Andy Irvine

Andy Irvine, Scotland’s ‘all-time great’ rugby full back, was born on the 16th of September, 1951.

Andrew Robertson ‘Andy’ Irvine was probably Scotland’s greatest rugby player – at the very least, he is one of the all-time greats of Scottish rugby. Certainly, he features regularly at the top of polls for such things so he’s got the popular vote, for sure. Of course, he’s not playing any more, which is whyfor ‘was’ instead of ‘is’. Then again, looking at what Scotland has to offer now in terms of rugby players, maybe ‘is’ isn’t too far off the mark. There’s no doubt that Andy could generate excitement and exhilaration amongst the fans and spectators in any match, making an impact such as is sadly lacking from the current crop of over-coached and under-achieving international ‘stars’.

Andy Irvine was born in Edinburgh on the 16th of September, 1951 and played at full back for the Scottish national side between 1972 and 1982, winning his first cap against the All Blacks and his last against the Wallabies. During his international career, he amassed fifty-one caps (fifteen as captain) and scored two hundred and seventy-three points for Scotland. At the time of his retirement, he was Scotland's most capped player, although he has since been overtaken by several players, but in an age when more and more games are played per season. Andy also won nine caps for the British and Irish Lions spanning three Lions’ tours, taking his total haul of points from full cap internationals to three hundred and one, which was at that time a world’s record (it stood for five years until 1987, when Michael Lynagh overhauled his total). Irvine also played for the Barbarians, representing Heriot’s Rugby Club.

Irvine was undoubtedly a dazzling fullback; unquestionably the greatest running full-back that Scotland has ever produced. He was a rugby player of genius, blessed with tremendous pace and he was also a goal-kicking machine. However, he was not without his limitations, which were debated right at the beginning of his international career. There was a time when it was considered that he wasn’t secure enough in defence, particularly against the high-ball – the Garryowen’s, so beloved of Bill McLaren. As a result, he was played on the wing, which is from where he made his contribution to the Lions, including an amazing performance on the 1977 New Zealand Tour in which he rattled in a tally of five tries in one midweek game. Irvine’s unique attacking qualities were best realised from deep or wide positions and, fullback or wing, his eye for space, incredible speed, side step off either foot and change of pace, meant that defenders never knew on which side he was going slip through. He was “as slippery as an eel” as Bill McLaren probably said, more than once. Funnily enough, Irvine was a threat to opposition defences even without the ball. In one game against Wales, it is clear that a try by Iain Robertson was the result of the Welsh defence paying over much attention to Irvine, which allowed Jim Renwick to pop up a pass into the gap for ‘Robbo’ to score.

Another memory is one of Andy Irvine’s most striking performances, which came in the
1980 Five Nations encounter with France at Murrayfield on the 16th of February. Leading up to the game, there wasn’t much cause for optimism amongst the Scottish supporters and the ‘Wooden Spoon’ beckoned. By half time, there was no sign of the result being anything other than an away victory and entering the final quarter, France was leading by 4-14. Suddenly, the Scots on the field began to get their act together and Irvine was at the forefront of an amazing revival. A wonderful move, involving no fewer than eight players, created a gap through which Irvine sped and scored in the corner. On that occasion, he also made the conversion, which had been a concern earlier in the game as he had failed to find his range. Within five minutes, another marvellous phase of play put Scotland on level terms when Irvine once again finished off a move that involved a number of players. He touched down by the posts and, whilst he gathered his breath, Jim Renwick made no mistake with an easy conversion. Scotland was then in the lead for the first time in the game and when Irvine added two penalties to make it 22-14, the victory was sealed. It is stretching things just a bit to say that Irvine won the match single-handed, but in the space of just over twelve minutes, Scotland turned a ten-point deficit into an eight-point advantage and Irvine was responsible for sixteen of those eighteen points.

Outside of Scotland, Andy Irvine is remembered as one of the finest attacking fullbacks of all time, comparable with the likes of Christian Cullen. In Bill McLaren’s autobiography, ‘Talking of Rugby’, Bill chooses a ‘World XV’ from the period just after the 1991 Grand Slam. The list is primarily based on who he'd most enjoy watching, rather than any other criteria, and Andy Irvine is on that list. He also appears on the ‘Wall of Fame’ at Twickenham. Having mentioned Bill McLaren, how can we forget his commentary when Andy Irvine kicked the last minute penalty to win the 1974 Calcutta Cup? “High enough, long enough and STRAIGHT enough,” drawled Bill in his inimitable Borders brogue.

Since retiring from rugby, Irvine has become a successful businessman and is a director of Edinburgh-based property firm, Jones Lang LaSalle. He is a former President of the Scottish Rugby Union and in 2010, he was appointed independent Chairman of the Magners League. He also remains chairman of the British and Irish Lions Committee, a role he took on in 2007. Currently, he is the favourite to be appointed British and Irish Lions Team Manager for the 2013 tour of Australia.

Robert Millar

Robert Millar, cyclist, was born on the 13th of September, 1958.

For many British cycling fans, Scotland’s Robert Millar is the United Kingdom's greatest ever professional road cyclist. There is no doubt that, in years to come, someone will equal or surpass Millar’s achievements, but apart from Tom Simpson, there has been no rider who has come close to comparison with Millar. There has been no rider quite like Millar either as he was as unique a personality as he was a cycling legend. Millar’s performances in the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta de Espana were the inspiration for countless numbers of aspiring British cyclists in the 1980s and 90s. Today, providing an element of nostalgia for those who attempted to follow in his footsteps or for those who are still dreaming, there are many videos of his famous rides to be seen on YouTube.

Robert Millar became the first and so far, the only Briton ever to achieve a final podium finish in the Tour de France. That accolade came by virtue of his having won the ‘King of the Mountains’ competition in the 1984 Tour de France, in which he also finished fourth overall. For three glorious weeks in that 1984 ‘Tour’, Robert Millar danced his way up climb after climb to secure the red and white polka-dot jersey. He remains the only rider from an English speaking country to have won the Tour de France ‘King of the Mountains’ polka-dot jersey and the only Briton to have won a Tour de France classification in the hundred-years-old history of cycling's premier event. His fourth place in the 1984 ‘le Tour’ was also, until recently when it was equaled by Bradley Wiggins, the highest finishing position by a British cyclist. Billy Bilsland, Millar's first trainer and a man who, like Millar, rode for the French Peugeot team on the Continent, has been unequivocal in stating Millar’s place in the pantheon of Scotland's sporting greats. According to Bilsland, “Robert Millar is the most successful Scottish athlete ever.”

Robert Charles Millar was born in Glasgow on the 13th of September, 1958, and was brought up in Shawlands in the City’s south side. After making his mark on the UK amateur cycling scene, he moved to Paris in 1979, when he was offered a place in the top French amateur team, Athletic Club Boulogne-Billancourt (ACBB). At that time, Millar was part of the first wave of English-speaking cyclists that took the European world of cycling by storm. It was a group that included the American, Greg LeMond, Irishmen Stephen Roche and Sean Kelly, and Australia's Phil Anderson. Millar became a success in his first year on the circuit, winning the Merlin Plage, which is a trophy for the best amateur of the season. That win brought him to the attention of the Peugeot professional team, whom he soon joined. Then, in 1983, when still only twenty-four, he signalled notice of his ability by winning stage ten of the Tour de France in the Pyrenean Mountains from Pau to Bagneres de Luchon, finishing well ahead of the Peloton with his trademark Peugeot cycling cap firmly placed on his curly head. When he was interviewed by an English journalist after his first ever-professional victory, Millar described looking around with about three kilometers to go and seeing Pedro Delgado bearing down on him so, in his own words, he “put [himself] on the rivet again” to secure the victory. Commenting about the ubiquitous hat, he also said, “At five hundred metres, I took the hat out for publicity, put it on, nice like and put the arms up; always have to remember that.”

When Millar won the mountain stage in the 1983 ‘Tour’ he was of an age when most riders are considered insufficiently mature to even compete in the world's most gruelling sporting event. That statement of intent, if you like, led to Millar being considered by many to be a possible future ‘Tour’ winner. However, that was not to be and it’s fair to say that Millar, despite his phenomenal prowess, was not team leader material. His successes came from a focus on winning stages and shorter tours. His crowning glory was the 1984 Tour de France, in which he won one stage, a summit finish at the Pyrenean ski station of Guzet Neige, on his way to fourth place and the ‘King of the Mountains’ classification. And Millar’s love affair with the Pyrenees was consolidated when he returned to the stage winner’s podium for the third time in his career. That came when he ‘summited’ first at Superbagneres ski station, in the 1989 ‘Tour’. Millar also achieved the highest finish by a Briton in the Giro d'Italia, in which he finished second in 1987, also winning the King of the Mountains classification.

Millar’s lack of a ‘Tour’ win plays in the minds of his many fans, who idolise him to this day. That is because of his second place in the 1985 Vuelta de Espana. Although the fans’ angst is because he finished second rather than first, it is the manner of his defeat that rankles. On the second last day of the tour, wearing the race leader's yellow jersey and with a seemingly unassailable lead of more than six minutes, Millar punctured. That incident was the catalyst for an attack by two Spanish riders, Pedro Delgado and Jose Recio. Somehow, over a distance of just sixty kilometers, that pair managed to build up a lead of seven minutes, which made Delgado the race leader on the road. The tragedy for Millar was that he wasn’t made aware of the lead that his rival had developed. Ruiz Cabestany had even leaned across to the Scot and shaken hands with him, because he believed he was going to win his first major tour. Millar’s French manager seems to have been somewhat incompetent as he signally failed to keep Millar up to date with events on the road or to attempt to do anything about the situation until it was too late. It didn’t help that the other riders the Peloton were mostly Spanish and had no inclination to help an ‘Extranjero’ against their countryman, the ever controversial Delgado. The fuel for the conspiracy theory and the label of the ‘stolen Vuelta’ stems from the idea that Millar's Peugeot team mates were unable to help him, because they were delayed at a level crossing, waiting for a train that never came. Interestingly, Ruiz Cabestany also said that he knew all the time that Millar was going to lose the Vuelta, but he had to keep his mouth shut. Millar’s own take on the affair is pragmatic, “Delgado didn’t win,” he has stated, “I lost.”

Since his retirement from professional cycling, Robert Millar has kept a low profile, but he does surface from time to time. He pens the odd article for ‘Rouleur’ cycling magazine, which means that those issues become tantamount to collectors’ editions, and he can be found in the odd blog post under the pseudonym ‘gotheteeshirt2’ on the pro race forum of bikeradar.com

Aberdeen win European Cup Winner's Cup

Aberdeen F C won the European Cup Winners' Cup on the 11th of May, 1983, by beating Real Madrid 2-1.

In the football season of 1982-83, the 23rd European Cup Winners' Cup final was won by Aberdeen F C through an extra-time victory in the match, played in the Nya Ullevi stadium, in Göteborg, Sweden, against the mighty Real Madrid team. On a Wednesday evening, in 1983, a crowd of 17,804 spectators saw Aberdeen win the match 2–1, thanks to goals by Eric Black and substitute, John Hewitt. It was the second time that the cup had gone to Scotland; Rangers having won the Cup ten years previously, in 1973.

The Aberdeen team on the night was comprised of: Jim Leighton, Doug Rougvie, John McMaster, Neale Cooper, Alex McLeish, Willie Miller (captain), Gordon Strachan, Neil Simpson, Mark McGhee, Eric Black (sub: 87 John Hewitt), Peter Weir. One notable statistic involving Aberdeen’s players, is that all of them, like those of Celtic in 1967, when the European Cup was won for the first time by a team from the British Isles, were native Scots.

Of course, this team was managed by the then Mr. Alex Ferguson and he was pitted against the legendary Alfredo di Stéfano, the coach of Real Madrid. It’s doubtful whether di Stefano had heard of Alex Ferguson at the start of the season. However, on the eve of the final, the confident young manager, with the present of a bottle of malt whisky for the Spaniard in his hand, was destined to become a legend in his own right.

The gift of the whisky was the brainwave of Jock Stein, who had guided Celtic to European Cup glory, in 1967. Stein was there as an official guest of Ferguson's and offered the voice of experience. As Ferguson later recalled in his autobiography, Stein said, “Let the wee man feel important. Act as if you are thrilled just to be in the final and let him think you’re only there to make up the numbers.” Judging by the result and the effective annihilation of Read Madrid (never mind the extra time and the scoreline), it must’ve had an impact.

At the start of the 1982-83 season, Willie Miller's decision to stay put, instead of defecting to Rangers, spoke volumes. Other than Steve Archibald, Aberdeen hadn’t lost a star player for five years. There was a new sense of expectancy at Pittodrie and team-spirit was as high as anyone could remember, despite the roll-call for the Cup Winners’ Cup including Tottenham Hotspur, Real Madrid, Barcelona (the holders), Internazionale, and Bayern Munich.

The quarter-final engagement with Bayern Munich was to write a significant chapter in Pittodrie folklore. Bayern had lost to a jammy Peter Withe goal in the 1982 European Cup Final and eight of that side, including Breitner, Augenthaler, Hoeness and Rummenigge lined up against the Dons. However, Aberdeen stunned the Germans with a scoreless draw in Munich and, in probably Aberdeen’s most notable European result, apart from the final, was unlucky not to get an away goal. The Dons still had it all to do, but the doubters were proved oh so wrong on the most ecstatic night in Pittodrie's history. In a prequel to the final, John Hewitt popped up to stab the ball between Muller’s legs for the winner and Pittodrie erupted.

On paper, the final against the all conquering, six times European champions, Real Madrid, was the mismatch of all time. Who would bet against the multi-millionaires of Spain versus a team in which most of the players cost nothing. Besides the Dutchman Metgod and the German Stielike, Real was packed with Spanish internationals. Camacho and Santillana, for example, had both faced England in the 1982 World Cup.

It’s fair to say the venue was in the Dons' favour as the Ullevi Stadium became Pittodrie for a day. In addition, pre-match rain left the pitch sodden and full of puddles, which favoured the Scottish players far more than those of Real. However, Aberdeen’s spell-binding dribbler, Dougie Bell, was missing, along with Stuart Kennedy, which might have been significant, nevertheless, it all came down to the players on the night.

The first action saw Eric Black lean into a volley that crashed back off Augustin's crossbar. Then, shortly afterwards, Aberdeen got the first goal, from a McLeish header, which was deflected, but turned in by Black from six yards. The lead had gone to the better side as Madrid had carved out little by way of chances. Unfortunately, Aberdeen’s lead lasted only seven minutes, before Real were awarded a penalty. McLeish’s back pass stalled in the wet and Leighton brought down Santillana. Under today's regulations, Leighton would have been sent off, but in any case, he didn’t stop Juanito scoring.

Aberdeen also had the better of the second half, but despite the marauding of Weir and McGhee, the score remained unchanged. Only once did Real threaten, when from a twice-taken free-kick Salguero drove the ball past Leighton's far post. Extra-time saw the introduction of sub, Peter Hewitt and, with eight minutes to go, penalties were looming. Then came the moment history was made. Weir skirted past two players down the left touchline and chipped the ball on to McGhee. His cross tempted Augustin off his line and he missed the ball by inches and there, rushing in, was Hewitt once again, to head into an empty net. The hero of München became the hero of Göteborg and guaranteed his place in Pittodrie’s hall of fame.

Against all odds Alex Ferguson and his indomitable Dons had won the European Cup Winners’ Cup.