Ivan Golac
Encyclopedia
Ivan Golac (born 15 June 1950) is a former Yugoslav
football
player and manager.
A Yugoslav international
right back, he is best known as a player and manager of FK Partizan
, of Belgrade
. In the United Kingdom
he is remembered as one of Southampton
's first foreign imports and as a Scottish Cup
-winning manager with Dundee United
.
, PR Croatia, Yugoslavia
, the son of a soldier in President Tito's
guard. He moved to Belgrade
where he joined the youth section of FK Partizan aged 12 and eventually graduated to the first team. He made over 350 appearances for the club and won League championship medals in 1976 and 1978. During this era, he also made his debut for the national team, but that match against Algeria
in 1976 proved to be his only one at international level.
authorities would allow players to move abroad; it was also the year in which English football
's restrictions on foreign players were lifted.
Golac was transferred to Southampton
in August 1978 for a fee of £50,000, initially on a non-contract basis until problems obtaining a work permit were resolved, before signing a permanent contract in September. He made his Football League debut for them on 22 August 1978 against Bolton Wanderers
, and he went on to play 144 League games in his first spell with the club.
He immediately became the established right-back, rarely missing a game over the next four seasons. The Dell crowd soon warmed to his "swashbuckling, surging style along the touchline" and he was voted the "Saints" Player of the Year in 1981 although, according to manager Lawrie McMenemy
he had a tendency to "go missing" in away matches.
He became the first "foreigner" to appear in a Wembley final when Southampton met Nottingham Forest
in the 1979 Football League Cup Final
, where the Saints went down 3–2 to the holders, who were also the First Division champions.
The relationship turned sour in 1982 when a contract dispute between player and club led to Golac going out on loan to AFC Bournemouth in November 1982 and Manchester City
in March 1983, before his contract with Southampton was terminated. After a brief spell back in Yugoslavia with minor level club FK Belasica
he returned to Southampton in March 1984, helping the Saints finish as runners-up to Liverpool
in the Football League. The following season, he lost his place to Mark Dennis
and after another period on loan, this time at Portsmouth
, Golac retired in 1986, having played 197 games for Southampton, scoring four goals.
Writing in the Southern Daily Echo
in April 2003, McMenemy said:
Of his time with Southampton, Golac said:
in 1989 and helped the club to Yugoslav Cup
success that year.
The following September, Golac had an extraordinary debut in management when Vukotić was taken ill on the eve of a Cup Winners' Cup first round tie against Celtic
in Glasgow
, with Partizan leading 2–1 from the first leg. An astonishing match saw Golac's team progress on away goals after a 5–4 victory for Celtic. Golac remained in charge at Partizan for the rest of the season before parting company with the club.
He still had a home in Hampshire
, and returned to Britain in search of work. After being unsuccessfully shortlisted for the manager's job at old adversaries Celtic, he had a brief spell in charge of Torquay United
during 1992. Then, in July 1993, he was announced as the surprise choice to succeed legendary Dundee United manager Jim McLean
.
The Scottish
sporting media quickly latched on to Golac, whose hippyish
public image – he took United players to "smell the flowers" in Camperdown Park during training sessions, and claimed to have learned English
from listening to Rolling Stones
records – was in pointed contrast to the austere reputation of his predecessor, McLean. Against the odds, Golac's confident approach led underdogs United to Scottish Cup success at the end of his first season in charge, defeating hot favourites Rangers
1–0 in the final. It was the first time Dundee United had won the trophy, having lost in the final six times under McLean.
Despite the Cup triumph, poor League
form and the fraught relationship between Golac and McLean (who remained club chairman) led to his departure from the club less than a year later. Since then, he has held several managerial posts around Europe
without recording any significant achievements, having been in charge at ÍA Akranes in Iceland
, FK Sartid in Serbia and FC Karpaty Lviv
in Ukraine
. In January 1994, he had been linked with Southampton for a possible return as manager following the departure of Ian Branfoot
, but the job went to Alan Ball instead.
Southampton
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player and manager.
A Yugoslav international
Yugoslavia national football team
The Yugoslavia national football team represented the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in association football. It enjoyed a modicum of success in international competition. In 1992, during the Yugoslav wars, the team was suspended from international...
right back, he is best known as a player and manager of FK Partizan
FK Partizan
Fudbalski klub Partizan is a professional football club based in Belgrade, Serbia. In its long history, FK Partizan won as many as 37 trophies. The club is the holder of 23 national championships, 12 national cups and 1 national supercup, and has also won the Mitropa Cup in 1978...
, of Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
. In the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
he is remembered as one of Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
's first foreign imports and as a Scottish Cup
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
-winning manager with Dundee United
Dundee United F.C.
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923...
.
FK Partizan, Belgrade
Golac was born in KoprivnicaKoprivnica
Koprivnica is a city in northern Croatia. It is the capital of the Koprivnica-Križevci county. In 2011 the city administrative area had a total population of 30,872, with 23,896 in the city itself.-Population:...
, PR Croatia, Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
, the son of a soldier in President Tito's
Josip Broz Tito
Marshal Josip Broz Tito – 4 May 1980) was a Yugoslav revolutionary and statesman. While his presidency has been criticized as authoritarian, Tito was a popular public figure both in Yugoslavia and abroad, viewed as a unifying symbol for the nations of the Yugoslav federation...
guard. He moved to Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
where he joined the youth section of FK Partizan aged 12 and eventually graduated to the first team. He made over 350 appearances for the club and won League championship medals in 1976 and 1978. During this era, he also made his debut for the national team, but that match against Algeria
Algeria national football team
The Algeria national football team , nicknamed الأفنــاك, Les Fennecs , represents Algeria in association football and is controlled by the Fédération Algérienne de Football. Algeria's home ground is the Stade 5 Juillet 1962 in Algiers and their head coach is Vahid Halilhodžić.Algeria has qualified...
in 1976 proved to be his only one at international level.
"The Yugoslavian League was one of the best in the world; every game was really tough. It was a kind of war because there was a lot of talent and ambition. We had a very good crowd for all the games and more or less all the clubs, especially Partizan Belgrade, Red Star Belgrade and Dinamo Zagreb. You could put them among the ten biggest derbies in the world . . . we would play in front of crowds of 90–100,000"
Southampton
The year of 1978 would prove to be a watershed in Golac's career. He had reached the age of 28, when Yugoslavia's CommunistCommunism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
authorities would allow players to move abroad; it was also the year in which English football
Football in England
Association football is a national sport in England, where the first modern set of rules for the code were established in 1863, which were a major influence on the development of the modern Laws of the Game...
's restrictions on foreign players were lifted.
Golac was transferred to Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
in August 1978 for a fee of £50,000, initially on a non-contract basis until problems obtaining a work permit were resolved, before signing a permanent contract in September. He made his Football League debut for them on 22 August 1978 against Bolton Wanderers
Bolton Wanderers F.C.
Bolton Wanderers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the area of Horwich in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. They began their current spell in the Premier League in 2001....
, and he went on to play 144 League games in his first spell with the club.
He immediately became the established right-back, rarely missing a game over the next four seasons. The Dell crowd soon warmed to his "swashbuckling, surging style along the touchline" and he was voted the "Saints" Player of the Year in 1981 although, according to manager Lawrie McMenemy
Lawrie McMenemy
Lawrie McMenemy MBE is a retired English football coach, best known for his spell as manager of Southampton Football Club...
he had a tendency to "go missing" in away matches.
He became the first "foreigner" to appear in a Wembley final when Southampton met Nottingham Forest
Nottingham Forest F.C.
Nottingham Forest Football Club is an English Association Football club based in West Bridgford, Nottingham, that plays in the Football League Championship...
in the 1979 Football League Cup Final
1979 Football League Cup Final
The 1979 Football League Cup Final took place on 17 March 1979 at Wembley Stadium. It was the nineteenth Football League Cup final and the thirteenth to be played at Wembley. It was contested between Nottingham Forest and Southampton. Forest were the hot favourites to win being the holders of the...
, where the Saints went down 3–2 to the holders, who were also the First Division champions.
The relationship turned sour in 1982 when a contract dispute between player and club led to Golac going out on loan to AFC Bournemouth in November 1982 and Manchester City
Manchester City F.C.
Manchester City Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Manchester. Founded in 1880 as St. Mark's , they became Ardwick Association Football Club in 1887 and Manchester City in 1894...
in March 1983, before his contract with Southampton was terminated. After a brief spell back in Yugoslavia with minor level club FK Belasica
FK Belasica
FK Belasica is football club from the Republic of Macedonia currently playing in the Macedonian Second League after failing to avoid relegation in the 2005/2006 season where they finished 12th...
he returned to Southampton in March 1984, helping the Saints finish as runners-up to Liverpool
Liverpool F.C.
Liverpool Football Club is an English Premier League football club based in Liverpool, Merseyside. Liverpool has won eighteen League titles, second most in English football, seven FA Cups and a record seven League Cups...
in the Football League. The following season, he lost his place to Mark Dennis
Mark Dennis
Mark Earl Dennis is a retired footballer born in Streatham, London, who played at left-back for Birmingham City, Southampton, Queens Park Rangers and Crystal Palace. He was capped three times for England under-21s. He is Director of Football at Winchester City.Dennis was sent off 12 times in his...
and after another period on loan, this time at Portsmouth
Portsmouth F.C.
Portsmouth Football Club is an English football club based in the city of Portsmouth. The club is nicknamed Pompey. Portsmouth's home matches have been played at Fratton Park since the club's formation in 1898. The team currently play in the Football League Championship after being relegated from...
, Golac retired in 1986, having played 197 games for Southampton, scoring four goals.
Writing in the Southern Daily Echo
Southern Daily Echo
The Southern Daily Echo, commonly known as the Daily Echo or simply The Echo, is a local newspaper that covers the area of south-central Hampshire, England, including the city of Southampton...
in April 2003, McMenemy said:
"He was a terrific professional who trained well and loved 5-a-sides particularly in the small gym at The Dell where even the best players took time to get acclimatized to the speed of the action."
Of his time with Southampton, Golac said:
"Beautiful football, beautiful supporters and beautiful days. From day one, from the very first kick, I could sense a connection with the crowd. They were terrific."
"There was fire on the park – The Dell was always in flames and a lot of the opponents from London, Manchester and Liverpool just couldn't stand the heat."
Managerial career
Following the end of his playing days, Golac turned to coaching, where his laid-back, positive style led to further successes. Returning to Partizan, he became assistant to manager Momčilo VukotićMomcilo Vukotic
Momčilo "Moca" Vukotić is a Serbian football manager and a former player.He played 14 times for his national team, Yugoslavia, between 1969 and 1974 scoring four goals. In his club career in FK Partizan, he appeared in a total of 752 games in all competitions and all age levels, scoring 306 goals...
in 1989 and helped the club to Yugoslav Cup
Yugoslav Cup
The Yugoslav Cup, officially the Marshal Tito Cup, was one of two major football competitions in the former Yugoslavia, the other one being the Yugoslav League Championship. The Yugoslav Cup took place after the league championships when every competitive league in Yugoslavia had finished, in order...
success that year.
The following September, Golac had an extraordinary debut in management when Vukotić was taken ill on the eve of a Cup Winners' Cup first round tie against Celtic
Celtic F.C.
Celtic Football Club is a Scottish football club based in the Parkhead area of Glasgow, which currently plays in the Scottish Premier League. The club was established in 1887, and played its first game in 1888. Celtic have won the Scottish League Championship on 42 occasions, most recently in the...
in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
, with Partizan leading 2–1 from the first leg. An astonishing match saw Golac's team progress on away goals after a 5–4 victory for Celtic. Golac remained in charge at Partizan for the rest of the season before parting company with the club.
He still had a home in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, and returned to Britain in search of work. After being unsuccessfully shortlisted for the manager's job at old adversaries Celtic, he had a brief spell in charge of Torquay United
Torquay United F.C.
Torquay United Football Club, nicknamed the Gulls, are an English association football club based in the tourist resort town of Torquay, Devon. They played in the Conference National in 2008–09, but were promoted to Football League Two after a 2–0 win over Cambridge United on 17 May 2009 at Wembley...
during 1992. Then, in July 1993, he was announced as the surprise choice to succeed legendary Dundee United manager Jim McLean
Jim McLean
James Yuill McLean is a Scottish former football player and manager. He is best known for his 22-year spell as manager of Dundee United; the longest-serving and most successful manager in the club's history, he led them to three major honours and established them as a force in European competitions...
.
The Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
sporting media quickly latched on to Golac, whose hippyish
Hippie
The hippie subculture was originally a youth movement that arose in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to other countries around the world. The etymology of the term 'hippie' is from hipster, and was initially used to describe beatniks who had moved into San Francisco's...
public image – he took United players to "smell the flowers" in Camperdown Park during training sessions, and claimed to have learned English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
from listening to Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
records – was in pointed contrast to the austere reputation of his predecessor, McLean. Against the odds, Golac's confident approach led underdogs United to Scottish Cup success at the end of his first season in charge, defeating hot favourites Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
1–0 in the final. It was the first time Dundee United had won the trophy, having lost in the final six times under McLean.
Despite the Cup triumph, poor League
Scottish Football League
The Scottish Football League is a league of football teams in Scotland, comprising theScottish First Division, Scottish Second Division and Scottish Third Division. From the league's foundation in 1890 until the breakaway Scottish Premier League was formed in 1998, the Scottish Football League...
form and the fraught relationship between Golac and McLean (who remained club chairman) led to his departure from the club less than a year later. Since then, he has held several managerial posts around Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
without recording any significant achievements, having been in charge at ÍA Akranes in Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, FK Sartid in Serbia and FC Karpaty Lviv
FC Karpaty Lviv
FC Karpaty Lviv is a Ukrainian professional football club from the city of Lviv. Named after the Carpathian Mountains, they are one of perennial mid-table clubs in Ukraine.-Early years :...
in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
. In January 1994, he had been linked with Southampton for a possible return as manager following the departure of Ian Branfoot
Ian Branfoot
Ian Grant Branfoot is an English former footballer and manager.He played as a defender, and after starting at Gateshead joined Sheffield Wednesday, making his Football League debut in 1965. After 42 senior appearances for the club he left in 1969-70 for Doncaster Rovers...
, but the job went to Alan Ball instead.
Personal life
Outside football, Golac has in recent years also had a spell running a chocolate factory in Belgrade. He is married to Bratislava, with daughters Andrijana and Ivana, and they have homes in Belgrade and Vienna.As a player
PartizanFK Partizan
Fudbalski klub Partizan is a professional football club based in Belgrade, Serbia. In its long history, FK Partizan won as many as 37 trophies. The club is the holder of 23 national championships, 12 national cups and 1 national supercup, and has also won the Mitropa Cup in 1978...
- Prva ligaYugoslav First LeagueThe Yugoslav First League was the premier football league in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and socialist Yugoslavia...
Champions: 1975–76Yugoslav First League 1975/76-Teams:A total of eighteen teams contested the league, including sixteen sides from the 1974–75 season and two sides promoted from the 1974–75 Yugoslav Second League as winners of the two second level divisions East and West. The league was contested in a double round robin format, with each club... - Prva ligaYugoslav First LeagueThe Yugoslav First League was the premier football league in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and socialist Yugoslavia...
Champions: 1977–78Yugoslav First League 1977/78-Teams:A total of eighteen teams contested the league, including sixteen sides from the 1976–77 season and two sides promoted from the 1976–77 Yugoslav Second League as winners of the two second level divisions East and West. The league was contested in a double round robin format, with each club...
Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
- Football League Division 1 Runners-up: 1983–841983-84 in English footballThe 1983–84 season was the 104th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :Liverpool had a great first season under the management of Joe Fagan as they wrapped up their third successive league title and the 15th in their history...
- League CupFootball League CupThe Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
Finalist: 1979