Wednesday 19 April 2017

YOUNG AGAIN

I celebrated Alex Young's death way back; he died on February 27th aged 80. Why his obituary is published today in my paper I don't know? It seems a long time back. So you can read my blog on Alex and I am adding a few more treasures for your education:
http://baileyfootballblog.blogspot.co.uk/2017/02/alex-young.html

By signing for Heart of Midlothian at 18, he saved himself from a life down the local pit, where his father worked.
His brother was killed by a car when he was playing near a road. His mother became very protective of Alex and used to fortify him for home matches with a concoction of egg white and sherry.

Hearts played Hibs at Tynecastle with 50,000 watching. The footballer's wage was not much more than that of each member of the crowd.
He bought a new MG sportscar with his saved wages and immediately ran it into a lamp post. He had to pay the council £20 to pay for repairs to the lamp post.

In 1956 he helped Hearts to their first Scottish Cup win in 50 years. Dave MacKay was in his team.
Two years later, having been runners up in the league the year before, Young scored 24 goals in 34 matches as Hearts romped away with the title gaining 62 points out of 68. They only conceded on 29 goals in 34 matches and scored 132-still a record in Scotland.
Occasionally he enraged his managers by his "nervous" approach to some games. Following a severe ticking off by his manager he left the club to go to Everton. Young had scored 103 goals in 194 games for the Edinburgh side. He was only 21.

He thought he was always respected more at Everton although and he was dropped by manager Harry Catterick some fans roughed up Catterick outside the ground.
In 1966 Everton won the FA Cup beating Sheffield Wednesday 3-2 from 0-2 down. Everton reached the final without conceding a goal. That Cornishman Trebilcock scored 2.
Young left Everton in 1968 scoring 89 goals in 275 games.
Young only won 8 Scottish caps, seven of them in 1960-1 and scored 5 goals. Not everyone fancied him!
Ken Loach made a documentary about him, a film involving some fans who worshipped "The Golden Vision".
In 1999 he was named in the top 100 League players of the 20th century.
On visits to Goodison, Young remembered these as "going to church".


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