Keep Fighting (28 page)

JIMMY HILL OBE (Brentford, Fulham, Coventry City)

Billy Bremner was the kind of midfield player who in recent years appears to have become extinct. A tendency developed to bypass the skilful midfield artists when in possession and overburden them with defensive responsibilities when not. Billy displayed the perfect balance between aggression and creativity. He made life unpleasant for his opponents, whether they had the ball or he did. If you add to that his unrivalled will to win, whether playing for Leeds United or Scotland, you have a player of inestimable value. Whoever coined the phrase ‘They don't make them like that these days,’ must have had Billy in mind.

DAVE MACKAY (Heart of Midlothian, Tottenham Hotspur, Derby County, Doncaster Rovers, Birmingham City, Scotland)

There was no way you can manufacture what Billy had, skill and toughness. He was as bright as a shiny new button both on and off the field, an opponent to be fearful of for his tenacity and commitment. Away from the game, he was a nice person too, a person who would make time to stop and chat to all supporters and his friends. The world of football has lost a legend.

BILL SHANKLY OBE (Preston North End, Grimsby Town, Liverpool, Scotland)

An outstanding footballer, and when I say footballer I mean it in the true sense of the word, he had complete all-round skills. His mere presence on the football field caused many a team serious concern before a ball was ever kicked; such was the stature of the man. As a captain of Leeds and Scotland he was as determined a leader as I can recall, never giving up until the final whistle blew. He possessed an aura which commanded instant respect from other players, something which is indefinable, and which I witnessed very few times during my football career.

The Leeds team of the late sixties and seventies was very much a great side, a match for anyone. Billy Bremner epitomises everything to do with that side, a tough competitor on the field, not only physically, but mentally as well, and off the field a charming good-humoured man. Football needs more players like Billy Bremner.

IAN ST JOHN (Motherwell, Liverpool, Scotland)

Billy was a great person, someone whose company I really enjoyed and we shared a lot of laughs together. He put a smile on your face. In football he was a great player, one of the best. I hated playing against him as you knew he would force you to give the ball up on every occasion he could, he had so much energy I never knew how he kept running over ninety minutes, but he did. He could score goals as well, too often against sides I
represented, including Liverpool. For Scotland, well he has to be one of the best ever.

CRAIG BROWN CBE (Clyde, Preston North End, Motherwell, Scotland)

I remember Billy as an inspirational player and captain, one of the greatest ever to represent Scotland. On a personal note his very good friend and best man at his wedding, Alex Smith, who was assistant manager at Raith Rovers, is also a friend of mine and he speaks in glowing terms of Billy on every occasion. There are few people in football for whom I have more respect than Alex Smith, and I can assure you that his personal recommendation of Billy Bremner, as a man as well as a footballer, is good enough for me.

There have been many famous captains of Scotland but, arguably, Billy Bremner was one of the greatest, certainly highly respected and greatly admired as a footballer and as a leader of men.

ALBERT JOHANNESON (Leeds United, York City)

When I first came to Leeds, one of the people I met as soon as I got here was Billy Bremner and there was something about him which at once put me in awe of him. He was then physically the slightest of players but he possessed a strong personality and will, and in his mind he would not accept defeat at anything. He knew what he wanted and he expected the same commitment from everyone who played in his side, which was the same in training as it was in First Division matches or Cup games.

When he put on the shirt of Leeds United on a Saturday he wore it with pride and passion. He would never have anyone say a bad word about the club or any of its players; personal criticism was something he understood, and maintained that it should remain within the club.

When I played in the 1965 FA Cup final I know that I really badly underachieved on the day – it was a nerve-wracking experience and I confess I was terrified. Billy told me to forget
the surroundings, forget what the newspapers were saying about me being the first black footballer to play at Wembley in an FA Cup final and not to dwell on how good our opponents that day were. ‘Keep things simple, make the easy pass, and run until you cannot run any more.’ It was good simple advice, he always made it look so easy, but it wasn't. Billy was a great player, one of the best I have ever seen.

Whenever someone within the club was suffering a loss of form or confidence, it was Billy who would first approach them and offer words of advice. Beneath that tough image there was a really nice man, he's a person I will always have lots of respect for.

CHARLIE GEORGE (Arsenal, Derby County, Southampton, England)

Billy and I go back a long way, there are few players who I could honestly say were top class but Billy Bremner is one of those who I place in this category. Whenever you played against him you knew you were in for a real battle, not only a physical battle, but a mental challenge. Sometimes I thought he was one step ahead of everyone else in his vision of the game. There were times when playing against him was like opposing him in a game of chess as he rallied his side and tried to outmanoeuvre your every move.

Physically he was as tough as they come; I can never recall him pulling out of a challenge, and likewise, I can never recall him going into a challenge half-heartedly. There were few footballers who could contemplate beating him in the tackle. As a footballer he was complete: vision, style, skill, ability, desire, and the absolute must for any world-class player – he was a match winner. I don't know how many times he would pull something a bit special out of the hat and take Leeds onto greater achievements.

No matter what attitude he displayed during the game, he was always the first one to console or congratulate the opposition after the final whistle. He was a genuine footballer. As a person he was full of life, a real character, if ever you were down he had
the temperament and personality to lift you. I will always remember him because he made time to speak to anyone, and always had a smile on his face. Billy Bremner was a major part of the Leeds success story; it would be fair to say, Billy Bremner was Leeds United. He is greatly missed by thousands of people worldwide, and not only in the world of football.

BRIAN TALBOT (Ipswich Town, Arsenal, West Bromwich Albion, England)

I was sorry to hear of the sad news about Billy, but you can only remember him in the good times, and what a great player he was. I was only starting my career in the 1970s and I remember the battles we had when Ipswich played Leeds in the FA Cup epic, and Leeds were the best team in England, if not Europe. An allaction player who didn't know the meaning of defeat, he gave everything for his team in every game. A leader of men.

MICHEL PLATINI (St Etienne, Juventus, France, President of UEFA)

He was regarded as being tough and strong, everyone knows his name and who he is.

SIR ALEX FERGUSON (Dunfermline Athletic, Rangers, Falkirk, St Mirren, Aberdeen, Manchester United, Scotland)

Billy Bremner may have been small in stature but in terms of footballing ability, courage and enthusiasm he was a giant. In my opinion he was without doubt one of the greatest midfield players that Scotland has ever produced and unquestionably the finest captain Leeds United have ever had.

I got to know Billy Bremner through a mutual friend, Alex Smith, and I am proud to say that later we became friends also. He possessed such a single minded will-to-win character that I find it hard to think of anyone who came anywhere close to him in those terms.

What a marvellous servant he was to Leeds United. I understand that he played over 750 competitive games for the Elland
Road club and scored well in excess of 100 goals. Those statistics alone speak volumes, but at the same time tell only a small part of the story.

His determination to succeed sometimes overpowered him, particularly in his early days, but had you taken away the tigerish side of his personality then he just wouldn't have been the same individual. What he lacked in height and weight he made up for twice over with his ‘never say die’ attitude.

He also possessed a marvellous demeanour. I remember when he was sacked by Leeds United, he refused to show any resentment or utter a bad word against the club. There wasn't a trace of bitterness because Leeds was, and always would be, his club.

He will go down in Leeds United folklore as one of the all-time greats and no one could possibly change that. One thing that did delight me was to see several Manchester United fans present at his funeral. They had put aside that traditional rivalry between the two clubs to turn up and pay tribute to a very fine footballer and a great man. It was a marvellous gesture on their part and I felt immensely proud of their humanity.

Anyone who knew Billy Bremner will always miss him. I know I shall because he was a man who had a lasting effect on everyone he met.

JOE BAKER (Hibernian, Arsenal, Nottingham Forest, England)

I've played against some hard men in my time, players who would kick you off the pitch because that was the only way they know how to stop you. Although Billy Bremner was regarded as one of those sort of players, he was different. He could actually play football himself. He outwitted you with his skill and brain, and wound up anyone who displayed weakness on the pitch. Whenever I met him away from the pitch, he would always talk about how superior Scotland was over England, in everything. He once told me he thought I acted like I was Scottish – I never understand what he meant by that, until someone explained that we were standing at the bar and it was my round. Through
gritted teeth, I did buy him a drink. Lovely fellow, great company, and a devout Scot.

ALAN BIRCHENALL MBE (Sheffield United, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Leicester City)

I played against him on many occasions for Sheffield United, Chelsea, Crystal Palace and Leicester in the old First Division. When I think, without doubt Leeds had the most awesome side of the late ’60s and early ’70s. If I can just tell this little story that sums up Billy.

I was playing against Leeds at Elland Road – let's say I tripped and as I rolled on the ground Billy accidentally used my head as a stepping stone. I carried on with the game but I had to be bandaged up as blood was pouring from four stud marks in my forehead. After the game I asked my old team mate at Sheffield, who was now playing for Leeds at the time, Mick Jones, if any of the Leeds players could drop me off at the station after the game as I was not travelling back with Chelsea to London. Billy offered to drop me off at the station and there I was sat beside him, my forehead wrapped in bandages with blood seeping through from the four stud marks. Not a word passed between us until we got to Leeds station. I thanked Billy for the lift, he turned to me and said in his own inimitable way, ‘That looks nasty Birch, better get that seen to.’ Great player, great character. Sadly missed.

I hope that little story about my memory brings a smile to your face as it does me when I tell it now.

DENIS LAW (Huddersfield Town, Manchester City, Torino, Manchester United, Scotland)

He was such a character, and I loved to be in his company both on and off the pitch. He was so bright and intelligent and when he talked he spoke a great deal of common sense, be it on football, management or life in general. As a footballer he was great, unique and Scottish. As a manager he never let anyone down and maybe should have been made boss long before he was. Billy was a great guy.

DON WESTON (Wrexham, Rotherham United, Leeds United)

Wee Billy Bremner has been the life and soul of Leeds United for over three decades now. I first met him when I joined the club from Rotherham in 1962, he had an awesome reputation even back then when his career was just starting. A gentleman off the field, he was ruthless and uncompromising on it; he had a winning mentality in everything he did. When it came to kick-off time, Billy would be focused and rallying round everyone, making sure they knew how important it was to win for the boss and for the fans. I remember him trying to square up to me once after a game, I missed a couple of sitters and he thought that I had let the pressure get to me; when I turned to look at him, he was almost a foot smaller than me, I couldn't help but laugh at the image of the pair of us, and gave him a big cuddle instead. Thankfully he saw the funny side of it too, and laughed with me. Billy will always remain Mr Leeds United.

KEITH NEWTON (Blackburn Rovers, Everton, Burnley, England)

As a footballer there are few who were blessed with so much talent as that of Billy Bremner. He could pass, shoot, head and score – he had everything. He was a passionate footballer keen to help his colleagues, and would run and run for his beloved Leeds United and Scotland until he had used every ounce of energy in his body. He did not know the meaning of the term ‘lost cause’ and would play out a full ninety minutes, refusing to accept defeat until the referee blew the whistle to end the game.

Versatility was synonymous to his game, he could play anywhere and give a sparkling performance. I don't really think he completely realised how many footballers and managers were in complete awe of him, and even after he stopped playing and managing, Billy Bremner remained a giant among his peers. I don't think there will ever be another footballer who could ever be like him.

GRAHAM CARR (Northampton Town)

I remember Billy Bremner the footballer with fondness, I always thought I was tough, but he epitomised spiritual toughness as well as strength, belief, and character. As a manager, he is class, quality, he just needs to walk into a dressing room and people shut up and listen. There isn't many people like him in the game, one of a kind, a genius of sorts.