STEEL, BALLS, LAW, FIRE.

On May 27th 1951 was a bit of a jinx day in the history of Scotland's international side. On 27th May 1951, Dundee's Billie Steel became the first Scottish international player to be sent off. His marching orders for retaliation happened in the 82nd minute of a bad-tempered 4-0 defeat against Austria in Vienna. Nine years later - on 27th May 1959 - the second sending off occurred. Bertie Auld, best known as one of the Celtic Lisbon Lions that won the European Cup in 1967, was sent off in the third minute of added time against the Netherlands in Amsterdam, also for retaliation. On his Scotland debut! Born: 1 May 1923 in Denny. Died: 13 May 1982, in Lancaster, California. An inside forward he played from 1942–1947 for Morton, 1947–1950 for Derby County and between 1947–1953 for Scotland.

and on 27th May 1972 the firey England midfielder,  Alan Ball, wound up a 119,325 Hampden Park crowd by wiping his nose on a corner flag bearing the Cross of St Andrew. England beat Scotland 1-0. And below, in  the arms of "The Law"; possibly as a result ...Ball scored the goal!

Alan Ball, aged 61, died in the early hours of 25 April 2007 at his home in Hook, Fareham, Hampshire, after suffering a heart attack, while attempting to put out a blaze in his garden that had started when a bonfire – on which he had been burning garden waste – re-ignited and spread to a nearby fence.

Ball's son, Alan jnr, was a youth player at Exeter City and Southampton during his father's managerial stints at the clubs. Ball later played senior football for BAT Sports. Following his playing spell, Ball moved into coaching, coaching at Christchurch and Winchester City. In 2014, following coaching spells at Portsmouth and Irish club Shelbourne, Ball moved to the United States, to coach Puget Sound Gunners.. Ball later returned to England, coaching in the academies at Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City.

On 11 April 2021, Ball was appointed interim manager of Forest Green Rovers until the end of the  2020-1 season. After having failed to gain promotion, Rob Edwards was appointed head coach, and Ball went back to coach the under-18s team. He left the club with mutual consent in September 2021. Ball was appointed first-team coach at League Two club, Stevenage on 4 January 2022. In March 2022, Ball was appointed as manager of AFC Totton in the Southern Lague.

In conclusion, all three Ball family members have managed in the Football League.