Callaghan, Tommy

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Fullname: Thomas Callaghan
aka: Tommy Callaghan, Tid, T.C.
Born: 6 December 1945
Birthplace: Cowdenbeath, Fife
Signed: 22 November 1968
Left: 4 November 1976
Position: Inside left/Midfielder
First game: Partick Thistle away 4-0 league 23 November 1968
Last game: Hearts Hampden 2-1 League cup semi final 25 October 1976
First goal: Partick Thistle away 4-0 league 23 November 1968
Last goal: Albion Rovers away 1-0 League cup 22 September 1976
Internationals: none

Biog

A true Celtic Man from birth Cowdenbeath-born Tommy Callaghan signed for Jock Stein’s Celtic in November 1968 from Dunfermline for an estimated £35,000, a notable fee and the highest Celtic had paid for a player to that time.

“I regard him as an all-purpose player and not necessarily as an inside forward or a wing half. Tom will continue to stay in Fife and travel back and forward to Celtic Park at least until the spring. We will see what the situation is then. I signed Tom when he was a young fellow and he was among my early signings as a manager at Dunfermline.”

An elegant yet hard-working midfielder, Tommy Callaghan had in fact been signed by Jock Stein for Dunfermline and it showed he was Stein’s type of player when he again signed him for Celtic. He holds the honour of being the only player ever that Jock Stein signed twice!

Tommy Callaghan had impressed under Jock Stein at East End Park but the Fifer took time to settle in at the Parkhead home of his beloved Celtic. He made a scoring debut in a 4-0 league victory at Partick Thistle on November 23rd to become the first Celtic player to score on their competitive debut for 11 years. It was to be a while yet before he was to show his true qualities and class.

Callaghan’s initial difficulties came from a self-doubt that he was not worthy of taking the field alongside living legends who had so recently been kings of European football. Being in the presence of men like Bertie Auld and Bobby Murdoch seemed to over-awe the recent arrival. He also found it difficult to win over the increasingly hard to please Celtic support who were now getting used to life at European football’s top table. For them, when things went wrong, it was naturally easier to blame the ex-Par for any slip ups rather than the men who had brought the European Cup to Glasgow.

That was harsh on Tommy Callaghan but thankfully his fortunes and the attitudes of others were soon to change. His first big break came when he was fielded at outside left in the 1969 League Cup final against St. Johnstone. He put on a fine show on the day Bertie Auld scored the winning goal.

By the start of the new decade Tommy Callaghan had started to feel more at home among his illustrious peers and consequently had begun to establish himself as a key component in a wonderful Celtic side. With the ability to play either in midfield or defence, Tommy Callaghan allied good control and vision with an awesome engine which at times saw him over-run the very best teams in Europe.

He was always a player for the big occasion and in the 1971 Scottish Cup replay victory against Rangers he had a magnificent game and a year on he created three of Celtic’s six goals in the 6-1 annihilation of Eddie Turnbull’s excellent Hibernian side in the 1972 final.

His best football was between 1971 and 1974 when he was instrumental in helping bring 4 league titles to Parkhead. At the start of the 1971/72 season he was in top form and played a major part in Celtic’s three wins at Ibrox in the space of four weeks, scoring a spectacular effort in the 3-0 win on August 28th.

In 1972 the great Hungarian striker Ferenc Bene said that, in his opinion, Tommy Callaghan was amongst the best midfielders in Europe, which was quite a compliment.

Tommy Callaghan was not noted for his goalscoring exploits but scored important goals, against Aberdeen in the 1972 League Cup semi final, and a great volley against Basel in the 1974 European Cup quarter final which took the tie to extra time, where Celtic eventually won 4-2.

Tommy Callaghan’s long running stride was put to good use by Jock Stein and he was able to carry the ball from deep and start attacks in this way. He was not a noted tackler and an element of the Celtic support gave him a hard time on occasions in view of this.

In the summer of 1976 he was no longer a first team regular after the arrival of Glavin and the emergence of the young Tommy Burns. He scored his last goal, a winner, in the 1-0 victory over Albion Rovers in the league cup on October 6th 1976 and moved on to the ambitious Clydebank club a few weeks later for £6,000. He did well with Clydebank both as a player and in a developmental role for young players till he was freed by the Bankies in Christmas 1977.

In July 1978 he took a player-manager’s job in Ireland with Galway Rovers in their first season in the League of Ireland. Also with them at that time were ex-Celtic goalkeeper Tom Lally and Danny McGrains’s brother Tommy McGrain who had been released by Partick Thistle.

A model professional, Tommy Callaghan never let anyone down during his eight years as a Celtic player and while players of greater skill may take more plaudits, this modest midfielder was vastly underrated by some and deserves to be remembered as a truly great Celt. His medal collection is certainly an impressive one and in 284 competitive appearances (with 33 goals) he bagged six league winners medals, three Scottish Cups and two League Cups.

Prior to playing for Celtic, Tommy Callaghan had also won a Scottish Cup Winners medal whilst playing alongside his brother Willie for Dunfermline beating Hearts in the 1968 Final.

A much loved Celt and is still regularly seen at Celtic Park supporting the Hoops.

Playing Career

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Interview with The Celtic View (Feb 2012)

Do you remember how the move to Celtic came about?
I’d fallen out with George Farm, the manager at Dunfermline, so I had asked away. For a few weeks things weren’t happening and then I got a call from a reporter in Dunfermline who asked if I had heard anything. I said no and he told me Celtic had put a bid in for me. He asked me to go along to his house at night and it was there that Big Jock was going to phone me. And he did. He told me they had put a bid in and they were in talks with Dunfermline. I think there was a difference of £5,000 at the time, Dunfermline wanted more for me. He told me to keep going in and see them every week and eventually they would get fed up with me. So that’s what I did and all of a sudden I was signed.

What did you think when you heard of Celtic’s interest?
I was over the moon because at that time I was really low. I was playing in Dunfermline’s reserve team, which is something I had never really done before. There was a European game coming up and the boys were going to Greece. That was the first trip that I’d missed since I had joined Dunfermline so I wasn’t too happy. But when I got the news of Celtic’s interest I was absolutely delighted. The timing was perfect and it gave me a right lift.

What was Jock Stein like while you were at Dunfermline?
He was absolutely brilliant. That’s where he cut his teeth in management and he was so different. Managers normally went around in suits and smoked pipes, they were a figurehead, but Jock Stein was active. He was with the players. he would put the tracksuit on and mixed with everyone. I remember being at Dunfermline, when I was on the groundstaff at the time, and he would come into the snooker hall with us. We would get a game of snooker and then he would go in and clean the dressing rooms. It didn’t matter if you were first-team or reserves, he mixed with everyone.

So it was no real surprise that it was him who personally called you then to arrange the Celtic deal?
At first I thought it was a hoax! I had worked with him at Dunfermline and he was so good. When he left everyone was shattered but, lo and behold, I ended up back with him again so it worked out well for me. It was brilliant – when I got the call, I nearly ran across the Kincardine Bridge!

How quickly was the deal done after you met Jock Stein for the first time?
It was done immediately. I signed the papers right away. I went into the boardroom and he had the forms sitting out in front of me. I went to sign them and he said; ´Do you not want to know how much you’re getting a week?´ I said ´No, just give me your pen,´ and I signed them there and then. He then told me my wages and told me to give him back his pen because I had put it in my pocket.

Was it fair to say it was an extra-special moment considering you were a Celtic fan?
Yes, I’d grown up a Celtic fan and the year before that, they had won the European Cup. They were the top team in Europe so to join a club like Celtic at their peak was unbelievable. It was the old story of a dream come true but it was true, I kept thinking, ´God almighty, I’m signing for Celtic!´ It was hard to take in at first. There was a guy along the road from me who was Celtic-daft, he used to take me to all the games, and he was actually crying when I signed. He was a friend of the family and he went to every game. He would take me on the supporters’ bus and look after me when I was a kid.

Was your family’s reaction similar?
Yes, my Mum and Dad were so happy. My Dad never actually saw me play for Celtic, though, because he took not well after I signed so could never manage out to see the games, which was a pity. My brothers would come through a few times when I first signed. It was a great thing for the family.

Did you save the newspaper cuttings from the day you signed?
Yes, I kept them all! They’re up in the loft somewhere in a box. But there wasn’t the same hype you get today. Nowadays they are paraded about in a Celtic strip at Lennoxtown and it’s all very razzmatazz but all I got was a ´Callaghan signs for Celtic´ headline and that was it – that was as far as the media covered it then.

What kind of reception did you get from the fans after signing?
It took a bit of time for the Celtic supporters to get used to me and nobody understands why. I played in the team early doors and then I was out of the team for a while. I got back in but it was a love/hate relationship with the fans. But after that wee spell I got a regular place in the team and it was alright. That was the Lisbon Lions, though, and with the likes of myself and Harry Hood coming along, everything was changing. That was the team who won the European Cup breaking up and no one likes change – but I did!

How easy was it to settle into your new surroundings?
It took me a wee while because the first game I played was at Firhill so I had to wait until the next Monday or Tuesday to get to the stadium. Celtic were playing away in Europe at the time. That was when wee Jimmy didn’t have to go with the team because he tore Red Star Be;grade apart, so Big Jock had let him stay at home. I remember seeing wee Jimmy at Barrowfield. He had a big Jaguar at the time and he could hardly see over the wheel. The first-team were away but everything was starting to fall into place and it was exciting. Once I got into the swing of things it was good and I think the big thing that helped me was moving to Glasgow. I had been travelling through with big George Connolly from Dunfermline every day, and that was good company for me. I signed in November but I didn’t move through until the summer, just before the new season started.

Did you ever feel out of place in the dressing room with the Lisbon Lions?
I think at first you’re asking yourself, ´What am I doing here?´ but I think after I got my first game under my belt – and scored my first goal that day too – it was fine. There were a lot of good boys there who helped me settle in, people like Bobby Lennox and Stevie Chalmers who I’m still friendly with today. Jim Brogan as well – he was a good lad. It was a good squad actually, and big Jock helped knit them all together.

Was Jock Stein the same man at Celtic to the one you knew at Dunfermline?
He was the same but as he got older he got wiser, if that’s possible. He used to say ´I can hear the grass growing.´ His knowledge of football was first-class. He was very simple and basic – he didn’t use stupid terms you get in the present day now, it was a game of football and that was it. He also never asked us to do things we couldn’t do. He made you believe in yourself.

And finally, what was the highlight of your Celtic career?
I’ve got far too many. From the day I signed to the present day, I still get a wee kick when I go into the park. I talk to all the boys and all the ones who work with me on a Saturday still get these wee kicks. It’s in us and even coming up the stairs to the offices is great. I’m still being remembered by doing these interviews and that’s nice.

Article on Tommy Callaghan, Evening Times, December 2nd, 1972.

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