JAMES MCGRORY- The original King of Kings

When, on the The 26th of April 1904, Donegal immigrants to Scotland Henry and Catherine McGrory witnessed the birth of their son, little did they know that their beloved newborn was to become the greatest goalscorer in the history of British football. This record still stands today as testimony to the legend that is Celtic’s own, Jimmy McGrory.

550 goals in the top flight tells it’s own phenomenal story. 408 goals in 408 league games tells us some more about the man with a bullneck and the nickname “The mermaid”, because of his awesome ability to leap higher than most and execute a headed ball harder than most players could kick it.

This astonishing achievement is made all the more remarkable when you consider that McGrory was only 5ft 6inches tall, yet almost one third of his goals were from headers-one allegedly from the halfway line!

Born in Garngad, a Celtic stronghold of Glasgow, Jimmy grew up playing street football and being regaled with tales of great Celts past and present. His strength and penchant for beating the goalie were soon to be recognised at a higher level and St Roch’s Juniors snapped him up with a promise of 2 pounds a game.

“The Roch” were a good feeder club for Celtic as rivals Rangers were unlikely to pursue an interest in their players due to the name of the club and the background of their players, most being of a catholic persuasion.

McGrory was singled out by Celtic as a special talent and he made his debut for the hoops in 1922. Finding it tough to make the breakthrough he craved at such a young age, Celtic farmed him out to Clydebank for a year and he scored 16 goals for the “Bankies” in 33 games.

This was a decent enough return for him but it was only a foresight of what was to come from this prodigious potential.

Returning to Celtic the following year, McGrory was a regular tormentor of defenders, but it was his determination to impress boss Willie Maley that singled him out from the rest.

This was exemplified when he buried his father on the 1st day of the season and that same afternoon, Jimmy pulled on the hoops and scored the goal which beat Falkirk. This enduring attitude set the tone for his coming years at Celtic Park.

84 goals in his first two seasons surely underlines McGrory’s magical gift. How much would a player of his ability command in today’s market one wonders? His eight goal haul against Dunfermline only serves to highlight how good he really was and his worth to the Celtic team.

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Ricky’s new live show – provocative, controversial and very very funny! When the Bhoys held the Scottish Cup aloft to an ecstatic support at Hampden in 1925, the name Jimmy McGrory was on every-one’s lips. The Scottish League Championship was duly delivered in 1926 and the Celtic fans knew they were watching someone very, very special. McGrory continued on an upward spiral at Parkhead and the goals flowed like the Vatican fountain. A voracious workrate, the strength of an Aberdeen Angus and a desire to prove himself to the Celtic faithful lends weight to the question, “Why did he only get 7 caps for Scotland-including 6 goals?” He refused to take the Highbury pay hike as expected when Arsenal came calling and this endeared him even further to the fans. In the 1931 Scottish Cup Final, Celtic were 0-2 down to Motherwell when McGrory typically turned the game on it’s head. Celtic pulled one back and Jimmy was instrumental in the equaliser when he famously bullied the Motherwell backline into conceding an O.G- with his backside on the Hampden turf! His two goal salvo in the replay again proved to be the catalyst for a night of raucous celebration in the green half of Glasgow-not least in the Garngad where street parties are now the norm after a Title or Cup comes home to Paradise. When McGrory stepped down from the striking plate in 1937, he was elevated to the managerial chair at Kilmarnock FC. He bossed Killie during 5 of the 7 war years but eventually succumbed to the lure of his first love when the Parkhead ‘sirens’ wooed him back. Management, it seems, proves to be a different proposition to even the greatest players and success depends on others as much as the ex-player concerned. Despite this, Jimmy McGrory led Celtic to a Scottish League Title, two Scottish Cups and two Scottish League Cups. Of those, One of the most memorable League Cup Finals remains a thing of legend and great pride to his day in the hearts of all Celtic supporters. McGrory sent out his team to face Rangers at Hampden with a simple mandate-“Beat them!” By the time they arrived back into the dressing room at full time, they were as stunned as the Celtic (and Rangers) fans who had just witnessed them hammer seven goals into the Rangers net. Another unbeaten British record had been delivered by Magical McGrory but this time, he was the orchestrator, rather than the slayer himself. Naturally, the Celtic choirmasters translated this feat into song: “Oh Hampden in the sun, the Celtic seven and the Rangers one, that was the score when time was up, the Timalloys had won the Cup”. Jimmy McGrory’s death in 1982 saddened football fans everywhere. He will be remembered for his incredible goal haul which is unlikely ever to be beaten. He will be remembered fondly by fellow Celts for the 7-1 demolition of Rangers in 1957. But mostly, I hope he will be remembered for his humility and the manner in which he served Celtic, Kilmarnock and Scotland with such dignity and quiet pride. Jimmy loved Celtic Football Club and he is revered in return by supporters of this great institution-even posthumously. Hail Hail Jimmy McGrory-the original King of Kings.

Craig Brown’s Dougie Dougie u-turn

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Ricky’s new live show – provocative, controversial and very very funny!