Tommy Docherty has passed away

Josh 76

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What a guy. Could listen to him all day talking about football. One of my favourite managers.
Loved the song they sang on the terraces...."Oh Tommy Tommy Tommy Tommy Docherty....."
 

Grande

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Sweet dreams, Baby Doc! He was one of the inspirational managers that I think of when anyone says DNA. United is more than success and titles, and Tommy Doc embodied some of that other stuff really well. He was a real romantic, and football without romanticism is like EU accountant championships.
 

redmanx

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There's a legion, most famously, the revelation a couple of weeks after the 77 Cup win that he was having an affair with the wife of our physio.
Willie Morgan was sued by Docherty when, on Granada TV Morgan said Docherty was the worst manager he ever played for. Docherty also sued Granada but his case, at the Old Baily, fell apart as Morgans barrister revealed Docherty to be a liar, and former United players including Denis Law, Pat Crerand, Jim Holten and Lou Macari all gave evidence to this from their own incidents with Docherty. On the advice of his barrister Docherty dropped everything and later, when asked if he had lied to the jury, he admitted that that he did. Docherty was a very good football manager but he was not a very nice person.
 

redmanx

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Sweet dreams, Baby Doc! He was one of the inspirational managers that I think of when anyone says DNA. United is more than success and titles, and Tommy Doc embodied some of that other stuff really well. He was a real romantic, and football without romanticism is like EU accountant championships.
Oh he was romantic, with another mans wife!
 

Stev

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RIP Doc
You gave me my favourite years as a United fan.
 

choccy77

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I was born in 1977 so I only knew The Doc from history books and videos etc Atkinson was my manager as a very young kid prior to Sir Alex.
 

ZolaWasMagic

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Had a fantastic team with us. He always used to state when interviewed if we hadn't sold Jimmy Greaves, we'd have won the league multiple times in that era. Venables, George Graham, McCreadie, Osgood at a young age, Chopper, Greaves
 

mitchmouse

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This is so sad. We played some great football under him and I was pretty annoyed with the club when they sacked him.

I hear lots of people saying they love hearing Gordon Strachan being interviewed, well the Doc was his loud, funny grandfather: said things as they were. His response to the sacking: "When one door closes, another slams in your face."

Saw an interview with him not long ago but it may have been older than I thought at the time; didn't realise he'd been ill.

RIP The Doc
 

fjred

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Willie Morgan was sued by Docherty when, on Granada TV Morgan said Docherty was the worst manager he ever played for. Docherty also sued Granada but his case, at the Old Baily, fell apart as Morgans barrister revealed Docherty to be a liar, and former United players including Denis Law, Pat Crerand, Jim Holten and Lou Macari all gave evidence to this from their own incidents with Docherty. On the advice of his barrister Docherty dropped everything and later, when asked if he had lied to the jury, he admitted that that he did. Docherty was a very good football manager but he was not a very nice person.
In Pat Crerand's book "Never turn the other cheek" he mentions that Jock Stein referred to the Doc as a "Glasgow corner boy". Not sure what it means exactly but it's not complimentary.
 

Comet49

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Willie Morgan was sued by Docherty when, on Granada TV Morgan said Docherty was the worst manager he ever played for. Docherty also sued Granada but his case, at the Old Baily, fell apart as Morgans barrister revealed Docherty to be a liar, and former United players including Denis Law, Pat Crerand, Jim Holten and Lou Macari all gave evidence to this from their own incidents with Docherty. On the advice of his barrister Docherty dropped everything and later, when asked if he had lied to the jury, he admitted that that he did. Docherty was a very good football manager but he was not a very nice person.
I remember his sacking well, he was having an affair with the Physio’ s wife, sacked shortly after winning the FA Cup. They did get married and stayed together, don’t know if she’s still alive or not.
I’ve just seen Lou Macari on BBC news saying what a good manager he was, ah well. Oh, Jim Holden, not Holten. RIP Doc.
 
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MancunianAngels

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The important role he played in stopping the post Busby malaise is often understated.

Had he kept his job in 77, he would have certainly gone on to win more trophies.
 

saintquin

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He did a end of season medal presentation in Southampton in the late 70's, then gave a very funny speech if I recall correctly. Remember thinking afterwards what a different man to what I thought he would be.
He was also very gracious after the 76 cup final!
 

DomesticTadpole

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I remember his sacking well, he was having an affair with the Physio’ s wife, sacked shortly after winning the FA Cup. They did get married and stayed together, don’t know if she’s still alive or not.
I’ve just seen Lou Macari on BBC news saying what a good manager he was, ah well. Oh, Jim Holden, not Holten. RIP Doc.
Yet nobody would bat an eyelid about that now. They were together until she died. He could have dealt with some situation better regarding Law, Best and Charlton. Did it need to be done, probably. Otherwise the club would have gone nowhere and Doc knew it. Also I always find Willie Morgan to be a right pretentious prat. Fancied himself a bit.
 

Herschel Krustofsky

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This made me laugh today.

From obituary in the Guardian;

Legend says Docherty was raised in Glasgow’s tough Gorbals district. In fact, he hailed from Shettleston Road in the city’s east end. From where, in the 1930s, you also had to be as hard as a coffin nail to survive. Docherty would later joke about his mother’s visits to charity shops. “You want to try walking to school wearing a third-hand Japanese admiral’s outfit.” Such humour was typical of “the Doc”: self-effacing and sharp.
 
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Yet nobody would bat an eyelid about that now. They were together until she died. He could have dealt with some situation better regarding Law, Best and Charlton. Did it need to be done, probably. Otherwise the club would have gone nowhere and Doc knew it. Also I always find Willie Morgan to be a right pretentious prat. Fancied himself a bit.
yep, Docherty did the dirty work that Busby had left behind and in cahoots with Edwards never invested in the team which went from European Champions to relegation in 6 years. fecking scandalous. Docherty made us relevant again (and on a shoestring) after a steep downhill slide far worse than what we’ve experienced post-Fergie. The football was brilliant And the place was bouncing.
As for Morgan, you’re spot on there pal. He had a column in the Pink every Saturday where he always tried to convince us he was better than George (once he’d left, of course) Not fit to lace his boots. Bit of a snide.
 

Denis' cuff

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This made me laugh today.

From obituary in the Guardian;

Legend says Docherty was raised in Glasgow’s tough Gorbals district. In fact, he hailed from Shettleston Road in the city’s east end. From where, in the 1930s, you also had to be as hard as a coffin nail to survive. Docherty would later joke about his mother’s visits to charity shops. “You want to try walking to school wearing a third-hand Japanese admiral’s outfit.” Such humour was typical of “the Doc”: self-effacing and sharp.
:D Not heard that one before
 

utdalltheway

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My first United manager.
Relegation, promotion, Cup Final defeat, Cup Final victory - great attacking play with 2 wingers, quick witted and so many stories.
Oh and more clubs than Jack Nicklaus
RIP Doc
My 1st too. To say we were inconsistent would be an understatement but we were always interesting to watch. The Doc always seemed larger than life.
RIP.
 

Needham

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After Glen Hoddle found God it was Docherty who said it must have been a hell of a pass. Allison, Docherty, Clough etc manager interviews in the 70s must have been something to genuinely look forward to.
 

Nikelesh Reddy

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He is Such an integral part of Uniteds history,he must have been a huge personality back in the day.RIP..,
 

redmanx

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After Glen Hoddle found God it was Docherty who said it must have been a hell of a pass. Allison, Docherty, Clough etc manager interviews in the 70s must have been something to genuinely look forward to.
The Doc could always come out with quips like that, he had a great sense of humour but when it came to the crunch like Shankly he was deadly serious about his football.
 

redmanx

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:D Not heard that one before
The Doc liked people to think he had a tough upbringing in the infamous Gorbals, the poorest part of Britains poorest city; East Side Glasgow was no picnic in the 1930s but it was nothing like The Gorbals.
 

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The Doc liked people to think he had a tough upbringing in the infamous Gorbals, the poorest part of Britains poorest city; East Side Glasgow was no picnic in the 1930s but it was nothing like The Gorbals.
I’m not sure Tommy tried to make out he was from the Gorbals or not. Certainly don’t recall that. Probably the media spinning their usual drivel. im well aware of the east end of Glasgow in the 30s and thereafter. It might not have the legend of the Gorbals but was at least on a par with the charms of Salford where I was brought up, and it didn’t get much more “robust” than that. Nonetheless, not the point I was making. Merely his witticism about the Japanese garb.
Enjoyed the story.

lighten up.
 

77

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'In 77 it was Docherty'

Tommy was managing when I started following United. What a great team that absolutely would have won more had the Doc stayed.
 

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After a home win vs dippers, after match interview: “well Tommy, a win against one of your biggest rivals, Stretford End in full voice, a lovely sunny day at OT, does it get much better”?

“aye, son. Even the pigeons were dancing on the roof”
 

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He was the reason I became a United fan and it is great to see the club give such a glowing tribute to the Scot. Taking the club down to the second tier of English football, only to take them back up and then win the Championship in the first season back in the top flight is a feat that has not been replicated since. But the brand of football was exciting with tricky wingers and goals galore. The Doc was a great nickname for him, as at that point we needed a medical practitioner to transform our fortunes. RIP.
 

Maticmaker

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RIP Tommy Doc - his 'one-liners' were legend, many have been quoted on here already; my favorite was when asked what he thought about one of his teams losing a game 6-0 his reply was ..."we were lucky to get nil"
Thanks for the memories Tom.