Pochettino pays tribute to Spurs legend Mackay

The 80-year-old ‘hardman’ died after a long battle with illness.

LONDON: Tottenham Hotspur head coach Mauricio Pochettino paid tribute to club great Dave Mackay, who died at the age of 80.

Former Scotland midfielder Mackay — a member of Tottenham’s feted 1961 Double-winning team — passed away at a hospital in Nottingham on Monday evening.

“I want to say it is a very sad loss for Tottenham,” said Pochettino. “It is a great loss British football. He was a legend for Tottenham and in British football. It’s a very sad day and I want to convey my condolences to his family and friends.”

Mackay won 22 caps for Scotland and lifted all three domestic trophies with his first club Hearts before moving south of the border to join Tottenham in 1959.

He helped Spurs win the league and FA Cup in 1961 — making them the first English team to achieve the feat in the 20th century — and went on to win the FA Cup on two further occasions in 1962 and 1967.

Former Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson said Mackay was one of the toughest players he had come up against during his playing career. “I played against him once and I’m glad it was only once!” said Ferguson. “He was hard. He was one of the hardest men of all time — a great Scottish player. You think of Denis Law, Kenny Dalglish and Graeme Souness. Dave Mackay was along with them right on the top.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 5^th, 2015.

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