Shuggie was a big character, Jovenglos an absolute gent
I’m saddened to be paying tribute to yet another former team-mate who has passed away.
It feels like I’ve been doing that non-stop over the past 12 months.
Big Shuggie Edvaldsson passed away last week, and he was a good friend and a talented footballer.
When Jock Stein signed him for Celtic in 1975, he moved into a flat around the corner from us on the south side of Glasgow.
Marina and I were not long married and Kelly was a baby.
He was on his own, so I told him to come and have his dinner at our place, rather than be alone.
Shuggie was a character and good company. He would say to Marina that he just wanted to find a beautiful girl, with big blue eyes, to settle down with!
He also wanted to win a league title and a few cups, and he helped the club do that.
He could play anywhere across the middle of the park, or at centrehalf, and chipped in with a few important goals.
Dr Jozef Venglos is also no longer with us, and his passing was equally sad.
He managed Aston Villa when I was manager of Liverpool the first time around.
He then came to Celtic in 1998. John Barnes and I moved to Parkhead the following summer after Dr Jo and the club parted company.
Eric Black was assistant-manager to Dr Jo, and was also John’s assistant.
He introduced Dr Jo to me a few months after I returned to Celtic in 1999, and we had a good chat.
He was a gentleman and an authority on the game. Well educated, he was also highly regarded at UEFA and FIFA.
As ever, the thoughts of everyone in the Dalglish household are with the families and loved ones of the Edvaldsson and Venglos families.