And when you are done looking at this site for the Scots input on football world-wide, here are two more.
For those who literally want to trace on the ground the local development of Scots and Scottish football in our own and other countries there is the newly available and ever-expanding site of:
The Scots Football Historians' Group
And on Scottish sports history in general but inevitably including fitba', see Andy Mitchell's inestimable:
Acceptance
James Kelly had been twenty-two when, still at Renton, he had won his first cap. It was in a 0-5 defeat by England, the first loss in a decade, the first at home, the worst ever. Admittedly he was playing at right- and not centre-half but he and Walter Arnott behind him at full-back were simply torn apart. Neither seemed to know what the other was doing. Both were dropped. And it was again at right-half when, now with Celtic, he next played once more against England a year later. It was a fixture where two Scots played for England, John Goodall and Davis Weir, both sons of the army. Arnott was playing too, but at left back, so not behind Kelly. England was two up in seventeen minutes, yet Scotland recovered, scoring three times in the second half to pull it round for what seemed a famous away win. However, Kelly was again dropped. It may have been because the second England goal was scored by Weir at inside-right, the player Kelly would have been marking, yet the first was by the right-winger, Billy Bassett, he was Arnotts yet the veteran retained his place. Perhaps the selectors felt simply there was something missing. They had not seen club form replicated. But then again Kelly was played out of position and perhaps they didn't really yet understand The Cross and his role in it. It was after all early days.
In fact it seemed to matter not. In 1890 Kelly was back once more. Arnott was too, restored to right-back. More than that Kelly was finally at centre-half. In truth, however, neither change seemed to make much difference. If a first use of The Cross was attempted it looks little more than notional. In spite of the inclusion of two more Celtic players and James McCall, who at the time was still with Renton, they were in positions that suggest selectorial caution. The performance, by the team or Kelly, in spite of the game being being played at Hampden was unremarkable. Once more through its inside-left England again had gone one-up. Scotland replied via the same route. The goal was neither Kelly's or Arnott's fault. Queen's Park's Thomas Robertson was at right-half and never played for Scotland again. Nevertheless Kelly was dropped once more and this time it would be for two years.
What evidence there is of the 1891 England-Scotland international suggests retrenchment. The captain was Walter Arnott. There was not a single Celtic player in the eleven. Arnott's full-back partner was like Arnott himself also Queen's Park. The entire half-back line was from Hearts, the main club to have used the defensive centre-half before 1888 and presumably, in the form of John McPherson, still using it. Two of the forward line were also Queen's Park. A third was from Hearts.
He restored against England once more in 1892 again at centre-half, but now also captain. This was his big chance. The game was even at Celtic Park, yet he let the centre-forward scored against him in the first minute, the game was lost 1-4 with the result again he was dropped. There was clearly something not working. This was the captain of the team that had just won Scottish league so was performing week-on-week but could not for his country. It was a moment when the selectors might have given up on him. But they did not. Instead he was brought back tentatively, against Ireland a year later, once more as captain but with Willie Maley playing the first of his brace of international alongside him. The result was a 6-1 home victory, enough, it seems, to guarantee selection of both, Kelly still as captain, in April 1893.
The game was once more against England and away. Scotland was 1-2 up at half-time. The goal was not Kelly's fault. Nor were any of the others in the second half, when Scotland scored once but England hit four, two from left-wing, Spiksley, in the 78th and 80th minutes, who destroyed the aged and tiring Arnott, with a final goal in the 84th minute, ironically from Jack Reynolds, the ex Irish international, who had been found to have been born in Blackburn. It seemed to be little more than bad luck yet the game was a turning-point. Arnott never played for Scotland again, Maley was found to be Irish-born so ineligible and Kelly was dropped once more, playing only one more international two years later and only against Ireland, a scraped 3-3 draw, to be replaced in what was effectively the national first team and by another Vale of Leven product, Aston Villa's James Cowan. More than that it seems it was finally recognised that at Celtic, the team was built to suit Kelly's abilities and he was comfortable, as he had been at Renton, in a way that at international level because it was transient he could never be. He was not an organiser but needed to be organised. At club level it could and was done for him, and he flourished, whilst at international level it could and was not and he suffered. At Celtic, in spite of Kelly being captain, the figurehead his organiser was probably Willie Maley. It is perhaps no coincidence that Kelly and Maley retired from paying at much the same time and Maley went on to manager as Kelly stepped up to the Board. At Renton it had been the senior players behind him both on- and off-field, who have played the same role, probably none more so than the captain of the club during Kelly's time there and for the best part of a decade, Archie McCall.
If the story of Archie McCall's remaining years at Renton is somewhat sad and that of Renton even sadder then James Kelly's too after his time there is probably best described as curious, a blend of sweet and sour. If the development of The Cross had been in the minds and feet of Bob Kelso, Andrew Hannah, Donald McKechnie and above all Archie McCall so its dissemination in Scotland at least was in Kelly's feet and the example set by the successful Celtic team he captained for most of a decade. His and his family's place in Celtic's history is undeniable. Having been nineteen when he first played for Renton, he had just turned twenty-three when he officially joined Celtic and thirty-one when he retired as a player officially, having in reality made his last appearance at the age of just thirty. In the period during which somewhere between 100 and 116 league games and thirty-four to thirty-five cup matches were played Celtic would win three league championships and one Cup. Kelly personally would played in all the cup and 104 of the league games. He was an almost ever-present at Celtic Park and all the other major grounds in the country, on the field setting a style of play that not only lead to success but would become widely imitated. However, his international playing career was less successful than might have been expected. Indeed, it was little better than patchy.
James Kelly had been twenty-two when, still at Renton, he had won his first cap. It was in a 0-5 defeat by England, the first loss in a decade, the first at home, the worst ever. Admittedly he was playing at right- and not centre-half so was out of position, as he was to be when, now with Celtic, he next played once more against England a year later, leaving the impression that perhaps the selectors hadn't really yet grasped The Cross and his role in it. However, to be fair it was still early days and the first of several pennies appears on the face of it to have dropped by the following year, when Kelly at centre-half was asked to replicate his pivotal club role. However, if it were an attempt at first use of The Cross at national level it looks in retrospect little more than notional. In spite of the inclusion of three more Celtic players and one from Renton, they were not in positions around Kelly, facilitating his potential contribution. Crucially, whilst the left side of the defence was his team-mates, the right was Queen's Park and included Walter Arnott. In addition, although there was a McCall on the pitch it was James, brother of Archie and on the wing, not Archie himself.
The consequences of that 1890 game at Hampden seem to have been three-fold. In a draw, England having gone one-up, Scotland replying, firstly Kelly clearly had not impressed. He was dropped for two years. Secondly, Scotland's selectors the next year, 1891, abandoned any pretext of embracing The Cross. The captain was very much old-school Arnott. There was not a single Celtic player in the eleven. Arnott's full-back partner was like himself also Queen's Park. The entire half-back line was from Hearts, the main club to have used the defensive centre-half before 1888 and presumably, in the form of John McPherson, still using it, two of the forward line were also Queen's Park and a third another from Hearts. And thirdly it made no difference at all. Scotland was beaten yet again. Moreover, although in 1992 Kelly returned again it was if anything worse. The Cross was again ignored. Kelly himself was selected at right-half once more, so out of position. Mitchell of Rangers was on the right. And in between selected as a conventional centre-half and captain was Queen's Park's Donald Sillars, normally a full-back. The result was inevitable. The half-back line completely failed. Scotland at Hampden was 0-4 down in twenty-six minutes. The opening goal, in the first minute, was from inside-left so against Kelly. England's Scot, John Goodall, scored two against Mitchell. Sillars had let in Southworth. The game was eventually lost 1-4.
Which is when the selectors did the unexpected. Perhaps a second penny had dropped. Repeated failure had been the result of Scotland's conventional game and perhaps the The Cross was indeed the future or at least was worth a try. In the following game against Wales in March 1893 Sillars was moved to right-half and neither Kelly or Mitchell featured. Then against Ireland a week later Mitchell returned, as did Kelly but moved to centre-half. Moreover, he was also made captain and Willie Maley came in on his right. Scotland was four up in half-an-hour. It eventually won 6-1, Kelly himself scoring. And it was exactly that same half-back trio, Kelly still the captain, that took the field against England a week later still.
Although James Kelly would play twice more for Scotland after the 1893 England game this would be not only the turning-point of his international career but also of another and, perhaps, of the future of Scottish football for the next generation. The game was played away in London. Scotland was one down in thirteen minutes, ahead in forty-eight but pulled back to level ten minutes later. Perhaps Kelly might have been at fault for that fourth goal but he could do nothing about what was to come. In the 58th and 60th minutes England's twenty-three year old left-winger, Fred Spiksley, scored twice. He was facing the veteran Walter Arnott, aged almost thirty-two and tore him to shreds. And in the 80th minute England added another. Scotland eventually lost 5-2. Arnott never played for Scotland again, which was probably a god-send. A fine but conventional full-back he appears, not least because of his cudos through longevity to have been one, if not a major impediment to The Cross's introduction at international level. Nor did Maley, found to be Irish-born and therefore ineligible and neither, somewhat unluckily perhaps, did Kelly really.
He was to feature just twice more, in the following game against Wales in 1894, one won easily, and against Ireland in 1896, a game drawn but almost lost but never again against England. In his stead a series of clearly lesser talents were tried to no greater success as it seems it was finally recognised that he was not an organiser but needed to be organised. At Renton it had been the senior players both on- and off-field, whilst at Celtic the team was built to suit his abilities and he was comfortable in a way that at international level because it was transient he could never be. At Celtic too, in spite of him being captain, the figurehead, his organiser was probably Willie Maley. It is perhaps no coincidence that Kelly and Maley retired from paying at much the same time and Maley went on to manager as Kelly stepped up to the Board. Whilst at Renton Archie McCall has fulfilled much the same role. Yet Kelly's, and more particularly Arnott's departure, allowed
It seemed to be little more than bad luck yet the game was a turning-point. Arnott never played for Scotland again, Maley was found to be Irish-born so ineligible and Kelly was dropped once more, playing only one more international two years later and only against Ireland, a scraped 3-3 draw, to be replaced in what was effectively the national first team and by another Vale of Leven product, Aston Villa's James Cowan. More than that