Mcilroy salutes his ‘flamboyant’ former Old Trafford gaffer
MANCHESTER United and Northern Ireland legend Sammy Mcilroy has paid a warm tribute to Tommy Docherty, who has died at the age of 92 following a long illness.
The former United and Scotland manager bossed 12 clubs, leading Chelsea to the 1965 League Cup title and also guiding United to a 2-1 win over Liverpool in the 1977 FA Cup final.
He was best known for his five-year spell at Old Trafford, overseeing that famous Cup win against Bob Paisley’s Liverpool and also masterminding the club’s revival following relegation.
They dropped out of the top division under Docherty’s watch in 1974, but they kept the Scotsman on and bounced straight back up.
Docherty’s spell at Old Trafford also saw George Best fail to revive his United career, the retirement of Bobby Charlton and the departure of Denis Law.
During Mcilroy’s 13 years at United, he established himself at the heart of a vibrant attacking team featuring Gordon Hill, Steve Coppell, Lou Macari, Stuart Pearson and Jimmy Greenhoff, reaching the FA Cup final three times in four years.
“He was a fantastic man and great manager, very flamboyant,” said Mcilroy, who made a total of 419 appearances for the Reds.
“Tommy could be the comedian, he was full of jokes and the stories were unbelievable. Before the games he liked to drop the one liners to keep the boys relaxed. If the manager was relaxed, then we should be as well, he helped take away those nerves. We played brilliant attacking football with great wingers and it was a real pleasure to play for him in those teams.
“We got relegated but the board stuck by him and the team matured. Jimmy Nicholl and David Mccreery were there too and the way he wanted us to play was great for the fans. We’ve lost many football giants recently and it’s felt like the worst year with the current pandemic and legends passing away.”
Another Northern Ireland legend who had huge respect for ‘The Doc’ was former United favourite Jimmy Nicholl.
“Every single week, you looked at the notice board to see if you had a chance in the first-team squad, because he gave the kids a chance,” remembered Nicholl, currently Ian Baraclough’s assistant with Northern Ireland.
“He wasn’t frightened of firstteam players — he fell out with them, but not the young ones. It didn’t matter what age you were. He was a special manager.
“Belfast was a very different place in 1972 and people were losing their lives. Tommy pulled me aside one Friday and asked if I was going home for a visit.
“I said yes, he said; ‘When you get back, tell yer ma and da there are flights for them on Wednesday. We are getting you a club house and getting you out of there’.”
A family spokesperson said: “Tommy passed away peacefully surrounded by his family at home.
“He was a much-loved husband, father and papa and will be terribly missed. We ask that our privacy be respected at this time. There will be no further comment.”
United said: “We are deeply saddened by the passing of Tommy Docherty, who led us to FA Cup victory in 1977 with a thrilling, attacking team in the best traditions of Manchester United.
“Everyone at the club sends sincere condolences to Tommy’s loved ones.”