Former Celtic and Manchester United hero Pat Crerand turns 82 years old today. A boyhood Celt from the Gorbals, Crerand went to school with his cousin, Charlie Gallagher, who also became a famous player in the hoops.
Pat was signed by Celtic from Duntocher Hibs in 1957 and made his debut in a 3-1 league victory over Queen of the South a year later. He was an aggressive right half with an attacking mindset and his passion for Celtic made him an instant fan favourite. Incisive passing, tough tackling and a ferocious shot made him a formidable midfielder, but Pat could be known to lose his discipline on occasion. As such, Celtic Chairman Robert Kelly clamped down hard on the player and the relationship between the pair was frosty.
An alleged incident occurred in the dressing room at half time in the 1963 New Year’s Day Derby. Rangers were beating Celtic by a goal to nil and Crerand had not acquitted himself well in the first half. Sean Fallon (assistant manager at the time) told him as much and the pair reportedly came to blows, which effectively spelled the end of Pat’s time at the club.
A player with the talent to become a bonified Celtic legend, it was sad to see him depart Parkhead a short while later. The nature of that parting was even more disappointing as Crerand claims that he had been returning from mass at St. Francis when he was approached by a reporter who asked him about his move to Man Utd. This was the first time that he heard about the transfer!
Crerand was said to be in tears at the thought of leaving his boyhood heroes, though the old board suggested that it was he who wanted to depart rather than the other way around.
Whichever story is true, he signed for Manchester Utd on 6 February 1963 for a fee in the region of £50,000 to £55,000. He made over 160 appearances for the hoops and went on to become a Manchester United legend, winning the English First Division twice, the FA Cup and the European Cup.
Interestingly, Paddy maintained his links with certain people at Celtic, and once told of how Jock Stein regularly travelled down to Man Utd games with Irn Bru, tablet and other Scottish refreshments for himself and Dennis Law.
Away from the pitch, he has proved a very interesting character too. A socialist, Crerand became involved in Irish politics during the Troubles. In his autobiography, he states that he was a friend of SDLP leader John Hume and that he had talked to paramilitary members, including Martin McGuinness, in an effort to resolve the rent strikes of 1975!
We wish Pat many happy returns today. He is certainly a football great.
