A photo
appeared on twitter recently which got me thinking. It showed Jim
McLean shaking hands with “Mr Dundee United”, gentleman centre-half Doug Smith on what I would think was his retirement, dating the
picture around end of season ‘75/76. Also in the picture were
portents of things to come – Paul Sturrock, John Holt and Ray
Stewart. And Billy Steele. It’s the presence of Billy Steel in the
photo which got me thinking.
I started
watching United regularly in 1973. While Jim McLean already had a
reputation for giving youth its chance, what excited me then was the
players United signed – or the anticipation of. Each brought a
promise of something different to the team, and my expectations for
each new signing were absurdly high. I can still remember the frisson
when United picked up Billy Steele from Rangers on a free. In my
youthful naivety, I assumed that he would be a vital addition to the
first team. Certainly three goals during the League Cup sectional
ties in August ’75 was a pretty good start. Unfortunately, that was
about as good as it got for the less talented Billy Steel(e) who
plied a footballing trade in Dundee. He rarely featured again, and
was punted to Dumbarton for £5k in September ’76 (note: Dumbarton
seems to be a recurring theme in what follows).
Signed a
couple of months later was The Next Player To Attempt To Replace Andy
Gray©, Dumbarton’s Barry Gibb lookalike Tom McAdam. To be fair,
Tom didn’t do too badly. He lasted a couple of years, 74 games and
24 goals, without convincing. Even I could see that he wasn’t
really a good fit for United and Jim McLean. He played centre-forward, and, er, that’s about it. It was obvious by then
that McLean liked players who were very adaptable, and capable of
playing in more than one position.
Which is
curious, given that Celtic then turned Tom into a pretty decent
centre-half.
The next
Game Changer was Billy Williamson, a player with respectable first
team experience at Aberdeen and a League Cup winners’ medal, signed
in February ’77. Just the sort of player we needed to supplement
the youthful skills of Narey, Holt, Payne, Sturrock etc. Six months,
seven starts and one goal later, he was swapped for Dundee’s
Scottish international midfielder, the late Bobby Robinson. We
definitely got the better of that deal.
What
next? Paul Sturrock and the emerging Davie Dodds needed an
experienced striker to play alongside. Dumbarton’s prolific
beanpole John Bourke (The Next Player To Attempt To Replace Tom
McAdam© as he was known to the Dumbarton fans) was seen as the
answer, and a fee was paid in September ‘77. My fading memory
precludes me from quoting it here, but it was a decent amount. However, the culture shock of moving from the west coast to Dundee
was too great for Bourke. He played one season (29 starts, 6 goals)
then did a bunk, refusing to turn up for pre-season training in July
’78 and was duly flogged for £40k to Killie. Still, I suppose some
respect is due to Big John for having the cojones to stand up to Wee
Jim and fleeing back to the sun-baked climes of Dunbartonshire, fun
and sunshine, there’s enough for everyone. All that’s missing is
the sea, but don’t worry, you can suntaaaaaaan!
In the
continuing quest for a goalscorer around this time, United then
signed Scotland’s entire stock of professional footballers called
Gordon Wallace. One (the better one, more of which later) was a free
from Dundee in ’76. The other, signed October ’77, was prolific
(another recurring theme here) for Raith Rovers. So much so, that
there’s a street in Raith named after him. Probably. You can guess
the next bit. 9 starts, 3 goals, hasta la vista en route to Berwick
Rangers, where I don’t think he’s commemorated in any way. Well,
apart from The Gordon Wallace Berwick International Airport.
The final
name in this cavalcade of mediocrity is that of Stranraer goal
machine Derek Frye. Following in the footsteps of McAdam, Bourke, and
Crap Gordon Wallace, Frye stepped up a league or two and promptly got
altitude sickness of capability. 1 goal in 8 games over a year, and
off he popped to Ayr United in August ’79. I did name a cat after
him though. Big brute, huge testicles, massive claws, borderline
psychotic, capable of turning from purring house pet to Kray-like
violence in a nanosecond. If only human Derek had displayed such a
killer instinct in the penalty box. But enough of tired metaphors.
Now I’m
sure United bought other players during this period, but these are
the names which always spring to mind, all failing to make the grade
at the level they were signed to play at (notwithstanding “Barry”
McAdam’s successful positional change at Celtic, could have been a
Tragedy that Jim didn’t spot that potential).
Conversely,
United did very well in picking up some old pros as short terms fixes
– The Good Gordon Wallace, Alec Rennie, Henry Hall to name a few,
all capable of imparting their knowledge on the park to their (much)
younger team mates, and making valuable contributions in their own
way. Indeed, Henry Hall deserves special mention, as his goals in
‘75/’76 helped stop United getting relegated in the first season
of the Premier League. And where might that have led should such an
event have come to pass? Jim McLean getting fired? I remember plenty
at Tannadice calling for his head around that time. You fools!
Anyway,
by the end of season 1978/79, I had no expectation that United would
ever pay a fee for a player which would ever be justified. Did it
matter? The youth policy was throwing up players every year who were
totally schooled by McLean, knew their roles and were
ultra-disciplined in how they filled them - Gray, Narey, Payne, Holt,
Stewart, Sturrock, Stark, Dodds, Milne. The production line was
rolling.
And then.
Summer ’79. I was a student, working for Dundee Parks Department. On the way to work, I bought the Daily Express. I make no apologies
for that. It was cheap. The SENSATIONAL back page splash was United
paying £100,000 for Willie Pettigrew!
WTF! OMG!
LOL! £100K FOR WILLIE PETTIGREW!
Fair to
say, the grass edgings on the paths of Orchar Park didn’t get their
usual professional attention that day. Here was United signing a full
international, a quality player proven at the level we were playing
at. What had changed? Who cared! Willie was soon banging them in,
with the aplomb you get for £100k.
But if we
were chuffed with Pettigrew, paying £165k (A Scottish transfer
record. I’ll repeat that – a Scottish transfer record) for Eamonn
Bannon two months later really was heading into uncharted waters –
and in more ways than one. By December ’79, United had won their
first ever trophy, with Willie scoring twice in the final.
So we
come back to Billy Steele et al. What is apparent (with hindsight) is
that United paid money for some pretty rubbish players during the
mid/late 70s, whilst at the same time bringing through a golden
generation of home-grown youngsters. Whatever changed with regards to
United’s signing policy, I’d argue that paying the big bucks for
Pettigrew and Bannon provided the final impetus to change Dundee
United from also-rans to trophy winners.
In
summary, as with most things, you get what you pay for. Jim always
liked to compare United to a corner shop competing with supermarkets. There’s a certain irony that it was only when his own buying habits
moved from the corner shop to Harrods that the Dundee United jigsaw
was completed.
Footnote
I’ve not mentioned two players who were also bought by the club
during the 70s who were instrumental in the success of the team 1979
– 87. Paul Hegarty (The First Player To
Attempt To Replace Andy Gray©), £40k from Accies in ’74,
converted to centre half in Nov ’76, went on to enjoy a stellar
career and captain his country. Ian Phillip,
£25k from Dundee in ’78. The holding midfielder’s holding
midfielder. The man Claude Makele calls Le Dieu. Or Ian. Can’t
remember which. Two league cup winners medals, 5 games in the league
winning season.
Thanks
to DUCFarchive.co.uk for all stats!
Peter Clark saw Dundee United win the league at Dens in 1983. His wife suspects everything since has been a bit disappointing.
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