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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livibhoy
I preferred the old European Cup format. There was a bit more of the sudden death aspect to it back then.
These days a club can lose three group games and still get through to the latter stages.
So, call me old fashioned, if you like, but I liked the way things were.
Hi Tommy,
Thanks for answering the questions today.
Here’s mine:
Why do you think the Lisbon Lions ended up with such a relitavely low amount of international caps?
lymmbhoy
It’s always good to talk to a Celtic fan. I can never get enough of it.
Kit
Thanks for the clarification — and yes I totally agree with that. In fact I know it to be true.
dontbrattbakkinanger
The present-day footballer is well catered for as far as wages are concerned. They are lucky, but I don’t envy them.
A lot of them won’t have to go into management once they hang up their boots and that will save them tearing their hair out! I woulds probably have a full mane today if I hadn’t been a boss!
I don’t know if they get the same enjoyment out of the game as we did. In fact, I can’t imagine any player getting more enjoyment than I had as a Celtic player. I really mean that.
Tommy Gemmell
Thanks for answering my questions.
If you had to pick a team of non Celtic players in the Premiership this season who would be in it?
LB
Tommy Gemmell, by the Thai Tims
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlKWH6slY14
HH
Back in again…..
kitalba
13:45 on 16 May, 2014
__________________
Agree with every word.
FWIW….I think that the old ‘bored’ used MoJo to get a lift
and help them to win the Joe Miller SCF as, after the cup
was secure in the CP trophy room…problems started to arise
in the deal. Hmmmm????
Futhermore….there was an interview with Mo and JW on Scotsport
at about, Sept/Oct 1989 were, JW asked Mo “Was it purely for the money
that you chose, Rangers over Celtic?”
Mo replied “No, Celtic offered me the same deal. It was a ‘tax’ issue of £150k
that, Celtic couldn’t look at but, Rangers took care of things for me.”
Now, 1989, Rangers took care of the ‘tax-issue’ !?!?!
Given all thats gone on….do you think that the ‘entire’ David Murray era,
should be subject to more forensic scrutiny ie: the hun 9 iar wiped out?
Thanks for yer remark yesterday as well – much appreciated.
Hail Hail.
Tommy Gemmell
Thanks for the reply.
Not every day that ye can talk to HEROES
that ye dreamed about as a wee bhoy.
God Bless and Ghood Luck with the book
Hail! Hail!
justafan
Yes, the Benfica goal was a bit special, wasn’t it? I talk about it in the book because Big Jock had dropped me earlier and I had played only one comeback game before that European Cup-tie.
There are moments when you hit the ball and you just know it’s a goal all the way. That was one such occasion.
Wee Bertie teed it up and I just gave it some welly. It was a fabulous feeling to see it rocket into the top corner.
Life at Nottingham Forest was hugely different from anything I had experienced at Celtic.
For a start, the player rarely turned up in time for training in the morning.
Try that with Big Jock around and you wouldn’t be able to sit down for a week.
Forest looked after me, but it just wasn’t the same as playing for Celtic. Nothing can compare with that.
Tommy Gemmell
Great one, you were up a against a great R#####s
side,which one of them would you have liked to play
along side with in the hoops?
Mr Gemmell, thanks for that very full answer.
The corollary of course is if the modern day’ supporter’ gets as much pleasure out of following the team as they did when you and your comrades were the Kings of Europe.
Tommy
Having a quick look back at another of your books
You said that the inter player Luis Suarez would have played had he not been injured
Q. If he’s still playin how ur you no
C’mon big man get the dubbin oot
HH
Tommy thanks for your earlier answer I grew up wantin be a fitbawluh.to pull on the hoops alas it didnae happen but havin you ghuys to look up made up for it
1.who was your toughest opponent in scotland and in Europe?
2. I loved the ajax team of early 70s cruyff etc…. which team either playing or viewing impressed you most in sxotland and in europe?
Thanks tommy in advance
HH
TBB
I don’t think the attributes of the top players have changed that much over the decades.
They might be a bit more aware of diets and so forth, but, basically, it’s still the same game.
You need to be fit. And that can only come through hard work.
I enjoyed a pint with my team-mates and some opponents such as Willie Henderson, but I didn’t tough a drop after Wednesday if we had a game on the Saturday. That was a giant no-no.
When I played, I knew i would be getting up and down the wing all day.
That’s not possible if you are not 100 per cent fit.
So, I don’t think things have changed too much.
phelim braby
I think Jim Craig had something to do with putting the Quizzball team together.
Why wasn’t I included? He probably didn’t want me to show him up – simple as that!
Brogan Rogan Trevino and Hogan:
That was only part of my answer, with respect, I’ll come back to what I didn’t type another day, but basically it was about CQN morphing to an abstruse tabloid. e.g. WGS is teetotal. (just as a soft example).
williebhoy
Feyenoord were an excellent side and people should remember they actually won the World Club Cup later that year.
Yes, sadly, we didn’t perform too well in Milan. In fact, that’s a bit of an understatement.
We were a bit over-confident after beating Leeds United home and away in the semi-final.
They were being touted as the best team in the world by their media and we took them apart in both those games.
The Dutch certainly surprised us in the San Siro.
We thought we were on our way when I got the opening goal, but, unfortunately, their skipper Rinus Israel levelled only a few minutes later.
It was a goal we should have prevented, but it wasn’t to be.
That game is still a massive disappointment.
Thanks Tommy, appreciate you taking the time to answer.
HH
valentinesday
What went wrong in Milan? Everything!
As I’ve just told williebhoy we were just a bit too complacent.
We paid a heavy price on the night.
I’m not being unsporting here, butg we would have beaten them in a replay.
They took us by surprise, but we would have sorted them out in a second game, trust me.
mullet
Big Jock could be intimidating, that’s for sure.
But you always had to remember he had the love of Celtic at heart. Everything he did was to help the football team.
Some players couldn’t respond to Jock’s methods.
Your uncle might have been one of them.
Yes, he was a hard man, but he was fair when you performed for him.
Dont think ill be buying T G’s book. The B J K huns will be loving this abt Jock.
Tommy-how much a part did MON play in getting the Lions back to the Club .?
Top poster on ff
@VidmarFF: Almost 2pm. Three hours to deadline. Less than 5,000 ST sold. Nothing from the club. Hello admin, old friend. I’ve been expecting you.
twists
Who would I like to see replacing Neil Lennon?
I suppose my managerial days are behind me!
It’s all conjecture and no-one knows if Neil Lennon would actually leave Celtic.
Personally, I think he might want to hang around for a Treble and another crack at the Champions league.
Last season’s European experience wasn’t too wonderful, was it?
To be fair, the club didn’t get much luck in the San Siro against AC Milan before losing two late goals.
And their case was hardly helped against Barcelona at Celtic Park when Scott Brown was sent off.
So, let’s hope we’ve learned from these lessons and Neil Lennon is there to have another go.
Still have nightmares from Milan 70…….. ball over the top of Cesar… Ove Kindval (?) and the rest, as they say is history.
Thanks for the reply TG. And thanks for all the fun I had in the 60s and 70s watching a magnificent team.
On a side note there’s a lot of press speculation this afternoon that Richard Scudamore’s position is untenable given his recent comments. Apparently the sponsors, Barclays, are taking a dim view of it! Scudamore has always been vehemently opposed to Celtic joining the EPL could this be an opportunity for us?
Tommy, what are your views on Celtic playing in England? Personally it would be exciting in one sense but I’d be worried about the club losing it’s soul a la Man City.
johnnyclash
I like Jim Reeves and the Beatles. The Stones were just a bit off the wall, weren’t they?
All good stuff, though, and the music in the sixties was excellent.
Plenty of tunes to get the Gemmell toes tapping!
Kit — fair enough.
Tommy
Were you ever mistaken for Danny Kaye? And he mistaken for you?
:)
HH Tommy Gemmell
henry clarson
I can tell you I never sliced a penalty-kick out of play in my life!
Off the top of my head, I think I missed three spot-kicks against Rangers, Kilmarnock and Dundee United.
I think I would certainly remember hitting one out for a shy!
jude2005
I would not worry what that mob said about Jock. They do not need a factual basis for their slurs.
You will miss a great laugh if you do not read tam’s book. Jock was no plaster saint. Many of his faults are well aired already and no surprise to anyone. Nothing will or can diminish the stature of Jock as a football manager but he was human with human failings.
Tommy G,
Who was the best player you ever faced?
Unfortunately too young to have seen you play but have been told many times how you were on that ‘world class’ level!
HH
Tommy you are and always will be a legend, but can you still do this?
http://i61.tinypic.com/vzhfkx.jpg
Tommy,
1)Do you feel the club does enough for the old players?
2)What was your relationship like with the old family dynasty board?
3)Did you meet Fergus McCann, did he do anything for the Lions?
hamiltontim
Toasted or roasted? It’s got to be toasted!
Ronaldo and Messi are right up there with the best in the world – not too much between them.
The best left-back? I can’t think of one who is particularly outstanding, to be honest.
There are so many who are around the same calibre.