Celtic in the Thirties: Unpublished works of David Potter – Bobby Hogg

The Celtic Star

·11 novembre 2024

Celtic in the Thirties: Unpublished works of David Potter – Bobby Hogg

Celtic in the Thirties: Unpublished works of David Potter today features Bobby Hogg…

The late David Potter

Name: BOBBY HOGG Born: May 19 1914 Died: April 15 1975 Appearances: 538 Goals: 1 Scottish League medals: 1935/36, 1937/38 Scottish Cup medals: 1932/33, 1936/37 Glasgow Cup medals: 1938/39, 1940/41 Glasgow Charity Cup medals: 1935/36, 1937/38, 1942/43, Scotland Caps: 1

Bobby Hogg, Celtic FC. Celtic in the Thirties by Matt Corr. Image for the book by Celtic Curio

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He would not have been a Celtic supporter

For those who bother about such things, Bobby Hogg’s background was far from “Celtic-minded”. He was born in Larkhall a few months before the start of World War One, and he played for Royal Albert. He would not have been a Celtic supporter!

His career was remarkable for its length from 1931 to 1948 and its achievement. It saw the peaks of the Empire Exhibition Trophy and the troughs of Celtic’s dismal performances in the war years and the narrow escape from relegation in 1948. He played a total of 538 games for the club, and there is no record of him ever having been cautioned let alone ordered off – and that is some achievement for a full back.

Bobby Hogg press cutting

A full back of the old school

He was however very much a full back of the old school, in some ways so reminiscent of Alec McNair of a generation previously. There is only one mention of him having scored a goal, and that was in a Glasgow Cup game against Third Lanark in 1936 which is damned with faint praise by The Glasgow Herald. Hogg hit a ball from “over midfield” and “the only explanation” why the goalkeeper did not gather it was that he was “temporarily blinded by the strong sunshine”.

He had made his debut in September 1932, but it was the Celtic desire to make money out of players, in this case the transfer of Willie Cook to Everton in midwinter 1932, that gave Bobby his chance. He grabbed the chance with both hands and by 1933, he had won his first Scottish Cup medal in a dull game against Motherwell, thanks to a McGrory goal.

Celtic in the Thirties – Volume One

Celtic in the Thirties – Volume Two

Bobby Hogg – “fast and mobile” “strong in the tackle” and “determined in his kicking”

But this was a poor Celtic team and the next two years passed without Celtic winning anything. Criticism was directed at many aspects of Celtic’s performance but it was noticeable that Hogg was seldom the butt of any adverse comments. Rather, he was often described as “fast and mobile” “strong in the tackle” and “determined in his kicking” and even on a poor day when The Sunday Post mentions the better players in the Celtic team, Hogg is mentioned as often as not.

Robert Hogg and seven of his eight children, including Bobby of Celtic (third from left) Photo Matt Corr

The problem was not in the defence

In the same way as McNair, with whom he had so many similarities, was part of Shaw, McNair and Dodds, so too, Bobby Hogg was part of Joe Kennaway, Bobby Hogg and Peter McGonagle, and then Jock Morrison. The problem was not in the defence, but in 1934 and 1935, the rest of the team were not very good.

As a right back he possibly lacked the sheer class of McNair or McGrain, but he made up for it in hard work, commitment and sheer determination. He was also a great team man, and never caused trouble, working well for captains like Jimmy McStay and Willie Lyon.

Celtic stars George Hazlett, Bobby Hogg, Jim McLaughlin. Photo The Celtic Wiki

McMenemy understood modern football

Things took a distinct turn for the better from the mid-1930s when Jimmy Delaney arrived, and more importantly, Jimmy McMenemy returned as trainer and “de facto” coach. McMenemy understood modern football a great deal better than the now ageing Maley did, and the team which had never been entirely short of latent talent, took off.

The Scottish League was won in 1936 and 1938, the Scottish Cup in 1937 and the all-British Empire Exhibition Trophy in 1938, and Hogg played a glorious part in all this as part of the niggardly Celtic defence which conceded only one goal in the three games played in the Empire Exhibition Trophy. The final at Ibrox gave Hogg one of his biggest challenges of his life, for it pitted him up against the renowned Tommy Lawton, a man good enough to win any game on his day. This was not to be one of his days, however, for Hogg “didnae gie him a kick o’ the ba’” as the saying went.

Bobby Hogg junior. Photo Matt Corr

Bobby Hogg won a cap for Scotland in May 1937 in Prague

He also won a cap for Scotland in May 1937 in Prague, of all places. Scotland won 3-1 and Hogg was unlucky in that he did not win more caps for Scotland, but he found it hard to displace Alex Anderson of Hearts who was a class act. Hogg was chosen many times however to be the travelling reserve, and on each occasion, he was given a Scotland jersey. He thus had quite a collection, and in later years when clothing was rationed during the war, Bobby was quite happy to give them back to help clothe Scotland!

He also played 5 times for the Scottish League, his best game being the game against the English League in September 1937 at Ibrox when Jimmy Delaney scored the only goal of the game. Had it not been for the Second World War, he might have won more International honours, but he did get a game for Scotland in the Red Cross International against England at Newcastle in February 1941.

Celtic in the Thirties – Volume One

Celtic in the Thirties – Volume Two

The Second World War effectively changed everything for Bobby Hogg. Football mercifully continued but on a different basis, and for Celtic, things took a distinct turn for the worse. Maley departed acrimoniously in 1940, and Jimmy McStay became manager. But Celtic’s Directors were half-hearted and Celtic’s performances were poor, something which effectively allowed Rangers to win everything, as there was no effective opposition to them.

Even basic things like training were difficult, and although Hogg was in a reserved occupation and not subject to be conscripted, his performances, like those of the team were poor. Only two honours were won – the Glasgow Cup in 1940 and the Glasgow Charity Cup in 1943, and Bobby was involved in both of them, but he did well to be injured and to miss the horrendous day of January 1 1943 when Celtic went down 1-8 to Rangers.

Bobby Hogg, Celtic FC. Photo The Celtic Wiki

He continued playing after the war, and, now captain, he is given a great deal of credit for persuading his players not to walk off in the semi final of the Victory Cup in June 1946. Referee Mr MC Dale, notorious for his bias, had awarded Rangers a ridiculous penalty kick and sent two Celtic players, George Paterson and Jimmy Mallan off for disputing his decision. With the Celtic team and the Celtic crowd in uproar, and everything looking as if the game were to be abandoned with Celtic players threatening to walk off, Bobby persuaded them to stay and to finish this mockery of a match.

It was somehow fitting that virtually his last game for the club was the famous one in April 1948 when he came back from injury to save Celtic from relegation at Dens Park, Dundee. He left the club after more than 17 years in autumn 1948, and for a spell played and then managed Alloa Athletic. He died in Paisley in 1975.

Teams line up ahead of Patsy Gallacher’s Benefit Match in January 1932, perhaps the first photo of Bobby Hogg taken as a Celtic player. He is seated extreme right. Photo The Celtic Wiki

He was considered a model professional, a man dedicated to Celtic in good times and bad. He was immensely respected by his Celtic colleagues (and by opponents); he was admired, and loved by the Celtic support.

David Potter

Matt Corr’s wonderful new books, Celtic in the Thirties, Volumes One & Two are both out now on Celtic Star Books and you can order a signed copies by clicking on the links below…