A FEW WEEKS AGO we started a new series which is nearing its end. 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.…
On Wednesday David selected The Celtic Star of the 1950s and he opted for Celtic’s Forgotten Hero BOBBY EVANS, here’s why…
On Thursday the Celtic Historian probably had his most difficult decision yet, choosing just one Celtic man from the 1960s? Who could he choose, maybe the manager Jock Stein or any one of Simpson, Craig, Gemmell, Clark, Murdoch, Auld, Johnstone, Chalmers, Wallace, Lennox or maybe John Hughes, Joe McBride or John Fallon? Any of the above would have been a fine choice, but David has gone for the one Lisbon Lion we haven’t mentioned – the captain Billy McNeill.
And David reveals that the decision wasn’t that tough as we’d thought. It was rather easy actually.
By Friday the club historian turned his attention to the 1970s when Celtic started the decade with most of the Lisbon Lions still doing their thing and added to that we had the Quality Street Gang before ending the decade with the likes of Roy Aitken, Tommy Burns and George McCluskey all emerging. Lots of names within that lot for David Potter to choose from.
But after giving the matter careful consideration David Potter selected The Celtic Star of the Decade 1970-79 and that Celt is Lisbon Lion Bobby Lennox. David explained why he opted for the Buzzbomb, see below…
And for yesterday featured decade – the 1980s – David Potter has decided that The Celtic Star for 198-89 is The Bear himself, Roy Aitken. Read David’s reasoning below…
Moving onto the final decade of the 20th century and there can be no arguments, debates or even discussions about the validity of the David Potter’s choice of The Celtic Star of the Decade for 1990-1999 – The Maestro, Paul McStay, second only to James McGrory as the song says…
Read David’s reason for selecting Paul McStay on the link below…
How do you follow on from the Maestro, Paul McStay? Well this one is easy for the Celtic Historian and would be unanimous if the wider Celtic Support were to be asked. The Celtic Star of the Decade for 2000-2009 is The King of Kings, Henrik Larsson.
Go to the next page and read what David Potter has to say about Celtic’s sensational Swede…
The Celtic Star of the Decade
12. The Celtic Star of the Decade – 2000-2009 – Henrik Larsson…
This man played only four years in the “noughties” decade, but what a four years they were! Although, the late 1960s were the best Celtic TEAM one is ever likely to see, I would have to go for Henrik Larsson as the best PLAYER I have seen.
Significantly in his famous season of 2000/01 when he scored his 50 goals and he with was linked with Jimmy McGrory, no-one argued.
He had everything. In the first place he was a total professional, who trained, worked hard, and never caused trouble.
He also had an astonishing ability to come back from injury – a horrendous broken leg at Lyon in November 1999 knocked him out for the rest of that season (and how we suffered!) but defying all predictions, he was back by next July.
He also sustained a broken jaw in 2003, and recovered more or less within a month. His goalscoring ability was legendary – headers, goals from impossible angles, shots from outside the box, ability to create goals for others and goals that he could score by running more or less half the field e.g, a great goal in the 2001 League Cup final against Kilmarnock even after he had been fouled on the half way line!
And yet he did not start well. We were on our knees when he joined us in 1997, a total unknown signed by the equally little known new Manager Wim Jansen and his first game against Hibs at Easter Road was a defeat.
Things did not look at all good, but soon after that a flying header at McDiarmid Park showed that there was something there. From then on, he never looked back, winning 4 Scottish League medals, 2 Scottish Cup medals and 2 Scottish League Cup medals. It was not his fault that we did not win in Seville. He scored twice.
He played 315 times for Celtic, scored 242 goals and played 106 times for Sweden.
After he left Celtic (to the great distress of all fans) in 2004, he played for Barcelona (winning a European Cup medal) and briefly for Manchester United, but he will always be remembered as Henrik Larsson of Celtic.
It is often said that Celtic need a personality goal scorer. There have been four great strikers, one feels – one from Selkirk and then Edinburgh (Sandy McMahon), one from Croy (Jimmy Quinn), one from Garngad (Jimmy McGrory) and one from Sweden (Henrik Larsson).
He was a superb player, a superb scorer, a superb Celt. He once missed a penalty at Livingston. A fellow supporter turned to me and said “So, he IS human, after all!”
David Potter
Some additional reading about Henrik Larsson on The Celtic Star…
Henrik Larsson? ‘Absolutely world class. A marvellous footballer,’ Martin O’Neill…see HERE.
Celtic on This Day – The Henrik Larsson show, Motherwell 1 Celtic 7…see HERE.
‘I wasn’t really pleased with the answers I got,’ Henrik Larsson on knocking back the Celtic Job…see HERE.
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