Sir Alex Ferguson once revealed he was a big fan of four Tottenham legends
Former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson once named a 5ft 8 Spurs icon as ‘One of the hardest men of all time’ and revealed he was a fan of four Tottenham legends.
Football as a sport has and continues to evolve. What was seen as acceptable and within the laws of the game, in terms of tackling, has since changed.
Back in the day, we had notoriously aggressive players, the likes of Roy Keane, Sergio Ramos and Gattuso are a few examples of players whose tackles often left a mark.
One manager who has seen it all is Sir Alex Ferguson. The Scotsman spent over two decades in management and won everything there was to win at Manchester United. But it appears four Tottenham legends caught his eye before he even went into management.
Sir Alex Ferguson names Dave Mackay as ‘one of the hardest men of all time’
Despite managing the likes of Roy Keane, the former Manchester United manager has named Tottenham Hotspur’s Dave Mackay as one of the hardest men in football history.
Remarkably, the former Tottenham man continued to play and train despite severe injuries, including a broken foot and a fractured skull.
Ferguson also revealed he was a big fan of three other Tottenham legends. Following Mackay’s death in 2015, Sir Alex Ferguson said (SkySports): “To my mind, he’s one of the greatest Scottish players of all time and also one of Tottenham’s, along with [Danny] Blanchflower, Cliff Jones and John White – an incredibly good team.”
“[He was] a great Scottish player. You think of Denis Law, Kenny Dalglish, Graeme Souness, but Dave Mackay is along with them.”
Ferguson continued: “I think he was the pinnacle of the [Spurs double-winning] side, a fantastic signing from Hearts. I played against him once, and I’m glad it was only once. He was one of the hardest men of all time.”
Dave Mackay’s time at Tottenham
During his time at Spurs, Mackay who spent close to a decade at the Lilywhites was instrumental.
The midfielder made 268 appearances for Tottenham in the League, won one League Championship, three FA Cups, one European Cup Winners’ Cup, two FA Charity Shields and the 1967 Charity Shield.
| Achievement | Details |
|---|---|
| League Titles | 1 (1960/61) |
| FA Cup Wins | 3 (1960/61, 1961/62, 1966/67) |
| European Trophy | 1962/63 European Cup Winners’ Cup (missed final due to injury) |
| Total Appearances for Spurs | 318 |
| Goals Scored for Spurs | 51 |
| Captaincy | Led Spurs to FA Cup victory in 1967 |
| Major Injury Comebacks | Recovered from two broken legs |
| Departure | Joined Derby County in 1968 |
Dave Mackay was truly a club legend who was ready to leave his heart and soul out on the pitch. His time at Tottenham Hotspur will forever be remembered.
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