Remembering Bertie Auld, Inter captain Armando Picchi’s Lisbon jersey | OneFootball

Three years ago today the we lost our much loved Bertie Auld…

Bertie Auld, Photo supplied by writer for use on The Celtic Star

Bertie Auld – Born in Maryhill, March 1938

Born in March 1938 in Panmure Street, Maryhill, Bertie was the oldest of eight children, what an enormous responsibility that must have been and in such difficult times. But times were going to get even tougher with W.W.II. looming. The people from Maryhill would need all of their community spirit to get through those dreadful times. Any kind of relief or escape would be welcome and perhaps an outlet for any aspiring young footballers would be schools football where Junior clubs would be on the lookout for young talented players.

Maryhill Harp a great wee feeder club for Celtic

At fifteen years of age Bertie signed for Maryhill Harp, a successor to Maryhill Hibernian, the names a small reminder of where some of the Irish diaspora settled in Scotland. So, Maryhill Harp was the Junior football club that first unearthed the “Maryhill Diamond”.

Bertie wasn’t the only Celtic player to be signed from the ‘Harp’ Charlie Napier – Frank Haffey – Jimmy Quinn and the great Peter Scarff, all began plying their trade with the ‘Harp’. It looks like Maryhill Harp were a feeder club to Celtic FC just like Wellesley Juniors were in Fife.

Sadly, when Bertie was scaling the heights of professional football in Lisbon, Maryhill Harp went out of existence in 1967. Hail, Hail, To Maryhill Harp and a big thank you!

Bertie Auld Glasgow Celtic Footballer 17 May 1967. Photo Imago, TopFoto (The Celtic Star)

Bertie Auld first signed for Celtic in 1955

(at seventeen) after rejecting other clubs, he was loaned out initially but it wouldn’t be long before he made his Celtic debut. This talented, tenacious player, with pace who could read the game played at outside right, it wouldn’t be until Jock Stein returned to Celtic Park that Bertie would be converted into a midfielder.

Today we value Celtic players with spirit, aggression and pace with that ‘will to win’, Bertie had all of that and more, but for some reason the Celtic chairman wanted his players to play ‘nicely’, it’s no wonder that Celtic lost more games than they won, those were dreich times to be a Celtic supporter. Soon Bertie was on his way to “Les Blues” at Birmingham City, under a manager that wanted winners in his team.

Birmingham thrived with Bertie in the team

Birmingham City signed this multi talented, young, exciting player from Celtic in 1961 for the princely sum of £15,000. Results speak, they tell us the story of how a football club performs, Birmingham City reached the final of the “Fairs City Cup” with ‘Ten Thirty’ playing for them, a small indicator of how both he and ‘City’ had progressed.

All through his football career success followed Bertie Auld, no embellishments are required, the results speak for themselves. But aggression on the football pitch can result in players being sent off, players reputations go before them and referees take note of that and no allowances are made.

Sent off playing for Scotland

Bertie won three full International caps only – an actual disgrace. In his first game playing for Scotland against Holland in 1959, he was sent off in the dying minutes for a tackle on the Dutch player Notermans, the player had fouled Bertie earlier and then fouled another Scottish player badly when Bertie fouled him back, a straight red for Bertie, the first ever Scottish player to be sent off (see Jersey photo below), Scotland beat Holland 1-2 in Amsterdam. The result says it all.

Bertie Auld returned to Celtic FC in January 1965. It depends on whose version you believe, Sean Fallon’s version or, well it doesn’t matter because he came back and that’s all that counts, but its funny how all these secret phone calls and whispered messages came about when the football genius and guru Jock Stein arrived back at Celtic Park.

The Celtic Rising

The sign went up – “Under New Management” and everything changed, “The Celtic Rising” 1965, is told by the Celtic writer and historian the late David Potter, no-one could tell it or write it better, what a great miss he is.

This is where I stop because every Celtic supporter knows what happened next, Jock Stein, led the club to huge success, his era is the bench – mark that every Celtic manager and player is judged by to this day.

A great Ambassador for Celtic

Bertie left Celtic FC as a player in 1971 to continue with his footballing career, going to Hibernian and then to his first love Partick Thistle where both clubs remember and honour him, but it was plain to see where his heart belonged and he eventually returned once again to Celtic football club as an ambassador for our great club and what a diamond he was.

Always smiling always happy, his one-liners were fantastic, his magnetism drew you into his magnetic field, his charisma was unsurpassable, what a joyful man he was, what a miss he is.

Here are the three jerseys that I bought at Bertie’s own family auction, includes his first full International jersey when he was sent off and the Inter Milan captain’s jersey from Lisbon, Armando Picchi.

Crucially, these now remain in the Celtic family.

The three jerseys that I bought at Bertie’s own auction, includes his first full International jersey when he was sent off and the Inter Milan captain’s jersey from Lisbon, Armando Picchi. These now remain in the Celtic family.

The three jerseys bought at  Bertie’s own family auction

1. His International jersey  27th May 1959 – Scotland verses the Netherlands, the first ever Scottish player to be sent off, in that respect it is historical, it is to me anyway.

2. His SFL XI, International jersey 17th. March 1965 verses the Football League XI.

25 May 1967: imago/Kicker/MetelmannArmando Picchi (Inter) 1966/1967, European Cup Final Internazionale 1 -2 Celtic Glasgow. (The Celtic Star)

3. The Inter jersey caused a little kerfuffle, the auction house had it the jersey that Armando Picchi wore in Lisbon and then they changed the terminology to a later jersey in the late 1960s, which was patently not true. The golden star on the jersey was only on Inter’s jersey for that year, they had won their last League title the previous year making ten ‘little shields’ and so were only entitled to wear the gold star after winning that title, they never won the Italian league again until 1970.

Letter of provenance

The auction house then confirmed to me that Bertie brought that jersey with him back from Lisbon and had it framed and hanging in his house. Further to that, I have a letter of letter of provenance that confirms that, that jersey was worn by Armando Picchi, the Inter captain in Lisbon.

25 May 1967 Photo imago/Kicker- Billy McNeill (Celtic), Armando Picchi (lnter Milan) and referee Kurt Tschenscher (Deutschland); 1966/1967, European Cup Final, Celtic Glasgow 2-1 Internazionale. (The Celtic Star)

It was interesting to read that all of Bertie’s memorabilia, his jerseys and his medals was all collected and stored by his Mother, the number of jerseys up for sale in that auction was testament to his mother’s diligence.

25 May 1967. Photo imago/Kicker. Bertie Auld (Celtic) with Armando Picchi (Inter); 1966/1967, European Cup Final, Celtic Glasgow 2-1 Internazionale (The Celtic Star)

The three jerseys that I bought at Bertie’s own auction, includes his first full International jersey when he was sent off and the Inter Milan captain’s jersey from Lisbon, Armando Picchi. These now remain in the Celtic family.

As mentioned above the three jerseys that I bought at Bertie’s auction, includes his first full International jersey when he was sent off and the Inter captain’s jersey from Lisbon Armando Picchi.

If you are interested my Celtic Collection is up on YouTube, under Celtic fan – Celtic collection, big Billy leads the team out onto the Lisbon pitch. I think that there will be some items that will interest you (video shown below).

Watch this remarkable Celtic video – what a collection!

Today I and many, many more mourn his passing, Celtic’s very own ‘Seanchaí’. Diamonds are precious and so was Bertie Auld – Lisbon Lion…”Diamonds Are Forever.”

Bertie Auld, RIP.  23 March 1938 – 14 November 2021. YNWA.

Written by a Celtic Star reader who wishes to remain anonymous. Please watch the video above, it’s pretty special! What a collection. Thanks to The Celtic Wiki and to Maryhill Harp Wiki.

Bertie Auld image by Celtic Curio

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