It was on Friday 1 May 1970 that the axe fell, and even then there was more than a touch of nastiness about. With all of Celtic Park agog with the prospect of the European Cup final in Milan, and Celtic preparing to take all their playing staff to see the game, Charlie was looking forward to the trip. Two planes had been chartered, but the first inkling that Charlie had to the effect was that he was getting the boot came when Sean Fallon came to him and said that he could not see Gallagher’s name on the list for either plane. The announcement was then made
that the playing staff had been reduced from 32 to 31 with Charlie Gallagher given a free transfer. He was the only one, for everyone else was retained. There would thus be no trip to Milan for Charlie and no future at Celtic Park.
The handling of this situation was shoddy, humiliating and, frankly, not worthy of the fair name of Celtic Football Club. It may have been realistically the best decision for both Celtic and Gallagher himself. Gallagher had after all hardly played in the first team for two years, new players had been brought in and things had moved on from Gallagher’s great spring of 1968. Things can and do change very quickly in football as we have seen, but this hardly excuses the insensitive way that Stein handled the situation.
A more humane Manager (even Stein himself perhaps in his early years) would have sought the player out for a quiet word before any brutal announcement, explained the situation and offered to do his best to get him another club (Stein had considerable influence in Scottish football). Things could have been amicable and friendly, even
though the situation was difficult. But then again, as events in the next few weeks would indicate, Stein seemed to be under a great deal of pressure in spring 1970 in spite of all the obvious success that the team was achieving.
There was very little in Milan or the USA that reflected any kind of credit on Jock Stein.
Charlie’s departure itself was curt and brief. The conversation went along the lines of “Charlie, I’m releasing you” to which Charlie said “Good” and left Stein’s office to find Sean Fallon waiting for him. Sean was not always
liked by all players, for he had a tendency to tell the truth, but he was efficient and reliable. He also had the ability to provide a shoulder to cry on. He and Charlie got on well together. He had already used his influence,
it was believed, to get Gallagher capped for Ireland, and on this occasion he was able to fix him up with another job. ”Don’t worry, Charlie”, he said. “I’ll get something fixed up for you”. He would be as good as his word.
In the meantime, Malcolm Munro of The Evening Times was sympathetic but realistic. ”Odd man out Charlie shouldn’t wait long for a club. He is one of the most accurate passers of a ball in the game and had a big say three or four years ago in forming the present European Cup team. He lacked the pace required by Celtic and fell out of the reckoning. In fact, Charlie played only once for the first team in the last two seasons and seldom for the reserves. No matter. Charlie is an inside forward of quality and if he wasn’t just good enough lately for Celtic, then there are a lot of other clubs in the country who aren’t either”.
It was a sad end to a Celtic career, but Charlie’s departure was very quickly overtaken by other and sadder events as far as Celtic and their supporters were concerned. Celtic departed for Milan, seriously optimistic about their chances of a second European Cup. They were, in fact, too optimistic. Bertie Auld wrote a ghosted piece for The People entitled “Why Celtic Will Win”, and other players made similar pronouncements.
Indeed, given their success against Leeds United in the semi-finals, very few people betted against them. According to Tommy Gemmell, Stein’s team talk was dismissive of Feyenoord, and it is now generally reckoned that the team selection and the team formation, particularly in the midfield, was wrong. To be fair to Jock, most of that criticism came with the benefit of hindsight and very few people stated it before the game, but there was a certain complacency about Celtic as they took the field.
Perhaps they might have taken their defeat by Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup final a little more to heart. They were in the throes of their Leeds United games at the time, and the other factor was of course three awful decisions given against them by referee Bobby Davidson – a penalty when Murdoch was hit in the chest, a disallowed goal and a penalty refused. But Stein and Celtic hid behind these decisions and made them the excuse, in apparent contradiction of Stein’s much quoted dictum that “if you are four or five ahead, then refereeing decisions don’t matter”.
Perhaps a long hard look at themselves might have been a better idea, but a few days later they beat Leeds United in the European Cup semi-final and we were all swept away in the euphoria.
The atmosphere in Milan was dominated by the Dutch claxons and in spite of scoring first, Celtic were outplayed, going down in extra time in the most heart breaking of circumstances. It was one of the saddest nights imaginable for a Celtic supporter. A less gracious and less gentlemanly person than Charlie Gallagher might have felt entitled to gloat or a quiet “serves him right” in the direction of Jock Stein, whose biggest failure this was, but Charlie was still a Celtic supporter. He grieved like everyone else.
Indeed it must have been hell for all the players, however much they tried to pretend otherwise. The press took a malicious delight in their discomfiture, highlighting for example a consortium arrangement to handle the money that they had earned – something that went down distinctly badly with their supporters who had impoverished themselves by going to Milan.
Things were made a lot worse when they were taken on a pointless, squabbling, unhappy tour of the United States of America after that. Charlie did well to miss all that, as he pondered the re-orientation of his life now that Celtic, that huge component of his existence, had been taken away.
For Celtic, too, this wasn’t exactly the end of an era, but it was certainly a watershed in the great years. The tour of America saw Tommy Gemmell and Bertie Auld being sent home by Sean Fallon, and that was after Jock Stein himself had suddenly walked out of a game and gone home! He may have been suffering from some sort of nervous breakdown after the Milan fiasco, for which he knew that he himself was at least partially responsible.
Rumours abounded that he was going to Manchester United, but he decided to stay and rebuild a new Celtic. Indeed, the pressure that Stein was under may help to explain some of the crazy things that he did.
The departure of Gallagher must be seen in this context. Simpson had already retired in any case, and Gemmell, Clark, Wallace, Chalmers, Auld and Hughes would not last much more than another season as new players like Lou Macari, Danny McGrain, David Hay and Kenny Dalglish began to appear more regularly. One of Stein’s claims to greatness was this ability to create a second great team out of the first one. There can be no argument about Stein’s tactical acumen. It was a shame however that his way of doing this lacked tact and diplomacy. It was even more of a shame that the ever likeable Charlie Gallagher was the victim of his insensitive behaviour.
Even if Gallagher never again played for the first team, he would still have been able to play in the Reserves, acting as guide, philosopher and friend for the all the talented youngsters who were beginning to appear.
But it was not to be. Gallagher and Celtic parted company. Nothing lasts forever. It was time for a fresh start somewhere else. Time to move on.
David Potter
To be continued
For someone who was only a small child in late 60s this has been an education for me. Thank you David.