Was Ally McLeod really a born winner?

Also in this week's Knowledge: Steven Gerrard - international record breaker?; and the highest number of penalties in a UK shoot-out (3)
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"As someone who was born after the 1978 World Cup but who has read about Scotland's inauspicious campaign, I recently wondered what happened to Ally McLeod," explains Chris Weaver. "When he claimed that 'My name is Ally McLeod and I am a born winner', did he have any basis for this statement? And what has happened to the man since?"

Ally McLeod was born in Glasgow on February 26 1931, and judging by his record as a player and a manager, it's a fair bet that he didn't come out with the word "winner" stamped on his forehead.

After an unremarkable playing career that included spells at Blackburn Rovers and Hibernian (major honours: zero), McLeod embarked on a managerial career that can only be described as a one-man roadshow of broken promises and shattered dreams.

On being appointed manager at Ayr United in 1966, his first masterstroke was to take the team he inherited - Second Division champions who'd scored nearly 90 goals the previous year - and dump them back whence they'd came within a season.

Better days followed. In 1969 Ayr returned to the top flight, where the club enjoyed a golden age, finishing in the top seven in 1973,1974 and 1975. In the process, McLeod won Ayr Citizen of the Year Award 1973, while the club set their attendance record (a 2-1 win over Rangers, watched by 25,225).

More success followed. In 1975, McLeod - who summed us his philosophy as "if the manager keeps saying we'll win, we'll win, we'll win, then eventually the players will believe it" - moved to Aberdeen, where he led the Dons to a League Cup win and Premier League runners-up spot.

Small wonder, then, that in May 1977 the Scottish FA came knocking. Their previous manager, Willie Ormond, had done OK during his four years in charge but, with player indiscipline growing, the SFA wanted a more forceful and charismatic leader. Step forward Ally McLeod.

Sadly, a year later it all went disastrously wrong.

Scotland's World Cup 78 campaign started on a high, with Ally declaring to the world that he would be back with "at least a medal", to a background of maniacally happy fans singing "We're on the way with Ally's Army".

But two frankly embarrassing performances against Peru and Iran, a drugs scandal, and a too-little-too-late win over Holland later, the squad was back before anyone could say "Give us back that tracksuit and get yourself to Motherwell."

McLeod's fate was a series of jobs (in Motherwell, Airdrie and Ayr respectively) throughout the 1980s, where he again failed to live up to his "born winner" tag. However, his return to Ayr between 1986 and 1989 is still fondly remembered at Somerset Park, largely because he kept them in the Scottish Football League in 1988.

Now 72, McLeod spends his retirement playing golf in Ayr.


"Steven Gerrard, it is well known, has never lost a game in an England shirt. Is his the longest unbeaten run any England player has ever enjoyed?" asks Will Jones. "And who, worldwide, has gone longest for his country without losing?"

We're not sure about the first part of the question Will, but Gerrard - or anyone else for that matter - has got a long way to go to beat Garrincha in the longest-winning period stakes.

Sean DeLoughry points out: "Brazil's brilliant winger played in 60 internationals, won two World Cups, and was only on one losing Brazilian team - in his 60th and final match, against Hungary in the 1966 World Cup finals."

As that was 11 years after Garrincha first made his debut, against Chile in the Maracana in 1955 (ending a run of 52 wins and seven draws), we doubt anyone will be able to top that.


In a recent Knowledge we wondered whether Arsenal v Rotherham match (which Arsenal won 9-8 on penalties) contained the most penalties (24) in a UK match.

It didn't. "I'm sure you've had billions of Aldershot fans writing in to tell you that during the Freight Rover Trophy Southern Section quarter-final between Aldershot and Fulham on the never-to-be-forgotten night of February 10 1987, a total of 28 penalty kicks were taken after the game had finished 1-1," says Simon Thomas. "Final score was 11-10 to the mighty Shots."

Meanwhile Kenneth Brophy says: "I recall watching a B&Q Cup semi-final in the early 1990s between Hamilton Academical and Meadowbank (now Livingston) in which the final score was 2-1 to Hamilton.

"This was after an amazing seven penalties apiece, making a tally of three penalties scored from 14 taken, including an especially impressive blast over the bar by the Meadowbank goalie in sudden death," he adds. "Is this the worst penalty shoot out in the history of the world, ever?"

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"Reading an old football yearbook recently, I noticed that in 1984-85, Wrexham were drawn against Wigan in the FA, League and Leyland Daf (as was) Cups, playing them five times in total," says Steve Williams. "What's the record for teams playing each other the most times in one season? Also, given Wrexham lost all their matches with Wigan, what's the most one-sided of these multi-game marathons?"

"I was reminiscing today with work colleagues about Alan Brazil's time at Manchester United and how he was totally detested by almost every person in the stadium," says Brian Deegan. "Fans would even spit at him as he came running out (charming days, the 80s). Can anyone think of a player more hated by his own fans? PS. The assassinated Columbian defender Andres Escobar doesn't count on the grounds of taste."

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