Patrick Timothy Crerand (born 19 February 1939) is a Scottish former footballer who played as a midfielder. After six years at Celtic, he moved to Manchester United where he won the English League title twice, the FA Cup, the FA Charity Shield twice and the 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 later commentated on matches for MUTV. Early and personal life Crerand was born to Irish immigrants in the Gorbals area of Glasgow on 19 February 1939. His father, Michael Crerand, was from Newtownstewart, County Tyrone, and his mother, Sarah Boyle, was from Gweedore, County Donegal, where Crerand spent much of his childhood. His father was killed on 12 March 1941 in a German air raid on John Brown's shipyard in Clydebank, where he was working the fire watch on the night of his death; Crerand was two years old. Crerand 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 also has eight grandchildren. Scarlett, Chelsea, Danny, Eina, Ursula, Jade, Saoirse and Nicholas. A cousin, Charlie Gallagher, also later became a footballer with Celtic. In 2007, he released his autobiography Never Turn the Other Cheek. Crerand became involved in Irish politics during the Troubles. He 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 Crerand signed for Celtic, following a spell playing Scottish junior football for Duntocher Hibernian in midfield alongside future Australia international Pat Hughes. After six years at Celtic, making 120 appearances, scoring five 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. Pace was not one of his attributes; pugnacity certainly was. "Where I was brought up, you had to be able to run or fight, and you know about my running," he once told a leading journalist. His pugilistic skills, as well as his