Fallon, John – Miscellaneous Articles

A TREAT FOR TIMDOM – THE CELTIC STORY OF JOHN FALLON

By David W Potter

Most home match days, there will be a figure, now somewhat grey-haired and craggy, but still very robust and athletic, standing near the Celtic Superstore talking animatedly to all and sundry about football and Celtic. This is John Fallon, once the red-haired idol of the Celtic fans, but now in genteel retirement, and doing what he loves the most – watching his beloved Celtic.

John cannot have missed many games over the years since he retired, and he has been spotted at venues like Love Street, Easter Road, Brockville and Rugby Park when Celtic are supplying the opposition.

John Fallon was born in Blantyre (where he still lives) round about the time of The Battle of Britain in 1940, and 18 years later joined the only team that he was ever likely to want to play for – Glasgow Celtic.

His debut came against Clyde in September 1959, and in one of his early games at Arbroath, he was seen to make a save and then turn to the punters behind the goal and give them the "thumbs-up" sign. This horrified the traditionalists, but showed the Celtic fans that he was one of us.

For a while he was the understudy to the eccentric Frank Haffey of Wembley infamy. Frank was a good goalkeeper, although capable of many "howlers". John kept working away waiting for his time to come. It duly did as things began to pick up in November 1963, and Fallon had a good second half in that season. Nothing was won, but there was a good run in Europe, and on one occasion at Greenock in January 1964, Fallon turned round to his fans with arms aloft to show his appreciation of a good goal scored at the other end. An over-zealous policeman then told him to stop doing that, for it might incite the fans!

For Fallon, the relationship with the Celtic fans was crucial. In a very special sense, they were Celtic. Fallon would make the utmost effort to talk to the snotty-nosed youngsters whom the Welfare State had not quite reached in 1964. He would be seen talking to the ballboys, even at away grounds, and on one train journey to Aberdeen, came out of the compartment specially to talk to the fans when the other members of the team gave the impression that green and white supporters' scarves got in the way. On that occasion, when the train stopped at Stonehaven, a couple of youngsters in the red and white of Aberdeen got on, and they too were talked to by this unassuming young man whom they clearly did not believe to be Celtic's goalkeeper!

The arrival of Stein in 1965 was preceded by that of Ronnie Simpson, a veteran of the Olympic Games of 1948, and two English Cup Finals with Newcastle United in 1952 and 1955. Yet Stein did not seem to like Simpson, and in Stein's first Scottish Cup triumph, that glorious day of deliverance in April 1965, it was Fallon who was in Celtic's goal. He saved the day on more than one occasion, when the Pars pressed hard, he swung on the crossbar at the final whistle, then rushed off to hospital to be with his wife Essie as she gave birth the following day.

There was little wrong with Fallon or Celtic's world in spring 1965.

But John had a bad day (in the eyes of Stein at least) in a game at Ibrox in September 1965 and Simpson was now given the nod. Many a lesser man would have taken the huff, handed in a transfer request and thrown the toys out of the pram. Not a bit of it with this man. He became friends with Ronnie Simpson, made a point of sitting beside him on the team bus and learning all that he could from this luminary of the game.

John Fallon was thus a spectator at Lisbon, but still counts it as one of the greatest games of his life. Pictures clearly show him jumping off the bench at the final whistle and rushing to congratulate Ronnie.

He was called upon at short notice to play in the World Club Cup Final in Argentina in November 1967 when Ronnie Simpson was struck with a missile. It was something that needed a great deal of courage, but John let no-one down.

Everyone recalls the dreadful John Fallon moment of January 1968. Ronnie had pulled out through injury, and John played at Parkhead against Rangers. His followers looked on in dismay as he made two errors to give Rangers an undeserved draw.

Yet everyone identified with him several months later when Celtic wrested back the initiative in the Championship race. He was playing at a deserted Parkhead against Raith Rovers Reserves. He neither knew nor cared what the score was, but he did know that the first team were winning the Glasgow Cup at Hampden that night, and that Morton had drawn with Rangers in the Scottish League. Celtic duly won the Championship, and 1968 would not be known as "Fallon's folly".

But 1969 was his "annus mirabilis". An injury in February more or less ended Simpson's career, and thus Fallon was involved in that glorious month of April when Celtic won all three domestic trophies. The sweetest was the 4-0 beating of Rangers in the Scottish Cup Final, when John survived some dreadful treatment from some thuggish Rangers forwards and saved everything that came his way.

Just to put a little icing on the glorious Treble cake that was 1969, Fallon then played in the League Cup Final of that year, saving brilliantly twice from Benny Rooney of St. Johnstone to win another medal.

It was often said that Stein could not judge a goalkeeper. He certainly did not keep one for long, and by the end of that season, John had lost out to Evan Williams, a competent but by no means brilliant keeper.

John thus missed out on the European Cup Final in 1970, and although he hung around until 1972, it was obvious that he was permanently out of favour. He moved to Motherwell and later Morton, but his heart remained where it still is to be found on match days, at Parkhead.

If you see John Fallon, go up and talk to him! He is surely what Celtic Football Club is meant to be about!

John Fallon – (TheSun interview)

JOHN FALLON has no problem recognising Jock Stein’s remarkable achievements as Celtic’s greatest ever manager.

But one of the most decorated keepers in the Hoops’ 127-year history will never forgive Stein for how he treated him at Parkhead.

Fallon’s autobiography ‘Keeping in Paradise’ was launched yesterday in, ironically, the Jock Stein Lounge at Celtic Park.

On the front cover there’s even a praiseworthy quote from the legendary manager stating ‘John Fallon is an outstanding example . . . we can be proud of him’.

Fallon, though, told SunSport those words were never voiced to him by Stein — a man he scathingly describes in the book as being ‘duplicitous’ and ‘manipulative’.

Back-up to Ronnie Simpson for the 1967 European Cup triumph, he has harboured bitterness towards one of the club’s most revered figures for 50 YEARS.

In his eyes, the late Stein was a football genius — but appalling with man-management.

Fallon’s hard-hitting book published today doesn’t miss the giant who famously became Hoops boss in 1965 and transformed an ailing team into the best in Europe and virtually unbeatable in Scotland, winning nine successive titles and 13 cups.

At the heart of it all was Fallon.

He was overshadowed by Simpson, yet still featured in some of the club’s most momentous games.

Celtic’s first ever Euro tie against Valencia in 1962, the 1965 Scottish Cup Final triumph over Dunfermline, the infamous 1967 away World Club Championship matches against Racing Club, the victory over Real Madrid in Alfredo di Stefano’s testimonial, the 4-0 thrashing of Rangers in the 1969 Scottish Cup Final.

Fallon played 184 times for Celtic and kept 61 shutouts. However, he didn’t ever feel Stein believed in him.

The 75-year-old said: “I still feel bitterly disappointed by Stein. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive him.

“I respect everything he did in football. But his man- management? It was dreadful.

“In my early days as a junior he tried to move me on and I refused to go. I think he held it against me.

“I played in a lot of big games, but I don’t think he ever believed in me.

“I reckon he only played me because he had to.

“I played exceptionally well in di Stefano’s testimonial. But after the game all Stein could say to me was ‘That’s what you’re getting f****** paid for’.

“Stein stopped me from playing for Scotland and Republic of Ireland. I’m sure of that.

“A well-known journalist from that era, James Sanderson — someone who was well connected and close to Stein — told me a few years after I left the club that he hadn’t wanted me involved at international level.

“I felt sick. It was bad enough him making sure that I missed out for Scotland, but he did the same with Ireland who I qualified for through my grandfather. I only spoke to Stein once in the 13 years between me leaving Celtic in 1972 and his passing in 1985.

“He actually BANNED me from Parkhead, or at least from going through the front door.

“After I left Celtic I went up to the entrance for a night game against Inter Milan. The doorman stopped me and said bluntly I wasn’t welcome, that he was acting on orders.

“It must have come from Stein.

“I said to the doorman ‘Tell him he can stuff it’.

“A day or so after I got a call from Stein’s secretary to say he wanted to see me at the ground. I went up to the park for the agreed time. But he never faced me, instead it was Sean Fallon sent out. I thought that summed up Stein.

“I still went to Celtic games, but it was through the turnstiles.

“It was only when Billy McNeill became manager six years later that I got back in through the front door. Billy made me welcome again.

“There was even an episode when Stein turned up at my house and called me a bigot. He also said ‘The fans don’t want you and I don’t want you’.

“My wife showed him the door. If he’d stayed much longer I would have hit him.”

Through the years diehard supporter Fallon has watched various Celtic keepers struggle to avoid criticism, no matter how well they might be playing.

He said: “It’s very, very difficult being a Celtic goalkeeper.

“You can’t make one mistake. I met two wee boys recently who never even saw me play and yet one of them said to me ‘YOU, you sold the jerseys!’.

“I came in at 19 years old and played with my heroes — Bertie Peacock, Bobby Evans, Eric Smith, Neilly Mochan.

“I felt I was as good as anybody. Thinking about my Celtic career fills me with pride — seven League medals, two Scottish Cup, three League Cup, two Glasgow Cup, the European Cup medal.

“I was part of two Treble- winning teams, 1967 and 1969.

“It’s marvellous being Celtic No 1 when things are going well. But when you’ve blundered and the team’s losing it can be hell. There’s no hiding place.