The Celtic Star of the Decade – 1940-1949, Charles Patrick Tully

LAST THURSDAY we started a new series on The Celtic Star. We asked club Historian and author of countless Celtic books, David Potter to select The Celtic Star of the Decade for each and every decade since 1888.

Starting at the very beginning during Celtic’s early years, David opted for SANDY  McMAHON and you can read his Celtic story below.

Moving into the first decade of the 20th Century there really only could be one name that David Potter could opt for and that’s JIMMY QUINN who David named as The Celtic Star of the Decade for 1900-1909 Here’s why…

And David’s next pick for The Celtic Star for the club’s third decade running from 1910-1919 is none other that PATSY GALLACHER. You can read about The Mighty Atom here…

Then David Potter’s selection for the Celtic Star of the club’s fourth decade running from 1920-1929, who else could he go for but the one and only JIMMY McGRORY Read about Celtic 550 goal legend below…

Now the brief to David Potter was clear, select The Celtic Star of each decade. That means he doesn’t necessarily have to opt for a PLAYER for that decade, although it could quite easily be a former player that the Celtic historian opts for. For instance he may well opt for Jock Stein as The Celtic Star of the 1960s but he doesn’t. The ONLY decade that David has opted for a non-playing winner of The Celtic Star of the decade was the one we featured yesterday for the decade 1930-39.

Read David’s logic in choosing JIMMY McMENEMY as The Celtic Star of the Decade 1930-39 below…

And for David Potter’s selection for the Celtic Star of the club’s sixth decade running from 1940-1949, is the one and only CHARLES PATRICK TULLY.…

6. The Celtic Star of the Decade – 1940-1949 -Charles Patrick Tully…

It seems odd to nominate as “man of the decade of the 1940s” a player who played only two years of that decade, but that tells everything about Celtic from 1940-1948. Frankly, it was a dreadful time for Celtic.

Excuses are possible for the war years – things were difficult and football was far from the foremost consideration in anyone’s mind – but one cannot really explain away the awful seasons of 1946/47 and 1947/48. It was the “near relegation” of 1948 however which triggered a rare foray into the transfer market, and on this occasion, Celtic pulled out a plum in Charlie Tully from Belfast Celtic.

He made his debut against Morton in August 1948, but it was the weekend of 25-27 September which made him. On the Saturday at Celtic Park – “Hogan, Boden, Weir and Tully – the lads that ran the Rangers sully” was the cry as Celtic beat Rangers 3-1 with Tully orchestrating some devastating football, and then on the Holiday Monday at Hampden, Celtic beat Third Lanark by the same score to win the Glasgow Cup.

It may only have been the Glasgow Cup, but it was much prized and cherished in the Celtic heartlands, and the perception was that a new era had arrived. And how Celtic needed a hero in those grim, desperate days! And he was Charles Patrick Tully.

He played for Celtic until 1958. A glance at his record must record quite a few disappointments in that under-performing era for Celtic, but Tully was always an entertainer. Never the greatest “team man”, he was an individualist, and he won two Scottish Cups, two Scottish League Cups and one Scottish League, sadly missing through injury the Coronation Cup final of 1953.

But the stories that were told of him! His exploits on the field meant that he would remain a Celtic hero until his premature death in 1971.

David Potter

Some additional reading about Charles Patrick Tully on The Celtic Star…

When The Pope met a Celtic Star, ‘Who is that fella standing beside Charlie Tully?’…see HERE.

Jim Craig – Charlie Tully released by Celtic…see HERE.

Jim Craig – Jerome Solis and Charlie Tully…see HERE.

Don’t think that the Green Brigade will fancy adopting this one…

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