Denis Law

by Alex Gordon

  Bobby Collins, who would leave Celtic for Everton for £23,500 in 1958, a massive fee at the time, played in the Scottish team against Wales on 18 October 1958, when Law, at 18, made his international debut. ‘We had heard about the lad, of course,’ Collins said. ‘He was making a name for himself at Huddersfield Town, but you could only go by what you read in the newspapers. There weren’t television cameras at every ground as there are today, so we were still a bit in the dark about this teenager. Sometimes the press can go a bit overboard and exaggerate a player’s skills. Professionals like to make up their own minds. We saw him at first-hand against the Welsh that day and, boy, could that lad play. Within minutes you instinctively knew you were in the presence of someone special, very special.

  ‘I was lucky enough to play another six games alongside Denis spanning seven years. A month after his debut against Wales, I scored in a 2-2 draw with Northern Ireland and the following May I was fortunate enough to net again in the 2-1 win over Holland in Amsterdam. A week later we lost 1-0 to Portugal in Lisbon and, amazingly, it was another six whole years before we lined up alongside each other again. I came out of international exile to play in the 2-2 draw with England at Wembley where Denis scored a truly fantastic goal with a shot that completely bamboozled Gordon Banks. Believe me, it took a lot to surprise a goalkeeper of Gordon’s calibre and ability. Denis could do it, though. That was in April and the following month we had a goalless draw against Spain at Hampden. Perhaps fittingly, Denis was on target against Poland in our 1-1 World Cup qualifying draw in Chorzow in the parting of our ways. It was his farewell gift to me. I can look back and realise how fortunate I was to play alongside Denis. He was the best, no argument.’

  Former Rangers captain and manager John Greig performed alongside Law on 18 occasions for his country and is another with fond and treasured memories. ‘When it comes to strikers, there was none braver or more aggressive than Denis Law,’ Greig said. ‘My Scotland teammate may have looked puny, but he had the heart of a lion and would have fought with his shadow. Denis loved to play against England – and hated losing to them because of the stick he took from his English teammates at Old Trafford. He was also deceptively strong and fought for every ball, but it was in the air that Denis really excelled. He seemed to have the capacity to hang in the air when he jumped for the ball. When I met him for the first time, Denis made an instant impression; he had an almost magical aura because of his personality. I remember early in my international career, when the squad was based in Largs on the Ayrshire coast, going to Denis’s room just to chat to him. He sat with a pot of tea and a packet of fags and regaled me with fascinating tales. Denis is quite a private person, but he was a truly great player.’

  Billy McNeill made his international debut alongside Law in April 1961. ‘Nothing to do with Denis, but I would prefer to forget all about that particular afternoon,’ said the Celtic legend. ‘It was one of the worst days of my career. I was only 21 years old and making a wee bit of a name for myself when I was given the nod to face England at Wembley. Excited? You bet. However, if it could go wrong that day, it did. We were trounced 9-3 and it was a truly horrible experience. I am as proud a Scot as the next guy and that really hurt. My Celtic teammate Frank Haffey was in goal and he took the bulk of the blame, but we all contributed.

  ‘Everything England attempted came off for them while every mistake we made was magnified and punished in the most brutal fashion possible. England took us apart and there was little Denis, myself or our colleagues could do about it. There was a lot of cruel humour afterwards. The ball was orange so it was said that the Rangers full-backs Bobby Shearer and Eric Caldow refused to kick it while Frank Haffey refused to touch it. Those versed in the religious divisions of the West of Scotland will require no further explanation, but for the uninitiated in the eyes of some people the Orange Order represents Protestantism.

  ‘Back then, there seemed to be a Home Scots v. Anglo Scots confrontational situation. Some Scotland supporters actually wanted the international team to consist only of players plying their trade in Scotland. The Anglos, with Denis among them, were seen as some sort of defectors. Ridiculous, of course, and would be laughed at today, but in the fifties and sixties it was a contentious issue. If Scotland failed, the Anglos were the first to get the blame. I know Denis always detested the label Anglo-Scot. He made the point he was born in Aberdeen with a Scottish mother and father and had three Scottish brothers and three Scottish sisters. “How much more Scottish can you get?” he would say.

  ‘In fact, Denis was a revelation when he played and he had few poor games for Scotland. His electrifying darts into the penalty box allied to his razor sharp reflexes were his strongest assets. He also had a wonderful sense of anticipation, which enabled him to snap up half-chances when the ball broke off the goalkeeper or a defender, but perhaps people were less aware of just how tough and durable Denis was. Denis was as hard as nails. He gave and took knocks without complaint. His incredible timing and his ability to appear to almost hover in the air meant he had to be brave when he jumped with a defender.’

  George Best backed up McNeill’s thoughts. ‘I remember one day in training at Manchester United when Bill Foulkes, our big, strapping, powerful centre-half, knocked Denis to the ground. Now, remember, Bill had been working down the mines and only quit at the age of 20 when he broke through in football. He was an authentic tough guy. What happened next? Denis just got up and punched him. Bill hit him back and the next thing everyone was piling in. Denis gave as good as he got.’

  The late and much lamented Bill Shankly, in his unmistakeable, porridge-thick Ayrshire accent, rasped, ‘I had three years at Huddersfield Town with Denis. He was a young boy and we were giving him special food for energy. He did training sessions that he liked and on Saturdays in matches he’d give you everything he had. He’d run himself into the ground. So you couldn’t ask him to do it on the field and off it at his size and weight. But he never held back in training, I can tell you that. Ray Wilson, who won a World Cup medal with England in 1966, was our established first-team left-back when Denis arrived. You should have seen those two go at it in training games. We could have sold tickets for the event.’

  Wilson, five years Law’s senior, recalled, ‘We were staying at the same digs when Denis arrived. Honestly, we thought it must have been some mistake. He looked about 12 years old and he told us he would be training with us. The following day we saw what he could do with a ball. We realised then he was a player. And what a player.’

  Later on, as manager of Liverpool, Shankly rarely discussed at length the strengths of the opposition. Scottish internationals Ian St John and Ron Yeats were among the players sitting in the Anfield dressing room who witnessed a particular gem from their manager, who was in full flow before a game against Manchester United. ‘The goalkeeper, Stepney. He’s no good in the air and he’s not much better on the ground,’ Shankly said. ‘He’s so wee he’s got to jump for the low balls. What’s the difference between Stepney and Jesus Christ? Jesus saves. And the full-backs, Brennan and Dunne, a couple of clapped-out Paddies, that’s what they are, should have been put out to grass years ago. Nobby Stiles, as blind as a bat, runs around the field like a headless chicken, not worth talking about, that lad. Foulkes? Ancient. Older than me. He wasn’t even any good when he was young. Sadler needs watching, but no-one ever passes to him so no problems there. The boy Morgan can run a bit, but he can’t beat an egg and the other lad, Kidd, can’t hold the ball. Big girl’s blouse. This team is a shambles. You’ll take them apart. You’ll run up a cricket score. No problem.’

  The Liverpool captain, Emlyn Hughes, put his hand up at the end of the team talk. ‘Boss, you haven’t mentioned Best, Law or Charlton,’ he said. Shankly glared at him. ‘Christ, Emlyn, you’re worried that you can’t beat a team with just three players?’ In a more reflective moment, Shankly would admit, ‘If we were playing Manchester United, I’d never talk about George Best, Denis Law or Bobby Charlton. I
f we did, we’d frighten ourselves to death.’

  Shankly followed Law’s progress with interest. ‘Denis was always full of enthusiasm for the game and full of awareness,’ the Merseyside legend once recalled. ‘He scored the goals he should score. It sounds funny saying that. A lot of players score spectacular goals, but don’t score the ones they should score. Denis didn’t blast the ball or try to burst the net. All he wanted to do was get the ball over the line. If Denis was through on his own with only the goalkeeper to beat you could get your tea out and drink it – it was going to be a goal. Every player should be taught what to do in any given situation; Law always knew what to do. If the keeper stayed on the line he would take the ball right up to him and say: “Thanks very much,” before slipping it into the net. If the keeper came out, he sidestepped him, angled himself and put it into an empty net. Law was quicker than most inside the box. Very, very quick. He was lean and didn’t carry any weight. No keeper stood a chance when he had a sniff at goal.’

  It was Matt Busby who revolutionised Law’s role in football. ‘When Denis first arrived at Old Trafford he was all action, all over the pitch,’ said Harry Gregg. ‘He was, in my eyes, the complete inside-forward. Matt Busby, though, had other ideas and I remember the day he transformed Denis into a purely attacking weapon. We had been going through a rough patch, our performances did not match Matt’s expectations. Then, during one team talk, he announced, “From now on, Denis Law does not come back over the halfway line.” I thought to myself, “That’s a waste, this guy’s got so much to offer all over the pitch.” In the end, Matt was right. Denis went on to become even more of a prolific goalscorer – his 236 goals in 393 games is all the evidence you need.’

  It is ironic, then, that one man who did not believe the switch was for the best was Denis Law himself. He said, ‘My favourite player was Alfredo di Stefano, the great Real Madrid star. He could score goals, but he could also perform all over the pitch. That’s the way I wanted to play. I liked to play inside-forward. But Matt felt differently and I wasn’t happy. Of course, I was delighted to score a goal or two but, in that role, you could miss a lot of the game. I always wanted to be involved. No, I wasn’t happy.’

  Busby never had any doubt about the devastating finishing ability of Law. ‘When I signed Denis I knew that we had the most exciting player in the game,’ the United manager said. ‘He was the quickest-thinking player I ever saw, seconds quicker than anyone else. He had the most tremendous acceleration and could leap to enormous heights to head the ball with almost unbelievable accuracy and often the power of a shot. He had the courage to take on the biggest and most ferocious of opponents and his passing was impeccable. He was one of the most unselfish players I have ever seen. If he was not in the best position to score he would give the ball to someone who was. When a chance was on for him, even only half a chance, or in some cases, no chance at all for anybody else but for him, whether he had his back to goal, was sideways on, or the ball was on the deck or up at shoulder-height, he would have it in the net with such power and acrobatic agility that colleagues and opponents alike could only stand and gasp. No other player scored as many miracle goals as Denis Law. Goals which looked simple as Denis tapped them in were simple only because Denis got himself into position so quickly that opponents just couldn’t cope with him.

  ‘He was the first British player to salute the crowd. Early on at Old Trafford, the multitudes cheered him and he soon became what the crowd called him – The King. With his sharp reflexes, he became the most dangerous man in a penalty box I ever saw. Even in the ordinary scrimmaging for the ball, Denis could be spotted a mile off. With his arms and legs flailing about in a bid to get to the ball first, he looked twice as physically dangerous as he really was. He was brave, too. I have seen his legs after many a game, virtually slashed to ribbons, with blood and cuts all over the place. He never complained and always went back for more.’

  Bobby Charlton, who, along with Law and Best, formed the awe-inspiring talent-laden trio which became known as the Manchester United Trinity, understood well the merits of his former teammate and dangerous international foe. ‘There was a period around the mid-sixties when Denis was free from injury and then we saw the full scale of his brilliance,’ Charlton said. ‘He was an awesome sight as he went into dangerous places, daring a centre-half or a goalkeeper to blink. He got up to incredible heights and when he did so the defenders knew they couldn’t afford half a mistake. The semblance of a slip was all he needed. The ball would be in the back of the net and his arm would be shooting skyward.

  ‘What the fans loved most about Denis, I believe, was his incredible aggression and self-belief. There were times when he seemed to define urgency on a football field and there was always a gleam in his eye. They never made a big centre-half who could induce in Denis even a flicker of apprehension. One of the most amazing things I witnessed was his decision to take on big Ron Yeats, the man once described as the ‘New Colossus’ by his Liverpool manager Bill Shankly. Denis scarcely came up to the man’s shoulder, but he was in his face throughout the game, chivvying, needling, always at the point of maximum danger. I remember thinking, “This is ridiculous, impossible,” and for anyone else but Denis it certainly would have been.’

  England’s 1966 World Cup-winning goalkeeper Gordon Banks has an interesting take on Law. He said, ‘Denis could be arrogant, precocious, evil-tempered, hilariously funny and simply brilliant all in the space of a few minutes. Often, when the pressure of the match was at its peak, Denis brought a smile to my face with a sudden aside. That was at club level. When he was playing for Scotland, he didn’t have a good thing to say to any of us Sassenachs.’

  Law praised the England goalkeeper. ‘If you scored against Banksie you knew you had earned it,’ he said. Banks returned the compliment and rated the Scotsman in fourth place in his all-time Top Ten Strikers list. Pele came first, with Jimmy Greaves second and Gerd Muller third. Then came Law, ahead of George Best, Bobby Charlton, Eusebio, Johan Cruyff, and Jairzinho with Geoff Hurst and Roger Hunt joint tenth. ‘I thought Denis was a great competitor,’ Banks said. ‘The press often referred to him as the Electric Eel. I think Electric Heel would have been more appropriate. He had such fast reactions in the penalty box that it was as if he was plugged into the mains. I will always remember – with mixed feelings – his remarkable performance for Manchester United against Leicester City in the 1963 FA Cup Final. He produced one of the greatest forward displays ever seen at Wembley and inspired United to a 3-1 triumph. Denis, a menace if ever there was one, scored one goal and was jumping in celebration of another when his header struck the bar. I turned expecting to see the ball in the back of the net and, gratefully, received the rebound into my arms. Denis threw both arms in the air and collapsed to his knees. He always was one for theatrical gestures.’

  Nobby Stiles, Law’s United teammate and another of Sir Alf Ramsey’s world conquerors, laughed, ‘We were good friends at Old Trafford, but you couldn’t talk to him in the tunnel or during an international game. And you knew he was taking these encounters seriously when you noticed he was wearing shin guards. They weren’t compulsory back then and Denis rarely wore them. But when he was facing England, they were in place and you realised, to your dismay, that he was up for a scrap.’

  Another World Cup winner, Jack Charlton, had a few head-to-heads with Law during their playing days at club and country level. He recalled, ‘We were drawn against Manchester United in the semi-finals of the FA Cup. The first encounter was at Hillsborough and was a bad-tempered affair which ended in a goalless draw. I had a number of clashes in the penalty area with Denis, nearly pulling the shirt off his back on more than one occasion. You had to hang on to Denis because he was so sharp and so good in the air. I used to hate playing against him, though I have always regarded him as a good pal of mine.

  ‘Denis was a great competitor. I’ll never forget going for a cross in a game at Elland Road and, as I went to volley the ball clear, sudd
enly Denis was diving over me and heading it into the net. I kicked Denis right in the mouth. I really walloped him – not deliberately, of course. Anyway, I remember Denis lying on his back and there’s blood and everything coming out of his nose and mouth while the trainer was sponging him down. I was standing over him as he started to come to. He looked up at me and smiled, “Did I score, big fella?”

  ‘There was talk of me having a little black book with the names of players I would be looking out for. I didn’t really have such a thing, but I did have perhaps five or six players in mind who had committed nasty tackles on me and whose names I wouldn’t forget in a hurry. You always remember the names of people who have done you wrong. I would get them back if I could. But I would do it within the laws of the game. A lot of people thought Chelsea’s Peter Osgood topped my list, but that wasn’t the case. Ossie and I had some good battles, but I don’t remember doing anything untoward in my duels with him and I can’t recall him ever doing anything untoward to me. The same was true of Denis. I’ve still got two or three of Denis’s shirts at home that I ripped off his back.’

  Charlton also recalled a funny moment minutes after another hectic confrontation between Leeds United and Manchester United. ‘It was 1965 and I was sitting in the dressing room, caked in mud, when I got news I had been chosen by Alf Ramsey for the England team that was due to play Scotland in April,’ he said. ‘It was the first time I had been picked. I was so excited I knew I had to tell Bobby right away. I practically ran into our opponents’ dressing room and said, “Hey, kidda, I’ve just been told I’m going to play for England against Scotland! What do you think about that?” Denis was far from impressed with my big news. I believe I was “invited” to leave the premises and he “would sort me out at Wembley”. The international ended 2-2 and, yes, Denis scored.’

  A teenage Bobby Lennox, who became a Celtic favourite who would play alongside Law in the memorable 3-2 triumph over world champions England at Wembley in 1967, occasionally travelled through to Glasgow from the family home in the Ayrshire holiday resort of Saltcoats to take in games at Parkhead and Hampden. He remembered an outing at the national stadium in 1961: ‘I went to see Denis Law, then at Torino, playing for an Italian Select in a 1-1 draw with the Scottish League. He was a glamorous player, almost godlike in comparison to the rest of the players. He stood out from the crowd.’