Posted on Saturday, 22nd October 2011 by Paul
Some of you will know I have a book out next week, Wim’s Tims-The Best Thing To Hit Scottish Football in 10 Years, available on Oct 28th from www.lulu.com (That’s the shameless plugging out the way)
The profits from the book will go to The Phil O’Donnell Trust. Why? Cause Phil was one of us. I grew up watching guys like Phil O’Donnell and his early death still has me in disbelief to this day. O’Donnell arrived in a huge deal, for the time, from Motherwell in September 1994, as is Celtic’s wont, unveiled on a Friday. He went straight into the team at Firhill the following day and marked a stunning debut against Partick Thistle with two stunning goals.
What kind of man was Phil? First and foremost a family man. He loved his wife Eileen and adored his children. He was one of the boys as well, he was at heart of all the social events and loved to sing on the karaoke. His favourite song was “Forever in Blue Jeans” by Neil Diamond, if ever lyrics summed up a man, then this is it:
“Money Talks
But it don’t sing and dance
And it don’t walk
As long as I can have you here with me
I’d much rather be
Forever in Blue Jeans“
Simon Donnelly and Jackie McNamara, his best mates, can hold a tune as well by the way. In fact it has been said Don’t Stop Me Now by Queen may have been belted out by all three of them on more than one occasion, and that one of the three, may well have brought the house down in Lisbon on the Monday after we won the league in 98 with a wee chant. No names, it would come right back at me.
Phil was one of those players that fans love, when he was on his game, he was unstoppable. He played for the jersey and he could play as well. He was capable of scoring goals that defined the term “Dynamic Midfielder”. As with the theme of the book, given the amount of books out about that season and so on, I’ve tried not to go over old ground and relate maybe tales you haven’t heard. One that sticks in the mind for me was Feb 25th 1995.
My Auntie Annie had died that week and her funeral was the day before we played Hearts at Tynecastle. I remember a few Jambos were there and stick was traded pre game. As we all know 94/95 was a horrible season in the main and I didn’t go to the game expecting much despite how awful Hearts were too that season. Phil had came back into the team that day and on the way to get my ticket I thought I’d put a fiver on him at 12/1 for the first goal. At the time my mate Evan and I used to do a kind of bet rotation thing, him one week, me the next. When I told him what I had done he was like “You’re kidding? He’s just back?, what a waste” All the way from the Shandon Snooker Centre, where we got the tickets, we argued and bantered about it, him saying I should have backed Big Pierre in the main. Into the game and this was the time where Hearts had put daft seats on the terracing without any cover. It was a freezing day and a lousy game. Evan stood there, usual flimsy jacket, black gloves, seething still at my bet and shaking his head. Half time came and went and still 0-0. Evan by this time was looking like he was about to freeze to death and was still raging, looking at me and saying “That fucking bet has jinxed us”, then a set play at the Celtic end, a scramble, then a bullet volley right into the top corner which sent us all wild. Who got it? Phil O’Donnell, Evan looked at me and said “That’s the bevvy for the night bought, get in there”, his mind always on others buying drink.
There was also the early part of 1996 when I think Phil played the best football of his career, running Rangers ragged at Celtic Park in January of that year and being at the heart of a run of away games that saw us almost overtake them at the top of the league for the first time in ages.
Injury blighted a lot of Phil’s career but he has left a mark on all people who know him and there will be much more in the Epilogue of the book about that. When he died on December 29th 2007, collapsing on the ptich at Fir Park, I was on a subway going into Manhattan, Celtic had beaten Gretna earlier on and although it wasn’t a great performance it was enough to send me out that night happy. I just got out the subway at 53rd and 5th when I checked my phone and saw the news. It hit me like a sledgehammer. I walked round to the pub in a daze and was greeted by the usual happy, smiling faces. I may have offered a nod but nothing more. I got into the bar and sat down, had a drink put in front of me and just sat there, I told the barman Graham what had happened and he was as equally shocked.
I can’t remember what happened the rest of the night, but when one of your own goes, you rarely do.
Paul (twitter @paullarkin74 and for podcast and website updates @TheLostBhoys & @HomeBhoys)
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Tags: O'Donnell
Posted in Paul | Comments (6)
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October 22nd, 2011 at 10:08 am
Very well put mate.
Phil was a star and a thouroughly likeable man, as you said injury curtailed his career with us but at times nobody could handle his drive in midfield, like yourself I had a punt on him a few times for 1st goalscorer, twice against Aberdeen and Rangers he hit the inside of the post, both times I had him at 16s cursing my luck then, have lots of m’well fans who are mates and they also held him in the highest esteem.
Where can we buy the book.
Cheers
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Paul Reply:
October 22nd, 2011 at 1:16 pm
Thanks for your kind words James. It will be available on http://www.lulu.com from Friday.
[Reply]
October 22nd, 2011 at 1:55 pm
All through my life I’ve picked up stupid injuries while playing football. Even this week, I was playing my second game back after a six month lay off for a groin strain and half way through the game I went in for a challenge with the keeper and came out with a busted toe. There’s a cracking bruise there right now.
One of my mates once suggested that I was the Phil O’Donnell of our group, always out injured. It kinda stuck and even to this day I think of the man practically any time I get another injury.
It’s vastly unfair, because as your book will no doubt show, when Phil wasn’t out injured he was a cracking asset to the team. That’s probably where the similarities between me and him fall down – I’m okay but I’d hardly class myself as a cracking asset to a team.
I’m really looking forward to reading this book. Not only because I have such fond memories – like we all do – of stopping the ten, but because I want to read more about the players involved. The other book I’ve read on that period focused more on the management level issues of the day than it did on the players themselves.
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Paul Reply:
October 22nd, 2011 at 5:24 pm
There’s no doubt he had some bad injuries but he played a massive part in 97/98 both on and off the park. There’s a few things I got told, directly from players, that really contributed to us winning the league that year and also some stories they told that were jaw-dropping!
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October 22nd, 2011 at 9:01 pm
I remember going to Phil’s debut at Firhill. Me and my mate just decided on the spur of the moment to head over to the ground and pick up a couple of tickets outside.
We got our tickets and took our place behind the goals only to discover that Firhill was getting ready for a renovation and they had false wooden walls at the back of the terracing and loads of Tims were being lifted over the back for free
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That being said it was worth the entrance fee to see Phil, who we were sure would go on to be a Celtic legend and he would have no problem if it wasn’t for his bad luck with injuries.
I never met the man but he was a gentleman by all accounts and will be forever remembered by the Celtic family.
Good article man.
[Reply]
Paul Reply:
October 23rd, 2011 at 12:03 am
Thanks Brian and lovely story as well.
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