Billy Bremner

Born 9^th December 1942
Died 7^th December 1997

Bremner's honours, two championship medals, an FA Cup-winner's medal, two Fairs Cup medals and a League Cup tankard, reflected neither his qualities as a footballer nor the strength of Don Revie's Leeds team in the late 1960s and early 1970s. When Bremner's autobiography was published in 1969 it had an apt title: 'You Get Nowt for Being Second'. Between 1964 and 1972 Leeds finished runners-up in the league on five occasions.

It was a similar story at international level. Capped 54 times by Scotland, he gave one of his finest performances in the goalless draw with Brazil in Frankfurt early in the 1974 World Cup. Through Bremner, Scotland dominated the midfield but was unable to turn chances into goals and eventually went out of the tournament without losing a match.

Bremner's passing was as important as his tackling. In fact the most abiding memory of him is running at opponents with the ball at his feet and then passing to right or left without breaking stride. Bremner was the master of the disguised pass, with the foot dragged over the ball at the last second.

Arthur Rowe, architect of the push-and-run style, which won Tottenham the championship in 1951, was among Bremner's admirers. "When he makes an early pass," Rowe observed, "he has his hands flung wide with a theatrical intensity. The crowd think he is posturing and call him a big head. In fact, by his balance and concentration he is ensuring absolute accuracy when so many others are too casual over the undemanding."

It is often said Revie taught Bremner to say his prayers. Certainly the quick-tempered Scot, brought up in the tough Raploch district of Stirling, acquired a degree of inner discipline under Revie's influence once the Leeds manager had made him captain.

Bremner's playing career at Elland Road began shortly before Revie took over as manager. Leeds were heading for the Third Division, but by 1964 they had won promotion to the First and soon Bremner with his friends and team mates were making the sort of impact English football had never really experienced before.

Some felt the Leeds style took gamesmanship beyond the acceptable limits of fair play. Bremner's philosophy, set out in his autobiography, encapsulated the growing sourness of the English game in the 1960s and 1970s: "Gamesmanship is something which is practiced and accepted as part of the stock in trade by most teams these days," he wrote.

"I despised what they stood for," wrote Brian Clough, "systematically putting referees under intolerable pressure with their violent behaviour, both physical and verbal, their over-reactions, and the unsavoury spectacle of skipper Billy Bremner running alongside the harassed referee constantly yelling in his ear." As Revie's successor, Clough thought he had to reform Leeds, but left after seven weeks.

The modern game simply would not tolerate the gamesmanship with which Revie's Leeds teams were associated. Yet when Leeds United won the championship in 1974 their passing and movement reached levels, which few sides have attained since.

There is an amusing picture of Bremner that shows him with wide-eyed innocence as Tottenham's Dave Mackay grabs him by the front of his Leeds shirt. Bremner, in fact, had just kicked Mackay up the backside, which was never a wise thing to do, but provocation was inherent in his style.

In 1976 Billy left Leeds United to play for Hull City, shortly afterwards he was appointed Player/Manager for Doncaster Rovers. In 1985 Billy returned to Elland Road as Manager in the hope he could bring back the good old days. The best Billy could do, was In 1987 when he took his old club then still in the second Division, to the FA Cu semi-finals where they lost to first Division Coventry City. The following year he was sacked. A second spell at Doncaster lasted until 1992, whereupon Bremner, who was always a good talker, went on the after-dinner circuit with Norman Hunter.

Bremner wrote at the start of his autobiography, "Maybe I'll grow old myself one day" "Maybe I'll look back on football as I knew it and say that the game isn't like it used to be in my day." Indeed it isn't, and the sad thing is that Billy did not live longer to enjoy the differences as we see today.

For myself, I will always remember Billy Bremner as our proud battling Captain, who stood for words such as Bravery, Leadership, Passion and Loyalty.

Sculptor, Frances Siegelman