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Player, coach and caretaker manager

Born: Blantyre
Height: 5ft 8"
Player: 1960-1962
Games: 8
Caretaker Manager: 1993

As a Player

Blantyre-born Frank Connor is best remembered as a Celtic coach but his career with the Bhoys started as a goalkeeper.

After making a name for himself at junior level he signed for the Hoops in March 1960 after several trials at senior clubs.
His first team debut came in a 3-2 League Cup victory at Partick Thistle in August 1961 but at only 5ft 8" Connor was regarded as being just too small to be a top keeper. .

He made a total of 8 appearances for Celtic – mostly in the League Cup – before moving to Portadown in May 1962. He later enjoyed a successful spell at Derry City.

After managing Cowdenbeath Frank went on to play a prominent coaching role at Celtic during three spells with the club between the late 1970s and the early 1990s. He was asked to leave by Davie Hay after consultation with the Board on 2nd February 1986, Hay apparently making the decision that Frank's role was superfluous. David Hay, with the Board's approval had sacked Frank Connor who had been his assistant and first team coach since his arrival. Hay felt that there was little coming from Franks's involvement with the first team and from 2nd February 1986 Hay had run the first team by himself. This presented a few problems. As Tom Campbell and Pat Woods point out in "Dreams, and Songs to Sing", Danny McGrain pointed out that a knee injury prevented Hay from personally conducting and taking a full part in training sessions. It therefore seems odd that Hay fired Frank Connor. (Frank went to manage Raith Rovers until he came back to Celtic in 1990).
He was brought back to the club in the 93/94 season by Liam Brady as part of the package from Hearts when Joe Jordan, then manager of Hearts with Frank as his first team coach, was recruited as Brady's Assistant Manager.

As Caretaker Manager

Frank Connor was in charge for 2 league matches (one victory, one draw) and a European tie first leg (won 1-0 v Sporting Lisbon) in the interval between Liam Brady and Joe Jordan's departure and Lou Macari's appointment, and he also picked the team to face Rangers (a 2-1 victory) three days after Macari's arrival. So Connor can claim to have an unbeaten record in charge of the team.

But this simply understates his performance for the short time he was in charge. The first team was a bit of a laughing stock, and Liam Brady had ended his time leaving behind a mess which few if anyone would surely want to take over. Frank Connor rallied the team together, and was the inspiration for the short spell which was a purple patch amongst most of the gloom of that era in the early 90s. The game against Rangers (Lou Macari's first as manager) was really Frank Connor's last as caretaker manager, and a wonderful victory against the Dark Side was a great way to cap off his short reign. Many of those who were there through that time will always wish him well for the effort he put in during that difficult period of transition. Sadly, things went back to normal and even got worse under the next incumbent (Lou Macari), but at least Frank Connor's brief spell helped to put a smile back on our faces for a wee while at least....

Frank Connor Record as Caretaker Manager

9th, Celtic 2-1 Dundee, Premier Division
16th, Hibernian 1-1 Celtic, Premier Division
20th, Celtic 1-0 Sporting Lisbon, Uefa Cup
30th, Rangers 1-2 Celtic, Premier Division

W3 D1 L0 F6 A3

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