Jinky Jimmy Johnstone

FOOTBALL fans the world over have witnessed countless magical moments on pitches across the globe and Celtic supporters are no different – in fact, followers of the Hoops are lucky enough to have experienced more than most.

Many moments of magic, though, aren’t seen by the club’s massed support, as they occur within the heart of the stadium – in dressing rooms, in tunnels (as in Bertie Auld starting of The Celtic Song in Lisbon in 1967), in boardrooms and elsewhere inside the hallowed portals.

One of the most common of these is the half-time talk when many a manager has turned around, not only the second 45 minutes of a match, but in some cases the entire history of the club.

Sometimes it’s to the whole team, sometimes it’s to an individual player and sometimes it’s just a throwaway remark that hits right where it’s intended with all the precision and power of a heart-seeking missile – and ‘heart’ wasn’t a spelling mistake.

In the following instances, Jock Stein struck twice straight to the core of Jimmy Johnstone’s very being, with the second talk changing the course of a match and the first changing the entire course of wee Jinky’s career, and, therefore, Celtic’s history.

On March 8 1965, while Stein was technically still manager of Hibernian as he didn’t officially sign until March 9, Johnstone was playing for the Hoops reserves against the Easter Road side and at half-time had to go and spend a penny.

While in the gents he met Stein who shrewdly enquired as to why on earth he was playing with the reserves.

“That was a real boost for me,” said Jinky in his last ever interview with the Celtic View, “and I went out and scored a hat-trick in the second half.”

In fact, Jimmy trotted out for the second half and scored those three goals in a three-minute period - Stein’s astuteness knew no bounds.

Jinky then became the player we all know and love and the lead role in many of Celtic’s greatest moments.

Stein still knew how to play him off the park as well, though, and, on this very date nearly half-a-century ago, on November 13, 1968, another half-time word in the ear of Jinky produced another night of magic to remember in Paradise.

It was on the occasion of the European Cup second round, first leg tie against Red Star Belgrade and it is certainly one of the most famous and well known of Jinky’s great games.

Because he single-handedly destroyed the Yugoslav side in a second-half performance of such virtuosity the visitors didn’t know what had hit them.

The game had been tied at 1-1 when the teams went into the dressing rooms at half-time, with Bobby Murdoch’s third-minute opener cancelled out six minutes before the break.

However, when the referee blew the whistle for full-time, the Hoops had won the match 5-1 and were virtually assured of a place in the third round of the competition.

What Red Star Belgrade didn’t know, however, was that at half-time Jock Stein promised Jinky, who was terrified of flying, that if Celtic won by four goals, he wouldn’t have to travel to Belgrade for the return leg.

It was all the incentive the little Celt needed, and he tore the Yugoslav side apart after the break, scoring two goals himself, while Bobby Lennox and Willie Wallace made it a comfortable victory for the Hoops.

There’s no surprise that the European Cup win of 1967 rates top in Jinky’s canon but there are a few more red-letter games including that lone-star performance against Red Star Belgrade and his taming of Real Madrid’s Bernabeau in Di Stefano’s testimonial when 120,000 Spaniards chanted ‘OLE’ every time he touched the ball.

The Red Star game was another instance of Stein’s wile in his half-time talk with Johnstone.

Jinky said in that final interview: “That game is probably remembered because of the importance but I reckon I played better games for Celtic including a 7-2 win over Dundee United in 1969, and, of course, a few games against Rangers.

“The Di Stefano testimonial was something special as well and it was a real privilege and honour for Celtic to be chosen to play in that game.”

 

Love the Red Star Belgrade story.

If Pogba is worth £100m then Jinky would be up there with Messi and Ronaldo. £150m he'd be worth.

 

Love the story of Jock talking to him at a reserve game just before he took over.

He really managed to wring out a superstar from a troubled being. I don't think I'm being out of line to suggest Jinky might have not hit the heights he did under a different manager who couldn't control him properly enough.

 

im not sure he quite on the level of messi and ronaldo, of the era he was with us I think Cruyff, Pele, Eusebio, beckenbauer, jairzinho were a level above him

 

Pele is a * fraud. He couldn't lace Jinky's boots.

He is every bit up there with the rest you mention too.

 

If you were to ask any neutral the vast majority would disagree with you, i think during his time with celtic he was comfortably within top 20 players in the world but not quite one of the very best

 

He was every bit as talented as those players though, you only need to watch footage of him to see that.

Jus because other people might not have him up there doesn't mean he doesn't belong.

 

I'm sure Eusebio and Best amongst other's all said Jinky was a great player. Outstanding talents in that era who you'd respect on knowing a player..

It's hard to know where the wee man would fit in the modern era. Training is different, culture and diet is night and day. Arguably he'd be even better!.

Messi is the best player that's ever played the game in my opinion, but I'd certainly have Jinky as world class in any era. When you've got Spanish international's like Navas kicking about for Man City and worth 20 mill plus...... It's frightening to think of a price the wee man would go for in the ridiculous market today..

 

"One player who sticks in my mind is the little red haired wingers Jimmy Johnstone. He had such skill and was the kind of player I always enjoy watching."

Pele on Jinky

 

Good wee read from a neutral..

http://www.jimmyjohnstone.com/news/article.asp?news_id=249&news_page=2

 

jinky was incredibly talented, and one of the most enjoyable players to watch but didn't always seem the most effective, he would go by the same player 5 times , i rarely see jinky mentioned as the best scottish player ever outside of celtic forums, while Cruyff, Beckenbauer, pele, Eusebio(up until recently) are generally considered the best players of their respective nations, you can pull up individual quotes about just about an player, but pele never named him in hs top 125 best players ever so must have not rated him that highly

 

Aye sorry what I meant was in today's market if Pogba is worth £100m then Jinky would be a level of value above him, up there with the Messi and Ronaldo. I probably should have said Suarez and Neymar.

But in the modern world of high pressing I think he would wreck defences he had a magician's sleight of movement when it looked like he was going one way by the time you turned that way he was away past ye where ye just came from

 

Media markets in Football correlate closely with the relative consumer market throughout history. I would bet majority outside of Scotland would agree that Kenny Dalglish was Scotlands best ever talent, when Jinky was better. But, because he played for Liverpool with the media influence that gives them the perception. The same applies for Managers, Alex Ferguson is and always was Big Jocks augmentation, that doesn't even get mentioned that Big Jock is one of the best Managers because of the Media influence.

Your theory is misrepresented by the medias influence and your use of using other peoples context of authority (out of Celtic forums). Its not surprising really because I see this predominantly within our support that they need to form these kind of opinions from others, especially from £PL fans (the most ignorant out of them all by the way).

I personally know two middle aged men, one supports Man Utd and the other Juventus. Both different nationalities and both around middle age. Both admire Jinky and without hesitation state he is in the category of Best, Cruyff, Eusebio etc.

Take the example of the ignorance from peoples media influence. I bet majority haven't heard the name of Luc Nilis, one of the best Strikers I have seen in my lifetime growing up, Ronaldos stated favoured striking partner, I ask people if they consider him any good and I get majority replies that they haven't heard of him, or he can't be that good if Sky Sports hasn't played a clip of him, or because he played for PSV that play in a "* league" in the 90s that it isn't worth considering debate. Awk well, must be true because he doesn't get the attention. Next time you're out ask people about Luc Nilis and I bet you get the same answers, some will even engage in some sort of rage seizures that hes been mentioned really good because they haven't seen him on any Sky Sports documentaries or even been mentioned from any major media sources.

 

What a guy, what a player. Gone but never forgotten and always cherished.

 

I remember kennydal saying he saw Jinky in the flesh, and at the time he said C.Ronaldo couldn't lace Jinky's boots.

 

Jinky as a ball boy at Celtic Park

 

Tremendous stuff!

Could listen to stuff like this allllll day. Great stories!!! The delivery is superb too