...shame there wasn't much more of a Barnsley angle. But hey it was a Celtic publication. http://www.celticfc.net/news/stories/news_080709154623.aspx ronnie glavin: a bhoy's own story David Friel AS part of a series taken from the Celtic View, we have been taking a trip down memory lane with a host of past Celtic favourites to get their own personal take on what it was like to pull on a Celtic shirt. Next up is former player, Ronnie Glavin. RONNIE GLAVIN was born to play for Celtic. As a Bhoy, he followed the Hoops avidly and got his chance to play for the club he loved when Jock Stein signed him from Partick Thistle in 1974. Glavin, a midfielder with a knack for finding the net, scored on his Celtic debut against Airdrie and never looked back. He finished his Celtic career with 48 goals from 149 appearances, 26 of which came in Celtic’s double-winning season in 1976/77. He enjoyed great success at Barnsley after leaving Celtic and is now based in England as manager of Wakefield in the Unibond League. Ronnie remains Celtic-daft to this day and was delighted to tell his Bhoy’s Own Story… MY first memory of Celtic is going to see a game at Celtic Park and getting a lift over the turnstile. I was probably about four at the time and I was hooked from then on in. My whole family was steeped in the traditions of Celtic and it was ingrained in me from an early age. I always wanted to play from Celtic – from the first time I started playing football as a kid. It was just natural. My hero was Jimmy Johnstone. Before him, there were guys like John Divers and Billy McNeill, but Jinky was the one. He was a genius. You talk about great players and Jimmy is right up there with the best players of all-time. BEFORE I signed for Celtic, there were a couple of clubs interested in taking me from Partick Thistle, including Manchester United. I’d been at Thistle since I was 16 and I always enjoyed the games with Celtic. I played in the famous League Cup final for Thistle but there were many more memorable games. I always remember my father saying that I would get equal abuse at Ibrox and Celtic Park. When I was getting stick from the Celtic supporters, I found it quite hard to accept because I was one of them – I used to stand on the terraces and support Celtic. I felt a wee bit of resentment because of that and there was always an added incentive to play well against Celtic. In 1974, Jock Stein made it known that he wanted me and once I spoke to him, that was it. I signed for Celtic – there was no other club for me. I WAS lucky to play with so many great players and it would be unfair to pick one out as being the best. I could reel off so many greats. I was fortunate that my first season at Celtic was Jinky’s last season. The guy was a genius. Kenny Dalglish was the same. He was so special and it’s hard to describe just how good those two were. I look at football just now and see guys who have made millions out of the game, but they couldn’t lace Jinky or Kenny’s boots. Dalglish was something else, while Danny McGrain was the best right-back I have ever seen in my life. Those guys were special players. SCORING 26 goals when we won the double in 1977 was the highlight of my time at Celtic. I was fortunate that I scored a lot of goals during my career from midfield and that season was one of my best. I got a real buzz from playing in front of the crowds and I feel proud and privileged with my achievements that season. Everything clicked that season. We signed Pat Stanton from Hibs and he helped what was a really young team. Paddy sat at the back and just controlled everything. The game of football was like reading the Beano for Pat – he just read it so well. He allowed players to get forward and express themselves. When you have Dalglish and Joe Craig up front, and Johnny Doyle coming from midfield, there are a lot of goals in there. It was a great season. MISSING out on the 1977 Scottish Cup final through injury was a bad one for me. I played the whole season for Celtic and my injury actually happened on the night I won my only cap for Scotland in late April. I got nailed in the first 10 minutes of the game against Sweden, but I played on because that’s just what you do. By half-time, I could hardly walk. Willie Ormond was the manager and he asked me if I was okay. I just said yes, because I wanted to play. Anyway, I came off in the second half and went straight to the dressing room. A minute later, the door burst open and there was big Jock Stein going mental. He called me for everything and said, ‘What are you doing? You should have come off straight away’. I said, ‘I couldn’t have done that’ and he told me that I wouldn’t be fit for the cup final the next week. I said, ‘Want to bet?’ and Jock said, ‘Aye’. I don’t need to tell you who was right. EVEN though I was injured, Jock Stein gave me every opportunity to play in that Scottish Cup final. But I just couldn’t play. I genuinely couldn’t bend my leg. I couldn’t even have jogged, let alone run. But Jock was prepared to put me on the bench that day. He said to me, ‘You’ve played all season…you should be there’. I couldn’t play but Jock said to me that I was entitled to get a medal because I had played every game barring the final. That was 32 years ago and I still don’t have my medal – I never got one. As time went on, my dad kept saying to me that I should get the medal struck but it never happened. I never really pursued it, but it would be nice to get one. It would mean a lot to my son Conor, who is Celtic-daft. I HAVE a lot of fond memories of playing at Firhill. I started my career at Partick Thistle and that place always remained special to me. I had a great time there and really grew up with Thistle. I also loved playing at Ibrox – I just loved playing against Rangers. I remember Jock Stein saying before a game, ‘If you’re a Celtic man, you should love playing Rangers’. I just said to him, ‘Let me get out there and experience it’. Those derbies were so special and still are. It’s hard to explain just how special it is. As a supporter, you get close to it, but nothing beats playing for Celtic against Rangers. It was a real highlight of my career. I PLAYED against so many good players in my career that it’s hard to pick out one opponent. In fact, they were all tough – everybody seemed to want to kick me. You need to remember that the game has changed a lot over the years. Back when I was playing, people used to nail each other and get away with it. There were a lot of vendettas between players back then and they were carried on from game to game. It was an enjoyable period to play football, though. Don’t get me wrong, the rules were bent a bit when it came to tackling but that was just how it went. I DON’T have a clue what I would have done if I hadn’t been a football player – that’s all I wanted to do. I come up to watch the European games with my son, who loves Celtic. He’s quite a clever lad and would love to play for Celtic, but I’ve told him to get an education before he even thinks about being a footballer. I didn’t do that. I just thought about football and you can’t do that nowadays. I’ve told Conor to get an education first and foremost – that’s the way to do it. THE only piece of advice I can give anyone who wants to be a footballer is that you have to want it. You have to work so hard. I train groups of young kids and they have a great attitude. That is so important. Young kids have to be dedicated. They have to be willing to train every night. They have to be committed and they have to work hard. If you want to get to the top, then you have to be willing to train more than the average lad. You need to be dedicated and make the most of the chances that come your way. The riches are there were waiting for you. Average players have worked hard and made a lot of money. Fair play to them.
Makes you realise what a coup it was signing him .... Best player I ever saw in a Barnsley shirt. Fact And a nice fella too
Not wrong about Jinky Jimmy Johnstone either he was up there along side George Best. He ripped Revie`s Leeds to pieces in the semi finals of the European Cup.
