Heroes are Forever: The Life and Times of Celtic Legend Jimmy McGrory

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O'Donnell, Jim (24 July 2013). "St Rochs at long last have ground for celebration". Evening Times . Retrieved 3 November 2013. a b c d "The year St Roch's F.C. were Kings". Glasgow Live. 21 November 2018 . Retrieved 20 April 2021. In fact, Forrest is not finished yet. He is contracted until 2025, and if he manages at least one goal next season too then he would move to joint third in the club’s all-time record. IMAGO / Colorsport PAUL McSTAY AND ROY AITKEN CELEBRATE CELTIC WINNING THE SCOTTISH CUP. CELTIC V DUNDEE UNITED,14/5/88. As a Celt he won three league championship winners’ medals and five Scottish Cup winners’ medals. This may appear to be a fair haul, but actually it is a pale amount of what he deserved to achieve. Celtic had begun a slow decline in the early 1920s, exacerbated by an ageing and increasingly distant manager (Willie Maley) and an incompetent board. Players like Jimmy McGrory helped to bolster Celtic when weak. He was more than worth his weight in gold, but he didn’t leave with the full haul of silverware that someone of his class deserved.

Celtic: Fallon, Young and Gemmell; Clark, McNeill and Brogan; Chalmers, Murdoch, Hughes, Lennox and Auld

Rodgers will say something and do something else; the warning signs were always there. Be it China and their Super League millions, or courting Dembele to follow suit, or Arsenal and others. We chose to ignore it because, as we saw when it did happen, the fallout would have been too much to bear. Celtic's third-place finish in the league in season 1961–62 saw them qualify for the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1962–63; the club's first participation in European club competitions. Drawn against Spanish side Valencia in the first round, Celtic were beaten 4–2 in the first leg in Spain on 24 October 1962, [86] having trailed 3–0 at half time. Bobby Carroll scored Celtic's two goals in the second half, becoming the club's first ever European goalscorer. [87] A modicum of pride after the first leg defeat was restored, however, in the return leg in Glasgow, which finished in a 2–2 draw, albeit seeing Celtic lose the tie on aggregate and be eliminated from the competition. [86] [88] Some – including famous captains – have scored in many seasons, just not all in a row. Billy McNeill scored in 13 different seasons for Celtic, but (perhaps aptly) 9-in-a-row was his scoring limit. Scott Brown also scored in 13 seasons, but 10-in-a-row was his record. James Forrest has now scored in 15 successive seasons, which puts him level with two legendary Bhoys: Jimmy Quinn and Patsy Gallacher. Jimmy Quinn, Willie Maley, Jimmy McGrory and Patsy Gallacher

But the tide turned as it was always likely to with McGrory around, and by season 1935/36, Jimmy’s 13th in professional football, another superb Celtic team had emerged. McGrory at last had the support that his talents deserved, and the forward line of Delaney, Buchan, McGrory, Crum and Murphy was a truly phenomenal one. Buchan and Crum were superbly tireless inside-forwards, and the wing play of Delaney and Murphy was excellent. McGrory himself would later claim that all he had to do was to be there and the goals would come. Yet that was indeed the plan. The board wanted money to rebuild a stadium which was to their deep regret no longer the premier sporting venue in Scotland. In contrast the only rebuilding work Chapman had planned was on the field. Maley, who had left the room to allow the player and Chapman to negotiate a deal, returned to find a forlorn Arsenal manager. Yet again surprised that McGrory had not succumbed to Arsenal’s seduction Maley shook hands with Chapman and said: “I’m very sorry Mr Chapman”. The Highbury chief replied: “Not as sorry as me Mr Maley.” An unchanged side for Celtic. For Killie, Sneddon was out and in came Brown with McIlroy changing wings. Mutually consented by Leicester this week, the gleeful were out in their numbers four years on, as is their right. However, Rodgers’ Celtic exit says as much about us believing his blarney as it does about him.Apart from the games already mentioned, he played twice each against Wales and Ireland. On the three of these four occasions he scored, which makes it even harder to explain why the great Jimmy McGrory played only seven times for Scotland. This reconstructed grandstand was opened by Jimmy McGrory on 1 st September 1971 and on this date Celtic played Nacional of Uruguay, the Champions of South America. Scottish appearances and goals - Jimmy McGrory". London Hearts Supporters Club. Retrieved 30 September 2021. He was the consummate striker and had an exceptional header of the ball (for which he became christened ‘ The Mermaid‘ due to his prowess with the diving header). Even now people speak about his ability and record with awe, and remains as having one of the most prolific scoring records of anyone who has played the game. McGrory received his first calling to play for the Scottish Football League XI on 27 October 1926 to play against the Irish League XI at Tynecastle Park, scoring once in a 5–2 win. [18] He then featured in the match with the English League XI at Filbert Street on 19 March 1927, and scored one goal in a 2–2 draw. [44] He scored twice in a 6–2 defeat against the same opposition at Ibrox Park on 10 March 1928. McGrory played in six Inter-League matches in all, scoring 6 times. [45] Style of play [ edit ]

The centre forward had been invited on the trip by Maley. Like his manager McGrory was devout and sincere in his Catholic faith. But as the train eased out of Glasgow Central Station little did McGrory realise that the purpose of the journey ahead was more about his devotion to Celtic than to his religion. It went something like that, anyway! I wish I had paid more attention! Another revivalist hymn provided the tune to these words,” David continued. Rodgers was a charlatan in some regards. He knew which buttons to press when it suited his ends. But when his career was at stake, any love for a football club took second place. And he would have known, had the shoe been on the other foot, had the trophies dried up, loyalty would have been a one-way street from board and fans alike – just ask Neil Lennon.These may or may not help with Mr McGonigle’s enquiry. There were loads of such songs and poems – most of them sheer doggerel! As indeed with John Thomson. The 1930s were great times for such things. My father always recalled the great community singing at Celtic Park, likening it to a Welsh rugby crowd. To this day Celtic supporters question why this most magnificent of players was awarded only a measly seven Scottish international caps. However when he did play for the national team he never let them down. Indeed his late winner at Hampden on 1st April 1933 against England was greeted with such noise by the 134,170 crowd that it went down in history as the legendary tag of ‘ The Hampden Roar‘. Albeit some also put that ‘Hampden Roar’ as having originated a few years earlier in 1929 with Alec Cheyne’s late winner v England. In March 1947, Tom White died and director Robert Kelly was elected as his successor as chairman. [61] For the next 18 years, Kelly would be the dominant personality at Celtic Park; imposing his will in the running of the club at all levels including having direct involvement in team selection. [65] [66]