Highlandmagyar 2nd Tier Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 (edited) The biggest arsehole in Scottish football. But, by god, what a coach/ manager he was who gave us non Old Firm fans pleasure with his success against them. And the fact he took United to within a whisker of a European Cup final!, only to be denied the bribery to the ref is an immeasurable achievement. Always loved his mind battles with Wee Bertie Auld at Thistle, although United regularly humped us. And who could forget his reaction at the disallowed goal at Firhill. Priceless. And his standards were unparalleled. What other manager would fine your players for being poor despit winning 6-1. Lol RIP big man, you deserve all the accolades you are getting. Edited December 27, 2020 by Highlandmagyar 2nd Tier 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacksgranda Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 9 hours ago, tamthebam said: Dundee United once played Dunbar United in a pre-season friendly (I think there was a Belhaven beer sponsorship connection) and won 9-0. Jim decided the result wasn't good enough and kept the team in the dressing room for 45 minutes while he gave them a bollocking! Apparently he was a decent player in his time too. I can vaguely remember him playing, probably for Dundee. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Highlandmagyar 2nd Tier Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 3 minutes ago, Jacksgranda said: I can vaguely remember him playing, probably for Dundee. I remember him at Kilmarnock and Dundee, then he was coach at Dundee before walking over the road to Tannadice. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacksgranda Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 1 minute ago, Highlandmagyar 2nd Tier said: I remember him at Kilmarnock and Dundee, then he was coach at Dundee before walking over the road to Tannadice. Aye, I know he played for Kilmarnock after he left Dundee, but I can't really place him there. When I think of a McLean at Kilmarnock I think of Tommy. Some coach/manager, maybe the best ever in Scotland? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacksgranda Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 17 minutes ago, Highlandmagyar 2nd Tier said: The biggest arsehole in Scottish football. But, by god, what a coach/ manager he was who gave us non Old Firm fans pleasure with his success against them. And the fact he took United to within a whisker of a European Cup final!, only to be denied the bribery to the ref is an immeasurable achievement. Always loved his mind battles with Wee Bertie Auld at Thistle, although United regularly humped us. And who could forget his reaction at the disallowed goal at Firhill. Priceless. And his standards were unparalleled. What other manager would fine your players for being poor despit winning 6-1. Lol RIP big man, you deserve all the accolades you are getting. Fergie gave the Dons a bollocking after beating Rangers in the Scottish Cup Final in 1983, 10 days after winning the ECWC, but I don't think he fined them right enough. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IggyStooge Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 (edited) An absolute behemoth of Scottish fitba' and only Ferguson and Stein are ahead of him. The very first season that club football magically appeared and appealed to me (after Mexico 86); I was with him and his VG-clad Tangerines all the way in 86/87. Anyone who ever sat down after their dinner and enjoyed a 54321 biscuit remembers Clark and Gallacher putting Barcelona to the sword at the Nou Camp. A true legend. He supplied the national team with Malpas, Gough, Narey, Hegarty, Bannon, Sturrock, Gallacher during the 80s and 90s too, so he's alright by me. Edited December 27, 2020 by IggyStooge 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stumigoo Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 Don't think words can do justice to what Jim McLean did for our club. Both he and Jerry Kerr define Dundee United. It is nobody's fault, but it is an absolute tragedy that he will not be given the send off he deserves from the fans at Tannadice, but also at his funeral. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bob Mahelp Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 Apologies for a wee bit of self-indulgence here, but there will be a few of us on this board (I'm thinking Jacks' Grandad) who were around in the glorious days of the 1980's. For me, even a mention of Jim's name brings back spine-tingling, vivid memories of a packed Tannadice with it's steep terracing, and of a filled Pittodrie where games against United were the ones you looked for on the fixture lists and were the hottest ticket in town (no tickets though, get there early and queue). It brings back vivid memories of adidas kit, Paul Sturrock with his socks round his ankles, of Gordon Strachan scoring penalties, of seeing 4 of the best Scottish defenders ever to play the game....Miller, Hegarty, McLeish, Narey....battling it out on the same pitch, of Dundee man (and generally fine referee) Bob Valentine taking control, of two great teams going it at hammer and tong with nobody really ever knowing who would come out on top. Of Fergie, and Jim. It brings back memories of the time when the Old Firm were an irrelevance, and the New Firm controlled the back pages and the headlines on sports programmes. I'm not a United fan, but Jim McLean and his team were almost as big a part of my youth as my beloved Aberdeen. With his passing, another line is drawn under part of the lives of those who were involved in those wonderful years. Thanks for all the memories Jim. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacksgranda Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 35 minutes ago, stumigoo said: Don't think words can do justice to what Jim McLean did for our club. Both he and Jerry Kerr define Dundee United. It is nobody's fault, but it is an absolute tragedy that he will not be given the send off he deserves from the fans at Tannadice, but also at his funeral. A very much underated manager, imo. He laid the foundations for McLean to build on, without Jerry Kerr, United would have been a Morton or Ayr United. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stumigoo Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 9 minutes ago, Jacksgranda said: A very much underated manager, imo. He laid the foundations for McLean to build on, without Jerry Kerr, United would have been a Morton or Ayr United. Absolutely. Jim McLean made United something amazing, but Jerry Kerr (in some cases quite literally) built the club. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacksgranda Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 4 minutes ago, stumigoo said: Absolutely. Jim McLean made United something amazing, but Jerry Kerr (in some cases quite literally) built the club. A bit like Eddie Turnbull at Pittodrie, I don't think he gets enough credit for laying the foundations - which successive managers built on, to be fair - which led to the SAF era. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarapoa Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 Tony Roper’s Jim McLean impression after 21 mins here is classic Only An Excuse from the early days.Much respect from all dandies - RIP 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pozbaird Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 (edited) 3 hours ago, Bob Mahelp said: It brings back vivid memories of adidas kit, Paul Sturrock with his socks round his ankles, of Gordon Strachan scoring penalties, of seeing 4 of the best Scottish defenders ever to play the game....Miller, Hegarty, McLeish, Narey....battling it out on the same pitch, of Dundee man (and generally fine referee) Bob Valentine taking control, of two great teams going it at hammer and tong with nobody really ever knowing who would come out on top. Of Fergie, and Jim. It brings back memories of the time when the Old Firm were an irrelevance, and the New Firm controlled the back pages and the headlines on sports programmes. ....and for me and many like me, it brings back memories of standing on the Hampden terraces, watching us in an excellent Adidas kit, winning the Scottish Cup against them. The precise moment when Ian Ferguson struck the winning goal, with Billy Thompson diving to his right, is laser-etched in my brain as I had a fantastic view of it from behind the goal. Edited December 27, 2020 by pozbaird 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny Danger Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 Remember watching ‘The Jim McLean Years’ video some time ago and one of the former directors saying the first think McLean asked for when he took the manager’s job was a stop watch, shows the level of sophistication back in the day. I also seem to recall reading that the year we won the league he had a first team squad of (I think) 16 players. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willie adie Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 The infamous European semi in 1984, I'm sure that McLean himself had said several times that whether there was a back hander issued or not. That United should have won the tie anyway 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawkeye the Gnu Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 My best memory of the man was when I was sitting in a train from Aberdeen to Glasgow with a bunch of very drunk Dons fans. Wee Jum walked into the carriage and I thought, "F8ck, what's going to happen now". The banter between them was absolutely brilliant, and I actually saw him smile (I really did). A true colossus and a legend in the game. R.I.P. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurkst Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 2 hours ago, Jacksgranda said: Aye, I know he played for Kilmarnock after he left Dundee, but I can't really place him there. When I think of a McLean at Kilmarnock I think of Tommy. Jim and Tommy in action for Killie... That was a few years before I started going to Rugby Park so have no recollection of either in the stripes. In a sad twist Jim inherited Davie Sneddon's number 10 shorts, with both passing away from dementia this week. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lurkst Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 (edited) 47 minutes ago, pozbaird said: ....and for me any many like me, it brings back memories of standing on the Hampden terraces, watching us in an excellent Adidas kit, winning the Scottish Cup against them. The precise moment when Ian Ferguson struck the winning goal, with Billy Thompson diving to his right, is laser-etched in my brain as I had a fantastic view of it from behind the goal. I was in there too. Wee Jim must have hated Hampden! Quite ironic that he won all his trophies with United at Dens Park. Edited December 27, 2020 by Lurkst 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugar_Army Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 Was lucky to have seen the glory years. I turned 18 a couple of weeks before we won the league. Life was great back then if you were a young guy following wee Jim's United. Back then you relished every Saturday because home or away you always knew you were in with a chance. Briefly made it onto the pitch when we won the league, took a tiny wee bit of turf home and planted it in the garden and it is still there somewhere. Less said about Hampden the better. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owsley Posted December 27, 2020 Share Posted December 27, 2020 (edited) Jim began his playing career at Accies and did very well, winning a move to Clyde then onto Dundee and Kilmarnock. Played the most games and scored the most goals while at Accies. I loved his United teams of the 80s, and I loved Fergie's Dons too. It was great seeing the Old Firm have to take a back seat, especially in Europe. Really envious of those here who were at the 5-0 Monchengladbach second leg. Didn't they once scored five in Monaco too, before they got big? Wonderful, nerve wracking nights in front of the telly as a teenager watching United beat Barcelona home and away, my Rangers supporting Dad cheering like mad when Clark and Ferguson scored in the Camp Nou. And the reunion with Monchengladbach in 87, Ferguson again and Ian Redford (RIP), more wild cheers in our house. Final was an anti-climax, as was the Scottish Cup final, when United were robbed by a ludicrous offside. I really wanted United to win, for Jim and for a group of players who really deserved it. RIP Jim, you miserable old bugger. Edited December 27, 2020 by Owsley 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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