Ally MacLeod

Alistair Reid MacLeod (26 February 1931 – 1 February 2004) was a Scottish professional football player and manager. He is perhaps best known for his time as the Scotland national football team manager, including their appearance at the 1978 FIFA World Cup. MacLeod played as a left winger for Third Lanark (two spells), St Mirren, Blackburn Rovers, Hibernian and Ayr United. He then managed Ayr United (three spells), Aberdeen, Scotland, Motherwell, Airdrieonians and Queen of the South.

Early years

Alistair Reid MacLeod was born in the south side of Glasgow on 26 February 1931. His family lived in Clydebank 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. MacLeod 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".

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 Albion at Cathkin Park on 6 November 1949.

In 1953, MacLeod was in the Thirds side that trounced Alloa Athletic in the League Cup opener, 10–0. Sitting 8–0 up, MacLeod's teammates' 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. This anecdote, though, is denied in some accounts of the Scottish saga at the 1978 World Cup and has been cited as one of the most popular hoaxes in British football.

1978 World Cup finals

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 against Peru 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 stimulant fencamfamine (Reactivan). He was sent home. McKillop's report also stated that in response to the result MacLeod offered "excuses, if not reasons", with MacLeod stated that "the team had been under tremendous pressure in Argentina". An editorial in the same newspaper noted that "the football public expected more from Mr MacLeod in the Scotland job than he was able to deliver. He emerges from a chastening experience a wiser man."

Although MacLeod had survived this immediate inquest by the sport's authorities, he resigned after one more game in charge, His decision to resign and return to club management echoed that of his predecessor in the Scotland job, Willie Ormond.

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."

Later career

His subsequent managerial career included spells at Motherwell (1979–1981), Airdrie (1984–1985) and a third spell at Ayr (1986–1989) when he won a Second Division (third tier) title in 1988. 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.

Death and tributes

Increasingly 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. MacLeod was posthumously inducted to the Scottish Football Hall of Fame in 2015.

Honours

Third Lanark

Glasgow Charity Cup: 1955–56

Hibernian

East of Scotland Shield: 1960–61

Blackburn Rovers

Football League Second Division promotion: 1957–58
FA Cup runner-up: 1959–60

Scotland

British Home Championship: 1976–77

Motherwell

Lanarkshire Cup: 1981

Airdrieonians

Lanarkshire Cup winners: 1984

Managerial statistics

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"

!rowspan="2"|Team

!rowspan="2"|Nat

!rowspan="2"|From

!rowspan="2"|To

!colspan="5"|Record

!G!!W!!D!!L!!Win %

|align=left|Scotland

|align=left|1977

|align=left|1978