“ONCE A CELTIC ALWAYS A CELTIC,” said TOMMY GEMMELL.
Dublin Lion In Craigneuk, North Lanarkshire, on this day in 1943, Tommy Gemmell was born to happy parents Alfie and Margaret.
He was the player at Parkhead who utterly revolutionized the left-back position with his flashy raids and terrifying shooting ability that terrorized rival goalkeepers.
In response to Alex Gordon, a longtime friend and author of the Celtic book, Gemmell said, “My dream was to play for Motherwell. “I used to ride my bike to the stadium on game day to support them from the terrace.
“However, everything came to an end the day I signed with Celtic. They came to be my main focus, and even after I stopped playing, they remained my favorite club. A Celt is a Celt forever.
Unbelievably, Big TG began his professional career as an outside-right for Coltness United in the Junior League in 1959 before switching to full-back when he signed with the Parkhead club in 1961.
Interestingly, he joined the Parkhead team the same evening Jimmy Johnstone did. The winger got off at Uddingston on their shared bus ride home.
“I don’t believe either of us had any desire to go, but you had to understand that in football, things like this happen. However, no one could ever take away the memories. They would stay with me always.
With Dundee, Gemmell returned to Scotland. He was appointed club captain and helped Dundee defeat Celtic in the 1973 League Cup Final by a score of 1-0.
In his book, “All The Best,” which was written with the help of his friend Alex, Tommy remembered, “That was a little bit embarrassing.” I had to pass a lot of my Celtic friends as I ascended the steps to receive the silverware.
To be honest, they all gave me their congratulations for winning. That was very important to me.I had to hold the League Cup in the air and wave it to the Dundee supporters after receiving it. I complied with protocol as required, but if you watch video of that moment, it is obvious that I was eager to present the trophy to Thomson Allan, the goalie who was next in line.
In 1977, the Dens Park team named him manager after ex-Rangers manager Davie White was fired as a result of a string of league defeats.
Gemmell resigned in 1980 to pursue a new profession as a financial consultant in the city, but he later made a comeback to football in 1986 as the manager of Albion Rovers.
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