Mackay at 80 - Dave on 'that' photo...
It's one of the most iconic images in the history of football.
Dave Mackay grabs his fellow Scot Billy Bremner by the scruff of the neck during a feisty match against Leeds United at the Lane in 1966.
But what was the story behind the photo?
Interviewed in the Tottenham Hotspur Opus in 2007, Dave explained it all - and here's what he had to say...
Think of Spurs midfielder Dave Mackay and what do you see? A grainy black-and-white photo most probably; the image of Mackay, all tree trunk biceps and thunderous scowl, uprooting a quivering Billy Bremner at White Hart Lane during the clash with Leeds United in 1966.
Today, it’s one of the most enduring images in British football, and understandably so: Mackay’s aggression, Bremner’s apologetic shrug, a referee rushing over to break the ugly scene, whistle in mouth. There’s even a glimpse of Terry Venables peering on nervously. Mackay, more than anyone, is aware of its iconography.
“If I had a fiver for every time somebody asked me to sign a copy of that picture, I’d be a millionaire,” he says, relaxing at White Hart Lane, his once jutting jaw breaking into a broad grin.
“I have never been so angry in my life. I was just back from a broken leg for the second time (his leg was broken in 1963 and 1964). I’d had real concerns about whether I would ever play again, especially after I’d broken it in my comeback game some time earlier. So when Bremner went for me in my next comeback, I lost it.
“It had started with a throw-in down the line. I’d pushed him over so we both went down on all fours. When we got back up he gave me a whack on my bad left leg - even coming across my right leg and going for it deliberately. I was so angry I thought I could throw him over the stand.
“I would not like to repeat what I said to him but it was not complimentary,” he laughs.
“Fortunately I didn’t hit him, but to this day I still don’t know how I got away without getting booked.”
Mackay admits he is not proud of the incident and, indeed, actively dislikes the picture because it shows a rare lack of control. “It makes me look like a bully,” he says, “and I’ve always hated bullies. My whole life I’ve stood up against them.”
Mackay at 80 - Dave on the double
Mackay at 80 - Cliff Jones, Alan Mullery, Sir Alex Ferguson on one of the greats
Below: Cliff Jones, interviewed at the Lane on Sunday, tells Spurs TV about Dave's influence on the double team