Most sadly, it's only those of us of a certain Celtic supporting vintage who actually saw High Valleyfield's very own George Connelly play in the world famous Green & White Hoops & for me in the early 1970s when George mostly played in a centre back, sweeper type role alongside Billy McNeill, I & so many others just called him Celtic's very own Franz Beckenbauer, simply because he was that cultured, stylish & unflustered as a footballer & I still smile fondly of the well known story around Glasgow at the time of the mid to late 1960s when Jock Stein was speaking of our George & the fact that he had this young guy at Celtic Park who was just so good that he still had to work out what his best position was, since our George could also play so brilliantly in midfield & indeed Stein played him as a right winger, for goodness sake, in place of the suspended Jimmy Johnstone in the famous 1969 Scottish Cup Final watched by 133,000 supporters & our hammering of the Rangers 4-0 & with a then 20 year old George Connelly scoring a stupendous, individual, cool as you like, third goal down at the Celtic end of Hampden Park that still sends delightful shivers down my spine every time I watch it on UA-cam.....
At the age of 16/17 Big Jock sent George Connelly out onto the pitch before a European game in 1966, George played keepie uppy he went around the whole park In front of a massive crowd and straight up the tunnel the ball never touched the grass it was a fantastic bit of skill I've never seen anything like it at Celtic Park again.
We had a young kid at our boys Club who at 13 could do 3000 keepy uppies. He was though unlike George a bang average footballer who couldn’t break into our team let alone impress the mighty Stein 😂👍🏼
What a player he was and really he was the Beckenbauer of Scotland.... I remember George doing the keepie up all the way round the stadium....George we salute a silent hero...HH
I remember big Georges goal in the final like it was only yesterday , it was the first time I saw somebody gat robbed in broad daylight and it happened to be big ears himself , thanks to Frank Brennan for the history lesson , THESE were great days to be a CELTIC fan , no disrespect to our youngsters , you BHOYS have tradition to look after , after all ,its THE CELTIC WAY . From , THE GLASGOW CELTIC man , Johannesburg , South Africa .
Yes indeed ''what a talent'' & when we say ''he could play anywhere'' he quite literally could & so hence Jock Stein speaking of the fact that George was just so good that he was still to work out what his best position was & & I love that story so much for the fact that, can you just imagine any Manager/Coach going into work every day & having a George Connelly on the playing staff & they're standing on the sidelines watching him train & play & thinking, Jesus, this kid is just so good where do I play him exactly????? As for that goal of his in the 1969 Scottish Cup Final & Celtic's third not long before half-time & so completely negating ANY chance of a then old Rangers come back in the second half, here we have a then 20 year old, for goodness sake, George Connelly playing in his very first Cup Final against our bitterest & fiercest rivals in front of 133,000 supporters in the cauldron of the old Hampden Park & dear old Greig getting the ball from his goalkeeper & so stupidly thinking I've got this 20 year old kid making his Cup Final debut in front of me & so I can just slip the ball past him, only for our George to read what he was doing & so block his move & then like an anticipatory gazelle, skip over Greig's desperate lunge from the rear as George now moves in fatally on the Rangers' goal & then simultaneously so cool & so gallus as you like, rounds another desperate lunge this time from the goalkeeper, to then so casually stroke the ball into the empty net & all down at the Celtic end too, is just for me, all Mona Lisa like, in it's most beautiful texture & richest of tapestry & MUST always be compulsive viewing for every generation of Celtic supporters wherever they are in the world....
It has been well documented that most sadly, George Connelly had his inner turmoils & demons, both when he was playing for Celtic & then when he walked out on the Club at such a young age when finding them all too difficult to handle & cope with & Jock Stein did absolutely everything & then some, to try & sort out all of George's issues & keep him playing at Celtic, because that's just what you do when you have a playing genius on your hands & so yes of course, there was & still is, the complete tragedy that George never ever had the most successful football career that his playing genius & I use the description advisedly, totally deserved & merited & therein lies the innate sadness for all of us who saw him play....
Most sadly, it's only those of us of a certain Celtic supporting vintage who actually saw High Valleyfield's very own George Connelly play in the world famous Green & White Hoops & for me in the early 1970s when George mostly played in a centre back, sweeper type role alongside Billy McNeill, I & so many others just called him Celtic's very own Franz Beckenbauer, simply because he was that cultured, stylish & unflustered as a footballer & I still smile fondly of the well known story around Glasgow at the time of the mid to late 1960s when Jock Stein was speaking of our George & the fact that he had this young guy at Celtic Park who was just so good that he still had to work out what his best position was, since our George could also play so brilliantly in midfield & indeed Stein played him as a right winger, for goodness sake, in place of the suspended Jimmy Johnstone in the famous 1969 Scottish Cup Final watched by 133,000 supporters & our hammering of the Rangers 4-0 & with a then 20 year old George Connelly scoring a stupendous, individual, cool as you like, third goal down at the Celtic end of Hampden Park that still sends delightful shivers down my spine every time I watch it on UA-cam.....
Al have a look at that HH🎉
Against dinamo Kiev kept ball off the deck with keepy ups walked right around park magnificent player.
I can recommend his autobiography
At the age of 16/17 Big Jock sent George Connelly out onto the pitch before
a European game in 1966, George played keepie uppy he went around the whole park
In front of a massive crowd and straight up the tunnel the ball never touched the grass
it was a fantastic bit of skill I've never seen anything like it at Celtic Park again.
We had a young kid at our boys Club who at 13 could do 3000 keepy uppies.
He was though unlike George a bang average footballer who couldn’t break into our team let alone impress the mighty Stein 😂👍🏼
What a player he was and really he was the Beckenbauer of Scotland.... I remember George doing the keepie up all the way round the stadium....George we salute a silent hero...HH
What a plyer he was , god bless you George
I remember big Georges goal in the final like it was only yesterday , it was the first time I saw somebody gat robbed in broad daylight and it happened to be big ears himself , thanks to Frank Brennan for the history lesson , THESE were great days to be a CELTIC fan , no disrespect to our youngsters , you BHOYS have tradition to look after , after all ,its THE CELTIC WAY . From , THE GLASGOW CELTIC man , Johannesburg , South Africa .
Some player...
Would be worth millions in today's game...
What a talent! He could play anywhere. On the wing; at the back; midfield. Watch him take the ball of Greig and score in the 69 Cup final.
Yes indeed ''what a talent'' & when we say ''he could play anywhere'' he quite literally could & so hence Jock Stein speaking of the fact that George was just so good that he was still to work out what his best position was & & I love that story so much for the fact that, can you just imagine any Manager/Coach going into work every day & having a George Connelly on the playing staff & they're standing on the sidelines watching him train & play & thinking, Jesus, this kid is just so good where do I play him exactly?????
As for that goal of his in the 1969 Scottish Cup Final & Celtic's third not long before half-time & so completely negating ANY chance of a then old Rangers come back in the second half, here we have a then 20 year old, for goodness sake, George Connelly playing in his very first Cup Final against our bitterest & fiercest rivals in front of 133,000 supporters in the cauldron of the old Hampden Park & dear old Greig getting the ball from his goalkeeper & so stupidly thinking I've got this 20 year old kid making his Cup Final debut in front of me & so I can just slip the ball past him, only for our George to read what he was doing & so block his move & then like an anticipatory gazelle, skip over Greig's desperate lunge from the rear as George now moves in fatally on the Rangers' goal & then simultaneously so cool & so gallus as you like, rounds another desperate lunge this time from the goalkeeper, to then so casually stroke the ball into the empty net & all down at the Celtic end too, is just for me, all Mona Lisa like, in it's most beautiful texture & richest of tapestry & MUST always be compulsive viewing for every generation of Celtic supporters wherever they are in the world....
A rare talent but wasted it would be worth his weight in gold today⚽️⚽️
It has been well documented that most sadly, George Connelly had his inner turmoils & demons, both when he was playing for Celtic & then when he walked out on the Club at such a young age when finding them all too difficult to handle & cope with & Jock Stein did absolutely everything & then some, to try & sort out all of George's issues & keep him playing at Celtic, because that's just what you do when you have a playing genius on your hands & so yes of course, there was & still is, the complete tragedy that George never ever had the most successful football career that his playing genius & I use the description advisedly, totally deserved & merited & therein lies the innate sadness for all of us who saw him play....