Close to a small stretch of green at the heart of their town, the people of Craigneuk assembled in their thousands to honour the memory of Tommy Gemmell, one of their own.
They gathered as a community to witness the unveiling of a statue of the legendary Celtic and Scotland footballer. He now rises above them, preserved in bronze for eternity: a fitting homage to a man whose achievements remain permanently imprinted in the minds of those who watched him play. He was part of the iconic Lisbon Lions, the 1967 Celtic side who became the first British club to claim the European Cup, the most prestigious prize in world football.
It is doubtful that Celtic’s accomplishment will ever be matched by another Scottish club, and equally unlikely that Tommy Gemmell’s individual milestone will be surpassed. By finding the net in both the 1967 final against Inter Milan and again three years later versus Dutch outfit Feyenoord, he remains the only Scot to have scored in two different European Cup finals.
Standing beside me is Angela, who had made the journey by train from Glasgow with her five-year-old son, Francis. As the statue is revealed she wipes away a tear. “I just wanted Francis to see this and to bring him into the Celtic family. This is a special moment.”
Six months
MANY gathered here never had the chance to see Mr Gemmell in action, but they wanted to represent their parents who did. Tam Hendry lives just two streets from this location and has observed the statue’s progress over the past six months. “My mum is 93 and is too infirm to attend this, but she’d have loved to have been here. I’m here to stand for her and my dad, who’s no longer with us. He took me to my first Celtic game, the 1969 League Cup final against St Johnstone. He loved Tommy Gemmell.”
The scale of the turnout might appear striking for the remembrance of a footballer who passed away nine years ago. Yet this was no ordinary player, and those 1967 Celtic stars were no typical team. Ten of them were born and brought up within 10 miles of Celtic Park in Glasgow’s east end. The ‘outsider’ was Bobby Lennox, born in the faraway region of north Ayrshire.
Of those ten, five were born or raised in North Lanarkshire’s tight-knit communities: Chapelhall, Viewpark, Craigneuk, Bellshill and Rutherglen in South Lanarkshire. Only a handful of miles divide them within this rugged pocket of the country.
There are already statues of Mr Gemmell’s celebrated team-mates, Billy McNeill and Jimmy Johnstone, in Bellshill and Viewpark. Were John Clark and Bobby Murdoch to be honoured with sculptures in Chapelhall and Rutherglen, Lanarkshire could lay claim to a heritage trail unmatched in global football.
Jock Stein, the renowned manager who steered Celtic to that famous victory in Lisbon, was born just along the road in Hamilton.
Tommy Gemmell’s finest moments came in the famous green and white hoops, but he also turned out for Dundee, guiding them to their most recent major trophy (against Celtic) in 1973, as well as Nottingham Forest. However, this statue represents far more than Celtic and the sport itself.
This has been a community-driven initiative eight years in the making. The headline figures are impressive: £100k painstakingly collected by local volunteers of every football allegiance who channelled the deep-rooted pride of a community that has faced its share of hardships.
Derelict land
A LOCAL company, Covenburn Contracts, transformed the once-neglected plot that now hosts the statue into an attractive public space. Etched into the three-foot walls encircling its base are the names of those who contributed to the fundraising effort. There are hundreds, all now permanently linked to Craigneuk.
Alex Stewart, Managing Director of Covenburn Contracts, who carried out the work, said: “This became a passion for many of us in the company and certainly for me, as I was in the same class at school with Tommy’s sister, Karen.”
The fundraising drive evolved into the Tommy Gemmell Community Project, which will continue as a local platform supporting causes and initiatives.
Before leading the crowd in the countdown to the unveiling, Martin McCrum, who spearheaded the campaign, said: “This is truly the start of something special. Many people worked tirelessly for this and, along with the local Council, devoted hundreds of hours to turn our dream into reality.
“I was proud to call Tommy a friend and I believe he needs more recognition for his achievements in Lisbon. He never stopped talking about this community and its passion, emotion and character.”
Kenneth Duffy, the Provost of North Lanarkshire Council and a councillor for Craigneuk, said: “Tommy made a lasting impact, not only on his sport but also on this community which reared him. He was much more than a legendary footballer, he was a proud son of Craigneuk and a role model whose name will always be spoken with pride in this area.”
Ravenscraig
THE statue, crafted by sculptor Andy Edwards — who also created the Sir Alex Ferguson sculpture at Aberdeen’s Pittodrie Stadium — stands atop a plinth designed in the image of one of the former Ravenscraig Steelworks towers that once supported these communities and where Tommy Gemmell worked straight after leaving school.
The concrete for the plinth was laid by Stephen Hughes, the former (highly skilful) Rangers midfielder who retrained as a tradesman after retiring from football.
Mr Gemmell’s wife, Mary, said: “It’s just incredible. The statue looks so like Tommy, the likeness is unbelievable. Andy Edwards has done such an outstanding job.
“When I first saw it properly, it really took my breath away.”
Celtic manager Martin O’Neill headed a group of former Parkhead players who had been apprentices when Tommy Gemmell was regarded as one of the finest attacking full-backs in world football.
Among them were former Celtic captain Roy Aitken and forward George McCluskey. They were accompanied by Tom Boyd, another ex-Celtic skipper who had also represented Motherwell.
As a young professional beginning his career, Mr O’Neill spent a year playing alongside Tommy Gemmell at Nottingham Forest. “I once asked him to tell me about scoring in a European Cup final,” said the Celtic boss. ‘Which one,’ he replied.”
