Hughie Gallacher
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| Hughie Gallacher | ||
 |
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date of birth | 2 February 1903 | |
| Place of birth | Bellshill, North Lanarkshire, Scotland | |
| Date of death | 11 June 1957 (aged 54) | |
| 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 |
? (19) ? (107) 160 (133) 132 (72) 51 (38) 45 (32) 12 (3) 34 (18) |
| National team | ||
| Scotland | 20 (23) | |
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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. A pocket sized footballing phenonemem of natural skill and muscular strength, in 624 senior games Gallacher scored 463 times in a goal drenched career of terrorising defences.
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. There were four occasions when he scored five goals in a game. He was also able to make chances for other players.
He is the Scotland national football team's most prolific goal scorer with 23 goals from his 20 internationals, a remarkable strike rate of more than a goal a game. Gallacher was one of the Wembley Wizards who beat England 5-1 at Wembley Stadium in 1928.
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[edit] Early history
Gallacher was born in Bellshill, North Lanarkshire in 1903. He played for the Scottish junior side, Bellshill Athletic.
[edit] Queen of the South
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.
Hughie made his debut against St Cuthbert Wanderers on 29 January 1921 and scored four goals in a 7-0 victory.[1] In his first 7 games for Queens he scored 18 goals.[2] His last game for Queens was in the Southern Counties Charity Cup Final versus Nithsdale Wanderers where he scored the only goal of the game for Queens.
Whist at Queens he nearly died of double pneumonia and had a long spell out of the game to recover.
[edit] Airdrieonians
He moved back to North Lanarkshire with a transfer 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
Gallacher joined Chelsea as part of a £25,000 spending spree which also saw the club sign his fellow Scottish forwards Alex Jackson and Alec Cheyne; such was his popularity at Newcastle, when Chelsea visited St James' Park, the home of Newcastle United, that season the attendance was a record 68,386 with several thousand more locked out. Gallacher scored 81 goals in 144 games and was Chelsea’s top scorer in each of his four seasons in West London, but the club failed to win any trophies. His time there was also marred by suspensions for indiscipline - including a two month ban for swearing at a referee - and off-pitch controversies. In 1934 he ended up in the bankruptcy court due to a prolonged and acrimonious divorce. In November 1934 he was sold to Derby County for £2,750.
[edit] Derby County
In 1934 he was transferred to Derby County F.C. for £2,750, 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.
[edit] Notts County, Grimsby Town and Gateshead
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] Internationals
Only two players, Denis Law and Kenny Dalglish with 30 each, have scored more Scotland goals than Hughie Gallacher's 23. Gallacher has the most prolific international strike rate of any Scot averaging 1.15 goals per game with 23 goals coming from only 20 caps. Law took 55 games for his 30 goals (0.55 goals per game), Dalglish took 102 games for his 30 (0.29 goals per game) and Lawrie Reilly 38 games returning 22 goals (0.58).
- Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first.
[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
