About Bertie

Bertie Auld was a midfield genius, and one of the sharpest minds Celtic have had, full of humour and cutting remarks.

He was born and brought up in Panmure Street in the Maryhill area of Glasgow on 23rd March, 1938, the eldest of eight children. He would enjoy two spells at Celtic during an honours-packed career which would see him establish himself as one of the most popular characters in Celtic history.

First Stint

Signed in April 1955 from Maryhill Harp, the boyhood Partick Thistle fan would be loaned out to Dumbarton before making his first team debut for the Hoops in a 1-0 Charity Cup defeat at Rangers on May 1st 1957. The youngster was tenacious and talented, combining great vision and touch with speed and aggression. It was however that latter quality which would lead to Bertie Auld’s premature exit from the club in May 1961.
Celtic were a poor underperforming side through much of this era. He played in much of the run which led to Celtic’s last major silverware till the return of Jock Stein as manager, the league cup in 1957, but wasn’t picked for the final.

Despite the player’s undoubted ability and potential, Bertie Auld had a temper that he was too seldom able to contain. When faced with a hint of provocation or confrontation he would bite back and he regularly found himself battling opponents and the football authorities. Celtic chairman Bob Kelly frowned on Bertie’s antics and despite his talent decided that enough was enough and the player was sold to Birmingham. Thankfully for Celtic fans, this was only to be an interlude in the tale of Bertie the Bhoy.

Stint at Birmingham City

Not all were said to be sorry to see him go when Birmingham City took him. Down there, he had a great run helping them in a golden era to win the league cup and reach the final of the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup (which they lost).

He became notorious for clocking the great Johnny Haynes, football’s first £100-a-week footballer, and then, as he walked to the tunnel, stiffened another Fulham player (Maurice Cook) who ran up to remonstrate with him. A lengthy ban followed. Yet he was developing as a footballer, and in time Celtic were to reap the rewards.

Second Stint

Celtic coach Sean Fallon had remained a keen admirer of Bertie Auld and knew he had not fully settled in the Midlands. He was desperate for the player to return to Parkhead. Bob Kelly was fond of Sean Fallon and so allowed himself to be persuaded into allowing Bertie to return to the fold in January 1965, although Bertie Auld is on record as saying Jock Stein had sounded him out as to his imminent return as manager.

Bertie set about repaying the faith shown in him by Fallon and Kelly almost immediately. The Bertie Auld who had returned from England retained all the qualities he had previously demonstrated in the Hoops – but he was now a wiser and more mature individual. The fire was still there, but Bertie Auld had by now learned that the best way to retaliate was with the football.

Within weeks of Stein returning as manager in March 1965, Bertie scored five goals in the 6-0 win against Airdrie to prove he was in top form. On April 24th 1965 Bertie had his most important game for Celtic. The young Celtic side under Stein’s stewardship faced an excellent Dunfermline team at Hampden in the Scottish Cup final. Twice Dunfermline grabbed the lead and twice Bertie dragged the Celts level. His first goal was a superb effort after a Charlie Gallagher pile driver struck the bar and bounced high in the air, Bertie Auld timed his leap to perfection to head Celtic level.

Captain Billy McNeill became a legend that day by scoring the winning goal but it was Bertie Auld’s final as without his experience and two-goal input the great years of Celtic under Stein may never have come about. If it was Billy McNeill who headed Celtic into the new Golden Era, it was Bertie Auld who gladly kicked Celtic into it.

Bertie was instrumental in Celtic winning their first league title for twelve years in 1966. By this time Jock Stein had converted him from a winger to a deep-lying midfield player and he struck up a great relationship with Bobby Murdoch. In the summer of 1966 Celtic toured North America for six weeks and the Lisbon Lions were born.

The following season Celtic were unstoppable and won every competition they entered. In September Celtic demolished Rangers by 2-0 at Parkhead with Bobby Murdoch and Bertie Auld scoring twice in the first four minutes to effectively end the game, much to the delight of the watching Celtic supporters. In October 1966, Bertie Auld created a wonderful goal for Bobby Lennox which won Celtic the League Cup against Rangers with a majestic 40-yard crossfield pass.

In the European Cup semi-final first leg against Dukla Prague, he fooled the Dukla defence with a short free-kick which allowed Willie Wallace to thrash home the vital third goal in a 3-1 win.

In the final in Lisbon, Bertie Auld’s performance was simply majestic as he and Bobby Murdoch took total control in midfield and he struck the bar after a run and shot in the first half.

Bertie’s experience was always vital to the Lions and in the closing minutes, he took the ball into the corner, killing vital minutes as the Inter players strived to retain possession.

A week after Lisbon, Celtic travelled to Madrid for the great Alfredo Di Stefano’s testimonial match. Celtic put on a great show winning 1-0, although Bertie was sent off after an altercation with Real’s Amancio in front of a crowd of 120,000 fanatical Spaniards. Not a highlight, but didn’t diminish the rest of the occasion. He battled even in these non-competitive games.

Bertie experienced further highs and lows in October and November 1967. Firstly he was part of the team that won the League Cup by beating Dundee 5-3 at Hampden, and days later he was in the Celtic side that lost 1-0 to Racing Club of Argentina in the World Club championship in Montevideo. Celtic had four players sent off but so bad was the referee’s performance, that when Bertie refused to leave the field after his ordering off that he was allowed to stay on and play the rest of the game.

After the return to Glasgow, the Celtic players were heavily fined for their indiscretions in South America, Bertie Auld included. Although he was injured for the run-in in 1968, Celtic won their third consecutive title under Stein.

Celtic won the treble in 1969 with Bertie very much to the fore. He opened the scoring in the April 1969 League Cup final in the 6-2 thrashing of Hibernian and three weeks later he was instrumental in Celtic’s 4-0 demolition of Rangers in the Scottish Cup final in front of 132,000 fans.

The following season Jock Stein used Bertie more sparingly, and Bertie was kept in reserve for European games and major cup ties. In October 1969 he scored the winning goal against St Johnstone to give Celtic their fifth successive League Cup. The Murdoch/Auld partnership was still one of the best in Europe and they proved it in 1969/70.

In November Benfica were thumped 3-0 at Parkhead and in March the Italian champions, Fiorentina, were also beaten 3-0. In this game Bertie Auld scored his only goal on the European stage, a superbly drilled low shot from the edge of the area.

In the European Cup semi-final ties against Leeds, Bobby Murdoch and Bertie Auld were to hit their peak. The much vaunted Leeds midfield pairing of Billy Bremner and Johnny Giles were blown away, particularly in the second leg at Hampden in front of an incredible 136,000 crowd, with Celtic winning both legs 1-0 and 2-1 respectively.

Bertie Auld was pictured after the Hampden game wearing a distinctive Fedora hat, celebrating with the fans. Sadly, Celtic could not carry this form into the final and they lost 2-1 to Feyenoord in Milan.

The 1970/71 season was Bertie Auld’s swansong at Parkhead. On January 16th 1971 Bertie Auld was recalled to the side after a period of absence and inspired Celtic to an incredible 8-1 victory against a strong Dundee side at Dens Park. Many Celtic fans recall this as Celtic’s finest display of the Jock Stein years.

In March, Bertie Auld helped Celtic to a 1-0 win over the great Cruyff-inspired Ajax team but they lost out after going down 3-0 in Amsterdam.

By the time Celtic had won their sixth title in a row in 1971, Bertie Auld played his last game at Parkhead against Clyde in a 6-1 victory. After the game, Bertie was carried off the park, shoulder high, by the Celtic players as the Parkhead crowd sang out his name. It was a fitting send-off to a great Celtic player.

Bertie Auld is easily remembered for his distinctive running style, tousled jet-black hair, and huge toothy grin. He had a reputation for being a supreme competitor, as many will testify. Jack Charlton has often talked of his notorious ‘black book’ in which he kept the names of those who had crossed him, and it’s claimed that Bertie Auld’s name was first and foremost on that list.

In 1972 with Bertie Auld playing at Hibs he came up against Nobby Stiles of Middlesbrough, an old foe from many years previously. Stiles was injured after a clash with Bertie and never played again. Many Scottish players still have the memory of coming off second-best against Bertie Auld.

Post-Celtic

In 1971 Bertie Auld moved to Easter Road and, ironically, played against Celtic in the 1972 Scottish Cup final, although he could only watch in admiration as Celtic ran out winners by six goals to one.

He went on to manage Partick Thistle and Hibernian with great distinction and many believe he would have been a fine Celtic manager if given the chance. In 1978 he was short-listed for the Celtic manager’s post but lost out to Billy McNeill.

He could never be far from the Celtic support, and in the mid-nineties he was working alongside fellow ex-Celt Willie O’Neil in the old favourite Bairds Bar down from Celtic Park, serving up drinks and tales to the humbled customers.

Bertie Auld, alongside Bobby Murdoch, was the heartbeat of the side that conquered Europe and swept the boards in Scotland in 1967. He could pass, he could tackle, he could defend and he could attack. Bertie loved a battle but he was so much more than a stereotypical midfield terrier. Bertie Auld could play. His vision was sublime and his passing pinpoint. He could unlock a defence with the deftest of touches and he could surge upfield before taking out the entire defence with an inch-perfect pass. On his day Bertie Auld was a world-class performer.

Bertie Auld remained a hugely popular character among the Celtic support and was a regular pundit on Celtic TV, providing a wider forum to air his humour. He always had time for the ordinary fan and loved nothing more than retelling tales from the Parkhead glory years.

If anything there has been no greater storyteller than Bertie Auld. His warm wit and humour could light up anyone’s day, and he had a whole wardrobe full of stories and witticisms to tell. He could even take the most obscure point and find some humour in it. Granted he could embellish various events, but he never demeaned anyone (referees were humoured). He always brought out the best in anything and he would sit down and have a laugh with anyone. His anecdotes have become legendary amongst Celtic fans, and along with Jinky and Tommy Gemmell, he played a major part in forming the character of that Lisbon Lions side that we all recognise.

He is not just one of the club’s greatest-ever players, but one of the club’s greatest-ever supporters. There are few former players more deserving of the love they get from the Celtic support than Bertie Auld.

Bertie Auld was, and always will be, a Celtic great.

In June 2021, it was sadly announced that Bertie Auld was diagnosed with dementia. He sadly passed away in November 2021, but will forever be in all our hearts, and his tales will be retold forever more. Following his funeral, his cortege made one last journey to Celtic for all those able to pay their last respects.

Incredibly, a few days after his passing, both Celtic & Hibs won their semi-finals in the League Cup setting up a meeting for the final in December. Both were sides that Bertie Auld had played for and Bertie Auld had also managed Hibs for a couple of years. The final was dubbed unofficially in his honour as ‘The Bertie Auld Final’, with Celtic winning 2-1 in a great final coming to win from behind (fittingly just like they did back in Lisbon 1967).