Hughie Gallacher
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| Hughie Gallacher | ||
| Image:Hughie Gallacher.jpg | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 2 February 1903 | |
| Place of birth | Bellshill, North Lanarkshire, Scotland | |
| Date of death | 11 June 1957 | |
| Place of death | Gateshead, England | |
| Playing position | Striker | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1920–1921 1921–1925 1925–1930 1930–1934 1934–1936 1936–1937 1937–1938 1938–1939 | Queen of the South Airdrieonians Newcastle United Chelsea Derby County Notts County Grimsby Town Gateshead | ? (?) ? (?) 160 (133) 132 (72) 51 (38) 45 (32) 12 (3) 34 (18) |
| National team | ||
| Scotland | 20 (23) | |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals | ||
Hugh Kilpatrick "Hughie" Gallacher (2 February 1903 – 11 June 1957) was a Scottish football player in the 1920s and 1930s.
Gallacher was one of the famous Wembley Wizards who beat England 5-1 at Wembley Stadium in 1928. The pocket-sized forward was a brilliant goalscorer of muscular strength and natural skill.
The talent he showed on the field however, was sometimes overshadowed by his arrogance and temperamental disposition, which often led to disruption and bad feelings behind the scenes. Capped 20 times for Scotland, he scored a phenomenal 23 goals for his country, a rate of more than a goal a game.
Contents |
[edit] Early history
Gallacher was born in Bellshill, North Lanarkshire in 1903. He played for the Scottish junior side, Bellshill Athletic. In 1920, he was picked for the Scottish junior side and soon after, he signed his first professional terms with Dumfries club, Queen of the South. Whist there he nearly died of double pneumonia and had a long spell out of the game to recover. Within a year, he transferred to Airdrieonians, where he miraculously inspired the tiny Lanarkshire outfit to three Scottish League runner-up positions and a Scottish Cup (their first ever trophy) in four seasons. In 1924 he was awarded his first international cap.
He was only 5ft 5ins tall and was often on the receiving end of rough treatment. However, because he tended to seek his own retribution, he was often in trouble with the authorities. The following season, there was much speculation about a number of English clubs that were out to sign him. The Airdrie fans were incensed and threatened to burn the wooden stand down if he was sold, but Newcastle United’s desperation for a new centre-forward meant that they were willing to pay £6,500 to capture him.
[edit] Newcastle United
He moved to Newcastle United in 1925, and made an immediate impact, scoring two goals on his debut and 15 goals in the first nine games. He ended the season with 23 league goals in 19 games, ending up as the club’s top scorer despite signing halfway through the season.
The following season, 1926-27, Gallacher was given the captaincy, and his powerful leadership qualities took Newcastle to the League Championship for the first time since 1909, although his criticism of some of the less talented players in the team did not go unnoticed. He scored 36 league goals in 38 appearances, a phenomenal scoring rate.
In the 1927-28 season he scored 21 league goals in 32 appearances. In the 1928-29 season he scored 24 league goals in 33 appearances. In the 1929-30 season he scored 29 league goals in 38 appearances. It can be seen that season after season he maintained his high scoring rate.
Gallacher enjoyed the limelight and was often in trouble both on and off the field. At one time, he was bound over to keep the peace after brawling on the High Level Bridge. Whilst at Newcastle United, he scored 143 league and cup goals in 174 appearances, unmatched by any other player at the club before or since.
In 1928 he was a member of the famous Wembley Wizards Scottish team that beat England 5-1.
Always outspoken, Gallacher’s relationship with United’s directors was never healthy despite his value as a player. This may have motivated them when they decided to sell him to Chelsea F.C. in 1930. The fee involved was £10,000. The Newcastle fans were incensed, as the Aidrie fans had been before them, but the directors had their way.
[edit] Chelsea and after
Gallacher joined Chelsea, but such was his popularity at Newcastle, that when Chelsea next visited St James Park, the home of Newcastle United, the attendance was a record 68,386 with several thousand locked out. Gallacher remained four seasons at Chelsea, scoring goals profusely as always, and finishing as the club’s top scorer in every season. However, he never won the League title with the London club.
Whilst in London, he courted controversy, as always, and in 1934 he ended up in the bankruptcy court due to a prolonged and acrimonious divorce.
In 1934 he was transferred to Derby County F.C. for £27,500, at the age of 32. His transfer caused controversy, as it was alleged that he had accepted illegal money as part of the transfer. As a result Derby County were censured and the manager was suspended. In the 1935-36 season he helped Derby finish second in the league to Sunderland. The following season he moved to Notts County F.C. for £2,000. In January 1938 he moved to Grimsby Town F.C. for £1,000 and after a few months, moved on to Gateshead F.C. for £500. He retired from football in September 1939.
[edit] Career summary
In 624 senior games during his career he scored 463 goals. This is an amazing strike rate. He only played 20 times for Scotland but scored 23 goals in those games. There were four occasions when he scored five goals in a game.
Gallacher lacked height and weight, and was not over-endowed with pace. However, he had excellent ball control, being able to go past opposing defenders with ease. Close to goal, he was extremely sharp, being able to shoot with either foot, and despite his lack of height, able to score with his head. He was also able to make chances for other players.
[edit] Later life
Gallacher continued to live in Gateshead trying a number of careers, one of them being sports journalist, a role that led to him being banned from St James Park for his outspoken remarks about Newcastle United. He continued to be a popular character on Tyneside. Unfortunately, he lost his wife through illness and began to drink heavily. In 1957 he was charged with ill treatment of his youngest son after throwing an ashtray at him during an argument. The day that he was due to appear in court, he committed suicide on a railway line in Gateshead. The headline of the Newcastle Journal newspaper read: “Hughie of the magic feet is dead”.
[edit] References
- Paul Joannou, “The Black and White Alphabet”, 1996, Polar Print Group Ltd, ISBN – 1 899538 03 8
- Paul Joannou, “United, The First 100 Years”, 1991, Polar Print Group Ltd, ISBN – 1 899538 10 0
[edit] International goals
- Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first.
[edit] External links
- Hughie Gallacher profile at scottishfa.co.ukde:Hugh Gallacher
fr:Hughie Gallacher
Categories: 1903 births | 1957 deaths | Football (soccer) strikers | People of Irish descent in Great Britain | Scottish footballers | Scotland international footballers | Airdrieonians F.C. players | Newcastle United F.C. players | Chelsea F.C. players | Derby County F.C. players | Notts County F.C. players | Grimsby Town F.C. players | Sportspeople who committed suicide | The Football League players | York City F.C. wartime guest players
