Pat Crerand

Paddy Crerand

Crerand in 2011
Personal information
Full name	Patrick Timothy Crerand
Date of birth	19 February 1939 (1939-02-19)
Place of birth	Glasgow, Scotland
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Playing position	Midfielder
Youth career
1957–1958	Duntocher Hibs
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps†	(Gls)†
1958–1963	Celtic	91	(5)
1963–1971	Manchester United	304	(10)
1971	Wits University	?	(?)
Total		395	(15)
National team
1961–1965	Scotland	16	(0)
1960–1962	Scottish League XI	7	(1)
Teams managed
1973–1976	Manchester United (assistant)
1976–1977	Northampton Town
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. † Appearances (Goals).

Patrick Timothy "Paddy" Crerand (born 19 February 1939) is a Scottish-born former footballer of Irish descent. After six years at Celtic he moved to Manchester United where he was a member of teams that won the English League title twice, the FA Cup and European Cup. He also gained 16 international caps for Scotland.

He spent one season managing Northampton Town and has since forged a career in the media. He started on radio, and now commentates on matches for MUTV.

Upbringing and personal life

Crerand was born to Irish immigrants in the Gorbals area of Glasgow on 19 February 1939. His father was Michael Crerand from Newtownstewart, County Tyrone and his mother was Sarah 'Tim' Boyle from Gweedore, County Donegal, where he spent much of his childhood. His father was killed by a German aircraft during the Second World War in Glasgow whilst Crerand was still a child.

He married Noreen Ferry, a Scottish girl of Irish descent, in 1963. They have three children, Patrick, Lorraine and Danny, who was also a professional footballer. He has eight grandchildren, Chelsea Faith, Jade Lois, Scarlett Rose, Nicholas Cantona, Eina Madison, Saoirse Grace, Danny Patrick and Ursula Noria. In 2007, he released his autobiography Never Turn the Other Cheek.

Crerand became involved in Irish politics during the Troubles. Crerand said in his autobiography that he was a friend of John Hume and he had talked to IRA members, including Martin McGuinness, in an effort to resolve the rent strikes of 1975.

Football career

After six years at Celtic (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 Final and 1968 European Cup Final. He represented the Scottish national side on 16 occasions and the Scottish League XI. Crerand was inducted into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame in November 2011.

He retired in 1971, 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 1990s.

Media career

Today, he appears regularly on MUTV, Manchester United's television channel, as a co-commentator on its coverage of all Manchester United first-team & reserve matches, as well as appearing as a pundit on the phone-in show Crerand and Bower...In Extra Time until Steve Bower's departure (joining sports broadcaster Setanta Sports) at the end of the 2006–07 season.

In February 2009, Crerand was part of the Manchester United contingent that visited Malta to commemorate the 50th year anniversary of the Malta Manchester United Supporters' Club, the oldest supporters club in the world. During this visit, MUTV and Crerand provided local fans with the opportunity to form part of the audience for his phone-in show.

In 1995, Crerand supported Eric Cantona during the time of his infamous kung-fu kick on Crystal Palace fan Matthew Simmons. Both before and after this incident, Crerand became known for being a 'cheerleader' for the Old Trafford club in media interviews.

Crerand currently has his own hour long show on MUTV called "The Paddy Crerand Show", where he receives calls from supporters and discusses all things Manchester United. He is also well known for his selection of jumpers.