GLF 66:Geoff picks out some 'Well heroes from days gone by.
Heroes
I've been coming to Fir Park since 1968, & a fully fledged ardent die-hard since the early 70's.In that time I've had my share of players who could do no wrong.At any given time in the last thirty years I could probably look at the team and point out players I favoured. Here's a selection.
Being brought up in the era of Willie Pettigrew and Joe Wark I would have to say that my earliest favourite was probably Vic Davidson.A sublimely talented player often referred to as one that would ghost into positions and score.That would be a very precise description of what he brought to the team. He had subtlety and quality in spades.
Those qualities would not be associated with my next hero.Defender Colin McAdam became our most expensive player when we bought him from Dumbarton for a fee of between £35,000 and £50,000 depending on your source.Given the nickname Tony (the tiger) he brought a mind-numbing ability to get stuck right in.In a team with many renowned cluggers this was not a rare skill but his physique made you worry for his victims when he went flying in.Rangers would use these subtle skills in later years as he latched onto many a long punt to score goals aplenty for the bigots.
Step forward a few seasons to Iain Purdie, a player who made Davie Cooper look two-footed.Also a left winger,we got a mere 20 games from him and three goals. As a fellow Number Eleven I was naturally drawn to him and felt that his team-mates let him down and made his passes into space look bad.Or maybe he wasn't that good after all cause we got rid pretty quickly.
Brian McLaughlin joined us in 1979/80. One of the brightest stars in Celtic's reserves he lost 2 years through injury & came to us via Ayr United. His early midfield partnership with Albert Kidd was dodgy & Brian only fully developed into a scoring midfielder (20 goals in 1981/82) once Kidd left.Surely Jock Wallace choosing to ignore his talents had nothing to do with his religion?
Where to begin with Hugh Sproat?My first recollection is of him in goal for Ayr at Somerset getting abuse galore from 'Well fans behind his goals and playing along with it,I recall the chant of ' Shuggie Sproat, You're A Wanker ' being met with vigorous shaking of his head.Hmm, that's a sentence that could be misconstrued. Yes, he was a bit bizarre, even by goalkeeper's standards,but life was never dull.
Ever since his debut against Hamilton Accies I was a big fan of Colin O'Neill. If I had to name an all-time favourite it would be the Ulsterman. He came with a reputation of being a bit hot-headed and left with that reputation intact. Who could ever forget 'that' elbow, 'that' goal, the divots he dug up on the pitch riding a speedway bike on it or wanting to play on with a broken leg (his own, not someone else's)! His 'Well career ended in the Cup win which was truly fitting.
Gentlemen George Burley must have been at least 112 when he joined, but boy could he still play. He belied his age with consistent quality displays at right-back. Not only that but after a stab at player-managing Ayr Utd he came back & had another little dabble with us to similar effect.
Sieb Sieb Sieb.The big Dutch porn star recovered from a disastrous 'Well debut at Raith Rovers to become one of the biggest cult figures seen at The 'Ark. Never before in the history of mankind have we seen a goalie command his box to such an extent. Yes, there were aberrations and many have blamed his poor performance against Dundee United in 93/94 for costing us a chance of the title (yes, younger readers, the title!). We should not forget the points he saved us to get us so far up the table. Or indeed the poor sod, Stevie Woods, that had to follow in his footsteps.
Miodrag Krivokapic was probably the coolest defender under pressure I've ever seen. Part of our defence when we were 2nd and 3rd in the table only a fool, or Alex McLeish as he's called, could have chosen to use him so sparingly at times. Quite simply he oozed class and we benefited big time.Route one & the hoof up the park were unknown items as the ball was caressed in his possession. I only wish I could've been at Easter Road to see his solitary 'Well goal.
Talking of goals it would be remiss of me not to mention the great Simo Valakari.That rarity, a good Alex McLeish signing, the Finn would endear himself to 'Well fans with his whole-hearted midfield displays.He never quite made it onto the scoring chart in Scotland, although he had notched five in 48 appearances for FinnPa before joining us.When he scored,shortly after moving to Derby,Wishaw General was filled with stunned speechless locals.
From our current crop of players I would probably have to say that, to me, Keith Lasley can do no wrong.He made his debut in 2000/01 but couldn't quite convince Terry Butcher that he could do a job in the middle of the park.What he did on the right of midfield was more than good enough so I was disappointed when he left to join Plymouth.I saw him play for them at Yeovil and Preston and he hardly wasted a pass and was always looking for the ball.Having dropped out of their plans he turned up at my Blackpool team where he did his usual competent job in an unfamiliar right back role. Injury meant that Blackpool didn't make him a decent offer and he returned to us, snatched from Kilmarnock's grasp.I'm not sure that Mark McGhee rates him as highly as the fans seem to but I don't think we are the same team when he doesn't play or is taken off.
So there you are, a few names to remember and I didn't even get as far as Joni Lehtonen or Alex Spark......
Geoff Baby
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