Read Online Football – Bloody Hell! by Patrick Barclay - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Patrick Barclay
Ads: Link
join him at a nightclub he happened to own in Birmingham, where Quiz Ball was recorded. ‘Naturally we expected the VIP treatment,’ Ford recalled, ‘but he charged us to get in! Six pounds each – Chic was a true Scotsman! I was only on eight pounds a week as a part-timer. But Fergie and the others had a whipround to get me in.’
Ford had encountered Ferguson towards the end of his time at Rangers. They met in a reserve match when Ford, barely nineteen, was detailed to mark Ferguson at a corner. He went with Ferguson to the edge of the penalty area. ‘Before I could even move, the famous right elbow went into my solar plexus. That was me being introduced to Alex Ferguson. He had his free run into the box and I was left winded, but wiser.’
Ford neglected to remind Ferguson of that when he arrived at Falkirk. It soon became obvious that Ferguson’s aggression was not reserved for opponents. With his new team he went back to Ibrox for a Scottish Cup match and a minute from half-time, with the scores still level, the full-back John ‘Tiger’ McLaughlan made a mistake that led to Rangers taking the lead. In the dressing room, Ferguson went straight for him. ‘I can’t remember exactly what he called him,’ said Ford, ‘but “fucking useless bastard” would have come into it. Tiger wasn’t the quiet and retiring type either and all of a sudden the two of them were at each other. They were like a pair of animals, rolling about on the floor. The manager, Willie Cunningham, just watched it all, leaning with his elbow against the wall. Eventually two of us younger ones separated them and we went out for the second half [Rangers won 3-0]. But it was a shock to my system to see such violence.’
Not that Ford himself would shrink from the challenge when he fell foul of Ferguson. In, of all things, a testimonial match for the East Stirlingshire player Arthur Hamill. Towards the end of it, Ford misplaced a pass. ‘Fergie sprinted the length of the field to give me an earful while the game was going on. He was jabbing a finger in my face. I wasn’t taking in what he was saying and I wasn’t taking that finger either, so I gave him a bit back of what he’d given me.
‘At the end, quite a few of the crowd spilled on to the pitch to congratulate Arthur, who’d been a popular player for East Stirling. I’m walking off, through the throng of supporters, when suddenly Fergie comes for me and the arms are like windmill blades. Both of us. No blows actually land before we’re pulled apart, but there are plenty of wild swings to entertain the astonished supporters.’
Despite the demise of his Rangers career and the general perception that his best days as a player were behind him, Ferguson believed his arrival at Falkirk had boosted morale and results remained good in the First Division the following season.
He was always drawn back to Ibrox and when, on 2 January 1971, Falkirk’s match at Airdrie was postponed due to saturation of the pitch, Ferguson, Roxburgh and another team-mate, Tom Young, decided to watch the Old Firm match there. It proved a traumatic day.
Three minutes from the end, Jimmy Johnstone put Celtic ahead and Rangers fans began to stream, dejected, from the stadium. But Ferguson and his companions stayed just long enough to see Colin Stein, Ferguson’s replacement, cause wild rejoicing among the blue majority with an equaliser. The trio did not, however, wait for the final whistle; they made for the exits.
Ferguson arrived at his parents’ home to find them aghast. Television was reporting a death toll in the forties (it was to rise to sixty-six) from a crush on a stairway that had begun as the first wave of Rangers fans left early. The Fergusons feared most acutely for Alex’s brother, Martin, who had been in that section, and began an anguished search of bars where he might have gone. Eventually they found him driving home from one, oblivious to the disaster. Martin had left after Johnstone
Ford had encountered Ferguson towards the end of his time at Rangers. They met in a reserve match when Ford, barely nineteen, was detailed to mark Ferguson at a corner. He went with Ferguson to the edge of the penalty area. ‘Before I could even move, the famous right elbow went into my solar plexus. That was me being introduced to Alex Ferguson. He had his free run into the box and I was left winded, but wiser.’
Ford neglected to remind Ferguson of that when he arrived at Falkirk. It soon became obvious that Ferguson’s aggression was not reserved for opponents. With his new team he went back to Ibrox for a Scottish Cup match and a minute from half-time, with the scores still level, the full-back John ‘Tiger’ McLaughlan made a mistake that led to Rangers taking the lead. In the dressing room, Ferguson went straight for him. ‘I can’t remember exactly what he called him,’ said Ford, ‘but “fucking useless bastard” would have come into it. Tiger wasn’t the quiet and retiring type either and all of a sudden the two of them were at each other. They were like a pair of animals, rolling about on the floor. The manager, Willie Cunningham, just watched it all, leaning with his elbow against the wall. Eventually two of us younger ones separated them and we went out for the second half [Rangers won 3-0]. But it was a shock to my system to see such violence.’
Not that Ford himself would shrink from the challenge when he fell foul of Ferguson. In, of all things, a testimonial match for the East Stirlingshire player Arthur Hamill. Towards the end of it, Ford misplaced a pass. ‘Fergie sprinted the length of the field to give me an earful while the game was going on. He was jabbing a finger in my face. I wasn’t taking in what he was saying and I wasn’t taking that finger either, so I gave him a bit back of what he’d given me.
‘At the end, quite a few of the crowd spilled on to the pitch to congratulate Arthur, who’d been a popular player for East Stirling. I’m walking off, through the throng of supporters, when suddenly Fergie comes for me and the arms are like windmill blades. Both of us. No blows actually land before we’re pulled apart, but there are plenty of wild swings to entertain the astonished supporters.’
Despite the demise of his Rangers career and the general perception that his best days as a player were behind him, Ferguson believed his arrival at Falkirk had boosted morale and results remained good in the First Division the following season.
He was always drawn back to Ibrox and when, on 2 January 1971, Falkirk’s match at Airdrie was postponed due to saturation of the pitch, Ferguson, Roxburgh and another team-mate, Tom Young, decided to watch the Old Firm match there. It proved a traumatic day.
Three minutes from the end, Jimmy Johnstone put Celtic ahead and Rangers fans began to stream, dejected, from the stadium. But Ferguson and his companions stayed just long enough to see Colin Stein, Ferguson’s replacement, cause wild rejoicing among the blue majority with an equaliser. The trio did not, however, wait for the final whistle; they made for the exits.
Ferguson arrived at his parents’ home to find them aghast. Television was reporting a death toll in the forties (it was to rise to sixty-six) from a crush on a stairway that had begun as the first wave of Rangers fans left early. The Fergusons feared most acutely for Alex’s brother, Martin, who had been in that section, and began an anguished search of bars where he might have gone. Eventually they found him driving home from one, oblivious to the disaster. Martin had left after Johnstone
Similar Books
