This article was first published on Scotzine back in 2011.
He was the first high-profile footballer of the modern era to cross the Old Firm divide at a time when playing for both the blue and green halves of Glasgow was considered unthinkable.
Thirty years on from carving his name into the annals of arguably the most hostile rivalry in European football, Alfie Conn Jr is reluctant to dredge up the past, but he firmly rejects any suggestion that he was a brave pioneer.
“For me it was always just a job,” Conn recalls. “I try not to discuss it too much because the dust has settled over the years. I don’t consider myself brave at all. I had a wife and family to support and a mortgage to pay.”
Lingering Animosity
Yet the hostility hasn’t entirely faded. Conn recently walked into a bar with friends and struck up conversation with a couple who seemed friendly enough. They chatted all night, even sharing drinks. But when Conn and his companions got up to leave, the man refused to shake his hand and called him a “turncoat bastard.”
That’s the level of animosity that still exists - not just toward Conn, but toward any player who has crossed the Old Firm divide. None more so than Maurice Johnston.
From Ibrox to Parkhead
Conn spent eight years playing in the blue of Rangers before moving to Tottenham Hotspur, where he earned cult status among the White Hart Lane faithful. That’s when Celtic manager Jock Stein came calling.
“He was one of those managers I always wanted to play under,” Conn explains. “Rangers hadn’t come back in for me and I thought I could still learn a lot. So when Stein asked me, I didn’t hesitate.”
Returning north of the border, he knew it would be confrontational, but not to the extent it proved to be.
“Several people warned me against it, but it was only after I signed, when I flew back into Glasgow with all the press and TV, that I realised it was bigger than I first thought. That’s when it hit home. It wasn’t easy hearing the same fans who used to cheer for me throwing insults, but at least it kept the city talking.”
Allegiances and Old Firm Days
Like everyone connected with the Old Firm, Conn keeps a keen eye on proceedings. He still returns to Ibrox four or five times a season, which offers some indication of where his allegiances lie. But there’s one match he won’t attend in person, the Old Firm derby.
“I think everyone knows I was a Rangers supporter when I was a boy. It’s just one of the games I don’t go to. It still plays on my mind seeing both sets of supporters together. I prefer to watch it on the TV.”
Would He Recommend It?
Although other players have since made the switch from blue to green or vice versa -Kenny Miller, Steven Pressley, and Mark Brown among them - Conn wouldn’t necessarily recommend it.
“It depends on the individual and how they handle pressure. If you go from one to the other, you’ve got to be prepared to take a lot of abuse. But I have loads of friends who support Celtic as well as Rangers, believe me. I moved on a long time ago.”