Dave Mackay - Hearts, Tottenham, Derby & Scotland - RIP

[JTG]

Fair to say he was one of the all time greats of British football.

Won a full set of domestic medals with Hearts in the latter half of the 1950s before heading south to White Hart Lane where he was the heart of the famous 1961 double winners. He would win two further FA Cups with Tottenham as well as a European Cup Winners Cup in 1963. In 1968 Brian Clough & Peter Taylor famously persuaded him to join them at Derby in the Second Division and he was once again the driving force in a side that won the Second Division title in 1969 and the Watney Cup in 1970.

After leaving Derby to manage Swindon and Nottingham Forest, Mackay returned to Derby in 1973 and guided the Rams to the First Division title in 1974/75.

He represented Scotland 22 times and was described by George Best as "the hardest man I have ever played against – and certainly the bravest".

He died yesterday at the age of 80

 

[Maltin]

 

[imposs1904]

Absolute legend of the game.

 

[mack]

Apparently he always hated that picture - felt it made him look like a bully

RIP

 

[Dr. Furface]

Mackay captained Derby County in the first game I ever went to, versus Tottenham (his former club, obvs) in Derby's first season back in the First Division. It would've been 1970, and I'd be 11 years old. Derby were irrepressible that day and won handsomely, 5-0 I think, against a good Spurs side including the likes of Jennings, Gilzean and Greaves. I believe that match was Derby's highest ever crowd at the old Baseball Ground, about 45,000.

My dad took me to many Derby games after that and I hardly ever saw Mackay cross the half way line, but in that fine young Derby side he didn't need to run about much - he was there to lead, guide and mentor the other players (also he had the brilliant Roy McFarland next to him at centre half). To be honest Mackay looked too overweight to play but he had great presence and when he was on the ball he had such composure, read the game brilliantly and always seemed to have time. And when he went in for a tackle, man you felt sorry for the other player.

Mackay gave up playing and moved on to manage Swindon before Derby won their first league title in 1972, but came back to manage the Rams in 1973. A bit of a surprising appointment, considering his record with Swindon and then Forest was nothing special (and that's being kind) but at Derby he took over a still decent team and added to it with the imaginative signing of old-stager Francis Lee, whose goals helped Derby to their second league title in 1974-75.

At the time my mum worked as a waitress in the Derby hotel that the Rams always used in those days for their pre-match lunches and other social occasions. After they won the title the team held a champagne breakfast there, which my mum worked on. My mum's favourite story is that Mackay offered her a glass of bubbly, but she declined and said she'd get the sack if her boss saw her drinking. So Mackay put the glass in her hand and said 'Don't worry love, if he says anything I'll buy the bloody hotel!'

RIP Dave, and thanks for the memories.

 

[Maltin]

Apparently he always hated that picture - felt it made him look like a bully

RIP

Yes, I read one of his interviews just before where he said:

I hear that you don’t like that famous pic of you and Billy Bremner because people forget how good a footballer you were. You must admit, though, it’s a great shot! Paolo, Holloway

I get asked to autograph that photo all the time. But I don’t like it because it portrays me as a bully – he’s smaller than me and I’m picking him up. I’m not a bully and don’t like bullies. He was a brilliant little player but a dirty little bastard.

He kicked me in the leg I’d just come back from breaking twice. If he’d kicked the other one, I could have accepted that. But he kicked the broken one, and that really annoyed me. I could’ve killed him that day. Alex Ferguson has that picture hanging in his office. I’m a good pal of Alex; I go at least once a year to see Man United, then back to his place.

I agree with the questioner, it is a great photo though.

http://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/dave-mackay-one-one#5sb33hc2fT3jHMEj.99

 

[Maltin]

Mackay captained Derby County in the first game I ever went to, versus Tottenham (his former club, obvs) in Derby's first season back in the First Division. It would've been 1970, and I'd be 11 years old. Derby were irrepressible that day and won handsomely, 5-0 I think, against a good Spurs side including the likes of Jennings, Gilzean and Greaves. I believe that match was Derby's highest ever crowd at the old Baseball Ground, about 45,000.

My dad took me to many Derby games after that and I hardly ever saw Mackay cross the half way line, but in that fine young Derby side he didn't need to run about much - he was there to lead, guide and mentor the other players (also he had the brilliant Roy McFarland next to him at centre half). To be honest Mackay looked too overweight to play but he had great presence and when he was on the ball he had such composure, read the game brilliantly and always seemed to have time. And when he went in for a tackle, man you felt sorry for the other player.

Mackay gave up playing and moved on to manage Swindon before Derby won their first league title in 1972, but came back to manage the Rams in 1973. A bit of a surprising appointment, considering his record with Swindon and then Forest was nothing special (and that's being kind) but at Derby he took over a still decent team and added to it with the imaginative signing of old-stager Francis Lee, whose goals helped Derby to their second league title in 1974-75.

Nice story.

As it covers a lot of what you mention, here's some clips from The Damned United.

 

[chieftain]

RIP Dave Mackay - Legend

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/31704507

 

[marty21]

Spurs sold him too early , he proved that at Derby. Should have won more caps than 22 , can't remember who kept him out of the Scottish team. Love that picture with Bremner who was a dirty player (I'm with Clough on that) . RIP.

 

[stavros]

Mackay captained Derby County in the first game I ever went to, versus Tottenham (his former club, obvs) in Derby's first season back in the First Division. It would've been 1970, and I'd be 11 years old. Derby were irrepressible that day and won handsomely, 5-0 I think, against a good Spurs side including the likes of Jennings, Gilzean and Greaves. I believe that match was Derby's highest ever crowd at the old Baseball Ground, about 45,000.

My dad took me to many Derby games after that and I hardly ever saw Mackay cross the half way line, but in that fine young Derby side he didn't need to run about much - he was there to lead, guide and mentor the other players (also he had the brilliant Roy McFarland next to him at centre half). To be honest Mackay looked too overweight to play but he had great presence and when he was on the ball he had such composure, read the game brilliantly and always seemed to have time. And when he went in for a tackle, man you felt sorry for the other player.

Mackay gave up playing and moved on to manage Swindon before Derby won their first league title in 1972, but came back to manage the Rams in 1973. A bit of a surprising appointment, considering his record with Swindon and then Forest was nothing special (and that's being kind) but at Derby he took over a still decent team and added to it with the imaginative signing of old-stager Francis Lee, whose goals helped Derby to their second league title in 1974-75.

At the time my mum worked as a waitress in the Derby hotel that the Rams always used in those days for their pre-match lunches and other social occasions. After they won the title the team held a champagne breakfast there, which my mum worked on. My mum's favourite story is that Mackay offered her a glass of bubbly, but she declined and said she'd get the sack if her boss saw her drinking. So Mackay put the glass in her hand and said 'Don't worry love, if he says anything I'll buy the bloody hotel!'

RIP Dave, and thanks for the memories.

Do you think Derby will put a statue of him outside Pride Park, perhaps to accompany the Clough and Taylor one? There might be a Steve Bloomer one somewhere too. I know there's already a Dave Mackay suite in the ground which they hire out.

Same question for Spurs I guess. I don't know if they have anything for Bill Nicholson or Danny Blanchflower.