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Dennis Law, Any Older Ta Recall Him Playing


Robroysboy

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My Grandad regards him as the second best Scotland player he's seen (after Baxter) and says that whilst Law was a Huddersfield, City (first spell) and United player he was just unbelievable at international level and that England, West Germany, Italy, Brazil etc. would have killed to have had Law on their team. Described Law as sometimes "dragging us kicking and screaming to victory".

An interesting point my Grandad also made was that in his opinion Law was let down at times by some mind boggling team selections from our managers during the 1960s - Ian McColl, John Prentice, Malky McDonald, Bobby Brown and (whisper it) Jock Stein.

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Saw him play in the 1973 game v Czechoslovakia (2-1) and also again a friendly against Chile (2-0) but my best memory of Law was an overhead kick he scored against Northern Ireland at Hampden. It was a British Championships game around 1972 - 73'ish. The ball came in from the corner area and Law was on the edge of the box fully 18 yards out, he jumped up six feet in the air and with his back to goal slammed it over his shoulder into the top corner. Goalkeeper was Pat Jennings but he was left helpless, I have never seen a better overhead goal in my life.

If Law was a player these days I don't think you could put a value on him, hard as nails, nasty if he had to be but had great touch on the ball, took players on and could score with feet and head equally. Unusually for Centre forwards in 60's & 70's he could also link up play and often played wide. A perfect footballer

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Picked for the world 11 team beside de stefano !

Almost.

Stan Matthews (very complimentary about Scottish players and Scottish football in his autobiography) picked Law and Alan Gilzean to play in his own team of players versus the ROTW in an exhibition matchat Stoke's old ground. Willie Henderson and Jim Baxter got picked for the ROTW.

These were the teams

Matthews XI:

Tony Waiters, Jimmy Armfield, George Cohen, Johnny Haynes, Bobby Thomson, Denis Law, Stanley Matthews, Jimmy Greaves, Bobby Charlton, Alan Gilzean, Cliff Jones

Subs: Bryan Douglas, John Ritchie, Ray Wilson, Roger Hunt, Kai Johansen

Rest of the World XI:

Lev Yashin, Karl-Heinz Schnellinger, Wolfgang Weber, Ján Popluhár, Josef Masopust, Jim Baxter, Willie Henderson, Raymond Kopa, Alfredo Di Stéfano, Ferenc Puskás, Eusébio.

Subs: Hans Tilkowski, Uwe Seeler, Hans Schäfer, Wolfgang Overath, Francisco Gento, László Kubala, Godfried van den Boer.

The ROTW won the match 6-4. Must have been incredible for those watching it.

What a compliment for Law and the others to be rated by a giant of the game like Matthews.

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Almost.

Stan Matthews (very complimentary about Scottish players and Scottish football in his autobiography) picked Law and Alan Gilzean to play in his own team of players versus the ROTW in an exhibition matchat Stoke's old ground. Willie Henderson and Jim Baxter got picked for the ROTW.

These were the teams

Matthews XI:

Tony Waiters, Jimmy Armfield, George Cohen, Johnny Haynes, Bobby Thomson, Denis Law, Stanley Matthews, Jimmy Greaves, Bobby Charlton, Alan Gilzean, Cliff Jones

Subs: Bryan Douglas, John Ritchie, Ray Wilson, Roger Hunt, Kai Johansen

Rest of the World XI:

Lev Yashin, Karl-Heinz Schnellinger, Wolfgang Weber, Ján Popluhár, Josef Masopust, Jim Baxter, Willie Henderson, Raymond Kopa, Alfredo Di Stéfano, Ferenc Puskás, Eusébio.

Subs: Hans Tilkowski, Uwe Seeler, Hans Schäfer, Wolfgang Overath, Francisco Gento, László Kubala, Godfried van den Boer.

The ROTW won the match 6-4. Must have been incredible for those watching it.

What a compliment for Law and the others to be rated by a giant of the game like Matthews.

What year was that? To be honest, I'd've been piling on ROTW.

While I had no particular interest in any team Denis Law played for, he does stick in my memory. Probably because of the overheads that j b lyons mentions, he was forever trying 'em - missing far more than connecting, but who wouldn't?

[Refreshing to see a TAMB thread where everyone's ignoring the elephant in the room :) ]

Edited by DonnyTJS
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What year was that? To be honest, I'd've been piling on ROTW.

While I had no particular interest in any team Denis Law played for, he does stick in my memory. Probably because of the overheads that j b lyons mentions, he was forever trying 'em - missing far more than connecting, but who wouldn't?

[Refreshing to see a TAMB thread where everyone's ignoring the elephant in the room :) ]

28th April 1965 :ok:

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Saw him play in the 1973 game v Czechoslovakia (2-1) and also again a friendly against Chile (2-0) but my best memory of Law was an overhead kick he scored against Northern Ireland at Hampden. It was a British Championships game around 1972 - 73'ish. The ball came in from the corner area and Law was on the edge of the box fully 18 yards out, he jumped up six feet in the air and with his back to goal slammed it over his shoulder into the top corner. Goalkeeper was Pat Jennings but he was left helpless, I have never seen a better overhead goal in my life.

If Law was a player these days I don't think you could put a value on him, hard as nails, nasty if he had to be but had great touch on the ball, took players on and could score with feet and head equally. Unusually for Centre forwards in 60's & 70's he could also link up play and often played wide. A perfect footballer

The game v Ireland you are referring to was in 1972, and the goal was as you describe, late on the game. We won 2-0 and both goals game in the last 5 minutes. The other goal was scored by one K. Dalglish.

The Lawman scored the first Scotland goal I ever witnessed live at Hampden - 2-1 v Austria in 1968.

Legend? Damn right he is!

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Too young to remember him play but I met him back in 1993 when I was working at the BBC in Shepherds Bush. A really top guy who heard my accent and came over to say hello and ask where I was from. A real legend of a player and a man.

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I am sure i read team mate george best also rated denis very highly.

One of the hardest players he has played with, you got limited or no protection from refs then.

So it was a case of kill or be killed.

Like most posters have stated he is a legend and his emotion at the end of the recent bbc alba documentary tartan pride only cements his standing in my eyes.

DENIS LAW, scotland legend.

Was he not the only scottish player to win the european player if the year award.

Remarkable considering the success of dalglish at liverpool !

Edited by Robroysboy
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I am sure i read team mate george best also rated denis very highly.

One of the hardest players he has played with, you got limited or no protection from refs then.

So it was a case of kill or be killed.

Like most posters have stated he is a legend and his emotion at the end of the recent bbc alba documentary tartan pride only cements his standing in my eyes.

DENIS LAW, scotland legend.

Was he not the only scottish player to win the european player if the year award.

Remarkable considering the success of dalglish at liverpool !

:ok::ok::ok::ok::ok::ok:

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My first Scotland game. Hampden, 1966, England the opposition. I was the wee boy at the front of what is now the North Stand, held up against the barrier by my dad and the thousands behind us. When Law rose to head our first goal to re-kindle our hopes, it seemed that he soared- to my 11 year old eyes he was miles above the turf- no one could head a ball like that could they ( and my young Saturdays were spent watching a certain Allan McGraw more or less perfect the art )? What a header. What a player!

As for the elephant...Dennis Bergkamp was named after him. Sort of.

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My Grandad regards him as the second best Scotland player he's seen (after Baxter) and says that whilst Law was a Huddersfield, City (first spell) and United player he was just unbelievable at international level and that England, West Germany, Italy, Brazil etc. would have killed to have had Law on their team. Described Law as sometimes "dragging us kicking and screaming to victory".

An interesting point my Grandad also made was that in his opinion Law was let down at times by some mind boggling team selections from our managers during the 1960s - Ian McColl, John Prentice, Malky McDonald, Bobby Brown and (whisper it) Jock Stein.

In those days the manager didn't get to pick the team. It was done by a selection committee. Tommy Doc was the first manager to be allowed to pick the team. He was going to refuse to take the job if he didn't get to pick the team. Which was seen as quite controversial at the time.

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Denis Law's last game at Hampden was my first. I wasn't playing, just watching. Unfortunately the Lawman was well past his best by that time.

It was a terrible debut game for me as we lost 0-1 to Northern Ireland. It got better the following Saturday when we humped England 2-0. Joe Jordan got both goals. The record books give one of the goals to some England defender (Mike Pejic maybe?) but I have always maintained that it was going in anyway before he touched it.

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