy signed by the man himself below. Remember to tune in from 13:00 today with questions, comments and stories for Tommy – and if you ask him about his European Cup Final goal, remember to tell him if you’re referring to the Lisbon or Milan Final!
This is what blogs were made for. Fill your boots and wallow in some unabashed Celtic glory. The stage is yours once more, Tommy.
[calameo code=0003901717b11f6e50af4 lang=en page=40 hidelinks=1 width=100% height=500]Tommy Gemmell: All the Best:
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Mr Gemmell thanks for your time today and the memories of when you graced the hoops. Also for taking the time to say a few words to me when you were leaving cqten.
Who was the most underrated player in the lions squad and who did you think was the most underrated player outwith any celtic player at that time.
Hail Hail Legend.
Tommy G,
Who was the best player you ever came up against?
HH
TG…”I would LET him do it…”
I wonder what the wee man would have said about that lol?
Tommy I heard a few stories from your Craigneuk days. You were a legend before you even pulled on the hoops.
Tommy why are you so good ? ;-)
HH
WC/BRTH
I would have been astonished if any poster on CQN felt the need to vent their spleen to Mr Gemmell personally. That doesn’t mean that as Celtic supporters we don’t have a right to be critical of the MSM coverage and the decision to serealise Tommy’s book in a newspaper which has consistently slated us and our club for decades.
That you would have considered ‘pulling’ the interview, I find surprising and very disappointing.
LUNCHTIME QUIZ
Anyone who wants a signed copy of Tommy Gemmell – All the Best with a personal message added by The Big Shot – can email me with your message and Tommy has promised to write these for CQN this weekend. This opportunity is only available for today.
The email address is david@CQNMagazine.com
gearoid 1998
Why was I so good? Thanks a lot!
It was all down to hard work. When I went onto the field I knew I had to give jot everything for the entire match.
If I didn’t do that, I knew I would be cheating the fans. No-one at Celtic ever did that.
We were all very much aware of what those supporters meant to the club.
bournesouprecipe
13:20 on
16 May, 2014
Daily Record 25/05/67
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Many years later I remember going to the Mitchell Library to look at the papers on 26 May 1967. Guess what? The front pages had all been destroyed. Wonder how that could have happened.
Tommy – many thanks!
Thindimebhoy
If you were at St Peter’s in 1967 I must have a fair idea of who you are — albeit you will be a couple of years older than me!
HH
BRTH
Just in to say HailHail to mr Tommy Gemmell
Affoot
Hi Tommy,
Great to see you taking the time out for a Q&A session. Obviously you will be bombarded with Celtic related questions, so I’m going to go off topic!
My local team Albion Rovers, who you also have an affinity with.
1. Do you think the ideas John Devlin (and others) have brought to the club with the “pay-what you can afford” could be the start of some sort of revolution in the game as a whole?
2. Do you think it would bring more identity to the club if they incorporated the name Coatbridge in the team name? ie Coatbridge Albion, Coatbridge Rovers, Coatbridge Albion Rovers? I firmly believe this would bring a bit more pride into the team from local people.
Thanks for your time.
Moonbeams WD. Wee Oscar’s our Bhoy and Kano’s our mhan.
12:45 on 16 May, 2014
DBBIA
Is say you were correct except that I’m no a hunner % sure on the ole god/angel thing just yet. Although having said that Wee Oscar has brought me closer to that hypothesis once again as the wee fella could only have been an Angel amongst us for all the good he brought out in people.
MWD
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That makes me very happy, only God knows how much. The Big Man Loves incredible people like you now, just like he did when you weren’t sure of him.
Oscar and his Massive Thumbs up, that is all I can see now.
petec says yes, ya dancer.
Rhythym is a Dancer.
Hail Hail
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Tommy G – you were just before my Time but how do you rate Adam, Mikael and Emilio. Get well soon Daniel.
HRvatski Tim- presumably they were kept in the same place as the footage of 10 men winning the league…
LUNCHTIME QUIZ (again)
So, we know that Izzy, Big Frazer, Efe, Tom Rogic and soon-to-be-ex-celt Gorgios picked in their country’s 2014 World Cup squads.
Which four players were selected for their country’s 2010 World Cup squad whilst playing for Celtic?
Tommy, same rules apply to Lhegends. No google (et al, as you’d only be cheating yourself)
bigrailroadblues
Hail! Hail! to you, too.
Yes, booting the West German player up the backside wasn’t my proudest moment in football, but, sadly, everyone seems to remember it!
Actually, it was a World Cup-tie in Hamburg and we were losing 3-2 with only a few minutes to go.
If we had got a draw there was still a chance of reaching the finals in Mexico in 1970.
I came racing through to the edge of the box into my favourite shooting position.
I was about to let fly when a bloke called Helmut Haller tripped me.
I was raging and my mood didn’t get any better when I realised the referee wasn’t going to award us a free-kick.
I just saw red. I chased after Haller and booted him into the air. I didn’t bother arguing with the ref when he sent me off.
Even Perry Mason wouldn’t have been able to get me off with that foul!
Yeah Brth
I lived across from the school at number 14 on Stewartville St top flat it was a case of roll out of bed and into school loved my days there as a kid
Braffheid, N’Guemo, Sammy, Izzy?
Tam
who do you fancy in the big race at York today?
I’ll back your pic, legend..
IGC
Braafheid, Ki, Cha & Sammi
an tearmann
I was delighted to score in two European Cup Finals, but, unfortunately, we only won one of those games.
Actually, I cover that quite extensively in the book because one of the most asked questions is what went wrong in Milan in 1970 against Feyenoord.
Helmut Haller, sadly, is no longer with us.
He passed away a year ago and I actually wrote a eulogy to him.
HT you have mail
I’ll replace Braafheid with Izzy
the honest mistake loves being first
I would like to think Celtic would score one more goal than the opposition.
As they say, there is no ‘i’ in team.
I would have much preferred not to have scored against Feyenoord and Celtic won the trophy.
I was never in the game for personal glory.
Celtic always came first.
Tommy,
An honour to have you on here, you seem to have missed my questions though ;-(
Q.1 Did the club ultimately underachieve in Europe from 66-74 and should we have had another 2/3 European trophies.
Q.2 What went so wrong in Budapest in 1964 and the Milan Final in 1970
Q.3 You left the club at 28, did you feel you still had your best years ahead of you in the Hoops?
Tommy,
Firstly, thanks for providing so many great memories. Your goal v Benfica at Celtic Park is a special favourite of mine.
You exchanged posts some jovial posts earlier with bournesouprecipe regarding the milk boy who shouted some unkind things through your letterbox. However, you will of course recall the Rangers end in unison questioning your parentage in many an encounter with that club (now in liquidation).
Any reason why they singled you out?
Also, I asked the question back in February but cannot recall the response – you kept goal twice (both clean sheets!) at Shawfield and against Ayr United at Hampden when Ronnie had to go off injured – did you happen to draw the short straw or did you have a secret desire to keep goal?
Thanks,
All the best!
Tommy
1. Do you as an x-Celt advocate the return of Rangers (I’ll afford them that name today to save your blushes with the MSM likely looking in) ASAP and do you miss the fact that these games are no longer on the footballing calendar?
2. What was your favourite Celtic derby match you played in? (Please note I’ll accept Thistle or QP games too).
MWD
A wee word here for the CQN boys.
As everyone knows, I am a celtic supporter and so, too, are the lads such as David, Jim, Paul and Tony.
I’ve been hugely impressed by the support they have given me and they backed the idea of the book right from the very start.
That was greatly appreciated.
They are true Celtic men and it was a pleasure to deal with them.
BRTH, any luck with the JF painting?
Hrvatski/Justafan
Hail Hail to the ole Victory in Europe.
Tommy Gemmell Celtic Legend CSC
lovejoysalegend
There have been so many player I have enjoyed playing in the hoops.
Henrik Larsson is right up there with the best of them.
Would he have got into the Lisbon line-up? That’s up for debate and we’ll never know, but he was a first class professional and he was a great club man.
I likes Lubo, too. What a skilful player, one of the best two-footed performers I have ever witnessed.
To be honest, though, there are just so many when you look at the teams down through the years.
So many have been a credit to a greater football club.
Landry Nguemo (Cameroon), Ki Sung Yeung (South Korea), Georgios Samaras (Greece), and Edson Braafheid (Netherlands)
Sadly no winners this time but maybe SFtheBs and AlbertKidd should think about teaming up next time.
ACGR
Of course — have you no effing Faith? Lol
Even had a wee message this morning about getting it signed and have thought of a way of doing that even if you are away.
Painting is framed and glassed in the boot of my car as we speak.
I went out to see Artbhoy who did it specially — took him ten minutes!
Then I started to tell him a story so left an hour and a half later!!!
big wavy has a point, this place used to be about truth… or at least the best efforts at the pursuit of truth, or I thought that was the whole point in Paul67 setting up the blog or maybe I’m mistaken… used to be a place where rumours were highlighted as rumours where opinions were never accepted as fact and where announcements were ridiculed unless there was a named source and when the announcement turned out to be a crock of brown it was highlighted as such.
Now I don’t know.
I say bring on Mo Johnstone, lets hear his side of his story. Well we had Pat tells us all how he was such a nice guy and he was duped. He was duped.
maestro-number8
I’ve got a sad little story about the match jerseys I picked up on the Lisbon run.
I kept them all, Zurich, Nantes, Vojvodina Novi Sad, Dukla Prague and Inter Milan, but, unfortunately, only the Inter jersey from Sandro Mazzola survived.
I kept them, mud and all, in a cupboard and my wife Mary decided to wash them one day.
Alas, the dial on the machine wasn’t set properly and the shirts came out about half their size!
They would have been to small for Jinky!
So, I’m afraid I don’t have too many mementoes of that wonderful run.
IGC
What about Izzy and Cha?
I go off the blog for a few days and come back to AND GEMMELL WAS OUR MAN answering questions. ;-) ;-)
What a fantastic experience.
Thanks David,Jim,Paul and Tony.
And a few hours to go.
Thanks Tommy
HH