Ally MacLeod
Encyclopedia
Alistair Reid MacLeod (26 February 1931 – 1 February 2004) was a Scottish professional football
player. He is perhaps better known for his time as a football manager
, which included being in charge of Scotland
at the 1978 FIFA World Cup
.
for a while but the house was bombed during the Second World War. At length they settled in Mount Florida, near to Hampden
Park and Cathkin
Park. McLeod signed provisionally for Third Lanark
when he was still a schoolboy. He made swift dashes up the left wing. His distinctive running action earned him the nickname "Noddy".
at Cathkin Park on 6 November 1949.
Despite Stirling being victorious 4-2 MacLeod frequently joked that his was a debut with a difference - although he did not set the local heather on fire, someone else did! As the teams trooped off the field at the end of the match, Cathkin's grandstand was ablaze. The players had to run into the dressing room, grab their clothes and race out as four fire engines had arrived to tackle the fire.
In 1953, MacLeod was in the Thirds side which trounced Alloa Athletic
in the League Cup
opener, 10-0. Sitting 8-0 up, MacLeod's team mates' main objective was to get him on the scoresheet. He had set up five goals but had missed several sitters himself. A left foot rocket shot, and a simple tap in took Thirds tally to 10. He joined the Royal Scots for National Service
but was still able to turn out for the Thirds.
MacLeod was reluctant to move to St. Mirren in 1956, but having secured a guarantee that the reported £8,000 fee would tremendously help Third Lanark's survival, he moved on. He spent only six weeks at St Mirren before moving to English team Blackburn Rovers
.
Managed by fellow Scot Dally Duncan
MacLeod was man of the match in the 1960 FA Cup Final
, but the game was lost 3-0 to Wolves
. While at Blackburn he made strenuous efforts along with the PFA
steward Jimmy Hill
to help abolish the maximum wage
, but when subsequently his promised wage increase was not forthcoming, while other players in the team were raised from £20 to £25 per week, he entered into discussions with Hibernian
. When Blackburn realised that they were going to lose him to Hibs they matched their offer with an increase from £20 to £25. MacLeod, having already accepted Hibs' offer, felt he could not go back on his word, so left Blackburn to go back to Scotland.
He played with Hibs until 1963, when he returned to Third Lanark. In 1964 he signed for Ayr United
, where he finished his playing career, with no major honours won.
and turned them into well respected side. He took them to a Scottish and a League Cup semi-final and also set their attendance record with 25,225 watching a 2-1 success over Rangers F.C.
In 1973, MacLeod was named Ayr's "Citizen of the Year".
In 1975, after nine years at Ayr, he moved to Aberdeen
where he guided them to a League Cup final success over Celtic
.
appointed him manager of the Scotland national football team
. He introduced himself to the squad with the blunt statement: "My name is Ally MacLeod and I am a winner." In few months in charge, he beat England at Wembley and ensured qualification for the 1978 World Cup in Argentina
from a group containing Wales
and the then European champions, Czechoslovakia
.
Scotland's World Cup expectations gathered momentum with MacLeod happy with the wave of massive optimism, saying to the press his team would return with "at least a medal",. Scottish comedian Andy Cameron
recorded a version of, "Ally's Tartan Army", which reached Number 6 on the UK charts just before the World Cup.
Qualification was particularly sweet for Scotland since, for the second World Cup in succession, Scotland had achieved what their traditional rivals England
had not. Defeat against England (who had fallen to MacLeod's team the previous year) in the Home Championships
of 1978 was taken to mean little. Spirits remained sky-high as 25,000 people came to Hampden Park
to watch the squad circle the ground in an open-top bus prior to their departure for Argentina. Prestwick Airport
was packed with supporters seeing the team off. When a journalist asked him "What do you plan to do after the World Cup?" MacLeod replied: "Retain it."
Some observers were worried by the absence through injury of full-back Danny McGrain
. Opponents Peru
's impressive credentials went overlooked and were not expected to provide many problems in the first match. Peru, however, won the game 3-1. Scotland took the lead but Don Masson
missed a penalty and in general failed to play to their potential. As MacLeod himself put it, the performance was "rank bad".
Plentiful excuses emerged: there had been a dispute concerning bonuses, the hotel swimming pool had no water in it, there was nothing for the players to do. It was then revealed that the winger Willie Johnston
had taken a cold tablet which contained a banned substance, fencamfamin. He was sent home.
MacLeod, at a press conference, saw a mongrel dog approach: "I think he is the only friend I have got left", he said, stretching out a hand.
The game with Iran
finished a 1-1 draw, after a poor display by the Scots. They then needed to beat the Netherlands
, one of the tournament favourites, by three clear goals, to qualify.
MacLeod gave Graeme Souness
his first game of the World Cup and was rewarded with a much-improved team performance. When Archie Gemmill
scored what is widely thought to be one of the greatest World Cup goals ever (it was officially ranked seventh best by FIFA
), to make the score 3-1 to Scotland, qualification to the next phase at last looked possible. Three minutes later, though, the Dutch pulled a goal back, the game ended 3-2 and Scotland were eliminated on goal difference
. The Netherlands proceeded to the final, where they lost to Argentina
.
MacLeod survived an immediate inquest by the sport's authorities but resigned after one more game in charge, only 17 matches and about 500 days after his appointment.
The Scottish Football Association's annual report, issued in May 1979, stated that, "regardless of the depressing aspects of Mr MacLeod's latter days in the Association's employ, it would be quite unfair not to comment that he was largely responsible for kindling an enthusiasm for the Scottish team that far exceeded anything which had gone before. The Association benefited considerably from that enthusiasm and should not forget it".
In his autobiography, The Ally MacLeod Story (1979), he wondered whether he had "generated just too much excitement. Had I raised the level of national optimism just too high?" But he was able to console himself - "Would the Scottish fans have tolerated anything less from me than whole-hearted conviction?" MacLeod also reassured the reader that he, for one, never thought that Scotland were invincible, and claimed to be perfectly at peace with himself. "I am a very good manager who just happened to have a few disastrous days, once upon a time, in Argentina."
(1979–1981), Airdrie
(1984–1985) and a return to Ayr (1986–1989) when he again won the Second Division title. His last job in football was with Dumfries
club Queen of the South
. In 1992 he played in a game for Queens' reserve team, scoring a goal from a penalty at the age of 61.
Increasingly again treated with affection by the Scottish footballing public, in July 2003, at Hampden Park
, he was presented with a crystal decanter in appreciation of his services to the national team and to Scottish football.
He died in 2004, aged 72, after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease
.
Blackburn Rovers - Second Division promotion, 1958. FA Cup finalist, 1960
As a manager:-
Ayr United - Second Division Champions, 1966. Second Division promotion, 1969. Scottish League Cup semi finalist, 1969/70. Scottish Cup semi finalist, 1973. Second Division Champions 1988
Aberdeen - Scottish League Cup winner, 1976. Scottish Premier Division, third, 1977.
Scotland - 1977 British International Championship, 1978 World Cup qualification
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player. He is perhaps better known for his time as a football manager
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
, which included being in charge of Scotland
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
at the 1978 FIFA World Cup
1978 FIFA World Cup
The 1978 FIFA World Cup, the 11th staging of the FIFA World Cup, was held in Argentina between 1 June and 25 June. The 1978 World Cup was won by Argentina who beat the Netherlands 3–1 after extra time in the final. This win was the first World Cup title for Argentina, who became the fifth...
.
Early years
Alistair Reid MacLeod was born in the south side of Glasgow on 26 February 1931. His family lived in ClydebankClydebank
Clydebank is a town in West Dunbartonshire, in the Central Lowlands of Scotland. Situated on the north bank of the River Clyde, Clydebank borders Dumbarton, the town with which it was combined to form West Dunbartonshire, as well as the town of Milngavie in East Dunbartonshire, and the Yoker and...
for a while but the house was bombed during the Second World War. At length they settled in Mount Florida, near to Hampden
Hampden Park
Hampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland...
Park and Cathkin
Cathkin Park
Cathkin Park is a municipal park in Glasgow, Scotland. The park is maintained by the city's parks department, and it is a public place where football is still played...
Park. McLeod signed provisionally for Third Lanark
Third Lanark A.C.
Third Lanark Athletic Club was a football club that originally existed between 1872 and 1967, 95 years in existence, based in Glasgow, Scotland. Third Lanark were known as Thirds, the Warriors, the Redcoats and the Hi Hi's...
when he was still a schoolboy. He made swift dashes up the left wing. His distinctive running action earned him the nickname "Noddy".
Playing career
MacLeod started his playing career at Third Lanark as a provisional signing as a schoolboy in 1947. He made his first team debut against Stirling AlbionStirling Albion F.C.
Stirling Albion F.C. are a Scottish football club currently playing in the Scottish Second Division. The club are nicknamed The Binos . They play at Doubletree Dunblane Stadium in Stirling, on the outskirts of the city near the River Forth...
at Cathkin Park on 6 November 1949.
Despite Stirling being victorious 4-2 MacLeod frequently joked that his was a debut with a difference - although he did not set the local heather on fire, someone else did! As the teams trooped off the field at the end of the match, Cathkin's grandstand was ablaze. The players had to run into the dressing room, grab their clothes and race out as four fire engines had arrived to tackle the fire.
In 1953, MacLeod was in the Thirds side which trounced Alloa Athletic
Alloa Athletic F.C.
Alloa Athletic Football Club are a Scottish football team based in Alloa, Clackmannanshire. They are members of the Scottish Football League and currently play in the Third Division....
in the League Cup
Scottish League Cup
The Scottish League Cup is a football competition open to all Scottish Football League and Scottish Premier League clubs. At present it is also known as the Scottish Communities League Cup owing to the sponsorship deal in place with the Scottish Government. In the past it has been sponsored by...
opener, 10-0. Sitting 8-0 up, MacLeod's team mates' main objective was to get him on the scoresheet. He had set up five goals but had missed several sitters himself. A left foot rocket shot, and a simple tap in took Thirds tally to 10. He joined the Royal Scots for National Service
National service
National service is a common name for mandatory government service programmes . The term became common British usage during and for some years following the Second World War. Many young people spent one or more years in such programmes...
but was still able to turn out for the Thirds.
MacLeod was reluctant to move to St. Mirren in 1956, but having secured a guarantee that the reported £8,000 fee would tremendously help Third Lanark's survival, he moved on. He spent only six weeks at St Mirren before moving to English team Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
.
Managed by fellow Scot Dally Duncan
Dally Duncan
Douglas "Dally" Duncan was an Aberdeen-born football player and manager.A left-winger, Duncan joined Hull City from Aberdeen Richmond in 1928 and spent his entire professional career in England. He joined Derby County for £2,000 in 1932 and remained contracted to the club until 1946...
MacLeod was man of the match in the 1960 FA Cup Final
FA Cup Final
The FA Cup Final, commonly referred to in England as just the Cup Final, is the last match in the Football Association Challenge Cup. With an official attendance of 89,826 at the 2007 FA Cup Final, it is the fourth best attended domestic club championship event in the world and the second most...
, but the game was lost 3-0 to Wolves
Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club that represents the city of Wolverhampton in the West Midlands region. They are members of the Premier League, the highest level of English football. The club was founded in 1877 and since 1889 has played at...
. While at Blackburn he made strenuous efforts along with the PFA
Professional Footballers' Association
The Professional Footballers' Association is the trade union for professional footballers in England and Wales. The world's oldest professional sport trade union, it has 4,000 members....
steward Jimmy Hill
Jimmy Hill
James William Thomas "Jimmy" Hill OBE is an English association football personality. His career has taken in virtually every role in football, including player, union leader, coach, manager, director, chairman, television executive, presenter, analyst and match official.-Early life:Hill was born...
to help abolish the maximum wage
Maximum wage
A maximum wage, also often called a wage ceiling, is a legal limit on how much income an individual can earn. This is a related economic concept that is complementary to the minimum wage used currently by some states to enforce minimum earnings...
, but when subsequently his promised wage increase was not forthcoming, while other players in the team were raised from £20 to £25 per week, he entered into discussions with Hibernian
Hibernian F.C.
Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...
. When Blackburn realised that they were going to lose him to Hibs they matched their offer with an increase from £20 to £25. MacLeod, having already accepted Hibs' offer, felt he could not go back on his word, so left Blackburn to go back to Scotland.
He played with Hibs until 1963, when he returned to Third Lanark. In 1964 he signed for Ayr United
Ayr United F.C.
Ayr United Football Club are a Scottish association football team based in Ayr, South Ayrshire, that plays in the First Division of the Scottish Football League. Formed in 1910 after the merger of former clubs Ayr Parkhouse F.C. and Ayr F.C...
, where he finished his playing career, with no major honours won.
Club management
He started his managerial career in 1966 when he took charge of Ayr United. He took Ayr back to Scotland's top divisionScottish Football League First Division
The Irn-Bru Scottish Football League First Division Championship is the highest division of the Scottish Football League and the second highest in the Scottish football league system....
and turned them into well respected side. He took them to a Scottish and a League Cup semi-final and also set their attendance record with 25,225 watching a 2-1 success over Rangers F.C.
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
In 1973, MacLeod was named Ayr's "Citizen of the Year".
In 1975, after nine years at Ayr, he moved to Aberdeen
Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
where he guided them to a League Cup final success over Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
.
International management
After such success with Ayr and Aberdeen, in May 1977 the Scottish Football AssociationScottish Football Association
The Scottish Football Association is the governing body of football in Scotland and has the ultimate responsibility for the control and development of football in Scotland. Members of the SFA include clubs in Scotland, affiliated national associations as well as local associations...
appointed him manager of the Scotland national football team
Scotland national football team
The Scotland national football team represents Scotland in international football and is controlled by the Scottish Football Association. Scotland are the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside England, whom they played in the world's first international football match in 1872...
. He introduced himself to the squad with the blunt statement: "My name is Ally MacLeod and I am a winner." In few months in charge, he beat England at Wembley and ensured qualification for the 1978 World Cup in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
from a group containing Wales
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
and the then European champions, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia national football team
The Czechoslovakia national football team was the national association football team of Czechoslovakia from 1922 to 1993. At the dissolution of Czechoslovakia at the end of 1992, the team was participating in UEFA qualifying Group 4 for the 1994 World Cup; it completed this campaign under the name...
.
Scotland's World Cup expectations gathered momentum with MacLeod happy with the wave of massive optimism, saying to the press his team would return with "at least a medal",. Scottish comedian Andy Cameron
Andy Cameron
Andy Cameron is a Scottish comedian, television and radio broadcaster. He was born in London while his father, Hugh Cameron, was serving in the Army during World War II. Cameron was raised by his grandmother, Isabella 'Bella' Cameron, in the Royal Burgh of Rutherglen, south east of Glasgow,...
recorded a version of, "Ally's Tartan Army", which reached Number 6 on the UK charts just before the World Cup.
Qualification was particularly sweet for Scotland since, for the second World Cup in succession, Scotland had achieved what their traditional rivals England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
had not. Defeat against England (who had fallen to MacLeod's team the previous year) in the Home Championships
British Home Championship
The British Home Championship was an annual football competition contested between the United Kingdom's four national teams, England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from the 1883–84 season until the 1983–84...
of 1978 was taken to mean little. Spirits remained sky-high as 25,000 people came to Hampden Park
Hampden Park
Hampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland...
to watch the squad circle the ground in an open-top bus prior to their departure for Argentina. Prestwick Airport
Glasgow Prestwick International Airport
Glasgow Prestwick Airport is an international airport serving the Greater Glasgow urban area, situated northeast of the town of Prestwick in South Ayrshire and 32 miles from the city centre of Glasgow....
was packed with supporters seeing the team off. When a journalist asked him "What do you plan to do after the World Cup?" MacLeod replied: "Retain it."
Some observers were worried by the absence through injury of full-back Danny McGrain
Danny McGrain
For the former Clyde F.C. footballer, see Danny McGrain Daniel Fergus "Danny" McGrain is a Scottish former professional footballer who played for Celtic F.C. in defence. He made 657 appearances scoring 8 goals...
. Opponents Peru
Peru national football team
The Peru national football team, known as 'el equipo inca', represents Peru in international football competition and is managed by the Peruvian Football Federation . The team competes against the other nine members of FIFA's CONMEBOL conference, which encompasses the countries of South America...
's impressive credentials went overlooked and were not expected to provide many problems in the first match. Peru, however, won the game 3-1. Scotland took the lead but Don Masson
Don Masson
Donald "Don" Sandison Masson is a Scottish former footballer.-Club career:Masson began his career with Middlesbrough in 1964 before going on to Notts County in 1968...
missed a penalty and in general failed to play to their potential. As MacLeod himself put it, the performance was "rank bad".
Plentiful excuses emerged: there had been a dispute concerning bonuses, the hotel swimming pool had no water in it, there was nothing for the players to do. It was then revealed that the winger Willie Johnston
Willie Johnston
William McClure "Willie" Johnston is a Scottish former professional football player, best remembered for his time at Rangers and West Brom.-Career:...
had taken a cold tablet which contained a banned substance, fencamfamin. He was sent home.
MacLeod, at a press conference, saw a mongrel dog approach: "I think he is the only friend I have got left", he said, stretching out a hand.
The game with Iran
Iran national football team
The national football team of Iran represents Iran in international football competitions and is controlled by the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran...
finished a 1-1 draw, after a poor display by the Scots. They then needed to beat the Netherlands
Netherlands national football team
The Netherlands National Football Team represents the Netherlands in association football and is controlled by the Royal Dutch Football Association , the governing body for football in the Netherlands...
, one of the tournament favourites, by three clear goals, to qualify.
MacLeod gave Graeme Souness
Graeme Souness
Graeme James Souness is a Scottish former professional football player and manager.Souness was the captain of the successful Liverpool team of the early 1980s and player-manager of Rangers in the late 1980s as well as captain of the Scottish national team. He also played for Tottenham Hotspur,...
his first game of the World Cup and was rewarded with a much-improved team performance. When Archie Gemmill
Archie Gemmill
Archibald "Archie" Gemmill is a Scottish former footballer, most famous for a goal he scored against the Netherlands in the 1978 FIFA World Cup...
scored what is widely thought to be one of the greatest World Cup goals ever (it was officially ranked seventh best by FIFA
FIFA
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association , commonly known by the acronym FIFA , is the international governing body of :association football, futsal and beach football. Its headquarters are located in Zurich, Switzerland, and its president is Sepp Blatter, who is in his fourth...
), to make the score 3-1 to Scotland, qualification to the next phase at last looked possible. Three minutes later, though, the Dutch pulled a goal back, the game ended 3-2 and Scotland were eliminated on goal difference
Goal difference
In sports such as ice hockey and association football, goal difference is often the first tiebreaker used to rank teams which finish a league competition with an equal number of points....
. The Netherlands proceeded to the final, where they lost to Argentina
Argentina national football team
The Argentina national football team represents Argentina in association football and is controlled by the Argentine Football Association , the governing body for football in Argentina. Argentina's home stadium is Estadio Monumental Antonio Vespucio Liberti and their head coach is Alejandro...
.
MacLeod survived an immediate inquest by the sport's authorities but resigned after one more game in charge, only 17 matches and about 500 days after his appointment.
The Scottish Football Association's annual report, issued in May 1979, stated that, "regardless of the depressing aspects of Mr MacLeod's latter days in the Association's employ, it would be quite unfair not to comment that he was largely responsible for kindling an enthusiasm for the Scottish team that far exceeded anything which had gone before. The Association benefited considerably from that enthusiasm and should not forget it".
In his autobiography, The Ally MacLeod Story (1979), he wondered whether he had "generated just too much excitement. Had I raised the level of national optimism just too high?" But he was able to console himself - "Would the Scottish fans have tolerated anything less from me than whole-hearted conviction?" MacLeod also reassured the reader that he, for one, never thought that Scotland were invincible, and claimed to be perfectly at peace with himself. "I am a very good manager who just happened to have a few disastrous days, once upon a time, in Argentina."
Return to club management
His subsequent managerial career included spells at MotherwellMotherwell F.C.
Motherwell Football & Athletic Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. The club compete in the Scottish Premier League and are one of only seven teams to have remained in this league since it was founded in 1998...
(1979–1981), Airdrie
Airdrieonians F.C.
Airdrieonians Football Club, more commonly known as Airdrie, were a Scottish professional football team from the town of Airdrie, in the Monklands area of Lanarkshire....
(1984–1985) and a return to Ayr (1986–1989) when he again won the Second Division title. His last job in football was with Dumfries
Dumfries
Dumfries is a market town and former royal burgh within the Dumfries and Galloway council area of Scotland. It is near the mouth of the River Nith into the Solway Firth. Dumfries was the county town of the former county of Dumfriesshire. Dumfries is nicknamed Queen of the South...
club Queen of the South
Queen of the South F.C.
Queen of the South Football Club is a Scottish professional football club founded in 1919 and located in Dumfries. The club currently plays in the Scottish First Division, the second tier of Scottish football. They are officially nicknamed The Doonhamers, but usually referred to as Queens or QoS...
. In 1992 he played in a game for Queens' reserve team, scoring a goal from a penalty at the age of 61.
Increasingly again treated with affection by the Scottish footballing public, in July 2003, at Hampden Park
Hampden Park
Hampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland...
, he was presented with a crystal decanter in appreciation of his services to the national team and to Scottish football.
He died in 2004, aged 72, after a long battle with Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease also known in medical literature as Alzheimer disease is the most common form of dementia. There is no cure for the disease, which worsens as it progresses, and eventually leads to death...
.
Honours
As a player:-Blackburn Rovers - Second Division promotion, 1958. FA Cup finalist, 1960
As a manager:-
Ayr United - Second Division Champions, 1966. Second Division promotion, 1969. Scottish League Cup semi finalist, 1969/70. Scottish Cup semi finalist, 1973. Second Division Champions 1988
Aberdeen - Scottish League Cup winner, 1976. Scottish Premier Division, third, 1977.
Scotland - 1977 British International Championship, 1978 World Cup qualification