‘A man must be a Celt on and off the field, otherwise he is of no value to this club,’ Willie Maley

On this day 61 years ago just shy of his 90th birthday, the “Greatest ever Celt” was taken from us.

“A man must be a Celt on and off the field, otherwise he is of no value to this club.”

God bless Willie Maley

“On this Day 61 years ago, Celtic legend Willie Maley passed away. The Irishman delivered 30 major trophies in his 43 years as manager.”

“A council committee has agreed to move forward with a proposal to erect a statue remembering Newry born Willie Maley, who in 1897 at the age of 29 became the first Manager of Glasgow Celtic FC.”

ON THIS DAY IN 1958 Willie Maley, “the man who made Celtic” died only a few weeks short of his 90th birthday. He had played in the first game in 1888 and had been manager from 1897 until 1940 during which time he had had phenomenal success, especially with the side which dominated Edwardian football between 1904 and 1910.

He had fallen out with the club in 1940, but had been reconciled to them before his death.

As a player Willie Maley won three league winners medals in 1892-93, 1893-94 and 1895-96.

He won a Scottish Cup winners medal in 1892 and four Glasgow Cup winners medals in 1891, 1892, 1895 and 1896 plus three Glasgow Charity Cup winners medals in his playing career.

As Celtic manager he won the Scottish League Championship on an incredible 16 occasions in seasons 1897-98, 1904-05, 1905-06, 1906-07, 1907-08, 1908-09, 1909-10, 1913-14, 1914-15, 1915-16, 1916-17, 1918-19, 1921-22, 1925-26 and 1935-36, 1937-38.

He also won the Scottish Cup as Celtic manager on 14 occasions in 1899, 1900, 1904, 1907, 1908,
1911, 1912, 1914, 1923, 1925, 1927, 1931, 1933 and 1937.

The Glasgow Cup was also secured on 14 occasions with Willie Maley in charge. These wins were in 1905, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1910, 1916, 1917, 1920, 1921, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1931 and 1939.

As Celtic manger he also won the Glasgow International Exhibition Cup in season 1901-02, the Navy and Army War Fund Shield in 1918, The Empire Exhibition Cup in 1938 and also 19 wins in the Glasgow Charity Cup.

HE SAID IT

“The club has been my life and I feel without it my existence would be empty indeed,” Willie Maley.

“It’s not the creed nor his nationality that counts. It’s the man himself,” Willie Maley.

“A man must be a Celt on and off the field, otherwise he is of no value to this club,” Willie Maley.

“My love for Celtic has been a craze,” Willie Maley

“Much has been made in certain quarters about our religion, but for forty-eight years we have played a mixed team, and some of the greatest Celts we have had did not agree with us in our religious beliefs, although we have never at any time hidden what these are. Men of the type of McNair, Hay, Lyon, Buchan, Cringan, the Thomspons, or Paterson soon found out that broadmindedness which is the real stamp of the good Christian existed to its fullest at Celtic Park, where a man was judged by his football alone.”
Willie Maley from “The Story of The Celtic” (1939)

THEY SAID IT

“Willie Maley was a great man but a person I used to regard with awe. Most of the time he was ensconced in his office and was not directly involved with our training. Now and again he would walk out the tunnel and when the players saw the familiar figure with the black crombie coat and stetson type hat you never saw such activity on the track.

It was a situation similar to the headmaster and pupil type of relationship, yet it was a style of management that brought results. Jimmy McStay was different in character. A quiet man he was there in difficult circumstances, similarly Jimmy McGrory was also very much a gentleman and although it’s often been repeated both seemed too nice to be really successful managers.”
Matt Lynch (Celtic Star)

“He was in his tower, but when he came down from it you didn’t wait long, you got yourself out of the road. I’ve never known him to come in and wax eloquent about a performance. He could always pick the Achilles heel and lambast you for doing this or that or the next thing. Some weeks the secretary [James Maloney] would come in with the wages and say to me the boss still had mine. I knew them so I would then have to go to into the office.”
Malcolm MacDonald (Celtic Star)

‘To me, Willie Maley was Celtic,’and ‘You always expected to see him well-dressed, with the soft hat, you know.’ Willie Buchan (Celtic Star)

THE LAST WORD

“I am the last survivor of the little band that set out heroically to launch the Celtic ship.”
Manager Willie Maley during his speech in 1938 at the Celtic 50 year Jubilee dinner at the Grosvenor Hotel in Glasgow.

He was also presented with 2,500 guineas – 50 for every year he had served Celtic.

About Author

The Celtic Star founder and editor, who has edited numerous Celtic books over the past decade or so including several from Lisbon Lions, Willie Wallace, Tommy Gemmell and Jim Craig. Earliest Celtic memories include a win over East Fife at Celtic Park and the 4-1 League Cup loss to Partick Thistle as a 6 year old. Best game? Easy 4-2, 1979 when Ten Men Won the League. Email editor@thecelticstar.co.uk

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