Dougie, Dougie, Dougie .. words last heard at furniture showroom in Tillicoultry (near Stirling) sparked calls for refs to strike, strike, strike
chairman John Reid demanding that McDonald resigned after SNP sport spokesman Pete Wishart claimed officials should declare which teams they support.
At the end of that week the refs voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action, insisting the SFA hadn’t done enough to protect them from criticism.
Foreign whistlers were brought in to fill the void but the SFA even made a pig’s ear of that, with many of those pencilled in to take charge apparently unaware they were effectively crossing a picket line.
The Polish FA withdrew their officials at the last minute to referee games at home instead while the Portuguese delegation did an about-turn at Glasgow Airport.
It was rumoured this happened after learning they weren’t part of an exchange programme but they maybe just popped into one of the airport’s shops and
became outraged at being charged almost two quid for a bottle of water.
This left the SFA facing something of a crisis but the one thing they could depend on was the awful Scottish weather and that helped dig them out of a h huge hole.
Several matches w would fail pitch in inspections that w weekend and only four games went ahead, all in the top flight, with o officials from Malta, Luxembourg and
Is Israel in control.
McDonald retired in t the wake of the strike w f with a statement from his fellow w c whistlers claiming it capped a “sad time for S Scottish refereeing”.
It also expressed hope c h changes that required” the “real hc w would be delivered wb but little effectively changed in the attitude towards our men in black. The abuse towards officials, both verbal and physical, became so intense last year a second round of industrial action was mooted.
Stevie Nicol was hailed as t h e “mo s t complete player in
Britain” in his time at Liverpool.
The accolade came from team-mate Mark Lawrenson and was seconded by defensive
wi colleague Alan Hansen.
wg
He said: “Nico played right-back, left-back or either side of midfield and made it all look easy. He’s one of the best players ever
oL to pull on the red jersey.”
Anfield has been home to many great Scots and although Nicol may not have been as high-profile as Kenny Dalglish or Graeme Souness, he made his mark.
wf
The boy from Troon was just 19 when he wc signed for Liverpool from Ayr United for £ 300,000 in 1981 and in the next 13 years he helped win five league titles, three FA Cups and a European Cup.
He was also the English football writers’ Player of the Year in 1989.
Although best known for his defensive work, he could also score goals, including a hat-trick against Newcastle.
Nicol, capped 27 times by Scotland, also gave team-mates plenty of laughs, like the time just before the 1984 European Cup Final when he was sent new boots by Puma that didn’t fit.
“Just my f****** luck,” he told Hansen. “They’ve sent the wrong size.”
Alan McMillan’s
Hansen had a look and told him: “Try taking the paper out of the toes.”
Nicol played 468 games for the Reds and scored 46 goals – a lot more than another of the club’s Scottish full-backs, Bob Pursell.
Campbeltown-born Pursell joined from Queen’s Park in 1911 but made headlines as part of a match-fixing scam in April 1915.
Manchester United were in relegation bother and Liverpool were safe. Seven players – three from United and Pursell plus three Liverpool team-mates – hatched a plan to ensure the Old Trafford side won 2- 0 at odds of 7/1.
They were so inept the ref and fans knew something was going on. Pursell was the worst, conceding a penalty so deliberate it was laughable. Ironically, United missed it but the planned 2- 0 scoreline was achieved.
The FA investigated and Pursell & Co were banned for life. Pursell then went off to f ight in the First World War and performed so gallantly that his ban was lifted in 1919. He went back brief ly to Liverpool before joining Port Vale.