The Real Mackay tells the life story of one of soccer's genuine legends, a man whose presence in any team spurred them on to championship-winning Dave Mackay. It is the refreshing, honest, and action-packed autobiography of a man who was at the center of many of the biggest stories of British soccer for almost three decades.
Perhaps nostalgia isn't what it used to be, but it was delivered in bucket loads in 'The Real Mackay'. Although co-written with Martin Knight, I've logged this on my autobiog shelf, as Dave's voice comes through off the page in this 2004 publication. My time watching the beautiful game began c1960 and I was fortunate to see the Spurs double winning team. During that decade I saw Bill Nicholson's Tottenham Hotspur so many times, not just in Manchester but also at White Hart Lane. After the double in '61, they won the FA Cup again in '62 and '67. Not to mention being the first British team to win a European competition when they lifted the Cup Winners Cup in '63. It was interesting to learn of Mackay's time with the Scotland squad in the late '50's, then managed by Matt Busby. Dave thinks he could have ended up at Old Trafford, but it was Bill Nick who knocked on the door at Hearts. Perhaps Matt knew he already had a certain Norbert Stiles on his books. I was on the terraces when Noel Cantwell broke Dave's leg. Not just a stroll down White Hart Lane, but a walk down Memory Lane too! Back to the world of Harold Macmillan, bus conductors, Lonnie Donnegan, London Palladium and Austin Sevens. Glory days, will pass you by! Nice to learn that Dave is still around at the age of 78.
Five stars if you're a Hearts fan. It's probably one of the best written books about Hearts as we would have to exclude McCrae's Battalion by Jack Alexander on the grounds that Hearts make up only part of that story. It's divided into three clear sections, the first about Hearts, the second Tottenham Hotspur and the aftermath.
What a great book. You don't have to support Derby, Hearts, Notts Forest or Spurs to read this. Just a true football fan. The guys suffered great adversaries on the pitch and tragedies off the pitch. How many players today would come back after 2 horrific leg breaks both of which are deliberate. He wasn't just a hard man but a fine footballer and integral part of the successful Spurs side in the 60's. Truly great.