Dave Mackay dies

[The Harp]

Sad to hear the news of Dave Mackay's passing. One of the all-time greats of Scottish football and a true Hearts legend.
Rest in peace. Sincere condolences to Dave's friends and family.

[Ricky Bobby]

To be held in such high regard by players pundits and fans alike tells you all you need to know. RIP

[brog]

I saw Tommy Preston at ER for the Dumbarton game & Tom will be devastated by Dave's passing. In those days the Hibs & Hearts players were great friends off the park & played golf, bowls & even cricket together on a regular basis. I only had the privilege to meet Davie once but as others have said he was an outstanding player & leader, & more importantly a truly fine man.

[Capt Mainwaring]

Dave Mackay was there to support Lawrie Reilly's Book launch at Easter Road. Lots of mutual respect that night between all the legends and supporters there.

Sad news indeed for an Edinburgh and Scotland great.

Condolences and thoughts to his friends and family

[weststandhibby]

Rest in peace. Sincere condolences to Dave's friends and family.

[Jonnyboy]

Very sad news. As a club we know what it means to us when a legend dies and now Hearts will feel that same pain. RIP Dave

[JT Fae The Toon]

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Out of interest was MacKay around at the time of the Edinburgh Select team playing an English opponent annually?

Always think it's a sign of how much the game has changed when you imagine guys like him (maybe) wearing a Hibs top every other year and vice versa with our legends.

He was on his way to meet the then Hibs manager Hugh Shaw to sign when the Hearts groundsman, a near neighbour, alerted Hearts and the rest is history.

[Scottie]

Wish I had been around then to see him play.

By all accounts a real Edinburgh gent. RIP Dave.

[--------]

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Sad news. A true Edinburgh football legend.

When you see players like MacKay pass away, much like ourselves with Lawrie, it's like a golden era of football goes with them. A day when players were ordinary guys who earned ordinary wages and appreciated the clubs they played for. Maybe I'm romanticising an era I never witnessed and maybe never existed though.

RIP.

I don't think so - players of Mackay's day had their feet much more on the ground than players nowadays.

Remember we're talking about one of the best footballers in Britain here - a really top player. He won all three trophies in Scotland with Hearts - a League Championship, a Scottish Cup and two League Cups, - and a Football League Championship in England, three FA Cups, and the European Cup-Winners' Cup with Spurs. Both those sides were good footballing sides with lots of talented players, and in both teams Mackay was one of the played who made up the backbone of the side.

I can only say that Dave Mackay was a very fine footballer, a hard tackler but brave and fair in his approach to the game, and unlike some of the 'hard men' who came after him, he was a MAN.

Not a cowardly thug.

[Andy Bee]

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He was on his way to meet the then Hibs manager Hugh Shaw to sign when the Hearts groundsman, a near neighbour, alerted Hearts and the rest is history.

I listened to him talking about that in an old interview last night......"I dunno if I'd of signed for them though, I'm a Hearts man"

[brog]

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I don't think so - players of Mackay's day had their feet much more on the ground than players nowadays.

Remember we're talking about one of the best footballers in Britain here - a really top player. He won all three trophies in Scotland with Hearts - a League Championship, a Scottish Cup and two League Cups, - and a Football League Championship in England, three FA Cups, and the European Cup-Winners' Cup with Spurs. Both those sides were good footballing sides with lots of talented players, and in both teams Mackay was one of the played who made up the backbone of the side.

I can only say that Dave Mackay was a very fine footballer, a hard tackler but brave and fair in his approach to the game, and unlike some of the 'hard men' who came after him, he was a MAN.

Not a cowardly thug.

Absolutely right Doddie. I remember being told that after Spurs won the cup in their double year Davie returned to Edinburgh for the summer. He had a paper bag filled with notes of various denominations & placed/hid it on top of the wardrobe. He went out every night, treating all his friends & grabbing a handful of notes before he went. A few weeks in & the money was gone. Davie shrugged, ah well, back to work I guess & then worked his socks off getting fit for the new season. Changed days indeed, these were just ordinary guys blessed with a footballing talent & unlike today's spoiled prima donnas they never regarded themselves as being better than their peers.

[--------]

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Absolutely right Doddie. I remember being told that after Spurs won the cup in their double year Davie returned to Edinburgh for the summer. He had a paper bag filled with notes of various denominations & placed/hid it on top of the wardrobe. He went out every night, treating all his friends & grabbing a handful of notes before he went. A few weeks in & the money was gone. Davie shrugged, ah well, back to work I guess & then worked his socks off getting fit for the new season. Changed days indeed, these were just ordinary guys blessed with a footballing talent & unlike today's spoiled prima donnas they never regarded themselves as being better than their peers.

There's a story I heard years ago (grateful for confirmation or correction from fellow oldies, guys?) about the return leg of the first ever European Cup tie played in Scotland, Hibs against Rot-Weiss Essen back in 1956 or 1957. Tommy Younger, Laurie Reilly and Gordon Smith were away in Europe with the Scotland team, and were unable to get home in time for the game because of bad weather.

Hugh Shaw sends a ground-staff boy round to (I think) Alec Buchanan's house a couple of streets from the stadium to tell him to get round to ER, he's playing.

The laddies rings the bell. Alec comes to the door and is told, Get your boots and get round to the stadium - you're playing in the European Cup.

Alec says, fine, but I'll be a few minutes - my mother's just put dinner on the table and I'm not missing her mince and tatties for any bunch of Germans.

When he arrives, Hugh wants to know what kept him. Alec tells him about the mince and tatties and explains that they were so good he had stayed for second helpings. We were 4-0 up from the first leg and drew the home leg 1-1. Alec scored our goal.

But he had his leg pulled for a long time about his second plate of mince and tatties.

[hibbybrian]

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There's a story I heard years ago (grateful for confirmation or correction from fellow oldies, guys?) about the return leg of the first ever European Cup tie played in Scotland, Hibs against Rot-Weiss Essen back in 1956 or 1957. Tommy Younger, Laurie Reilly and Gordon Smith were away in Europe with the Scotland team, and were unable to get home in time for the game because of bad weather.

Hugh Shaw sends a ground-staff boy round to (I think) Alec Buchanan's house a couple of streets from the stadium to tell him to get round to ER, he's playing.

The laddies rings the bell. Alec comes to the door and is told, Get your boots and get round to the stadium - you're playing in the European Cup.

Alec says, fine, but I'll be a few minutes - my mother's just put dinner on the table and I'm not missing her mince and tatties for any bunch of Germans.

When he arrives, Hugh wants to know what kept him. Alec tells him about the mince and tatties and explains that they were so good he had stayed for second helpings. We were 4-0 up from the first leg and drew the home leg 1-1. Alec scored our goal.

But he had his leg pulled for a long time about his second plate of mince and tatties.

Confirmation here Doddie

http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/...-goal-1.275928

[--------]

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Confirmation here Doddie

http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/...-goal-1.275928

Ach, I don't know where I got 'Alec' from. It was Jock Buchanan. DOH!

[southsider]

I had the pleasure of meeting the man in the board room of Derby County FC. We got match tickets through a great pal, the late Terry Anderson. Terry's brother Dessie was Mr McKay's assistant at DC for a while. On learning we were Hibs fans he said "i like to see both Edinburgh teams doing well". A true gent and I have been told, a great player.

[NAE NOOKIE]

Was close to giving this its own thread:

Just watching Match of the day who paid tribute to Dave MacKay, they obviously mainly mentioned his time at Spurs and also at Derby. But no mention whatsoever of his Hearts connection with one league winners medal, one Scottish Cup winners medal and two League Cup winners medals. I'm no Jambo ( obviously ) but WTF

[superfurryhibby]

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Was close to giving this its own thread:

Just watching Match of the day who paid tribute to Dave MacKay, they obviously mainly mentioned his time at Spurs and also at Derby. But no mention whatsoever of his Hearts connection with one league winners medal, one Scottish Cup winners medal and two League Cup winners medals. I'm no Jambo ( obviously ) but WTF

The BBC can be a tad forgetful when it comes to Scotland. Typically Anglo-centric in attitude, that omission is dreadful. Although you can erase the League Cup. After all it is a diddly cup and all.

Wished I's seen McKay play, he must have been some footballer. Respect to the man and his family.

[lyonhibs]

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Was close to giving this its own thread:

Just watching Match of the day who paid tribute to Dave MacKay, they obwviously mainly mentioned his time at Spurs and also at Derby. But no mention whatsoever of his Hearts connection with one league winners medal, one Scottish Cup winners medal and two League Cup winners medals. I'm no Jambo ( obviously ) but WTF

That's an absolute nonsense. What a bunch of roasters.