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Dave MacKay
| Category: | Male Player |
| Year Inducted: | 2002 |
Profile by Robert Galvin, the author of Football's Greatest Heroes, the official book of the National Football Museum Hall of Fame:
Dave Mackay was respected by team-mates for his courage as a footballer. ‘He was the physical leader' of the Double-winning Tottenham Hotspur side of the early 1960s,' Jimmy Greaves said. ‘He went into battle like a warrior.'
Mackay was ‘the greatest player in that great side,' Greaves added, ‘an individual who had just about everything: power, skill, stamina and enthusiasm. He was the best professional I ever played alongside. When he was missing we all hard to work twice as hard.'
Cliff Jones, a member of the Double team of 1960-61, said: ‘Once Dave Mackay settled into that number six shirt, he turned a good side into a great one.'
Bill Nicholson paid Heart of Midlothian £30,000 to bring Mackay to White Hart Lane in 1958. He stayed for a decade, during which time Spurs won the First Division title once and the FA Cup three times – in 1961, 1962 and 1967.
Around this time a photographer captured the now famous image of Mackay: grabbing hold of Billy Bremner's shirt at the neck as the Leeds United player held his out his arms in supplication.
By the time he captained Spurs to victory at Wembley in 1967 Mackay had, by his own admission, lost much of his speed, after twice suffering a broken leg. Struggling to keep up with the pace in midfield, he was made available for transfer in 1968.
On hearing the news, Brian Clough raced down to London , unannounced. Risking the embarrassment of rejection, Clough subjected himself to the indignity of being kept waiting at White Hart Lane for several hours, all for the chance to persuade Mackay to join him at Derby County .
Clough wanted the veteran Mackay to help guide his young side out of the Second Division. He would save his legs by playing in central defence, giving orders while others did the running for him. Mackay signed; Derby won promotion, and the veteran Scotsman was voted Footballer of the Year. Returning to the Baseball Ground as manager, Mackay guided the club to the First Division title in 1975.
‘I can't overstate the impact and influence Mackay had at Derby ,' Clough said. ‘Our self-confidence soared because of him. He was the consummate, complete professional, a man of immense talent.' Meanwhile, back at White Lane , Nicholson was saying that he could never expect to find another player equal to Mackay.
A team-mate once claimed that a Mackay tackle ‘could bruise the side of a tank'. At Spurs, his industry and fierce competitiveness freed the creative talent of Danny Blanchflower, his half-back partner, and winger Cliff Jones.
‘Mackay had the lot: flair, imagination, great tackler, leadership, Joe Kinnear, the Spurs full-back, said. ‘But he was often underrated in terms of skill.' A favourite trick involved juggling an orange on each foot and then flicking it up and catching it on the back of his neck.
Mackay first broke his leg on a cold night at Old Trafford in December 1963. The injury sidelined him for more than a season. ‘When Dave was carried off, the heart of the Double side went with him,' Jimmy Greaves said. ‘We were never the same again. Somehow the magic had gone.'