Our enormous thanks to John Hughes for spending time on the blog this morning. He was at Celtic throughout a very special time, making his anecdotes and stories all the more valuable.
Here’s an extract from his book, Yogi Bare, which is due out soon:
“Jock Stein and I didn’t always see eye-to-eye. I recall receiving a ferocious verbal volley after a game against Hibs at Easter Road in January 1968. My offence? I went to offer my condolences to their right-back Bobby Duncan in their dressing room.
Unfortunately, Bobby had suffered a broken leg when I slid it to try to block the ball. His ankle got caught up in my outstretched leg and he collapsed to the turf in obvious pain. It was a complete accident, I hasten to add. The conditions were slippy that afternoon and we just collided with neither of us able to pull out.
Unhappily, the defender had to be stretchered off and I felt sick. I never went out to injure an opponent; not once. Frankly, I wouldn’t have known how to, but I did know some players who were well versed in the black arts. No names. No pack drills. No lawyer’s letters! It just wasn’t the right-back’s day because he had also sliced a clearance into his net to give us a second minute lead.
Bobby Lennox added a second shortly afterwards and it was game over. But Bobby Duncan’s game, unfortunately, didn’t last until the ninetieth minute and I headed for the home dressing room as soon as the referee blew for time-up. I was concerned for the player who, although he was a gritty campaigner, was never dirty.
I mixed with the Hibs players and told Bobby I genuinely hoped he would make a fast recovery. He accepted my good wishes and I thought that was the end of it.
Suddenly, though, Colin Stein, who would later join Rangers, barged through his team-mates to have a go at me. He accused me of deliberately trying to injure Bobby. I wasn’t having any of that and told him to get lost. I didn’t stop to think I was actually in the Hibs dressing room.
The usual pushing and shoving ensued before I was thrown out into the corridor. Jock wanted to know what all the commotion was about. I gave him my version of events and he blew up.
‘What do you want to do that for?’ he bellowed. ‘It’s bad enough the boy’s got a broken leg, but you’ve got to go and make it worse!’ I protested my innocence, by which time he was in full flow. ‘What a daft thing to do.’ And so on.
I thought it had been a meaningful gesture from one professional to another, but Jock, clearly, disagreed. Sometimes you couldn’t win with that man.
Please don’t get me wrong. This is not a Big Yogi versus Big Jock chapter in my life story. I just want the supporters to be aware of the facts. For a start, I think he did me an enormous favour by pushing me out from centre-forward to the left wing.
I was happy enough in the central role, but Jock thought I could be more effective when I was taking passes on the half-turn. I would be off and running within seconds of the pass arriving at my feet. In the main striker’s role, though, I would often have my back to goal. Controlling the ball in those circumstances would add vital seconds onto the manoeuvre. A centre-half could be breathing down my neck, forcing me to push the ball back for a midfielder. At outside-left, though, I could skin a right-back if he got too close. And once I was away, there was no stopping me.”
You can order a signed copy of the book by clicking on the graphic to the right of the page.
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team
GuyFawkes
Ha – brill
jimbo67
Good luck young Kelly
HH
Jimbo67, hope all goes well for Kelly.
guyfawkesaforeverhero, now that was funny.
bt
I know Yogi didnt play in Lisbon bcos of a bad injury. But did he go at all? I dont think he did.
blantyretim is praying for the Knox family
23:34 on
17 April, 2014
Old hislop on b2 is only adding to my yes vote..
glorious revolution my ass..
————–
just watched same thing, and thought exact same.
evolved into protestant supremacy and empire fascism.
g i r u t.
BT
I would never have known his old dad was from Ayr! Probably a hun:)
Jude,
He did.
Blantyre & saint s…
Funnily enough I thought the opposite!
Thought he brought out the hypocrisy involved and the phoney supposed continuity.
Ah well…opinions, opinions…!
Ok guys, off to do a Springwatch to check the preggie ewes. 2 still to deliver and the sooner the better. :))) Night Night Timland. :-)))
Weefra HH supporting and praying for Wee Oscar.
Jude…
There is a great picture of all the boys and management at the after match dinner.
Big Yogi was there. Ian Young too…I think
guyfawkesaforeverhero-VG.
justafan
23:47 on
17 April, 2014
Blantyre & saint s…
Funnily enough I thought the opposite!
Thought he brought out the hypocrisy involved and the phoney supposed continuity.
———-
aye got that, not shooting hislop as presenter, per se , or the continuity issue, look everyone, this is our king and queen, old king and queen bad catholics, now the good king and queen protestants, but its still the same royals, elite, club, company,
where the feck do the modern day zombie huns get their passed down eejit acceptance of spiv spin from.
rewritting the rules and history and geneology king ralph csc.
I thought this would be worth sharing as this decent man I know and he like many other loves football but is now considering never returning reason as follows.
On Saturday the 12th of April 2014 I went to Ibrox Stadium to support my club Dundee United in their William Hill Scottish Cup Semi-final match vs Rangers. What happened to me after the match was frightening and left me severely shaken.
After the match which Dundee United won I left the stadium along with my father(a 67 year old) who regularly accompanies me to United games despite being a Rangers supporter himself. We vacated the Govan Stand to make our way home together but unfortunately the Police had cordoned off part of Edminston Drive. I asked the Police for alternative directions as our car was parked in St Andrews Drive we were told by an officer that we could walk down Broomloan Road and along Woodville Street and back round that way to Edmiston Drive as it was not cordoned off. This was the worst advice we could have been given.
The walk back started well with lots of Rangers and Dundee United fans making their way home however when we turned onto Copland Road things took a turn for the worse. I was punched full force in the back of the head which led me to stumble and left me very shaken indeed, I didn’t know what had happened until my Father told me I had been hit by a Rangers supporter, there were three of them and each one of them was carrying a glass bottle. I asked one of them why they had done this and his reply was that I deserved it, one of the culprits apologised for his fellow supporters actions before running off. I could so easily have been killed by a punch to the back of the head.
My Father who was not wearing any colours was left absolutely disgusted with what he had just witnessed and was left very shaken and worried about our safety, the attack was unprovoked and of a cowardly and serious nature and I was unable to defend myself.
I tried to locate a Police officer but there were none in attendance at that part of the Stadium which I found extremely odd, however we decided it was best for us to get home as quickly as possible.
That evening I phoned Police Scotland to make them aware of the attack and they visited my home in Glasgow to take a statement. I informed them exactly of what happened and asked them if there was CCTV located in the area where the attack had taken place, their reply to me was even if there was it would be difficult to catch the culprits however they would look into this for me.
The next day I decided to contact my club Dundee United about this and also Rangers FC, Derek Robertson a Director at Dundee United replied to me via email to say how sorry he was to hear about the attack and informed me that he would contact the clubs Head of Security to make him aware of the incident, I had no response from Rangers FC.
On Sunday night I was still in complete shock at what had happened and was still contemplating whether or not to attend football matches again. The following day I contacted Derek Robertson again about the attack but was informed by him that it was now a Police incident and there was nothing he could do, I was left surprised by this as I have been a Dundee United supporter for over 33 years and had hoped they would support me in highlighting the incident. He hoped that I would reconsider my decision about attending games again as “we had a rather important game on the 17th of May”.
Later that day I gave a well known tabloid my story about the incident but was later advised by both family and friends not to go ahead with this due to possible repercussions against myself but more importantly my young family, I also informed Dundee United about this.
On the Tuesday after the match I decided to contact the SFA regarding the incident what a huge mistake that was, I spoke with the new Head of Security Peter McLaughlin who asked me ” What do you want me to do about it ? ” I told him that the Police had given us the wrong advice regarding directions that endangered my life and told him that it was a ludicrous decision to hold the match at Ibrox Stadium, I also informed him that it was only a matter of time before an innocent football supporter was killed due to this kind of violence, his stance was it was a Police matter.
I have informed Dundee United of the SFA’s response but I have not heard back from them regarding this as yet.
I believe that I was attacked because I am a Dundee United supporter(yes I was wearing a scarf) and because of an ongoing dispute between the clubs. The clubs have not had the best of relationships for a good few years now which has been well documented in the Media and I believe I was the innocent party caught in the crossfire, I feel like ” I took one for the Chairman”.
I have to be honest and say that I do agree with most things that Stephen Thompson has said since becoming Chairman of the club but supporters of Rangers FC don’t agree and seem to feel angered by his comments and actions for some reason.
There was also a lot of talk in the media the week prior to the match about the chosen venue for the game and security issues surrounding it.
I have to agree and I think the SFA got it seriously wrong by holding the match a Ibrox for both security reasons ,which affected myself and from a football point of view too.
Today i contacted Dundee United and spoke with Bev Anderson who was quite sympathetic regarding my situation, I was told that somebody would call me back to discuss the incident in more detail, somebody higher up would have to speak to me.
I phoned the club again later on in the afternoon as I hadn’t heard back from anyone and spoke with a gentleman called Spence Anderson (Company Secretary) , I asked him if he was aware of incident and he informed me that he was but it was now a police incident and there was nothing the club could do because of this, I asked him could the club not issue a statement informing people that one of their supporters had been assaulted directly outside Ibrox Stadium ? His response was “it happened on the street it was a police matter” I explained to him that I could have been killed, his reply to this was ” But your weren’t were you” I then informed him that I thought it was only a matter of time before a supporter was badly injured or killed at a match between the two clubs. He didn’t seem interested in my situation at all and I told him “I thought the club would at least support me after the 33 years of my life that I have spent supporting Dundee United Football Club” before I put the phone down in disgust.
I have to this day still had no response from Rangers FC about this incident despite contacting them about this, I firmly believe that most decent Rangers fans would not condone what happened to me and would sympathise with my situation.
I should be looking forward to watching my club play in the Scottish Cup Final in May but now i am left feeling isolated by my Club and the SFA and completely shaken by the whole incident which had taken place at Ibrox Stadium.
I am a victim of football violence which has in the meantime driven me away from supporting Scottish Football.
I must also ask the SFA a very simple question, Why were one group of supporters not kept behind in the stadium to avoid potential trouble ?
I would like to remind the Police, the SFA and both clubs that behind every supporter’s scarf there is a Person, a life and a Family, I myself have 20 month old twins who I may not have seen again because of this incident.
Will I hear back from the Police? I doubt it is my answer to that.
The end.
Weefra
This planning is going on a bit, you should have brought the tups in at night in the back end. You could have got a good night’s sleep now! :)
Tontine Tim
I think you’re right about that Glasgow Cup in 1965. It was a week or so after the Cup Final. Celtic fought fire with fire against the Rangers for the first time I could remember. Jock gave big Billy free rein to put in the tackles he’d been holding in reserve for 5 years. And did they get a fright? They couldn’t believe it. 3-1.
Aargh! Planning = Lambing
Maestro
Shocking but not surprising story, the villains are many but police Scotland are high up among them.
http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/?p=15110&cpage=6#comment-2142197
A sad tale mate
HH
I see that United fans are complaining about the price of tickets for the cup final. Two thoughts
1- for St Johnstone v Dundee Utd a maximum of 25 pounds would seem reasonable – don’t know what they are charging.
2- I am sure Celtic will get the blame in the msm because of the rent we are charging.
Weefra
This planning is going on a bit, you should have brought the tups in at night in the back end. You could have got a good night’s sleep now! :)
Spot on kiddo, your hired for next year. As long as you stay with the tups when they’re trying to do the biz. Hehehehe. Seriously, nature takes it’s course and we have to live with that. Still dead exciting. :-)))
Weefra HH supporting and praying for Wee Oscar.
Ok guys, cot time. Shattered. Night Night Timland.
Weefra HH supporting and praying for Wee Oscar.
Maestro, very worth sharing, it is frightening, I don’t mean just the action of an idiot.
But the response from DU, the ignoring of the events by Sevco is poor.
I hope the police catch the individual, but that’s not likely.
CP is a happy place on match days, I walk by supporters of other teams, with a smile, they generally reciprocate. Wonder why that is?
offski but last wee question to se the moon howlers up
DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE HUN ?
mines is Jan Bartram, after 88 he told it honestly and open, never fitted in, thought souness a thug and their culture backward.
any other candidates ?
ps.
i also heard the marco negri interview was not so falsified as reported, and was infact an interview he said eventually not to publish.
pps.
hugh adam, another nominee,
i helped my neighbour baby sit mr abies weans about 20 odd years ago.
lived in lynn drive just before the supermarket at muirend.
MuchUselessNewsCSC
Saint Stivs
As a EK boy
I have to say the present manager gets my vote.
Maybe for reason different to your own
: > )
jc2, i meant the original huns.
super ally, is a manager of a new juniors team, i dont think that counts
Ah ok
Thought about it can I change it to. ???
Super Ally……. Malmo and Maribor
Craig Whyte might just have pulled it off if the
Oldest young manager in Europe hadn’t scuppered him.
Thoroughly enjoyed catching up with the JH session, tonight. Thanks to everyone for putting out four hours of nuggets and banter.
I’ll be saving my pennies to buy the whole read.
JohnYogiHughesaforeverhero.
St Stivs
Christian Nerlinger, drank in the Taverna, (one of my locals!) now called Mulberry St in the Southside. Celtic are playing during the Seville season, CN is at the bar, asks for the football to be put on. Barstaff oblige. (Was never really a football pub) Within minutes Henke scores , surprise surprise. CN cheers, couple of (pre) Zombies turn and look at him, (they don`t recognise him) one calls him a Fenian Bastard. They finish their drinks and leave. True story
Saint Stivs – Do you have a favourite hun?
Willie Henderson by a country mile – not a bigoted bone in his body and one of the guys who visited Jinky most towards the end.
horse racing today good Friday in Britain for the first time
all they need now is 23rd,24th,and 25th dec
and they will have the complete set
sign of the times very sad
hail hail
Frank Marker,
A sign of the times alas :O(…
I hope you don’t get tempted to have a punt!
Fred C. Dobbs,
Not the usual, it’s not unusual to be loved by anyone.
Still the same seismic resonations howevah, I’m sure you will agree.
Oh what a wonderful ride, supporting Celtic is.
Petec,
Posting on my phone so cannae post links. But give ye 3 guesses what I would have posted :o).
Food banks are sad. Horse Racing on a Friday way behind that por cierto.
FRED C DOBBS
Just for you,bud.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-g1ePpGBYM
Mr, CFC, Dobbs, I think I can work it out. ;)
Next season will, hopefully, have loads of high points and very few low points.
Far too many low points this season and not on the fitba field, Every Celtic fan is important, most definitely, Every Celtic fan.
I hope olde philvis does indeed return, he has been sorely missed from the Blog as, well I don’t know how he actually does it, but he brings a sense of tranquility.
Not quite Gangsta Rap but hey.