Frank McGarvey, former Celtic and St Mirren striker, dies aged 66

Celtic ‘extremely saddened’ by McGarvey’s death
Ex-player diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year
Tributes have been paid to the former Celtic and St Mirren striker Frank McGarvey, who has died at the age of 66. McGarvey, who also played for Queen of the South and Clyde and won seven caps for Scotland, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year.

Celtic legend Frank McGarvey dies aged 66

Celtic said in a statement: “Everyone at Celtic is extremely saddened to hear of the death of former striker Frank McGarvey, who passed away earlier this morning at the age of 66. The thoughts and prayers of everyone at Celtic are with Frank’s family at this extremely sad time.”
McGarvey opened up about his battle with “sneaky” pancreatic cancer after making an appearance on the Parkhead pitch before the game against Hibernian in October. “I was at Celtic Park to see the Hibs game and when I walked out and the fans sang You’ll Never Walk Alone, that made me so determined to fight on,” McGarvey said.
McGarvey made 341 appearances and scored 102 goals over two spells with St Mirren, and spent five glittering years with Celtic in the early 1980s during which he won two league titles, two Scottish Cups and a League Cup. After returning to the Buddies, he went on to become player-manager of Queen of the South before finishing his senior career at Clyde, where he won a Second Division title.
In a statement, St Mirren said they were “deeply saddened” by the news of McGarvey’s death and added that he would be “forever remembered” at the club.

Callum McGregor Thinks Celtic Need To ‘Find The Next Jota’

Celtic captain Callum McGregor was hailed by Brendan Rodgers as one of few players who stood up to the challenge posed by a spirited Hearts team at Parkhead on Saturday. The skipper thinks, though, that there needs to be additions to the champions’ squad.

McGregor believes the team are in a worse-off state than last season, and that the club failed to replace some key men. He said (Daily Record): “Like I said, we’re missing the quality from last season and so we need to add to that. I think that’s obvious.”

Arguably, valid replacements for the likes of Carl Starfelt and Jota were not signed over the summer. January is a chance, however, to put previous business from the most recent transfer window right.

The next month will be a significant one regarding the current season, and the captain has guaranteed that Celtic are constantly scouring to find fresh talent. He said: “You have to find a way to rejuvenate the team and find the next Jota, find the next crop of players that are going to go and make you successful. So, that’s a target for the club all the time and they are always looking.”

As much as Celtic aims to look for the latest upcoming stars with high potential, it is pivotal a balance is struck between doing this and signing proven players of quality. This is something that wasn’t done over the summer, and the signing strategy should potentially be revisited when the window opens in a few weeks.