Keep Fighting

by paul harrison

  We were once on the outskirts of Kettering and Billy wanted to stop for a break. As we pulled into the town centre we were stuck in traffic and it was pouring down with rain. Billy noticed an old lady struggling with bags of shopping. She had dropped them a couple of times and made her way to a bus stop but she was soaking wet and looked upset. Billy jumped out of the car and asked her if she was alright then, after a few seconds, he flagged down a passing taxi, gave the driver the money for the fare and told him to take her home. The woman couldn't believe it, nor could the taxi driver who exclaimed, ‘My God, you're Billy Bremner’ and asked for an autograph.

  That was Billy through and through, always helping other people and considering others’ feelings. When he got back to the car we had a queue of traffic behind us, beeping horns and shouting at us to move. Billy was drenched through but turned towards the traffic and gave a bow and a wave and thanked them all for being so patient. He was such a lovely man and the image of this tough and rugged footballer is far removed from the person he truly was. An exceptional man, sorely missed.

  JIM BAXTER (Raith Rovers, Rangers, Sunderland, Scotland)

  I had a great affection for the wee man; he was an exceptional individual in every sense of the word. A great family man, a wonderful husband and father and grandfather, and a friend who I and so many others will sorely miss.

  As a footballer he had the lot, ball control, vision, passing skills and what a finisher. In fact he could do most things with a ball at his feet. I shared a lot of fun times with him when we both played for our country, we both enjoyed a pint and a dram, sensible drinking only, mind you. I remember him giving some stick to Bobby Moore at Wembley, asking him if he was wearing a wig and whether he had a cushion stuffed down the back of his shorts as his backside looked so big in tight pants. The England man didn't like it one bit and swore at Billy and made fun of his height – he asked if he came from beneath the same mushroom as Nobby Stiles? Billy then stood on Moore's bootlaces causing one to come undone. He had to bend down to tie it up at which point Billy walked up to him and looking down on him whispered in his ear: ‘This is no time to pray, Bobby. Its men vs men out there, and may the best man win.’

  MARTIN BUCHAN (Aberdeen, Manchester United, Scotland)

  Billy Bremner was a fine captain and leader of men. A great ambassador of the game and for Scotland. He loved nothing more than pulling on the Scotland jersey and representing his country. He was inspirational to us all and worshipped by supporters wherever he played.

  GEORGE BEST (Manchester United, Fulham, Hibernian, Northern Ireland)

  I hated playing against Billy Bremner, he was the toughest opponent I knew and I could never get the better of him. He read the game and my game in particular so well that I dreaded coming up against him. I tried everything to get one over on him but he was too sharp and strong. We often met up on the after-dinner speaking circuit and enjoyed reminiscing about old times. He was always a gentleman and did a lot for charities and underprivileged children. I do know he made anonymous donations to lots of good causes, and helped the Stirling football clubs with auction material and other donations. Sir Matt always reminded us that Billy Bremner was at his most devastating when staring adversity in the face and that he didn't understand the meaning of the word defeat. He was right. Billy Bremner was one of the finest footballers of his generation and as a family man, a player or in management, he can never be replaced. He was an adversary on the pitch but a good man and friend to me off it.

  BOBBY LENNOX MBE (Celtic, Scotland)

  Billy and I go back along way, he was a good friend. There can be no doubting that he was one of the finest Scotsmen to ply his trade on the football pitches of England and Europe. As a player he worked hard and was determined and, regardless of the opposition, Billy would treat every game with similar respect and deservedly won many honours at club level with Leeds United.

  At international standard he was a fine captain, a real general on the park, demanding 100 per cent commitment from those around him. I will never forget Scotland's 3-2 Wembley win over England in 1967. On that day he was a Colossus, running his legs off and continually pushing everyone to their very limits. It was a marvellous performance from the entire team, but Billy was outstanding and would always have it, that as long as we had beaten the World Champions, then the mantle should now belong to Scotland.

  He was a gentleman off the field, a likeable man who will be missed by all those who knew him. I cannot think of one footballer I know who had anything but respect for him not only as a player, but as an individual. I am honoured to be able to pay tribute to one of the world's greatest footballers of all time.

  SYD OWEN (Luton Town, Leeds United, England)

  Billy Bremner was a dream to coach and train. He always listened intently to what he was told and acted out every instruction meticulously. I would sit and watch him take some serious beatings during a game, he was targeted from the second the ball was first kicked and he would have lumps kicked out of him. Afterwards, when many players went down and complained of injuries and cuts and bruises, Billy would ignore those he suffered, such was his determination not to miss any game. I don't know of any footballer who had the stamina to run and run for the sake of his club. Billy gave every ounce of energy to Leeds United in every game. He genuinely cared and that's what made him stand out from other players of that era. A fantastic footballer and a nice man to know.

  JIMMY JOHNSTONE (Celtic, Scotland)

  To say that Billy and I were close friends is an understatement. We were both red heads, of the same build, and of the same temperament. We both played for the best two football teams of our era, Glasgow Celtic and Leeds United. We kept in regular contact during our careers and after; it came as a terrible blow to me when I heard the sad news of his death.

  As a footballer he played with great pride and determination. Fiery he may have been, but he was the ultimate professional and was always the first to shake his opponent's hand after a game. He had a great desire to win, a passion which flooded through the great Leeds side and also into the Scotland international team – he was an inspiration to all those around him. An outstanding passer of the ball and a regular goal scorer, he was as complete a footballer as I can recall.

  As a leader, he was one of the best. It was an honour to play alongside him at international level and he would give you a kick up the backside if he did not think you were performing to your best, but was also quick to praise when you were on top of your game. Football has lost a legend, life has lost someone very special, and I have lost a very good friend.

  BRIAN CLOUGH OBE (Middlesbrough, Derby County, Leeds United, Nottingham Forest)

  He made the Leeds team tick and without his consistency they may never have won the trophies they did. I was never an admirer of the rough tactics that team employed, but they were only acting to managerial instruction. Billy Bremner had more to his game than the rugged and over-the-top challenges that he is renowned for. He could play a bit as well and when he was in full flow there were few players who could stop him or prevent his exceptional passing game and finishing. Of course I would have liked to have professionally worked with him for much longer, but other factors prevented that from happening. I was certain that he would replace me as Leeds manager when I left them – he seemed the logical and ideal choice. I was surprised when they didn't give him the job, and later when he was given the position, I am told that the club was in a mess and he had his hands tied and was severely restricted with what he could essentially achieve. We may not have been personal friends, but he was a damn fine footballer and I have nothing but respect for his skill in that area; he was a player who any manager would want in their side.

  BILLY MCNEILL MBE (Celtic, Manchester City, Aston Villa, Scotland)

  Billy Bremner epitomised the Leeds United and Scotland sides of the 1960s and ’70s, determined, hard but fair and professional. He was an all-round excellent footballer with vision and an abundance of skill in a
ll departments. We kept in touch with each other right up until his death, which absolutely devastated me. I always felt that people like Billy Bremner would live forever; he was a true legend in every sense of the phrase.

  If I could have picked a player who I would want to have played alongside me, then his name would be one of the first on my list. I know that the majority of managers and players would have wanted him in their team. As an opponent he could be devastating, his tackling was fearless and often bone shaking. His energy was incredible, as he would run his legs off for both Leeds and Scotland; I used to wonder where he found the sheer strength to compete at the highest standard for a full ninety minutes over a football season which could well last seventy odd games.

  Billy had, since a boy, a healthy support for Glasgow Celtic. When Leeds were drawn against us in the semi-final of the European Cup it must have been something of a dilemma for him, but like he was in every game, he gave everything he had to beat us, he even scored at Hampden to level the tie. Afterwards he shook every Celtic player's hand and told them to go on and win the trophy. I regard him as one of the best passers of a football and tacklers of his era and he was without doubt one of the all-time great footballers to grace our game. I consider myself fortunate to have known him as both a player and a friend, and I know he will be remembered for a long time to come. What he achieved for his clubs and country is indeed, legendary.

  BOBBY MURDOCH (Celtic, Middlesbrough, Scotland)

  I could talk for hours about Billy Bremner and still could never provide sufficient positives to say about him. He was a man of honour, a true friend and a wonderful person. On the football pitch he was Leeds United's warrior; for Scotland he was our very own ‘Braveheart’. I used to hate playing against him, whether at training or in a meaningful competitive match such as the European Cup semi-final. Billy treated every game the same, it was there to be won and everybody wants to be winners. He never shirked a challenge or lost a tackle, he caused players like myself, almost twice the physical size of him, to think twice before going up against him in a fifty-fifty challenge. He would laugh about it and try to wind me up, calling me a big softie.

  I know he was immensely proud to play for Leeds against Celtic in that European Cup semi-final. In the tunnel before the game I had a word with him and reminded him that he was among his own kind and to remember his roots. He told me to piss off and reminded me that Leeds United were his paymasters, Don Revie his boss and he wanted to win for the Leeds supporters. That was Billy for you, and of course he scored in that game, I'm sure some Celtic and Scotland supporters cheered when they saw it was the wee man who netted for Leeds. That was his moment and thankfully we won on the night, 2-1. He was the first to congratulate the boys in the dressing room afterwards and was magnanimous in defeat. He is a legend in Scotland and Leeds and quite rightly so.

  WILLIE HENDERSON (Rangers, Sheffield Wednesday, Scotland)

  Billy was a warm genuine man, and an outstanding footballer. He was a real character on and off the pitch and was an inspiration to us all. One game which particularly stands out among my memories is the World Cup qualifying game at Hampden Park on 9 November 1965. We were playing Italy and had to win to stand a chance of progressing further. There was 100,000 plus inside Hampden, every one of them a Scotland supporter. It was a strength-sapping game and we managed to sneak a goal to win the game 1-0. But what I most remember is the leadership of Billy during those last ten minutes of the game. I think every Scotland player that game was fit to drop from sheer exhaustion, we ran and chased everything that moved. It was the influence of Billy which pushed us to our very limits and kept us going, his type of play was instrumental in those last few minutes. Possession football, passing and running off the ball, creating space and pushing the Italians back into their own half, it was a superb display of leadership.

  We would often room together at international matches; his practical jokes were a real source of amusement to all the squad. He was so full of energy, not only for football but for life. He enjoyed everything he did, but more so he wanted everyone else to enjoy themselves as well. It came as a terrible shock to me when I heard that he had passed away, I cannot think of anything negative to say about the man, he was good, honest and genuine, he loved his family and he loved his football and he will be sorely missed.

  JOHN GREIG MBE (Rangers, Scotland)

  Billy Bremner is a footballing legend. I knew him for a long time, right back to when we were Scottish international schoolboys together at the ages of fourteen or fifteen. Then later as under-23 internationals, when we shared a room when on such call-ups. Naturally, during this period we became very close and I am proud to say maintained our good friendship.

  Billy was a fierce competitor who you always wanted in your team; in training sessions he was just as committed as during a full game, he pushed himself to the limit of his ability and always gave 100 per cent. His passing was tremendous and he could turn a game with a simple piece of skill which left his opponents bewildered. His ability to stop play, put his foot on the ball and spread it across the pitch is something very few footballers possess. In one movement he could dispossess someone, look up and pass a ball with precision to a team mate. I could never believe his stamina right through ninety minutes and often longer; he would continue to run and play football. I've lost count of the times he started moves in his own half and scored at the other end to finish it off. He loved the game very dearly. As a person he was different to the player on the pitch, greeting players with a smile and warm handshake, the on-the-field activity forgotten.

  He had a warm character and was approachable on every front. I genuinely liked him as both a player and a person, and was deeply saddened by his sudden death. There are many people who will remember him for a long time to come as he helped so many during his short life.

  DAVID BATTY (Leeds United, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United, England)

  He encouraged me and taught me a great deal about football. He was a tremendous influence on my career. He was special as a person and as a footballer and manager.

  GORDON MCQUEEN (St Mirren, Leeds United, Manchester United, Scotland)

  One of the main reasons I joined Leeds United from St Mirren in 1971-72 was Billy Bremner. The large Scottish contingent at Elland Road was one of the healthiest in the English league, friends on and off the field, they were indeed united. As a young professional I knew I had a great deal to learn, and what better mentor could I ask for than Billy Bremner.

  From day one he helped me with my game. He possessed a great wit and had a sharp sense of humour, which sometimes eased the passage through arduous training sessions, which were new to me. I recall how exhausted most players were after training; not Billy Bremner, he would sometimes remain out there training, practising crosses, shooting and passing accuracy.

  The five-a-side training sessions we held during the week were to his particular liking. He thrived on the competition between his side and the rest, he would treat every tackle and move during these games as though it was of the utmost importance to him, and a few of us understood the ferocity of his sometimes bone-shaking tackle.

  On the Saturday of a game he really came to life, especially when that whistle went. His love of football was as infectious as his personality. No matter who our opponents were, Billy would treat them all the same, whether it was a cup final or a friendly match, he gave his all. He was the undoubted master of the reverse pass and if any other player had tried this pass in such a manner I think they would have dislocated a joint, but such was his dexterity that he could commit such passes accurately and apparently without even thinking about it. He had everything, including an ability to single-handedly win games. I've lost count of the important matches he won for Leeds United through his own ability and determination. Together with Johnny Giles, he formed a formidable partnership in the Leeds midfield.

  Football has lost one of its finest characters, but his memory will long remain with all who knew him
.

  HOWARD WILKINSON (Boston United, Leeds United, Sheffield Wednesday)

  Billy Bremner epitomised the wonderful Leeds team of the 1960s and 1970s. He was a determined, loyal and honest footballer who always led by example. His passion for the game, and Leeds United and Scotland is now the stuff of legend. At Leeds he is still revered by supporters and throughout the football club. He will never be forgotten.

  SIR BOBBY ROBSON (Fulham, West Bromwich Albion, Ipswich Town, PSV Eindhoven, Barcelona, Sporting Lisbon, Porto, Newcastle United, England)

  The mention of his name conjures in my mind a fiery-haired, gritty and determined footballer, with an undeserved reputation for being hard. The Billy Bremner I knew was a kind and considerate human being, a person who would go out of his way to speak to you or to help you. I had many titanic struggles with him over the years but he was a footballer I would love to have signed, and he was inspirational and determined, qualities that are rarely seen in a player today. He used to joke about the Geordie accent saying he couldn't understand it, but when he reverted to his Scottish accent I would have to ask him to slow down so I could understand what he was saying. He would laugh and tell me that Geordies were as close to being Scottish as was possible.

  I liked so much about Billy Bremner the man and Billy Bremner the footballer, he will hold a special place in football's heart.

  PAUL HART (Blackpool, Leeds United, Nottingham Forest, Portsmouth)

  What can be said about the complete footballer that has not already been said? Billy Bremner was the ultimate competitor, a truly magnificent player throughout his career, and a dignified human being long after. I played with him in Peter Lorimer's testimonial at Dundee, when his playing days had all but ended. I was astounded by his thirst and appetite for the ball which he pushed around in a majestic manner. It was a proud moment playing on the same pitch as him.