It is actually quite a bizarre story as to how I became friends with Scotland’s greatest ever football manager. It wasn’t long after Sir Alex arrived at Pittodrie from St Mirren in 1978, taking over from Billy McNeil, long before he had been knighted, when we first met.
My old friend Teddy Scott came up to me when I was in at Pittodrie and said: ‘Alex is looking for somebody to do his garden and keep it tidy, can you help him out?’ It was as simple as that. He got us together in the boot room at Pittodrie. Teddy introduced us and we just got on really well from that moment on. From there, I agreed to look after his garden out at his home in Cults.
Alex had that much on his plate managing Aberdeen that he didn’t really have time to do his garden. Anyone who knows Alex or has worked with him will tell you that he works 24/7. He knew to be successful you had to put the hard graft in and Alex certainly did that at Aberdeen and then at Manchester United. His professionalism and standards were two of the many reasons why he was so successful.
I would go out to Cults every couple of weeks and cut the grass and maybe plant a few shrubs or flowers here and there. I grew most of them myself so it wasn’t a problem. It was an easy enough job to maintain it because he didn’t have the biggest garden at the back, most of the work was done out the front.
Alex offered to pay for my services but I refused from the off. A penny never changed hands but Alex always made sure I had two centre stand tickets for every game, home or away. It didn’t matter if it was Cappielow, Ibrox or Celtic Park, there were always two tickets available for me. He would give me a shout at the start of the week and just say: ‘We are playing such and such this week . . . if youse are going I will leave a couple of tickets for you.’ It was great because one of my daughters, Jacqueline, who is still a real diehard Aberdeen fan, never missed a game. But we were not always able to take up his offer for away games because of the shifts I worked. I knew if she found out we had been offered tickets then we were going and that was the end of it! We were lucky because even when it came to big European games or cup finals we always paid for our tickets but you always knew Alex would have made sure you had first class seats in the stand.
I was out doing his garden one Sunday afternoon when Sir Alex came out and said he was going away down to Perth. It wasn’t until the next day I found out that Sir Alex had signed the striker Frank McDougall from St Mirren.
McDougall was the man Alex thought would be the ideal replacement for Mark McGhee, who had decided it was time for a new challenge and had headed to Germany to sign for Hamburg. McDougall proved to be another decent bit of business from the Aberdeen manager, who had unearthed more than his fair share of gems in his success-filled time at Pittodrie.
McDougall hit the ground running. He prolifically hit twenty-four goals in twenty-nine starts for Aberdeen as they went on to retain their League Championship title. McDougall followed that up with twenty goals in thirty-four games the following season but his hopes of netting any Pittodrie goal records were cruelly killed by injury. He struggled with a back injury that saw him eventually have to hang up his boots after making just one appearance in the 1986 – 87 season. Injury may have forced McDougall to retire but he still holds Aberdeen’s record for goals to games ratio and shows what an eye for a player Sir Alex had and probably still has.
It was through doing Sir Alex’s garden that I got to know Cathy and the rest of his family, the boys Jason, Mark and Darren. Cathy also became friendly with my wife, Hazel, and the kids, Lesley and Jacqueline, and it wouldn’t be unusual for them to be round at our house, like that evening Sir Alex took the phone call about Real Madrid from Archie. Cathy was a very informal person and didn’t like to make a big thing and I think that is why they enjoyed coming round to visit friends. Our kids loved it when the Fergusons came around.
We even became friendly with Cathy and Sir Alex’s extended families when we used to go down to Hampden for cup finals, which were a pretty regular occurrence when he was at Aberdeen. We stopped in at Bishopbriggs to pick up Bridget and John, Cathy’s sister and brother-in-law. They were a lovely couple and so sincere. They were great company and we became very good friends with them.
From Bishopbriggs, they would then guide us into Toryglen to Cathy and Bridget’s mum’s house. When we got there Cathy was normally already at the house. The hospitality we got there was just amazing, they were so welcoming; it was second to none. Before the match there was a full spread of soup and sandwiches and after the game we would go back and there was even more food. The spreads that Cathy’s mum, Mrs Holding, put on would have feared you. They probably could have fed the whole town! We would then drop Bridget and John back at Bishopbriggs and then head back to Aberdeen – although it has to be said the journey always seemed shorter if we had won!
My problem was that even if I hadn’t wanted to go to a cup final I didn’t have any option thanks to Jacqueline. The one cup final that always sticks out for me was the 1982 Scottish Cup. They beat Rangers after extra-time. John MacDonald had put Rangers ahead before Alex McLeish equalised. It was a tight affair and in my heart of hearts I didn’t think we were going to do it. But then Mark McGhee and Gordon Strachan scored in extra time before Neale Cooper sealed it with the fourth. I think I just remember it because I feared it was one that was maybe not going to go our way.
It was also the first major cup Sir Alex won at Aberdeen, although he had already lifted the Scottish title in the 1979 – 80 season. I remember after that cup final we were invited round to Cathy and Sir Alex’s house for a celebratory get-together. We all got our pictures taken with Cathy and the Scottish Cup. It was great for the girls. We really did feel like part of their family.
Sir Alex was also very supportive and once or twice he and Cathy came to our prison dinner dances and he would often hand in a signed shirt or something for many of the fundraisers we would have in the prison through the years.
But as they say, nothing lasts forever and Sir Alex was always destined to move on. He certainly had more than enough opportunities before he did decide it was time for a change. I knew in advance that Sir Alex was leaving and his next destination would be Manchester United. I was out doing their garden at Cults when Cathy informed me that Alex had agreed to go to Old Trafford. I was delighted for Sir Alex because it was a great opportunity for him, although I was disappointed to see him leave Aberdeen because he had done a great job for the Dons and more than anything he was a good friend. But when you know Sir Alex you quickly see how ambitious a man he is. He always wanted to be the best and he felt this was his opportunity. It is fair to say, the way things panned out at Old Trafford, he was right!
He always said to me that there were only two clubs in Britain that he would leave Aberdeen for. One was Manchester United and I am certain the other one was Tottenham Hotspur. He had built something special at Aberdeen and I think it would have been near impossible for him to leave Pittodrie for any other Scottish club.
When Manchester United came calling it was a slightly different proposition. They were one of the biggest names in world football but, by their standards, had been in the doldrums. They were something of a sleeping giant and it is fair to say Sir Alex more than awakened United, putting them back at the forefront of the English and European games.
I remember going in to see Teddy Scott not long after Cathy had told me about Sir Alex’s pending departure. News had started to filter out and in all honesty Pittodrie was like a morgue. It was as if somebody had died. Teddy was disappointed as well but had a similar outlook to myself. He was disappointed to see Sir Alex go but knew he had done a great job at Aberdeen. He had produced minor miracles and had taken Aberdeen from nowhere to one of Europe’s top teams. How could anyone begrudge him the chance to try and revive one of the biggest names in English football?
I continued to do Alex’s garden even after he had gone to Manchester United. I would go over and cut the grass and keep it tidy for Cathy and the kids until they all eventually moved dow
n south with Alex. I was sad to see them go but it is fair to say Manchester United quickly became the second result the Glennie household starting looking out for, after Aberdeen of course.
I always knew Sir Alex would be a success at Old Trafford. The only thing that surprised me was that it took him so long to find his feet. However, after that initial FA Cup win in 1989 – 90 he never really looked back. He went on to win thirteen English Premier League titles, five FA Cups, four League Cups, another European Cup Winners’ Cup and two Champions League wins.
He has also managed some of football’s greatest players such as Cristiano Ronaldo, David Beckham, Eric Cantona, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes. The success they had under Sir Alex again shows how good he is at getting the best out of people and delivering success as one team!
He had one of the most pressurised jobs in football but he would always have time for friends and good causes. I remember I was playing for the Scottish Prison Service against our English counterparts at bowls in Gartcosh, just outside Glasgow. Sir Alex said he would be in Glasgow that weekend and he would come and present the trophy and meet the teams but then something cropped up. He called me on the Wednesday and said he wasn’t able to come but he had sent up a signed Manchester United shirt in the first-class mail. We ended up auctioning the shirt after the game and we got big money for it to help boost the funds for our SPS Bowling Association. It was a great gesture from Sir Alex because he could have quite easily said that he couldn’t make it and just left it like that but he didn’t. He sent us the shirt and that just shows the class of the man.
We have remained in touch. Cathy and her sister Bridget came up for Jacqueline and Gavin’s wedding and we were also invited to Mark Ferguson’s wedding – Sir Alex Ferguson’s oldest son. We still keep in touch with Christmas cards. I know if I ever need him then I just have to get in touch and it works the same for me. When I started to work on my book, I wrote to Sir Alex to see if he would be prepared to do my foreword. In typical Sir Alex style, he called me back and couldn’t have been more helpful – although he explained to me I had to wait until his own book was out of the way! I know I am lucky to know one of the greatest managers British football has ever seen but I am even luckier to be able call Sir Alex, Cathy and their family true friends. That for me is the most important thing!
The Social Wing
16
Prison Fights
You get plenty of fights and scraps in British prisons every day. Skirmishes are always breaking out amongst fellow prisoners. There is always a bit of natural aggression amongst a lot of the prisoners, especially those sentenced for some of your more violent crimes.
The majority of the time the set-tos are done and dusted within a matter of seconds and the prison officers quickly step forward to restore the peace. If you see people every day and you don’t necessarily get on with them there is always going to be friction, and being in prison that can build-up over a period of days, weeks, months or even years. It is even more so in an all-male prison were testosterone levels are bound to be at an all-time high, more so amongst the prisoners who are vying for the title of the so-called top dog or kingpin.
I have also seen a fair bit of hand-to-hand combat of my own, being a former boxing referee. I officiated all over Scotland, at venues like the Music Hall and Beach Ballroom in Aberdeen, the Caird Hall in Dundee and Glasgow’s Kelvin Hall. I was lucky enough to get the chance to officiate at many Scottish title fights, including greats like Tony Kerr and Alex McIntosh of St Mary’s and John Gillan and Norman Houston of Aberdeen ABC.
I got the best view in the house from inside the ring – most of the time!
I would have to say the highlight of my refereeing career was when I took charge of some of Harry Johnstone’s bouts. Harry was the North-east Championship and Scottish flyweight champion. The big thing for me was that he boxed out of my home club, Insch Amateur Boxing Club.
I also officiated at many of the boxing shows in the city and surrounds and all across Scotland. I really enjoyed refereeing and I know what a disciplined and skilled sport boxing is. A fighter might be born with natural ability but they have to work hard on their fitness and their fighting techniques.
I had officiated at dozens of fights and they were always big favourites, especially with the Aberdeen public.
It had always been at the back of my mind as to whether or not we would be able to stage a boxing show at Craiginches for the prisoners. I knew it would be something different for the inmates. It could help break up the boredom of prison life and give them something to look forward to.
So I decided I would make my move, with the thought nothing ventured nothing gained. I was sitting having a cup of tea after a show one night with Robbie Kidd from Hayton Boxing Club and Adam Smith from Aberdeen Boxing Club.
We were talking about some of the bouts from that evening’s card and then as the conversation progressed, I thought I am going to chance my arm here! We all gave up our time to boxing completely free. The officials were completely dedicated to the sport and gave their time up for nothing and the referees did the same. They all just loved the sport and working with the lads and passing on their experiences from their boxing backgrounds. I approached Robbie and Adam and said: ‘As a wee bit of a thank you, do you not fancy coming up to the prison and putting on a boxing show one Sunday afternoon?’ I wasn’t sure how Robbie and Adam would react. They looked at each other and then there was a slight pause before, thankfully, and much to my relief, they both agreed it was a good idea, albeit in somewhat more unusual surroundings than they were used to.
Robbie immediately said: ‘I will tell you what I will do. I will give you my ring and as long as you arrange to collect it and set it up then you can have it free of charge. You just pick it up and get it set up before the Sunday show, get everything else organised and we will get the fighters across.’ So we thrashed out a date between us and got all the finer details ironed out for the big Craigie boxing show.
Prisons had held boxing bouts before but the last one in Scotland had been fifteen years earlier. So it was good we were getting the chance to put the fight scene back on the prison map.
The day before the fights I went and got the ring picked up. We set it up in the prison dining room and organised makeshift dressing rooms for the fighters from Hayton Amateur Boxing Club and Aberdeen Boxing Clubs. The prisoners, more than a hundred of them, all came through from A Hall for the show, buzzing with excitement. I was also the man in the middle. I refereed the show myself to ensure there were no major costs for the afternoon.
It turned out to be a win-win situation for everyone involved. The prisoners got the chance to see some excellent fights and were royally entertained. It also gave the boxing clubs the opportunity to give some of their younger, up-and-coming fighters the chance to go out and battle and to get some much-needed experience in the ring, away from the public eye.
The fights were a tremendous success. There was a real buzz in the air after the event. The prisoners were all talking about the fights for days after. There was no doubt it went down a storm. Even the fighters loved it although I think our kitchen staff also had a helping hand in that. They would feed all the fighters after the shows. They would serve up pies, peas and chips for them. I am not sure it would be the recommended diet for top fighters today but it certainly fuelled those boys back then!
It went down that well that we organised several other fights including an inter-club match between Hayton and Aberdeen ABC, and other bouts where a few youngsters travelled from other parts of the North-east to take part. All in all, if you pardon the pun, our boxing shows proved to be a bit of a knockout!
17
That’s Entertainment
We had hosted sporting nights and events and thought it would be good to try and branch into music. Music like sport was a release from prison life, with inmates listening to the latest singles on the radio.
We knew if we could get a group to play then it could bring ano
ther form of prison entertainment. The problem, we were well aware of, was actually getting a band or group to agree to play at Craiginches. What would they be facing and how would they be received?
A local group, the Stan Fraser Band, was famous in and around Aberdeen at that time. They were a four-piece rock group who did a lot of cover versions and had an excellent following, selling out venues in and around the Granite City.
I was at a function they were playing at and I got speaking to their frontman Stan Fraser. So I explained to him that I worked at the prison and we were looking to put a few more events on for our prisoners. I asked if he and his band would be interested in playing and in a bizarre twist of fate we got lucky. It turned out that Stan, ironically, used to be the paperboy for Craiginches in his schoolboy years. He delivered the prison newspapers not for the individual prisoners but for general use. So when he got over the initial shock of the question he was more than happy to take up my offer. When I first asked him he sort of looked at me, as if to say, you really want us to play in the prison? When he realised I was being serious he thought about it for a few seconds and then said: ‘No problem, we will do it.’I asked him what the costs would be, but he was adamant they didn’t want anything. The entire band did it for absolutely nothing and that was our first entertainment night in the prison that didn’t have a sporting theme. The prisoners couldn’t believe it. Their previous entertainment had been in-prison games or activities and so this was a break from the norm. It was a real highlight and one they really appreciated. The night was a roaring success and the band got a standing ovation.
A delighted Stan Fraser, speaking to the Evening Express about his visit in 1987, said: ‘We did not know what to expect but, obviously, the lads seemed to appreciate us and we would definitely do it again if the prison wanted us back. It is quite different to the venues we normally play but we enjoyed it and would like to thank the prison authorities for inviting us.’
Craiginches Page 7