Bell, John

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Fullname: John Watson Bell*
aka: Jack Bell, John Bell
Born: 6 October 1868*
Died: 12 April 1956*
Birthplace: Dumbarton
Signed: 13 August 1898 (from Everton)
Left: Nov 1900 (to New Brighton Tower)
Position: Winger
Debut: Celtic 2-1 Third Lanark, League, 20 Aug 1898
Internationals: Scotland
International Caps: 10 (5 with Celtic, Other caps won while with Dumbarton and Everton)
*Confirmed on CGS (see link)

Biog

Celtic signed Dumbarton-born John Bell from English giants Everton in 1898 for an incredible £300 at the time to replace James Blessington.

He was described as being:

“A thrusting winger, a precision passer, a defence buster as the mood took him”.

A Scottish international Bell had moved to the Merseyside club from his hometown side in 1892 and earned an impressive reputation for himself with his performances for the Goodison club – even scoring in the 1897 FA Cup final defeat to Aston Villa. He played for Scotland against England at Celtic Park in a forward line regarded at one time as the finest attack that ever represented Scotland.

The ambitious Bhoys tempted Bell back home in 1898 (for which the Evening Times rushed out a special edition) and he made his Celtic debut in a 2-1 home defeat of Glasgow rivals Third Lanark.

A notable match was against Rangers in the Scottish Cup final in 1899. Rangers were favourites managed having a 100% record in the league. Bell was injured in the match after a crude challenge from Ranger’s notorious Nick Smith. Bell wanted off, Maley had none of it and kept him on even though Bell had a heavily bandaged knee. Celtic then went ahead in the match 1-0. Next thing you know with little time left, the ball spun to Bell who kicked it with his one serviceable foot to John Hodge who scored our second goal to seal a great victory

A superb dribbler and a regular goalscorer for Celtic which included a strike in the 4-3 Scottish Cup final victory over Queens Park on 14th April 1900, that gave Bell his second winners medal as a Celtic player following the team’s triumph in the same competition the previous season.

He also had the honour to have scored Celtic’s first goal of the Twentieth Century, on 1st January 1900 in a 3-2 victory over Rangers.

He left Celtic in the summer of 1900 to return to Merseyside with New Brighton Tower FC before returning to Goodison the following year.

He helped Celtic win two Scottish Cups having played 35 league matches and 11 Scottish Cup games with 23 goals scored in these matches, an exceptional record.

He is credited with being a founder member of the Association Footballer’s Union (a short-lived footballers’ union in the early days which was a precursor to the modern day English PFA), and at one time served as its president. He retired from playing in 1907.

Later became a coach at Preston NE for several years before emigrating to Canada where he carried on his trade as an engineer.

He returned to the UK, and was appointed as a coach for Preston North End. He later moved into concentrating on his cycle business.

He passed away in 1956 in Wallasey (Cheshire).

Playing Career

Honours with Celtic

Scottish Cup

• 1899, 1900

Pictures

• Player Pics

Notes

Dundee Courier – Saturday 18 July 1914
“Jack Bell, the old Dumbarton, Everton, Preston North End, and Scottish International forward has been appointed team manager and coach to North End. Bell was captain of North End when they regained the First Division in 1904, and only returned three weeks ago from Canada, where he was following his trade as an engineer”

Derby Daily Telegraph – Friday 09 August 1912
“…originally the Preston directors looked to appoint Jack Bell, who is leaving, however, for America”

John (Jack) Bell

From http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/EVERbellJ.htm
written by John Simkin, September 1997 – June 2013

John (Jack) Bell : Everton & Preston North End : Biography

John (Jack) Bell was born in Dumbarton on 6th October, 1869. He played local football until signing for Dumbarton. At a time when Scotland was dominated by the activities of Glasgow’s Celtic and Rangers, Bell was a member of Dumbarton’s Scottish League Championship winning side of 1891-92.

Bell’s talent as a tricky outside right, did not go unnoticed in England and in 1892 he was signed by Everton. He brought success to this side and over the next few seasons they finished high in the First Division table: 3rd (1892-93), 6th (1893-94), 2nd (1894-95), 3rd (1895-96). Bell also helped Everton to reach the final of the FA Cup in 1893 and 1897.

Bell won his first international cap in 1890. Over the next ten years he won another nine caps. He scored five goals, including one in Scotland’s 2-1 victory over England in 1892.

Derby County proposed that the Football League should impose a maximum wage of £4 a week. At the time, most players were only part-time professionals and still had other jobs. These players did not receive as much as £4 a week and therefore the matter did not greatly concern them. However, a minority of players, such as John Bell, were so good they were able to obtain as much as £10 a week. This proposal posed a serious threat to their income.

Some of these top players joined together to form a trade union. This included John Bell, Bob Holmes and Jimmy Ross of Preston North End, John Devey of Aston Villa, John Somerville of Bolton Wanderers, Hugh McNeill of Sunderland, Harry Wood of Wolverhampton Wanders and John Cameron of Everton. Other players who took a leading role in the union included Tom Bradshaw (Liverpool), James McNaught (Newton Heath), Billy Meredith (Manchester City), Abe Hartley (Liverpool), Johnny Holt (Everton) and David Storrier (Everton).

In February 1898, these players announced the formation of Association Footballers’ Union (AFU). John Bell became chairman of the union. The secretary of the AFU, John Cameron, announced that the union had 250 members. Cameron pointed out that their main objective was that they “wanted any negotiations regarding transfers to be between the interested club and the player concerned – not between club and club with the player excluded”.

The AFU was badly wounded by the decision of several members of the committee to seek higher wages in the Southern League. This included the AFU secretary John Cameron, who joined Tottenham Hotspur for the 1898-99 season. Tom Bradshaw also joined Spurs, whereas other leading figures in the union who left the Football League included Harry Wood and Abe Hartley (Southampton), Johnny Holt (Reading) and David Storrier who joined Celtic.

Bob Holmes, who became the chairman of the AFU, gave an interview to the Lancashire Daily Post where he admitted the union was in serious trouble: “I am not quite sure that we shall succeed in attaining all the objects with which we set out; it is not a certainty that we shall carry any… The break-up of the Everton team as we knew it last season may have a good deal in influencing the future of the Union. With John Cameron, Jack Bell, Robertson, Holt, Stewart, Storrier, Meecham of Everton as well as Hartley and Bradshaw of Liverpool gone, our centre has lost strength. Liverpool was our headquarters, you know, and our registered offices were there. But the secretary, John Cameron, has gone to London and Bell the chairman will not, as far as I know, play for anybody.”

Bob Holmes was wrong to say that Bell intended to retire from the game. Instead, he returned to Scotland and played for Celtic before persuading his former club to offer him a better contract. In the 1901-02 season he helped Everton finish second to Sunderland in the Football League.

In 1903 John Bell joined Preston North End. He was now 34 years old and was past his best. However, in his first season he scored 10 goals in 32 games to help Preston win promotion to the First Division of the Football League. That year Preston won the Second Division title by winning 20, and drawing 10, of its 34 games.

Bell was plagued by injuries in the 1904-05 season but the following season he helped Preston to finish second to Liverpool in the 1905-1906 season. Bell formed a great partnership with Richard Bond who scored 17 goals that season.

John Bell retired from the game in 1907. He coached Preston North End for several years before emigrating to Canada.

Lancashire Evening Post: September 9, 1908.