Taxing lifestyle proves wages were not fare

I had that Charlie Gallagher in the front of my taxi the other week. Charlie Gallagher, for those of you not versed in the minutiae of Celtic Football Club, is one of the most skilful wearers of the Hoops never to have achieved the stardom he deserved. And there he was, driving me in his cab.

You don't expect boyhood football heroes to be driving you about in a black hack. But that is life for players who did their stuff all those years ago when rewards were relatively meagre. These days, such are the remunerations from the game that former footballers who played at even a modest level are more likely to own a taxi company as part of their portfolio of investments.

But back to Charlie Gallagher. He is one of the unsung heroes of the Lisbon Lions squad, a classy midfielder who was sidelined for much of the time by the genius of Bertie Auld. Charlie, a Gorbals boy, was one of the great passers of the ball, a consummate corner- kick exponent, and was possessed of a thunderous shot. In his 11 years, Charlie managed only 171 first-team games but when he did appear there was an expectation that something delicate and delightful of a football nature was about to happen.

Charlie never made it into the full Scotland team but he was the first Scottish-born player to be capped for the Republic of Ireland. These days even an average player for the Old Firm is on (pounds) 500,000 a year. Charlie Gallagher thought he was doing quite well picking up (pounds) 45 a week with Celtic. It is just as well that he loves his taxi job. "It keeps me active and gets me about Glasgow," he said. "I'm due to retire in a couple of years but I'd like to stay on part-time."

Research shows that Charlie Gallagher is but one of a squad of former footballers who are plying or have plied the hackney trade. We have enough players for a full Taxi XI, although a few will have to play out of position. The line-up is:

Ally Hunter in goals. He played with Kilmarnock before signing for Celtic. Hunter gained four caps but his international career ended somewhat ignominiously against Czechoslovakia in 1974. We have a reserve taxi keeper in the wings, John Fallon who was understudy to Ronnie Simpson in the Lisbon Lions.

We have a slight problem with the hackney defence. In fact, George Connelly, another former Celt, is the entire defence. Although, a skilful midfield player, George was happy at centre-half. He was used to playing out of position. Hailed by Jock Stein as the most talented playr of his generation, Connelly famously said he would rather be a lorry driver than a footballer. He got plenty of time behind the wheel as a taxi driver in Kincardine-on-Forth.

We are well-endowed in the midfield for the Taxi XI. As well as the aforementioned Charlie Gallagher, there is Dave Smith of Aberdeen and Rangers. He played a major role in the Gers' finest European hour, setting up two of the three goals that beat Moscow Dinamo in the European Cup-Winners Cup final in Barcelona in 1972.

Lining up also in the midfield we have Willie Fernie, a Celtic legend of the 1950s. Topic upon which a Celtic fan would have liked most to engage Mr Fernie in conversation: his crucial role in the 7- 1 victory over Rangers in the 1957 league cup final. The midfield is completed with a player who probably found being a taxi driver a step up socially. Yes, he played for Partick Thistle. The man in question is Johnny Flanagan, a useful inside-left who diligently fetched and carried for the Jags in the 1960s before going on to fetch and carry passengers in his black cab.

Definitely top of the rank in the Taxi XI forward line is Ralph Brand of Rangers, now a capital cabbie. Ralph scored 213 goals in 329 games for the Ibrox club, making him the third most prolific post- war scorer after Ally McCoist and Derek Johnstone. Brand formed a legendary partnership with Jimmy Millar.

There appears to be a definite Celtic bias in this taxi team which may be a reflection of the low wage policy pursued in days of yore by the men in charge of the biscuit tin. Certainly if you want a career as a taxi driver, it helps if you have played for Celtic. There is a hat-trick of former Bhoys vying for places in the forward line. Gerry Creaney, now driving for a living in Coatbridge, was a promising lad who didn't make it really big for Celtic. The club did well out of Creaney, selling him to Portsmouth for (pounds) 650,000.

The other two contenders are not quite in the taxi driver category but have interests in the field. Charlie Nicholas hires out stretch limos. George McCluskey, one of the best centre-forwards never to get a full Scotland cap, has a taxi firm in Lanarkshire.

If you have been counting, you will spot that we are an outfield player short for the Taxi XI. This place goes to Colin Harris, a gritty journeyman who wore the red and white hoops of Hamilton Academical. I am not aware of any connection Mr Harris might have with the hackney trade. But I do recall, from my days on the terraces at Douglas park, that the fans would often cry out: "Taxi for Harris."

Next week: Top Scottish footballers who went on to become brain surgeons.

Copyright 2002
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