Gemmell, Tommy

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Personal

Fullname: Thomas Gemmell
aka: Tommy Gemmell, Big Tam, TG
Born: 16 October 1943
Died: 2 March 2017
Birthplace: Motherwell – Brought up in Craigneuk, Wishaw.
Signed: 25 October 1961
Left: 17 December 1971
Position: Full-back, Right back or Left-back (generally right-back)
Debut: Aberdeen away 5-1 league 5 January 1963
Last game: Sliema Wanderers (Malta) away 2-1 European cup 3 November 1971
First goal: Kilmarnock 2-5 away league 28 October 1964
Last goal: Sliema Wanderers (Malta) home 5-0 European cup 20 October 1971
Internationals: Scotland
International Caps: 18 Caps
International Goals: 1

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Biog

“I really missed being a Celtic player. That meant more than money.” Tommy Gemmell after leaving Celtic

Tommy Gemmell is a Celtic great and a member of the Lisbon Lions, immortalised by scoring the equalising goal in the ultimate final as Celtic lifted the European Cup in 1967.

Tommy Gemmell was born on 16 October 1943 in his Granny’s house in Cumbrae Drive, Motherwell – the family subsequently moved to nearby Craigneuk in Wishaw when Tommy was five years old. He played on the right wing for his school team and only moved to left-back when his amateur team Meadow Thistle were short of a full back. He joined Celtic from junior club Coltness United in 1961, although he had already been training with the club two evenings per week. He signed provisional forms on the same night as Jimmy Johnstone.

In his youth he actually was a big Motherwell fan, growing up in tough conditions. The environment is likely what developed the hard edged spirit in his game. An aggressive attacking full back he lacked nothing and took no prisoners. He exuded confidence and enabled the Lisbon Lions to begin their attacks as much from the back as from the front. He was known most famously for his powerful shot (which he called the ‘dunk’), making him the prime penalty kick taker. The big factor that changed his life was the arrival of Jock Stein at Celtic, and things were to change forever. Prior to this, he was going nowhere in particular.

Jock Stein pushed Tommy Gemmell, and quickly he became known not only for his stalwart defending but also for his charges forward and his thunderbolt strikes at goal. Even before the European Cup final, Gemmell was known for his long-range shots at goal. On September 28th 1966, he became the first Celtic player to score in the European Cup when he netted against FC Zurich at Parkhead. A remarkable fact is that he was an ever-present that glorious season, with only John Clark in a similar position.

He will forever be immortalised for one special moment in Lisbon, for scoring the goal that helped Celtic to win the European Cup in 1967. The strange thing is that he was not a prolific goal scorer, many of his goals actually came from the penalty spot (64 goals in 418 appearances for Celtic, 31 of those from the penalty spot). A fearless no-nonsense player, he was the most adept to take the penalties, and probably his vanity meant he had the over-confidence to fearlessly take them. It worked, he only missed three out of 34.

He also scored in the 1970 European Cup final, making him one of an elite set of footballers to score in two European Cup finals. However, some have retorted that his performance was below what should have been expected in this final, and some have admonished him as a reason for the defeat iin that game, but it’s all history now and the critics are being overly harsh.

Importantly, it wasn’t just in Scotland where his ability was recognised. In their Xmas poll of 1967, France Football magazine ranked Tommy Gemmell as the sixth best player in Europe. In 1970, a poll of sports journalists in Hungary & Brazil (both renowned attacking sides at the time) voted him as the best right-back in the world. Tommy Gemmell will have definitely loved that.

He had made his debut for Scotland in April 1966, losing 4-3 to England at Hampden. He won 18 international caps (scoring once) but perhaps gained more notoriety for his sending off (the first of his career) in October 1969 against West Germany in a crucial qualifying match which the Scots lost 3-2, where he chased an opposing player to give him a boot up the backside. The incident was later famously sent up and recreated in a football sketch in the 1990’s “Fantasy Football League” TV program on BBC, in which Gemmell kicked comedian Frank Skinner so hard that the man injured himself in the fall.

Tommy Gemmell had his differences with manager Jock Stein, but when Jock Stein called him the greatest left-back in the world he meant it. In retrospect, Tommy Gemmill’s biggest asset was his ability to stand up to anyone anywhere. He was probably the only one player at Celtic willing to front up to Jock Stein over any quibbles over matters like pay. This wasn’t necessarily greed and it must be noted just how little players back then were paid in comparison to those playing now. However, money was a major element to Tommy Gemmell, reflected heavily in his biography sometimes too much. Nevertheless, he was still well loved by the players and the manager, and money concerns hardly single him out alone.

A genuine character, he was one of the more frank members of the Lisbon Lions players which endeared the fans to him. Tommy Gemmell is only exceeded by Jimmy Johnstone in the high jinx stakes. In fact, most of Jimmy Johnstone’s tales seem to involve Tommy Gemmell in some way or being present at least. Both were close friends and joined Celtic at the same time and worked together.

Tommy Gemmell was a bit of an extrovert and egotist, both on the pitch and off, and could have limited respect for responsibility many a time which created problems for himself. One of his first situations with Jock Stein was a row over his showing off. Tommy Gemmell liked to play it close to the edge, always enjoying the high life, drinking to the last moment (or beyond it if he could get away with it) and then getting himself and others into bother with the manager. Jim Craig humorously penned in one of books that he had many tales to recount about Tommy but most would be ‘libellous’.

Jock Stein didn’t often take well to his behaviour, and a later episode recalled by Jim Craig was that prior to the League Cup final in 1969, Tommy Gemmell was swanning about with the fans outside only to arrive in the changing rooms late to hear that Jock Stein had by then got frustrated with him and had decided to drop him.

Repeat fallouts with Jock Stein’s coaching team sealed his premature departure, but Jock Stein himself had put up with Tommy for much too long, especially after high jinx during a tour of North America in 1970 forced Gemmell to be be sent home early. Jim Brogan’s entry into the side meant that we’d found a capable replacement for Tommy Gemmell. To be fair, Jock Stein himself was not always an easy character to work with either.

Post-Celtic
After leaving Celtic in December 1971, Tommy Gemmell spent two years at Nottingham Forest, playing alongside future Celtic manager Martin O’Neill and future Celtic coach John Robertson. He then spent three years at Dundee from 1973 to 1976, captaining the Dens Park side to a 1-0 win over Celtic in the League Cup final of December 1973, which didn’t go down well with some sections of the Celtic support who retorted verbally, but the rest paid him due respect for the achievement.

On retiring from play in December 1976, the Celtic legend managed Dundee from 1977 until 1980 – one of his first signings was Jimmy Johnstone although that didn’t really work out. Tommy Gemmell did manage Dundee to victory over Celtic in a match that helped to lose Celtic the league that same season. After being sacked by Dundee, he managed Albion Rovers (two spells), and later totally abandoned all football management, moving into insurance sales.

He was a regular speaker for Celtic in interviews and at dinners, and he remained a popular Celtic man at every event. As a further mark of respect, in 2002 he was voted by the fans into the club’s Greatest Ever team.

He will forever be adored, as much for his on-field achievements as for his off-field antics.

Passing Away
He passed away in 2017 in the 50th anniversary season of the Lisbon Lions. Only a week before his passing, he was ranked by highly regarded football analyst and commentator Jonathan Wilson as one of the five key pioneering full-backs in football history, another great mark of recognition for Tommy.

Tommy’s funeral was held at Daldowie Crematorium on 10th March, on a Friday at 12 noon. Prior to that, the funeral cortege left Celtic Park and travelled down the Celtic Way for one last visit to Celtic Park, then on to London Road towards Daldowie Crematorium.

In retrospect, one of the greatest accolades that can be paid to Tommy Gemmell is that he helped redefine the game, and showed us the future for how the full-back position was to evolve into.

In the match following his passing, Celtic defeated St Mirren 4-1 in a cup game. Appropriately for Tommy, a goal was scored in the 67th minute. Celtic had gone behind in this game to fight back and equalise (with that goal by an attacking fullback), and wave after wave of pressure after sustained defence from the opposition led to their collapse and Celtic’s victory. Interesting parallels to the European Cup final in 1967.

Tommy Gemmell will be much missed by all.

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Quotes

“What will remain consistent, though, is the Celtic support and with those guys behind you anything is possible.”
Tommy Gemmell

“I really missed being a Celtic player. That meant more than money.”
Tommy Gemmell on leaving Celtic and playing down south

“I can look back to Lisbon in ’67 and remember everything like it was yesterday.”
Tommy Gemmell (2015)

“The Celtic supporters were out of this world. I’ve still to find supporters to better them.”
Tommy Gemmell

“The executioner of Inter, the man who smashed their defensive screen.”
L’Equipe journalist Jean Cornu

“Now Clark to Murdoch… in comes Craig… Gemmell… HE’S SCORED! A great goal… He’s done it!”
Kenneth Wolstenholme (commentator) the European Cup goal by Gemmell

“And that’s the goal that wins it for Celtic as Inter have to come out…”
Kenneth Wolstenholme (commentator) on the European Cup goal by Gemmell

“It just shows you – you do things the wrong way but they turn out correct.”
Tommy Gemmell on scoring in the ’67 EC Cup Final

“Probably his most famous goal was the equaliser in the European Cup Final, although with great modesty might I point out that he received such a perfect pass along the 18-yard line that his granny could have knocked that one in.”
Jim Craig, from his euolgoy at the funeral of Tommy Gemmell

“The Gemmell all-action reel would feature prominently a kick up the bahookie of Helmut Haller and a goal in the European Cup that came from a shot so thunderous it should have been followed by a shower of rain.”
Herald journalist Hugh McDonald on Tommy’s world class shooting prowess

Martin O’Neill: “I loved your goal in the European Cup final.”
Tommy Gemmell: “Which one?”

“I read once in a book by Lisbon Lion Tommy Gemmell, that he and I had come in for a lot of abuse from our team mates for being the only two Protestants in the team. Tommy’s recollection, however, is totally at odds with mine. It just didn’t happen as far as I’m concerned. We were the first two Protestants to play in the first team for some time, and there were moments that I thought were funny, as opposed to serious bigotry.”
Ian Young from Life with the Lions book

“Ultimately the element that impressed most profoundly was the massive heart of this Celtic side. Nothing symbolised it more vividly than the incredible display of Gemmell. He was almost on his knees with fatigue before scoring that thunderous equaliser in the 63rd minute but somehow his courage forced him to go on dredging up the strength to continue with the exhausting runs along the left wing that did more than any other single factor to demoralise Inter.”
Hugh McIlvanney on Tommy Gemmell in Lisbon

“Every goal is a great goal. It didn’t matter who I scored against or how inconsequential the goal was, every time I put the ball in the net was a great moment.”
Tommy Gemmell

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Playing Career

Honours with Celtic

• 1966-67, 1967-68, 1968-69, 1969-70

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Pictures

• Player Pictures

Articles

• Obituary articles and Miscellaneous

Links

• Lisbon Lions
• Three Cheers for Tommy Gemmell – Song

Books

• The Big Shot by Tommy Gemmell (1968)
• Lionheart by Graham McColl (2004)
• Tommy Gemmell – All The Best (2014)

Forums

• Passing Away (2017)