“Jackie Mudie and the McAnearney brothers spring to mind, along with Bert McCann at Motherwell. Peter Lorimer was another at Leeds United,” said Tom, who is recovering from recent heart surgery, but still confesses to loving a plate of mince and tatties.
“My pal Bert Wilkie went to Tottenham Hotspur in 1956.
“Many young lads went south on the recommendation of experienced Dundee scouts such as John “Tinner” Quinn and Oliver Hamilton, who owned the Scout Bar at the West Port.
“The Dundee FC team, so successful in Europe in the 1960s, also attracted the attention of Arsenal and Spurs.
“However, the excellent scouting system in the UK has all but been abandoned.
“Today, as a direct result of extortionate transfer fees, quite a number of clubs now struggle financially.
“Sir Alex Ferguson seems to be the only top manager who still exhibits faith in British football talent. The results of his policy speak for themselves.
“Foreign managers don’t linger long enough to actually develop talent. They have no interest in the welfare of the British game.
“I like the book I bought recently, ‘My Life In Football’, by Gordon Strachan.
“Apart from being a great player and a good manager, the wee man is refreshingly honest. This is a quality football lacks today. It has very little integrity.”
Living in Manchester, Tom was close to the recent remembrances of the Munich disaster.
“The Munich disaster conjures up thoughts of football in Europe,” he continued.
“I have always had faith in British players.
“Fergie’s Manchester United were not the first British team to be successful in Europe.
“Hibs were there before them, and could lick Europe’s best. So did Jock Stein with Celtic. Bill Shankly did the same with Liverpool.
“They all knew how to utilise and motivate players. You take a boy with ability plus a good heart and you make him believe he is as good as any player on the planet.
“You look for others like him and teach them how to function together as a team.
“Bob Shankly was particularly good at this.
“At Dens, he had a phenomenal striker in Alan Gilzean. He also used the ageless Gordon Smith’s football brain to feed Gilzean and his mates.
“Backed by an excellent defence, this Dundee team was a formidable outfit, but largely because their manager also had a great football brain.
“In current times, Bob Shankly would be worth a fortune. However, the trend today is for foreign players and expensive managers.
“Of course, an element of luck is also necessary.
“With a little more, the European Cup could have rested on a shelf at Dens Park.”
CAN ANYONE BEAT DAVE’S PENALTY RECORD?
STEVEN ROONEY, of Brackens, Dundee, thinks he might have come across a goalkeeping record.
“I was having a discussion with friends about goalkeepers from the amateur football scene in Dundee,” said Steven.
“One chap’s name kept coming up — DAVIE SHARP, who played for the Kingsway Tech and Fintry Athletic in season 1981/82.
“Over the season, during the normal playing time of 90 minutes (no penalty shoot-outs then), he saved 14 out of 16 penalties.
“Indeed, he saved the first 12 taken against him.
“Can you confirm if this could be a record? Maybe some of your readers will remember Davie.
“In fact, his uncle was big Alec Sharp, who played with Downfield and had a spell, I think, with Rangers. His brother was John Sharp, who was a centre-forward with Dundee Juvenile sides Elliot Albion and Fairfield.”
Footnote . . . We don’t carry records for such amateur football statistics, but I would agree it might be very hard to better Davie’s incredible penalty record.
As ever, any input from readers would be welcomed.
FURTHER FIRST FA CUP CLAIMS
The claim that Jimmy Easson may have been the first Dundonian to play in an FA Cup-winning team was knocked back by Canada’s BILLY RITCHIE.
“Willie Cook left Dundee FC to join Bolton Wanderers and played in their cup-winning side in 1929,” said Billy.
“I believe he may have been the first.
“Other Dundonians to win FA Cup winners’ medals were Alex Forbes (Arsenal, 1951) and Ewan Fenton and Jackie Mudie (Blackpool, 1953), in what is now known as the ‘Stanley Matthews Final’.
“Forbes and Fenton were North End players, while Mudie joined Blackpool via the Dundee-based Dunkeld youth team and Lochee Harp.
“Cook returned in later years to Dundee and he actually played some games for the Dens Park side and also guested for Dundee United.
“He opened Cookie’s pub on the Hilltown (it’s still there) and was very successful in that business for many years.
“It was widely claimed by his peers that he should have been the No. 1 outside-left choice for Scotland, but was kept out by Rangers’ Alan Morton.
“Some things never change in these matters.”
IAN “THE JANNIE” STEWART goes further back in attempting to unearth the first Dundonian to lift England’s premier cup competition.
“My gran’s uncle, Harry Erentz, could be the first Dundonian to lift the FA Cup. He did so as a left-back with Spurs in 1901 against Sheffield United.
“They drew 2-2 in front of 111,815 at Crystal Palace and won the replay 3-1 at Bolton, where 20,470 watched the game.
“He played for Oldham, Newton Heath (now Man. Utd.) and finished at Spurs in 1905.
“He lived in North Wellington Street in Dundee and his older brother also played for Newton Heath.
“He owned a pub in Dundee and passed away in 1947.”
See photos at foot of column.
IT WAS PATTY MITCHELL!
Last week’s “Unknown” in the Sandy’s Paper Boys football team photo was PATTY MITCHELL, a well-known committee member with local amateur football side SS Peter and Paul.
My mole within the Paulies set-up tells me Patty took some ribbing last weekend, being dubbed “The Man With No Name”.
His brother Billy was also confirmed in the photo.
