A few recollections to share with you this evening on publishing Willie Wallace’s biography Heart of a Lion back in 2012. The first from Arthur who was a Hearts supporter in his youth but decided to follow Willie to Celtic in December 1966 and both men have never lost their new found love for Celtic. The second from Jim McGinley who played a huge role in the success of Willie’s book, contributing a large section to what was a hugely successful book, the first Celtic book I’d published.
Willie had a landmark birthday yesterday when he turned 80 and we’ve enjoyed looking back on his outstanding playing career, with Matt Corr taking us through that brilliantly. However what follows hopefully will tell you something about Willie Wallace the man, not the footballer.
Let’s hear firstly from Arthur who explains how he found Celtic through Willie Wallace’s transfer from Hearts to Celtic in December 1966…
MEETING MY BOYHOOD HERO WILLIE WALLACE AFTER FIFTY YEARS
Picture this. A sunny day in May 2013, me taking a half day from work, sporting a Lisbon Lions tee shirt, and driving from Edinburgh to Stirling to meet my hero, Willie ‘Wispy’ Wallace.
Arriving at the book shop far too early, I stood there, nervous as a kid, to make sure I was near the front of the queue. I bought a copy each of Heart of a Lion for me and my son, and chatted with a few fellow ‘nervous old kids’.
I spoke to one of the organisers, who was with the great man. Enjoying a bit of banter helped relieve my growing feeling of being star struck, I told the organiser the wee story of how I came to be a Celtic fan.
You see, it’s all Willie’s fault. My Dad was brought up close to Tynecastle, and he and my Grandad supported Heart of Midlothian. Wispy was my favourite player in the days my Grandad used to lift seven year-old me over the turnstile, and I can remember standing behind the goals when Hearts were hammered 7-1 by Dundee.
The three of us were there when Hearts lost the league to Kilmarnock in 1964, by a nano/ micro goal difference. My Dad was never as enthusiastic about the Jambos after that.
Mr Stein showed his managerial genius by agreeing with me what a clever and skilled centre forward Wispy was. Willie headed for Parkhead along with me, although I doubt he was aware of it.
How did my Grandad take that one? Like the true gentleman he was, with grace and kindness. He just liked his football, and I cherish the memory of him,partly for accepting it so well.
He died the day before I played for Edinburgh Secondary Juvenile select team, but he was proud I was selected and loved watching my games with my Dad.
Some of my best memories are watching European Cup games with my Dad on black and white TV in my pyjamas. Why I had a TV in my pyjamas I don’t know but my Jambo Dad loved watching those Celtic games with me.
So, back to Stirling shopping centre. A dapper grey haired gentleman strode in and sat at a table. I’d failed in my mission to be first, maybe third I reckon. The organiser mentioned Willie’s part in me being a Celt. I can barely remember the quick conversation we had, I was THAT awe struck, but I do remember what a nice, modest and witty man my hero turned out to be and his smile about my story.
If you get to meet someone you’ve admired for nearly fifty years, it’s nice not to be disappointed, but walk away with warmth in your heart and a bit dust in your eye making it water.
Having got both books signed, I remembered the Celtic shirt I’d brought. Sheepishly I went back to to explain and I was waved back over to the table. Willie graciously signed the shirt, smiling a wee bit at my discomfort.
It’s folded in my drawer, never to be sweated on or washed after five a sides. Ever.
Well, till my son gets it anyway.
Arthur
A MEMORABLE WEEK WITH LISBON LION WILLIE WALLACE
When I was first asked to write anything at all about Willie Wallace, the last thing that I thought I would ever write is that Willie Wallace is a funny wee bowlie legged man!
However, the fact of the matter is that…Willie Wallace is a funny wee bowlie legged man!!
Yes he is a former Celtic player, a Lisbon Lion, a former Scottish Internationalist and a member of that select group of people who have scored over 100 goals for Celtic — but he is far far more than that—and first and foremost he is chatty and very funny with a great sense of humour.
I had just spent the better part of a week touring about with the then 72 year old Willie and have seen him hold court in book shops, in BBC studios, with journalists with the public at large and in private.
His persona just never changes — he talks, laughs, and is so obviously genuine and natural that is it a joy to spend time in his company.
“Do you know that Olive loved Celtic too?” he asks.
Olive is his wife of 50 years plus, and he goes on to explain that she didn’t go to too many games throughout his career with Hearts or Raith Rovers or even at Crystal Palace in London. She went to some of course, but she was not that enthusiastic.
However, Celtic was different.
“She loved the atmosphere at the club” says Willie. “She loved the crowd and the banter, the camaraderie between the players and the excitement of the European nights. All these years later she still loves that support and all the stuff that is special about this club.”
Earlier that week I witnessed Willie team up with the non-stop tour de force that is called Bertie Auld.
I asked Willie when he had last seen Bertie?
“ Oh—he came out to Australia about 18 months ago with Charlie and the Bhoys and he came to see me.” said Willie. “I tried to pretend I was out but I never got away with it — he found me in the end!”
In the BBC studios where they were recording a special radio show on the Lisbon Lions, those present were very quickly presented with an impromptu session of the Bertie and Willie double act…a twosome that is so automatic and natural that anyone can see that these two were not just team mates from decades ago — but great friends, happy in one another’s company irrespective of the passing of years and the thousands of miles that separate their respective homes.
“Is this wind up radio?” asks Willie.
“Don’t you start” says Bertie “You are the best wind up merchant in the business – and the one that never gets the blame! Mr “It wasnae me boss!””.
“ Well most of the time it wasnae me!”
“Yer arse — it was always you!”
Kenny McIntyre and others in the BBC studio can’t help laughing — tears of laughter roll down cheeks as the two continue.
“Do you remember the bottle of Whisky that we used to have in the showers? Bert?”
Bertie mocks indignation. “Whisky has never passed these lips in my entire life!”
“Aye I know it didnae pass your lips — it went between them and straight down your throat!” replies Willie as quick as a flash.
Apparently there was always a wee nip of Whisky in the showers — BEFORE THE GAME- and each of the players would take a nip!
“Oul Bob Rooney used to finish the bottle right enough when he thought we weren’t looking!” Willie adds.
The conversation goes on to Neilly Mochan, and both former players agree that “Smiler” used to be great fun in the dressing room.
“He used to say some brilliant things that had us in stitches” says Willie.
“My favourite was when there had been some high jinks somewhere and Neilly had been involved and we started taking the mickey out of him. I remember him shouting back “People in Glass Houses shouldn’t throw Tomatoes!”
Wallace and Auld— both then in their seventies (now both in their eighties) burst into fits of laughter like two schoolboys at this — and to be honest everyone else in the studio does likewise.
“How did big Jock handle wee Jimmy” asks Kenny McIntyre trying to get a serious answer to something.
“Handle him?” asks Willie “ He spent most of his time just looking for him?”
Again there were peels of laughter as Willie describes Jimmy Johnstone escaping from a ground floor flat through a window. “He still needed a ladder right enough”— more laughter.
And on it goes. The humour gets even worse off air with stories that can’t be repeated on air nor repeated here. Later in the week I have the bizarre experience of sitting down for a cup of tea and a roll and sausage with Willie—in Auld’s the Bakers.
“ Right – one thing son – when you next see Bertie don’t tell him we were in here – tell him we went to Greggs rather than Auld’s—wind the Bar Steward up at every opportunity!”
Later, a photo opportunity arises with Willie being photographed with two glamorous models. These are gorgeous girls in their late teens or early twenties.
“Phone Bertie—Phone Bertie—make sure he knows about this!” cries Willie.
Soon all I can hear is Bertie Auld throwing good humoured abuse at his former team mate down the phone and asking if Willie has reversed the charges?
Yes—a week with Willie Wallace came as a bit of a surprise—full of fun, full of laughter, full of stories about football and life in Australia.
He says his life is like the weather in Australia: “One day its great— and the next day is just perfect!”
That just about sums it up!
Jim McGinley
