Remember when ... George Best was in the frame in Glasgow

WHEN George Best arrived in Glasgow’s North British Hotel in January 1971 he was presented with a portrait of himself by a city resident, Harry Hart.

Mr Hart, who was accompanied by his young son, Steven, had painted it in his spare time, saying: “It’s the first portrait in oils I’ve produced. [My friends] urged me to present it to George. When I heard he was coming to Glasgow this week I hurried to complete it”.

Best and his Manchester United teammate Bobby Charlton were to play at Hampden for a Rangers-celtic Select, jointly overseen by Willie Waddell and Jock Stein, against Bobby Brown’s Scotland. The game, which was watched by 81,405 fans, raised £40,000 for the Ibrox Disaster Fund.

Jim Parkinson’s report in these pages began: “No finer display of football could have been provided than that given by the glittering assembly of international talent invited to take part in the Ibrox Disaster Fund match ... their performance attained a remarkable level of exciting entertainment throughout”. The Evening Times reporter, for his part, said it was the finest match he had seen since the Real Madrid European Cup final at Hampden in 1960.

Best scored for the Select and, in one mesmerising run, beat four defenders in an impossibly tight space; but goals by Archie Gemmill and Peter Lorimer gave Scotland a 2-1 victory.

Lining up for the Rangers-celtic Select were: Bonetti (Chelsea), Jardine, Greig (both Rangers), Murdoch, Mcneill (both Celtic), Smith, Henderson (both Rangers), Hughes (Celtic), Charlton (Manchester Utd), Johnston (Rangers), Best (Manchester Utd).

Scotland: Cruickshank (Hearts), Hay, Gemmell (both Celtic), Stanton (Hibs), Mckinnon (Rangers), Moncur (Newcastle), Lorimer (Leeds), Gemmill

(Derby), Stein (Rangers), O’hare (Derby), Cooke (Chelsea).