Gallacher: The Biography of a Troubled Genius

Hugh Gallacher was a footballing prodigy born into a family of Irish immigrants in Bellshill in 1903. Standing just five foot five inches tall, he became one of the greatest stars ever to grace a football pitch. In Gallacher, award-winning author and journalist Roger Hutchinson traces the life of this footballing genius with a troubled soul, from his upbringing in the North Lanarkshire coalfields to his starring role with Newcastle and Scotland and one of central figures in the ‘Wembley Wizards’ who defeated England 5-1 in London to became, arguably, the best international team on the planet, all the way to his tragic suicide aged just fifty-four.It is a thrilling, powerfully told and moving tale of footballing brilliance, extraordinary achievement against the odds and ultimate tragedy, throwing a light on the lost world of British professional football between the wars, the story of Irish immigrants in the Scottish coalfields and the temporary escape to greatness of one of Scotland’s favourite – and most mourned – sons.