Dave Mackay

When he joined Tottenham he was a strong wing-half, a crunching tackler yet also a clever passer of the ball. Over the next decade at White Hart Lane, he became a legend and at the heart of a great team that became the first this century to complete the double of League Champions and FA Cup winners in 1961. He and Danny Blanchflower complemented each other superbly.

As he approached his thirties, two broken legs in succession robbed him of some of his athleticism but he more than compensated with the guile he showed as a sweeper. At the age of 34, Mackay was lured to Derby by Brian Clough who prolonged his career with sensible periods of rest.

Clough’s respect for Mackay was so great that he allowed his captain to decide when he’d travel to London to train. MacKay’s leadership and example made a great impression on his young defensive partner at Derby – Roy McFarland – and they were the cornerstone of Derby’s surge back into the top flight.

In 1969 Mackay was joint Footballer of the Year, at an age when many contemporaries had long disappeared from the scene. His excellence as an all round footballer and indomitable attitude had much to do with developing the Derby team that won the championship in 1972.

By the time Clough and his players were celebrating their title victory, Mackay was starting out on a managerial career at Swindon. He was never to reach the heights in that capacity as he did as a player, although he did take Derby to a second championship in 1975, presiding skilfully over the mayhem that followed Clough’s tempestuous departure in 1973. He remains one of the few to win a championship, both as player and manager – still revered by Tottenham and Derby fans. Significantly, two hard taskmasters – Bill Nicholson and Brian Clough – maintained that the best day’s work they ever did, as manager was to sign Dave Mackay. Any footballer would settle for that sort of praise from two great managers.

• Date of Birth: 14.11.1934
• Position: Midfield /Sweeper

Played for:

• Heart of Midlothian 1952/59
• Tottenham Hotspur 1959/68 – League Appearances 268 Goals 42
• Derby County 1968/71 - Appearances 122 Goals 5
• Swindon Town 1971/72 - Appearances 25 Goals 1

Honours:

• Scottish League Championship 1956
• Scottish Cup 1957
• League Cup 1954/1958
• English League Championship 1961
• FA Cup Winner 1961, 1962 & 1967
• European Cup Winners Cup 1963
• Second Div. Championship 1969