PLAYERS NAMED AS THEY RAN ON TO PARK

Our “Memory Lane” takes a sharp turn away from Dundee this week, into the rural hinterland, with the picture of Stanley Juniors in season 1952-53.

The photo (at the foot of this column) is supplied by IAN NIMMO, who was, at that time, the 18-year-old fleet-footed right-half for the now-defunct Perthshire village outfit.

Ian remembers some names, but the passing of over half-a-century means that, inevitably, there are gaps.

Back row (from left) — Unknown, Ross, Gibson, Unknown, Boyes, West. Front row — Nimmo, Unknown, Lennon, Unknown, Crockart.

Lennon, Ian thinks, was a senior who had been reinstated to the junior ranks.

Although not in the picture, Ian recalls a Stanley right-back called Pirie, who signed for Accrington Stanley. It was joked that he loved Stanley so much he had to sign for a club with Stanley in its name

The club played in the Perthshire Junior League and Ian recalls that local derbies against near-neighbours Luncarty were enjoyed by sizeable — and vociferous — crowds.

The picture shows them in their white and red horizontal-striped jerseys. Ian says their change jerseys were black and they never seemed to lose when wearing black.

The half-back combination of Nimmo and Gibson was the youngest in Scottish juniors at the time.

Team selection was done in midweek and Ian remembers nail-biting days waiting for the postcard to arrive, telling you if you were picked.

“If the card hadn’t arrived by Friday, you had to turn to ‘Unomi Junior’ in The People’s Journal, who always had the line-ups,” he laughed.

Ian was raised in Dunkeld and his playing career took him to Birnam Rovers, Jeanfield Swifts and Broughty Athletic.

At Jeanfield, he played alongside Ally Hill, who went on to play for Dundee and Clyde.

I had the pleasure of enjoying a lunch with Ian recently, and he continued, “Other notables at Swifts were centre-forward Davie Guthrie, who signed for Brighton, and left-winger Johnny Dunn, who turned out for Perthshire in representative games.

“We played on the old Jeanfield ground before the move to Simpson Park, which, I think, was named after Swifts’ secretary/treasurer.”

Ian’s Broughty days came about when he moved to Dundee to start a career in journalism on our sister paper The Sunday Post.

He was also interested in our recent successful efforts to trace ex-Ranger and Korean War veteran Harold Davis, as he remembers playing against him.

“Harold was with Newburgh in those days and was a strong, skilful half-back,” he recalled.

“He had been a patient in nearby Bridge of Earn Hospital, recovering from war wounds.

“Mention of Newburgh brought back more memories.

“It was always a pleasure to play there as they had a loudspeaker system and the announcer gave the names of players as they ran on to the pitch.

“This was a one-off, as I can’t recall it happening at any other ground.”

Life for Ian has gone full circle.

His journalism career took him on to other parts, culminating in him being editor of the Weekly Scotsman, the Evening Gazette in Middlesbrough, and the Edinburgh Evening News.

Now, Ian is a much-respected and very busy industry guru, spending a lot of time lecturing and helping set up and re-jig newspapers all over the world

He is also one of the principal lecturers in the D. C. Thomson journalism training course, which is held in the very building where his career started 50 years ago.

DAVIE’S MEMORIES

DAVIE WATSON, from Toronto, Canada, writes, "The article on John Leddie (BwB, Jan. 14) and his Dundee Schoolboys trial (1961) brought back a lot of memories.

"I don't know where it was taken, but I do remember everyone in that team. I lived close to John in the Moncur Crescent area when we were young lads.”

Another reader, unsigned, wrote, “It is really amazing to see photographs like that one again. I remember all these players and they were all very good.

“Astonishingly, some didn’t make the Schoolboys team. It just goes to show the abundance of talent in those days.”

THE WRATH OF FERGIE

The on-going Sir Alex Ferguson-Arsene Wenger spat has taken up many column inches and radio and TV time in recent weeks/ months/years.

However, the Arsenal boss is just the latest in a long line of football celebrities who have felt the wrath of the Old Trafford supremo . . . and, with his team hitting form at the right time, you just get the feeling he is ready to direct his “mind games” in the direction of Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho.

There have been many examples of Fergie upsetting the opposition, and here is some of them.

Probably the most famous was KEVIN KEEGAN. After Ferguson claimed Leeds would not raise their game against Newcastle as the title race hotted up, the former Liverpool favourite emotionally stated, “I’d love it if we beat them, love it.”

After a 3-3 draw at Liverpool, Fergie said, “You need a miracle to win here.” Then Liverpool boss KENNY DALGLISH replied, “My baby talks more sense than him.”

JIMMY HILL criticised Eric Cantona over a clash with Norwich player John Polston, prompting Ferguson to call him a “prat”.

BBC commentator JOHN MOTSON was on the end of a fierce rebuke from the Man. U. boss after asking about Roy Keane’s disciplinary record. He cut short the interview, blasting, “You’re not getting in again. You know the rules here.”

On television, he called his former player PAUL INCE a “big-time Charlie.”

Responding to TV pundit ALAN HANSEN’S suggestion that regaining the title would be Ferguson’s greatest achievement, he said, “My greatest challenge was knocking Liverpool right off their perch.”

After ARSENAL’S 2003-04 “invincible” season, he said, “The best team in England? That’s always debatable.”

He once said of former Chelsea chairman KEN BATES, “Has any chairman since Mao had more faith in his own opinions than Bates? If laying down the law was an Olympic sport, the Chelsea chief would be staggering under the weight of gold medals.”

He claimed David Beckham became a “different person” when he met VICTORIA BECKHAM, hinting she lured him away from the training ground to lead a showbiz lifestyle.