George Connelly (born Fife, March 1, 1949) is a Scottish former footballer, most famously with Celtic. Fife ( Gaelic: Fìobha) is a Council area of Scotland, situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland Events 86 BC - Lucius Cornelius Sulla, at the head of a Roman Republic army enters in Athens, removing the Tyrant Year 1949 ( MCMXLIX) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a Team sport played between two teams of eleven players and is widely considered The Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the east end of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League.
Connelly was a technically accomplished footballer, who could play with distinction anywhere in the outfield, although his most common positions were left half and inside forward. [1] He signed for Celtic from Tulliallan Juniors in March 1966 and as a teenager was noted for his fine ball control. This was first publicly displayed when he was sent out to entertain the crowd at Parkhead before a European tie later that year. Celtic Park is a football Stadium in the Parkhead area of Glasgow in Scotland. He was considered by many to have the potential to be a world class player - as influential in British football as Beckenbauer was in the German game. Franz Anton Beckenbauer (born September 11, 1945) is a German football coach manager and former player nicknamed der Kaiser [2] That he did not live up to his potential, depriving Celtic, and football in general in the process, is still cause for regret amongst his many admirers.
Having broken into the first team in 1968, Connelly is remembered primarily for two goals. Just before half time in the 1968-69 Scottish Cup Final against Rangers, he coolly dispossessed John Greig on the edge of the box, evaded the Rangers' skipper's recovery attempt, rounded the goalkeeper before slipping the ball into the empty net. The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup, usually known as the Scottish Cup, is the national football cup competition of Scotland Rangers Football Club are an Association football team based in Glasgow Scotland, who currently play in the Scottish Premier League. John Greig MBE (born September 11, 1942 in Edinburgh) is a former Scottish professional football player who despite his This goal made it 3-0 to Celtic and ended any hopes of a Rangers revival. [2]
In 1970, in a game that was referred to by the contemporary media as the football "Battle of Britain", he scored the opening, and only goal, for Celtic against the English champions Leeds United. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland Leeds United Association Football Club, commonly referred to as simply Leeds United or informally Leeds, are an English professional football His first-minute strike in the first leg of the Champions' Cup semi final at Elland Road helped Celtic progress to their second European Cup final, against Feyenoord. Elland Road is an all-seater football Stadium situated in the Beeston area of the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, Feyenoord is a professional football club located in Rotterdam.
Connelly was earmarked as the natural successor to Billy McNeill at the heart of the Celtic defence and most likely as captain too. William "Billy" McNeill MBE DUniv (born 2 March, 1940) is a former Scottish footballer and manager In all probability, the same destiny beckoned in the Scottish national team. The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. However, a series of personal problems that have never been fully publicised led to him periodically disappearing from Celtic Park. After the fifth such he walk-out in 1975 he didn't return. [2] In a recent interview he has claimed that his poor wage at Celtic was the main reason for his eventual Parkhead departure. In a recent book he also pointed at how unhappy he was with his marriage at the time as another factor. The fact Tommy Docherty approached him to sign for Manchester United, which he rejected as 'fitba' just was not in his head at the time, shows it was not only a case of money. Though the tightness the Celtic board had on it's purse strings certainly did have a factor. It did lead to the break up of the Lisbon Lions as many were sold. The Lisbon Lions is the Nickname given to the Celtic team that won the European Cup at the Estádio Nacional in Lisbon, Portugal It also caused some promising talent to leave at the time. This next set of players who George came through with were known as the Quality Street gang. This group included among them Kenny Dalglish, David Hay, Lou Macari, Danny McGrain and Jimmy Quinn. Kenneth Mathieson 'Kenny' Dalglish MBE (born 4 March 1951 in Dalmarnock, Glasgow) is a former Scottish international football David Hay (born January 29, 1948 in Paisley) is a Scottish footballer and football manager Luigi "Lou" Macari (born 4 June 1949 in Largs For the former Clyde FC footballer see Danny McGrain (footballer born 1953 Daniel Fergus "Danny" McGrain (born in Glasgow Jimmy Quinn (born Croy, East Dunbartonshire (now North Lanarkshire) Scotland, 8 July With some of George's closest friends leaving the club he did not feel as comfortable at the club he loves which will have been another deciding factor in walking away from his life at Celtic. He returned to Celtic park for the first time since his walk out to do the half time draw at Celtic Park during the AC Milan Fixture in 2006 in the UEFA Champions League second round. Celtic Park is a football Stadium in the Parkhead area of Glasgow in Scotland. Associazione Calcio Milan, commonly referred to by the abbreviation Milan, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy See also List of European Cup and UEFA Champions League winners The UEFA Champions League, which evolved from the European Champion Clubs' Cup is a seasonal club This is somewhat of a mirror image to his first appearance at Celtic Park where he was the half time show at the age of 16.
In nine years with the Glasgow club Connelly made 254 first team appearances,[2] scored 13 goals and won two Scotland caps, in 1974. Glasgow (ˈglæzgoʊ is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom A cap is an appearance for a select team such as a school county or international team in sports He played for Falkirk for three months in 1976 then reverted to Junior status with Sauchie F. Falkirk Football Club is a Scottish football team based in Falkirk, playing in the Scottish Premier League after winning promotion from History Junior football as distinguished from senior football has existed since the early 1880s C. . [1] During this time he worked as a taxi-driver. A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of Public transport for a single passenger or small group of passengers typically for a non-shared ride [2]
Though long since retired from the game, the fame of George Connelly's football skills still prompts articles in the press lamenting the loss to Scottish football of such a talent and contrasting how he lives now to what might have been on the international football stage.
References
- ^ a b Lamming, Douglas (1987). A Scottish Soccer Internationalists Who’s Who, 1872-1986 (Hardback), Hutton Press. (ISBN 0-907033-47-4).
- ^ a b c d e Unintentional Man of Mystery, Bryan Cooney, The Sunday Herald, 2006. The Sunday Herald is an award winning Scottish Sunday Newspaper launched on 7 February 1999
| Preceded by Dave Smith |
Scottish Football Writers' Association Player of the Year 1973 |
Succeeded by Scotland World Cup squad |
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