Football Poets

Derek Dougan aka “The Doog”.

¶ 1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 Sadly, another of the true icons of the English game has gone to join the immortals who play on the hallowed ground in the stadium at Hades. Derek Dougan had it all in great abundance, charm, flair, charisma and he could even play a bit as well.

¶ 2 Leave a comment on verse 2 0 The Doog, as I recall, had quite the coolest haircuts, and was well able to look after himself in an era when almost anything went, and quite often did go, on, out on the field of play, things that would make the players of today cringe in pain, just thinking about.

¶ 3 Leave a comment on verse 3 0 The list of clubs, he played for, is to numerous to mention here, suffice to say there were quite a few. He lead the Northern Ireland forward line with one George Best and they became life long friends. The Doog was a pallbearer at George’s funeral.

¶ 4 Leave a comment on verse 4 0 But, as a Londoner it’s The Doog’s career after his playing days wre over, that I remember, as I think back with great with fondness. Televised first division football highlights on t.v had just gone mainstream in stunning vibrant colour on Sunday afternoon with The Big Match and the doyen of them all, Brian Moore.

¶ 5 Leave a comment on verse 5 0 This London Weekend television programme proved so successful that the same format was used to do the FA Cup Finals and World Cups of that era and the football pundit was born. So up to the rostrum of the t.v studio and in to our living rooms came: The Doog, Bob McNab, Brian Clough, Malcolm Allison, Jimmy Hill, just to mention a few.

¶ 6 Leave a comment on verse 6 0 The Doog was just so cool, when all and sundry on the panel were losing it big time, as people are prone to do in the middle of high energy football match discussions, he was the calming influence who rarely lost his temper and kept the whole programme on an even keel.

¶ 7 Leave a comment on verse 7 0 One game when Allison and another member of the panel, Alan Mullery nearly came to blows on air, over a dodgy England performance (nothing new there, then) for some reason seems to stick in my mind, with The Doog offering the olive branch, to the pair of them, acting as mediator with great dignity.

¶ 8 Leave a comment on verse 8 0 After this I heard that he was instrumental in helping to sort out the professional players association and getting them, the players, some of the terrific benefits and freedom that they have on offer, even today, in the way of transfers, PFA legal representation at tribunals etc, etc.

¶ 9 Leave a comment on verse 9 0 I’m sure I read somewhere that he was involved in or tried to form a consortium to take over and help save his beloved Wolves, (the team George Best supported as a boy) when they were in a bit of financial trouble some years back.

29