Brogan left his mark at Sky Blues
IT’S sad to report the death this week of former Coventry City defender Jim Brogan at the age of 74. Jim spent only one season at Highfield Road (1975-76) but was fondly remembered by City fans from that era. He died in a Glasgow nursing home after a lengthy battle against dementia.
Jim is best remembered, however, for his 13 years at Celtic where he won just about every honour in the Scottish game including seven successive League championship medals, four full caps for his country and a runners-up medal from the 1970 European Cup final.
Glaswegian James Andrew Brogan was one of those players, common in his time but rare today, who spent long years in an “apprenticeship” with Celtic, before eventually having his spell in the sun, winning medals and Scotland caps.
He was from a “Celticminded” family. Elder brother Frank was already a first-team player with the club when Jim arrived, like his elder brother, from the prolific Celtic nursery, St Rochs Juniors, in 1962.
Frank left Celtic for Ipswich Town in 1964 but before he left the Brogan brothers did twice play together in the first team, after Jim made his debut, against Falkirk in September, 1963.
However, there was to be no quick breakthrough for Jim, who established himself as a regular in the reserves over the great early seasons of the Lisbon Lions. He understudied the great John Clark and got few chances to shine as success followed success for that great team. When Clark was injured in February, 1968 manager Jock Stein promoted Brogan, who never looked back, slotting in alongside Billy McNeill as effectively as Clark had done, and, with regular first-team games, the medals and honours arrived.
He won a league championship medal at the end of the 1967-68 season, and the following year, as Celtic won their second domestic treble, he was a mainstay of Stein’s team. In 1969-70, he was a member of the team which reached Celtic’s second European Cup Final, against Feyenoord, and the following season, by which time he had stepped back to left-back to replace Tommy Gemmell, such was his form. Recognised by many as one of Scottish football’s hardmen, Celtic fans called him ‘the Brogeyman.’
In April, 1971, he won his first cap against Portugal, in a Hampden friendly. The start of a short run of four successive games in the national squad covering that match and the home internationals.
Brogan was one of Stein’s most trusted players at Celtic during the nine-in-a-row campaign, holding the fort as the Lions departed and helping to ease the path of such as Davie Hay, Danny McGrain, George Connelly and Kenny Dalglish from Quality Street Kids to Celtic icons.
Celtic released Brogan at the end of the 1974-75 season and in his final appearance, against Rangers in the Glasgow Cup Final, Jock Stein handed him the captaincy. In his 341st first team appearance a farewell, in front of 70,000 fans. Alas, there was to be no fairytale ending as the game finished Celtic 2 Rangers 2, with the trophy shared.
In July 1975 City manager Gordon Milne persuaded the tough-tackling but elegant defender to try his hand in the English game. Jim and his wife Joyce bought a house in Kenilworth and he was anxious to prove himself in the English top-flight. City were in a period of change with financial pressures forcing the sale of key players such as Colin Stein, Willie Carr and Brian Alderson. Jim was not expected to be a first-team regular but to be a squad player and put some pressure on the first-choice defenders. Regular left-back Chris Cattlin was suspended from the first three league games and Jim made his debut in a stunning opening day 4-1 victory at Everton.
That season City enjoyed their best start ever in Division One and were third in the table after four games with Brogan impressive. His good form continued and he was an ever present until early February with Cattlin confined to the reserves. A hamstring injury interrupted Jim’s run of 33 games and Cattlin regained his place. Early the following season Milne signed a new left-back, Bobby McDonald from Aston Villa, and Jim’s days in a sky blue shirt were over.
He left Coventry in March 1977 and briefly played for Ayr United before retiring to concentrate on business interests in Scotland.
Jim’s wife Joyce came from County Donegal in Ireland and they spent a lot of time there in his latter years.
Jim began to show signs of dementia several years ago, but he courageously battled his worsening condition, showing the same bravery that had seen him dubbed “Crazy Horse” by the Celtic faithful. He leaves behind Joyce, four children and three grandchildren. Jim Brogan, born June 5, 1944, died September 24, 2018