Johnny Giles, Jinky Johnstone and the Greatest Player Celtic Never Had

George Connelly - the greatest player Celtic never had

The drink afflicted Jinky Johnstone like it affected so many other great players of his generation. Toward the end of his career, he found himself playing League of Ireland Football, simply so he could earn a living. Football was not about the money back then and without alterior careers or further careers in the game, so many players finished their careers pennyless - the greatest players of them all were no exception.

An ex Ireland international, who played with Jinky at Shelbourne, though they spent more time on the drink than on the pitch, told me that when Johnny Giles was faced with an opponent as equally talented, he would be “out to do ya”. Giles' reputation as a hard man has been deflated in the eyes of present generations. His media coverage is as laid back as it is analytical, representing an old fashioned simplicity of the game. There is no argument from people who played with and against the Leeds legend, he was never shy about sticking the boot in. His reputation as a player certainly doesn't match the loveable grandad of the game we hear and see so often in the media today. One players career is testament to that.

His name was George Connelly and he had been part of the famous “Quality Street” gang of players emerging at Celtic in the early seventies. Connelly made his debut at sixteen and dazzled fans with his skills and ability. He was famous for doing keepy ups in the box. In the semi final of the European Cup 1970, Connelly announced his arrival on the world stage, tearing the much fancied Leeds side apart and scoring the winner at Elland Road. He was regarded at that time as better than Jinky Johnstone, the successor to Billy McNeill and potentially the greatest player Celtic would ever have.

His abrasive attitude on the pitch betrayed his insular shyness off it and the young lad from Fife found it difficult to adapt to city life. He found solace in the drink which fueled his introverted problems. He walked out on Celtic several times but Jock Stein always managed to turn him around. He even walked out on Scotland moments before boarding a plane. Eventually his problems became too much of an influence and he walked out on Celtic for the final time. Archie MacPherson claimed, in his biography on Jock Stein, that Jock's inability to handle the events surrounding Connelly as his biggest failure.

The mercurial player abandoned Celtic, Scotland and the promising career he had made for himself. He wandered aimlessly from club to club in an effort to finance his survival. Jinky Johnstone asked him to come to Ireland, Johnstone had always been a mentor to him. But on arriving in Ireland, no club would take him in. According to the ex Irish international who played with Jinky at Shelbourne, Johnny Giles, bitter over the Semi Final defeat to Celtic in 1970 made sure Connelly would never play in Ireland. Giles' influence over the League of Ireland was absolute and it is a shame he never got to play here. He hung up his boots at 26 and went on to become a taxi driver.

Connelly returned to Celtic Park for the first time in 32 years when he walked out to the centre circle for the Champion League match with AC Milan. It was a fitting return for a man who, when he was a youngster, was sent out by Stein to entertain the crowd at half time with his juggling skills. His name is not as well known now as Chalmers, Dalglish, McNeill or Johnstone but his talent was as equal if not better than those he left behind.