This article contains too many or overly lengthy quotations .(June 2010) |
Personal information | |||
---|---|---|---|
Full name | Andrew Ritchie | ||
Date of birth | 23 February 1956 | ||
Place of birth | Bellshill, Scotland | ||
Position(s) | Forward | ||
Senior career* | |||
Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
1973–1976 | Celtic | 9 | (1) |
1976–1983 | Morton | 213 | (100) |
1983–1984 | Motherwell | 8 | (1) |
1984 | Clydebank | 1 | (0) |
1984 | East Stirlingshire | 1 | (0) |
1984–1985 | Albion Rovers | 6 | (2) |
International career | |||
1979 | Scotland under-21 [1] | 1 | (0) |
1980 | Scottish League XI [2] | 1 | (0) |
Managerial career | |||
1984–1985 | Albion Rovers (player/manager) | ||
*Club domestic league appearances and goals |
Andrew Ritchie (born 23 February 1956) is a Scottish retired professional footballer.
Born in Bellshill, as a teenager Ritchie had trials with Manchester United, Coventry City, Everton, Middlesbrough and Rangers, but chose to join Celtic in 1971, aged 15.[ citation needed ] Soon after, Ritchie was 'farmed' out to Junior team Kirkintilloch Rob Roy. At Celtic, Ritchie had numerous disagreements with manager Jock Stein, which led to his transfer to Morton. As part of the transfer, Morton goalkeeper Roy Baines joined Celtic in exchange for Ritchie and a payment of £10,000.[ citation needed ]
Ritchie is most famous for his seven years at Greenock side Morton, during which he scored 118 goals. He was revered by the club's fans and earned the nicknames "the King of Cappielow Park" and "The Idle Idol". [3] He made his debut for Morton on 28 October 1976 and scored 133 goals in 246 games for the club.[ citation needed ] He was the top scorer in the Premier Division in 1978–79.[ citation needed ]
Ritchie was famous for what, by the standard of most professional footballers, was a rotund build and apparently blase demeanour.[ citation needed ] Scottish football journalist Chick Young saw Ritchie as "the epitome of the Scottish footballer – a fat, lazy bastard, but with great ball skill". [4] He was renowned in Scotland for his expertise in free-kicks, reputedly perfected by observing Brazil train for the 1974 World Cup. [5] His signature, demonstrated in more than one competitive match, was the ability to bend the ball into the net from a corner kick.[ citation needed ] His best and most famous goal was scored against Aberdeen at Cappielow Park.[ citation needed ]
In an incident, he almost broke his leg falling over Greenock Telegraph photographer, Jim Sinclair, after he failed to stop on a long run up the field.[ citation needed ]
Whilst at Morton, Ritchie won a solitary cap for the Scotland national under-21 football team as an overage player, against Belgium. [6]
Ritchie was transferred from Morton to Motherwell in 1983. He was player-manager for Albion Rovers in season 1984–85. He retired in 1985, aged 28. Later, he took up a coaching and scouting role for Celtic and subsequent scouting roles for Aston Villa and Manchester City. He became an official SPL match observer. [7] A biography, The King of Cappielow was published on 11 October 2008.[ citation needed ] A more warts and all account of Ritchie's life appeared in Flawed Genius; Scottish Football's Self Destructive Mavericks' (Birlinn 2009).
Ritchie received the Scottish Football Writers' Association Footballer of the Year award in 1979. In common with the rest of his teammates at Scottish Premier Division club Greenock Morton, he was a part-time footballer. On the day of the award ceremony Ritchie worked a shift in his other job laying tar as a road surfacer. [8]
In 2005, he was voted 'cult hero' in an internet poll for the BBC television's Football Focus programme, receiving 64 per cent of votes cast for Morton players. [9]
Some quotes from the book Greenock Morton 1874–1999 by Vincent P Gillen.( ISBN 0-9534559-0-4)
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Season 2009–10 saw Greenock Morton compete in their third consecutive season in the First Division, in which they finished 8th after a last day victory over Ayr United which relegated the visitors.
Season 2011–12 sees Greenock Morton compete in their fifth consecutive season in the First Division, having finished 7th in the 2010–11 season.
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Season 2013–14 saw Greenock Morton compete in their seventh consecutive season in the second tier of Scottish football, having finished 2nd in the 2012–13 season. Morton also competed in the Challenge Cup, Scottish League Cup and the Scottish Cup.
Season 2015–16 saw Greenock Morton compete in the Scottish Championship the second tier of Scottish football, having finished top of the Scottish League One in 2014-15. Morton also competed in the Challenge Cup, Scottish League Cup and the Scottish Cup.