Q Mike Slattery has unearthed an
inconsistency in a previous reply. In answer to the query "Who
was the first international to play for both Rangers and Celtic?
we said first to be capped while with both Celtic and Rangers
was a remarkable character called George Livingstone"
As Mike points out in his e-mail we listed Livingstone's two caps as coming
in 1906 and 1907 and therefore this would seem to suggest that
he was NOT capped while at Celtic. Can you clarify?
A It might confuse things more but
Livingstone both WAS and WASN'T the first to be capped while
at both clubs!
George Livingstone WAS capped
while with Celtic. He made his Scotland debut against England on April
5th 1902 in the match that turned into the first Ibrox disaster when 26
supporters lost their lives when the terracing gave way.
The match was SUBSEQUENTLY deemed to be unofficial and the fixture
was moved to Birmingham and played in May that year. But there's no disputing
that until the tragedy happened, the supporters were watching players
in a bona fide international. It's similar to matches which were struck
from the records in 1939 after the outbreak of war. They don't count towards
official goals or appearances totals yet there's no denying that when
the games were played that these were genuine fixtures.
Of course George Livingstone's 'cap' had been struck from the
records by the time he made his Scotland appearances in 1906 and 1907,
the second of which was while he was with Rangers.
The first player to be capped with both Old Firm clubs OFFICIALLY was
Alec Bennett who was capped three times with Celtic between 1903-04
and 1907-08 and eight times with Rangers between 1908-09 and 1912-13.
This explanation SHOULD have been included when making a previous
amendment in answer to a query from Karel
Stokkemans.
Scottishleague.net is always happy to make corrections and/or clarifications
and we thank Mike Slattery for drawing this to our attention.
Q William McGinty asks, Where
was Ronnie Simpson, ex-Celtic goalkeeper born?
A He was born in Glasgow and
attended Kings Park Secondary School before joining Queen's Park, aged
14.
Q Two Pars-related questions from
Chris Archer. Did David Hay, current head coach
at Dunfermline, ever play for Celtic?
Which two members of Dunfermline's coaching staff were part of
Dundee United's Championship winning side?
A Davie Hay was with Celtic for nine
years and played in nearly 200 games, winning four League title medals,
two Scottish Cup and one League Cup as well as playing in the European
Cup Final in 1970.
He left for Chelsea in 1974 where he was plagued by injury and was forced
to retire from playing in 1979. That same year he started out with Motherwell
on the first stage in his long management career.
Davie was also capped 27 times for Scotland.
The East End Park coaches who played in that excellent Dundee United team
that won the title in 1983 are Billy Kirkwood and Paul Hegarty.
Q Larry Cullen wants to know Did
Don Masson miss a penalty against Iran in the 1978 World
Cup? And what was the result? There's a pint resting on this answer.
A It was 1-1 with Iran but
Masson's penalty miss came in the 3-1 defeat by Peru.
Q Anthony Seaham has a query about
two Sunderland players. During the 1936-37 season Sunderland's
Alexander McNab and Charlie M Thompson were both capped
for Scotland. The club history says they both were capped in the game
against Czechoslovakia on the 15th May 1937 but I've read elsewhere that
McNab played against Austria but not against the Czechs. I was hoping
you could clear up the confusion.
A Only Thompson played against the
Czechs, McNab against Austria. This was Thompson's only cap. McNab was
capped a second time, v England in 1939, but had moved to West Brom by
then.
Q Kevin Gilmour wants to know about
the playing career of SPFA chief Tony Higgins. Please
advise which clubs Tony played for, any medals that he won and whether
he has any Scottish Caps. Also how long did he play for and if possible
his time with each club.
A Tony Higgins had a long playing
career, lasting fifteen seasons. He started out with Hibs in 1972
before moving to Partick Thistle in March 1980. He joined
Morton at the start of season 1982-83 then moved on to
Stranraer in September 1984 where he wound down his career,
his final appearance coming in 1986-87.
His only winners medal came in the 1973 Drybrough Cup and he also
won a Scottish Cup runners-up medal in 1979. He was never
capped.
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