I've been looking
for people to write about their favourite player, and I was fortunate
enough to be sent this brilliant article about 'the Doog' by Steve
Harris.
The statistics are
impressive but hardly scratch the surface. 648 games (307 for The
Wolves), 280 goals (123 for The Wolves). 43 caps for Northern
Ireland (8 goals).
The Doog, a name that
adorned many walls in Wolverhampton, played for six Football League
clubs, Pompey, Blackburn, Villa, Posh, Leicester and The Wolves.
Nine years with the first 5 and his last nine with The Wolves.
He loved Wolverhampton
and Wolverhampton loved him!
He was a writer, fact
and fiction, a brilliant TV pundit (God, could MoTD do with him
now!), a fashion model, radio presenter and a remarkable chairman of
the PFA. He brought an All Ireland Team together to play Brazil and
paid for it with his international career.
He was a great
footballer but so, so much more and that is why we loved him.
I support The Wolves
because, in 1965, my Dad took me to see a game at Southampton. He
wanted me to support the local side that had started well in Division
2. The famous Wolves were in town, having just been relegated, so
the old Dell was packed. I was never good at doing what I was told
so I chose The Wolves! We scored first, lost 9-3 and that was that.
(A few years back I was at Molineux for the 0-6 loss to Saints and,
for a week, had my Wolves supporting career bookended by two 6 goal
defeats to the same team! Unique??). Worse, my brother DOES support
Saints!
The Doog joined for the
last 11 games the next season, scored a hat-trick against Hull City
on debut (what else?), 6 more and The Wolves were back in Division 1.
Games for me, over the
next 9 years, were few and far between. Parents abroad, school in
Sussex, the odd away game in London was the best I could do. I used
to wait for Wolves to be playing a London side because then they
would be on The Big Match on LWT on a Sunday afternoon.
The Doog was
flamboyant, communicated with the crowd and, as I can prove, was a
kind, thoughtful man. I plagued him for signed pictures to put in
his books. He always responded and, when I was exiled to the USA in
my teen years’ holidays, he sent me the Wolves fixture list as soon
as it was published with a covering letter without me asking!
Imagine that today!!
In October 1969 Doog
got sent off for the second time in the season for alleged abuse of a
linesman. It provoked a near riot and they threw the book at him.
An 8 week ban was the punishment despite that fact that he had
witnesses, including 2 from opponents Everton, and the linesman had
none. The authorities didn’t like people who challenged them but
the fans did. The Doog had a personal hearing and many fans
travelled to London just to sit outside it. People boycotted games
until his return and a 9 year old boy who had never been to a game
was reported as being inconsolable (no, it wasn’t me!)
1972 was O Level year
and my granddad was so worried about me that he wrote me a long
letter. He said that he was concerned that “Derek Dougan and all
that that name represents” was taking up all of my time and I would
fail everything. He wasn’t wrong! I almost did.
In truth I saw some
great games, we always seemed to win or draw 2-2 at Chelsea, but I
never saw a game live where Doog was at his best.
Just four stand out and
the first and biggest was the 1974 League Cup Final. Wolves against
the wonderfully flashy Man City side of Marsh, Law, Bell, Lee and the
rest. It was John Richards’ League Cup really, scoring in all
rounds bar one, including the winner here when he could hardly walk,
and the one that knocked Liverpool out in the quarter final. Man of
the match was birthday boy Gary Pierce in goal but it was pictures of
Dougan and Law that stole the headlines the next morning as Law, in a
Wolves shirt, celebrated the Doog getting some silverware and Doog
knelt down and gave thanks. He didn’t mean to steal the show. He
just was the show!
Game 2 was my first at
Molineux. I went to Lanchester Polytechnic (now Coventry University)
in 1974. It was a close to Wolverhampton as I dare get without
giving the game away...... Second week of term, Wolves v Porto, UEFA
Cup 1st Round; 1-4 down from first leg. First person in
the ground on a drizzly night. Won 3-1 but, if I recall, we were
undone by an outrageous own goal from the kick-off away and another
o.g. at home after taking an early lead. The game was memorable for
a long range headed goal by Doog, his last in Europe, and Porto’s
diving and faking injury. I think they invented it! At one point
Dougan and another (was it Steve Daley?) picked up a mortally wounded
Porto player and dropped him over the touchline! Might not get away
that these days but then there would have been injury time! It was a
cracking game.
Game 3 was a reserve
game v Man City. It was in his last season, 1974-5, and the
miserable Bill McGarry, who appeared to resent the relationship that
The Doog had with the fans, was determined not to play him in the
first team. So, I rang the ground to ask if he was playing in the
reserves and I, along with a few hundred others turned up. No idea
what the score was but I do recall The Doog explaining to young
winger Jimmy Kelly what his role was!
And the last was his
last. 26 April 1975 and McGarry relented to name him as sub,
ironically against Leeds including some of the players that had tried
to get Wolves to throw the final game of the season 3 years earlier.
It was very satisfying to see them form the guard of honour at the
start of the game! The game was entirely meaningless (Leeds finished
9th, 6 points ahead of Wolves) but McGarry delayed and
delayed. I think he got about 15 minutes and the final cries of “on
his head” rang out.
Better players may have
played for The Wolves, but not many, and the memories are very
strong.
You can follow Steve on twitter @stevejharris
