Bertie Auld

Bertie Auld
Personal information
Full name Robert Auld[1]
Date of birth (1938-03-23)23 March 1938
Place of birth Glasgow, Scotland
Date of death 14 November 2021(2021-11-14) (aged 83)
Height 1.67 m (5 ft 6 in)
Position(s) Outside left, midfielder
Youth career
Maryhill Harp
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1955–1961 Celtic 74 (17)
1956–1957Dumbarton (loan) 15 (8)
1961–1965 Birmingham City 126 (26)
1965–1971 Celtic 102 (36)
1971–1973 Hibernian 11 (3)
Total 328 (90)
International career
1958–1965 Scottish League XI 2 (0)
1959 Scotland 3 (0)
Managerial career
1974–1980 Partick Thistle
1980–1982 Hibernian
1982–1983 Hamilton Academical
1986 Partick Thistle
1988 Dumbarton
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Robert Auld (23 March 1938 – 14 November 2021) was a Scottish football player and manager. He was a member of Celtic's Lisbon Lions, who won the 1967 European Cup Final.

As a player, he made more than 200 appearances in the Scottish League for Celtic, Dumbarton and Hibernian, and more than 100 in the Football League in England with Birmingham City.[2] He also earned three caps for Scotland early in his career.

He spent six years as manager at Partick Thistle, and was appointed to the club's hall of fame. He also managed Hibernian, Hamilton Academical and Dumbarton.

Early life and club career[edit]

Auld was born in Maryhill, Glasgow,[3] the eldest of eight children,[4] and at the age of 15 joined local club Maryhill Harp.[5] Rejecting offers from Clyde and Partick Thistle,[5] he first joined Celtic in March 1955, making his debut in a League Cup game against Airdrieonians and scoring his first goal for the club in a 6-1 win over East Fife in the same competition four days later.[6] He was converted from a fullback into a winger,[7] but his headstrong character and poor discipline impeded his progress and after spending a season on loan to Dumbarton, he was sold to Birmingham City in 1961 for £15,000,[8] making his debut against Internazionale in the semi-final of the 1960–61 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.[5] He appeared in the final of the competition, in which Birmingham were beaten 4–2 on aggregate by A.S. Roma.[9] With the Midlands club he won a League Cup medal in 1963, as Birmingham beat city rivals Aston Villa 3-1 on aggregate.[3][10][11]

In 1965 Auld returned to Celtic in a £12,000 deal,[3] possibly on the initiative of Jock Stein, who had not yet been appointed Celtic manager.[8] No longer considered a winger, Auld formed a midfield partnership with Bobby Murdoch.[12] He became an integral part of the side that won nine League titles, as well as the 1967 European Cup Final. Prior to that match, against Italian club Internazionale, Auld instigated a rendition of "The Celtic Song" in the tunnel, much to the bemusement of the Inter players.[13]

Auld left Celtic again in 1971, this time joining Hibernian on a free transfer.[14] While at Easter Road he combined his playing role with one as a trainer, eventually focusing solely on the latter role.[15]

International career[edit]

Auld made three appearances for Scotland, all in 1959.[4] He made his debut against the Netherlands, a game in which he became the first player ever to be sent off for Scotland, after lashing out in retaliation at an opponent.[4]

Managerial career[edit]

Auld started a career as a manager in 1974, when appointed by Partick Thistle, where he stayed for six seasons. After Thistle won the Scottish First Division title in 1975–76.[16] Thistle also reached the semi-finals of Scottish Cup twice (1978 and 1979), Scottish League Cup (1975), and Anglo-Scottish Cup (1977) under Auld's management.[16]

He returned to Edinburgh as Hibs manager in 1980,[3] in an attempt to revive the club following their relegation in the 1979–80 season. Auld guided Hibs to promotion by winning the 1980–81 Scottish First Division, but was replaced by Pat Stanton in 1982.[17] He then spent a year in charge of Hamilton Academical before returning to manage Thistle for a brief second spell in 1986. His final appointment was with Dumbarton in 1988.[3]

Personal life[edit]

From 1963 until his death, Auld was married to Liz, with whom he had two children.[5] Following the end of his football career, he ran a pub named The Buccaneer in Hamilton.[5] In the early 21st century Auld was a regular guest on Celtic TV.[8] During the 2014 Scottish independence referendum, Auld stated his support for the Better Together campaign against Scottish independence.[18] Auld died on 14 November 2021, aged 83.[4]

Honours[edit]

In November 2009 Auld was inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame.[12]

Player[edit]

Celtic[6]

Birmingham City

Scotland

Manager[edit]

Partick Thistle[edit]

Hibernian[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Bertie Auld". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 6 March 2017.
  2. ^ "Bertie Auld". Post War English & Scottish Football League A – Z Player's Database. Neil Brown. Retrieved 16 November 2009.
  3. ^ a b c d e Matthews, Tony (1995). Birmingham City: A Complete Record. Derby: Breedon Books. p. 69. ISBN 978-1-85983-010-9.
  4. ^ a b c d "Obituary: Bertie Auld, quick-witted Lisbon Lion who helped Celtic conquer Europe". www.scotsman.com. 16 November 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Obituary: Bertie Auld, the Lisbon Lion who became an authentic working-class hero". HeraldScotland. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  6. ^ a b Celtic player Auld Bertie, FitbaStats
  7. ^ Lamming, Douglas (1987). A Scottish Soccer Internationalists Who's Who, 1872–1986. Hutton Press. p. 15. ISBN 0-907033-47-4.
  8. ^ a b c Lindsay, Matthew (11 April 2008). "Class of 69...where are they now?". Evening Times. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
  9. ^ a b Matthews, Tony. Birmingham City: A Complete Record. p. 242.
  10. ^ 'I was on £18 a week. I'd doubled my wage', The Independent, 26 February 2011
  11. ^ Dick, Brian (15 November 2021). "Birmingham City and Celtic pay tribute to legend Bertie Auld". BirminghamLive. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  12. ^ a b Tait, Moray (16 November 2009). "Eight more Scots greats enter Hall of Fame". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 17 October 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2010.
  13. ^ "Tunnel visions raise a smile". FIFA. 2 April 2010. Archived from the original on 6 April 2010. Retrieved 9 January 2011.
  14. ^ "Arsenal wait for Storey". The Guardian. 7 May 1971.
  15. ^ Johnson, Phil (14 November 2021). "Bertie Auld, former Hibs manager and player, dies at age of 83". Edinburgh Evening News. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  16. ^ a b "Manager: Bertie Auld". The Thistle Archive. Retrieved 22 August 2022.
  17. ^ "Hibs legend Pat Stanton urges fans to back manager Pat Fenlon". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  18. ^ Crichton, Torcuil. "Independence referendum: Football legends unite to back Better Together campaign - Daily Record". Daily Record. Archived from the original on 6 September 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  19. ^ "Bertie Auld: Celtic's Lisbon Lions legend dies aged 83". Sky Sports. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  20. ^ "Celtic lose European Cup final to Feyenoord remembered". BBC Sport. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  21. ^ "Lisbon Lion and Celtic legend Bertie Auld dies at the age of 83". Irish Independent. Dublin. 14 November 2021. Retrieved 15 November 2020.
  22. ^ a b "Celtic Football Club 1960 to 1969". Celtic FC. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  23. ^ "Match Stats". Scottish FA. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  24. ^ "Match stats". Scottish FA. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  25. ^ "Match stats". Scottish FA. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  26. ^ Celtic Retain The Glasgow Cup | Queen's Park Outclassed 12 May 1965.
    Thistle No Match For Celtic In Glasgow Cup Final 8 November 1966. Glasgow Herald, via The Celtic Wiki
  27. ^ "The 1963 League Cup triumph". Birmingham City FC. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  28. ^ "Bertie Auld". Scottish Football Association. Retrieved 25 May 2022.
  29. ^ Saunders, Steven. "Caught in Time: Partick Thistle win the First Division, 1975 76". The Times. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  30. ^ "Bertie Auld, 1938-2021". Hibernian FC. Retrieved 15 November 2021.
  31. ^ "Wed 20 Aug 1980, Hearts 2 Hibernian 2 L 4-5p EoSS Final". London Hearts Supporters Club. Retrieved 15 November 2021.

External links[edit]