Pat Crerand
|
Crerand in his Celtic days. He will be remembered more so as a Manchester United player |
Patrick Timothy ("Paddy") Crerand (born
February 19,
1939 in
Glasgow) was a
Scottish international
football player who represented his country 16 times.
After six years at
Celtic F.C. (120 appearances, 5 goals), he signed for
Manchester United on
6 February 1963, the fifth anniversary of the
Munich air disaster, making his debut against
Blackpool. He was a hard tackling
midfielder who, while known for his tenacity and tackling ability, was also an accurate passer, creating chances for attacking players such as
Bobby Charlton and
George Best. It was once said that while United had Best, Law and Charlton, an in-form Paddy was the heartbeat of the team.
He helped United to the league championship in
1965 and
1967 and won winners' medals in the
1963 FA Cup and
1968 European Cup finals. He retired in
1972, having appeared in 401 games, scoring 19 goals for United.
He was manager of
Northampton Town in 1976-77 and covered United matches on local radio in the 1980s and early 1990's. Today, he appears regularly on
MUTV, Manchester United's television channel, as a co-commentator and as a pundit on a show entitled
Crerand and Bower...In Extra Time.