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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Kitalba
Can I ask which point you are referring to and with all due respect to what was said earlier where has there been a lack of truth?
kit…
What a suggestion…even in jest!
LOL
Kit he would be ready to answer questions at 1pm then at last moment switch to follow follow
Kit alba your first and last paragraphs contradict each other. You want he truth but only your accepted abridged version of the truth?
Thanks Tommy for your reply.
Tommy…
Danny Kaye, compliment or insult?
BRTH
I won’t be in a position to access it until later so please don’t consider a non reply as rudeness :-)
Hi Tommy, privilege to get to talk to you. Outwith talking about football, do you have words of advice for younger people?
Tommy Gemmell
I have had the privilege of supporting Celtic since the early 1960s was fortunate enough to see Jock’s great team many many times.
Question;
Within a period of a month or so in 1967 you not only played for Scotland, (along with Ronnie, Bobby and Willie) in defeating England at Wembley you played for Celtic at Lisbon. With Big Jock at the helm do you think the Lisbon Lions could have beaten Alf Ramsey’s England at that time?
hi tommy,too young to have seen the lions but my da said when tam gemmel hit a ball ye could see sparks comin aff it,thanks tommy for all the joy u brought to ma wee da,god bless sir an hail hail
Tommy.
Firstly a very warm welcome back to Cqn.
Secondly, we all know that you are the greatest left back EVER.! Who, in your opinion, was the second best.?
Paolo Maldini, Roberto Carlos, …?
HH!!
Good afternoon Tommy, I hope you are well and thanks for giving us your time today.
My question – did you ever play alongside Billy Price in the early 60’s and if so, how did you rate him as a player? Billy was my dads cousin and the reason I was introduced to Celtic in the first place. I don’t really remember Billy playing as I was only 4 or 5 at the time.
Hail Hail
Tommy, same thing happened to me. I met Jinky one night in a nightclub, (hard to believe Jinky in a nightclub i know) so I got him to sign my T-shirt. next day I rushes home from work all excited, “wheres that t-shirt I had on last night” i said barely through the door. You’ve guessed her reply, “in the wash”!!!
WOMEN EH!
HT not a problem lol — I have just sent another one actually.
Set free the bears
Izzy signed for Celtic after the 2010 World Cup (18 August)
Same with Cha Du-ri; he played his 50th game for South Korea in a defeat to Uruguay on 26 June 2010. He had a medical in Glasgow four days later, eventually signing after a work permit was granted.
a ceiler goneof rust
Within an instant of the ball hitting the net, I knew Celtic were about to achieve something special.
My goal has often been termed the most significant in the club’s history and I take that as a massive compliment.
We knew it was going to take something special to beat Sarti that day. He was having a stormer and it looked like being one of those days.
Funnily enough, he was seen as a bit of weak link, but, in reality, that was his fourth European Final, so he had more experience than most of the players on the pitch that day.
He had played in two Finals for Fiorentina and that was his second for Inter.
That was as good a display from a keeper that I have ever witnessed. Thankfully, I couldn’t have hit that shot any sweeter.
I met the keeper a few years later when I was on holiday. He told me he thought it was a goal as soon as my shot left my boot.
Mind you, he tried his damndest to keep it out, didn’t he?
Yes, I will always have great pride on what we achieved in Lisbon. That will never go away.
The name Harry McCrory rings a bell, but I think I’ve met millions of Celtic fans over the years.
One guy introduced himself to me not that long ago and told me he was on the pitch at Lisbon and did I recognise him?
I said, ‘Yes’ and I think I made his day!
No idea where kevjungle goes on a day out. He can get in touch any time he likes if he gets his round in!
-You want answers?
-I think I’m entitled to.
-You want answers?
-I want the truth!
-You can’t handle the truth!
DBBIA/SemperFiCSC
Tommy Gemmell:
Do you believe the Celtic Support were paranoid and were you really a Motherwell supporter?
Tommy Gemmell
Loved watching you play for the Celts.
Seem to remember there was a period when each game we were waiting to see you do a backheel to a team-mate. And the cheers would go up.
My question is to do with our young players;
Can the cavalier swagger you brought onto the pitch be taught or is the abillity to impose your personality in that manner something that’s there or not?
Thanks for the wonderful memories.
Tommy Q2.
How did it feel to win the 1973 Scottish Cup by beating Celtic?
Bittersweet or just sweet?
Tommy, my Dad insists, notwithstanding the result in the final, we were a stronger team in 1970 than in 1967.
Thoughts?
Hi Tommy Celtic legend and always will be!
No question just a story from the 1970 European Cup Final.
The men ( I was ten) were banished to my next door neighbours to watch the final. My father, a few uncles, my brother, my cousin and myself.
Drink was taken, apart from the weans of course, and when you scored that belter that was the first time I had heard my father swear!
What a f#@##@g goal! You get the drift.
My brother and I were agog that our old man swore, there was plenty of other swearing that night but my old man never cursed in all his years when I was in his company except for that night!
Always makes me smile, fond memories of my Dad.
Take care and good health big fella!
RobinBhoy
Hi Tommy
Thanks for the memories, and taking the time on here.
Now i spent seven and a tanner on the ‘Big Shot’ way back in the 60’s,
and being a tight bugger, is there any point in buying the new book ?
The thing I remember from that is the lack of reward you guys got for winning the Big Cup . I believe a tank of petrol from the local garage owner for scoring in Lisbon was about the extent of it.
I wish you every success with the book, big mhan. you were and still are one of my all time football heroes
HH
sydneytim
Celtic will always be associated with entertaining, attacking football although I take you point about investments.
That’s the way it has to be, unfortunately, at the moment.
Give credit to Peter Lawwell and his board of directors. You only have to look across the Clyde to see what can happen if business isn’t properly looked after.
Yes, i would much prefer Celtic to keep players such as Victor Wanyama, Gary Hooper and the likes, but the books need balanced.
Maybe some day Celtic will be able to compete at a different level and hold onto such players.
Let’s hope so.
Hey Tommy, looking forward to seeing you in the Cambuskenneth Abbey Inn again soon. You’re great company watching the Celtic games on the big screen there.
Only 4 in the whole pub a couple of years ago watching a Celtic game up at Pitoddrie, but it was certainly memorable for me having a chin-wag with you.
Tommy
it’s an absolute pleasure to read your own thoughts about our club in the past and now.
I was interested to read in Paul’s introduction that you had Sandro Mazzola’s shirt and presumably he had yours and my question is do you know Mazzola well and have you ever spoken to him about the 1967 final?
I ask because of my own interest in the amazing coincidence that Sandro Mazzola’s father Valentino Mazzola died in the Torino FC Superga air disaster of 1949, of course on the way back from Lisbon and a match at the Estadio Nacional and I wondered in subsequent years, to your knowledge, did he ever refer to that?
All the best to you.
mayanman
Yes, Big Jock was something special and what he did for Celtic Football Club should never be overlooked.
We had our run-ins, but please don’t get the idea we were at each other’s throats every minute of every day. That was never the case.
But he was ruthless, there can be no argument about that.
When your time was up at Celtic, there was no way Jock would change his mind.
I know my old mate Yogi is convinced Jock wanted to change things at the club because he didn’t want us to grow old together.
I’ve even heard is said that Inter were past their sell-by date when we played them in Lisbon.
Really? News to me. Just take a look at the Italian international team that played Brazil in the World Cup Final THREE years later. It had about four Inter Milan players in it.
Yes, it was the Sunday Mirror who ran the competition for the hardest shot and, yes, I won it.
Do I look like Danny Kaye? Don’t you think Danny Kaye looks like me?!
justafan
Better late than never! I’m still getting the hang of this new technology.
I’ve just discovered how to recharge my phone!
Only joking – I’m not that bad!
Brogan Rogan Trevino and Hogan supports Oscar Knox, MacKenzie Furniss and anyone else who fights Neuroblastomav:
I am referring to the point where Big Wavy pointed out that the some in the media will headline and twist any quote by anybody connected to Celtic to demean the club. I thought that was pretty obvious.
mullet and co 2 :
maybe I’m an imbecile so could you please point out to me where I contradicted myself?
Tommy Q3
You’re doing brill btw.
Anyhoo, Jinky was known to have said he took liberties at Dundee working under you. A wee snippet please?
themightyquinn
Kris Commons has had a fabulous season and has notched some unforgettable goals.
I’ve liked the look of Fraser Forster, too.
I was brought up with Ronnie Simpson as the Celtic No.1 so I am well aware of what a good goalkeeper means to then team.
I’m delighted he is going to Brazil, but it could be he’ll be tempted back south after his three years in Scotland.
Having said that, I wouldn’t mind him hanging around for a wee while yet.
weet weet weet
No, we didn’t stop at Ibrox on our way to Celtic Park with the Big Cup.
We just wanted to get to our place to celebrate with the greatest fans in the world.
Another wonderful occasion.
I was just happy to play my part.
Hi Tommy
Thanks for coming on and taking part in this Q&A session.
On a personal note my favourite goal of yours at a game that I was at (I was too young to be allowed to go to Lisbom!) was your goal against Benfica at Parkhead. You seemed to enjoy the celebrations!
Going back to THE goal in Lisbon am I right in thinking that Big Jock had only wanted one full back to attack at a time and that you and Cairney shouldn’t have both been up for that? :). Or were you by then relying on our new sweeper, Ronnie Simpson, to back heel away any attacks (btw how odd you feel when he did that?!!)
Forster
Lustig – Van Dkye – Wilson – Izaguirre
Brown – Wanyama – Ledley – Commons
Hooper – (Samaras?)
Lennon’s best XI since being manager?
rodow1
Bertie Auld and Willie Wallace were two of my big mates. Wee Jinky, too.
In fact, there was a lot of camaraderie within the Lisbon Lions and when we meet up today it’s just like we stopped playing together last week!
They are all good guys and it’s always special when we get together.
I’m really looking forward to Lisbon next week.
It’s a marvellous gesture by Peter Lawwell and the board top invite us to the Champions League Final.
Just a pity Celtic aren’t playing!
Where there any wingers you played against that gave you a hard time.
I can remember a wee guy called Kenny Aird who played for St Johnstone making you work hard for your wages.
Tommy
Hiya,when I think of Lisbon the first thing that comes into my mind is not your goal,the fans on the park or big Billy holding the cup but its your fantastic wee shimmy/dummy thing you did to pass to Bobby,the gallusness of that wee move in a Celtic strip in the sunshine sums up for me what Celtic on the park is all about and can I ask,did you ever get people coming up to you greeting you with that wee move and was it something you did before Lisbon or after? I am too young to know differently and am interested in any feedback you got after you did it in Lisbon.
Tommy… You are, and always will be a Legend!
Many great memories and an off piste Q…..
How uncomfortable was that lorry?