{"id":9315,"date":"2016-06-30T12:00:45","date_gmt":"2016-06-30T11:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/etims.net\/?p=9315"},"modified":"2016-06-30T09:37:26","modified_gmt":"2016-06-30T08:37:26","slug":"youll-be-fine-archie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/etims.net\/?p=9315","title":{"rendered":"You&#8217;ll Be Fine, Archie"},"content":{"rendered":"<div dir=\"ltr\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\"><em>Author <strong>Tom Campbell<\/strong> is curently recovering, and getting on just fine after a recent health scare. He sent us this story, which will appeal to those of a certain vintage, and to those who aren&#8217;t, but then, we all have an Archie on our bus, or sitting somewhere near us, and we all stop to listen when they talk of games gone by, or games to come.\u00a0<\/em><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\"><em>Celtic is about the fans, old and new, young and old, and this tale is about just one of them. Yet he seems very much like many I&#8217;ve known, and he may even be how we&#8217;ll all turn out one day. Well, you&#8217;d like to hope so<\/em><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\"><em>Get yourself a coffee and lose yourself for a moment in this wistful and wonderful tale&#8230;<\/em><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\"><\/div>\n<div dir=\"ltr\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1467180577010_6793\" dir=\"ltr\">Some months ago I had a little skirmish with &#8216;the Grim Reaper&#8217; and emerged relatively unhurt \u2026 but it made me think. \u00a0My first social event afterwards was to watch a Celtic match with my fellow members of the Ottawa CSC (at 7:00 a.m. and with temperatures hovering around &#8211;20 degrees). \u00a0I have trouble getting around and one of the members (an Ottawa-Valley Irishman called Griff Cain) is kind enough to<\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1467180577010_6801\" dir=\"ltr\">call on me and deliver me to the pub for the game; it made me think that I used to do much the same for an elderly member of Edinburgh No 1 CSC when I was living there. \u00a0I used to help Archie get to the matches, and now Griff helps me. \u00a0Time passes but Celtic supporters remain the same.<\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1467180577010_6802\" dir=\"ltr\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1467180577010_6803\" dir=\"ltr\">Some years ago I wrote a piece about that elderly member (Archie Wright) for a fanzine called &#8216;The Celt&#8217;. \u00a0Sadly, Archie died a couple of years ago, aged 91, and still attending Celtic games regularly.<\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1467180577010_6804\" dir=\"ltr\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1467180577010_6805\" dir=\"ltr\">***<\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1467180577010_6806\" dir=\"ltr\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1467180577010_6807\" dir=\"ltr\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1467180577010_6808\" dir=\"ltr\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1467180577010_6809\" dir=\"ltr\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1467180577010_6810\" dir=\"ltr\"><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Archie Wright was born on April 11th 1922, and has supported Celtic for as long as he can remember. \u00a0Out of curiosity I wondered what Celtic were doing around the time of his birth: on April 8th 1922 Celtic beat Dundee 4-0 at Parkhead with two goals from &#8216;Trooper Joe&#8217; Cassidy and one apiece from Andy McAtee and Patsy Gallacher; a week later they went to Coatbridge and defeated Albion Rovers 2-0 with another goal from Patsy and one from &#8216;Jean&#8217; McFarlane.<\/span><\/p>\n<div style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"color: #000000;\">Patsy, Andy McAtee, Joe Cassidy and &#8216;Jean&#8217; McFarlane: \u00a0all of them Celtic legends , and Archie can claim to have been around in their time. \u00a0As one of the oldest regular Celtic supporter (home and away every week through the season) Archie at 82 is on his way to becoming a legend himself. \u00a0He is an ever-present member of the Edinburgh No.1 CSC, and in fact has been a member since the 1940s.<\/div>\n<div style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"color: #000000;\">Woe betide the stranger who in all innocence takes the seat directly behind the driver! That hallowed spot is reserved for Archie. \u00a0Beside him sits Francie Larkin, recently retired at 65 but still a regular Celtic follower, home and away. \u00a0Behind them, but within earshot sit Charlie McFadden (also contemplating retirement) and myself. \u00a0Our combined age amounts to about 283 years, and I wonder at times about the craic on the bus, always good-humoured, occasionally boisterous and salty. \u00a0The collective terms directed in our general direction are at times ambiguous: &#8220;The Auld Gang&#8221; is acceptable, suggestive of a proper respect for one&#8217;s elders \u2026 &#8220;The Last of the Summer Wine&#8221; has a raffish edge, redolent of happier days in the past \u2026 another two (The One Foot in the Grave Gang&#8221; and &#8220;The Coffin Dodgers&#8221;) cast a shadow and make me ponder at times.<\/div>\n<div style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"color: #000000;\">Quite a contrast, Archie and Francie. \u00a0Archie is still trim, white hair neatly brushed and combed. \u00a0He is dapper, shoes polished and always with a knife-edged crease to his trousers. \u00a0Francie, just past retirement age, is a big man, perhaps a bit on the heavy side, generally quiet and a listener rather than a talker. \u00a0Like Archie, Francie belongs to that vanishing generation that dresses up to go to an important match. \u00a0Scottish Cup finals show them at their best, Archie in an immaculate suit, complementary shirt and matching tie, Francie, spruced up in green blazer and grey flannels, clean-shaven, looks like a Masters&#8217; champion just in from Augusta\u2026 Walking along Polmadie Road towards Hampden last May 22nd for the Cup Final, and seeing them amid the crowd of replica shirts and flag-bearers, Charlie McFadden turned to me and summed it up perfectly: &#8220;They scrub up well, those two.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"color: #000000;\">Although the best of pals, Archie and Francie bicker and squabble on a weekly basis to the amusement (and sometimes consternation) of the rest of the bus. \u00a0Even after fifty years their arguments and feuds are about everything: Celtic&#8217;s last performance, referees, the weather, the state of the economy &#8211; even the SpIce Girls \u2026 for the record Francie would have preferred one of the Teletubbies, and Archie lamented the fact there was not an Old Spice.<\/div>\n<div style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1467180577010_6811\" style=\"color: #000000;\">Archie, originally from Glasgow, is a shade quicker verbally than Francie and wins most of the arguments, a matter that Francie occasionally regrets. \u00a0At one pub in Dundee, one they had frequented on match days for decades, Archie had some trouble getting out of his bench seat, awkwardly low; he made it eventually and \u00a0made his way towards the toilet; Francie observed all this and commented wistfully to Charlie: &#8220;You know, I just wish Archie was about twenty years younger.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"color: #000000;\">The others at the table nodded in agreement and Charlie, a man never known to swear and who as a civil servant conducts workshops n mediation, was most affected. \u00a0He gave Francie a sympathetic pat on the shoulder but Francie shook his head and growled: &#8220;Naw, it&#8217;s no&#8217; that. \u00a0It&#8217;s just if he was twenty years younger, I could batter the auld bugger.&#8221;<\/div>\n<div style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"color: #000000;\">Archie was born in Glasgow, in the Calton. \u00a0It would be a massive understatement to describe the Calton of the 1920s as &#8216;a rough district&#8217;. \u00a0It still has that reputation but the overcrowded tenements of that time have largely been demolished, and rebuilt. \u00a0Back then Archie&#8217;s family lived up a close in a single end on the top storey. \u00a0The water supply was located outside, and the toilet (described by Archie as &#8220;a black hole&#8221;) was shared by several families.<\/div>\n<div style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"color: #000000;\">Times were worse than hard. \u00a0Archie&#8217;s mother died when he was five and he and his father had to move in with relatives in Bridgeton. \u00a0As the Depression entered the Thirties, things became so desperate that at one time Archie was deemed to be &#8220;in need of care&#8221; and removed to the countryside for a few months.<\/div>\n<div style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1467180577010_6823\" style=\"color: #000000;\">Archie attended Turreen St. Primary School, and later John St. Secondary, both in Bridgeton. \u00a0During the Depression street gangs were a way of life, based on such things as religion as much as territory. \u00a0&#8216;The Billy Boys&#8217; took their name from the infamous Billy Fullarton, still commemorated regularly in song at Ibrox. \u00a0Hopefully, not too many Rangers&#8217; supporters are aware they are celebrating the life and exploits of a common hoodlum, street fighter, and leading light in the burgeoning Scottish Ku Klux Klan (rather than an opponent of the Catholic Stuart dynasty and occasional pedarist like his idol William of Orange).<\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1467180577010_6822\" style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1467180577010_6821\" style=\"color: #000000;\">So, Archie (like a fair proportion of Edinburgh No.1) is a Protestant. \u00a0How on earth did he ever become a Celtic supporter emerging from Turreen St. Primary in Bridgeton? \u00a0Growing up, Archie considered himself &#8220;a bit of a loner&#8221; \u00a0and he used to wander up and down London Road during the summer holidays to catch a glimpse of the players training at Celtic Park. \u00a0To this day he remembers a gate on Janefied Street near the corner flag at the Celtic End of the Jungle, and a corrugated iron fence with so many holes he could see most of the training.<\/div>\n<div style=\"color: #000000;\">\n<p id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1467180577010_6813\" class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1467180577010_6812\" lang=\"EN-US\">The next and logical step was to turn up at the ground on match days and for someone to take pity on him and lift him over the turnstiles.\u00a0 By then he was \u00a0a confirmed Celtic supporter, hanging around outside the ground before and after training , or on match days and getting players\u2019 autographs usually in his school jotters. \u00a0It scarcely mattered that he asked the same players every week; what was important was to get close to his heroes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1467180577010_6861\" class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-US\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1467180577010_6863\" class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1467180577010_6862\" lang=\"EN-US\">The last stage in Archie\u2019s initiation came from his Uncle Willie who used to see Archie when he visited his grannie on a Sunday.\u00a0 Willie happened to be a regular at Celtic Park\u00a0 and not only that \u2013 he was one of the few season-ticket holders at the time.\u00a0 He was one of the lucky ones who had managed to hold down a job (with the Glasgow Education Department in Bath Street) during the decade of the Great Depression.\u00a0 During World War 1 he had served as batman to the officer who eventually became Director of Education after both had finished doing their bit in the trenches.\u00a0 Just before Archie left Primary School, Uncle Willie began to take him along to Celtic Park on Saturdays and lifted him over the turnstiles while the operators looked discreetly the other way.\u00a0 When Archie became too big to lift over Uncle Willie would slip him in at the gate for stand patrons, again with the connivance of the attendant.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure that Celtic F.C. have long since made up\u00a0any shortfall in revenue from Archie since 1929.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-US\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-US\">Fitba&#8217;-daft Archie would wander up and down London Road \u00a0and hang around Celtic Park for glimpses of players as they came and went. \u00a0 Street urchins have a different perspective than others and Archie has distinct memories of some famous players from the 1920s and 30s:<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-US\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-US\">&#8220;Peter Wilson? An awful quiet man. \u00a0I used to see him with his wife &#8211; or girl-friend at the time &#8211; and he always used to have a big poke of sweeties that he used to give away to the wee boys on the street outside the ground \u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-US\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1467180577010_6891\" class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1467180577010_6890\" lang=\"EN-US\">&#8220;Peter McGonigle was a rough-and-ready big man, somebody you wouldn&#8217;t want\u00a0 to mess with but he always had a cheerful hello for us \u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-US\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-US\">&#8220;Charlie Napier? \u00a0They used to call him &#8216;Happy Feet&#8217; but he was a right, torn-face git. \u00a0He&#8217;d walk straight past you \u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-US\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-US\">&#8220;Jimmy McGrory was my hero, everybody&#8217;s hero, the nicest man, somebody that would always sign autographs and stop to have a few words. \u00a0A gentleman, through and through\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-US\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-US\">&#8220;I was just a wee boy when John Thomson died, about nine years old, but I can remember the people gathering in the streets that night at the mouths of closes and hanging out of windows. \u00a0I remember the women greeting&#8217; their eyes out. \u00a0The men? \u00a0They were likely in the pubs drowning their sorrows.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-US\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-US\">Archie&#8217;s recollection of Jimmy McGrory rings a bell. \u00a0During the Depression Jimmy had to act as breadwinner for his large fatherless family in Garngad but he was such a soft touch for vagrants and beggars that his sister stopped him having money in his pockets because he was incapable of resisting any plea for a handout.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-US\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\"><span lang=\"EN-US\">There was never any possibility of Archie&#8217;s staying on at school; so, in 1936 at the age of fourteen he had to get a job rather than an apprenticeship. \u00a0He began work at Collins&#8217; (Children&#8217;s and Ladies&#8217; Tailors) near Glasgow Cross. \u00a0His duties largely consisted of delivering the finished orders to the shops; and Archie would set off \u00a0 pushing a wheelbarrow,\u00a0<\/span>filled with clothing, through the cobbled streets of Glasgow. \u00a0A good worker, he got on well with the\u00a0management (&#8220;The first Jewish people I had ever met&#8221;), and remembers getting permission to leave work early to see Celtic and Hearts replay a Scottish Cup tie on February 22nd 1939: &#8220;Back in those days there was no such thing as floodlights. \u00a0Celtic Park was filled that afternoon, I remember.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\">In 1941, aged just nineteen, Archie went to the Recruiting Office to join up for the Armed Forces in World War II. \u00a0He had hoped to be taken by the Royal Navy but there was such a waiting list that he enlisted in the RAF rather than hang around for months on end. \u00a0He did his basic training at Padgate in Lancashire, at Bridgenorth near Birmingham and then at Leuchars near St Andrews. \u00a0The next stop was Canada where he spent almost three years just outside Halifax, Nova Scotia, and in New Brunswick near the border with the U.S. \u00a0He returned to the U.K. to RAF Quedgley in Gloucestershire\u00a0where he met Nan, an Edinburgh girl and his wife-to-be. \u00a0She was also in the RAF and working as a packer of parachutes. \u00a0They went out together, and got married; after demob in 1946 they lived in Glasgow for a while but Nan, unhappy there, suggested a move to her native Edinburgh and Archie agreed.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\">Now married for more than fifty years, Nan and Archie have two children, four grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. ( I should remind you that this article originally appeared some years ago, and changes have taken place since then).<\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\">Archie takes considerable pride in the fact that he has always been in work &#8220;ever since I left school at the age of fourteen&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\">My own feeling is that the war years were the making of Archie. \u00a0The RAF instilled discipline and smartness &#8211; and probably greater self-confidence. \u00a0You can see the evidence in his appearance and bearing, even as he entered his 80s. \u00a0I&#8217;ve been impressed by the way the scars of those early pre-war days in the Calton have been largely erased. \u00a0 It&#8217;s a long way from a condemned tenement in Glasgow&#8217;s Calton to a neat house and garden in Edinburgh&#8217;s Corstorphine but he takes pride in remembering he comes from Glasgow &#8211; and his fellow members of his Supporters&#8217; Club are reminded of that frequently. \u00a0Quite a journey, I thought, and asked Archie about it. \u00a0&#8220;Aye, things have changed a lot. \u00a0I used to get a No 7 tram from Bridgeton Cross to see Celtic at Ibrox, and just think I went to Seville to see Celtic in 2003. \u00a0Times change.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\">How did \u00a0I \u00a0first meet Archie?<\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\">Back in 1994 I travelled with the Edinburgh No. 1 to Ayr for a League Cup tie, and joined the club after its AGM held a few days later. \u00a0At the end of that AGM Archie made a point of coming over to introduce himself: \u00a0&#8220;If you&#8217;re thinking of joining, don&#8217;t be put off with all the argy-bargy at AGMs. \u00a0You&#8217;ll find we&#8217;re a friendly crowd; so, I hope to see you on the\u00a0bus again\u2026&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\">After a few games I tended to drift in the direction of &#8216;the last of the summer wine&#8217;, and have been there ever since. \u00a0A pattern developed: \u00a0I would drive to the Centurion pub, the last pick-up point before the bus left Edinburgh, and park the car\u00a0\u2026 and drive home after the return to Edinburgh. \u00a0When I realised that Archie lived almost on my route home, I offered him a lift\u00a0\u2026 and that became a routine. \u00a0Pick up Archie on the way to the Centurion before the match, and drop him off on the way home &#8211; along with Peter Johnstone, &#8216;Pim&#8217; McNeill, Mick McArthur \u00a0and John Turner.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\">Don&#8217;t mistake my gesture as kindness; I&#8217;ve lost track of the number of &#8220;wee snacks&#8221; I&#8217;ve had at Nan and Archie&#8217;s over the years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\">***<\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\">As the author or co-author of several books about Celtic, I occasionally get invitations to attend games as a guest of the club. \u00a0After receiving one such invitation in 1999, I \u00a0thought about including Archie on the visit. \u00a0I admit some hesitation because I thought he might prefer his regular company and that he might feel somewhat ill-at-ease in the more rarified atmosphere of the boardroom. \u00a0I broached the subject gingerly, and to my surprise he was very much in favour but he had one major reservation: \u00a0&#8220;Tom, there&#8217;ll be a lot of bigwigs there. \u00a0Will I be all right? \u00a0I don&#8217;t want to give you a showing-up or anything. \u00a0So, if I step out of line, just let me know.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\">I had a vision of the perfect crease in the trousers, the high polish on the shoes, the trim figure and, above all, the sharpness of his mind: \u00a0&#8220;I think you&#8217;ll be just fine, Archie.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\">I have to admit that the three or four occasions that Archie and I have attended matches as guests have blurred or merged in my mind but I have clear recollections of the first \u00a0(October 16th 1999) when Celtic defeated Aberdeen 7-0 (with Larsson getting a hat-trick in his last full game before breaking his leg at Lyon).<\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\">We turned up at the ground about 1:45 for the three o&#8217;clock kick-off with Archie appearing a touch disappointed because there were relatively few people to witness our grand entrance. \u00a0Invitation in hand, we waited for the girl at Reception to decide exactly where we should go. \u00a0Eventually we were escorted to a pleasant lounge upstairs, filling up and\u00a0quite busy with\u00a0well-to-do types like Jimmy Farrell, the former director and Dr John Fitzsimmons, who Archie remembered as having played for Celtic and having been team medic in Jock Stein&#8217;s reign. \u00a0The atmosphere was friendly and cheerful, sociable. \u00a0Archie, glass in hand, struck up a conversation with two gentlemen from Ireland and was immediately on first-name terms.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\">Meanwhile, I was getting slightly worried because I was supposed to present two copies of my latest book , one to Celtic&#8217;s chairman and one to Allan MacDonald, Celtic&#8217;s CEO, but I could find neither anywhere in the lounge. \u00a0I asked an usher to pass a message to Peter McLean, Celtic&#8217;s PR \u00a0man \u00a0who had invited me in the first place. \u00a0Two or three minutes later, Peter appeared in the lounge, full of apologies. \u00a0We had been expected in the Board Room, the Directors&#8217; Lounge but the girl in Reception had mis-directed us. \u00a0I introduced him to Archie and was impressed by the immediate rapport the two of them established:<\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\">&#8220;You know, Mr McLean, I never thought I&#8217;d see the day when I would be here within the portals of Celtic Park.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\">&#8220;Archie, this ground would not be here if it weren&#8217;t for people like you. \u00a0So, you are more than welcome here. \u00a0Call me Peter, by the way.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\">Peter McLean was graciousness itself, whisking us through the lounge and led us into the Board Room where he introduced us quickly to a couple of guests. \u00a0Once he saw that we were settled, he excused himself to welcome the Aberdeen party who had just arrived downstairs. \u00a0I went over to the bar to get us drinks and, when I returned, Archie was deep in conversation with a pleasant-looking young man whom he introduced to me as &#8216;Jim&#8217;. \u00a0I was a shade surprised to find they were talking about &#8216;mergers&#8217; but I listened until &#8216;Jim&#8217; was called away.. \u00a0I asked Archie how well he knew him: \u00a0&#8220;Never met him before\u2026 but he&#8217;s a Celtic supporter just like us.&#8221; \u00a0He looked at me sharply: \u00a0&#8220;Did you not recognise him?&#8221; \u00a0I had to admit that I hadn&#8217;t; Archie shook his head in some wonder: \u00a0&#8220;Well, that was Jim Kerr of Simple Minds. \u00a0Remember he was thinking of going into partnership with Kenny Dalglish to buy Celtic?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1467180577010_6892\" class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\">So, there he was, a life-long Celtic supporter, in his element, delighted to be there, soaking up the ambience, noting the celebrities around him and making a point of having a word here and there without for one second being intrusive. \u00a0He worked that room like a pro, and I \u00a0(who had been prepared to nurse him through it) watched in fascination:<\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\">To Kenny Dalglish: \u00a0&#8220;I saw your first game for us, son, and I knew then that you would turn out all right\u00a0\u2026&#8221; \u00a0(&#8216;Thanks, Mr Wright.&#8217;)<\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\">To Sir Patrick Sheedy: \u00a0&#8220;Forgive me asking, but what do I call you?&#8221; \u00a0(The answer in the plummiest of tones: &#8216;If I can call you &#8216;Archie&#8217;, you call me &#8216;Pat&#8221;)<\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\">To Allan MacDonald: \u00a0&#8220;Do we have any plans for getting new players&#8221; \u00a0(&#8216;Archie, we are always looking.'&#8221;)<\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\">When the game was over, Archie and I were taken down to the Players&#8217; Lounge by Peter McLean. \u00a0Archie revelled in the occasion. \u00a0He had a word of sympathy and consolation for Ebbe Skovdahl, Aberdeen&#8217;s manager, and nodded wryly to the Dons&#8217; players trudging past us on the way back to their bus, \u00a0but it was to the Celtic players he was intent on speaking.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\">He found himself beside Johann Mjallby, a blond, tanned giant of a man: \u00a0&#8220;You&#8217;re playing really well in mid-field, son, but if you don&#8217;t mind me saying &#8211; you don&#8217;t pass the ball as well as Peter Wilson of Beith\u2026&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\">Mjailby looked puzzled and i had\u00a0to explain that Peter Wilson (who used to give sweets away to kids\u00a0outside Parkhead), had been Celtic&#8217;s right half in the 1920s and that Archie had seen him play. \u00a0 Mjailby smiled, nodded in understanding<\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\">and almost clicked his heels in respect: \u00a0&#8220;You know, Mr. Archie, my father said the same thing to me about my passing.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\">To Craig Burley: \u00a0&#8220;i&#8217;ll tell you another thing. \u00a0You&#8217;re a lot better-looking with your teeth in, and you look taller than I expected. \u00a0How tall are you?&#8221; \u00a0 \u00a0Burley laughed at that and said he was 6 feet 2.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\">Then Henrik Larsson appeared in the doorway and a hush fell; everybody in the room knew he was there, and turned to stare. \u00a0 \u00a0Two other people in the lounge approached him with genuine autograph books and Archie himself (an awed Archie Wright) queued up for a signature. \u00a0 \u00a0He was on the brink of offering his match programme to Mr. Larson when a lackey appeared to\u00a0take &#8216;Henke&#8217; to the &#8216;Man-of- the-Match\u00a0presentation. \u00a0 Larson shrugged, apologised and told Archie and the other autograph seekers he would have to go but promised to be back.<\/p>\n<p class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\">I remember thinking, &#8220;Aye that&#8217;ll be right.&#8221; \u00a0 \u00a0But ten minutes later he was back, and looking for the people he had asked to wait a bit. \u00a0i was very impressed, and so was Archie.<\/p>\n<p id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1467180577010_6871\" class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1467180577010_6870\">Attentive to the \u00a0last, Peter McLean saw us to the door when it was time to head back to Edinburgh. \u00a0 \u00a0In the car, Archie was still so appreciative: \u00a0 &#8220;I never thought I&#8217;d see the day when I&#8217;d be in there talking to everybody. \u00a0 \u00a0That Peter McLean &#8211; \u00a0 \u00a0they say he&#8217;s not Celtic minded &#8211; but \u00a0he couldn&#8217;t have been nicer.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<p id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1467180577010_6868\" class=\"yiv5542780056MsoNormal\"><span id=\"yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1467180577010_6867\">I asked him had he spoken to Billy Connolly. \u00a0 \u00a0&#8220;No, but I\u00a0listened to his patter \u00a0for a wee while. \u00a0 \u00a0Mind you, for all the money he makes, you would think he could dress better. \u00a0 He looks like a scruff with those jeans, and he could get his hair cut.&#8221;<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"color: #000000;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Author Tom Campbell is curently recovering, and getting on just fine after a recent health scare. He sent us this story, which will appeal to&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":9321,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/etims.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/IMG_3790.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2J7If-2qf","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9315"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9315"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9315\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9322,"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9315\/revisions\/9322"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9321"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/etims.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}