Robert White Murdoch (17 August 1944 – 15 May 2001) was a Scottish professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

, who played as a

midfielder In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an Glossary of association football terms#O, outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in t ...

for

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language *Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Foot ...

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ), colloquially known as Boro, is a port town in the Borough of Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire, England. Lying to the south of the River Tees, Middlesbrough forms part of the Teesside Built up area, built-up area and the Tees Va ...

and

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

. Murdoch was one of the

Lisbon Lions The Lisbon Lions is the nickname given to the Celtic F.C., Celtic team that won the UEFA Champions League, European Cup at the Estádio Nacional in Lisbon, Portugal on 25 May 1967 European Cup Final, 1967, defeating Inter Milan 2–1. Name The ...

, the Celtic team who won the

European Cup The UEFA Champions League (UCL) is an annual club association football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) that is contested by top-division European clubs. The competition begins with a round robi ...

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation, Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 6 – Vietnam War: United States Marine Corps and Army of ...

. He later also managed Middlesbrough.

Club career

Celtic

Brought up in

Rutherglen Rutherglen (; , ) is a town in South Lanarkshire, Scotland, immediately south-east of the city of Glasgow, from its centre and directly south of the River Clyde. Having previously existed as a separate Lanarkshire burgh, in 1975 Rutherglen lo ...

, he lived there for most of his life and attended local St. Columbkillle's Primary school (a classmate was

Tommy McAvoy Thomas McLaughlin McAvoy, Baron McAvoy, (14 December 1943 – 8 March 2024) was a British Labour and Co-operative politician serving as a life peer in the House of Lords from 2010 until his death in 2024. He served as Member of Parliament ...

who went on to become the long-serving MP for the area), before moving to Our Lady's High Secondary in Motherwell. Murdoch first joined Celtic in 1959, earning £3 per week as a part-time player while also being employed as a sheet-metal worker. He played for

junior club Junior Club is a Mexican sports club located in Mexico City. Nowadays the club hosts many sports, mainly tennis and baby football. Junior's Senior football team played in the Mexican Amateur League prior to the professionalization and developm ...

Cambuslang Rangers for two years to gain experience before joining Celtic as a full-time professional. Murdoch initially played for Celtic as an

inside right In the sport of association football, a forward (attacker or striker) is an outfield position which primarily plays further up the pitch than midfielders and defenders. As with any attacking player, the role of the forward relies heavily on bein ...

, but only showed signs of being a reasonable performer in that position. This was in a period where players were not well developed by Celtic due to a lack of quality coaching.

Jock Stein John Stein (5 October 1922 – 10 September 1985) was a Scottish association football, football player and manager (association football), manager. He was the first manager of a club from a Northern European country to win the European Champio ...

moved Murdoch to

right half In the sport of association football, a midfielder takes an outfield position primarily in the middle of the pitch. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. ...

soon after he was appointed Celtic manager in 1965. With that simple action, Murdoch was the first player to significantly benefit from Stein's arrival. Playing in the deeper position allowed Murdoch to use his long passing ability more effectively. He still continued to score a handful of goals a season, knocking in shots from cutbacks by

Bertie Auld Robert Auld (23 March 1938 – 14 November 2021) was a Scottish football player and manager. He was a member of Celtic's Lisbon Lions, who won the 1967 European Cup Final. As a player, he made more than 200 appearances in the Scottish League ...

Jimmy Johnstone James Connolly Johnstone (30 September 1944 – 13 March 2006) was a Scottish footballer who played as an outside right. Known as "Jinky" for his elusive dribbling style, Johnstone played for Celtic for 13 years and was one of the Lisbon Lions, ...

. During his time at Celtic, he won eight

Scottish League The Scottish Football League (SFL) is a defunct league featuring professional and semi-professional football clubs mostly from Scotland.One club, Berwick Rangers, is based in the town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, which is located approximately 4 k ...

titles, four

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,League Cups, as well as the 1967 European Cup Final winners' medal. Murdoch's shot was deflected by

Stevie Chalmers Thomas Stephen Chalmers (26 December 1935 – 29 April 2019) was a Scottish footballer who played as a centre-forward and spent the majority of his career with Celtic. He is the club's fifth-highest goalscorer with 236 goals and is cons ...

to score Celtic's winning goal.The Winning Touch: My Autobiography
Stevie Chalmers, Graham McColl; Hachette UK, 2012; Murdoch also played in the

1970 European Cup Final The 1970 European Cup final was a football match held at the San Siro, Milan, on 6 May 1970, that saw Feijenoord of the Netherlands defeat Celtic of Scotland 2–1 after extra time. Ove Kindvall's goal in the 117th minute meant the trophy was won ...

, when Celtic lost 2–1 to

Feyenoord Feyenoord Rotterdam () is a Netherlands, Dutch professional association football, football club based in Rotterdam, which plays in the Eredivisie, the top tier in Dutch football league system, Dutch football. Founded as Wilhelmina in 1908, the ...

. In total, he made over 500 appearances for Celtic and scored approximately 100 goals. His later years with Celtic were marked with injury problems, as Murdoch had difficulty maintaining his weight at a correct level. His importance to the success of a great Celtic team was such that when

was asked when he thought Celtic might win the European Cup again he replied "when Bobby Murdoch is fit". Stein also credited Murdoch with being "just about the best player I had as a manager". Murdoch was voted Scottish player of the year in 1969 by the football writers. Stein allowed Murdoch to leave the club because he had "run out of challenges" at Celtic.

Middlesbrough

Murdoch left Celtic in 1973 and joined

on a free transfer as

Jack Charlton John Charlton (8 May 193510 July 2020) was an English professional Association football, footballer and Manager (association football), manager who played as a Defender (association football), centre-back for Leeds. He was part of the England ...

's first signing.Obituary: Bobby Murdoch (The Guardian, 2001)
/ref> He provided advice to the young

Graeme Souness Graeme James Souness (; born 6 May 1953) is a Scottish former professional football player, manager and television pundit. A midfielder, Souness achieved his greatest period of success as an integral part of the Liverpool team of the late 19 ...

and the club was promoted to Division One in his first season there. He made 125 appearances for Middlesbrough before his playing retirement in 1976. Murdoch then took up the role of coaching Middlesbrough youth players. He had a brief, unsuccessful, spell as manager of Middlesbrough between 1981 and 1982. Murdoch left the club shortly after it was relegated to Division Two. His job at Middlesbrough had been made difficult by the fact that the club had sold star players such as

Craig Johnston Craig Peter Johnston (born 25 June 1960) is an Australian former professional football player. He played as a midfielder in the English Football League between 1977 and 1988, for Middlesbrough and Liverpool. Nicknamed "Skippy", Johnston was a cr ...

, David Armstrong and Mark Proctor

International career

Murdoch won a total of 12

caps Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Java ...

for

, having to compete for selection with

Jim Baxter James Curran Baxter (29 September 1939 – 14 April 2001) was a Scottish professional footballer who played as a left half. He is generally regarded as one of the country's greatest ever players. He was born, educated and started his career ...

and then

Billy Bremner William John Bremner (9 December 1942 – 7 December 1997) was a Scottish professional Association football, footballer who played for Leeds United F.C., Leeds United, Hull City A.F.C., Hull City, and the Scotland national football team, Scot ...

among others. His debut was in a 1–0 victory against

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

on 9 October 1965 during

1966 FIFA World Cup qualification The 1966 FIFA World Cup qualification was a series of tournaments organised by the five FIFA confederations. The 1966 FIFA World Cup featured 16 teams with one place reserved for the host nation, England, and one reserved for defending champions B ...

. His first two international goals came in his second cap, a 4–1

British Home Championship The British Home Championship (historically known as the British International Championship or simply the International Championship) was an annual football competition contested between the United Kingdom's four national teams: England, Scotlan ...

victory against

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

in the same month. He scored six international goals in total, including the equaliser in a 1–1 draw against

West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...

1970 FIFA World Cup qualification A total of 75 teams entered the 1970 FIFA World Cup qualification rounds, competing for a total of 16 spots in the final tournament. Hosts Mexico and defending champions England qualified automatically, leaving 14 spots open for competition. Fo ...

."Scotland - International Matches 1966-1970"
/ref>

Style of play

A physically strong player who originally started out as an inside right, Murdoch flourished as a playmaker in the midfield under the leadership of Celtic manager

, with teammate

as his partner. Murdoch was known for his accurate and precise passing of the ball, either short or long, that split opponents' defences. Aside from his accurate passing, Murdoch possessed great technique and control, could tackle and was able to shoot and pass with either foot. Fellow Celtic player Jim Craig noted Murdoch's influence on Celtic's efficiency as a team, stating: "When Bobby Murdoch played, the whole Celtic team played." Although talented, Murdoch struggled with injuries and weight problems.

Later life, death and legacy

Murdoch had an unsuccessful spell as a publican that ended in debt. In 1995, Murdoch won a legal case in a Medical Appeal Tribunal that an ankle injury he had sustained playing for Celtic was an

industrial injury Industrial may refer to: Industry * Industrial archaeology, the study of the history of the industry * Industrial engineering, engineering dealing with the optimization of complex industrial processes or systems * Industrial city, a city dominate ...

, entitling him to compensation from the state. In his last years he had a role helping at

Celtic Park Celtic Park is a Soccer-specific stadium, football stadium and the home of Scottish Premiership team Celtic F.C., Celtic, in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, Scotland. With a capacity of 60,832, it is the largest List of football stadiums in Sco ...

with match-day hospitality. He died, aged 56, following a

stroke Stroke is a medical condition in which poor cerebral circulation, blood flow to a part of the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: brain ischemia, ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and intracranial hemorrhage, hemor ...

, in the

Glasgow Victoria Infirmary The Victoria infirmary was a teaching hospital situated at Langside/Battlefield in the south-east of Glasgow from 1880 until 2015. It was managed by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. History A competition was held to design a 120-bedded hospital an ...

. He was survived by Kathleen – his wife since 1964 – and by a daughter and two sons. Murdoch was the first of the

to die. In 2016 his contribution was recognised with the unveiling of a plaque listing his achievements at the

town hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

in his hometown of Rutherglen; the ceremony was attended by family members, local dignitaries and former teammates. Murdoch's younger brothers

Billy Billy may refer to: * Billy (name), a name (and list of people with the name) * Billy (surname), a surname (and list of people with the surname) Animals * Billy (dog), a dog breed * Billy (pigeon), awarded the Dickin Medal in 1945 * Billy ( ...

and James were also footballers; Billy was a reserve player at Celtic while Bobby was in the first team, and later played for

Stenhousemuir Stenhousemuir (; ) is a town in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. It lies within the Falkirk council area of Scotland. The town is north-northwest of Falkirk and directly adjoins to Larbert in the west, where the nearest rail access is located ...

and

Kilmarnock Kilmarnock ( ; ; , ), meaning "the church of Mernóc", is a town and former burgh in East Ayrshire situated in southwest Scotland. The town has served as the administrative centre of East Ayrshire Council since 1996 and is the region's main ...

. James aka Jimmy was also on Celtic's books as a youth before signing provisionally with

Cardiff City Cardiff City Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Cardiff, Wales. It currently competes in , the third tier of the English football league system in the 2025–26 season following relegation. Founded in 1899 a ...

, and played at Junior level for

Cumbernauld United Cumbernauld United Football Club are a football club based in Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. They play at Guy's Meadow in the Cumbernauld Village area of the town. Formed in 1964, they currently compete in the , having previously pla ...

Career statistics

Club

International

:''Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Murdoch goal.''

Honours

Celtic *

: 1966–67; runner-up 1969–70 * Intercontinental Cup: runner-up

Scottish League Championship The Scottish League Championship is the domestic rugby union league system within Scotland. Operated by the Scottish Rugby Union, the championship was founded in 1973 as the first formalised national league system within any home nations country. ...

: 1965–66, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70, 1970–71, 1971–72,

1972–73 Year 197 ( CXCVII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Magius and Rufinus (or, less frequently, year 950 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 197 for this y ...

Scottish Cup The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,1964–65, 1966–67, 1968–69, 1970–71, 1971–72 *

Scottish League Cup The Scottish League Cup, also known as the Premier Sports Cup for sponsorship reasons, is a football competition open to all Scottish Professional Football League (SPFL) clubs. First held in 1946–47, it is the oldest national League cup in ...

: 1965–66, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1968–69, 1969–70 *

Glasgow Cup The Glasgow Cup is a football tournament open to teams from Glasgow, Scotland. Operated by the Glasgow Football Association, it was competed for annually by senior Glasgow clubs from 1887 until 1989. It is now (since the 2019–20 amended rule ...

: 1963–64, 1964–65, 1966–67, 1967–68, 1969–70 Middlesbrough *

Football League Second Division The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third tier ...

: 1973–74 Scotland *

: 1966–67 Individual * Scottish Football Writers' Player of the Year: 1968–69 *

Scottish Football Hall of Fame The Scottish Football Hall of Fame is located at the Scottish Football Museum. Nominations are made each year by fans and a committee selects the inductees. The first inductions to the Hall of Fame were in November 2004 in a ceremony at Hampden P ...

: posthumous inductee 2004

References

External links

*
Interview with Bobby Murdoch's wife Kathleen
*
Scottish Football Hall of Fame profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murdoch, Bobby 1944 births 2001 deaths Scottish men's footballers Scottish football managers Scottish Football League players Scottish Junior Football Association players Scottish Roman Catholics English Football League players Scotland men's international footballers Celtic F.C. players Middlesbrough F.C. players Middlesbrough F.C. managers Men's association football midfielders Scottish Football Hall of Fame inductees Footballers from Rutherglen People educated at Our Lady's High School, Motherwell Scottish Football League representative players Cambuslang Rangers F.C. players Scotland men's under-23 international footballers Sheet metal workers UEFA Champions League–winning players Middlesbrough F.C. non-playing staff 20th-century Scottish sportsmen