TOUGH in his tackling and sharp in his passing, Bertie Auld’s reputation as a hugely respected player in one of Europe’s finest teams was secured by his excellence on the field. But in later years, it was his sharp one-liners and warm personality that endeared him to whole new generations of Celtic supporters.
(first appears in the Glasgow Evening Times 15/11/2021). “With Bertie in the dressing-room, it was likely to be noisy and full of laughter, a very essential ambience for success,” said fellow Lisbon Lion Jim Craig yesterday as he remembered his dear friend, who died on Sunday at the age of 83.
“I, for one, always found his presence very re-assuring. For a number of years, Bertie was an essential part of one of the best teams in Europe yet was always easy to deal with and ready to help.”
As much as Auld’s achievements while wearing the green and white hoops had already secured his legendary status at the club, it will be tales of his generous spirit and sense of humour that will have Celtic fans chuckling over their pints for generations to come.
Here, we remember some of our favourite stories about ‘Ten-thirty’.
ON OLD FIRM RIVALRY
Auld enjoyed a respectful rivalry with many of the Rangers players of his era, not least Ibrox captain John Greig. Predictably though, he also enjoyed taking his opponents down a peg or two whenever they faced off against one another.
One day, while waiting to emerge from the tunnel before an Old Firm game, Greig turned to Auld and said “Wee man, how much bonus you on today?”
“£3,” Auld replied. “How about you?”
“Is that all,” scoffed Greig, “I’m on £6.”
“Aye, but I am guaranteed £3,” Auld quipped, to end the conversation there and then.
Auld enjoyed the humour of the Old Firm rivalry that is sometimes lost in the mire that can surround the fixture, and he was highly regarded by fans of both sides as a result. Even if he revelled in putting the noses of Rangers supporters out of joint now and again.
Take the occasion some years back when he was asked how Walter Smith’s all-conquering nine-in-a-row side of the 1990s would fare if they were to be pitched into a match against the Lisbon Lions.
“It’d be a hard game but we’d win 2-1,” Auld replied, before delivering the sting in the tail. “Mind you, most of us are in our 50s!”
Later, he would reflect on his clashes against Rangers as a Celtic player.
“I loved the rivalry,” he said. “I don’t think for one fleeting second that any other match on this planet could hold a candle to an Old Firm game.
“Some of them should have carried a government health warning.”
ON REFEREES
It is perhaps no surprise to learn that Auld’s penchant for a scathing response extended to match officials, and one famous exchange with perhaps the most famous Scottish referee of them all, Tom ‘Tiny’ Wharton, has passed into folklore.
Having taken umbrage with one of Wharton’s decisions during a match, Auld approached the formidable figure in black.
“If I call you an ae Mr Wharton will I get booked?” queried Auld.
“Yes, Mr Auld. You’d be in trouble,” Wharton replied.
Auld shot back: “What if I just thought you were an ae, what would happen?”
“If you just thought it, nothing would happen,” said Wharton, seemingly unaware that he was being set up.
“Well, Mr Wharton,” concluded Auld, “I think you’re an ae.”
ON THE EUROPEAN CUP FINAL OF 1967
As far as tunnel stories go, Auld’s tale about his verbal joust with John Greig takes some topping, but it was in Lisbon that his infectious enthusiasm and love for Celtic came in handy at the most opportune moment.
We’ll allow the man who became known as Mr Celtic himself to have the final words, in a story containing perhaps his most famous quote of all, delivered through his trademark clenched-teeth; ‘But can they play?’
“The referee was holding us back and Jimmy (Johnstone) said, ‘Look Bertie, they are like film stars’. I said, ‘I know, but can they play?’
“They were looking over because we were all gallus, laughing and joking and hitting each other’s shoulders.
“The next bit was just natural because if you can do it at Firhill why not do it in Lisbon?”
What Auld was referring to was singing the Celtic song, which he duly did as if he hadn’t a care in the world, unsettling the hitherto supremely confident Italians of Internazionale.
“And the rest is history. We beat them in the tunnel, and then we beat them on the park.”
