Beattie, Richard

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Fullname: Richard Beattie
aka: Dick Beattie
Born: 24 October 1936
Died: 15 August 1990
Birthplace: Glasgow
Signed: 26 September 1954
Left: 10 Aug 1959 (to Portsmouth)
Debut: Falkirk 1-1 Celtic, League Cup, 3 Sep 1955
Position: Goalkeeper
Internationals: none

Biog

Goalkeeper Richard ‘Dick’ Beattie signed for Celtic in September 1954 and went on to make 156 appearances during five seasons at Parkhead.

He joined the Bhoys from Duntocher Hibernian and made his competitive debut in a League Cup tie at Falkirk on September 3rd 1955 when the Hoops were held to a 1-1 draw.

He eventually established himself as the successor to John Bonnar and although a courageous and agile keeper Beattie’s lack of confidence in dealing with high balls meant his performances could be somewhat erratic. In truth, he lacked the consistency to become a truly top class keeper.

Beattie had begun his first team career just as Celtic were going back to the doldrums. Having completed a league & cup double the season before plus the Coronation Cup beforehand, the club was on a high after many years in the wilderness. However, little had changed in the management & coaching, and the first team were sliding back to their poor form prior to the double. Despite masses of quality in the squad, there was huge underachievement by the sides during the 1950s, and Beattie was there amongst it all in the latter half of the decade.

The highlights of his Celtic career undoubtedly came in the League Cup. The trophy victory in the 1956 saw Beattie little troubled in either the first match (0-0) or the replay (3-0), but the following final on 19th October 1957 made him a bit of star. He was part of the side that demolished Rangers 7-1 in the League Cup final, and he famously become the icon of the game (despite having little to do all afternoon) with a classic photograph of him holding up seven fingers to the crowd to reflect the scoreline and wind up the Rangers fans.

Beattie was a real character. In fact, Beattie didn’t bother to get changed out of his street clothes when he turned up for training. When Willie Johnstone (the Celtic physio/coach) wasn’t looking, he just pulled on his tracksuit over his everyday wear safe in the knowledge he wouldn’t be working up a sweat.

After a number of error strewn performances in season 1958/59, suspicions and rumours began to be aroused about Beattie’s performances. Simply, was he on the take for the bookies? In the days before their legalisation, book runners were shady characters on street corners, and bungs were not unknown in sport. For the average working class footballer, the temptation was unsurprisingly high.

Glasgow-born Beattie was transferred to Portsmouth in August 1959, and the manner of his speedy exit raised some eyebrows fuelling the rumours, but in fairness, such speedy transfers weren’t unknown in those days.

He subsequently moved on to Peterborough before heading back north to St Mirren and finally Brechin.

Sadly his career & life was to take a sharp turn downwards. In January 1965 Beattie was jailed for 9 months after he admitted taking bribes to let in goals while playing in England following his move from Celtic. It was a big scandal tagged as the ‘British betting scandal of 1964’. The scandal was broken by a Sunday newspaper south of the border on 19th April 1964. St Mirren immediately suspended him from playing and training pending an investigation. The ringleader, a fellow Scotsman and ex-professional footballer Jimmy Gauld, sold his story and his taped evidence incriminated himself, Beattie and eight other players.

At the trial in Nottingham, Beattie received a nine-month prison sentence and was subsequently banned from football for life. Thirty-three players were prosecuted in total. To a certain extent Beattie was entrapped after agreeing to throw one game. He had received £200 and then been pestered whilst at Peterborough to throw another and when he resisted was confronted with the possibility of being outed to his management – and thus he went along with the match fixing scam.

Richard Beattie’s career should have been defined by his memorable seven finger salute after the 7-1 victory. Instead the shadow of scandal is forever cast across his moment in the Hampden sun.

On release from prison, he began a new life working in the shipyards.

Interestingly, celebrated Celtic author Tom Campbell proposed a theory on Jock Stein that his pathological disdain for goalkeepers possibly could have been caused by his experiences with Dick Beattie. The errors, the match fixing and all the other rumours surrounding him didn’t help Beattie’s reputation, and it’s a thought-provoking theory.

Dick Beattie passed away on 15 Aug 1990.

Playing Career

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