Andy Ritchie (Scottish footballer)

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Andy Ritchie
Personal information
Full name Andrew Ritchie
Date of birth (1956-02-23) 23 February 1956 (age 68)
Place of birth Bellshill, Scotland
Position(s) Forward
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps(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.

Contents

Career at Morton

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]

Career after Morton

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).

Awards

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]

Quotes

Some quotes from the book Greenock Morton 1874–1999 by Vincent P Gillen.( ISBN   0-9534559-0-4)

Hegarty jumped and missed and Ritchie did what Pelé couldn't do and volleyed the ball past Hamish from the half way line!
He had such a good footballing brain that he sussed things like that. He had scored the one from 50 yards and he was in his own half, nobody near him and he shouted "Big Yin, ye'd better pick me up, I'll probably score from here" – you're talking 60–70 yards and I was thinking, he's got a point, I better get across. He was the scourge of the Dons in those days." – Alex McLeish

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References

  1. "Scotland U21 Player Andy Ritchie Details".
  2. "Andy Ritchie – Scotland Football League Record from 18 Mar 1980 to 18 Mar 1980 clubs – Morton".
  3. Tom Gallagher. "Andy Ritchie Fans Eye View". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2 May 2009. Retrieved 14 May 2007.
  4. Vincent P Gillen. "Greenock Morton 1874–1999". Archived from the original on 1 October 2007. Retrieved 14 May 2007.
  5. "Andy Ritchie". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 1 February 2013. Retrieved 14 May 2007.
  6. Ross, Graeme (2004). Morton Greats. Breedon Books Publishing. p. 130. ISBN   978-1-85983-436-7.
  7. Fisher, Stewart (2007). "SPL Match Observers". The Sunday Herald. Retrieved 14 May 2007.
  8. Steele, Russell (12 May 2019). "Morton legend Andy Ritchie is celebrating 40 years since he was crowned the best player in Scotland". Greenock Telegraph. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  9. "BBC Football Focus 'cult hero' poll". BBC News. 25 March 2005. Retrieved 14 May 2007.