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The nearly man
(Herald May 2007)
They may not have been the shots that were heard all over the world but two strikes from Charlie Gallacher's boot have echoed down the ages. In the midst of 40 years of Lisbon celebrations, Gallacher could appear to be a peripheral figure. He watched the final from the stand, just yards from where Billy McNeill would be awarded the trophy in chaotic circumstances.
But Gallacher, a midfielder of craft and subtlety, had played his part in high points of Celtic's history. For all Gallacher's guile in the centre of midfield, both his contributions came from a small patch of grass in a corner of a home field. The first was on Scottish Cup final day 1965. Celtic were drawing 2-2 with Dunfermline, time was running out and Celtic were awarded a corner. Gallacher's cross was met by Billy McNeill's forehead. Celtic won the cup. It was Jock Stein 's first honour as manager. Two years later at Parkhead, Celtic were struggling to overcome Vojvodina en route to Lisbon. Time running out, late corner, Gallagher strolls over, ball meets McNeill's napper. . . cue celebrations.
Gallacher, now a sprightly 66, chuckles as he remembers both incidents. "Everybody of a certain age comes up to me and says they were standing right behind me when I took those corners. Nobody just says they were at the match. They were all behind me. It just shows how people's memories work," he says.
Gallagher has a vivid recollection of the past. The two goals were a direct result of the influence of Stein, a manager with whom Gallagher had a fraught, ultimately explosive relationship.
"When big Stein came to Parkhead everything changed. We were suddenly training with balls. We went up to Barrowfield and were practising one-twos. We had a routine where me, Bertie Auld and Bobby Murdoch would send the ball down the wings and the full-backs or wingers would centre for the forwards to finish off. We scored a lot of goals in games that way.
"Stein worked on corner kicks and free-kicks all the time. I took these two corners because, firstly, I mainly took the setpieces and Wee Jinky was knackered anyway and could not have got the ball in. I just concentrated on passing the ball hard towards the penalty spot. Big Billy always made the same run from the edge of the D. He was a great header of the ball."
Stein thus won his first Scottish Cup as coach and later became the first British manager to lift the European Cup. He worked for it, though. "Stein was always thinking," says Gallacher. "Tactics-wise he knew everything. In the 1961 cup final when Stein was manager of Dunfermline he read us like a book."
He adds: "I remember my first game in 1959 for Celtic when me and Dan O'Hara made our debuts. One or two of the players came up and wished us the best of luck. But me and Dan were just thinking What do we do?' The manager, Jimmy McGrory, came in and said: Right lads, you're playing for Celtic. Go out and win today'.
"In contrast, Stein would talk to everybody about the game. The way he talked to you at training you knew if you were playing. He would tell you precisely what he wanted from you. But he always added: Gie the ball to the Wee Man'. But we didn't need much encouragement to give the ball to Jimmy Johnstone."
Gallacher ultimately fell out with Stein. "It was hard because you're not a footballer player unless you are on the park. It got difficult sitting in the stand. I used to go in and complain to Big Jock. But he was a hard man. he had his own ideas about things. I then fell out with him and left for Dumbarton."
Gallacher had a wonderful swansong at Dumbarton where he led the team to promotion. But he believes his best season was the one just after Lisbon. "Bertie got injured, I came in and we went on a wonderful run of about 15 games unbeaten, scoring a bundle of goals.'' His face lights up in recollection. But is he bitter about missing out at Lisbon?
"Of course you have regrets," he says.
"I would love to have played but I have always felt included as a Lisbon Lion. We have all felt part of it," he says referring to John Fallon, Willie O'Neill, Joe McBride and John Hughes who contributed to that heroic season but did not play in the final. He is a grateful attender at all the celebrations and was enthusiastic about the new grey suit awarded for tonight's celebrations at Parkhead. "Peter Lawwell chief executive has been great to us," he says. "I have a free season ticket for life."
But does he feel diminished by his reputation as a nearly man?
"I won three league title medals, a Scottish Cup medal, a league cup medal and a European Cup medal. I was capped for the Republic of Ireland twice," he says, quietly acknowledging a substantial legacy of achievement.
"For years it galled me that the only thing people remembered me for was two corner kicks. Then my wife said: Your name is in history for that'."
Then Gallacher quietly smiles with the satisfaction of a player who has had two shots at greatness.