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Last Saturday in the New Jersey borough of Fort Lee, half a world away from Glasgow's east end, New York's Celtic community gathered under the blue sky of a fine Spring afternoon to pay a poignant tribute to a true Parkhead great – Charlie Shaw.
As a lone piper played 'The Fields of Athenry' an impressive gathering of family, supporters, clergy and dignitaries made their way through the Madonna cemetery to the graveside of a man with a just claim to be the greatest goalkeeper to ever represent the Bhoys. The event, organised by local Celts and the Celtic Graves Society, was held to mark the 75th anniversary of Charlie's passing.
Typical of the Celtic Graves Society the ceremony paid a respectful and evocative tribute to the incredible life and career of Charlie. A life, which akin to the story of many other early Celtic greats, had too easily been neglected. As the local media in Fort Lee would comment: "The simplicity of both the headstone and the language carved upon it belies the fact that beneath the marker lies a man of great sportsmanship and accomplishment."
Born into a mining community in the shadows of the Campsie Hills, Charlie made his mark as a young keeper with Baillieston Thistle and local side Kirkintilloch Harp. His blossoming talent was quickly recognized and before long he had progressed to First Division Port Glasgow Athletic.
Charlie would stay with the Clune Park club for just a single season. The amateur Athletic would finish that 1906/07 campaign propping up the table but their young keeper caught the attention with a series of impressive performances. Indeed in one game against perennial champions Celtic – the team closest to his heart – Shaw had the audacity to save a penalty struck from the fearsome boot of the mighty Jimmy Quinn.
Word of this talented goalkeeper spread beyond Scotland and Charlie's next move would see him head south to Queen’s Park Rangers. Life in London was far removed from his days with the humble Port. QPR had just moved into a new ground – the Park Royal – a 60,000 stadium built by The Great Western Railway Company and which even boasted it's own train station. But Shaw would not be overawed by his new surroundings.
In his debut season with Rangers Charlie helped the club to win the Southern League championship. He would pick up another championship medal in 1911-12. Shaw's contribution to the success of QPR was significant. In six seasons with the Londoners Charlie would make a remarkable 223 appearances – missing just three games. In the season immediately prior to Charlie's arrival QPR had finished 18th in the 20 team league. With Shaw guarding their goals they would finish outside of the top six on just a single occasion.
It was no surprise then that when Celtic went looking to find a long term replacement for the retired Davie Adams they would cast their net in the direction of west London. Willie Maley was a fine judge of goalkeeper and he remembered well the penalty heroics of Shaw at Port Glasgow. He had also received glowing reports of the keeper's performances in England from his brother Tom.
So it was that in May 1913 Celtic paid a reportedly record fee of £400 to bring Shaw home to Scotland. It would not take long to convince Maley and the Parkhead faithful this was money well spent.
At just 5ft 6in Charlie was unquestionably on the short side for a keeper. But he was strong, agile and athletic – a wonderful shot stopper and a commanding presence. His personality and heroics meant despite his physical stature he would emerge as a giant of the game. Shaw made his debut for the Bhoys in a 2-1 Glasgow Charity Cup win at Third Lanark on May 6th and would he win his first honour with the club in the same competition after a dramatic comeback sealed a thrilling 3-2 final win over Rangers.
With Shaw in goals the traditionally swashbuckling Celts were now as much noted for their miserly defence as they were for stylish attack. With the considerable defensive talents of Alec McNair and Joe Dodds in front of him, Charlie developed a depth of understanding with his team-mates which ensured the dependable rearguard became the bedrock of the Celtic team.
The fans confidence in their keeper was never anything less than sky high. It was a confidence shared by team-mates so comforted by his presence that the pass back became a trademark Celtic move. Time after time the Hoops defenders would use Charlie to break up a promising attack or to get themselves out of a precarious position . It is little wonder the cry "Pass it to Charlie” would frequently ring out from the Parkhead terraces.
Few keepers could read the game as well as Shaw and his fine agility was matched by intelligent positioning. He possessed a confidence in his ability which allowed him to take chances mere mortals would never dare contemplate. Charlie would not even break sweat at such antics but his manager Maley would comment: "He took risks which would have scared a tamer of wild elephants"
Shaw’s personality and presence could light up even the greyest of Glasgow days and it was no surprise the keeper became the darling of the break clubs. He received a level of adoration typically reserved for prolific goal-scorers rather than the often overlooked shot-stopper.
Not everyone could understand such devotion towards someone as unglamorous as a goalkeeper. In 1922 during a visit to Dundee one local reporter dismissed the Celtic supports’ hymns of praise for Charlie as an "extraordinarily stupid idea". But that was a comment which highlighted the ignorance of the journalist rather than that of the Hoops fans.
Because Charlie Shaw was no mere cult hero. He had the talent to match the personality. Coupling bravery and intelligence Shaw inspired Celtic’s defence to record breaking levels of stinginess.
During his remarkable debut season in 1913/14 he lost only 14 goals in 38 games with an astonishing 26 shut-outs along the away.
On Dec 13th 1913 Celtic had made to the trip to Kirkcaldy for a league tie at Raith. The visitors defence had recently established a reputation for meanness but when the hosts grabbed a goal in the 24th minute it looked like the Celts were in for a tough afternoon.
Yet it would be the last goal Shaw would concede for a staggering 1287 minutes.
The Hoops would win the game at Raith 2-1 and then went on a run of 13 successive clean sheets which saw them hit 30 goals without reply. Included in this run was a thumping 4-0 New Year triumph over Rangers.
Shaw’s startling defiance of Scotland’s forwards was finally ended on 28th Feb 1914 when a 51st minute goal gave Falkirk a 1-0 home victory over the Hoops. But by then Charlie Shaw’s place in Celtic folklore was already firmly established.
Following the retirement in 1916 of "Sunny" Jim Young Charlie was given the honour of captaining Celtic. It was a rare privilege for a keeper to take over as skipper. But for anyone who had heard Charlie’s commanding voice guiding team-mates through games the decision was an obvious one.
Shaw was also vocal off the pitch. Hailing from a mining community he was always prepared to take a stand against exploitation and he loudly and proudly spoke out against the low wages many fellow footballers received. His comments may not have gone down well among the affluent and influential in the Parkhead boardroom but for the supporter on the terrace they merely reaffirmed what they already knew. Charlie Shaw was an extraordinary goalkeeper. But he was also one of them.
Charlie's Parkhead career would finally end, after twelve years, and at the age of 40 years old in 1925 .By then he had played 436 games for Celtic, amassing 240 clean sheets. He had won six league titles and two Scottish Cups.
His statistics would be highly impressive during any era. But given he starred at a time when keepers were the legitimate target for the most bruising of challenges they almost defy belief.
In June 1925 the ever adventurous Charlie took on a new challenge. He crossed the Atlantic to be player-manager the New Bedford Connecticut Whalers who he guided to a second place in the American Soccer League.
Charlie would move on to New York and it was there he died of pneumonia in March 1938 at the age of just 52 years old. He left behind his wife Annie and seven children. His final resting place would be considerably closer to the Hudson than the Clyde. But, as Saturday's ceremony proved, wherever in the world a Parkhead legend may rest they will forever be remembered as Celt.
Links
- Charlie Shaw Homepage
- Charlie Shaw Podcast