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Personal
Fullname: John Hughes
aka: Yogi, Big John
Born: 3 April 1943
Birthplace: Coatbridge, Scotland
Died: 1 August 2022
Signed: 3 October 1959 (from Shotts Bon Accord)
Left: 19 October 1971 (to Crystal Palace)
Position: Winger/Striker/Forward
Debut: Third Lanark home 2-0 League Cup 13 August 1960
Last game: BK 1903 Copenhagen 3-0 European cup 29 September 1971
First goal: Third Lanark home 2-0 League cup 13 August 1960
Last goal: Ayr United away 3-0 League cup 21 August 1971
Internationals: Scotland
International Caps: 8 caps
International Goals: 1 goal
Biog
“You know what? I would just want it to be known that I was a Celtic man.”
John Hughes (2022)
John ‘Yogi’ Hughes (not to be confused with John Hughes, the Falkirk boss in the 2000’s) was born in Coatbridge on 3rd April 1943. He was a fans’ favourite and would be greeted with cries of ‘Feed the Bear!’ during games (his nickname was ‘Yogi‘ and derives from ‘Yogi Bear‘ from the cartoons).
Due to John Hughes’ inconsistent style of play it is said that half of the Celtic fans swore by him and the other half were swearing at him but John gave great service to Celtic and was particularly valuable on heavy pitches where his strength and stamina were put to good use.
John Hughes was signed from Shotts Bon Accord in 1959 and quickly established himself as a regular in the Celtic forward line. He was comfortable on both wings and at centre forward and could easily change positions during the course of a game with his versatility.
He made his debut against Third Lanark on 13th August 1960 in a League Cup tie at Parkhead and scored in a 2-1 victory. Celtic were an inconsistent team at this period and John earned rave reviews when he scored twice in an impressive 4-0 win over Airdrie in the 1961 Scottish Cup semi final. In the final against Dunfermline, Celtic played well but Eddie Connachan had the game of his life and one save from John was said to be in the world class bracket to earn the Pars a 0-0 draw. Sadly, Celtic went down 2-0 in the replay.
Although the early 1960’s were a painful time for Celtic, big John Hughes’ performances were one of the brighter spots and he was a fine goalscorer. He was often the scorer of spectacular goals and the old timers still talk of the goal he scored at Cappielow in 1964 when he powered home a shot from 35 yards and also the goal at Dens Park in 1965 when he beat several men before cracking home a thunderous shot. However there were still disappointments and in May 1963 John Hughes lost another cup final replay, this time to Rangers by 3-0. 1962-63 was a good season for Yogi even though he had a couple of periods out with a troublesome ankle injury. In the closed season at the end of 1962-63 Celtic received a bid for John Hughes from Juventus. At that time Italian clubs were snapping around British clubs and picking up the best talent for the Italian League.
In March 1964 John Hughes scored Celtic’s winner in the notable 1-0 win over Slovan Bratislava in the quarter finals of the European Cup Winners Cup, a fine victory at the time which created a stir in Europe. He had a fine game in September 1964 against Rangers at Parkhead on a mud heap of a pitch when he began to show that he was at last realising his great potential. In January 1965 he had an awesome game in the 8-0 win over Aberdeen at a frosty Parkhead when John Hughes played in ‘sannies‘ and kept his feet to tremendous effect, scoring a remarkable five goals in the process.
Life changed utterly for everyone at Parkhead in March 1965 when Jock Stein arrived as manager. John Hughes was the centre forward in the 1965 Scottish Cup final win against Dunfermline which started the great times for Celtic. In October 1965 he showed remarkable coolness when scoring twice from the spot in the 2-1 League Cup final win over Rangers which announced that Celtic were now a real force. At the final whistle the Rangers fans invaded the field and an altercation took place with several Celtic players resulting in laps of honour being banned at Hampden for many years. In May 1966 John Hughes won his first League medal but Celtic lost the Scottish Cup to Rangers in a replay through rank bad luck.
The 1966/67 season was never to be forgotten but John Hughes was to miss out in the European Cup final win in Lisbon. He had been in the side as late as May 3rd 1967 against Dundee United but was not fit for the final after declaring an injury, something he would rue in later years. He had played a major part in the success of that season and was at outside left in October 1966 for the 1-0 win over Rangers in the League Cup final. He played in five of the nine European games that season and in many other games, so deserves to be remembered as a fully fledged Lisbon Lion.
By this time John Hughes was an established Scottish international and scored against England at Hampden in February 1968. He scored in the 5-3 victory over Dundee in October 1967 which won the League Cup again and was in the side that won 3 in a row at East End Park on April 30th 1968. He played in two of the ill fated three games in South America against Racing Club in the World Club championship and it was from his corner that Billy McNeill scored in the first leg at Hampden.
The 1968/69 season was possibly John’s best for Celtic as they won the treble but injury prevented John Hughes from taking part in the domestic cup final wins against Hibs and Rangers respectively. He was used by Stein in a number of positions in the forward line and by this time he was a huge favourite amongst the Celtic fans who had, by this time, fondly nicknamed him Yogi Bear.
In April 1970 Celtic took on the might Leeds United in the European Cup semi final and in the return game at Hampden John Hughes had the game of his life. Celtic won 2-1 with John Hughes scoring Celtic’s first goal with a spectacular header. Although a huge man he was not a noted header of the ball so this goal was unusual. John Hughes ran the famous England centre half Jackie Charlton ragged and the Leeds defence could not contain him. He was rewarded for this with the number 9 position in the final against Feyenoord in Milan and although the Dutch deservedly won 2-1, John Hughes missed Celtic’s best chance in extra time when clear through on goal. The defeat was a massive disappointment after the Leeds successes.
On September 12th 1970 John Hughes scored in the 2-0 win over Rangers and was still a main part of the Celtic team. However after the New Year of 1971 John Hughes had competition from the younger element of Macari, Dalglish and Davidson. In February 1971 Celtic surprisingly lost 3-2 at Muirton to St Johnstone and John Hughes was injured and had to come off against Jock Stein’s wishes. Stein held him responsible for the defeat and this would be the beginning of the end for the amiable big forward. He was missing for the Scottish Cup final victory in May 1971against Rangers in view of this.
Despite this he was still named at outside left for Celtic’s opening fixture of 1971/72 when they beat Rangers 2-0 at Ibrox. Kenny Dalglish scored his first Celtic goal from the spot after John Hughes had been hauled down by Peter McCloy. On September 29th 1971 he came on as sub and made a valuable contribution in the 3-0 win over 1903 Copenhagen in the European Cup. John Hughes was not to know it but that was to be his last game in the Celtic hooped jersey.
He scored a remarkable 189 goals in 416 appearances for Celtic, and earned eight full international caps for the Scotland national team. He was so named ‘Yogi‘ because of his size and strength, and without ever having much speed, he had the ability to shake off defenders through sheer physical power, while keeping his head down and the ball always under close control. To see John Hughes in full flow was to see one of the most spectacular sights in Celtic’s history.
Post-Celtic
Big Yogi moved reluctantly to Crystal Palace in 1971 (along with Willie Wallace) then to Sunderland where he ended his career. Jock Stein is said to have pushed him out trying to recreate the team. According to Bertie Auld’s biog, John Hughes went home one day after hearing rumours of his impending transfer to find Jock Stein there. Jock Stein told him that he was to be transferred (against John Hughes’ wishes) and that was that. A few days later he was gone, and Yogi has admitted to have felt a degree of resentment over this, and did not attend Jock Stein’s funeral.
Many fans regretted his departure as he still had good years in him, and John Hughes has always said he never knew why Jock Stein moved him on. He stated in an interview with the Celtic Underground podcast “The man [Jock Stein] ruined my life!“, on his move away which was harsh. There were many good youngsters coming through at Celtic, and he had not had been a notable scorer in the league in his last few seasons.
He also refuted claims of inconsistency by stating if he was inconsistent he’d never have played so often. In fairness, this could be argued both ways when you look at the statistics and make a good case for their arguments. For example in season 1966/67 he scored little and only over a few matches, and so his best form seems to have been before this pivotal season. So as Jock Stein retained him for so long till long after till 1971, you could argue that Jock Stein was actually supportive in keeping him for as long as he did.
Things went well for him in England, but it was very short-lived. He was the runner-up in the Goal of the Season in 1971-72 in a 5-1 win over Sheffield Utd, but an injury whilst with Sunderland meant he had to end his career prematurely. He returned up north first as coach with Baillieston then to Shotts Bon Accord as manager for a period and also managed the Scottish junior side. He also had a period in 1975 managing Stranraer before returning to Baillieston as manager and coach.
He ran a pub for a time but in 1986 he gave up the pub and went to work as a drugs counsellor at Kilmahew House, Cardross. In later years he could be seen pulling pints in McConnells public house in Hope Street Glasgow.
John Hughes was a hugely popular Celt, played a great part in Celtic’s most successful period in the Jock Stein era, and is remembered as an all time Celtic great.
He passed away in August 2022 after a short illness. A Celt to the end as his son posted on social media about their attendance together at the flag day match just shortly before his passing that same month (a 2-0 win v Aberdeen):
“He rallied one last time on Sunday to sing us ‘Grace’ as best he could. His last conscious acts were hanging on for YNWA & giving us a wee fist pump celebration for Stephen’s goal. There is undeniable magic about this club we all love. A Celtic man until his last breath.”
Playing Career
| APPEARANCES |
LEAGUE | SCOTTISH CUP | LEAGUE CUP | EUROPE | TOTAL |
| 1959-1971 |
255 | 51 | 69 | 41 | 416 |
| Goals | 116 | 25 | 38 | 10 | 189 |
Honours with Celtic
European Cup
Scottish Cup
- 4
- 1
Pictures
Links
Articles
Books
Quotes
On Missing Out on Lisbon
”Any player would tell you that you don’t feel a part of it. You actually feel out of it, a terrible feeling. Although everyone tries to bring you into it you feel as if you are there but in reality somewhere else. ”In your mind you are thinking: ‘God, I am missing this’. I can tell you it is a dreadful sensation. Even after it at the celebration dinners you feel just empty although you try to appear as happy as you can and you are happy for the others. But in truth it was absolutely devastating. ”Thirty six years on it still stabs me in the heart when I think about it. In football terms it was the worst thing that ever happened to me.” ”I had to fight to get a place on the plane because the doctor was worried that an ankle injury I had would swell up on the flight. But I was desperate to go – who wouldn’t be? – and the disappointment of not playing was still hard to take, even if it was tempered by the fact that I knew deep down that I wouldn’t have been able to play.”
On the 1970 Final
‘I honestly feel Big Jock underestimated Feyenoord, who turned out to be a really good side. He also dropped George Connelly from the team that knocked out Leeds and I am convinced that was a major factor in our defeat. I believe that Jock thought the trophy was won when we beat Leeds. Mind you, I didn’t help in the final because I missed a bloody sitter. ”It was so disappointing. At the time there was talk of us being upset at bonuses but I don ‘t think that was the case. We never knew what our bonus would be at any time. I think there was a feeling in the dressing room that the final was already won. Before the game, when there would normally have been nerves and tension, everybody seemed very relaxed. The atmosphere was so different. It was strangely flat. ”The Leeds game was a really big one but I think the worst thing that happened was playing them in the semi-final. It was very depressing afterwards because I knew I would not get another chance at winning a European final. To reach two finals, knowing the way football was developing, it didn’t seem likely we would get there again.’
On Leaving Celtic ‘
‘Personally, I have to admit that I do resent the fact that I had to leave Celtic when I did not want to leave. I still get angry when I think of those days. I think it all stemmed from Jock’s fears that his side would end up like the Inter Milan one we beat. He felt they were ageing. I was only 27 when he persuaded me to go to Crystal Palace, and I heard later two other first division clubs were in for me. A year later, after a knee injury, I was finished, out of the game. It was unnecessary. They say you hit your prime between 28 and 32 but I didn’t even get started.’
‘We thought they were on something!’
John Hughes, in 2003, talking about meeting an extremely energetic Ajax side in 1971. They went on to win the European Cup that year.
‘I don’t really have one. I wouldn’t want to be remembered for one goal or game, even that match against Leeds. You know what? I would just want it to be known that I was a Celtic man.’
John Hughes (2022)