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Rams Fan Reflection: Dave Mackay - A Potted Derby History
Thursday, 5th Mar 2015 07:15 by John Edward (Eddie) Sanders

I'm a grown man - actually make that "I'm an old man" - but I shed tears earlier this week when I heard that the legend that was Dave Mackay, my hero, had passed away.

Quiet, reflective tears - fitting tributes to memories that were once joyous but which are now exceedingly poignant. The tears dry, the sadness will pass, but the memories will remain with me for the rest of my days.

It was a Wednesday near the end of July in 1968, I believe, that the news broke in the Derby Evening Telegraph that Tottenham Hotspur's tough-tackling, brilliant rampaging midfielder had just signed for Derby County. Nobody could quite bring themselves to believe it but there it was, in black and white, so to speak - Brian Clough had pulled off one of the most audacious signings of the decade by bringing one of the great names in the game to little Derby. I wish I still had that paper - now, more than ever.

The football season couldn't come quickly enough for me - the paper-round money had been saved for weeks and exchanged for my 'Kids Corner' season ticket and I waited impatiently for my first opportunity to see the great man sporting a Ram on his shirt. I read of his seemingly endless achievements at Tottenham and dared to dream.

There were very few away matches for me in those days, so the trip to Blackburn would be for others to tell their grandchildren about - but with 21,000 others I watched Dave's home debut a few days later against Chesterfield in the League Cup. A 3-0 win was achieved with the minimum of fuss, and I would be lying if I said that I could recall anything of the match itself or anything of significance by Mackay - but there would be bigger and better days.

I can't say I had noticed much of an improvement in Derby's fortunes over that first month, and it took about that long before the first win in the league was safely tucked away, but one moment in that game against Oxford United stood out, and I suppose it was the first real 'Mackay Moment' to be filed in my brain under 'G' for 'Great'.

I don't know whether it was in the first half or the second, but I seem to recall that we were under tremendous pressure and Webster, Robson and even Roy McFarland had resorted to just whacking the ball as far away from the danger area as possible. It eventually came towards Dave and he aimed a great swipe at the ball, but dummied at the last possible moment. The Oxford striker took evasive action and the ball gently bounced through to Les Green. The Rams defenders seemed to grow in confidence from that moment, and we wouldn't taste defeat again for a dozen games.

Ask anybody of my age to name their favourite three days as a Derby fan and I absolutely guarantee that one of those favourites will be the night that a thoroughbred Chelsea side came to town - and were promptly run out of it.

Bonetti, Webb, 'Chopper' Harris, Tambling, Birchenall, Osgood all visibly shrunk before a crowd of 34,000 who roared Derby to victory - but it was Mackay, all chest and tree-trunk legs, who really got the crowd behind The Rams that night with a series of early thunderous tackles that stopped Chelsea in their tracks. Even though we trailed at half time against the run of play, and even though Bonetti produced one of the greatest displays of goalkeeping this side of Dino Zoff, we would not be denied. Dave's first - and possibly best - goal for The Rams was thumped in from all of 30 yards, and the floodgates opened.

Promotion and eventually the Second Division title that season became a walk in the park - and there was soon another accolade as Mackay almost unbelievably - for a Second Division player - pocketed a share of the 'Footballer of the Year' title with Manchester City's Tony Book. It was confusing for the Popside now - what to chant when the teams came out (back in those days, EVERY player had his own song or chant without exception) - "Dave Mackay", "Iron Man" or "Footballer of the Year"? All three, as often as not.

It was possible back in the 1960's and 1970's to make the transition from also-ran to elite almost seamlessly. The side that started that first season 'back where we belong', so to speak, was the same that finished the Second Division campaign. The names still trip off the tongue… Green, Webster, Robson, McFarland, Mackay, Durban, Carlin, McGovern, O'Hare, Hector, Hinton - but it was Mackay above all who made that team - so much so that when Derby utterly thrashed Tottenham 5-0, Spurs manager Bill Nicholson publicly regretted the day he let Mackay join The Rams.

Nowadays, players are considered to be 'unsporting' if they celebrate against an old club. Dave loved Tottenham, of course, but you wouldn't know it when the final whistle went. He simply stood in the centre of the pitch, arms aloft, roaring his own approval before Derby's record attendance of 41,826. I had graduated to the Popside by then - and one day, I might get my breath back, so packed was it on the terraces.

There was the small matter of the Division One title in 1972 - Dave had moved on to Swindon and a fledgling career in management, but it was largely the same side. It took a player of the undoubted ability of Colin Todd to fill Dave's boots - and fill them to great effect he did.

That might have been the end of the Dave Mackay story as far as Derby was concerned - but for a Board of Directors and a management team who fell out and parted company. Whatever the rights and wrongs of the situation were, the departure of Clough and Taylor could have meant a premature end to the good times, but for a most astute appointment. Talk of a players' strike was nipped in the bud by the appointment of the only man who the Derby players respected at or near the level of reverence reserved for Clough and Taylor.

Clough's team eventually became Mackay's team - and what a team it was - but it was hardly an inspirational start as eight games slipped by without a victory. However, a strong finish saw The Rams end up in third place, but a long way behind Leeds and Liverpool.

The season which elevated Mackay to immortality from mere legend status in the eyes of at least this Rams fan was 1974-75, one of the tightest, hardest-fought seasons in First Division history. It wasn't just the winning - it was the way the victories were achieved that was most pleasing with Bruce Rioch and Franny Lee seemingly scoring every week. The ending was anti-climactic with the title already in the bag - we expected Carlisle United to be put to the sword but it didn't really matter - the party had already started and once again the name of Dave Mackay echoed around The Baseball Ground.

On to Wembley for the Charity Shield and the debut of Charlie George. More silverware, the team getting stronger and stronger - Charlie's hat-trick against Real Madrid, the 'Battle of the Baseball Ground' when Leeds United demonstrated that the cynical side of their game was alive and well, the introduction of Leighton James - the most mercurial talent but one who never quite 'made it' as far as I was concerned - and then the day the dreams of 'The Double' were finally laid to rest. Not the still painful FA Cup semi-final defeat at Hillsborough to Manchester United, but the shoulder injury suffered by Charlie George against Stoke.

Fourth place didn't come close to our expectations, but we thought those halcyon days would last forever. They didn't. Twelve goals against Finn Harps, eight against Spurs were too little, too late and November 1976 saw Dave Mackay consigned to the history books of Derby.

Thank you for those memories, Dave. You were the greatest, most inspirational player it was ever my good fortune to see. "Legend" doesn't do you justice.

David Craig Mackay (14 November 1934 - 2 March 2015), may you rest in peace.





Photo: Action Images



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goaloo02 added 09:12 - Mar 7
You are great,Dave Mackay !
http://www.goaloo.com/1.shtml
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